MISSION SERMON By Jackie McDonnell, Tammy Borkowski & Ken Sharron

Mission Sermon 2014

Vermont and North Carolina

 

Jackie:

There are so many opportunities to share our faith just outside the doors of our churches. Lost, lonely, hurting, needy people can be found in every community in every country on the face of the earth. Every one of us could make it our life’s work to demonstrate the love of Jesus to people in need and never get outside a twenty mile radius from our homes. So why does God tell his people to “go”? Going has always been a part of God’s plan. Jesus, himself, continued the call to “go”! As part of their training the disciples were sent out to surrounding towns. There is a calling on those who follow Jesus to leave their places of comfort and familiarity and share his love in ways that stretch us and impact others. God knows something of the power of a stranger showing up on the doorstep of someone in need We should all be helping our next door neighbor, but something amazing happens when we go out of our way . . . physically, emotionally and spiritually . . .

 

 Perhaps we come to know what it means to be a stranger in a strange land and so better understand that the earth itself is not our true home. Our journey of faith is about becoming people who go. These mission trips gave our young people a chance to hear the voice of God and respond. Respond by leaving the comforts of life behind to become the hands and feet of Jesus on the doorstep of a stranger; to become the voice of one crying in the wilderness; God has entrusted the parents and members of this congregation these youth of CCQF to your care, you in turn provided the chance for them to participate in these mission trips, which gave them a chance to join the bigger picture of  God’s purpose, His love, His forgiveness, His blessings.

Through youth mission trips over the past 4 years we at Christ Church have seen many young people transformed—in dramatic and enduring ways. It’s a mystery how simply serving in Christ’s name impacts the people serving . . . and the people being served. Hearts change. Behaviors change. Relationships with God change. Is there genuine, lasting value in youth mission trips? Yes! And here’s why…

Tammy:

Fr. John gave us the theme of Transformation to focus on while on our Mission Trips for the sermon today. 

As I thought about this I realized that brokenness could be in itself a transformation; A transformation from brokenness to redemption.  To understanding that God takes our brokenness, however small or large it is and brings us to redemption, if we lay that brokenness at the cross.  He sent his son to take our pain, our brokenness, and our sins and to free us of the pain and shower us with his love.  As this thought came over me I began to see all the transformations that occurred.

For example, our worksite was broken the first day of our trip.  Our leader was angry with us; our children were overwhelmed with the task at hand and disappointed by the location, work, and leadership provided by the mission trip.  The trip itself was broken at its core.  However, with prayer and open conversation with God and each other we changed our thinking, changed our actions, and changed ourselves to focus on what God wanted us to do.  Instead of feeling sorry for ourselves because all that we had envisioned in our heads or experienced in past trips was not happening, we focused on the Lord.  We turned that all over to him and spent some more time with him before our day started and things turned around.  Our hearts were transformed and God redeemed us with his love.  God’s was present and foremost on our worksite.

However, the most amazing transformation occurred at our last worship service.  For the first time all week we could relate to the message.  The worship leader shared the story of the prodigal son and spoke of all the characters in the story Jesus shared with us.  I think we all usually focus on the younger son, the prodigal son, but the father and the older son were brought to the forefront as well.  They were all broken and God redeemed them. They were all lost and God brought them home.  We could relate to the feeling of loss the father must have felt, the anger and frustration of the older son, and of course the feeling of disappointment, failure and regret of the younger son.  We were able to see and pray about the brokenness in our lives and we had the opportunity to leave them at the cross.  The Holy Spirit was present on this night and God transformed our hearts and brought us together in his love and grace.  He brought us closer together and allowed us to share in each other’s love while being wrapped in His.

Matthew 11:28-30

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Fights, hurt friendships, losing family members, making bad decisions, events on the news, divorce – these things and more can make us feel “weary and burdened”.   Only by giving these things to the Lord, by listening to what the Lord wants for us and trusting in Him can our hearts and lives be transformed. 

Bring your brokenness to Lord, as these remarkable young adults have done this past week, and experience the amazing power of our Lord.  Let your heart be transformed by the overwhelming love of our Lord.

 

Ken:

This week in VT we learned that Jesus was the ultimate DEMO of how to serve, love, live well, and know the plan God has for us. We were taught how to live more like Jesus. He came to earth to not only to pave the way for us but He also walked the path. We live in a broken world that can often feel like we are alone. There is brokenness in our families, in our Church, in our community, in the nation, and throughout the world. But God loves us too much to leave us broken and alone. Jesus is the BIG FIX.. All we need to do is rely on Jesus to break the barriers between us and God. One way we can do this is live a life more like Jesus did. He demonstrated a life that was full of goodness, compassion and purpose – Jesus life is a demonstration of how all people can live a full and good life that honors God.  The youth and leaders on both trips took the opportunities this week to challenge ourselves to live like Jesus.

joyful worship

                                       SERMON ON   JOYFUL WORSHIP    June 16, 2014

                         [Ed. Note—This sermon is largely taken from the teachings of Gerrit Gustafson]

Throughout prehistory and all human history, they have gathered in public and in private,  in caves, in homes,  in sacred groves of trees, by the sea and on mountain tops, in graveyards  and in  temples.  Throughout all racial and cultural groupings, different peoples have always  assembled to  worship a deity.

The Christian roots of worship goes back  4000 years  or so to our spiritual forefathers and mothers , the ancient Hebrews of the Middle East.   One foundational principles of Judeo-Christian worship is that there is only one God, who is characterized by omnipresence and manifest presence.

·         The God of the Bible is omnipresent—He is supernaturally present everywhere, at all times, and all places, all simultaneously.  He is not a prisoner of time and space, unlike the deities of the pagans.

However, the God of the Bible can freely choose to manifest himself  his presence   at a particular time and place, to a particular people by

• initiating communication,
• or demonstrating his power,
• or by intervening in the natural order.

 In this regard, God, who is spirit,  can  willingly display his presence with greater intensity in the material world.

The key figure in ancient Hebrew worship was the Levite, the priest. As in other  religions with witch-doctors, shamans, gurus, or the like, the Hebrew priest //was the //mediator //between //God// and// humanity.  Back in that era, the relationship between God and humanity was indirect.  It required a middle man.

• Looking at slide # 3--  the definition of a priest is a believer who draws near to the presence of God.

Now, this was not about ritual alone. The priest was able to draw Near to the presence of God not just because he was ordained, but because He believed. 

• The great commandment  of God to the Hebrew people, and to us, is , ”You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul , and body.”

Throughout the 4000 years of biblical history,  we hear of a God who cares less about ritual, and more about the sincerity  of the one who worships by obeying the command of God to love Him wholeheartedly.

Slide : When priests draw near to God’s Presence through wholehearted worship, God reveals His manifest presence.

·         So, it is within this context that the priest went into the temple, wholeheartedly worshipped God on behalf of the people.   The priest then came out  God was present that he had accepted their offerings. Then the people would cheer.

Now, this model of worship is the ultimate spectator sport. As we discussed recently, many people erroneously believe that this is how we worship God—by watching the priest and the choir worship, while the congregation is entertained.

However, the Word of Jesus opposes that inactive mode of worship.  Throughout the Gospels, Jesus condemns  he denounced the  clergy & priesthood of his day for  being a bunch of hypocrites  and crooks. 

• All these clerics had exalted themselves above the regular people, controlling the religion of their day and actually pushing the people away from the living God.
•  Jesus preached that God wants all people to come into his presence –to commune with Him, to talk to Him, to be forgiven by Him, to be healed by Him, and to be loved by Him. John proclaimed that that the Messiah, the anointed one, would soon appear on the scene, and would shatter the wall between God and humanity.

The Bible tells us that by his death and resurrection, Jesus fired the Old Testament clergy.  God then appointed Jesus to be the Great High priest of the universe.  And in turn, Jesus did something radical----something that most modern  day clergy and other Christians  still do not understand:  Jesus decided that all believers would automatically share in his priest hood, so that we could all draw near to the presence of God. Instead of using the position of His priesthood to separate people from God, Jesus appointed all of His followers to share in the joy of his eternal priesthood.   SLIDE—You are Priests.   1 Peter 2:5,9

Therefore, you are a priest.  Now, did you know that?   This is commonly called the priesthood of all believers.  If you believe in Jesus, then you are a priest.  If you don’t believe me, then maybe you will believe Peter, who was Jesus’ best friend and the first Pope of the early Church.  Peter writes,

Verse # 5—read in unison: You, also, like living stones are built into s spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering worship acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Now, I know some of you are thinking that sounds crazy. It just sounds so simple..too simple.  But who made it so hard?  I’ll tell you who---  the self serving Clergy.

·         Beginning in the 4^th century AD, the Christian clergy reverted back to being mediators between the people and God, instead of facilitating whole hearted worship, which leads us into the presence of God.

·         For hundreds and hundreds of years, the clergy  developed more and more priestcraft and ritualism which confused the people and secured their hold upon their exalted positions.

·         For this reason, our Protestant and  Anglican forbears condemned  such clericalism during the Reformation of the 16^th century. 

And stretching from that time to today,  Jesus has been  liberating his royal priesthood to bypass middle management so that you can directly worship Him  and experience sweet communion with Him.

·         You see, I cannot worship for you.    Worship is a hands-on, participatory-activity.  THAT IS THE WORSHIPTHAT IS ACCEPTABLE TO God

·         I think that most Christians  have erroneously been taught the wrong definition of worship.

·         Slide ---Worship is the act and attitude of wholeheartedly giving ourselves to God—spirit, soul, and body.

So now, you are being extended the invitation, by Jesus Christ, to  become a whole hearted activated worshipper.  By putting our heart into worship, we can open the door to come into the presence of God.

So, how does one wholeheartedly worship?  Well, here are 3 basic ideas:

First, sing like you mean it.  Look at the words.  Make them your prayer.  In reference to singing, the Bible says, “Make a joyful noise for God.”  Don’t worry about getting the notes right. The song of an off keyed believer is sweeter to God then the song of a musically skilled unbeliever.  Love God by singing. 

Secondly, pray like you mean it. When there are prayer responses in our Sunday services, prayer, say them enthusiastically and loudly.  Put your heart into it.

Thirdly, listen like you mean it.  Listen to God’s word intently.   If you cannot find one thing in the scripture readings and/or the sermon which blesses you, then you are not listening.  God is speaking.   Find one thing that relates to you, and focus upon it.

When you wholeheartedly worship in these ways, you will enter the presence of God.  You may not see his face, but you will find JOY.

• The Bible says that  wholehearted worship as being as joyful as a wedding.

·         The Bible  praises God for wiping away the tears of sorrow, so that his people can  freely worship Him  songs of joy.

And my friends, by God’s grace and your active involvement & participation, Christ Church has become one of the most joyfully worshipping congregation in the Episcopal Church. Jesus wants you to enter into his presence, to receive his joy.  

·         Although some of us may take it for granted now—countless visitors have spoken to me over the past 3 years, including your visiting family members, as they praise us: Because our worship is less like a funeral, and more like a celebration.  We are becoming a church whose worship brings delight to God, and to his people.  Worship is one way that we shine the light of Christ’s love through our church and into the world.

So, dear friends, remember the command of God.  Pls repeat after me.

·         “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say rejoice.”    Amen.

TRINITY SUNDAY 2014

We just heard the  bible story of the Lost Son.  Here is a modern day version of that same story:            An old father living alone in the country wanted to plant his pepper garden, but the ground was too hard and he was too old to do the work. His only son,  who use to help him,  was in prison for robbing a bank. The old man sent an email to his son, saying: "Dear Jake, I’ve been very depressed lately because it looks like I won’t be able to plant my peppers this year. You know how much your mother loves planting peppers this time of year, but I’m just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot.. I know you would have been happy to dig the plot for me." Love, Dad  

·       That afternoon, the father received an email reply from his son :"Dear Dad, Don’t dig up that garden! That’s where I buried the THINGS!" Love, Jake    Well4am the next morning, FBI agents and local police arrived and dug up the entire area looking for the THINGS. They apologized to the old man after not finding anything and left.

·       The next day the old man received another email from his  son. "Dear Dad, Happy Father’s Day! Go ahead and plant your peppers now. That’s the best I could do under the circumstances." Love, Jake 

Not infrequently, our national  holiday of Father’s Day coincides with the church’s Trinity Sunday.  And by reflecting upon the grace of fatherhood, we can learn so much about our Trinitarian God--—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  You see, these are the 3 faces of God’s love for us  all.

Earlier in today’s service, we recited the canticle of  St. Patrick, which beautifully describes the wonder of our Creator God as manifest  –the earth beneath our feet and the heavens above us—which the Bible says that He made just for us.   The act of building and creating can be a solemn act.   When I was a young child, I learned about the joy and love of creating things:  Beginning at age 3 up until age 11 or so, I loved following  my father around on  Saturdays,  as we made home repairs and improvements. Our biggest project was finishing our attic, which eventually became my bed room. In that attic, my father  taught me how to hammer nails, to saw wood, to drill holes, to screw screws, to plaster sheet rock, to lay linoleum, and to paint walls.  I remember feeling so proud, because I had helped my Dad.  [However, it was not until years later , when my son helped me on similar projects, that I later learned that I really had not helped my father out that much.  You see, when little Patrick helped me with chores, they took twice the time that they would have normally taken if I had done them by myself.}

God’s love is expressed by the act of creating—and he calls us to share in that Holy works by building up our lives,  our homes, our families, our neighborhoods, our churches, and our nation-- all the work of our hands, hearts, and minds.

So next, let’s turn to God the Son.  As you know, by his death on the cross he changed the world by releasing  God forgiveness .  Now  this is a central tenant of faith, but  the full meaning of this forgiveness can become so abstract to us, that it loses its significance e. When forgiveness is a “head thing” and not a “heart thing,” it can feel   distant and remote from daily experience   That is, unless, you have really been forgiven of something that you did wrong, for which you are truly sorry.   Growing up in church, I really did not think too much about forgiveness, because in my own eyes, I never did anything really  bad……until about age 20, when I got stoned and was stopped by the police.

·       My friend, Bruce, who was also stoned, drove his car off the road and totaled it.  Miraculously, neither of us were hurt.

·       Now Bruce received the hell he deserved, first from the police and then from his parents, who came to the scene of the accident.  However, since I had not been driving—I got off scott free at the time.

However, I knew that Bruce’s parents would tell mine, so when I arrived home at 4am that morning, my father was at the door to greet me. Now, most of the time, my father was a hard and a stern man, who never spared the rod. To be honest, my father was an abusive alcoholic who would rant and rage whenever my brother and I did anything wrong.  So, I was expecting that he’d chew off my hind side.  PAUSE However, that was not the case.  Much to my surprise, he remained very calm, inquiring about my health.  He could hear that I was truly sorry for my bad judgment, which could have hurt or killed me.  He told me that he forgave me …and he never brought up the subject ever again.    This incident just shows how even vey flawed Fathers can be instruments of God’s grace.  And , indeed, that night I prayed for and received God’s forgiveness—which totally changed my life from that point on.   Forgiveness can positively change lives for ever….So, just as Christ has forgiven us, He calls us to share His love by forgiving others.

                                                                                             

Finally, God the Holy Spirit:  Today’s reading from the letter to the Galatian Christians says that God the Holy Spirit expresses his love for us by empowering us all to serve others. Please repeat after me:

·       Be motivated by God’s service.

·       For everything we know from God’s word // is summed up in this//

Use your freedom//to serve one another in love.

Now during the past 2 Sundays, we have talked about serving one another in the church.  But, today,  I want to look at the idea of a life style of service.  Serving others  can be a defining principle in one’s life, as it has been in my family.

·       Growing up, I loved to hear of the heroic exploits of my great grandfather, Major Robert Donnelly.  Although he was from Tennessee, which was a Confederate State  in the Civil war, Great grandpa  enlisted in the Union Army, because he thought that slavery was wrong. As a child, I grew to admire this hero, who could have played it safe—but who chose to serve instead.

·       His son, my grandfather, choose a life of honorable public service to our country.

·       My father served in World war 2, and  actively volunteered in his local community by founding & establishing  a mental health service clinic to serve  low income families.

·       My service, outside of being a priest, has  been serving as a Community Chaplain with hospice, the police department, and now with the Oxford Fire Dept.

·       And finally, that desire to serve the common good has come down to my son, who for many years has served as a very committed  environmental activist.

While service can be its own reward,  it  also produces side  benefits.  You see, when I decide to put my heart into  doing good deeds, I become less preoccupied with my own little problems, complaints and anxieties. This is one of the spiritual laws of the universe—doing good for others automatically releases a stream of blessing into your heart, which washes away the blues.   . Hallelujah!!

We worship a gracious God whose love is unending for us—and who chooses imperfect, flawed people---like our parents, and like  us, to shine the love of Christ into the world.

·       So, be positive—create and build like the Father.

·       Be merciful—forgive others like the Son.

·       Do good—and receive unexpected blessings to elevate your mood & life.

In thanksgiving, please now stand,   face the altar cross, and repeat after me:

To Him be the power,/////the glory and the majesty/////, from this day forth //// and forevermore. Amen.       FJ: Amen. Let it be this way.

Service continues as we affirm our faith in our one God , with 3 faces, by reciting the Nicene  Creed

·       8:00 am  p. 326

·       10:00     p. 358

PENTECOST SERMON 2014

PENTECOST SERMON   JUNE 8, 2014

I am so excited about this picture, which I am going to unveil in a couple minutes.  After  exhaustive research, interviews with academics, and reviewing polling data, I believe that I have discovered the greatest person living on earth today.

·       No, I am not talking about Mohammad Ali, nor pop singer Katie Perry, nor Apple CEO Tim Cook, nor even Jesus.

·       In fact, this person probably does not even know that he or she  is the greatest.   So, let’s unveil the picture to see if you can recognize the greatest person in the world.  (A large mirror is unveiled.  Preacher tkes the mirror around, so that people can see their faces in the mirror..ashe says, “So & so is the gratest, etc)

Here’s the scoop.  Each and every one of you has the God given potential which is beyond your current expectations—and this is true, regardless of age, education, health, or income.  You have a god given destiny to be the greatest.

·       Now we are not talking about greatness as defined by your family, your peers, or your employers.  Not greatness as defined by Entertainment Tonight and the celebrities magazines on line, nor the Gallup poll.

·       Too many people erroneously define greatness by worldly popularity, power, wealth, physical strength, and the like.  No, all that stuff will eventually fade away and be lost in time.

·       No, we are describing eternal greatness as defined by Our Majesty, the Lord Jesus Christ, who says in today’s Gospel: please repeat after me--- Whoever wants to become// the greatest in my kingdom,// must become a servant.

·       Yes, Jesus says the  greatest person  voluntarily serves others, especially in His Body, the Church, of which He is the Head.  What a paradox!!  The greatest serves…and the greatest follow the example of Jesus, for he rendered sacrificial service to us on the cross to reconcile us with God.  And God rewarded Him by making Jesus the King of the Universe.

Last Sunday, for those who were not with us, we began a discussion on two types of Christianity.  Please take out the yellow insert, and look at the side which has the easy chair and the cross.   Easy chair or spectator Christians are primarily concerned about their comfort and security. They only do what they want to do—doing what feels natural for them. They view Christian life as coming to church, and then because they primarily have a consumer mentality, they ask themselves,  “What can this church do for me?”

Now, frankly, when you are new to active church life---you are meant to be spectators, for we learn by watching others….by listening and absorbing—all of which is an essential aspect of active Christian life.  But there finally comes a point where sitting on the sidelines for too long, can actually wound your soul.  Easy chair  Christians, without living  out an intentional a commitment to serve, will discover that their faith begins to deteriorate & weaken, as we see in point # 9.  One manifestation of such spiritual decay is that many easy chair Christians sit around and criticize the work that the servants are doing, without pitching in to make things better.  This happens in all churches, and it happens in this one, and it is just not fair.  Please, do not be part of the problem ; decide to be part of the solution. Judging others can estrange you from God before you even know that it has happened.

In contrast, let us look at those described into day’s reading from Acts, which describes the Day of Pentecost.  1981 years ago today, God the Holy Spirit feel upon his disciples, empowering them to become the first servant Christians.  When each felt touched by God, they immediately responded by creating a new community of cheerful servants, which we know as the Church.. Looking at the right column, we see   the wonderful difference as described in point # 3.  Instead of seeking our own self-centered will, we seek the will of Christ and seek to do what he wants us to do…which is to use our gifts of time and talent to help up build his Body, the church, because , WE ARE THE CHURCH—THE BODY OF CHRIST ON EARTH.     Instead of asking, “What can the church do for me?, we ask, “What can I do for God and his church?”

And as was the experience of those  early disciples,  something absolutely wonderful happens when we serve:  God the  Holy Spirit  showers you with his happiness, through you  in ways that you might never have expected.   Because as The Purpose Driven Life reminds –please repeat after me : WE WERE CREATED //TO SERVE JESUS & HIS PEOPLE.  We have an inner need to serve others, just as Jesus has an inner need to serve u and reward us..

Earlier this week, my wife and I identified our best example of this dynamic in our lives, as a community of servants made up of the two of us: Fifteen years ago, my wife told me that she wanted a dog. Well, I had never had one before, and had suffered from severe allergies most of my life.  But, by then , such allergies were no longer a problem!!!  So  Ellen enthusiastically pressed her case; but, she   said that she wouldn’t,  unless I agreed. PP Well, I did not want a dog. The idea of a drooling, smelly, hairy creature getting into my face just repulsed me.  .PP  But I decided to serve Ellen by agreeing to become a dog owner.  Well, that little dog named Oliver, (who passed away last week),   loved me more than I deserved, and brought forth  joy, laughter, companionship, and adoration which has permanently changed my life. When you serve others, God turns around and serves you in ways that enrich life beyond our dreams.

Over the past month, the Vestry’s Cheerful Service Commission has been in dialogue with the lay leadership of your church---and today we are unveiling new volunteer opportunities--- –so that everybody can contribute to the building up the strength of Christ Church. My friends, you are our most important resource--not our money, not our building—as important as those things are, you are more important.

Dan

Molly

Now we are going to provide a couple minutes for you to individually pray and think about this---and to individually ask Jesus  to direct you to serve  Him ,here, in your church family.  While the Choir sings a new hymn about ministry and serving, please consider checking off a job on  one or both of these forms.    Once you have finished, raise your hand and the Ushers will bring around a basket to collect your offerings, which we will later bless at the altar. So my friends, remember the words of Jesus who said, “Give and it will be given back to you, a double measure of His blessing that will overflow your ability to contain it all.

The Rev. John Donnelly

BECOMING FRIENDS IN CHRIST

There is a brand new product on the market which can make you rich by reading the Bible. The Bible money code contains secrets, hidden in the Bible, to help you play the stock market and win.  If you wish to buy this code at discount, see me after the service.

Throughout the history of God’s people, there have been many “so called” self-promoted bible experts, who claim to have discovered hidden truths from the Bible.  Most such speculation is fraudulent; but in today’s Gospel, there is a biblical number code which I take seriously.

Prior to today’s Gospel, the Gospel tells us that Jesus had appeared to his disciples 2 other times.  This third occasion, he told them where to fish after a night of catching nothing.  To their surprise, they hauled out the largest catch they had ever had.  And Luke tells us that that their nets contained 153 large fish.

Jerome, a biblical commentator from the 4^th century, is perhaps the most revered biblical scholar of all Christendom.   In writing about today’s passage, he cited scientific study from the time of Christ, which claimed that there were153 species of fish in the known world.  Jerome believed that this number represented not the fish of the world, but the all peoples of the world. So, according to Jerome, this number expressed God’s love for every single person.  Each person is important to God.

IN today’s New Testament reading from Paul, this same theme is echoed by Paul, who was the virtual founder of the church. Please open your bulletin to page_____, and look the First reading from the Book of Galatians. Let us read that together, saying,  “In Christ’s family there can be no divisions into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Everyone is equal. God shows no partiality. Every person is important to God . This is true, because  we all share  a mutual    relationship with Jesus Christ.  ^“

·       One of the most unique aspects of Christianity, in contrast to other world religions, is that Jesus Christ is the great equalizer.  All people are not only welcome, but are actively sought to join the universal fellowship of the church.  Now, of course, most of us understand that Christ’s love is not dependent upon ethnicity, race, gender, age or nationality.  We get that.  And our founding fathers and mothers took this biblical principal to heart, when our nation was established. 

·       However, it is in the local church where this mutuality and inclusion is supposed to take place, not as a general concept, but in each of our relationships with one another.  You see, in the Bible Jesus calls us His friends, and he wants us to be friends, together, in Christ---to be friends with one another.

·       So, are you friends with the people of CCQF? Being friends with the people of CCQF doesn’t mean that you have a small group of friends.  Being friends with the people of CCQF means that you treat all our people as you would treat a friend.

If you would please turn to the front cover of your bulletin, you see that one of the ways that Jesus is calling Christ Church to shine the Light of Christ’s Love is through new friendships.  Now, we have made some great strides in this area.

·       Three years ago this church was much smaller.  Three years ago there were more factions in the church.  Three years ago there were parishioners who did not feel welcome in this church, and so they stopped attending.

So, what happened?  Well, your church leadership decided to make significant changes to promote reconciliation, to avoid needless arguments and divisive partisan politics. We grew to better understand that our church exists not primarily for our members alone. Rather, our Church has been called to shine the light of Christ’s love through a community of friends in Christ into the world around us.   As a result of God’s with us, there are approximately 3 to 4 times more of you worshipping with us today, than was the case 3 years ago.  Jesus did that through us and He deserves a clap offering of praise.

Okay, so what is next?  Do we rest on our laurels, or is there something more?  It seems to me that CCQF is being called to make a renewed and expanded commitment to facilitating the growth of new friendships at CCQF.

You see, Jesus  is not satisfied.  Jesus will not be satisfied until these two things happen more frequently:

1.    Every person needs to have one or more friends here at church. Church is not just about worship, but it is about relationship—and not just relationship with Jesus, but with one another, too. Christianity finds it fulfillment by sharing friendship in Christ. Studies show that if a newcomer has not made at least one or more friends within the first 3 months of so, that that newcomer may drift away. So, facilitating the making of  NEW friendships is key.

2.    Secondly, every person needs to be needed by cheerfully serving the church.

Our church would be dead, if not for the any of you who volunteer.  So, cheerful service is important from that vantage point.  But also, cheerful service is key to making new friendships. Would you please open your bulletin to the cheerful service section on page_____?    YAs you can see, many people have been cheerfully serving recently.  And all there ministries have one thing in common—in each case, new friendships were made by serving together.

So, there is a message here for those of your newer to our church, as well as those of you who have been around a while.  And this message is best demonstrated  by our circle of friendships.

1.    The basic level of friendship is knowing the other person’s name.  This is why we promote the use of name tags. You see, to know a person’s name is to demonstrate that you care for the person.  Nobody, including the rector, can remember everybody’s name. So everybody—wear your name tags to make us a friendlier parish.

2.    Once you have read the person’s name, engage in a conversation about  what work she does, who is in his family, where do they live.  Now such conversations can take place when you cheerfully serve with others; but we provide this opportunity for  such conversations every Sunday, during our Coffee Hour-Refreshments and Friendship times.

·       Here is the deal.  If you never stay for coffee hour, then you are less likely to make new friends.  Sunday worship is not about making friends.  Sunday worship is about worshipping Jesus.  While worship is the main course of the meal, Coffee hour is the dessert.

·        I know most of you and I can tell you that there are some wonderful folks here at church, who would love to be friends with you.   But if you rush off all the time, then you are depriving yourself of the full Christian experience.

·       Now, this is true for newcomers but also for those of you who love this church, and demonstrate it by your cheerful service. Every single ministry in this church could benefit from more helping hands.  But if you ministry leaders and helpers do not meet people, then you are liable to sit around and complain because you have too much to do---when there are people here who might help you if you got to know them enough by asking.  So go shake somebody’s hand and introduce yourself.

Friendship in Christ is wonderful, and in my opinion, it finds its full flowering in Small groups, which are intentional safe fellowships designed to reach a deeper level of friendship, as we see in the inner most circle.  This depth of fellowship is truly wonderful, and we will discuss it at another time.

So to you, my friends, I ask.  Do you want to become a closer friend in Jesus?  Then make a new friendship with one of his children here.  Just as human children can tell us volumes about their parents, so God’s children, here, can teach you more about the height, the depth & the breadth of Christ’s love for you. Amen.

--The Rev. John Donnelly,  May 4, 2014

   Christ Church Quaker Farms

2 Commands: "Do this to Remember Me" and "Go tell"

Maunday  Thursday  Sermon     by the Rev. John Donnelly

 So now with this sermon, we continue our reenactment of this glorious, yet horrifying night, all which took place in the attic of a house in the poor section of ancient Jerusalem.  There in the candle light,   Jesus has washed the feet of his disciples, commanding them to, please repeat after me, “Love one another, as I have loved you.”     Next, Jesus and his disciples shared the Passover Feast, just as some of us did earlier tonight.

Finally, after the traditional Passover prayers have been offered, and dinner has been finished, Jesus decides to share something else.

Now, to appreciate this scene you must have in mind that Jesus gave every bit of his love, his wisdom, his patience, his physical strength...he gave his whole heart doing God’s work;

·       He continued giving even when all He shared with the world was utterly rejected and thrown back in his face.  

·       He had poured his very life into the disciples, knowing that they had failed to understand what He was all about.   So, Jesus sits at the table as a broken man.   So then he breaks the bread, symbolizing His brokenness, which he shares with the disciples.

The breaking of the bread, which we do at communion on every Sunday, symbolizes the world breaking Him down and nailing the pieces to the cross.  He says, “This is my Body, my very life, which I now share with you and for those yet to come.”

·       Next, he shares the wine, saying, “This is my life blood…which I have poured out for you through my life’s work, and which I will pour out for you, tomorrow, on the cross; and which I pour out for those to come after you.”

·       Then Jesus gives us this command, this directive, which I invite you to repeat After me  ”DO THIS TO REMEMBER ME.”

 Jesus invites us to share his life with one another and the world AS WE REMEMBER Him---as we remember not just this holy night, but as we remember his teachings and all His commands, or directives:   confess your sins, feed the hungry, forgive others as you wish to be forgiven, love one another, be peace makers, and believe in me, even during dark times, and do this in remembrance of me.

So, as we share the life of Christ with one another this night, we remember that this life is given not for us alone---but that it is given for the world.  And that we who are so privileged to be heirs of the disciples on this night, are also called to be the heirs of the disciples in sharing Christ’s life with the world.

Those 11 disciples at that first Last Supper fed on the life of Christ; then they were empowered to go forth to share his life with this bold proclamation:  JESUS is Alive.   You see, without the Resurrection, Holy Communion loses its meaning and power.   If there was no resurrection, then communion would be some quaint religious ceremony of a failed prophet.    But He is alive and when he proves it to the disciples on that first Easter Sunday, Jesus gives them another command: “Go tell the world that I am alive.”

And that is the same command that He gives to us, here tonight, as we prepare to share the life of Christ with one another at the altar.   Go tell the world—go share my life with your Words—Go tell the world that I rose from the dead.....that I am alive.

It seems to me that   during our own time, it is essential for modern day disciples to tell the world that Jesus is alive.  Why?  Because too many Christians are afraid to speak out these words: “I believe that Jesus is alive//because …you fill in the blank.”

As you may know, I am inviting members of our congregation to do just this on Easter Sunday.  I am inviting all the willing to help me preach the sermon by standing up and telling us one reason why you believe that Jesus is alive.”   Do you know that many of the visitors will have never heard an unordained person actually say that He or she believes that Jesus is alive, because…..”

It seems to me that most Christians believe that if the pastor says it, that they do not have to.  But that is wrong.  Jesus says, YOU, YOU  go tell the world that I am alive.”   Back in the days after the first Easter, your regular believers, just like you and me, told their friends, family & neighbors that they believed that Jesus was alive.  Then, those who heard discovered the truth for themselves—and then Christianity spread across the world. However, in our day and time, most churches in our land are weak and anemic.  The strong churches are where people are not shamed to proclaim that they believe.  Jesus wants us to be one of those strong churches.

Now, I want you to be honest with yourself and answer this question for yourself:

Do you remember a time when you actually told a person that you believe that Jesus rose from the dead?  That Jesus is alive?  If not, then I want you to pray about doing this on Sunday.  You see, communion is meant to be shared with the world.  But if that sharing is to actually take place, then the Good News of Christ being alive needs to be shared first.  

Prayers to pray for Holy Week & Good Friday

Prayers to pray for Holy Week &  Good Friday

from Christ Church Quaker Farms   (Borrowed from various sources)

Good Friday Prayer   O Jesus, Who by reason of Thy burning love for us hast willed to be crucified  and to shed Thy Most Precious Blood for the redemption and salvation of our souls, look down upon us here gathered together  in remembrance of Thy most sorrowful Passion and Death, fully trusting in Thy mercy; cleanse us from sin by Thy grace, sanctify our toil, give unto us and unto all those who are dear to us our daily bread, sweeten our sufferings, bless our families, and to the nations so sorely afflicted, grant Thy peace, which is the only true peace, so that by obeying Thy commandments we may come at last to the glory of heaven.  Amen.

The At The Foot Of The Cross Prayer    I will go to the altar of God.   To God who gives joy to my youth. Judge me, O God, and take up my cause against the nation that is not holy. Free me from the unjust and deceitful man. For You, O God, are my strength, why have You cast me off? And why do I walk in sorrow, while the enemy troubles me? Send forth Your light and Your truth, they have led me, and brought me to Your holy hill, and to Your dwelling.    I will go to the altar of God,
to God who gives joy to my youth. To You, O God, my God, I will give praise upon the harp,
why are you sad, O my soul? And why do you trouble me? Hope in God, for I will still praise Him,
the salvation of my countenance and my God.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end.   Amen.

I will go to the altar of God. To God who gives joy to my youth. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Who has made heaven and earth. May almighty God have mercy upon you, forgive you your sins,
and bring you to life everlasting. I confess to almighty God  that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word, and deed; through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault. Therefore, I beg You to and forgive  me of  my  sins, and bring me to the life everlasting.

May the almighty and merciful Lord grant us pardon, absolution, and remission of our sins.
You will turn again, O God, and quicken us. And Your people shall rejoice in You. Show unto us, O Lord, Your mercy. And grant us Your salvation. O Lord, hear my prayer. And let my cry reach up to You.

SCRIPTURES TO READ     Isaiah 52:13 – 53:12   Psalm 22:1-21    Hebrews 10:16-25 or Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9     John 18:1 – 19:40

§ 
Through Prayer, Finding the Good in Good Friday   By Rick Hamlin,

I can remember asking my mom as a kid, "Why is it called Good Friday?"

It completely baffled me. I'd gone to Sunday school long enough to know that Jesus died on the cross on Good Friday. He was arrested, put through a trial, denied by his own, whipped, paraded through Jerusalem and crucified, dying after six hours of agony.

What was so good about that? My mom must have given me an adequate response, that it's a "good" day because if Jesus hadn't died, he couldn't have risen. But I don't think I bought it. Not then. Not now.

As a believing Christian, I find Good Friday one of the toughest days of the year. I have celebrated it in various ways, none too happily. I have sung in choirs through a three-hour service. I have prayed my way through the Stations of the Cross. I have sat in a pew in a church near my office, meditating over the last words of Christ. And I have skipped the whole thing, far preferring the alleluias and flowers and jelly beans and chocolate eggs of Easter.

But I have to admit in my struggles with faith, the shadowy Good Friday moments count as much as those blissfully sunny Easter days (and here in the Northeast, when is Easter ever warm and sunny?). When I pray, it's the hard stuff that gets me really focused.

A 42-year-old friend dies of cancer. "Why, God, why?" I ask, storming the heavens. A hard-working dad loses the job he was sure he was meant for. "What was that all about?" I wonder. A faraway country gets pummeled by a devastating earthquake. "Have mercy, Lord," I pray.

This seems to be the paradox of belief. As often as I try for a prevailing attitude of gratitude and joy, I learn more through the tough stuff. No, I wouldn't ask for misfortune and wouldn't wish it on anyone, but just as mistakes are supposed to be the better teacher, aren't trials the ultimate crucible of faith? It can take a wake-up call of incipient disaster to give me a piercing clarity about all my blessings.

That's how I manage to find my way to the good in Good Friday. Through prayer. Closing out the noise of the world, I ask for God's help, looking for a measure of peace. Better yet, I can join with others who have much greater concerns than my own and pray for them.

PRAYER FOR FREEDOM IN CHRIST.  Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but
first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

PRAY FOR GUIDANCE   Heavenly Father, in you we live and move and have our being: We humbly pray you so to guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget you, but may remember that we are ever walking in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

PRAYER OF ST. FRANCIS   Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love; Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith; Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light; And where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console; To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved, as to love; For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
And it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life. Amen.

PRAYER FOR THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of your Name. Amen.

PRAY FOR CHRIST CHURCH QUAKER FARMS Almighty and everliving God, ruler of all things in heaven and earth, hear our prayers for this parish family. Strengthen the faithful, arouse the careless, and restore the penitent. Grant us all things necessary for our common life, and bring us all to be of one heart and mind within your holy Church ;through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.