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.

THE BIG LIE Sept. 29, 2011

SERMON # 2  “THE BIG LIE’   Sept. 25, 2011

From Sermon series, “You are Important to God.”

Exodus 17:1-7 Ps.25:1-8, Philippians 2:1-13, Matthew 21:23-32

My grandma Lucy was always the front of all accumulated wisdom in the Donnelly family.  I remember that one time, as a child, I boasted to her that I had tricked a friend into selling me his tape recorder.  I thought that I had made a fantastic bargain, until the thing broke the next day.   Well when I went to complain to her, Grandma let me have it with one of her morality lessons.

              She said, “Don’t you know that if something seems to be true, it’s probably a lie.”

 Of course, many of us have been tricked and deceived and taken advantage of in our dealings with other people, but the problem emerges when our cynicism compromises our relationship with God.

The background of today’s first reading is the Exodus, the most incredible miracle in the Old Testament.  God supernaturally intervened to free his children from slavery in Egypt.  No longer did they have to endure forced labor to build the Egyptian pyramids.  God not only freed them, but he also promised to inspire them, to provide for them, protect them, and to guide them to a promised land, where they would be free to build their own nation.  Initially, the people cheered, but, then the complaining, the grumbling, the doubt began.

            -Some complained that life as slaves was preferable to wandering in the desert.

            -When God didn’t give them exactly what they wanted, when they wanted it, they claimed that God had lied to them…..that he really would not provide for their needs.

You see, for 400 years the Jews have been beaten, brutalized, and brainwashed.  The forced labor not only broke their backs, but it also broke their spirits.  Soon they forgot about God, as they grew to believe the big lie.

The Big lie was communicated, cruel and unjust punishment, exploitation of the weak, the rape of women, and overcrowded slum-like living conditions.  And eventually the big lie was believed; and many of us believe it to this day.

The big lie, simply communicated, is this:      You are not important.     You are not important.

Today we continue our discussion on a mini-sermon series on how and why you are important to God.  This truth is the foundation to  a) healthy and vibrant Christian lives, b)Unfortunately, so many of us have been brainwashed by the big lie, that we may doubt the truth that we are important to God, at least at the heart level.  No wonder, because in our own day and time, we hear over and over again, by words and deeds that we do not matter to others.

a)      How many times do people, whom we have trusted, say that we are unimportant by their betraying our trust?  Parents, spouses, children, supervisors, teachers, neighbors, clergy, lay servants and others can make that message all to clear.  When is the last time you were given the round and round by an elected official?  Or the IRS, or the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, or your medical insurance company?  Or the cable company?  Do you feel important to them?

b)      Still other times we may have a disagreement with someone, and we get hit below the belt.  Comments of thinly veiled ridicule   may win an argument by employing the big lie.

c)      There is a whole cultural level of lies too.  Earlier this year I advised a retreat for teenagers, which focused on self esteem.  During the course of that weekend, all 13 girls in attendance (ages 12-18) confessed that they believed that they were fat and ugly.  Where did that come from?  These girls were all lovely and thin, but they were crippled by the big lie. How horrible!!!

d)      But men share in this, too.  I was part of a men’s group, where we were discuss our relationships with our Fathers.  Every man in the group admitted that he could remember statements for his father, which questioned or belittle his own manhood.

It is this sort of spiritual and emotional devastation which led Jesus to oppose the big lie with all His heart, soul, mind, and strength.

            -By word and deed, Jesus demonstrated that you are more important to God then traditions, institutions, profits, and the warped egos of two bit bullies.

This is what is occurring in today’s Gospel.  Jesus was up building the lowly of society; prostitutes, outcasts, thieves, tax collectors, the old, the sick, and the poor.  He reached out to down trodden people to show us today, that He now reaches out to us, as well.  God let His own son descend into the  violence   of the big lie, that He might lift up you and me.  His enemies called Him a liar, and said that He lies so unimportant, that, He didn’t even deserve to live.  Jesus humbled himself and took his full force at the big lie; which killed him on the cross. 

But Jesus, who is the truth, rose from the dead to show that in regard to Jesus, the truth is always stronger than the lies.

So, God is reaching out to all of us, that within our own heart, that we might replace the big lie with God’s big truth – the truth that we are so important to the king of the universe, that He is here, ready, able, and willing to comfort, console, and heal and renew you, if you give him a chance.

This is the truth as we hear in today’s reading from the Psalms, God is leading us to understand and embrace this reality.

“Lead me in your truth and teach me; for you are the God of my salvation; in you have a trusted all the day long.”

Will you let God lead you to the truth?  Rebecca is the name of one of these young girls whom I described earlier at the retreat.  Through prayer ministry, like what, we are after today, she has opened up to heart to God’s amazing love.  Right now at this very hour, she is standing up before her church, giving thanks to God – because now she knows that she is beautiful and precious to God.  She is rejecting the big lie and has been set free by the reality of God’s love.  May it be for all of us.

Let us Pray

Lord, speak to word of truth to our hearts, mind, bodies, and souls.  Open our ears to hear and believe that we are so precious to you, and that your opinion out weights that of any other person or persons; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  AMEN

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

SERMON—“You are Important to God”

SERMON—“You are Important to God”   --The Rev. John Donnelly

 Inaugural Sermon Christ Church Quaker Farms          September 18, 2011

Romans 8:31-39   Matthew 7: 7-11

Today  YOU ALL ARE IN FOR A TREAT.  Most of my Sunday sermons are this long.   
 ( Hold up two pages)  But today I have decided to let her rip. Today you will get to hear  every single one of my opinions about God, religion, sin, the church, and every other related matter.

Now I know that this sermon will take a bit longer than usual, (BRING OUT PILE OF SERMONS)  but I know that you will find every word very worthwhile

(Cell phone rings, loudly)

Excuse me, but who has been so discourteous  as to leave your cell phone turned on in church, please turn it off now. Please turn it off now.

Come on,  let’s take it outside?  ( I bet its someone from my old church, asking me another dumb question)

Oh my gosh!!!!    IT'S MINE !!!!!!     Please excuse me, but I’ll have to take this.

(Cell phone stops ringing)

Yes, hello, this is the Rev. John Donnelly, whom you are interrupting in the  middle of one of my dynamic sermons.  May I ask who is calling please??  The Most Rev. Jesus Christ, King of the Universe?!?!?!

O, come on.  I don’t need a prank call now.  I bet that this is Michael  Bawlick .  Nice joke Warden Bawlick .

You are going to prove to me that this is God.    O, great.  Are you going to make fire appear?     You’re going to tell me the secret sins of my heart.  Yea, right. Go-Ahead.

·         O, God I am so sorry—I am so sorry. Please forgive me.  I   won’t  do that again.  I didn’t mean it. It wasn’t my fault.

·         What?  You’ve forgiven me?  But that’s not what you called to talk about?

You want me to get rid of my sermon—because you do not care about my opinions?   But God, I’ve worked so hard on this? It’s very profound  Okay, God. You are in charge.  There we go.

So, what do you want me to talk about?  Uh Huh……..etc.  Okay, boss.  I won't  tell them what I think.  I’ll tell them what you think.  Yes, sir. 

Yeya, Yeya, Yeay.  Uh huh.  Okay   Got it.  Thank you. (Put down cell phone)

Okay, so God wants me to tell you all two things.

First, God is  mad because in public opinion, he has been defamed,  slandered and misrepresented.  He is distressed because too  many people think of him as being harshly  judgmental, indifferent to human suffering, distant and uncaring, irrelevant to everyday life. Now God would expect such propaganda from his enemies. But  what especially angers God is that this misrepresentation has occurred through the efforts of his public relations agents—by those who claim to follow him.

***For example—A self centered –publicity seeking, lying  pastor in Florida publically burns the Koran, resulting in the death of American soldiers and innocent civilians in Afghanistan.

***Another  example:  clergy exposed as being pedophiles, who have so abused children, that they are wounded for life.

***Example # 3: a money hungry & egotistical tele-evangelsit , who originally predicted the end of the world on May 21, 2011; but hwn that didn't happen, he said a made a math mistake and that its really going to end in October.    Luckily that ‘s a date before the world really ends in 2012, according to one Roman Catholic group.

***And the final example:  churches and denominations exploding and being ripped  apart over various social & ethical issues, with the different parties suing one another in court.

Through these and so many other disgraceful acts, God is being smeared. God has been so badly misrepresented  and trashed in public opinion, that many people see God as being cold hearted, distant, uncaring,  irrelevant, angry, and impotent, if , indeed, God  even exists at all.

So, what is the truth about God? 

• The truth about God, as portrayed in  the Bible,  is this:  YOU, PERSONALLY, ARE IMPORTANT TO GOD.   You matter to Him.
•   In fact, God has sent you a personal love  letter, which you will find in your service sheet.  It’s on white paper , with green red, black & blue ink.  

Now, the lines in blue, from holy scripture,  tell us that You are important to God ,because he loves you—you as a person, as an individual.  And God uses  a powerful  metaphor, to describe his  love for you:  Please   look  down the page to the center right, where you see the blue stick figures:  God calls you His  BELOVED CHILD, as we heard in today’s Gospel reading.  The love of a good parent for his or her child, is perhaps the strongest human bond of  all, because it is based on the truth that you are a child of God.

Looking at the bottom right corner, let’s read that out loud, together, the line in blue:   “ I call you by name.  I have placed my hand upon you.  I hold you in my hand.” If you have ever been deeply loved by a parent, or family member, or a spouse, or a lover, or a friend—then you are familiar with those  words.  These words from God are so intimate, so touching, so genuine, that they could only have been spoken by someone who truly loves you.  Such sentiments cannot be humanly manufactured.  They have to be true. God lives you with an everlasting love.

So, first of all , you are important to you, because God SAYS  He loves you. But words of love,  if  they are real, must be backed up by  actions.  If  love is real, then what is the evidence of such love ?  Well, that's where the lines in black come in.

The primary evidence for God’s love has been demonstrated by rescuing us . Looking to the bottom center left statement in black, we read, quote, “Nothing can separate us from God’s love.”  Now, in our first reading heard earlier in today’s service, God explains why nothing can separate us from His love.  Please repeat after me:

• ”Absolutely nothing
• can get between us and God’s love ----
• -Because of the way Jesus, our Master & friend,
•   Has embraced us.”

How did Jesus embrace us?  Well, Jesus voluntarily died on the cross, that we might be forgiven of our sins and reconciled to God. Sin had so imprisoned the world, that humankind was forever separated from God’s love. This evil resulted in suffering, oppression, abuse, war, loneliness, and a host of other calamites, which seek to destroy the human race, and each of us individually.  But our Father God, in his compassion, looked upon us, His children, and he cried.  So God released his mighty warrior to come to earth, to fight for his people.  Jesus absorbed all the sin of the universe within Himself upon the cross.  When he died, the   power of sin over God’s children, died with Him.  Then he rose victoriously from the grave, setting free all who would follow him, love him, and believe in Him.  He did all this, because You are important to God.  Your happiness and well being matter to the King of the Universe.

So, God wants you to receive all of his love, not just part of it.  If someone loves me, and I don’t love  her back, then I never will receive the full measure of love that she wants to give.  The same is true of God.  This is what he means  by the black statement in the bottom left corner, when God says to us, “You please me by having faith.”   

Have faith that Jesus Christ is the perfect manifestation of God’s love  given and received. 

• Because of His victory, a new way has been opened so that   God  can shower his boundless love upon you. 
•  This sentient is expressed in the lines in red.  Please look at the red line directly above  the green center.

 God says, “Nothing  that is good will be withheld from you…Nothing good will be withheld from you.”  Now, that doesn’t mean that God will give you everything  selfish thing you want.  But because God is good, He goes give good things.  (Pause)  . What sort of good things does God give us, you might ask?

• Well, I know that there are people in this church, and their family members,  who are unemployed and underemployed.  Through the good people of this parish,  they have received   support and encouratgement during these hard times. 
• There are people in this room who have suffered emotional and physical abuse.  Through Christ Church's  Prayer Ministry, they have received healing and resolution that could only come from God.
• Likewise, there are people in this room who were told by doctors that they had permanent physical ailments; and that includes the person speaking to you now.   Through prayer, they have found physical healing.
• I already know fo people in this room  who were lonely.  They walked through the doors of this church, not knowing a soul. In this place,  they have found new friends.
• We have people in this room, who have lost parents,souses, maybe even children.  Through this church, God gave them comfort in their grief, strength in their weakness, and hope for tomorrow.

How has all this happened?  Well, on the bottom portion of the Love Letter, there’s a red line that runs all across the page, where God says to us, “I will bless you and make you a blessing.”  That means that as God blesses us, he then uses us to bless other people in our families, neighborhoods, and work, school, and local communities.

So, God has a plan.  His plan is to raise up a new army of public relations agents.

·         By His love, these new PR agents have found their lives  changing for the good. 

·         PR agents who know that God has something to offer us all.

·          PR agents who invite their friends to this church.

So, come to place where you can see God actually loving his people—a place where people are receiving  support, encouragement, comfort, healing, and strength.

• A place where visitors are welcomed, honored,   and valued. 
• Hang around, and perhaps you will choose to be one of God’s new PR agents, too.

But, meantime, I the next several weeks  teaching about this vital theme.  Today we have had a chance to hear God's word with our ears; now he wants to dig deeper in us, so that He could touch our hearts with his amazing love.   AMEN.