RESCUING THE NAME OF JESUS

 RESCUING THE NAME OF JESUS

New Year’s Day,  Sunday, January 1, 2012

From today’s Gospel:  And at the end of 8 days, when he was circumcised, he was called ,”Jesus,” the name given by the angel before he was  conceived in the womb.”  Luke 2:21

Going back to the time of Moses, it was the practice of God’s people that every male child should be circumcised on the 8^th day from his birth.  On this Day, 2011 years ago, Mary & Joseph’s new born son was circumcised, but he was also  named, “Jesus,” which means, ”Savior.”   On this day, every year, the church celebrates this occasion, because the baby of Bethlehem was given , by God, this   holy name.

• Yes,’ Jesus’  is a holy name to those who love Him.
•  But to those who do not love Him, his name can be inflammatory.
• It  can be a curse; or it  even be used as a weapon against to intimidate his people.

When Jesus’ name is blurted out as a curse, it can bring shock and fear to the innocent on the receiving end.  Or, cursing the name of Jesus might not be directed anyone in particular, but as an expression of frustration and rage, maybe against God, or maybe against life in general.  I wonder if those angry people, who take the Lord’s name in vain, have any idea of the righteous indignation  that God  must feel  towards those who abuse the Name of his son?

But those are the non believers, from whom God expects rejection  and ignorance.  But what about the believers , who have smeared the Name of Jesus by word and deed?

·         Think of all the  violence, rape, torture, war, genocide  throughout the past 2000 years, all undertaken by those claiming to be Christians:

·           Christians versus Muslims, Catholic versus Protestants;  one hundred years wars; the inquisition; Catholics warring against other Catholics; and Protestants  fighting among themselves; clergy committing all sorts of notorious crimes;  Cult leaders  stealing the money of their followers, and others inspiring their followers to commit  mass suicide--- all of which was done in the name of their religion—their God—their Jesus.

·          Jesus’ identity and good name was stolen, slandered,  and used to justify the very sins that Jesus condemns.  But, in the court of public opinion, who is the one who has ended up getting blamed?  Jesus.

However, there is another group of Christians, whom we are much more likely to encounter. These are faithful Christians,  who are not intentionally evil, but who appear to have hijacked the name of Jesus for in order to puff themselves up, and to put others down.  Some Christians throw around the Name of Jesus like they are his best friend, like they have an inside track, while others of us have been left standing on the sidelines. Sometimes it reminds me name dropping to impress others. When I lived  in New Jersey, half the people in my town claimed to be best friends with local TV celebrities, like the Real Housewives of New Jersey, the crazy Jersey Shore Kids, and various notorious mob figures.

·         What is the motive of the speaker who invokes the name of Jesus? Is it being used to share God’s love with the listener, or to beat the audience  over the head, or to impress someone? 

·           Now being confident in faith can be a great joy, but some of us, and I include myself in this, someone  of us, who have received that gift of faith may need to remember that the gift of faith is indeed a gift; it’s  not something we have earned by our own merit.  So , I believe that when Jesus’ name is invoked, spoke So when  Jesus’ name is invoked, it is utilized as a blessing to those who receive that word.

Indeed, I believe that  when Jesus’ name is invoked, spoken, or read, it must be done with a humble reverence.

• The Name “ Jesus” was intended by God to be direct communication to you and to me. He did not send us impersonal junk mail, or email spam, or  a twitter or text message. He did not use a marketing firm to purchase TV time at the Super bowl.
• No,  God sent this message by giving his son the Name of Jesus, so that we could learn that through His Son, God is delivering us from evil in the world and reconciling us with him and with one another.  
• So, in short, whenever you hear the Name Jesus, think of the fact that God is reaching out to save you from  powers and forces that would destroy us, if it was not for Him. The name of Jesus is meant to be a word of encouragement and hope for all of us seeking to live the abundant lives that God desires for all his children. The name of Jesus is the turning point in all of human history..in the entire universe.  Love came down from heaven for all people, to give us grace, freedom, and  security now and forever.
•  Let’s not dwell on the selfish and personal motives that some people have when they abuse Jesus’ name. Instead,   Instead, let us dwell on the motives of love which inspired God in the naming of His son on that first  Christmas, and as he speaks it today:

Would you please open your red and black hymnals to Song # 107?

• This is a sweet lullaby written by a Grammy award winning artist, Bill Gaither.  The melody and tone of the song take the name of Jesus out of  the realm of the profane, and lifts it  up as a comfort and a joy.
• Mike and I will sing it once, then we invite you to join us in singing it again.

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus
There's just something about that name
Master, Savior, Jesus
Like the fragrance after the rain
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus
There's just something about that name
Master, Savior, Jesus
Like the fragrance after the rain
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus
Let all heaven and earth proclaim
Kings and kingdoms will all pass away
But there's just something about that name.

The Rev. John Donnelly

Christ Church Quaker Farms, Oxford, CT

RESCUING THE NAME OF JESUS

And He was called

  Jesus

Feast of the Holy Name

Christ Church Quaker Farms

470 Quaker Farms Road  Oxford, CT  06478

203-888-4936

The Apple

 SERMON: THE APPLE

 from the “You are Important to God” series

November 13, 2011

Today  we continue our Fall sermon series  exploring the wonderful truth that You are important to God.  Please take out your scripture inserts, and look at the side with that title.  There you will see the 2 complementary power points, upon which I will speak today.
Would you please join me in reading, together,  Power point # 1:  I AM YOUR PROVIDER. Now, actually, this  power point is God’s name—one of his Names.·         Whenever in the Bible God refers to Himself by saying “I am,” that’s his name, as it describes something that he does or is.  God was first called this name by the ancient patriarch, Abraham, as we heard in today’s Old Testament reading.·           Throughout the bible, God and Jesus consistently refer to themselves by using these “I am names”—such as I am the good shepherd, I am the door, and I am the way, the truth, and the life.”   ·          Each of God’s “ I am names” refers to a particular function  or characteristic  of God, the way that our various name & titles refer to our functions.  So, my name is John.  I am also John the husband, John the father, and John the priest.  Each of those names  refers to something that I am, and something that I do.
Likewise, the one named  “God the provider” provides for our needs, according to the Bible, out of His own glorious riches.·         He most significantly provided for the hope of our  salvation, by providing his own son to die for our sin, and to rise from the dead, to bring  the  hope of  reconciliation to the world.·           But way before the birth of Jesus, as we hear in today’s psalm,  the Lord made the earth, and has given it to humankind to use for two purposes: to provide for our material needs, and to gratefully give back to Him a portion of what we have received.
We Americans have received so many  material blessings from God, which is why each week we sing, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow”. ·         Recently, many of us were deprived of some of those blessings, like heat and light which comes from God’s gifts of oil, water, electricity, and coal.·           Many of you have told me that having been deprived of those gifts after the recent Nor’easter, that you are so grateful  for those gifts, which we often take for granted.
Now, nobody I know likes being  taken for granted.  How sad it is that with the decline of civility in our culture, fewer and fewer people  express gratitude  for what they have received.   For example: Pretend that you have been giving a Christmas gift to  Sam, for year after year, after year.  However in all that time, Sam has never given you a gift, or even  given you a sincere “Thank You.”  My guess is that you may begin to feel for  taken for granted.  I know I would.
You see, God feels the same way.  Today’s he Bible readings  tells us that God provides for our physical  needs, but expects that in turn, we will give back to Him a portion of what we have received in thanksgiving to Him.(PAUSE) Perhaps  one of the most widespread sins of those who claim to be Christians, is an attitude of ingratitude toward God.
Would you please take out   the apple book mark from your bulletin.  Read.

SERMON # 6  “THE APPLE"’   November 13, 2011From Sermon series, “You are Important to God.  Once upon a time, there was a man with nothing...and God gavehim ten apples.  One was bigger, juicier, and reder than the other 9...It had beengiven so the man might return it to God to show his gratitude for the otehr 9.  The man was given 3 to eat...3 to trade for shelter from the sun and rain.....and 3 to trade for clothes to wear.

The  the man ate three. . .... he traded three for a shelter from the sun and rain and. . .... he traded three for clothing to wear.
Then he looked at the first one, bigger, more beautiful,juicier than all the rest.It was the best. . .... so the man ate the apple...and gave back to God the core. 

The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the Lord thy God.(Exodus 23:19 KJV)God has given you enough apples to supply your needs - plus one with which you may show your gratitude to Him.The choice is yours..ist« ffiKHhimcr Press. Warminster, PA  18974

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Now, I am sure that most of us agree that we need to give back to God.  So God, in his infinite wisdom, has provided us with the way He would like you to do it.·         If you would go back to our sermon power points on the top of the page of that insert we just viewed,  let  read the 2nd power point out loud, together:·         “I discipline you, not to harm you, but to free you from every enemy of righteousness, joy, and peace.”

So, what is the enemy of our righteousness, peace, and joy?  The man with one talent in today’s Gospel could tell you.  It’s the  attitude of ingratitude before God.
You see, God not only gave us the earth for our provision, but he also had two other  motives.
1.      First,  He wants each of us to become more generous in giving, which will result in Him giving you n  MORE righteousness, joy, peace, and other material and spiritual; blessings. ·         Paul delineates this spiritual principle in our reading from the 2nd Letter to the Corinthians.  Paul uses the image of farming to talk about giving money to God.  He  writes, “Whoever sows sparingly, will read sparingly; and whoever sow as generously will reap generously. “·         So, God wants you to love Him, not just with our prayers and worship, but also  with our offerings of money.  This is what Jesus meant when he said, “Wherever your money is, your heart will be there also.”
2.      So, first giving generously to God results in more blessings for us, personally.  And secondly, your financial giving to God helps to promote His purpose in building up his Kingdom on earth through his church.  I believe that  God wants to use His church as a funnel, through which He can pour out his  emotional & spiritual blessings to all people.
It is in this regard that the Episcopal Church USA provides a simple discipline   to help us financially give to God , so that Jesus  can bless us and promote his work in the world.  And this widespread Episcopal custom is called the “pledge.”·         Some of you who are newer to the Episcopal Church may not know what a pledge is, or you might not understand this important custom. Please turn to the back of your service sheet, page 8, which explains it.RENEEQUESTIONS 1 & 2What is a pledge?   A pledge is a promise of what you intend to financially give to Christ Church Quaker Farms in the   upcoming year.
 Why should I pledge to  Christ Church Quaker Farms?  For two reasons:  (1) Making a financial commitment to God and his church reminds us that God is more important than money in our lives, and that we serve God, not our check book (Matthew 6:24); and  (2) The Vestry can only plan the next year’s budget, based on the pledges we receive.  The Vestry pays the rector and staff, and disburses all the income needed to keep the church open.

So on one level, your financial pledge is absolutely vital to the ongoing ministry of this church.(Pause)
Let’s be honest here.  Christ Church has  financial problems because most of those who worship here have not pledged in the past.  ·         Now, I am speaking frankly here—I left my last job, moved here with my wife, and bought a new house, because I believe in Christ Church’s future.  I believe that together with the Lord, we can build a church which will not only just survive, but thrive. For that to continue to happen, we need to grow spiritually, numerically, and financially.·          I believe that we can do that –I believe that we are doing that, and I believe that we will do that as we go forward into 2012, the Bicentennial of the founding of the church.
Now, I would like to conclude by having us look at the key verse, which the Vestry wanted me to present to you today.  You can find it on page 2, the inside cover of the bulletin. At the top[ of the page is a verse from today’s epistle reading.  Let’s read that out loud, together.
“EACH OF YOU SHOULD GIVE WHAT YOU HAVE DECIDED IN YOUR HEART TO GIVE, NOT RELUCTANTLY OR UNDER COMPULSION, FOR GOD LOVES A CHEERFUL GIVER.”
Let’s make this clear. There is NO, absolutely no compulsion here for  you to do anything you do not want to do.  Indeed, quite on the contrary.  Jesus wants you to be happy about what you give. It is your free choice.·         If you have never made a pledge, then start out with something that feels manageable.  And pray to the Lord for guidance, which you will receive.  guide·         If during the year you wish to change your pledge, up or down, that IS OKAY.  There is not judgment here. ·          We are all living through these hard times together.  And perhaps now, even more than ever, that is why we, together, need to  Man up, woman up, and Stand UP for Jesus  and his church.

Today it is our pleasure to welcome another important person into God’s family.  In thanksgiving for the life of Jackson Robert, let us rise and sing together “Borning Cry”.  The words are on your music insert.
---The Rev. John Donnelly

Sermon: Hope, Faith & Love

SERMON # 5  “HOPE, FAITH & LOVE”    October 16,  2011

From Sermon series, “You are Important to God.

I Thessalonians 1:1-10

One reason that we know that we are important to God, as our colored insert tells us, is that he gives us good gifts.  In fact, I have three which he has decided to give to us today.

HOPE.  What a wonderful thing hope can be.  Hope is defined by some is a human desire with the reasonable expectation of attainment.  Hope, it seems to me, is foundation by which we do anything.

When we make a purchase, or  go to work, or get married, or even get out of bed in the morning, are we not all hoping for something? 

But of course, that which is packaged as hope by ourselves and others, may ultimately disappoint.

·       The item we purchased does not perform the way the manufacturer’s claim.

·       Conditions at work  change;  hours may be cut, & jobs; we might even lose  our job.

·       The marriage which began with such energy, becomes problematic.

·       And getting out of bed becomes a chore, because our bodies ache and/or  we have nothing about which to look forward that day.

Of course, some hope is false hope.

·       Hope can sometimes be groundless wishful thinking, when we know in our hearts that things will not happen the way we might like.  In such cases, hope can be self deception.

·       Thomas Hardy, the great English author, says that the disappointment of hopes not fulfilled leaves scars that are never removed.

So, some hope is just wishful thinking, on one hand;  But on the other hand, God is continually encouraging us to receive His gift of hope.  You can see what I am talking about, if you  would take out the You are Important 2 God tri-colored insert.

Look at all the hope that God is offering to us, because we are important to Him  (Read a couple)

So, God makes all the encouragement to hope in Him.  Therefore, we have a choice to make—to accept the gift of hope by believing, or not.  Can God be trusted?

NEXT GIFT IS OPENED: FAITH .

Now the gift of faith is not some vague , cosmic faith.  This is not some type of believing in a general sense, but a recognition and acceptance of the truth that Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, that we might have relationship and communion with God.  Every Sunday, we testify to this faith by walking through the doors, singing God’s praises, and receiving  holy communion.

Receiving God’s gift of faith does not mean an absence of doubts. 

·       Throughout the Bible , there are many faithful men and women of faith who experience doubts and questions in their relationship with God.

·        For goodness sake, even Jesus had doubts and questions.

·        Jesus , Himself, says that he came to earth not for the righteous, but for regular people like you and me who may have questions, fears, and confusion.  Jesus invites you to believe in Him as you freely choose to do so, without compulsion. 

Let’s look at our sheet again, this time to the scriptures in yellow.  Let’s read the line in blue at the left hand bottom corner, saying together, “You please me by having faith.”  How much faith?  How about a tiny bit or faith, the faith the side of a mustard seed, like that appearing at the bottom of the page. Jesus says that faith like a mustard seed, which is planted, nurtured, and grows into a beautiful  tree.  Don’t worry about how someone else’s faith is growing.  Just cherish what you have ,and expect it to grow.

LOVE

Okay—one final gift.  This should not be s surprise to anybody--The gift of love.  Returning to our tricolored sheets, please look at the bottom right corner to the line circled in red, and let us red that together, “I love you with an everlasting love.”  You are precious to God, and as the 2^nd red circled line tells us, “Nothing can separate you from my love.”  The Bible reminds us that greater love has no one person, than to give up one’s own  life for his or her friends.  And Jesus says, you are my friends.

Actually, God’s love undergirds this whole process, because love is the foundation of faith, which is the foundation of hope.  This is what we hear in today’s  second reading from the first letter to the Thessalonian Christians.  Please take out your inset and let’s look at hat reading.

In speaking to this early church, God is also speaking to us:  Look at the sentence which begins the 3^rd line down” We always give thanks to our god and father for all of you and mention you in our prayers, and let’s read this next line together, constantly remembering you before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”  Two things I want you to notice about this scripture:

First, it ends by saying that the Hope, faith ,and love inspired by Christ.  That’s the divine portion of this,

Secondly, look at what the human contribution is: work, labor, and steadfastness.  This is our contribution to make hope, faith, and love grow, not just in our lives, individually, but in our lives as a church.  And because this little church preserved in hop[e, faith and love, Paul says that they became examples for churches all around them.

I believe that God is likewise, calling Christ Church to under anew the work of faith, the labor of love, and the steadfastness of hope. We begin, right here , right now, by showing one another that each person is important to God.  Each person matters.  How can you do this?

·       Introduce yourself or greet someone you do not know

·       Forgive someone you do know.

·       Listen to someone who is tiresome.

·       Talk to someone who is shy.

·       Encourage someone who is down.

·       Pray with someone in trouble.

·       Thank someone who has blessed you or done something for the church.

·       Greet a child in Jesus’ name.

·       Reach out to someone you have not seen in a while.

·       Attend a dinner where you can get to know others.

·       Participate in a woman’s bible study or the men’s prayer breakfast

·       Give thanks, right out loud during the prayers of the people, for a gift that God has given you.  Maybe for the gift of hope, or faith, or love.  

The possibilities are endless, and so is the hope, faith, and love offered to us by Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

--The Rev. John A. Donnelly

HOPE, FAITH & LOVE

"Winning over Worry" October 9, 2011

SERMON # 4  “WINNING OVER WORRY”    October 9,  2011

From Sermon series, “You are Important to God.

Isaiah 25:1-9, Ps.23, Philippians 4:1-9 Matthew 6:25-34

Once upon a time two men held a conversation:

“I have a mountain of credit card debt”, one man told another. “I have lost my job. My car is being repossessed and our house is in foreclosure, but I am not worried about it.  No, I’ve hired a professional worrier. He does all my worrying for me, and that way I don’t have to think about it.”

 “That’s fantastic!” his friend replied.  “How much does your professional worrier charge for his services?”
“$50,000 a year”, the first man answered. “$50,000 a year? Where are you going to get that kind of money?” “I don’t know”, responded the first man.  “That’s his worry.”

From today’s reading from the Letter to the Philippians, Paul says

 “Do not worry about anything. Don’t be anxious about your life.  Be happy.”

EASY TO SAY.  HARD TO DO. For Americans living in the 3^rd millennium ---we are a people bombarded by stress, anxiety, and worry, according to one author reporting on recent polls. He writes,

·       43% of all adults suffer health effects due to worry and stress.

·       75% - 90% of all visits to primary care physicians are stress & anxiety related complaints or disorders.

·       Stress is said to be responsible for more than half of the 550 million workdays lost annually because of absenteeism.

·        Add to the list the mental fatigue of nights without sleep and days without peace, and we get a glimpse of the havoc worry plays in destroying the quality and quantity of life.

·        Worry has been linked to all the leading causes of death including heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis and suicide.

Wow.  That’s a lot anxiety.

It think it’s safe to say that most of us expect some short term and minor anxieties, which we typically face in a normal day of life. Most of the time, we can deal with such minor worries as they emerge, using our own personal resources and coping skills.   But the type of anxiety that I would like to discuss today is what I call MAJOR WORRIES.    The English word “worry” is actually rooted in old English and German words, which mean to “strangle,” or to “choke.”

When faced with upon problems, which we cannot immediately resolve with our own efforts and resources, many of us frequently react with “life choking worry.”

·       For example--declining health and disease, like cancer, heart trouble, Alzheimer’s may threaten us, or those we love.

·       Or think of the many, many dangers that our children face, including drug & alcohol abuse, car accidents, predators, immorality, and the like.

·       Financial concerns and loss of employment, in a very uncertain economic climate, can cause us to worry. 

·       Some of us worry about familial conflict, divorce and/or estrangement with those we love.

·       Caring for infirmed parents or spouses can be worrisome—just wondering if you have the strength to carry on.

So the potential dangers we face are real---but what about our many unnecessary worries, that are self-imposed?  I am convinced that many of us, including me, have lost many precious years of our lives by overindulging in unnecessary anxiety and worry.

Once upon a time, a man had a dream, when he met “Death.” Death was walking toward a city and the man asked, "What are you going to do?""I’m going to take 100 people," Death replied."That’s horrible!" the man said. "That’s the way it is," Death said. "That’s what I do."
The man hurried to warn everyone he could about Death’s plan. As evening fell, he met Death again.” You told me you were going to take 100 people," the man said. "Why did 1,000 die?"
"I kept my word," Death responded. "I only took 100 people. Worry took the others."

Some of us become unnecessarily obsessed with worry, to the point where anxiety can poison our lives.

So, for example---a number of years ago, I was facing a problem at my last church.

·       In my own mind, I began to worry that the problem might get worse.

·        If the problem got worse, then I figured that it was my fault and I would get the blame.

·        If that happened, & the problem continued, & then things deteriorated, then I might lose my job.

·         If I lost my job, then I’d not be able to find another one, and then I’d become impoverished.

·        If I became poor, I would not be able to support my family.  I’d be humiliated…we’d be homeless, yadda, yadda, yadda.

Well, it may have taken me longer than others to figure this out---but I lived through this pattern of cycles of worry, much of my life.

·       Finally, I realized that I could not personally manage the anxiety in my life.  I needed to do something different than what I was doing, because I was depressing those I loved, and I was unnecessarily making myself miserable.

·       Anxiety had taken over like some bully tinhorn dictator. Well, that was it.  I had had it.  I wanted to over throw that dictator, and put Jesus back on the throne of my life, where he belonged.  So, I decided to take some action.  Now, it didn’t happen quickly.  Indeed, there were lots of fits and starts over the years, involving prayer (by myself, and with prayer ministry, like that offered after Sunday services by our prayer team), and many conversations with my loved ones, friends, and a therapist. But eventually, the Lord led me to win over worry. And there were three major factors that led to that victory: 

1.  FIRST, SOME OF US NEED NEW PRIORITIES.   Across our whole culture, too many of us are consciously or unconsciously on a quest for materialism, which adds unnecessary anxiety to our lives. Materialism is doomed to let us down, because the love of things can separate you from loving God. 

·        Jesus points out that some Christians are so worried about worldly rewards, riches, and pleasures, that they cannot hear God’s word.   They are like seeds, planted in the thorns, which are choked to death before bearing fruit. 

·        It’s interesting that the root word for “worry” in the Greek, means being of a double mind.  This is what Jesus means when he says, “No one can serve two masters.  Either he will hate the one, and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Rather than elevating money to such an important place in our lives and being choked with worry, Jesus has a different idea.  He says, “Seek first my kingdom anomy righteousness, then all things will be added to you.”

2. SO, SOME OF US NEED NEW PRIORTIES, AND WE ALSLO NEED A NEW PERSPECTIVE.

·       There are times when I finally realize that worry has pushed Jesus off the throne of my heart. At those times, wherever I happen to be, I confess my sin to God.  I say, “Jesus, I apologize for letting godless worry consume me. It’s my fault—because you have given me the tools I need, to live a full, rich and abundant life.

·       “Your blood and resurrection power are more powerful than anything in this world.   I have overindulged this worry, like an alcoholic overindulging in whiskey.  Please forgive me, and deliver me from the sin of toxic worry.”  

·        When I choose, like that, to ask for God’s help in that way---most of the time, I begin to feel my burdens lifting.  Would you please take out the tricolored insert, and look at the line in blue, on the right side of the center page:   Repeat after me, “Rest in my love.”  (REST IN MY LOVE.)   That comes from Jesus words, when he said, “Come unto me, all you who travail and heavy laden burdens, and I will lift your burdens, and give you rest.”   (Mt. 11:28) When I come to God in this way, I feel released from oppressive worry, because I have humbled myself before God, and articulated before Him and me, the true priorities of my life.

·       God’s word is so encouraging in helping to change our perspective from exhausting anxiety, to resting in faith.  Let’s look at another word: This one is printed in red, and is one the right hand center page, above the red tulips.  Please repeat after me, “Trust me, and I will not fail you in anyway.”

·       As each of us grows to more fully embrace God’s perspective that 'we are important to Him,' we will also learn to trust him more, and not be so anxious.

·       And that leads to our third point of winning over worry, which is to remember and to receive GOD’S PROVISION. Once we have learned a new perspective, and we realigned our priorities, then we can be confident in receiving God’s provision. Today’s psalm, Psalm23, is perhaps one of the most powerful and beloved portions of scripture for any people looking for hope.  Would you take out your scripture insert, and read the first verse with me?  Saying together, “THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD, I SHALL NOT BE IN WANT.”

·        Do you know whether or not the Lord is your shepherd?  If not, can you imagine what that would be like?  If He is was your shepherd, you could then say, with some confidence, “I will not be in want.”  The Lord wants you to have that confidence in him.  This is a conviction, a belief, a change of heart, which can grow by remembering how He has provided for you in the past.

·       Would you please turn over your bible reading inset to the back page, so that we can look at the Philippians reading.  Look at the first column second to last line.  Find where it says,”The Lord is near.”  Let us now read the sentence that follows.  Saying together, “DO NOT WORRY ABOUT ANYTHING, BUT IN EVERYTHING BY PRAYER AND SUPPPLICATION WITH THANKSGIVING, LET YOUR REQUESTS BE KNOWN TO GOD.”

·       The key word in this section is “THANKSGIVING.”  Tell God you are thankful for what he has already given you.  If I give you a present, and you never thank me, can you expect me to give you another?  Giving thanks to God is a powerful force that acknowledges the truth that we proclaims every Sunday, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow.”

·       When we thankfully remember the ways He has already helped us, we can have greater inner confidence to believe Him.   For years and years, my wife has started out everyday, by giving thanks to God for 5 blessings she received in the previous day.  Remembering how God  provided for her yesterday, lays the foundation of a grateful heart, so that she can see  just how  God is  going to provide for her, today.  Consequently, her heart is not filled up with worry, but with faith.  Now, I am nowhere as disciplined as my wife is, but when I remember how God has provided for my family, my churches, and me, in the past, and then my worries in the present are put in their proper place.  I, too, can look back and see, thankfully, hat he has provided for me—and now I can see that reality is stronger than all my worries.

So, three steps to diminishing anxiety involve perspective, priorities, and provision.   1) Get God’s fresh perspective; 2) set Godly priorities; and 3) remember & and receive God’s provision. 

You see, like the man in the story at the beginning of the sermon, God hired a man to take all your worries upon himself.  He carried them to the cross and died.  THEN HE rose from the dead, lifting those burdens for all who come to Him. Through Him you have been set free; AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT YOU DO NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT, THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD.  AMEN.  

Diagram--The Fruitful Vineyard sermon Oct. 2, 2011

The Fruitful Vineyard

SERMON # 3  “THE FRUITFUL VINEYARD’   October 2, 2011

From Sermon series, “You are Important to God.

Isaiah 5:1-7, Ps. 80:7-14, Philippians 3:4b-14, Matthew 21:33-46

A thorough reading of the Bible, makes it clear that Jesus had a thing about wine.  I wouldn’t go so far as to call him a ‘wino,” but his enemies did.  They condemned him for going to too many parties and getting drunk.  Of course, many of us recall that Jesus’ first miracle was to change water into wine at a wedding; and then on the night before he was lynched and murdered, he told his disciples to drink wine to remember him.

However, it’s also clear from the bible that Jesus loves vineyards.  After all, His father created the first vineyard, which the Bible calls the Garden of Eden. Jesus clearly had worked as a vinedresser; He knew exactly how  to plant, raise and cultivate the vines, and to harvest the crop.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus uses the image of the vineyard, just as it is used in our first reading fro Isaiah and the Psalm.  In all these instances, God’s word says that God built and planted wonderful vineyards, and then raised up people to manage the vineyards on his behalf. God’s instructions to these stewards were clear— “Produce fruit for me and produce fruit for you. That way, everyone benefits. “

 Unfortunately, in all three instances, the stewards of the vineyards failed. God did not get the fruit that he was due, and it was clearly the fault of the managers, who were either thieves or incompetent.  So, God threw the bums out.  Specifically, Jesus says that the irresponsible stewards will vanquished and that He will, quote, “lease the vineyard to others who will give him the produce at harvest time.” Unquote.

Now in telling this story in today’s Gospel, Jesus did not intend to give us a lesson in agriculture.  Rather, as He does so often, Jesus uses physical images as metaphors to express spiritual truth.  Today’s Gospel is a message to those of us who are so important to Him—His followers, His people, the Christian church.

The church world wide, and Christ Church Quaker Farms, comprise the vineyard of Jesus Christ.  As we hear in the Gospel, He died to save us, His vineyard.  And He rose from the dead.  And now He leads us, as He says in the Gospel, that we might be, quote, a people that produce the fruits of the kingdom.”  Would you please repeat that after me, ‘THAT WE MIGHT BE A PEOPLE WHO PRODUCE THE FRUITS OF THE KINGDOM.”  Our purpose for existence, individually, and as a parish is to produce fruit for the Kingdom for God and for us.  All God wants,  is for us to do what is necessary to produce the fruit of the spirit, for his happiness and ours.

I believe that Jesus wants Christ Church Quaker farms to be a safe place, where each person is valued because he or she is important to God….a place for healing…comforting…a place acceptance and warmth. It is here, in the Christian community, that God shares his love for us as we share his love for one another.  Jesus says, “If you obey my command, that my joy will be in you and your joy will be complete.  And this is my command; please repeat after me, “THAT YOU LOVE ONE ANOTHER, AS I HAVE LOVED YOU.”

So, what might such a place look like?   Well, it might look something my silly drawing, which you will find as an insert in your service sheet.  Look for the grapes. This drawing is based upon Galatians, Chapter 5, which describes the “fruit of the spirit.”  However, I have extrapolated and paraphrased that famous passage, to help in our discussion today.

At the top of the page, we see the fruit that is produced by the fruitful vineyard, or parish:

Jesus wants his church to be a place of forgiveness and reconciliation.  This happens when we put others before ourselves, and defer to their needs and wants, instead of insisting on our own. Instead of broken relationships, he wants us to engage in problem solving. Acceptance, warmth, and joy will be hallmarks for his church.  And of course, He wants all people included, because each person is important to him.  So, that sounds pretty good, and I know that so many of you are dedicated to that end.that you go out of your way to be patient, and understanding, and kind.

But, let’s be frank here. Whether your community is  church, or a family, or a business, or a school, there is always one thing that you can always expect, and that is this: WHEN YOU RUB ELBOWS IN  COMMUNITY, YOU CAN ALWAYS EXPECT THAT SOMEONE’S TOES WILL BE STEPPED UPON.  Sometimes this happens unintentionally; other time, it may appear to be deliberate; but it always happens.  So, with this reality in mind, we who value our churchcommunity must be aware of the disease of sin, which can kill any vineyard.  No vineyard is immune from the spiritual forces of death, which include, as listed on the bottom half of the picture, grudges, vanity, anger, depersonalizing others into rivals, and on and on.

If you care about this vineyard, then you need to be vigilant, so that this disease does not infect that which we love.

This past summer, while my wife and I were on vacation in southern face, we lived in an isolated farm house, which was surrounded by mountains; and on those mountains, were rows and rows of grape terraces, covering whole slopes.  And you know what?  All these vineyards were dead.  They had been abandoned over a hundred years ago, because this particular variety of vines were infected by a blight called  “PHY-O-LLEX-ERA, which wiped out the entire area.  It was a disease, for which there was no defense against, in this particular variety of grapes.  So, farms and vineyards which had been in families for 500 years, were abandoned then, and are still abandoned to this day.

Now, this is my metaphor for sin. Don’t play with fire, don’t play with sin.  Such sin  is  lethal and deadly to God’s vineyard, which is his church.  If left untreated, then church after church would become dying vineyards.

There’s a story about a man who died, suddenly, unexpectedly. You see, he died of a disease which could have been cured.  But he didn’t go to the doctor, because he didn’t go to the doctor until it was too late.

Today’s Gospel is a phone call from Doctor Jesus.  He’s calling up to tell us that there is a cure for the disease of sin, and that is called forgiveness.  Maybe you need to hear this message.   Maybe we need it.

You see, I have suffered from this disease previously, and I am now in  recovery.  During my life in God’s vineyard, I have personally endured gossip, lies, and rejection.  I have held grudges and nursed resentment for years. Frankly, at one time, all this negativity became so consuming, that it crippled my spiritual and religious life.  It poisoned my attitude toward the church.

 However, I finally listened to a  phone call from God,  where Jesus  inspired me to forgive those, who have hurt me; and to seek reconciliation with those, whom I have hurt. This took prayer, and soul searching, and talking with someone I trusted, and then I chose to forgive, ands to ask for God’s forgiveness for my own hardness of heart.   And slowly, but certainly, my attitude began to change.  I began to more consciously nurture the fruit of the spirit, especially with those people, whom I had previously resented.  And then, I felt the burden of antagonism lift.  Then gradually, I became a more fruitful vine in the vineyard of Jesus Christ.

 Indeed, God’s word calls each of us to be ministers of reconciliation, first within our homes and families, and then in the  world. Jesus not only calls us to be ministers of reconciliation, but if we ask, He, Himself, will spiritually empower us to do this.  You see, the power of God is the power of peacemaking and reconciliation, through the Holy Spirit.  So, if we ask for help, He will give it.

We pray in the Lord ’s Prayer, we pray for forgiveness.  How does that go?   “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” 

Jesus would not have us pray those words, if He had not provided the power for us to obey that . Indeed, this is what Paul is saying in today’s reading from Philippians.  The apostle Paul had been beaten and battered by his own people, including the Christian church.  But, like Jesus, he forgave his enemies.  So Paul write, quote, “This one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind, and straining for what lies ahead, I press forward to the prize of the heavenly call of God in Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Now, today’s scripture readings are specifically focused on the church community.  But of course, the reconciliation and the fruit of the spirit are needed in all communities; including those, outside the church in which you live.  So, I’d like to conclude my remarks to day by asking you to consider one person you need to forgive in any community in which you live.  This person may be living or dead; someone you see everyday, or someone you have not seen in years.  You may want to talk to this person, or you may just ask the Lord to help you forgive this person in the quietness of your heart.  Now, in each pew, we have left small little reminder notes, featuring a picture of some grapes and a place where you can fill in a name or initials.  Take this home as a reminder.  Forgive, as you have been forgiven.  And by doing so, you will produce fruit for the Kingdom of God.  AMEN.

   --The Rev. John Donnelly   Christ Church Quaker Farms, Oxford, CT.