Speak Your Hope-- sermon from 5-17-20

This past week's sermon came from 1 Peter 3:13-22.  The theme of healing came up again this week because of verse 21.  The word "sozo" got more attention this week than last week because of that.  Healing and hope go hand in hand.  As mentioned in the sermon, I continue to see much healing and hope in people's lives.  That's one of the perks and benefits of walking life with others.  I recognize that one doesn't need to be clergy to walk with another.  We can all do that.  For me, walking with is a part of who I am, prior to me becoming clergy and continuing.

Below you will find the transcript of the sermon, the YouTube link of the entire service, and the Soundcloud audio of the sermon.

Eastertide is almost over.  That's mind boggling.  It's almost time to take down the cross and the white cloth outside.  For Pentecost Sunday, the color will be red.  But, that's still a week off.  Don't rush things, right?!?! Everything is already running together in a blur.

I didn't lose my stuff  (as badly) after recording this past week's sermon (yep, recording) like I did the previous week.  However, I did on Sunday morning as I listened to the final song being sung and played.

I'm still in some sort of Holy Spirit transformation and growth pattern these days.  For the most part, that is a very good thing. I am open to the moving of the Holy Spirit, even though it isn't always comfortable for me.

As I see it, if I am going to speak hope, then I'd better be willing to walk the path that Jesus walked, the path that others walk, the path I need to walk....in order to know the hope, in order to experience the healing, in order to be able to simply "be".

I shared a quote by Carlo Carretto as it related to hope from the "blue" book: A Guide to Prayer For Ministers and Other Servants.  It's not in the transcript, so I will include it at the bottom of the post.

Peace,

Rev. Deb
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“Speak Your Hope” 

1 Peter 3:13-22 (CEB)

May 17, 2020 (6^th Sunday of Easter)

St. Elmo UMC (FB Live)

1 Peter 3:13-22 (CEB)

¹³ Who will harm you if you are zealous for good? ¹⁴ But happy are you, even if you suffer because of righteousness! Don’t be terrified or upset by them. ¹⁵ Instead, regard Christ the Lord as holy in your hearts. Whenever anyone asks you to speak of your hope, be ready to defend it. ¹⁶ Yet do this with respectful humility, maintaining a good conscience. Act in this way so that those who malign your good lifestyle in Christ may be ashamed when they slander you. ¹⁷ It is better to suffer for doing good (if this could possibly be God’s will) than for doing evil.

¹⁸ Christ himself suffered on account of sins, once for all, the righteous one on behalf of the unrighteous. He did this in order to bring you into the presence of God. Christ was put to death as a human, but made alive by the Spirit. ¹⁹ And it was by the Spirit that he went to preach to the spirits in prison. ²⁰ In the past, these spirits were disobedient—when God patiently waited during the time of Noah. Noah built an ark in which a few (that is, eight) lives were rescued through water. ²¹ Baptism is like that. It saves you now—not because it removes dirt from your body but because it is the mark of a good conscience toward God. Your salvation comes through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²² who is at God’s right side. Now that he has gone into heaven, he rules over all angels, authorities, and powers.

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THIS IS THE WORD OF GOD FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD.

THANKS BE TO GOD.

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Today is the 6^th Sunday of Easter.  Only 1 more week of Easter and then we celebrate the birthday of the church on Pentecost.

Today’s sermon title comes from verse 15: “Whenever anyone asks you to speak of your hope, be ready to defend it.” 

Speak your hope.

Let’s look at what that means.

First of all, there is an assumption that we have a hope to speak of here, isn’t there? 

What IS that hope?

As we look through the rest of the passage, we can find answers, both before and after that verse.   In verse 15 prior to the admonition to speak of your hope, the admonition is to “regard Christ as holy in your hearts”

Christ is holy in our hearts.  That is hope.

Verse 18—Christ was made alive by the Spirit.  That is hope.

Verse 19—Your salvation comes through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  That is hope.

Speaking of salvation, in last week’s sermon, the word came up in verse 2 (1 Peter 2:2)—“you will grow into salvation”. 

I mentioned that the Greek word for “salvation” is “sozo” and it that it also means “healing”.   Looking at that verse with the word healing—“you will grow into healing”.

Let’s look at the Greek word “sozo” for a moment.  The Strong Concordance reference is G4982 for those who are waiting to hear that information. 

Among the meanings for SOZO: to save, to heal, to restore to health (to be made whole), to preserve from being lost.

Looking at today’s verse 19, “your healing comes through the resurrection of Jesus Christ”.

Putting those two together: ‘Your healing comes through the resurrection of Jesus Christ and you will grow into healing.’

Healing.  Let’s talk more about that because healing is a big part of the hope you can speak of with others.

Where do you want/need healing in your life?  Physical?  Emotional?  Spiritual?  What are the wounds in the past that could use some healing?

I realize that this isn’t an easy topic.  Healing doesn’t come without some pain.  However, one of the life lessons I have picked up along the way is that there is such a thing as growing pains.  They exist physically.  As we experience growth as infants and children, there is pain in our bodies.  Most of us don’t realize the pain, yet some people feel the pain.  As infants, we cry out, unable to express the pain. 

Just as we experience physical growth pains, there are spiritual growth pains.  It isn’t comfortable to be faced with ourselves and needed growth.  Yet, if there is going to be pain in our lives, regardless, isn’t it much better to have pain that leads to healing and wholeness rather than to stagnate.

I believe that this time of being set apart is a time for healing.  It has been for me.  I have been able to spend time listening to the Creator, to God, to the Holy Spirit.  I have been able to go back into the past and allow God to bring healing into areas of my life that have been buried deep under the surface for years.  I don’t know the things you deal with, the experiences you’ve had.  I only know my fears, my insecurities, my false self stuff…..

By allowing the Creator, the Artistic Designer, the Master Builder, the One who knows me best to work in me and on me, I have been going through a transformation and healing process.  It’s ongoing.  I recognize that.  As long as I continue to breathe, there is work to be done on me and in me.

And because the Master Builder continues to work on me and in me, I know that there is work being done through me.  All of this is my hope that I can speak of with others. 

I can share my experiences as the opportunities arise.

Because Jesus Christ is alive by the Spirit and because my healing comes through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, I have hope to share with others.

In last week’s sermon, toward the end of the sermon, I said this: “Church, you ARE chosen and valuable living stones.  God is working in and through you and me to build something beautiful.  God is bringing healing into our lives.”

I believe that while we are apart from worshipping together in community, the Master Builder is truly doing a beautiful thing in us individually and collectively.  I believe that there is healing taking place.  I believe this because I’ve seen it and experienced it.  Not just in my own life, but in a few other lives that I’ve been able to observe.  I’ve seen it in Facebook posts—in people’s writings and in art.  I have heard and seen it in Zoom conversations.

I know that healing is crucial to growth.  If we only cover up our wounds, then it is difficult to allow the hope to shine through.  Once we have experienced healing in an area, then the light and love of Christ can shine through the scars of the wounds and we become and Henri Nouwen calls us, “wounded healers”.  We have all been wounded.  The question is whether or not we will be wounded wounders or wounded healers.

Allow the healing.

Share the healing.

Allow the hope.

Share the hope.

In closing, hear these words from Psalm 66, verses 16-20 from the Psalmist David who spoke his hope:

“Come close and listen, all you who honor God; I will tell you what God has done for me: My mouth cried out to him with praise on my tongue.  If I had cherished evil in my heart, my Lord would not have listened.  But God definitely listened.  He heard the sound of my prayer.  Bless God! He didn’t reject my prayer; he didn’t withhold his faithful love from me.”

Will you pray with me? (Spirit of the Living God)

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YouTube Worship Service for May 17:

Soundcloud Audio Version

SOZO Scripture references from Bible Tools

SOZO Scripture references from Robust Designs


Bookmark that I shared during the sermon:

On the front: a stamped Pooh and Piglet walking alongside each other down a path.

On the back: "There is something you must always remember.  You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.  But the most important thing is, even if we're apart... I'll always be with you."

This bookmark was given out to the Tuesday Ladies Bible Study at Burks UMC by Amy Nutt, Pastor and leader on June 2, 2015.

Quote that I shared from Carlo Carretto that spoke hope to me:
From A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and Other Servants, page 176

     "God presents himself to us little by little.  The whole story of salvation is the story of the God who comes.
     It is always he who comes, even if he has not yet come in his fullness.  But there is indeed one unique moment in his coming; the others were only preparations and announcement.
     The hour of his coming is the Incarnation.
     The Incarnation brings the world his presence.  It is a presence so complete that it overshadows every presence before it.
     God is made human in Christ.  God makes himself present to us with such a special presence, such an obvious presence, as to overthrow all the complicated calculations made about him in the past.
      "The invisible, intangible God has made himself visible and tangible in Christ."
      If Jesus is truly God, everything is clear; if I cannot believe this, everything darkens again."
--From The God Who Comes

Holy Ground

Last Friday I had the privilege of being on Holy Ground.  When I heard that a friend's cousin was on hospice and not expected to live, I let the person know that pastors are allowed to visit the dying in hospitals.  I didn't know where the cousin was at the time.  I didn't know if I would be invited in at the time.

The invitation came.

I grabbed three essential items: a mask, my pocket edition of the Book of Worship, and some anointing oil (my favorite is the frankincense and myrrh)

The time with the person and the family was precious and holy.

After sharing a prayer from the Book of Worship, I prayed extemporaneously for the person.

There was a sweet, sweet spirit in that place.  I felt like I had experienced God's presence and that we had worshiped together, that we had experienced church, all in a very few moments.

I had acted on a nudge (once again as acting on nudges is mode of operation for me) to reach out to this friend and extend this offer.  I'm glad I did.  I'm grateful that the family invited me in.

I have learned over the years that a part of who I am is walking with people, the dying and their families, through the valley of death.  I have done this for many years, as a lay person and as clergy.

It isn't always easy to put into words, but I have tried at times.  I have written other blog posts on the topic.

It is a holy and sacred privilege to walk someone home.

For this to be part of who I've been created to be is incredibly humbling.

As I reflect, "walking with" is who I am and what I do, regardless of the stage of life or situation in which someone is.

As you reflect, what comes to mind for you for who you are created to be and what you are created to do?  It may be more than one thing.  Take some time to think about it.  If you're not sure, ask someone else what they see and notice in you.  Pay attention to the words others have said in your presence.  Start putting them together and your puzzle will start to make more sense.

"Walking with" plays out in many different ways for me, but I've come to see it as the core of my being.

When I'm walking with, I am on holy ground, regardless of the situation.

Maybe that's another way to ask it.

What is your holy ground?

Peace to you on this adventurous journey,

Rev. Deb

Built Like Living Stones-- Sermon from 5-10-20

This post will contain the sermon from last week (May 10):"Built Like Living Stones" in written, audio, and video (entire service) forms.  I will also share some reflection from the recording time and some follow-up reflection from a friend. 

Each week my goal is to listen, to read, to pray, and to be open to the message I am feeling led to offer.  Every week my husband reads the message I have written and offers feedback. This one, he said, was one of the best.  That made me nervous.  I had to remember that it wasn't about me, that I still needed to empty me of me and to be available to the moving of the Holy Spirit.  Every time that we gather to record, we pray.  It's usually about the same-- gratitude for all that have participated with their gifts, for the Creator to meet us all where we are in the moment and when the sermon goes live, for the Holy Spirit to flow.  Things to that effect.

We recorded early last week so that some of the team could have some time apart, a Sabbath rest.  It was a miracle for me to have the sermon ready to go by that time in the week.  I had some things on my mind that day, but had been able to spend about an hour in worship, listening to Petra and Harvest songs prior to the recording. 

Things went well in the recording.  I got close to being emotional a couple of times as I spoke about my cornerstone in preaching from 1989 and when I shared the lyrics from "I am Available" by Petra. When it came to the final song, "Here I Am to Worship", I used the time to just be and to praise for a moment.  That is, until I felt led to turn and kneel at the altar.  From that moment, I felt overcome with emotion, unlike I have been in a very long time.  Was it the openness of the sermon and the connection to the past?  Was it the ongoing life circumstances?  Was it the empty sanctuary once again and a shepherd's longing heart for the sheep?  Was it a response to the worship song, recognizing that I am here to worship?  I think it was a combination of all of the above, though I didn't really think it through at the time. I simply allowed it.  I experienced it.  I yielded and submitted to the Master Builder, as the sermon had said.

Afterwards, I just sat on the stool for a moment.  It was a "wow" moment for me.  Humbling.  I was empty, yet full.

As the sermon was shared on Sunday, there were parts in it that folks wanted to discuss further, so we held a zoom follow-up discussion on Sunday evening with others facilitating and me just showing up.  That was a very enriching time for me.

A few days later, a friend posted some thoughts from a sermon she had watched.

I continue to be humbled, encouraged, and amazed that the Master Builder continues to work in and through me.

Maybe there is something in the sermon, the service, the Petra song, my friend's reflection for you....

Peace, 

Rev. Deb

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"Built Like Living Stones” 

1 Peter 2:2-10 (CEB)

May 10, 2020 (5^th Sunday of Easter, Mother’s Day)

St. Elmo UMC (FB Live)

1 Peter 2:2-10 (CEB)

² Instead, like a newborn baby, desire the pure milk of the word. Nourished by it, you will grow into salvation, ³ since you have tasted that the Lord is good.

⁴ Now you are coming to him as to a living stone. Even though this stone was rejected by humans, from God’s perspective it is chosen, valuable. ⁵ You yourselves are being built like living stones into a spiritual temple. You are being made into a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ Thus it is written in scripture, Look! I am laying a cornerstone in Zion, chosen, valuable. The person who believes in him will never be shamed.⁷ So God honors you who believe. For those who refuse to believe, though, the stone the builders tossed aside has become the capstone. ⁸ This is a stone that makes people stumble and a rock that makes them fall. Because they refuse to believe in the word, they stumble. Indeed, this is the end to which they were appointed. ⁹ But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people who are God’s own possession. You have become this people so that you may speak of the wonderful acts of the one who called you out of darkness into his amazing light. ¹⁰ Once you weren’t a people, but now you are God’s people. Once you hadn’t received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

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THIS IS THE WORD OF GOD FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD.

THANKS BE TO GOD.

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Today is the 5^th Sunday of Easter.  We are now closer to the ending of Eastertide than the beginning.  Have you noticed that I removed the Easter lilies from the altar?  That’s because the blooms began to fade and droop and no amount of water or sun will bring them back.  However, they will be planted into the ground so that they can make their return next year.

Did you notice the cornerstone in the sermon slide?  It says, “St. Elmo ME Church South, 1921”.  That’s the cornerstone on the front of the church building, on the front left. 

What does the ME stand for?  Methodist Episcopal.  It is part of our Methodist history prior to becoming the United Methodist Church.  The Methodist Episcopal South church was formed in 1844. In 1939 the different branches united to become the United Methodist Church. 

What is the significance of a CORNERSTONE?  A cornerstone is a foundational stone that connects the two sides and typically shows the year it was built or established. 

As you could see in the photo, this building was dedicated on August 7, 1921.

                                                                           

For more history on the beginnings of this church, I suggest you connect with Ray Warren, our historian.  He has lots of great history on this church.

The cornerstone in verse 6 in today’s passage is a quote of Isaiah 28:16 and refers to a different cornerstone—“Therefore, the Lord God says: Look! I’m laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a valuable cornerstone, a sure foundation: the one who trusts won’t tremble.”

Today’s title comes from verse 5: “You yourselves are being built like living stones into a spiritual temple.”  The word “stone” is found 5 times in the passage.  Rock, once.  Capstone, once.  Cornerstone, once.  That’s quite a bit of stones and rocks.

I like rocks.  I find heart rocks out in nature, some are big; some are little.  Some are scraggly shaped; others are typically shaped.  But they are still rocks and they still look like hearts. 

Rocks and stones are solid, yet are shaped by their environment--by the wind, by the water, by other stones and rocks, and by the dirt or sand.  Think about the rocks and stones in a river that have been smoothed over many years of water flow.  That’s a brief geology lesson, but it helps us as we think of ourselves as living stones. 

YOU are being built like living stones into a spiritual temple.  This may be the church building, but YOU are the church.  You are a spiritual temple.

Take a moment and let that sink in, if you haven’t ever before.  You are being built like living stones into a spiritual temple.  You are the church.  Now, when I say “you”, are you hearing a plural “you” or a singular “you”?  Either one is the truth.  Each and every singular “you” church makes up the plural “you” church.  So, just in case someone listening is thinking that this message isn’t meant for you, then hear it put this way:  “I am being built like living stones into a spiritual temple.  I am the church.”  How did hearing it that way change things for you? 

One more thing before moving on.  After saying “I”, insert your first name.  Ready?  All you have to do is say your name.  I will say the rest.  Ready?

“I, ________________, am being built like living stones into a spiritual temple.  I am the church.”

Okay.  How was that?  Was that any different from the “you’?  or even the “I” without your name?  [Pause]  Something to think about it.  Something to repeat.

Notice the tense being used: “being built”.  That is an ongoing tense and it implies that someone is doing the building.  You are not the initiator of the activity, but rather the receptor of it.  The building is being done on you, to you.  Basically, you let yourself be built.  That is the essence here. 

As you take a moment and reflect on that, have you experienced “being built” in these past 5 weeks of Easter plus Palm Sunday?  During this time of time apart, what type of transformation have you experienced?  I’ve shared some of mine the past couple of weeks.  I’ve been in the cocoon.  I’ve come out of it.  I’ve experienced the “being built” and transformation.  As a living stone, sometimes “being built” means that the edges need to be rounded off or parts of the stone needed to be chipped away in order to fit into a certain space, etc.  As I’ve experienced “being built”, it has been about letting go and letting myself be transformed into a spiritual house by the living Christ. 

It dawned on me this week that as I’ve been being built as a living stone, my “building” goes way back.  One of the stone markers in my life is Christ Church United Methodist in Port Jefferson Station on Long Island.  I guess you might even call it a cornerstone, in that I preached my first sermon there in 1989 the Sunday prior to me coming back south to teach at Bryan College.  When I was asked to do pulpit supply for my pastor who was going to be on vacation that Sunday, I didn’t know at the time we would be leaving Long Island at the end of the summer to head back south.  All I knew was that I had been asked to preach as a Lay Speaker and I said yes.  The title of my first sermon?  “Are You Available?”  I included lyrics to the Petra song with the same title.  As a living stone being built by the Creator, Christ Church United Methodist in Port Jefferson Station, Pastor Randy Paige, his wife Leslie and many others there played a role in this stone coming back to life.

Ken Kovacs, a pastor in FL, writes this about living stones in a blog from 2015: “Living stones: flesh and blood and spirit, being used by God, for God’s glory.  That’s who we are.  God is trying to build something with us and we are asked to submit, to yield, allow ourselves to be used for the sake of God’s glory, so that we can be added, stone by stone, to what God is trying to build in the world today.  Not a physical temple, but a spiritual temple, a community of people.”

 https://kekovacs.blogspot.com/2015/06/living-stones.html

“God is trying to build something with us.”  “We are asked to submit, to yield, allow ourselves to be used for the sake of God’s glory, so that we can be added stone by stone…. A community of people.”

Wow.

How much easier is it for you, for me, for us to see and to hear this when we are NOT inside a church building?  When we are taken out of the building and we are reminded that WE are the church, that God wants to build US…. So that we are prepared to be the community for one another.

If, during this time of being out of the church building, we have come to see ourselves as living stones built by God, chosen, cherished, beloved, through whom God works and moves, then that is one of MANY positives from this time apart. 

You see, time apart is needed for us to rest and grow.  The land needs a time of fallow.  We are created to have a Sabbath rest.  By taking a time apart from the church building, maybe, just maybe, our significance as living stones being built by God can take on new meaning for us.  Something to think about, wouldn’t you say?

Ken Kovacs also writes in his 2015 post to remind us that God dwelled in temples, such as the one in Jerusalem and then chose to dwell in a human temple, Jesus Christ.  What he writes next tends to be difficult for many, but hear these words: “And we discover that God is still doing something similar in us.  We discover that God really wants to dwell in our hearts and minds and bodies and spirits.  We realize that we are the dwelling place of the Most High.  We are being formed and reformed into the dwelling place of God.”

He continues to remind us (paraphrased) that every one of us need to remember who we are, whose we are, what we are, and what it is we are called to do.  Quote: “God is trying to build something good and beautiful and redemptive and holy with us.  God is building something good and beautiful and redemptive and holy through us.  God is building something good and beautiful and holy for us…”

How cool is that?  God builds with us, through us, and for us.

As living stones being built by God, we have a place in this building process.  We are to yield to the process, to submit, to allow the Master Builder to shape us, form us and place us where we are needed.

The yielding isn’t easy.  The shaping and forming isn’t either.  Being placed where we are needed…. Have you heard the expressing trying to fit a square peg into a round hole?!?!  That’s how I feel sometimes when the fitting process is happening.  I question what the Builder is doing if it doesn’t seem right to me.  I am learning to trust the Builder.  The Builder knows me best.

Heck, if I preached my first sermon in 1989, asking “Are You Available?” don’t you think that could have been a clue?  

We often don’t see the pattern clearly as the stones are laid, one by one.  But as we look back, we can see how the Builder has laid the stones in our lives, how they fit together, how we have been built as living stones.

Church, you ARE chosen and valuable living stones.  God is working in and through you and me to build something beautiful.  God is bringing healing into our lives.

May we yield to the Builder’s hands, allowing God to form us, transform us, mold us, and place us.  May we recognize our place as God’s people, who have received mercy, a chosen and royal priesthood.  May we shine the love and light of Christ through our life’s experiences, because of God’s grace. 

Will you pray with me? (Spirit of the Living God)

Sermon from YouTube:

Posted by Heather Clements on FB, in response to the sermon, on May 12: (shared with permission)

"During this time of social isolation, I was attending a virtual church service. The preacher was talking about us being 'living stones", how we're being shaped into a dwelling place for God. That got me thinking about a couple of things. One, that there are many types of dwellings in all shapes and sizes, from huge mansions to tiny houses. There's even one in my town shaped like a UFO! No matter how big or small or strangely shaped, what makes these houses into homes is who lives there. Proverbs 17:1 says "Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting with strife." So better a peaceful shack than a mansion full of fighting, to paraphrase.Jesus is the Prince of Peace. When God dwells in us, our spiritual house is full of peace, and a good place to be. Whether you feel like a mansion on a hill or a two room shack in a holler, if God is in the dwelling, it's home.
Two, with the exception of a cave, most houses are built of many stones (or lumber or bricks or all of the above) put together. The church is called the House of God, and can be thought of in this way. After all, the church is not a building, but the people who gather to worship. If we as individuals are rocks (or lumber etc) it takes all of us coming together to create a structure. In that structure, there are many different building materials, serving different functions. Some are foundations, some provide protection from the elements as walls or a roof, some uphold those who walk as floors do, some bring in fresh air or water, some take away that which has become toxic. Each part has been molded and/or cut, and fitted to fill it's place. All of them are necessary, a building without any one of them would be a difficult place to live. The thing that binds it all together is the Holy Spirit, functioning as mortar. Trust Jesus, who better to build a building than a carpenter, and he's got the nails!
Third, a rock in it's natural state is a rough, dull, unlovely thing. Some are created by fire (igneous), some by layering of millennia of accumulation of dirt (sedimentary), and some by pressure that transforms from one substance to another (metamorphic). If you put one of any of these into a rock tumbler, with the right grit of polishing material, the end result is something lovely and shining. All of the corners and hard edges rounded, and the rough surfaces are ground smooth by the grit. An uncomfortable, even painful process for the the rock, I'm sure (if rocks could feel, that is!) As human "stones" we also experience uncomfortable, even painful things. These experiences, however, grind off some of our rough edges, and polish our surfaces until we shine like jewels in His hands."


Links:

What the Bible Says about Living Stones

Soundcloud link to sermon only

Ken Kovacs blog on Living Stones

Petra: "I am Available"

Steadfast Endurance-- Sermon from 5-3-20

Here is last week's sermon, "Steadfast Endurance".

I haven't posted a sermon in quite a while.  I used to post them quite regularly when I was serving the Holston Georgia Parish.  Somehow, going from serving three churches to one hasn't slowed down like I thought it might.  That is simply an observation.  It isn't a complaint.  I stay occupied, yet in a good and healthy way.  I do wish for more writing time though.  Now, how odd is that?!?!  I write a sermon EVERY week...... or rather a sermon writes me.  Smiling here. :)

I will post the sermon transcript, as is my normal procedure.  I will remind readers that the transcript is not always exactly what comes out in the sermon once it is given.  I will also post the audio links and a link to the video on YouTube, for anyone who desires to watch it.  You can watch other sermons there too.

I mention hiking in this sermon, so I will post some of the hiking pictures that I refer to in this sermon as well, at the very bottom of the post.

May there be something here that encourages you along your journey,

Rev. Deb
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“Steadfast Endurance” 

1 Peter 2:19-25 (CEB)

May 3, 2020 (4^th Sunday of Easter)

St. Elmo UMC (FB Live)

1 Peter 2:19-25 (CEB)

¹⁹ Now, it is commendable if, because of one’s understanding of God, someone should endure pain through suffering unjustly. ²⁰ But what praise comes from enduring patiently when you have sinned and are beaten for it? But if you endure steadfastly when you’ve done good and suffer for it, this is commendable before God. ²¹ You were called to this kind of endurance, because Christ suffered on your behalf. He left you an example so that you might follow in his footsteps. ²² He committed no sin, nor did he ever speak in ways meant to deceive. ²³ When he was insulted, he did not reply with insults. When he suffered, he did not threaten revenge. Instead, he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. ²⁴ He carried in his own body on the cross the sins we committed. He did this so that we might live in righteousness, having nothing to do with sin. By his wounds you were healed. ²⁵ Though you were like straying sheep, you have now returned to the shepherd and guardian of your lives.

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THIS IS THE WORD OF GOD FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD.

THANKS BE TO GOD.

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Today is the 4^th Sunday of Easter.  Throughout this Easter season, the messages have been those of throwing off all your fears, living hope, loving deeply, and now endurance.

Steadfast endurance.  Today’s title comes from verses 20 and 21: “...But if you endure steadfastly when you’ve done good and suffer for it, this is commendable before God. ²¹ You were called to this kind of endurance, because Christ suffered on your behalf.”

Steadfast endurance.  What does that even mean?

Both words in the Greek have the same prefix, “hypo”.  But their suffixes are different.  Even so, the two words are similar in meaning.  Here are the meanings that they share: to bear under, to bear up under.  Other aspects of each include: support, sustain, to endure patiently, continue firmly, hold out, remain constant, persevere.

At this point, some of you may be saying that it’s time to get off the roller coaster.  Stop the ride.  I’m done.  Let me off.  Well, let me be honest.  I’ve had that thought too.  I’ve wanted to get in my little red escape and ESCAPE, yet where can I go.  Heck, Psalm 139 reminds me “where can I flee from your Spirit?”  And there aren’t many places allowing vacation rentals, so it’s not like I could just head off somewhere. 

So, I’m left to think about steadfast endurance through the suffering and pain.  I’m left to think about getting through this stuff to the other side.

This week’s passage helps us work through how we might deal with suffering and with pain.  We all have suffering and pain in our lives, don’t we?!  If we’re honest with ourselves, the answer is yes.  And, with these days of pandemic and rebuilding from the tornados, along with businesses trying to survive, there is much suffering and pain.

Each week I think I finished with going through the crucible to get the message out because each week the message reads me, works on me, and works through me in order to find its way out of me into the open space to be received.  The Holy Spirit won’t simply allow me to speak a word.  I’m living each word.  On one hand, that is a very good thing.  I want to be able to walk with, to live authentically, to be genuine.  On the other hand, it can get a little “old” … or even humorous.  I guess I’m the one to blame, in the sense that I choose the titles… “Living Hope”, “Love Each Other Deeply” and this week?  “Steadfast Endurance”  So, what things do I go through each week?  A letting go, an emptying of me, so that I can be filled up with whatever message the Holy Spirit has.

7:25 a.m. morning prayer on Thursday, April 30^th…. “May the God of Creation meet us all where we are today and bring us through this day, helping us grow as disciples, allowing us to heal in the broken places, bringing comfort to the pain and grief.  May we offer help, hope, and healing to others from that which we have and from that which we have experienced.”

Little did I know that later that morning I would feel the brokenness once again myself, the emptiness.  It wasn’t a bad feeling, just a feeling of being.  In fact, I’ve come to realize that “brokenness” is part of who I am.  It’s the place I meet God, in that suffering and pain.  As God brings healing, it’s through the put together brokenness that the light can shine.  That’s why I really like stained glass so much.  As I observed the different pieces of stained glass in my office this week, I wrote this:

“All the different pieces and colors. Broken. Some small.  Some even cracked.  Colored. Clear. Opaque. Woven into and around each other.  Held together because of the fire that melted the metal. Each piece has meaning. Each color has meaning. Just as the brokenness in these objects will never go away, so it is with me.  Though pieces are put together, I am still the product of broken smaller pieces, put together by an Artistic Designer who designed me uniquely.  To allow the light to shine through the brokenness, to allow myself to be, to allow the Creator to do the necessary ebb and flow work of refinement…keeps me in a humbled state.  An open state.  A broken state.”

How do I get through the suffering and pain?  How do I press into the steadfast endurance?  I spend time in creation with the Creator.  Everyday, a little bit.  And, then larger chunks as/when I can.  I take note of the Creator’s beauty in the flowers, the sky… I listen to the quiet babble of flowing water or the roar of the stream or waterfall.  Being in creation allows my soul to calm and allows healing.

My endurance strengthens as I allow myself to be, to be still, to rest in the One who created me and knows me best.  It sounds counterintuitive, doesn’t it?!  That endurance grows as I let go.  But it does.  As I can simply “be”, everything falls into place.  Psalm 46:10, therefore, has a huge ongoing role in my life.  “Be still and know that I am God.”

I’ve considered “endurance” several times this past week as I’ve been out in creation on different trails.  One was Tuesday afternoon when Riley and I took an afternoon break and we hiked at North Chickamauga Creek Gorge.  We went up the Hodgkins Branch Loop trail.  I haven’t attempted that in many years and not since my hip surgery.  To be able to climb that trail and to see the waterfall is credited to “steadfast endurance”

On Friday, we parked two cars at different trail heads and hiked through a 5 mile section of the Cumberland Trail from the Soddy Daisy segment to the Hotwater Road segment.  That’s the most I have hiked in one hike since my hip replacement.  There were ups and downs, some muddy spots.  I kept on keeping on.  Breathing in.  Breathing out.  In all fairness, that’s fairly easy to do on a beautiful day when being in creation energizes me, right?!?

What about when I’m worn down, ready to quit, about to give up?  Yeah, I get like that.  Monday was a VERY long week for me.  I had a list as long as my arm and I got most of it done.  And, then I had our “Disciple’s Path” class on ZOOM.  We continue to meet.  We talk about spiritual disciplines, we continue what we started in the class.  I didn’t have what I needed on Monday night to facilitate the group.  I didn’t think I had anything left to give, to offer.  I came extremely close to calling it off.  But I decided to show up.  What I realized on Monday was that sometimes endurance is simply showing up.  As we show up, as we surrender our being, as we yield, then the rest just “is”.  After showing up to class on Monday, I was good. 

I’ve talked quite a bit about roller coasters, beginning in Lent.  You know when you get in a roller coaster and the mechanical “click, click, click” guides you up the hill to begin the ride?  It’s like that.  Our role is sometimes simply to sit back and be, as we continue firmly and remain constant in/on the ride.

What else do we find in today’s passage?  Healing.  Verse 24.

“by his wounds you were healed”

Ultimately, it’s ALL about healing.  There’s a plaque on my shelf with these words from a Christy Nockels song: “how high, high wide, O, Lord! No matter where I am, healing is in your hands.  How deep, how deep is Your love, How strong, how strong is your love; & now by your grace I stand; healing is in your hands”

This time of steadfast endurance can bring us healing as we submit and surrender to the love and grace offered us. 

Richard Rohr’s writings this past week on liminal space were spot on for us during this time of being in the in-between time, the not knowing.  As I’ve reflected on steadfast endurance this week and my challenges throughout this entire pandemic journey, I found a song that reminded me how to find steadfast endurance.

Do you remember “Come and Find the Quiet Center” that we would use during our quiet time?  By finding the quiet center, we can make time to listen.  Steadfast endurance will flow from that listening time. 

Hear these lyrics from Shirley Murray:

https://www.hopepublishing.com/find-hymns-hw/hw2366.aspx

Come and find the quiet center

     in the crowded life we lead,

          find the room for hope to enter,

               find the frame where we are freed:

clear the chaos and the clutter,

     clear our eyes, that we can see

          all the things that really matter,

               be at peace, and simply be.

Silence is a friend who claims us,

     cools the heat and slows the pace,

          God it is who speaks and names us,

               knows our being, touches base,

making space within our thinking,

     lifting shades to show the sun,

          raising courage when we're shrinking,

               finding scope for faith begun.

In the Spirit let us travel,

     open to each other's pain,

          let our loves and fears unravel,

               celebrate the space we gain:

there's a place for deepest dreaming,

     there's a time for heart to care,

          in the Spirit's lively scheming

               there is always room to spare!

May we continue to be available to one another and to others in the community as we continue this journey with steadfast endurance.  May the light and love of Christ shine through our broken places, allowing healing for others.  May we be bold enough to be still and listen so that we can simply show up and allow God to take over.  Amen.

Will you pray with me?

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Steadfast Endurance on SoundCloud (audio)

Entire service and "Steadfast Endurance" on YouTube

"Come and Find the Quiet Center"

Richard Rohr's Week of Liminal Space Posts:

Between Two Worlds, 4-26-20
The Presense of Spirit, 4-27-20
Dark Liminality, 4-28-20
The Liminal Paradox, 4-29-20
Reconnecting with the Unconscious, 4-30-20
Seeing Beyond Ourselves, 5-1-20
Liminal Space: Weekly Summary, 5-2-20


Hiking Photos: [photos are mine DD]

Cumberland Trail (from Tuesday, 4-28-20 with the retired guy)
North Chickamauga Gorge segment

Cumberland Trail (from Friday, 5-1-20 with the family)
Mowbray Pike Trailhead to Hotwater Road