The sermon, "Counting God's Blessings" was based on Ephesians 1:3-14.
The opening hymn was "Blessings" by Laura Story. It was new to most people, so we sat and listened. Though not new to me, it was good to sit and absorb, singing along some, and allowing the words to soak in.
Here is the sermon from Sunday, recognizing that there were some things likely added and/or left out in the moment.
At the end of this post I will add some links for further information on some things I mention in the sermon.
“Counting God’s Blessings”
Ephesians 1:3-14 (CEB)
July 15, 2018 (8th Sunday after Pentecost)
Flintstone UMC
3 Bless the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! He has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing that comes from heaven. 4 God chose us in Christ to be holy and blameless in God’s presence before the creation of the world. 5 God destined us to be his adopted children through Jesus Christ because of his love. This was according to his goodwill and plan 6 and to honor his glorious grace that he has given to us freely through the Son whom he loves. 7 We have been ransomed through his Son’s blood, and we have forgiveness for our failures based on his overflowing grace, 8 which he poured over us with wisdom and understanding. 9 God revealed his hidden design to us, which is according to his goodwill and the plan that he intended to accomplish through his Son. 10 This is what God planned for the climax of all times: to bring all things together in Christ, the things in heaven along with the things on earth. 11 We have also received an inheritance in Christ. We were destined by the plan of God, who accomplishes everything according to his design. 12 We are called to be an honor to God’s glory because we were the first to hope in Christ. 13 You too heard the word of truth in Christ, which is the good news of your salvation. You were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit because you believed in Christ. 14 The Holy Spirit is the down payment on our inheritance, which is applied toward our redemption as God’s own people, resulting in the honor of God’s glory.
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THIS
IS THE WORD OF GOD FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD.
THANKS BE TO GOD.
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In
the first verse of this passage we hear “bless”, “blessed”, and “blessing”. That’s three times in one verse that we hear
a version of the word. Then, throughout
the rest of the passage, the ways we are blessed, the blessings are outlined
for us. Among those blessings are:
adopted children, redemption/ransomed, forgiveness, inheritance, sealed with
the Holy Spirit. Do you count these
things as blessings in your life? If so,
great! These truly are blessings that we
don’t want to ignore or forget. We want
to remember who and whose we are, especially when we come together to worship
as a community. If today these blessings
are touching you for the first time, allow them to fall upon you like a gentle
rain. Re-read the passage and be
thankful for the blessings mentioned in it.
This
passage focuses on God’s actions to and for us, as a gift. It allows us to celebrate who and whose we are,
God’s children. As we recognize that we
are God’s redeemed, adopted, and forgiven children, there is much to celebrate,
is there not?!?! And if we are
celebrating who and whose we are, then there is a joy within us, flowing, as we
return worship and praise to God, our Creator.
Though
this passage in itself contains enough blessings, if I were to ask you to take
a moment and count the blessings you’ve experienced this past week, what comes
to mind? [Take a moment of silence.]
One
of the books I’m working through currently is Embracing Soul Care: Making Space for What Matters Most by Stephen
Smith. This week, I read a chapter on “Beloved
Others”. The author wrote: “Each of us
is beloved of God. Helping others claim
and realize their own belovedness is a privilege and sacred responsibility.”
(59) This is why we need community. In community, among many of the things we do
for one another, is that we remind each other who and whose we are. We point one another back to the Creator,
back to the teachings of Jesus, and remind each other that we are beloved
children of God.
This
past week we went to see the documentary of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood after one
of my PT sessions. I had heard so much
about it through social media that I wanted to go see it.
Who
grew up on Mr. Rogers? Who has seen the
documentary?
Except
for being slightly uncomfortable because of my hip, it was a very moving and
powerful time.
I
had not realized growing up all that I was learning while watching the
show. I didn’t realize how radical Fred
Rogers was in showing love, God’s love, to all people. I also didn’t realize that I was learning at
a young age about the benefits of silence as a spiritual practice and God’s
blessing. In the documentary, it talked
about how Mr. Rogers incorporated silence into his shows. One scene showed him
stacking cups. He looked up and smiled
once, but kept stacking the cups.
Another example was when he got an egg timer out to show folks just how
long a minute actually was. He considered silence a gift.
I
want to be like Fred Rogers. There are
so many of God’s blessings that I see in him and what he stood for. Primarily, I want to help people know that
God loves them, just the way they are. I
want people to know that they are loved by God.
His biblical message was love neighbor and love others. He had a way of helping others know they were
beloved, from the cellist, to the mailman, to the young man in the wheelchair,
to all the children in the audiences, to the graduating classes, Fred Rogers’
message was the same (though he might edit the words to fit the person or the
situation): “It’s you I like”
It’s you I like,
It’s not the things you wear,
It’s not the way you do your hair
But it’s you I like
The way you are right now,
The way down deep inside you
Not the things that hide you,
Not your toys
They’re just beside you.
It’s not the things you wear,
It’s not the way you do your hair
But it’s you I like
The way you are right now,
The way down deep inside you
Not the things that hide you,
Not your toys
They’re just beside you.
But
it’s you I like
Every part of you.
Your skin, your eyes, your feelings
Whether old or new.
I hope that you’ll remember
Even when you’re feeling blue
That it’s you I like,
It’s you yourself
It’s you.
It’s you I like.
Every part of you.
Your skin, your eyes, your feelings
Whether old or new.
I hope that you’ll remember
Even when you’re feeling blue
That it’s you I like,
It’s you yourself
It’s you.
It’s you I like.
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In
the book I’m reading that I mentioned earlier, the author states, “When we are
told that we are the beloved, we learn to recognize the voice of love that
speaks into our hearts. It tells us who we are apart from what we have done or
accomplished. This is joy to our hearts
because we all long to know our true selves apart from the many masks we wear
throughout our lives.” (60)
Now
THAT’S a blessing! To recognize God’s voice, the voice of love that speaks into
our hearts, that tells us who we are, apart from what we have done or
accomplished. God did that for Jesus in
Mark 1:11 (ESV)—“And a voice came from
heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
Just
as God did that for the son, God does that for us and we can do it for one
another. We can remind one another of God’s love.
Think
for a moment. Who in your life has
helped you remember God’s blessings, God’s love? Who comes to mind? [Allow a
few seconds of silence.]
When
we focus on God’s blessings, it doesn’t mean that the difficult times, days, or
situations disappear. We still must go
through them. What changes is our frame of mind, our responses, our very being,
our focus. As these things change, we
change. As we change, we grow. As we
grow, we impact the lives of others around us.
Do
we celebrate the joy of living as God’s children? Today’s passage reminds us that we are
adopted as God’s children, that we have an inheritance. What joy! What a blessing!
Once
we realize that we truly are beloved, adopted children of God, blessed with an
inheritance in Christ, what do we do with that truth?
If
we follow the example of Mr. Rogers, we share it with every person with whom we
come in contact, no matter who, no matter where, no matter what, no matter
when. We want them to know that THEY
MATTER.
YOU
MATTER. Do you believe that?
Look
around you this morning. This gift of
mattering to God doesn’t start and stop with us individually. We are connected to one another in community.
Yet, there are some people who don’t understand that they matter. They don’t quite get it.
How
can you and I share the hope and joy of God’s blessings so that others know
that they too are richly blessed, adopted, graced, and have an inheritance of
love in Jesus Christ?
Imagine
God working in and through each of us to share the love and light of Jesus
Christ with each and every person, including those we’ve given up on or see as
hopeless or unworthy.
What
would it look like to live out 1 John 4:19 which reminds us that, “We love
because [God] first loved us.”?
What
would the ripple effect of God’s blessings be in our congregation, in our
community, in our schools, in our work places, in our families?
May
God show us the way.
Amen.
Here are some video clips that are also seen in the documentary.
The first one is Jeff in his wheelchair and "It's You I Like".
This next video is an entire episode, "Mr. Rogers talks about Love". If you go to 25.56 you see the portion they showed in the documentary when the police officer Mr. Clemmons came by.
This is actually the 2nd time Mr. Clemmons joined Fred in the kiddie pool, the first time being 24 years earlier, at a time when there were folks against mixed swimming. This was a radical move on Mr. Rogers' part. He often showed radical love.
If you haven't seen the documentary that's out yet, I recommend it. Here is a trailer for the documentary.
Blessings on your journey,
Debra
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