2009 Year of the Bible

Happy 2010!

noreply@blogger.com (Frankfort Church) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 13:45:00 +0000

2009 was the "Year of the Bible" at Frankfort Church.

But now it is 2010, and while I don't intend on giving up on reading the Bible, of course, I do intend for this to be my last blog posting, at least on this particular topic.

So I tip my hat to those who have conquered the task of reading the Bible from cover to cover in 365 days, give or take a month or two for some! It was a monumental task, well worth the struggle. I hope you agree.

If you haven't finished it up yet, I HIGHLY encourage you to keep going. The point is not to get it all read in a year (though it is a good goal); the point is to get through it, COVER to COVER.

So, be of good courage and take heart, for it is a worthy quest that you are on, or perhaps embarking upon again. May you read, learn, and grow in knowledge about God as well as get to know God a little better.

Happy 2010!

Sunday Sermon: "Be Part of the Solution"

noreply@blogger.com (Frankfort Church) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:00:00 +0000

http://www.frankfortyotb.blogspot.com/

Check out the church site too!
http://www.frankfortpresbychurch.com/

Sunday Sermon: "Be Part of the Solution"

PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION: Please pray with me: Holy Spirit, as the Scripture is read, open our hearts and minds to hear the truth; shine your light into our dark places; convict us where our hearts have been hardened; and call us to respond with joy to your Word to us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

SCRIPTURE READING: Amos 4:1-12 (The Message)
Our Scripture reading this morning comes from Amos, which is one of those little books toward the end of the Old Testament. Amos was a prophet—a messenger from God—in the 8th century BC. His job in particular was to bring the Word of God to the kingdom of Samaria, and this Word was a Word of judgment and a call for REPENTANCE.

Amos paints amazing pictures with his words. This particular passage I’m about to read sounds like he’s crashing the set of the TV show “Desperate Housewives” or “The Real Housewives of Orange County” and reading them the riot act about the way they are living. Even if you don’t watch these shows, I’m sure you can guess what they’re all about. So, as I read these words from three thousand years ago, try to picture the scene unfolding on Wisteria Lane:

1 "Listen to this, you cows of Bashan grazing on the slopes of Samaria. You women! Mean to the poor, cruel to the down-and-out! Indolent and pampered, you demand of your husbands, 'Bring us a tall, cool drink!'

2-3"This is serious—I, God, have sworn by my holiness! Be well warned: Judgment Day is coming! They're going to rope you up and haul you off, keep the stragglers in line with cattle prods. They'll drag you through the ruined city walls, forcing you out single file, And kick you to kingdom come." God's Decree.

4-5"Come along to Bethel-- the sanctuary of God-- and sin! And then to Gilgal—the house of the Lord-- and sin some more! Bring your sacrifices for morning worship. Every third day bring your tithe. Burn pure sacrifices—thank offerings. Speak up—announce freewill offerings! That's the sort of religious show you Israelites just love." God's Decree.

6"You know, don't you, that I'm the One who emptied your pantries and cleaned out your cupboards,
Who left you hungry and standing in bread lines? But you never got hungry for me. You continued to ignore me." God's Decree.

7-8"Yes, and I'm the One who stopped the rains three months short of harvest. I'd make it rain on one village but not on another. I'd make it rain on one field but not on another—and that one would dry up.
People would stagger from village to village crazed for water and never quenching their thirst. But you never got thirsty for me. You ignored me."   God's Decree.

9"I hit your crops with disease and withered your orchards and gardens. Locusts devoured your olive and fig trees, but you continued to ignore me."   God's Decree.

10"I revisited you with the old Egyptian plagues, killed your choice young men and prize horses. The stink of rot in your camps was so strong that you held your noses—But you didn't notice me. You continued to ignore me." God's Decree.

11"I hit you with earthquake and fire, left you devastated like Sodom and Gomorrah. You were like a burning stick snatched from the flames. But you never looked my way. You continued to ignore me."   God's Decree.

12"All this I have done to you, Israel, and this is why I have done it. Time's up, O Israel! Prepare to meet your God!"

The grass withers and the flower fades but the Word of the Lord endures forever.

Can you see it? Can you see the picture Amos paints with his words? He watches the wealthy women, the elite of society going about their daily lives . . . eating, drinking, and making merry, all the while crushing the needy and oppressing the poor.

These “cows of Bashan” lead frivolous lives, urging on their husbands to break the backs of their slaves and servants so that they can make more money . . . so that their husbands can bring them anther “tall, cool drink.”

What a picture! What an indictment Amos gives on the wealthy of any society, the privileged upper-class who waste their days on parties and buying things, who profit from the hard work from other people’s backs. Amos really lets them have it, doesn’t he?

And we love it, don’t we? We might pretend we don’t, but I think secretly we do. We like to say, “Oh, how the mighty have fallen.” We like it when those who have lived life without rules or boundaries or limitations begin to stumble. The longer and harder the fall, the more pleasure we get out of it.

Tell the truth now: Who wasn’t just a little bit satisfied when Martha Stewart was sentenced to jail? Who didn’t smile just a little bit when Bernie Madoff’s empire began to crumble around him? And who wasn’t glad when Jon and Kate finally ended their reality show?

And between you, me, and this pulpit, I am a teeny, tiny bit glad to see the smug expression suddenly gone from Tiger Woods’ face. Deep down in the most sinful part of me, I have thought "oh, how the mighty have fallen" indeed.

#1
In our minds, these are the people we see as the “cows of Bashan”—the elite of our society, making a mint off of other people’s hard work and exploiting the people who are around them.

Samaria was a very prosperous part of Israel. Bashan, in particular, was known for its excellent timber and pastureland, and their excellent herds of fine cattle. So it is no surprise Amos calls the women “cows of Bashan.”

So prosperous had Bashan and its well to do inhabitants become that they no longer took notice of God. When they went to worship at Bethel and Gilgal, they did it to be the center of attention; they wanted to be noticed for their generosity. Amos tells us they did these things because it’s the kind of religious show they loved.

They had become so self-centered that they did not realize that the famines and the droughts and the fires were sent from God as a way to urge them toward REPENTANCE. Their hearts were so hardened that they didn’t notice that people were starving and staggering from town to town looking for water to drink.

The “cows of Bashan” didn’t notice the disasters falling on the land around them because they never went without. They always had food on the table, expensive clothes to wear, and warm beds to sleep in because they took from those who had and kept it greedily for themselves. They were oblivious to the needs of the people around them and how their actions at the top of the pile trickled down and ruined the lives of everyone below them.

#2
This seems like a pretty straightforward story, but usually that means there’s more to it than meets the eye. There’s a 2nd layer to this story.

Have you noticed how odd it is that Amos is addressing particularly the women in this situation? I mean, how many other times do you remember reading parts of the Bible directly addressed to women? Probably not many—a few snippets about Sarah, Debra, and some Marys, but the attention women get in the Bible is relatively small.

But the book of Amos dedicates a whole chapter to women. And he’s not just telling a story involving women characters—this is a Word of the Lord spoken directly to the “cows of Bashan,” the elite of society.

Usually, when God speaks it’s directed toward the leaders at the time and, back in Amos’ day, those leaders are usually men. But here, he turns his attention to an unlikely crowd.

I imagine these women were caught off guard—like I said, it’s like Amos crashing on to the set of “Desperate Housewives” and going off into a rant about they are crushing the needy and the poor. A crowd that is unsuspecting and probably pretty surprised by the, shall we say, enthusiasm he uses in his address to them.

Can’t you just see them getting defensive and saying, “Hey, we don’t crush the needy. We have nothing to do with the business in our family—that’s our husbands’ job. Our hands are clean.”

But Amos indicts them because they are part of the problem, because they encourage the oppressive business practices of their husbands in order have another long, cool drink brought to them. They are not a part of the solution, so that means they are part of the problem.

#3
And that leads us to a third layer in this story. Amos pronounces an indictment against not just the “cows of Bashan” but I think against ALL those who are a part of the problem and not the solution; he says if you’re not helping the poor and needy, you’re part of the problem.

And I think that is a Word from the Lord that still speaks to us today. If we’re not part of the solution of poverty and injustice, then we’re part of the problem.

One of the fundamental truths in the Old Testament is that the health of any society can be measured by looking at how the poor and needy are treated within society. If you want to know how healthy a society is, don’t go looking at all the big houses and big cars and big churches. Look at the state of poor, rundown neighborhoods with hungry people desperately trying to survive. Is there anyone one there helping them?

If you want to know how healthy a state is or how healthy a community is or even how healthy a church is, look at the poor among them and see how they are treated.

Amos tells us that it is the responsibility of everyone in a society who is in a position to give to be part of the SOLUTION, not a part of the problem.

This is a message we need to hear all year long but it doesn’t hurt to hear it repeated during this season of season of spending—I mean GIVING. Maybe this year we can be part of the solution by using the money we intended on spending on just one gift and instead give it to a non-profit organization that helps the poor and needy. With just one gift, we can be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

CONCLUSION
That Amos guy . . . he’s pretty sneaky. When we read the beginning of Amos 4, he gets us all whipped up, thinking that he’s putting the smack down on all those rich, smug people we resent because they have the world handed to them on a silver platters. They are part of the problem of poverty and injustice, NOT part of the solution.

And we want to cheer to see how the mighty have fallen, until we suddenly realize that we are part of the problem too. If we are not helping the poor and needy among us, then we are the “cows of Frankfort Springs.”

And Amos’ words to the people of Bashan three thousand years ago still ring true in our ears because if we are not part of the solution, we are a part of the problem.

In this season of giving, take the money from just one gift and donate it to the poor and needy instead. If your Christmas shopping is all done, take something back and donate that money instead.

Listen, we all buy junk for someone who is hard to shop for—this year, take the money you’d spend on them and donate it in their name to a non-profit that they like or some place that has meaning for them. I promise this is the best kind of Christmas gift you can give.

If we’re not part of the solution, we’re a part of the problem. And Amos has a word of judgment for us. Listen to Amos as he calls for repentance. Israel’s fate is sealed by the time Amos begins to prophesy. It was too late for them but it’s not too late for us. Repent, and be a part of the solution for poverty and injustice, not a part of the problem.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Sunday Sermon: "Lukewarm Laodicea"

noreply@blogger.com (Frankfort Church) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:03:00 +0000

http://www.frankfortyotb.blogspot.com/

Check out the church site too!
http://www.frankfortpresbychurch.com/

PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION: Please pray with me: Holy Spirit, as the Scripture is read, open our hearts and minds to hear the truth; shine your light into our dark places; convict us where our hearts have been hardened; and call us to respond with joy to your Word to us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

SERMON-INTRO
As we near the end of the “Year of the Bible,” you’ve gotten a taste of almost every book of the Bible. So, drawing upon all that vast knowledge you now have, were I to ask you which book in the Bible is the strangest, scariest, and most confusing, what would you say? (Revelation)

That’s what I thought you’d say! Revelation is the most mysterious book of the Bible. No one is quite sure what to make of it: is it symbolic? Literal? Should we try to figure out what it means? Should we just ignore it all together? What do we do with the book of Revelation?

Now, if my family were here, they would affirm what I am about to say to you. I, Allison Bauer, like to do things the hard way. This means I often make things a bit more complicated than they need to be, which usually results in me creating more work for myself than really is necessary.

BUT it ALSO means that everything is an adventure with me. I tend to throw myself into things, heart and soul. So of course, as I began to consider what to preach on this Sunday, I thought immediately about, what else, Revelation because I like to do things the hard way.

So my goal this morning is to take just a little piece of Revelation and make it not so scary. This morning I want to show you that Revelation is really just a book about what God’s EXPECTATIONS for us.

The first three chapters of Revelation are relatively not scary, and that’s where we’re going to start. These chapters represent the 7 letters the apostle John wrote to the 7 major churches of his day, while he was exiled on the Island of Patmos. And in these letters, it kinda seems like God is showing the churches what his EXPECTATIONS of them are and grading the churches on how good—or bad—of a job each church is doing to meet those EXPECTATIONS. So we’re going to look at just one of those letters this morning—because I’m trying to make this not so scary. We can handle one little letter, right? Good.

So, our Scripture reading this morning comes from Revelation 3:14-22:

14 "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm-- neither hot nor cold-- I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

17 You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. 21 To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of the Lord endures forever.

#1
Ouch. The church at Laodicea doesn’t fair very well, does it? On behalf of God, John is delivering this church’s grade on how well they are living up to God’s EXPECTATIONS. And that grade is an F.

But it’s not just an F; it’s an F -, an F - -, if those are possible. It’s probably the worst grade a church can get. God says, “I know your deeds” . . . and “I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”

There are several ways to spit something out of your mouth. There’s the little spit, like spitting out a watermelon seed. There’s the medium spit, like when you’re brushing your teeth in the sink. And there’s the big spit, like when you a mouthful of sour milk or juice.

The kind of spitting that Revelation is talking about is that last kind of spitting—when you’ve got something that tastes totally nasty sitting in your mouth. It’s a big gesture; it gets the attention of all the other people gathered around nearby; it can be more than a little gross too.

So God says to the church at Laodicea, “I know your deeds” . . . and “I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” That’s how bad Laodicea is.

I told you I think Revelation is a book about God’s EXPECTATIONS. And of all the 7 churches that get a letter from John, Laodicea has done the WORST job living up to God’s EXPECTATIONS. In fact, this spitting out God is threatening to do is actually closer in meaning to actually vomiting them out, not just spitting. It is as though God is saying to them, “I know your deeds and your deeds make me sick.” Literally.

So that leaves us with one question: what in the world could Laodicea have done to fall so short of God’s EXPECTATIONS?

#2
Let me read it for you again: “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm-- neither hot nor cold-- I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”

God’s EXPECTATIONS are that the church would be either hot or cold. But Laodicea is neither hot nor cold; their deeds are neither hot nor cold. But what does that mean exactly?

On the one hand, it means they are not on fire for God, living passionate lives of service to God and neighbor. On the other hand, it also means that they are not anti-God, telling friends and neighbors that there IS no God. They’re just somewhere in the middle; they are lukewarm . . . “lukewarm Laodicea.”

It sounds like they could care less about God; they are indifferent to God because Laodicea is one of the most prosperous cities at this time and they are rich and independent. And they have become independent of God. They have decided they can do for themselves and don’t need God’s help.

They are wishy-washy when it comes to God. God is there in the background, but he isn’t really a defining part of their lives. God may not even be something they think about much during their week.

This is God’s EXPECTATION for them: “Be hot or be cold, but don’t be lukewarm.” God says, “I would rather that you not believe in me AT ALL than to be lukewarm.” Imagine that. It would be better to not believe at all then to be lukewarm toward God.

But all is not lost for “lukewarm Laodicea.”

#3
All is not lost for “lukewarm Laodicea” because, as Revelation tells us, “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.” The church at Laodicea hasn’t been spit out or vomited up yet—there’s still hope. They still have a chance to change their ways and live up to God’s EXPECTATIONS. There’s hope because God wants to rebuke and discipline them. There’s still time to choose whether they want to be hot or cold, rather than to be lukewarm.

God has not given up on the church at Laodicea. Though they are lukewarm, he is not ready to give up on them yet. “Here I am!” he said. “I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”

God invites the church at Laodicea to get off the fence. God invites the church to make a decision: are you gonna be hot or are you gonna be cold? Pick one or the other, but don’t mess around in the middle.

And God makes a promise to “lukewarm Laodicea,” and you can always take God’s promises to the bank. He promises them, “To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.” To those who repent of being lukewarm, he says, you will sit with me in heaven.

This is what God EXPECTED of the 7 churches in Revelation: be hot or cold, but don’t be lukewarm. God wants them to make up their minds once and for all—be hot or be cold, but don’t be lukewarm.

CONCLUSION
Advent isn’t really a “lukewarm” time of year, is it? People are either hot or cold—they love everything about Christmas or they hate it. Fights abound about whether you can put a nativity scene on public property or not. The debate rages about whether you should say “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays” to people you meet in the street.

There’s something about Advent that makes us run hot or cold. It’s hard to be lukewarm about Advent. And I’m beginning to think that maybe that’s by God’s design—maybe God knew that we all tend to slide into “lukewarmness” like the church at Laodicea. And so part of what Advent and Christmas are all about is a time make a decision about living up to God’s EXPECTATIONS. Maybe part of the reason we celebrate Advent and Christmas is because it is God’s way of saying to us “be hot or be cold—but don’t be lukewarm.”

So, for the next couple of weeks, let’s think about whether we are living up to God’s EXPECTATIONS or not. Are we hot, cold, or lukewarm?

If you love God . . . if you serve God . . . if you live to please God, you are living up to God’s EXPECTATIONS. Even if you struggle with God . . . if you question God . . . if you have your moments of doubt about God, you are still living up to God’s EXPECTATIONS.

Be hot or be cold, but don’t be lukewarm.

May the One and Holy God give us the grace to live up to His great expectations for us, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Sunday Sermon: "Anticipation"

noreply@blogger.com (Frankfort Church) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:00:00 +0000

http://www.frankfortyotb.blogspot.com/

Check out the church site too!
http://www.frankfortpresbychurch.com/

PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION: Please pray with me: Holy Spirit, as the Scripture is read, open our hearts and minds to hear the truth; shine your light into our dark places; convict us where our hearts have been hardened; and call us to respond with joy to your Word to us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

SCRIPTURE: Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14
9 "As I looked, "thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. 10 A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened.

13 "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of the Lord endures forever.

SERMON-INTRO
Today is the first Sunday of Advent. And our theme of the day is ANTICIPATION. Anticipation . . . waiting. How do you feel about waiting?

What sorts of things do you hate waiting for the most? (wait for answers) (waiting in line in the grocery store, waiting in traffic, etc)

But there are some things you don’t mind waiting for, right? What are the things you don’t mind waiting for? (a baby to be born, a wedding day, etc)

I have to tell you, my family did a lot of anticipating this week, but we probably weren’t anticipating what you’d think we’d be anticipating. While your family may have been anticipating turkey and all the trimmings, WE were anticipating several sporting events, including the “Backyard Brawl” between Pitt and WVU.

And while I don’t particularly want to dwell on the outcome of said football game (and I don’t want to hear from any of you WVU fans as we’re shaking hands on the way out!), I think it does sum up what it means to anticipate something: you look forward to something, you imagine a million different ways how something is going to happen, you hope for something, you expect something. That’s what ANTICIPATION is all about.

#1
If there was one thing the Israelites ANTICIPATED, it was a Savior.

They never had it easy, you know. From the time spent in Egyptian slavery to forty years of wandering in the wilderness only to find the Promised Land already inhabited by other people, God’s chosen people were always in need of a Savior.

You know what that feels like to need to be saved, right? You know what it feels like to be down so low and you think you have nowhere to turn. You think maybe there’s no one else out there who can help you. You know what it feels like to need a Savior, right? Judging from the numbers of heads nodding, I think you do.

The Israelites were always looking forward to the coming of a Savior who would save them . . . a Savior they thought would destroy the kingdoms that put them into slavery. They were always looking forward to the coming of a Savior who would bring them home again, after being exiled from their homeland for so many generations.

Imagine what kind of a person this Savior would have to be. Someone strong, someone wise, someone impressive and authoritative and powerful. Someone like the “son of man” mentioned in our reading from Daniel 7.

Now HERE is a Savior, this “son of man.” Here is someone coming down from the heavens, “coming with the clouds of heaven” it says. Here is someone able to approach the throne of God—whom he calls the “Ancient of Days.” Here is someone to whom God gives “authority, glory, and sovereign power.” Here is someone whose kingdom will have no end and whose kingdom can never be destroyed. HERE is the kind of Savior the Israelites were ANTICIPATING.

#2
So that leaves us with the question: who is this mysterious Savior they were ANTICIPATING? Who is this “son of man” that the people of God were so desperately hoping for? Who is this “son of man” who was so highly ANTICIPATED throughout the Old Testament?

It’s the kind of question that led people for generations to keep their eyes peeled, searching for, watching for, and looking for their Savior. They were constantly alert, looking for hints about who their Savior would be.

People today are still looking for hints of a Savior, aren’t we? We might not always be looking in the right places, but we’re all looking for a Savior.

The name “son of man” can actually be either a general term for a human being—like we are each a “son of man”—OR it can refer to someone who will come to judge the righteous and unrighteous at the end of time.

So the “son of man” could be just an “average Joe” OR the “son of man” could be a wise and powerful judge. The great Savior of the Israelites—the Savior we are looking for—could be just another person like us or could be someone who is completely different from us.

So which is it, then? Are we ANTICIPATING the kind of Savior who is an average Joe or the Supreme judge at the end times?

#3

Would you believe the Savior of the world is both?

The one the Israelites anticipated throughout all the generations, the “son of man” who came “with the clouds of heaven,” the one who has been given “all authority, glory and sovereign power” is the same helpless baby who was dependent on everyone else around him.

There are some things you just can’t ANTICIPATE, don’t you think?

No wonder it took the disciples so long to figure out who they were looking for. They were anticipating a conquering king descending from the clouds . . . but what they got was an average Joe, an average Joe, who is ALSO the “son of man” descending with the “clouds of heaven.”

The disciples did their fair share of waiting and looking and searching and ANTICIPATING as Jesus walked among them and taught them. They had their own hints and clues they discovered along the way about this Savior of the world.

And the clues led them to Jesus, Savior of the world, who is both the “son of man” AND the “son of God.”

CONCLUSION
He is the one we ANTICIPATE during Advent—not the presents or the cookies or the Christmas parties. What we ANTICIPATE is so much more than that.

What we ANTICIPATE is that he will come again at the end times “to judge the quick and the dead”—the righteous and the unrighteous.

So after all these generations, after all the time that has passed, he is the one we should still have our eyes peeled for . . . the one we should be looking for . . . and the one we should be searching for because he is the Savior of the world.

Advent is more than just ANTICIPATING the baby in the cradle. It’s about ANTICIPATING the “son of man” who will descend from the clouds of heaven and bring us home.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Sunday Sermon: "Fish Stick Jesus"

noreply@blogger.com (Frankfort Church) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 13:29:00 +0000

http://www.frankfortyotb.blogspot.com/

Check out the church site too!
http://www.frankfortpresbychurch.com/

Sunday Sermon: "Fish Stick Jesus"

PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION: Please pray with me: Holy Spirit, as the Scripture is read, open our hearts and minds to hear the truth; shine your light into our dark places; convict us where our hearts have been hardened; and call us to respond with joy to your Word to us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

SCRIPTURE: Psalm 100
1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of the Lord endures forever.

SERMON-INTRO

People look for God in all kinds of places. And in that looking for God, they seem to find God in some of the strangest places. While some people find God in nature . . . in church . . . in the kindness of a stranger . . . other people find God in fish sticks.

Seriously, in November 2004 a guy named Fred Whan, who lives in Ontario, burnt a fish stick he was having for dinner. As he pulled it out of the oven and looked at it, he found the face of Jesus on his fish stick. He kept it in his freezer for a year, then put it up for auction on www.ebay.com.

In that same year, a woman in Ft. Lauderdale said she found an image of Mary, the mother of Jesus, in her grilled cheese sandwich. Later that year, she sold it for $28,000.

Now, the point of me telling you this isn’t so we get in a debate whether or not we think these faces really did appear in these foods. The point is . . . people are looking for God. People are yearning to find God in the everyday, ordinariness of their lives.

We know we’ll see God in church on Sunday; but we want to see God the other six days a week, in the places we go every day.

But I don’t want a God who lives in fish sticks or grilled cheese sandwiches. I want a God who is so much more than that—I want a God who is wise and strong and loving and just and merciful.

I want the kind of God we read about in Psalm 100.

#1

I want a God who is worthy of praise and thanksgiving, not just random appearances in food.

This God that the psalmist talks about is worthy of our praise and thanksgiving because he made us. God is our maker—the fish sticks, the grilled cheese, all these things were made. But not God; God made us.

The God the psalmist talks about is worthy of our praise and thanksgiving because he loves us. We love our cars and our houses and our toys, but they don’t love us back. But God loved us first, long before we loved him. And God continues to love us, even when we are most unlovable.

Psalm 100 also tells us that God is worthy of our praise and thanksgiving because God owns us. Fish sticks and grilled cheese belong to us, but we belong to God. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. “For God so loved the world that he gave up his only begotten Son” and now we belong to him.

The God the psalmist talks about is worthy of our praise and thanksgiving because God really is all around us but in more than fish sticks and grilled cheese. God is around us because WE are his people, so when we look at the other people around us, we can see the face of Jesus. We can see Jesus on the face of the people we live with and work with. We can even see Jesus on the face of strangers, those in need and those in prison, those who live in big mansions and those who live in cardboard boxes.

#2

We all want a God who is found somewhere other than fish sticks and grilled cheese. We all want a God who is wise and strong and loving and just and merciful.

THAT God is the God who deserves our praise and thanks.

At this time of year, we often spend too much time thinking about all the gifts we have been given and too little thinking about the Giver of the gifts.

Don’t get me wrong; it’s good to be thankful for the blessings God has given us. But I think we spend too much time focusing on the stuff, instead of focusing on the God who gave us the stuff.

It’s good to be thankful for material blessings, but we have to remember that God surrounds us with all kinds of people who reflect God’s face to us.

So here is how we’re going to give God our praise and thanks. At the end of your pew is a pile of what I hope look like maple leaves. And on some of those leaves it says “People I’m Thankful For” and on the other “Reasons I’m Thankful for God.”

Working with the other people in your pew, or with people in front of or behind you—your choice, try to fill up each of these leaves with either people you are thankful for or reasons you are thankful for God. For example on the “people” leaf, you could write the names of your family members or friends or coworkers or the garbage man who comes to your house each week. And on the “God” leaf, you could write, you’re thankful for God’s forgiveness or love or mercy—some thing God has done for you that you are grateful for.

I’ll give you four minutes to try to fill each leaf up. Anyone have any questions? Alright, go!

#3

Could I have all the kids come forward?

(Have taller kids stay down front to tape up leaves, smaller kids go into congregation to collect all the leaves.)

If you’re finished, hold you leaves up in the air and the kids will come and collect them and add them to our Thanksgiving tree.

CONCLUSION

Judging from the number of leaves on the tree—and how much writing is on them!—we don’t need to look very far to see God. We can see God on the face of those around us, those special people that God has placed in our lives, just for us.

So, don’t go looking for Jesus in your turkey leg on Thanksgiving or in your mashed potatoes the day after Thanksgiving. Instead, look for Jesus in the faces of the people who are gathered around the table with you.

As you look on their faces, give thanks and praise to God because God is constantly revealing himself to you, in the faithful believers around you.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

QandAs for the Week

noreply@blogger.com (Frankfort Church) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 13:11:00 +0000

www.frankfortyotb.blogspot.com

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"Year of the Bible" Q&As of the Week

Here are the questions for the week (better late than never, right??)

Monday: According to Jude, godless men “who change the grace of our God” into what?

Tuesday: God desires what instead of sacrifice and what instead of burnt offerings? (Hosea 6)

Wednesday: Though the Lord is on high, he is close to who but far away from who else? (Psalm 138)

Thursday: “Israel a spreading vine” and he bore fruit for who? (Hosea 10)

Friday: To what churches does John write to in Revelation 3?

Saturday: What will he who is wise and discerning understand? (Hosea 14)

Sunday: What can Israel do to endure “the day of the Lord?” (Joel 2)

YOB Q and As

noreply@blogger.com (Frankfort Church) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:54:00 +0000

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"Year of the Bible" Q&As

Here's the question and answer from Friday:
What appeared and has been seen and people testify to? (1 John1)
1 John 1:2 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.

And from Saturday:
When the man was brought to the gate facing east, what did he see? (Ezek 43)
Ezekiel 43:1-2 Then the man brought me to the gate facing east, 2 and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east.

And here's the question of the day:
Who should Israel put her hope in “both now and forevermore?” (Ps 131)

Sunday Sermon to follow later on today!

I Wanna Be in the Light: musical edition

noreply@blogger.com (Frankfort Church) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:24:00 +0000

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"Year of the Bible" Q&As and Pastor's Reflection

Here's the question and answer from Wednesday:
What does someone have to do in order to be blessed by God? (Ps 128)
Psalm 128:1 Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways.

And here's the question and answer from Thursday:
What are the names of the two people Ezekiel, “Son of man,” is supposed to prophesy against? (Ezek 39)
Ezekiel 39:1 Son of man, prophesy against Gog and say: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.
Ezekiel 39:6 6 I will send fire on Magog and on those who live in safety in the coastlands, and they will know that I am the LORD.

And here's the question of the day:
20 What appeared and has been seen and people testify to? (1 John1)

And here's the reflection of the day:
"God is light; in him there is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5).

Instead of reflecting today, I'm sending you to someone who says it better than I ever could. This is a video of Toby Mac during a concert reading from 1 John 1 and then singing the song "I Wanna Be in the Light," which is one of my personal faves! Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6d0YMp_YOs

Slick-Talking, Charming False Prophets

noreply@blogger.com (Frankfort Church) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:12:00 +0000

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"Year of the Bible" Q&As & Pastor's Reflection

Here's the question and answer from Sunday:
Fill in the blanks: “Those who trust in the Lord are like _______________________________.” (Psalm 125)
Psalm 125:1 Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever.

And from Monday:
The son of man has been made a “___________ for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me?” (Ezek 33)
Ezekiel 33:7 7 "Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.

And here's the question of the day:
What will the false prophets and false teachers “secretly introduce?” (2 Pet 2)

And the reflection of the day:
2 Peter 2 provides us with a timely caution: watch out for false prophets and teachers.

We seem to have given up on the idea of truth--that in every situation there is a right thing to do and a wrong thing to do. Maybe this is a result of misguided humility. Maybe it is a result of not wanting to upset our friends and neighbors. Whatever its cause, the result is the same: we get lost.

We get lost when trying to make a decision because we've forgotten--or intentionally put aside--the traditional moral and/or religious guidance handed down throughout the generations of our families. We get lost in difficult, ethical situations because we've lost track of (or given up) on the idea of truth.

So that leaves us vulnerable to slick-talking, charming false prophets who promise us anything from physical healing to mastery of one's own destiny. And many will succumb to exploitation: "Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute" (verse 2). Not only are they themselves harmed, but "the truth" (God's truth) will be brought into "disrepute."

But there is a way to fight back. 1 John 4:1 says, "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out in the world."

Ask questions. PLEASE, ask questions--of your pastors and your teachers, of anyone trying to teach you "the truth." Examine what they say--use the brain the good Lord gave you!

If you have fallen prey to a false prophet (and haven't we all at one time or another!), there is hope: "if this is so (see vv 4-8), then the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from trials and hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment" (verse 9).

Nahum 1:2 says, "The Lord is a jealous and avenging God; the Lord takes vengeance and is filled with wrath." So don't you worry about getting vengeance for yourself; leave that up to God!

Your job, once you have been fooled, is to return to the truth. Find the true prophets and teachers of the truth to help you get back on the right path. And remember Romans 8:38-39: 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ, not even false prophets!!

Sunday Sermon: "God is Not an Easy Button"

noreply@blogger.com (Frankfort Church) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:00:00 +0000

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"Year of the Bible" Q&As and Sunday Sermon

Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
What country is God going to give to Nebuchadnezzar? What country is he king of?
Ezekiel 29:19 19 Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am going to give Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will carry off its wealth.

And here's the question of the day:
Fill in the blanks: “Those who trust in the Lord are like _______________________________.” (Psalm 125)

And here's the Sunday Sermon:

PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION: Please pray with me: Holy Spirit, as the Scripture is read, open our hearts and minds to hear the truth; shine your light into our dark places; convict us where our hearts have been hardened; and call us to respond with joy to your Word to us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

SCRIPTURE: 1 Peter 1:3-9
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-- kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.

7 These have come so that your faith-- of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-- may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of the Lord endures forever.

SERMON-INTRO
I don’t know about you, but there are some days when I could really use an “easy button.” You’ve seen the easy button, right, on the Staples commercials? . . . those wonderful, magical commercials where just the touch of a button un-jams the copier and files the papers and makes the coffee and straightens up the office and makes the boss happy.

Especially as the holidays begin their approach in our daily lives and all the things that need to be done start to pile up, it would be so nice to have a little red button to push that would magically accomplish everything on our to-do lists.

I’m sure you can think back over your life and come up with a few places you wished you’d had an easy button—algebra in high school, learning, how to drive, asking the person you like out on a date for the first time, your first job interview. Even today, I’m sure you’d like to have an easy button to get the house clean and the laundry done and the kids to bed and pay bills, and to figure out what to do when the doctor gives you bad news and how to deal with a sick child or an aging parent.

I would LOVE to have an easy button around here at the church: preparing for sermons and Bible Studies and session meetings, finding volunteers, keeping volunteers, moving those dividers around downstairs, finding new elders, meeting the budget, finding new members, and helping our faith in and knowledge of God increase.

‘Staples has an Easy Button. But life does not.
Staples says, “That was easy.” But Jesus says, “This might hurt a little bit.”’

#1
Actually, what he said in John 16:33 was “In this world you will have trouble.” It’s a part of the human condition, this having “trouble.” Jesus also said, in Matthew 6:34, “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

I probably don’t need to tell you these things. You’ve probably discovered them on your own. There will be broken relationships and lost jobs and tragic deaths and chronic pain and suffering all the days of our lives.

And it is in these terrible, painful, awful moments when we’re not sure how in the world we’re going to get through another day that we will REALLY want an “easy button.” In these moments, nothing seems better than a magical “easy button” that with one touch can erase all of the trouble and suffering.

It is also in these moments that we are tempted to wish God was like a genie in a bottle. We would love to be able to rub a magic cross to make God appear and grant us our three wishes.

But, as you may have already found out, it doesn’t work that way. At some point in your life, you may have been tempted to think that life would be a little less painful as a Christian. I’m going to guess that by now you’ve given up on that particular fantasy.

God is not an easy button; nor is he a genie in a bottle. Jesus says, “This might hurt a little bit.”

#2
So, recognizing that in this life we will have trouble of all shapes and sizes, Peter tells us, in his letter, that the sooner we learn to deal with the troubles we will all face, the better off we’ll be.
Trials and troubles, Peter says, come so that our “faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result” in God’s praise and glory. Trouble comes so that our faith will grow stronger.

Sometimes the trouble we face is our own fault because we’ve made dumb decisions; sometimes it’s not our fault at all, sometimes there’s just no reason. But we can always find a purpose in our pain—there is always the chance to strengthen our faith and bring glory to God.

We can always find meaning in our suffering because nothing happens apart from the will of God. So when suffering happens, there must be some meaning in it. Trouble and suffering can always be used for good because we know that, in all things, God works for the good of those who believe in him.

Peter says that, for a little while, we may have “to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.” But in the long run, when our faith is purified and refined through troubles and trials, we will be “filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy” because we are working out our salvation, which is the “goal” of our faith.

Jesus says, “This might hurt a little bit, but it will all be worth it in the end.”

#3
I have come to believe that God does not just want us to get through our suffering and get over it. I believe that God wants to transform us through the process of dealing with our suffering.
Though God might not want us to go through the suffering, I think he definitely would want us to use our time of struggling to take a step closer to him. It is when we struggle that we can fully appreciate, as Peter writes, what it feels to be “shielded by God’s power,” like a hiding place in the midst of a storm.

I also have come to believe that from our deepest pain can come our greatest source for ministry. Though we may feel terribly alone while we are suffering, we really are surrounded by other people who have gone through the same exact thing. What a gift we have to be able to share with those in their suffering—to say to someone, “I have walked a mile in your shoes. Let me show you where there is hope.”

And the hope that we have is in Jesus Christ, who conquered death. If Jesus can conquer death, surely the suffering we are enduring is like child’s play to him! We have hope because of his resurrection and the fact that, through him, we have been adopted into God’s family. We are now God’s children! We now have a share in what Peter calls “an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for” us. Just as Jesus conquered death, so we too are conquerors, more than conquerors, in fact.

Jesus says, “This might hurt a little, but it will be worth it in the end. I will be right next to you the whole time.”

CONCLUSION
Mother Teresa, who surely knew her fair share of suffering and trouble in this world, is quoted as saying this: “I know God will not give me anything I can’t handle. I just wish he didn’t trust me so much.”

I think we can all relate to that, especially when the troubles and trials start to pile up. If we can only remember that God has claimed us as his own, given us new birth into his family, and a living hope in Jesus Christ, I think we can begin to see even our most painful suffering as seeds that can bring tremendous growth in our faith.

Jesus says, “Life might hurt a little bit, but it will all be worth it in the end. I will be right next to you the whole time. Believe . . . believe in the the hope I have set before you.”

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

This One's for All the Church Leaders Out There

noreply@blogger.com (Frankfort Church) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:03:00 +0000

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"Year of the Bible" Q&As and Pastor's Reflection

Here's the question and answer from Wednesday:
The psalmist encourages us to pray for the __________ of Jerusalem? (Ps 122)
Psalm 122:6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: "May those who love you be secure."

And from Thursday:
Who took revenge on the house of Judah and became guilty by doing so? (Ezek 25)
Ezekiel 25:12 12 "This is what the Sovereign LORD says: 'Because Edom took revenge on the house of Judah and became very guilty by doing so"

And from Friday:
How does love cover a multitude of sins? (I Peter 4) (Hint: This doesn’t have a right or wrong answer!)

And here's the question from today:
What country is God going to give to Nebuchadnezzar? What country is he king of?

And here's the reflection of the day:
This one's for all the church elders and other leaders in the church out there. It's the season for church officer nominations, right? And so it seems that 1 Peter 5 was just destined for us to be reading right now.

If you are part of a typical church, nominating committees are currently, or soon will be, on the prowl for new elders, deacons, trustees, and other assorted church officers. And sometimes, if we're honest with ourselves, it just comes down to just finding a warm body to fill a slot.

And that kind of attitude would make Peter roll over in his grave, wherever it may be.

Peter writes as an elder to the "elders among you" (v1). And his advice to all church leaders is this: "Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers--not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be" (v2).

That advice, my friends, is music to a pastor's ears. Pastors want church leaders who are WILLING to serve, not just those who feel it is their duty or agree simply because it is their "turn" to serve.

Jesus, the "Chief Shepherd," did not serve because it was his "turn;" he was WILLING and he did it out of love for the world. And that should be our motivation as well--and this applies to pastors just as well as church lay leaders!

We've all done things in the church with . . . shall we say less than perfect motives . . . and it's time to get over that. That's not the example Jesus set for us and it's not the example we should be setting for the next generation of church leaders either.

And may I be so bold as to say that I personally think it actually does HARM to the church to serve with incorrect motives. It would serve the church better if it had fewer leaders who are willing than a plethora of leaders who are there only because it is their "turn" to serve.

I encourage you to think on this passage from 1 Peter 5 as you contemplate how you will serve your congregation in the coming year!!

YOB Musical Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Frankfort Church) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:06:00 +0000

http://www.frankfortyotb.blogspot.com/

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http://www.frankfortpresbychurch.com/

"Year of the Bible" Q&As and Pastor's Reflection

Here's the question and answer from Monday:
Ezekiel compares Israel’s mother to what? (Ezek 19)
Ezekiel 19:10 10 "'Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard planted by the water; it was fruitful and full of branches because of abundant water."

And the question and answer from Tuesday:
Who is “the living Stone” 1 Peter 2 talks about?
1 Peter 2:4-5 4 As you come to him, the living Stone-- rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him-- 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

And here's today's question of the day:
The psalmist encourages us to pray for the __________ of Jerusalem? (Ps 122)

And here's the reflection of the day:

I really love today's readings from the psalms, especially Psalm 121. As frequently happens to me, I begin to read Scripture and a song pops into my head--"I lift my eyes up to the hills--where does my help come from" were the particular lines. So I went to work on http://www.youtube.com/ looking for a version of that song I liked. And this is what I came up with: it's called "Praise You in This Storm" recorded by Casting Crowns and this version is by a guy named Joe Monto.

May this song be our prayer today and always! (Lyrics are posted under the video.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkfVimRvSeg

"Praise You in This Storm" by Casting Crowns (performed by Joe Monto)

I was sure by now
God You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say "Amen", and it's still raining

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
Every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry
You raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can't find You

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth

New Frame of Reference

noreply@blogger.com (Frankfort Church) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:00:00 +0000

http://www.frankfortyotb.blogspot.com/
Check out the church site too!
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"Year of the Bible" Q&As and Pastor's Reflection

And here's the question of the day:
Ezekiel compares Israel’s mother to what? (Ezek 19)

And here's the reflection of the day:
1 Peter 1:6-7 6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith-- of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-- may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

I try to keep my antennae up during these "Year of the Bible" readings for something that would be good to reflect on or to preach on. I especially take note when I see the words "trial" or "grief" or "difficulty." When people are going through trials or grief or difficulty they are most open to hearing God's Word of hope. So I try to keep a list of comforting Scriptures passages I can pull out at a moment's notice.

So of course 1 Peter 1 caught my attention right away with the phrase "may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials." (That's a goldmine for the keywords I read for!)

What I like most about this passage is the way it provides a frame of reference for the trials. It tells us the kinds of things we need to think about in the non-difficult times. So often we get sucked down so far into our pain that we lose perspective. But this passage teaches us to find purpose in our pain. These are the kinds of things we need to reflect on in between the painful times . . . or even to help us to reflect back over a painful time.

Ultimately, our pain can strengthen our faith, though that's something we probably only think about AFTER the pain has passed. And if we do it right, our increased faith should result in bringing praise and glory and honor to Jesus.

If we can keep these things in mind the next time we run into "trials" or "difficulty," then I think it will help us to find purpose in our pain and help us to cope. It takes the focus off our own our misery and puts it on God. And it will help us to achieve our main purpose in life: to glorify God with our whole lives!

Sunday Sermon: "Going to Paris Man"

noreply@blogger.com (Frankfort Church) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:00:00 +0000

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Sunday Sermon: "Going to Paris Man"

PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION: Please pray with me: Holy Spirit, as the Scripture is read, open our hearts and minds to hear the truth; shine your light into our dark places; convict us where our hearts have been hardened; and call us to respond with joy to your Word to us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

SCRIPTURE: James 3:13 - 4:3
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil.

16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. 17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.
James 4:1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of the Lord endures forever.

SERMON-INTRO
Last Sunday, my family went out to a TGIFridays to celebrate my grandmother’s 86th birthday. As we were sitting there waiting for the food to arrive, I looked at the sugar container. Fridays has their own brand of sugar packets and each packet has a random question on it.

The first sugar packet had the question “If you could have any superpower, what would it be?” So I asked my dad; and his answer was “super-accounting powers.”
You have to know my dad to get the humor of his answer; let me assure you, it totally makes sense that’s the kind of answer he would give. But it got me thinking about the question of superpowers: suppose you could either be completely invisible OR you could fly. Which would you pick?

Now, before you answer, think about it: even if you are invisible, anything you pick up or move will still be visible. And even though you can fly, that doesn’t make you invincible, so you can still smash into things. So, which would you choose? Who would want to be invisible? And who would choose to fly? (People raise hands.)

#1
So, if you were invisible, what would you do with your powers? What kinds of things could you do with your invisibility superpower? (wait for answers)

And if you could fly, what would you do with YOUR powers? What sorts of things would you do with your flying superpower? (wait for answer)

A guy named John Hodgman hosts the “This American Life” program on NPR. He asked these very questions as an informal poll for his show. And they people were pretty evenly split between wanting to be invisible and wanting to fly, which is not too surprising.

But the answers to the “what would you do with your superpower” question WERE pretty shocking. “No matter which power people chose, they used it in self-serving ways.”
No one seemed to care about fighting crime or finding justice; nobody wanted to work for peace. No one wanted to be merciful or even helpful.

One typical respondent, who had chosen flight, commented, “I don’t think I’d want to spend a lot of my time using my power for good. I mean, if I don’t have super strength and I’m not invulnerable it would be very dangerous. If you had to rescue somebody from a burning building you might catch on fire. Just having the power of flight, I don’t think it’s necessarily quite enough because you don’t have the super strength. I’d still be weak when I got there. I don’t fight crime now.”

He finished with — “I’d go to Paris, I suppose. I could be ‘Going to Paris Man.’”
If we’re honest with ourselves, we will probably admit thinking the same thing. We might not say it out loud, but deep, down, we might agree with “Going to Paris Man.” Even my dad’s “super-accounting power” isn’t something that’s going to benefit society; it will just make him better at his job and help him to move up the corporate ladder. According to this survey and maybe even our own answers to the questions, nobody’s really interested in helping others; we are all selfish.

#2
But you aren’t really all that surprised at the results of that poll, are you? Whether we’re open and honest about our selfishness or keep it hidden inside, we all have oodles of selfishness.

This is what James is talking about in our Scripture reading this morning. We like to follow the wisdom of the world—the kind of wisdom that says do for yourself first and, if you’ve got something leftover, do for someone else.

Hodgman found that the people who answered his survey revealed their true character with how they would USE their superpower. They followed the wisdom of the world . . . people who chose to be invisible talked about sneaking into movies, steal clothes from a store, spy on their coworkers, follow their exes around, or eavesdrop on conversations about them.

People who could fly would give up their cars and buses, fly from bar to bar, they’d hope they find some groupies who’d be glad to follow them around, or they’d fly to Paris or Barcelona or Vegas.

People were the same in James’ time as they are now. Human desires are very earthly and very unspiritual. People are self-serving. Any superpower people have they will use it only for their own good.

We don’t really need to fly—we have planes and helicopters for that. And we don’t need to be invisible—nothing good seems to come from that either. These are superpowers that will probably just make us more selfish.

#3
But the REAL superpower we need is divine wisdom or “wisdom from above,” and NOT the wisdom of the world. The wisdom of the world says look out for #1. Divine wisdom is pure and peaceful and gentle and submissive. Divine wisdom is full of mercy, not showing favoritism or hypocrisy. And true wisdom, divine wisdom, James says, produces a “righteous harvest.”

James tells us that unless our lives bears witness to divine wisdom, we are suffering from “false wisdom.” FALSE wisdom is full of bitter envy and selfish ambition. False wisdom brings disorder and wickedness of every kind. And false wisdom leads to conflicts and disputes.

James says, “You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight.” THIS is false wisdom. Doing whatever you can to get the stuff you want.

James says, “You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” THIS is false wisdom.

And that’s where false wisdom leads us: being at odds with God. Following the wisdom of the world puts us at such odds with God that when we ask, we do not receive because we ask with the wrong motives.

You have heard it said “Ask and you shall receive.” But do you remember the other part of the verse? “Seek FIRST the kingdom of God and all these things will be given to you. Divine wisdom seeks first the kingdom of God. False wisdom seeks first OUR own little kingdoms. Should we really be surprised when we are receive “no” answers from God when our motives are selfish?

When we look to other places or other people for things that only God can supply, we “do not have” because we do not ask God. In a way, we have a hand in answering our own prayers. If we are asking from false motives, should we really be surprised when we get a “no” answer? Which of our prayers might instead be answered by a “yes” instead of a “no” simply because we ask using divine wisdom? It’s something to think about.

CONCLUSION
Without the superpower of divine wisdom, all we are able to do is brag and boast, covet and steal, cause fights and create conflict.

But with divine wisdom, given to us and embodied in the Holy Spirit, with divine wisdom, even in our weakest moments—faced with our very own kryptonite—we can still be people who are filled with mercy and peace and gentleness, which is exactly what
James is telling us disciples need to be.

The superpower of divine wisdom is a gift—a gift which God has given to each one of us. It’s a gift that God expects us to use to make life better for others, not just to make our own lives better.

The wisdom of the world—false wisdom—tells us to love ourselves. But divine wisdom tells us to love one another because God loved us first.

And we won’t need to brag about being wise; our lives will reflect that wisdom. Our lives will be full of “deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.”

Thanks be to the God who makes us each into superheroes who sow in peace and raise a harvest of righteousness and whose prayers He is happy to answer because our motives are pure and unselfish.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Playing Favorites

noreply@blogger.com (Frankfort Church) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:49:00 +0000

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"Year of the Bible" Q&As and Pastor's Reflection

Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
Monday:What is Ezekiel supposed to do with his hair when the days of the siege end? (Ezek 5)
Ezekiel 5:2-4 2 When the days of your siege come to an end, burn a third of the hair with fire inside the city. Take a third and strike it with the sword all around the city. And scatter a third to the wind. For I will pursue them with drawn sword. 3 But take a few strands of hair and tuck them away in the folds of your garment. 4 Again, take a few of these and throw them into the fire and burn them up. A fire will spread from there to the whole house of Israel.

And here's the question of the day:
Tuesday: What is the “royal law” of Scripture that James reminds us that if we follow, we are doing right? (James 2)

And here's the reflection of the day:
"My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism" (James 2:1).

This is a sneaky little sin, isn't it? Favoritism. We probably do it without even knowing it.

Think about it for a minute--in what ways do you most frequently show favoritism?

Have you come up with anything? Do you discriminate against pop with caffeine? cookies with sugar? mayonnaise on sandwiches? Or perhaps it is something slightly more serious . . . paying more attention to those who are dressed nicely as opposed to those who are not? Helping only those who help themselves? Being kind only to those who are kind to you?

Favoritism is sneaky. We can justify it pretty easily.

And though we might be tempted to think favoritism might only be a minor infraction (something surely we can get away with), verse 10 bursts our little denial bubble: "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it."

So maybe the area we show the most favoritism is in our sinning! We pride ourselves on not committing this sin or that sin, all the while indulging in our favorite sins. There are some sins that we think are beneath us--things WE would never do. But then there are others sins that everyone does. And those sins aren't too bad, because everyone else does those, right?

But James reminds us that to sin in one way is to sin in all ways. So, the next time you start feel a little high and mighty because you NOT have committed murder or adultery or any of the other BIG commandments, just remember that stumbling at just one point means breaking all of it. "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

BUT our every sin has been atoned for by "our glorious Lord Jesus Christ." And there's the good news!

Sunday Sermon: "In Peter's Shoes"

noreply@blogger.com (Frankfort Church) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:00:00 +0000

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PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION: Please pray with me: Holy Spirit, as the Scripture is read, open our hearts and minds to hear the truth; shine your light into our dark places; convict us where our hearts have been hardened; and call us to respond with joy to your Word to us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

SERMON-INTRO
As I have been trying to catch up on my “Year of the Bible” reading, I’ve been reading big chunks of the books of the Bible at one time. For instance, I’ve been reading A LOT of John’s gospel. And as I’ve been reading, Peter has caught my attention, time after time.

Peter just may be my favorite disciple. Peter says the things everyone is thinking but no one else wants to stay, you know what I mean? Most of us have a filter in our brains that we use to sort out what things we should say and what we shouldn’t say. But it seems like Peter’s is broken. He is impulsive and spontaneous, often acting first and thinking later, but generally well-intentioned and well-meaning.

Mind you, none of these are behaviors that I recommend. But, put all these flaws together and you get a very down-to-earth, very relatable kind of disciple. And that’s why I think I like Peter so much, because I can relate to the scrapes that he gets himself into. I feel like I have actually walked a mile in his shoes before.

So this morning, we’re going to take a little trip through John’s gospel and read about Peter, particularly how he is involved in the betrayal and crucifixion of Jesus.

#1
I’d like to start by reading from John 13:33-38: Jesus and the disciples are gathered around the Last Supper table and Jesus begins to explain about his coming death: Jesus says, 33 "My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come. 34 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

36 Simon Peter asked him, "Lord, where are you going?" Jesus replied, "Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later." 37 Peter asked, "Lord, why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you."

38 Then Jesus answered, "Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!”

Impetuous Peter declares his undying devotion to Jesus . . . “I will lay down my life for you.” And Jesus responds not only by doubting the sincerity of Peter’s devotion but also warns that Peter will disown, or deny, him three times before the rooster crows.

Impetuous but well-meaning Peter must have been crushed. He thought his faith was strong; he thought his love was sure. Then the very man he worshiped and believed in devastates him with this prophecy. Peter probably wondered how he could possibly deny Jesus. He thinks he’s willing to lay down his life for Jesus—how could he possibly do something so sinful as to deny Jesus?

Ah, but isn’t that the way it goes for all of us? We think our faith is strong; we think our love is sure. And the next thing we know, we too are denying Jesus.
It’s not hard to put ourselves in Peter’s shoes, is it? We know how easy it is to deny Jesus with our actions and our priorities. We all have been in Peter’s shoes before.

#2
Our second glimpse into Peter’s life comes from John 18:15-18: 15 Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest's courtyard, 16 but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the girl on duty there and brought Peter in.

17 "You are not one of his disciples, are you?" the girl at the door asked Peter. He replied, "I am not." 18 It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.

John 18:25-27 25 As Simon Peter stood warming himself, he was asked, "You are not one of his disciples, are you?" He denied it, saying, "I am not."

26 One of the high priest's servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, "Didn't I see you with him in the olive grove?" 27 Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.

We know that feeling, don’t we? We’ve all stood in Peter’s shoes in this situation. No sooner do the words leave our mouth than we have that sinking feeling. We have that realization that we just did the thing we promised ourselves we would never do, or that we said the things we vowed we would never say. We have all heard the rooster crow; we have all seen the light bulb go on.

The serving girl asks Peter, “You are not one of his disciples, are you?” It sounds like she’s EXPECTING him to say no. And he plays right into her hands with his first denial.

Someone else standing next to him, as they warm themselves around the fire, asks him, “You are not one of his disciples, are you?” Again, a question that sounds like it expects “no” for an answer. And that is the answer Peter gives.

But the third question is a little different. The person who asks the third question actually saw Peter with Jesus in the garden just a few hours earlier. He’s related to the guy whose ear Peter cut off. He KNOWS Peter was with Jesus. And he says, “Didn’t I see you with him in the olive grove?” THAT is a question expecting a “yes” answer because the person asking the question is an eyewitness. But again, Peter denies being with Jesus.

Three times Peter is asked the same question. Three times Peter gives the same answer, “No, I don’t know Jesus.” After the third denial, the rooster crows. And the gravity of what Peter has done begins to sink in. We all know how THAT feels.

#3
The final glimpse into Peter’s life, at least for today, is found in John 21:15-17: 15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?" "Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."

16 Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?" He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep."

17 The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep.”

It’s not a coincidence that Jesus asks Peter the same question three times. For each denial, Jesus gives Peter a chance to repent. With each question, Jesus issues Peter another invitation back into relationship with him.

Jesus is not mad at Peter. Jesus does not hold a grudge against him; just the opposite, in fact. Jesus invites Peter back into the community of faith.

Though Peter seems to be insulted by Jesus’ repetition, I don’t think he means to be insulting. It’s like when you tell someone “I love you.” Saying it only once doesn’t mean much. But saying it again and again and again . . . repeating it gives it meaning.

With each question, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Jesus erases each of Peter’s denials. Jesus is calling Peter again to be a disciple. Peter is restored. Once again, his faith is strong and his love is sure.

CONCLUSION
I wonder how many people don’t come to church because they are stuck in Peter’s shoes as the rooster crows. I wonder how many people in our community don’t come to church, here or anywhere, because they think they are too bad, too sinful, too far gone for Jesus to take them back.

I wonder how many of us gathered here this morning are still stuck in Peter’s shoes as the rooster crows. I wonder how many of US, come faithfully, but don’t really believe that God has forgiven them for something they have done.

I’m willing to bet we all know someone who is stuck in that place, honestly believing that he or she is too sinful for God to love him or her. Maybe you are the one stuck in Peter’s shoes hearing the rooster crow over and over again, thinking God will never take you back again.

With three simple questions, Jesus invited Peter back into the family. Because of those three little questions, Peter knew what it meant to be forgiven and embraced by the very person he have sinned against; he knew what it was like to be received back into relationship with the One who died for him and rose again.

This is the good news for all of us: Peter is a lesson in grace. Peter didn’t deserve it; he didn’t earn it; he wasn’t good enough for it. But God offered him grace anyway, just as God offers grace to each one of us . . . no matter how bad we think we are . . . no matter how long it’s been since we were in church.

So the next time you, or someone you know, feels like you have strayed so far off the path that not even a GPS is going to get you back on it, remember impetuous, bumbling Peter. Put yourself in his shoes, and know that just as Jesus welcomed him back, so too Jesus welcomes you back into the family of faith.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Recommitment

noreply@blogger.com (Frankfort Church) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:55:00 +0000

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Here's the "recommitment" to finish the "Year of the Bible" on a high note that I blogged about earlier this week.

Feel free to print this out and sign your name at the bottom. Put it somewhere you will see it and encourage you! YOU CAN DO IT!

01 November 2009

There are 60 days left until the end of the “Year of the Bible.”

No matter if I have been faithful or I have struggled with my reading, I WANT TO FINISH STRONG.

So today I recommit myself to my daily Bible readings. I pray that God would give me the strength and persistence to continue reading his Word as the holidays approach and as my schedule gets busier.

I know that I need to be anchored in God’s word and today I am making a new start. I want to be a better disciple of Jesus Christ.

May the Holy Spirit keep me on track!

______________________________

Youth Group in the Bathroom

noreply@blogger.com (Frankfort Church) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:51:00 +0000

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"Year of the Bible" Q&As ARE BACK! Keep reading for the Pastor's Reflection. . .

Here's the question of the day:
Monday: What is Ezekiel supposed to do with his hair when the days of the siege end? (Ezek 5)
(Check back for the answer tomorrow and get another question of the day)

And here's the reflection of the day:
Ah, James 1 brings back some memories for me. I was a Youth Director for three years while I was in college. And in some ingenious youth ministry book (I really don't think I could have come up with this on my own), I found a lesson dealing with verses 22-25:

22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it-- he will be blessed in what he does.

So I got to the church early and dragged as much furniture as I could into the women's restroom that was next to our room. Where else was I going to find a big enough mirror for everyone to see themselves in, right? So we did the opening stuff and then I made them all go into the bathroom and take a seat.

We talked about looking in the mirror and how much and how often we look at ourselves in the mirror. (Teenagers, remember?!) And we talked about how we never really forget what we look like, even when we're not looking in the mirror. And we talked about how studying the Bible only does us good when we REMEMBER what we've studied!

We must be do-ers of the Word, not just read-ers of the Word. We start with the reading (hence things like the "Year of the Bible") and THEN we move on to the doing. Verse 25 promises that the one who is a do-er of the Word will be blessed.

As we count down the last 59 days of the "Year of the Bible," go stand in your bathroom and look at yourself in the mirror. Think about how you can be a d0-er of the Word!

Looking for the "But"

noreply@blogger.com (Frankfort Church) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:00:00 +0000

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Pastor's Reflection of the Day
Sheesh. I don't know about you, but I was getting a little impatient with the book of Lamentations yesterday and today.

I know that there is a place for lament in the life of a Christian. I have lived those times of lament--times of great loss or disappointment or estrangement from God. Lamentations is a great place to go when life is tough. I get that; I embrace that; I don't shy away from lamenting.

However, when I read through laments, I'm always looking for the "but." You know what I mean? Lamentations 1 and 2 are full of just that--lamentations . . . cries for mercy, pleading for release from sorrow. But I know there's always a "but."

And there it is, in all its magnificence: "But this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:21, NRSV).

If there's anything I've learned from my "Ecclesiastes 3 kind of weekend" a month and a half ago(check out my post entitle: "Sunday Sermon: Ecclesiastes 3 sermon do-over" for the story), it's that life is full of seasons, like a time to be born and a time to die. And I've learned that each of those seasons has a beginning AND an end. So a season of lamenting (a time to tear down, a time to scatter, etc) will have an end; it will have a "but" that leads to a sliver of hope to be held on to.

It's appropriate, then, that Lamentations gives us the text for one of the most beloved hymns, "Great is Thy Faithfulness." I haven't included any music in my posts for a while so here's a youtube.com video of a solo jazz guitar performance of this very hymn.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcKGXPbeqSQ

A Bare Bones Story

noreply@blogger.com (Frankfort Church) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:42:00 +0000

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Pastor's Reflection of the Day
The gospel of John has taken us along the road to Jerusalem as we read about Jesus and the disciples on their way to the cross. In today's reading, chapter 19, Jesus is crucified.

I wasn't quite sure exactly what I wanted to reflect on today that wouldn't turn into a full-blown Holy Week kind of sermon. So, I do what I always do when I'm not sure what to say: I read what someone else has to say about it!

So in my trusty NIB Commentary on John's gospel, I read this: ". . . the Fourth Evangelist narrates Jesus' death with dignity, respect, and solemnity. There is none of the turmoil of the Synoptic accounts--no jeering crowds, no loud cry when Jesus dies." It seems that he provides no narrative details that will distract us from the bare bones story of crucifixion.

I don't think I ever noticed that before. When I imagine the crucifixion, there are always jeering crowds and sobbing women and people standing in stunned silence. But John gives us a pretty sparse account; it covers barely more than a couple of verses. The picture John paints for his readers is "Jesus' serene and controlled gift of his life in love" (NIB).

I kinda like that. We know that Jesus gave up his life willingly for us; I like the idea of it being a serene (though surely painful) death. Only God could die in such a way under such circumstances, which might actually be the point the gospel writer is trying to make . . . the crucifixion "marks the completion of Jesus' work of making God known to the world" (NIB). What more could Jesus possibly have done to make Himself known to the world?!

So, if you're looking for an excuse to ignore the leaves that you really should rake (like in my front yard!) here's a little homework assignment: try looking at all the crucifixion scenes in the gospels. What might the writers be trying to say about the way they portray Jesus' death?

From Aleph to Taw

noreply@blogger.com (Frankfort Church) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:22:00 +0000

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Pastor's Reflection of the Day
I took a class in Seminary called "Prophets and Psalms." The professor liked to open class by asking someone to read a psalm. Let me tell you, it didn't take long for someone to volunteer to open the class by saying, "I'd like to start today's class today by reading Psalm 119. . . " hoping that reading the entire psalm would take up a significant portion of the class!

Today's "Year of the Bible" reading is a part 4 of 7 of Psalm 119. The whole psalm is 176 verses long! One of my commentaries says this: Simply by virtue of its length, Psalm 119 is impressive and imposing, perhaps even intimidating. (Psalms, NIB Commentary).

I wonder how you feel about it. Are you impressed? Are you intimidated? Personally, I have always been fascinated by this particular psalm.

It is an acrostic of the Hebrew alphabet--which means it is made up of 22 sections using each letter of the Hebrew alphabet in alphabetical order. In the first section, all the lines begin with the letter "aleph" (or A). In the second section, all the lines begin with the letter "beth" (or B).

What ingenuity and thoughtfulness must have gone into this psalm! There are many other smaller patterns and repetitions within this poem, all of which must have taken an enormous amount of brain power. Though some people might consider this repetition tedious and boring, I think it is fantastic.

And it totally makes sense: the psalmist's point is that God's torah (or revelation) is pervasive and all encompassing--from aleph to taw in the Hebrew, or A to Z in the English. The poem is overwhelming because God and His revelation are overwhelming! (Psalms, NIB Commentary)

In today's particular section, verses 73-96, the psalmist is expressing that he (or she) belongs solely to God for His hands "made me and formed me." The psalmist explains that the Lord is central to his life--in His Word is his hope and that His law is his delight. There are a number of verses that fall in the lamentation category (indeed, the whole psalm is a lament) before the psalm turns back to God's revelation and Word.

Today's text ends with an affirmation of God's words, God's faithfulness to all generations, and the endurance of the truth and God's law. Again and again, the psalmist wanders from the path of thanksgiving for revelation but always returns to his main point; lament always gives way to a profession of faith.

I hope you find that pattern in your life too: that your times of lament always give way to your own profession of God's goodness and faithfulness! It's a theme that should permeate the lifespan of Christians; like Psalm 119, it should be overwhelming and imposing!

In Peter's Shoes

noreply@blogger.com (Frankfort Church) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:07:00 +0000

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General Apology
After a long hiatus, I'm back. I'm so sorry that I've neglected you so much. I'll have questions starting next week. For now, I'm going to try to get back in the habit of reading and reflecting.

I'm going to guess I'm not the only one who is struggling to keep up. I'm not sure exactly what happened to me. Maybe you don't know what happened with you either. (Of course, maybe I'm in the minority and the rest of you have been able to stay on schedule, in which case you can just skip down to the reflection at the bottom :0).

I'm probably not the only one who wants to finish up this "Year of the Bible" on a high note. I want to make a new commitment for the last 65 days of our journey through the "Year of the Bible." (Can you believe we only have 65 days left?!)

So, I'm going to plan some sort of mini-recommitment ceremony for us to use during worship. I'll post it here to and you can do it on your own if you happen to attend another church. Do whatever you have to in order to finish strong!! What we are doing is not easy--I was actually pretty impressed at the number of people who signed up to do this in the first place. I don't want us to look back and have regrets that we just let our enthusiasm fade away. Let's fight the good fight and finish the race; let's keep the faith (2 Tim 4:7).

Reflection of the Day
It's interesting to read the passion story NOT at Easter time. It seems a little out of place to read it now, at the end of October instead of during Lent.

Generally, when I blog or preach or teach, I try to find a part of the Scripture that is new, something maybe we haven't thought about before. I enjoy the challenge to dig a little deeper into a text and move past what it says on the surface.

But as I read through John 18 today, I can't seem to get past Peter's denial. Usually, I'd like to ignore the obvious and get to something more noticeable and easy to miss. But today, I can't get past the obvious.

Peter denies Jesus three time: verses 17, 25, and 27. I can't imagine what it must have felt like to be Peter as the rooster crowed. I can't imagine what it must have felt like to be Peter and have everyone around him know of his denials. Word must have spread quickly among the crowds . . . almost as quickly as Peter's guilt did, I would guess.

I said before I can't imagine what it must have felt like to be Peter. But the more I think about it, the more I realize I know exactly how Peter felt. I know the dread he must have been feeling when he heard the rooster crow and remembered the warning Jesus gave him. I know because I have been in Peter's shoes. I have sinned; I have denied God. Maybe I was a little more subtle about it than Peter, but I deny Jesus more often than I'd like to admit--whether it's by my actions or words or priorities.

I don't think I'm the only one who knows what it's like to be in Peter's shoes. There might not be a rooster crowing to be a sign for us, but we've all denied Jesus and immediately regretted it. It's probably even happened to us rather publicly, just like Peter. We've done something wrong and everyone knows it.

So what comes next? John 18 ends in the middle of Peter's story. We have to stay tuned to see Peter's repentance in the rest of the story.

But that doesn't mean you should put off repenting until Peter does. Now is your chance to repent; now is your chance to receive the forgiveness that God died to give to you. If you'd like, you can use the prayer written below as part of your repenting process.

Lord, I have denied You. There are things I have said and done that have not only hurt others but also have hurt You. My priorities are skewed to make myself more important, instead of making You important. Some of my sins have been public for all the world to see and some are sins that I keep to myself, silently struggling over them. Publicly and privately, I have been disobedient and defiant. And I am sorry. Grant me Your forgiveness once again and strengthen my will that I might have the power to resist sin the next time it comes knocking at my door. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Sunday Sermon: Pool Parties

noreply@blogger.com (Frankfort Church) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:17:00 +0000

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SCRIPTURE READING: John 5:1-18
After this there was a festival of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate there is a pool, called in Hebrew Beth-zatha, which has five porticoes. 3 In these lay many invalids-- blind, lame, and paralyzed. 4

5 One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, "Do you want to be made well?"

7 The sick man answered him, "Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; and while I am making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me."
8 Jesus said to him, "Stand up, take your mat and walk." 9 At once the man was made well, and he took up his mat and began to walk.

Now that day was a sabbath. 10 So the Jews said to the man who had been cured, "It is the sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your mat."

11 But he answered them, "The man who made me well said to me, 'Take up your mat and walk.'" 12 They asked him, "Who is the man who said to you, 'Take it up and walk'?"

13 Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had disappeared in the crowd that was there. 14 Later Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, "See, you have been made well! Do not sin any more, so that nothing worse happens to you."

The grass withers and the flower fades but the Word of the Lord endures forever.

SERMON-INTRO
As I was thinking about John 5 this week, it occurred to me that Frankforters ought to have extra special insight on this passage. After all, we have our very own Bethzatha pool right up the street.

That’s how the borough of Frankfort Springs got started: the waters of the springs were thought to be powerful healing waters. People traveled on the train into Burgettstown and caught a ride out to the resort that grew up around the springs.

Imagine that . . . little ole Frankfort Springs being a hot-spot destination for all the rich and powerful folks. They traveled from Washington, Steubenville, and even Pittsburgh to bathe in and drink from the springs.

Listen to this description I found in the Beaver County archives:
"Here silks and satins were worn and poke bonnets tied down with colored picot edged ribbons and adorned with plumes of many colors. The Springs were [bright] with the latest patterns from New York, the porches filled with pretty maids and ladies embroidering. At candle-lighting the brass sticks from the old corner cupboard were lighted in the long ballroom [while] the polka and the Virginia reel were performed with graceful bows and turns. When the grandfather clock at the foot of the ballroom sounded the stroke of eleven, all lights were snuffed from the candles and the merriment ceased."[1]

It sounds lovely. I can just imagine what Frankfort must have looked like, back in the day.

#1
But it doesn’t sound too much like the scene we read about in John 5, does it? For over a hundred years, people came from all over to southern Beaver County, dressed in their finest clothes and driving their finest surreys, to sit and relax around a pool thought to have healing power.

But underneath all their fancy clothing, these people were desperately seeking relief from pain and healing. They were willing to go to pretty much any length, or in our case, any distance for a chance at finding healing.

THAT much we can see in the John 5 passage. Though this pool was also surrounded by porches and columns, probably a lot like Frankfort Springs, it was also surrounded by the poorest of the poor—the blind, the deaf, the lame, and the invalid.

Day after day, they would gather around the pool, believing that when the water stirred, much like Frankfort Springs must have stirred, an angel of the Lord was stirring the waters. What ensued was a footrace to see who would reach the waters first and receive healing.

The crowd at Frankfort Springs was probably a little less chaotic in their behavior when the waters began to bubble. But there was still a rush to get in the water when the waters began to stir. Did those gathered at the Frankfort Springs resort thought that it was an angel stirring the water? I don’t know. What I do know is that those people had faith in the power of that water, wherever that power came from.

The same goes for the folks gathered around the pool in Jerusalem called Bethzatha. Did they ALL believe that it was an angel stirring the water? Maybe. Probably. All they really knew for sure was that some who had gone in the water before them had emerged with their health restored. Like the folks in Frankfort Springs, the blind and the lame had faith in the power of that water, wherever that power came from.

#2
One thing Bethzatha had that Frankfort Springs didn’t is Jesus. Well, Jesus may have been at Frankfort Springs too, but we don’t have any written accounts of that. We DO, however, have a written account of Jesus’ interaction with one particular invalid, lying near the pool.

We don’t know why Jesus picked this particular fellow. I’m sure there were dozens of other regulars at the pool he could have chosen. The first verse tells us Jesus was in town to celebrate a festival. So chances are there were a lot of extra people who also came into town for the festival. So maybe Jesus had hundreds of people to choose from.

But Jesus picked only one person, much to the dismay of the others gathered around the pool, I’m sure. He saw the invalid lying on his mat and knew that the man had been in his current state for thirty-eight years.

We don’t know if this means the man is thirty-eight years old and has been ill since birth or maybe is suffering from a disease he contracted in his teenage years or even in early adulthood. All John 5 tells us is that he’s been ill for thirty-eight years and he thinks he hasn’t been healed because he doesn’t have anyone to help him get in the healing water.

For thirty-eight years, he has lost the footrace when the pool began to stir. For thirty-eight years, we presume, he watched others make it to the water first and emerge healed. For thirty-eight years he has watched life go on around him while he watches from the sidelines.

No wonder when Jesus asks him, “Do you want to be made well?” he avoids answering the question. It looks like this guy is totally beaten down; he has given up all hope. I’m not even sure he really believes he can be healed anymore by the water or by anything else.

Maybe that’s why Jesus picked him. Maybe Jesus knew he was the one who had been there longest, the one everyone knew, the one everyone pitied because, year after year, he couldn’t make it into the water. Maybe Jesus knew that by healing this particular guy, he knew he’d be making the biggest splash around the pool.

#3
All it took was even simple words: “Stand up, take your mat and walk.” With seven simple words, the invalid who had waited desperately at the edge of Bethzatha for thirty-eight years, stands, picks up his mat, and walks.

The man quickly learns that the power isn’t in the water; the power is in the person of Jesus Christ.

The power is never in the water—not in the waters of the Frankfort Springs or even in the waters of Bethzatha. The power is always in the person of Jesus Christ, who works THROUGH the water.

And Jesus works through many things—doctors and nurses, hospitals and nursing homes, modern medicine and home remedies. I suspect Jesus works through even ordinary, non-medical people. Maybe not the faith healers we see on TV—but you never know, right? For the sake of all those people you see on those shows, I pray that Jesus DOES work even through faith healers.

People are desperate for healing. WE are desperate for healing—maybe healing from something physical, maybe something emotional or spiritual. Whatever it is, we are desperate for it.
We go to all kinds of lengths to find that healing, wherever we think we can find it. Some people are carried on their mats to the side of a pool. Some people dress up in fancy clothes and drive their buggy to a fancy resort. Others wander into a church on a Sunday morning.

The journeys are different, but the destination is the same: the person of Jesus Christ. The power isn’t in the water; the power is in the person of Jesus Christ.

CONCLUSION
Jesus asks the man, “Do you want to get well?” And the man all but says to Jesus, “It is impossible for me to get well.”

But with God, all things are possible. The invalid knows that now.

To heal is “to restore to health.” God will heal us each in different ways. For some, healing comes in the form of a cure, a disease or an affliction erased and full health restored. For others, healing comes in the form of release from disease, leaving this earthly tent behind to dwell in a city built and designed by God.

With God, all things are possible. Our job, then, is to be faithful in our search for healing, remembering that the power isn’t in the water; the power is in the person of Jesus Christ.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

[1]http://www.bchistory.org/beavercounty/BeaverCountyCommunities/FrankfortSprings/FrankfortSpringsFolder.html/FrankfortSpringsM76.html

I made them laugh. I made them cry. No, really. They cried.

noreply@blogger.com (Frankfort Church) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 12:34:00 +0000

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www.frankfortpresbychurch.com

"Year of the Bible" Q&As and Pastor's Reflection
(See, I'm catching up! We have questions AND a reflection this week. Can't remember the last time I had those done by my Sunday deadline!)

Here's the question of the day:
Tuesday: What is faith? (Hebrews 11)

And here's the answer to yesterday's question:
What does the Sovereign Lord, the one who gathers the exiles of Israel, declare? (Isaiah 56)
Isaiah 56:8 8 The Sovereign LORD declares-- he who gathers the exiles of Israel: "I will gather still others to them besides those already gathered."

And here's the reflection of the day:
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Heb 11:1)

Pardon me for wandering down the path of nostalgia, but that is where I am heading this morning in Hebrews 11.

This passage was the text of my first sermon waaaaay back when I was a senior in high school. It was youth Sunday and the seniors traditionally took charge of the sermon portion of the service. I can't even remember now how many others of us preached, I just know that was my debut in the pulpit.

I made them laugh. I made them cry. No, really. They cried. Several of the older ladies came up to me after the sermon and told me they cried. I was surprised, to say the least. (I don't think any of my other sermons have had that effect!)

To this day, I still don't exactly understand what happened during that sermon. I didn't think it was especially profound or even terribly moving. What does an 18 year old know about preaching a sermon??

I just looked at Hebrews 11, thought about that definition of "faith" and tried to find a place in my life that I saw my own faith in action.

Faith happened on the stage of my high school auditorium with a girl named Heather. Heather was developmentally delayed, lagging behind the rest of us. I never had a chance to interact with her before we started spring musical practices. We were both in the chorus, and in the times between when we were onstage, Heather needed someone to occupy her time. And so I became that occupation.

It didn't occur to me until later how grateful the adults involved in the musical must have been to me because normally, Heather would have attached herself to them. Instead, I occupied her during the down times and made sure she entered and exited the stage at the right time.

Faith for me was being sure that God wanted me to be nice to Heather, even when I wanted to spend time with my other friends. Faith for me was being certain that God had put Heather in my life, and even if I didn't understand the reason, He still wanted me to be kind to her.

To this day, I don't know exactly what the purpose of our 3 month relationship together on the stage was all about. All I know is that I still get postcards from Heather when her family goes on vacation, which I recognize by her childlike handwriting. And just this morning, one of the emails waiting for me was from Heather, a forward she sent along because it made her happy and she wanted to make others happy too.

Faith is doing something we know is right even if we do not understand why.

Sunday Sermon: "Naked Streets"

noreply@blogger.com (Frankfort Church) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 15:00:00 +0000

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PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION
Please pray with me: Holy Spirit, as the Scripture is read, open our hearts and minds to hear the truth; shine your light into our dark places; convict us where our hearts have been hardened; and call us to respond with joy to your Word to us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTURE
I think we are all pretty familiar with the first Exodus event—when God freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and led them through the wilderness and into the Promised Land. But did you know there was actually a SECOND exodus event? There is a second time that Israel ended up getting kicked out of their homeland and put into slavery in Babylon.

That’s what the book of Isaiah is all about—the second Exodus. In particular, our reading this morning is encouraging the Israelites, who are in the midst of the second Exodus and probably feeling pretty sorry for themselves, to forget about the things in their past and to look ahead to the “new thing” God is doing for them.

SCRIPTURE READING: Isaiah 43:18-25
18 "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. 20 The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the desert and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, 21 the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.

22 "Yet you have not called upon me, O Jacob, you have not wearied yourselves for me, O Israel. 23 You have not brought me sheep for burnt offerings, nor honored me with your sacrifices. I have not burdened you with grain offerings nor wearied you with demands for incense. 24 You have not bought any fragrant calamus for me, or lavished on me the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened me with your sins and wearied me with your offenses.

25 "I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.

The grass withers and the flower fades but the Word of the Lord endures forever.

SERMON-INTRO
It’s weird that God is telling the Israelites, through Isaiah, NOT to dwell in the past and remember the former things. God is ALWAYS telling the Israelites to remember their past, right? Before this, He always calls them to remember back to the Exodus . . . to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy . . . to remember the commandments of God.

In fact, forgetting was what got them in so much trouble in the first place. Usually, they are getting yelled at because they have forgotten how faithful God has been to them. When they forget all that God has done for them, they get themselves into hot water.

So, what’s up with God now saying, “Forget the former things; do not dwell in the past.” Why is he suddenly telling them to stop looking backwards.

Apparently, God wants them now to focus on something else. “See, I am doing a new thing,” God is telling them. “I am doing a new thing and I want you to be looking FORWARD now, instead of backwards all the time.”

#1
Essentially God is telling the Israelites this: all those things used to guide your lives, all the signs you counted on in your past—they’re all going to be gone, because now I am doing a new thing.
It’s like this: imagine if one day, someone took down all the road signs. Every stop sign, every traffic light, every speed limit sign, every street name sign, even the lines on the road—all gone overnight. The streets would be naked.

Suddenly all the traffic laws that we had to learn to get our drivers’ licenses, all those rules that we obey to keep us safe on the roads are gone. What do you think would happen? Well, what do YOU think would happen?

City planners in Holland, Germany, and Denmark are actually trying this.[1] It sounds like a recipe for disaster, BUT they are finding it actually makes the roads SAFER and that travel times are actually FASTER than with signs and lights.

They have found that by removing traffic lights and signage, drivers and bike riders and pedestrians are FORCED to make eye contact and adapt to the flow of traffic, rather than just focusing on a red or green light and plowing ahead.

Without lights and signs and lines on the road, everyone SLOWS DOWN. Everyone calms down.
There’s no chaos, no horns honking, no road raging, no obscene hand signals. The selfishness of driving—wanting to be first in line, to go the fastest, not wanting to wait—all those things of the past are gone and a new thing is emerging: civility is emerging. The golden rule is in effect each time a driver gets in the car.

In Holland, Germany, and Denmark, people are taught to forget the things of the past because a new thing is happening. This is exactly what God is trying to tell the Israelites.

#2
How would you feel if you woke up to come to church this morning and there were no signs or lines or speed limits? You’d probably be pretty uncomfortable about it. Maybe even a little afraid. I mean, maybe it would be ok if you were trying to go from here to Burgettstown or Weirton—we don’t need signs to get us to those places. But what if we needed to get to Indiana or Kentucky or Massachusetts?

We’d feel lost! We LIKE directional signs. We don’t want to give them up. We LIKE rules—we get nervous when there aren’t any rules, or when we don’t know the rules.

That’s EXACTLY how the Israelites felt when God told them to forget about the past. All their road signs were gone—“Do not remember the former things, God says, do not dwell in the past.”
But maybe God intends for this lack of signage to actually BE the sign for them. Maybe this lack of signage—this turning away from what is familiar in their past toward what is unfamiliar in their future—is God’s way of helping the Israelites to slow down, making them more careful and more cautious, like driving on a street with no signs.

Maybe we, like the Israelites, are too busy looking for signs that we don’t notice what’s right in front of our faces. Or rather, what’s right inside our own hearts. God has written all we need to know—all the signs we could ever ask for—on each of our hearts. Jeremiah says it like this: “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Jer 31.33).

And we have Jesus, who is God-with-us, and the Holy Spirit, who is our companion in the journey of faith. The signs we really need for how to live our lives aren’t found out there; we have all we need in here.

CONCLUSION
Christians shouldn’t really need signs from God. We shouldn’t need a sign that says “be kind to this person because they’re having a hard time.” We shouldn’t need a sign that has eight sides and is outlined in red that says, “Forgive.” Or a sign that is shaped like a triangle that says, “Feed the hungry here.”

We know what we should do. We don’t really needs signs telling us what the right thing to do is.

The city planners who have given up signs say that if you treat people like idiots—and plaster a million signs all over the place—people will act like idiots.[2] If you remove the signs and treat people as intelligent and compassionate, they will respond in kind.

God sees us in the same way. God gave us a brain to think and a spirit with which to pray, and hands to reach out to others. It’s not that complicated to figure out how God wants us to live.
If you love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, then you know how to follow God.

Once you get the hang of it, I think you’ll discover that you don’t actually need those signs after all.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

[1] http://www.contextsensitivesolutions.org/news/item?item_id=41000
[2] http://www.homileticsonline.com/subscriber/btl_display.asp?installment_id=93000120