The word on the sign has caught my attention as I drive by, but I haven't been able to stop and get a picture. Normally the church sign has the same message on both sides. Not this time. One side is easier to photograph than the other.
Yesterday when my husband was driving, I tried to get a picture of the sign. I got a picture of it all right, smack dab in the middle of the blue part. Photo fail.
After filling up with gas at the station, he headed back to the church for me to get my picture. It wasn't as easy as stopping to get the picture. The church had gotten a new gate and lock. The side I needed was on the other side and direction. I had to jump the ditch and traverse the field to get the picture. Because a car came while, he had to leave and drive around the block to come back and get me.
Whew. All that for a picture. Was it worth it? Yes.
"Courage is developed in difficult times."
Yesterday we went to a fundraiser for Liam. Liam and his family display courage. They have been displaying courage ever since little Liam started having liver failure. He had issues with his bile ducts from birth, yet was smiling in most every picture you would see of him. Liam had a liver transplant recently and is doing well. I got to hold him yesterday. That was a blessing.
Last night I got a phone call from a church member letting me know about another church member that was heading to the hospital. Courage. This family has had their share of difficult times lately.
This morning I got updates from that situation, but then learned a church member had passed.
Meanwhile, a church member from another church had the stomach bug and was being taken to the clinic by her daughter. Not so bad, you say. Except that everything needs to be in good order for them as they head west next week to prepare for a special procedure. The clinic decided to send them to the hospital to check on everything, just in case. They got sent home after tests were run.
When I got to the second church this morning, I had a phone call. Knowing that person wouldn't call during church unless it was serious, I texted them during a song. The reply back was that a member from the church I had just come from had passed away at home this morning.
Two of the three churches. Two deaths. Two members in the hospital.
After preaching the second service, my husband and I went to visit both members in the hospital. In leaving the second one, I felt led to stop and pray in another room. We met Grace and Roland from Murphy, NC. We prayed for them before leaving.
Courage is doing those things we are called to do, living into who we are called to be, moment by moment and day by day.
This morning I had a sense that I couldn't shake, so I prepared with quiet time and praise music on the way into church #1. As the morning unfolded and situation after situation hit, it was a little overwhelming.
Yet, the words to "Grace Like Rain" by Todd Agnew came to mind as we sang it in the first church and I knew that God's grace, God's amazing grace, was enough to carry each and every person involved as well as me for any pastoral care needed. The situations might have seemed to come abundantly today, but God's grace also came abundantly.
God also gave me courage to keep on keeping on. In a moment in which I would have rather stopped, I knew I needed to keep going. It was through tears that I read part of this morning's Scripture passage in the second church today. Those words held new meaning to me after all I had learned about, including the 2nd death of the morning.
Today's Scripture passage was Romans 5:1-8. I had chosen The Living Bible (TLB) translation. On the front on the bulletin, verse 2 was from The Message. Today's title: "Becoming All God Has for Us to Be".
I haven't shared a sermon in a while, but here it is. Maybe there is something here for someone. What is shared verbally isn't 100% what is found in writing. I know I always say this, but it's because it's true. Things are added or taken away. I attempt to listen to the Holy Spirit and that's part of it. Forgetting things could be another part of it.
"Becoming All God Has for Us to Be"
Romans 5:1-8 (TLB)
June 18, 2017 (2nd Sunday
after Pentecost; Father's Day)
Flintstone
UMC, Simpson UMC
1So now, since we have been made right
in God’s sight by faith in his promises, we can have real peace with him
because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 For because of our faith, he has brought us into
this place of highest privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and
joyfully look forward to actually becoming all that God has had in mind for us
to be.
3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into
problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us—they help us learn
to be patient. 4 And patience
develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we
use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady. 5 Then, when that happens, we are able to hold our
heads high no matter what happens and know that all is well, for we know how
dearly God loves us, and we feel this warm love everywhere within us because
God has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.6 When we were utterly helpless, with no way of escape, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners who had no use for him. 7 Even if we were good, we really wouldn’t expect anyone to die for us, though, of course, that might be barely possible. 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
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THIS
IS THE WORD OF GOD FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD.
THANKS BE TO GOD.
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We
celebrated Pentecost Sunday two weeks ago and today we continue the season of Pentecost
with the second week of Pentecost. We
continue to listen to the Holy Spirit as we seek to grow as disciples of Christ
and seek to make disciples of Christ for the transformation of the world.
Today is also Father's
Day and we celebrate God as Creator and Father of all. We celebrate and remember our fathers and father
figures who have encouraged and inspired us throughout our lives.
However, not everyone has had the privilege or
opportunity to be blessed with present or loving fathers or there are some who have
experienced a loss of a father, so we want to recognize that as many celebrate
today, there are those who grieve and struggle today. Wherever you are today, may the presence and
love of God meet you where you are and minister to you today.
Today's Scripture
passage walks us through our conversion. Not a one-time conversion, but the ongoing
sanctifying process conversion that molds us more and more into who God created
us to be.
Verse 1-- We have been
made right by faith in God's promises. That
gives us peace with God.
Verse 2-- Because of
our faith, "we
confidently and joyfully look forward to actually becoming all that God has had
in mind for us to be."
Note the cover of
today's bulletin. It is verse 2 of today's passage. Though I chose The Living Bible for today's
passage, The Message version of verse 2 struck me as a more powerful
expression.
"...We throw open
our doors to God and discover at the same moment that He has already thrown
open His door to us. We find ourselves
standing where we always hoped we might stand-- out in the wide open spaces of
God's grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise." (Romans
5:2, The Message)
Do you experience yourself standing in the wide open spaces of God's
grace and glory?
If not, know that this grace is available to you now, today. What do you have to do? Just receive it. God desires a relationship with you and
desires to help you grow.
Philippians 1:6 reminds us: "And I am sure that God who began the good work within you will keep
right on helping you grow in his grace until his task within you is finally
finished on that day when Jesus Christ returns." (TLB)
Once we turn towards God to accept God's love and grace, we
continue our growing process of conversion.
Verses 3-5 take us on the progression of problems and trials developing patience which
gives us strength (other versions say "endurance"). This strength of
character helps us trust in God and gives us hope. We hold our heads high
because of God's love for us. In the
NRSV, the progression goes from access to grace to boasting in hope of glory
and sufferings that produces endurance, then produce character, then produce hope.
Whatever version you read, you recognize the ongoing sanctification
process, the conversion.
It starts with grace. And it
is grace throughout the entire process. That's why grace is so amazing.
Bishop Rueben Job writes about the continual process of conversion
in A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God:
"Conversion is a lifelong process of turning more and more
fully toward God in all that we are, possess, and do. [...] While conversion requires our decision
and action, the grace and strength to be changed-- to become more than we are--
is the gift of God. Conversion is a
partnership project. We cannot transform ourselves, and God does not transform
us against our wishes. However, once we
invite God's transforming presence into our lives, the necessary power to
change comes with the transforming presence." (249-250)
Today, if it is your
desire to 'become all God has for you to be', know that God honors that desire.
All you need to do is to accept God's
grace and allow God to work in you and through you.
Psalm 28:6-7-- "Blessed
be the Lord, for he has heard the sound of my pleadings. The Lord is my strength and shield; in him my
heart trusts; so I am helped, and my heart exults, and with my song I give
thanks to him."
In
closing, I want to share a prayer by Rev. Dorothy McRae-McMahon
from Australia for this particular lectionary week.
It challenges us to
live into the ongoing conversion, grace, and love offered to us:
"Be
bold in the claiming of the gospel for the whole creation.
Be
brave in the lifting up of the life of God in every place.
Be
firm in carrying the holy name of Jesus Christ into the palaces of worldly
power.
Be
gentle in the understanding of ourselves and one another.
And
may the songs of the Creator sound with love in all the earth,
the
tenderness of Christ Jesus cover the wounds of the people
and
the truth in the Holy Spirit rise free in every age. Amen."
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My heart goes out to the families who are being stretched by illnesses, deaths, and other situations. I have only shared a few of the courageous families on my heart today and have only named Liam. I named Liam because his story is public and was even on the local news last night. You can read about Liam by clicking on this link here. It will take you to "COTA for team liams".
I don't know what situations you find yourself in today. May you have courage in and through them, especially if they are difficult situations. May you find the grace and love of God pouring down upon you like rain as you keep on keeping on.
Blessings on your journey,
Debra
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