Messages and Other Things

THE RESURRECTION STORY
John 20:24-30 includes the story of Thomas. Remember “doubting” Thomas?
Listen as I read of the third time that Jesus revealed himself after death.
Now… Why should we believe that Christ rose from the dead?
Because… If Jesus did not rise from the dead, then Christian faith is foolish fantasy. However, if the resurrection of Christ did occur, it confirms His life, His message, and His saving grace. The resurrection is the basis of our hope of life beyond the grave, that Christ is alive, and the evidence is overwhelming.
Here are some of the reasons we can be so sure.
1) We heard Jesus predict His resurrection in Matthew 20:19 and the Old Testament promised it in Psalm 16:10
2) The tomb was empty, and the grave clothes left behind. The Bible tells us in John 20:3-9 that if those who opposed Christ wished to silence His disciples, all they had to do was produce a body, but they couldn’t!
3) Many people actually saw the resurrected Christ. They looked on His face, touched Him, heard His voice, and saw Him eat. Including doubting Thomas!
4) The lives of the disciples were revolutionized. Though they fled and even denied Christ at the time of His arrest, they later feared no one as they proclaimed the risen Christ. His resurrection started the revolution!
5) The resurrection was the central message of the early church. The books of Acts and Romans give testimony to a church that grew with unwavering conviction that Christ had risen and was the Lord of the church. People then were not afraid to die for their religious beliefs if they sincerely believed they were true. Are we that courageous?
6) What one event could explain the start of the Christian Church? There’s no question that it began shortly after the death of Jesus and spread so rapidly that within a period of maybe twenty years it had even reached Caesar’s palace in Rome. Not only that, but, with the teachings of Paul, this movement or revolution triumphed over many competing ideologies and within 40 years was the major presence in the entire Roman Empire.
7) We know of men and women today who testify that the power of the risen Christ has transformed their lives. We know that Jesus is alive not only because of the historical and biblical evidence but also because He has miraculously touched each of our lives.
I know things have happened in my life that are unexplainable and I am not a believer in coincidence, are you?
8) One piece of evidence that no one can dispute, to this very day, is the ongoing encounter with the resurrected Christ that happens all over the world, in every culture, to people from all kinds of backgrounds and personalities - well educated and not, rich and poor, thinkers and feelers, men and woman. They all will testify that more than any single thing in their lives, Jesus Christ has changed them! To me, this provides the final evidence - not the only evidence - that the message of Jesus can open the door to a direct encounter with the risen Christ.
Don’t be blinded by your emotions, your circumstances, or your unbelief. Open your eyes to the truth of Christ. He Is Risen!!

*God emptied Heaven to fill the manger; He emptied the manger to fill the cross; He emptied the cross to fill the tomb; and He emptied the tomb to fill your heart!
*Pastor Jim Purdue

With the enthusiasm of a Disciple, the heart of a Pastor,
the soul of a Priest, and the mind of a Prophet,
let us unite in the Easter Proclamation.

THE EASTER PROCLAMATION
I believe
that my life is a gift,
That it keeps coming and never ends;
That more than anything I possess or consume,
It is Love alone that makes it worth living.
I believe
that I am loved:
By people near and far, young and old;
That Love can be a memory;
Love can be a touch;
Love can be a word spoken in truth;
But whenever and however it happens,
It, too, comes as a gift
and renews my life.
I believe
that I can love:
Myself,
People who are like me,
People who are different from me.
I can do it with my whole being -
Body, mind and spirit.
I believe
that is what loving God is all about;
And that is precisely the way
God keeps giving life back to us.
God loves us back to life!
Again and again and again!
AMEN.
By John Winn

A DIFFERENT KIND OF KING
So, what is Palm Sunday, really? While I prepared for this Sunday’s message, I wondered about that. For me it was always the day Jesus came to Jerusalem in a procession of Palms and cheers. There were thousands, maybe millions of people awaiting His arrival. They danced in the streets with excitement.
And we danced in the sanctuary with our palms! It was and is a joyful day.
But Palm Sunday is not really about all the Palms and Procession. It never was.
It has always been about Jesus entering Jerusalem as the King of All.
Might I suggest to you that All of us are Jerusalem?
This is why… the scripture tells us that
“When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil.
Turmoil. It’s in the news and in the air and in our hearts. Today our world is in turmoil. America is in turmoil. Ukraine is in turmoil. The Middle East is in turmoil.
I feel turmoil in my life, and I bet you feel it in your as well.
So, I repeat, All of us are Jerusalem.
Let’s envision the thousands who gathered to welcome and praise Jesus as he entered the city on the back of a colt, the foal of a donkey. People spread their clothing on the roads and others waved palm branches that they had ripped from the trees lining those streets. They shouted, “Hosanna! Hosanna to the King!”
And all of this was planned! Jesus knew what he was doing every step of the way. He knew he was to ride that donkey and that two of his disciples would have to fetch it for him. Matthew reveals that Jesus set the stage for what we now call Holy Week in order to fulfill the prophesy spoken centuries before in
Zechariah 9:9 and Isaiah 62:11.
“See your King comes to you gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt,
the foal of a donkey”.
Call it the first century or the 21st century,
The picture, and the story, remains the same:
Your King is coming! Hosanna!!
Jesus was a different kind of King than the ones we are most familiar with in this world. While royalty comes in determined to rule over everything, Jesus came in determined to serve everything and everyone.
While other Kings would choose to ride a horse, a magnificent steed, a symbol of war, Jesus rode a donkey, a symbol of meekness and peace.
Other Kings prepare for a Hero’s death or at least a Hero’s parade. But, Jesus was different. He prepared for the cross.
You see, Jesus knew precisely who He was, unlike other Kings who have no idea who they are. Mostly they are forced into Kingship through inheritance and birthright. Asked to foster the status quo.
Jesus knew He was the Messiah spoken of in the Old Testament Scriptures. Critics may deny this, but the record is clear. The prophets Isaiah and Zechariah described Jesus as being One different from the average King. This King would be humble, making His entry on a donkey.
Normally Jesus preferred to avoid the crowds and publicity when he could but, on that day, He wore the symbols of the Old Testament Prophesy. On that day, He deliberately provoked the response he received from Jerusalem. On that day, He deliberately declared by his posture and demeanor, “I am the King.” It was all done to force the issue of Who He was and Why He was here on earth. This was the catalyst to stir anger and jealousy in the religious leaders, which would set the stage for the greatest event in all history.
Embodied in his presence that day and today is a transparent honesty which defies so much of worldly leadership.
He stopped and wept for Jerusalem. How many of our world leader’s weep?
but, Jesus wept. Read Matthew 23:37
Yes, Jesus is a different kind of King.
He has loved us, been totally and unequivocally honest with us, fought for us, cheered us on, taken our pain as his own, and died for us.
On this day, we sing our Hosanna’s which literally means “Save now!”
Are we serious? Have we come today because it’s the nice thing to do or are we here because we mean business?
On the streets of Jerusalem Matthew tells us the crowds were in turmoil asking, “Who is this?” And others responded, “This is the King of Kings!”
Yes, he is but, I say, he is also a different kind of King.
This is the King who says,
“Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
“I am the light of the world.”
“Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”
“I will never leave you or forsake you.”
“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you.”
This is the King who says,
“So you must go and make disciples of all nations.”
“Remember I am with you always to the end of the age.”
I pray you hear the echoes of Easter in the list of who this King is because I want to ask you to do something. I want you to pay attention to all that happens this Holy Week and take it all in. There are messages for each of us this week.
It will be difficult and painful; Holy week always is.
But if you have the opportunity to attend Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Saturday Vigil, and Easter Sunday, please do, and keep awake and be ready.
Do not for one minute close your eyes or turn away from your Holy Week, because this King who enters the turmoil of Jerusalem,
this King who comes in the name of the Lord,
this is the King who will rise to new life on the third day.
And this King plans on taking you with him.
“Hosanna!”

HARVESTING
But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”
This food Jesus was talking about was His spiritual nourishment. That includes more than just bible study, prayer and attending church on Sunday. Spiritual nourishment also comes from doing God’s will and helping to bring His work of salvation to completion. We are nourished not only by what we take in, but by what we give out for God. Sometimes Christians excuse themselves from doing, AKA witnessing, by saying nobody is listening or nobody sees what I do OR they just aren’t ready to believe so, why bother? But we learned last week that it is not your decision to say they aren’t ready. Only God can decide that.
I have a grandson, Tristan, who is Lilly’s age, 14. He has heard me, and Lilly have discussions about church and God. He hasn’t really asked any questions of me and I’m not sure if he and Lil have talked but, recently, Tristan decided to go to the teen group with Lil at the Journey Church. It may be that he just wants to be out of the house and away from all the stress. But, for whatever reason, I choose to believe that God put it on his heart to go along, and you know he will be listening to all the stories of what God has done in those other kids lives.
Jesus makes it clear that there is around us a continuous harvest just waiting to be reaped. Let’s not make excuses for not doing. And definitely don’t let Jesus find you making excuses! Look around, speak your truth, and do your sowing because you will always find people ready to hear or see God’s word come to life. And sometimes you might not even know they were ready!
The wages that Jesus offers are the JOY of working for Him and seeing the harvest of believers! These wages are given to the Sower and the reaper alike because both find joy in seeing new believers come to Christ. John 4 Verse 36 says. “…the Sower and the reaper may be glad together.”
In the story of the woman at the well, the Samaritan woman that Jesus spoke to at the well was not ready to hear God speak because of her difficult life. And she couldn’t believe that anyone cared what might happen to her. She was one of those people who thought she didn’t ever have a chance in life to catch a break. How many people do we know who feel this way? Or who feel like there couldn’t possibly be this generous God who is loving them through anything and everything? Jesus knew it was simply a matter of talking to her until she did understand. And then when she understood, she became a Sower and others became curious about this change in her, and about her joy and where she found it! When the other Samaritans came to hear Jesus for themselves, many became believers, thereby making the Sower (the woman) and the reaper (Jesus) happy together.
This woman shared her experiences of her past and how Jesus had changed her and that brought them to want to meet Jesus. We all have things we are not proud of in our past, big and little. But, somehow, through someone else, we met Christ. And He changed us! When other people see these changes, they get curious. These are the opportunities God gives us to bring those people to Christ. We become the Sower.
We may not ever reap that harvest but, that doesn’t matter to God as long as there is a Harvest! God puts us in the field doing the job that’s best for us and His purpose, in that moment. Sometimes we become the reaper, bringing in the harvest someone else has sown. So, we must continue to speak our stories and do our deeds because we may not witness the harvest of what we have sown but, That’s OK! What matters is that someone is doing the work!
Jesus sent out 36 teams of 2 to “reach the multitudes”. But he told them not to try and do the job by themselves, but to ask God for more workers. There are people who, as soon as they hear your story and relate to it, want to get right out, and start working. But Jesus suggests that we first teach these people to pray. And before praying for unsaved people, we should pray for others to help us save them.
Remember, in Christian service there is no unemployment. God has work enough for everyone. So, don’t just sit back and watch others work… look for ways to help with the harvest. But remember also, Jesus warned of being lambs among wolves. There will always be people who are non-believers. We can’t let them scare us into silence, or worse, into losing our faith. We just have to love and be gentle with them where and as they are.
I wanted to share this extra scripture with you from the Message - Galatians 6:8-10.
This scripture spoke to me this week as I was studying to create this message.
It is the law of nature to reap what we sow. You wouldn’t plant green beans and expect to harvest watermelons. And this applies to other areas too. If you gossip about your friends, you will most likely lose their friendships. If you groan about things, others will stop seeing your faith. Every action has a reaction.
Now, I admit, I have complained about a few things in the past month. Not meaning to harm anyone but, just out of frustration. Supporting and helping to rebuild this community of faith has been a big undertaking. Trying to entice people to help out and “pass it on” has been exhausting.
I wholly appreciate the folks who are hanging in there and pray every day that our sowing and reaping will produce much fruit! But my frustration is no excuse for the way I have been behaving and I wanted to apologize if I have offended anyone. I found out, if you plant to please yourself, you reap a crop of unpleasantness. If you plant to please God, you reap joy and everlasting life!
It is discouraging to any one of us who continues to do what is right and receives no tangible results. But Paul challenged the Galatians, and he challenges all of us to keep on doing what’s good and to trust God for the results that will bring us JOY. Joy is just like money… everyone wants it!
So, I ask you, what kind of seeds are you sowing?
I will continue to sow the seeds that please the Lord and help create a bountiful harvest!
Won’t you join me?

PRUNING
This week we are in the vineyard where Jesus is the vine, we are the branches, and God is the gardener who cares for and makes the branches fruitful. Those fruitful branches are true believers who, by living together in Christ, the vine, produce much fruit. But those who become unproductive will be separated from the vine. Pruned if you will.
Unproductive followers will be cut off and tossed aside.
Jesus makes a distinction between the two kinds of pruning: separating and cutting back branches. Fruitful branches are cut back to promote ever more growth. In other words, God must sometimes make changes in us as we grow to strengthen our character and faith. But branches that don’t bear fruit are cut off at the trunk, because not only are they unfruitful, but they can also infect the rest of the tree. People who don’t work at bearing fruit for God by allowing Him to work in us, or those who try to sabotage the growth of others, even unwittingly, are pruned and set aside so the others can continue their growth. Sometimes we are set aside and yet still tended to until we are ready to be part of the vine again.
Being part of the vine means doing all the things God has asked of us. Think of the ten commandments and the beatitudes and that will bring you to being fruitful branches. Mostly, he wants us to be clingy. He wants our undivided devotion so that he can bring us to harvest along with all the other good fruit we have produced.
Many, many people try to be good honest people who do what is right.
But Jesus says the only way to live a truly good life is to cling to him, like a branch attached to the vine, every minute of every day, because apart from Christ our efforts will be unfruitful.
I understand that sometimes we get lazy or complacent. We come to church, we tithe, we pray for each other, and that covers Sunday. But, what about Monday through Saturday? Let me ask you this… if we were to water and tend to our little garden here on Sunday only, would it still be productive? No, absolutely not. Here is the proof of no one tending the new growth. So, there will be tending happening during the week to be sure this little garden remains healthy.

And don’t you think your faith needs the same care?
Tending to it only on Sunday isn’t going to get it to grow and be fruitful.
You have to nourish it daily, all week long.
I had a one-on-one meeting this week with the NH DComM of the United Methodist Church. This was a meet and greet with some of the committee, for me to meet them and for them to get to know me a little bit. They asked me questions about me and my background. They asked about my family history and wanted to know about my church history. The whole meeting took about 35 minutes, but it seemed like 3 hours. Ha-ha
But, what I realized when I sat down to write this message,
and I thought about the answers I gave to the DComM,
was how often in my life I have not wholeheartedly tended to my faith.
I mean big gaping holes of non-nourishment.
I used to just go along willy nilly, growing, or not, in my faith like those little Johnny Jump Ups. You know those little purple flowers? They look like tiny pansies and they grow anywhere and everywhere, but,
without a plan or a purpose?
Yup, that was me. No real deep roots and no real direction for my growth.
I was over here attending this bible study, and over there helping out with flood buckets, and upstairs with the youth group at my former church and out at the food pantry gathering turkeys in a pile.
Oh, and let’s not forget the times I said,
“Everybody knows I take a vacation from church in the summer.”
Yea, I knew you’d remember that.
I thought it was enough to be immersed in nature, surrounded by creation.
The problem was, all the immersion, and serving, and learning, and whatever else it was I thought I was doing right, wasn’t keeping me connected to Jesus.
So, when I would try to come back to the vineyard, I had no hold on any branch and thus I got no nourishment from the vine. I truly didn’t know how to do this.
Well, that’s not altogether true.
I knew God wanted me to give it all to Him. Every minute and every step.
I was in a place where I didn’t dare to give my whole life to Him.
What about all my stuff I needed to do?

I mean c’mon, do you actually mean every minute is for Jesus??
Trust me, I truly get how scary that is to even think about!
That was a thought I chose to run away from over and over again.
I told myself I wasn’t ready. I even told Pastor Sue one time that I wasn’t ready.
I am just grateful for God’s patience and that he didn’t choose to toss me out.
I eventually realized that all my stuff, was His stuff too!
It was just in the past couple years that I realized I needed to give it all up to him, to cling to that vine, to allow his love to cut away all the bad stuff I was holding on to, all the thinking of only myself, and allow his living water to help me truly grow into helping others grow.
I finally figured out what it took to be the fruitful branch. And it’s not a Sunday only kind of job. This is every minute for the rest of my life.
And I am in awe of the good fruit I am able to produce.
Both in myself and in others.
Had I realized that by staying wrapped in the vine,
I would be set free to flourish, well, I would have stopped
dead in my tracks a long time ago!
This doesn’t mean I don’t still need pruning. I mean really, not every grape is a good one but, by allowing God to snip away the bad ones,
it allows me to focus on nurturing the good ones.
His pruning has given me great hope, not only for myself as a faithful Christian,
but for our little church family and our little community here in the Conway’s, because it has shown me the good that comes from simply
letting Him be God in my entire life, not just in the parts I choose to let Him in.
In the Old Testament - Isaiah 5:7 - grapes symbolized Israel’s fruitfulness in doing God’s work on earth.
Indeed, Jesus teaches us that the grapes symbolize our fruitfulness when he says,
in John 15:5
“I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.”
This is a state of grace we must live into, wholeheartedly, holding nothing back.
There’s a motto they use in the recovery communities, “Let go and let God.”
It means submitting to Him in all things, at all times, and surrendering one's life to His will and for His purpose, by faith.
So, I challenge you today, do you dare?

PLANTING
We all are aware that Jesus taught the people and his disciples with parables and short stories using familiar ideas and scenarios to explain spiritual truth. This method of teaching requires the listener to think. It hides truth from anyone too stubborn or prejudiced or, dare I say arrogant, to hear what is being taught. Some people don’t understand God’s truth because they aren’t ready for it.
We hear with our ears, but there is a deeper kind of listening that involves the mind and the heart. Hearing this way is necessary in order to gain spiritual understanding from Jesus’ words. God reveals the truth to people who will act on that truth and who will make it visible in their lives. No hiding those lamps!
Mark 4: 11-20 NIV
11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12 so that,
“‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’[a]”
13 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14 The farmer sows the word. 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”
Our call to worship today challenges us to become the Sower instead of the seed and see if we can sow with wild abandon. That would mean putting Jesus first and telling anyone and everyone about Him and not just telling, but using His words!
Everywhere, all the time, relentlessly! Just like Jesus!
There was an old man who lived in Fryeburg and many of us have had the privilege of knowing him. Now, mind you, when you first encountered this man you wanted him to just be quiet and go away. But, as you got to know him, and really began to hear what he was saying, you kind of looked forward to seeing him again. And knowing him did become a privilege because you realized, perhaps too late, that he was sent to us as a Sower. His name was Mr. Moore and God took him home about a year ago, but while he was here, the past few decades were devoted quite literally to talking to everyone, everywhere, all the time, about God and His word. He told his personal stories of sin and redemption. He praised his wife and God for opening his ears to hear. PRAISE GOD! (hand up) The same way I did in last week’s message but, as I just said, he did this with everyone!
He and I had some fascinating conversations standing in the UPS Store around 5:30 in the evening. We would chat while I did my closing work and made him copies of prayers and hymns and poems and scriptures which he would hand out to everyone. He always had a pocket full of these scripture cards and readings and if the spirit moved, he would pull one out and hand it to you with a big “Have a great day! God Bless You!” Most often the message he left you with was one you needed to hear. That my friends is true evangelism. Now, I will most likely never carry around a pocket full of readings but, really how hard would it be to know a few verses or to be sure the words you choose to leave someone with were God’s truth?
Mr. Moore also taught the children’s story at his church until the day he passed. He was 90ish years old? Not quite sure, but it got me to thinking and I believe, were it not for our conversations over the past 6 years, I would not have a mind to be doing this ministry. God knew I was ready to hear, and Mr. Moore was my constant storyteller who taught my heart, mind and soul to listen. I mean really listen! He always left me with “You’re a good girl, Kell. God Bless You!”
Wouldn’t it be awesome to be a Sower like Mr. Moore?!
I’m quite sure God has rewarded Mr. Moore with much more than he ever could have imagined. I pray he has been reunited with his beloved Ginny.
God reveals His truth to people who are ready to hear, act on it and make it visible in their lives.
Now I believe when you talk to people about God you need to be aware that they may not be ready to listen and understand the truth. And only God knows if they are. But we need to just be patient and keep talking. Every chance you get tell them more, share a story, quote a scripture, and pray that the holy spirit will open their minds and hearts to receive the truth and act on it. This is how we transform the world!
Even John the Baptist told the Pharisees and Sadducees, if we are God’s people in name only, we are of no value. If others can’t see our faith in the way we treat them and talk to them, we may not be God’s people at all.
So, go out there and sow your seeds everywhere, all the time, relentlessly! Do it with wild abandon! This is how we are called to live! Just don’t ever forget that even the Sowers need nourishment and rest, so they don’t just survive, they thrive, wherever they sow! AMEN!?

SURVIVING
Have you ever wanted to just get away from it all? Perhaps some of us would like to find a quiet stream deep in the woods so we could have peace and quiet. Oh wait… That is my daily wish! Ha-ha

At the time of Jesus, however, people had a negative view of a wilderness—a wilderness was generally thought of as a bad or dangerous place. There were snakes and animals that could kill you. Criminals were likely to lie in wait for victims in unsupervised areas. They still carried the heavy theological burden of the sins committed in the wilderness by the tribes who followed Moses. The Twelve Tribes grumbled against God, they refused to trust God to care for them, so God allowed ALL of that generation to die in the wilderness. The people at the time of Jesus had an anxiety about the wilderness that is unlike the peace and quiet many of us find in our forests.
Before the children of Israel were led into the wilderness, they were brought out of slavery by going through the waters of the Sea. Before Jesus was compelled to go into the wilderness, today’s lesson tells us that John baptized Jesus in the Jordan River. After the Children of Israel went through the water of the sea, they remained in the wilderness for 40 years. After Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River he was tempted in the wilderness for 40 days. Water comes before the wilderness.

“Water provides the central symbolism for baptism. The richness of its meaning for the Christian community is suggested in the baptismal liturgy which speaks of the waters of creation and the flood, the liberation of God’s people by passage through the sea, the gift of water in the wilderness, and the passage through the Jordan River to the promised land. In baptism we identify ourselves with this people of God and join the community’s journey toward God. The use of water in baptism also symbolizes cleansing from sin, death to old life, and rising to begin new life in Christ.”
Rev. Martin Dale tells us that “in the fifth Century AD St. Patrick baptized King Aengus by full immersion. During the baptismal ceremony, so the story goes St. Patrick leaned on his sharp-pointed staff and inadvertently stabbed the king’s foot. After the baptism was over, St. Patrick looked down at all the blood, realized what he had done, and begged the king’s forgiveness. “Why did you suffer this pain in silence” St Patrick asked. The king replied, "I thought it was part of the ritual."
After baptism Jesus immediately was compelled by the Spirit to face temptations and difficulty in the wilderness. The English Standard Version of Mark 1:12 reads, “The Spirit immediately drove Jesus into the wilderness.” If we are to take Mark’s language literally, He was thrown out into the wilderness. He didn’t simply decide to spend some time by himself, after his baptism, in order to prepare for his public ministry. No. The Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness. Isn’t that often the nature of wilderness experiences? We don’t always choose them. What compels us to go into the wilderness? Is the current “lack of leadership” situation a wilderness for us in the UMC? What about a conflict we may have at home? Is loneliness a wilderness that we face? Are some of us in the wilderness of physical afflictions? It has been said that when you discover that all you have left is God, then you will realize that God is all you need.

Sometimes we do choose them, of course. When you think about it, Lent is really a season when we choose to enter into a wilderness, a time of fasting, praying, and re-examining our lives of faith. But here’s the thing about these wilderness experiences. Whether we choose them or not, we can trust that God is going to be with us in them. All wilderness experiences contain within them an invitation to a deeper faith. They challenge us to rely on God more. God is with us in our wilderness, every single time. Of that, I have no doubt. Isn’t that what Psalm 23 teaches us? “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death (the scariest wilderness of them all) I fear no evil, for you are with me.” God is with us in our wilderness, every single time. The angels wait on us in the wilderness, as they did for Jesus. We are not left on our own. And every wilderness experience, chosen or not, invites us to deepen our faith and trust in his promises.
Last week remember, I spoke about how evil is everywhere, all the time? Satan sneaks in wherever he finds an opening. He is relentless. There was a time - say the last 15 years - when I was walking with sinners, or no, wait, standing still with them. They all knew I was a Christian. They called me the church lady. Ha-ha. But they also questioned how I could be that if I was okay with having a few drinks around the firepit on a Saturday night, hanging out with unbelievers. It was confusing for them. To most of them my Christian life didn’t look any different from their secular one. I was simply a party person who went to church. So why bother believing in Christ if it wasn’t going to change anything? Quite honestly, I was asking myself that same question. Why bother? Now I was no longer a help to my church or my God but, a hindrance. Satan had found that opening in my mind with the sign hanging out that said, “come on in, sit a spell”. And boy did he! When you get to this point, you are no longer just standing with the sinners and scoffers, you are sitting with them. You sit in the church services picking apart everyone and everything, with your mind wrapped around everything BUT Christ. It was my wilderness.

Have you ever found yourself there? Or in a similar situation? Be Honest. Most people have their wilderness moments. Notice I said plural… moments. You and I aren’t the first people Satan messed with. Figuring us out probably took him about half a second. He knows our buttons and his fingers are always at the ready to push them. He doesn’t need to look for new temptations for any of us. He’s got ours on speed dial. If we let ourselves question and backslide even an inch, bam! That button gets pushed and we start trekking back into the wilderness. We have to be steadfast and prepared to face those wilderness challenges by digging our roots deep into the soil of sustenance, the Word of God. And don’t misunderstand… it is normal and right to question our faith and God’s ways, but that is when we need God most! We need to be able to hear His word guiding us through the questions. That is where we learn the most and our faith grows deeper! That is how we survive!
Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness and Satan even tempted Him! The difference between Jesus and us? Jesus kept his mind focused on the Father and struck down Satan at every temptation with the Father’s words. It is important to hold on to the fact that Jesus was fully human so that he felt real hunger when he didn’t eat. He felt real frustration when he was tempted. Yet, even in his worst moments when he questioned why his Father would put him through such torment, when he couldn’t wrap his mind around the things he would have to face, did he give in to temptation? Did he run away from God’s plan? Did he take his own path? No! He may have been angry and hurt, resentful even, but he never wavered! God was his good Father and worthy of his respect and trust. Jesus had everything he needed in the wilderness. And the angels took care of him. I had everything I needed in my wilderness, and being right here in this sanctuary is where my angels were, helping me survive! Praise be to God that he allowed me to hear his words!!
After Jesus left the wilderness, he went into Galilee where he announced that “The Kingdom of God is near!”
So, let us journey through this Lenten wilderness experience faithfully, and willingly. Let us have ears to hear. But let us all look for that time when we can take action, with a renewed sense of purpose and call. Let us proclaim the good news and just as the angels of God, be ready to help others through their own wilderness experiences. Always with the help of God.
Amen.

THRIVING
In our opening moment today, it was read that Lent starts from a real belief in the lavish abundance of God’s prevenient, justifying, and sanctifying grace signified by Eden. This first week in Lent begins with creation and the planting of the Garden of Eden, and the trees in the garden, and the rivers that watered and sprung from it, and of man being put into it – to prune it and tend it – and was granted the fruit of any tree except one, which was forbidden under penalty of death.
So, in the beginning, there were two trees…
The Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Have you ever gotten a vision in your head of these two trees? Did you ever stop to think what they may have looked like? My vision has always been that they were huge, full, gorgeous trees! Think lavish and abundant.
The Tree of Life represents God’s grace and love, and we know the overwhelming abundance of His grace and love in the world, so it would make sense that this Tree of Life would be rather ginormous. I also envisioned the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil as being just as large. Something like “twin trees”. Of course, we know that this tree housed a snake, or serpent, depending on which version of the Bible you read. The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was I think a test, a temptation tree, maybe named the way it was not so much that man could “know” good and evil, but so God could know if man could choose correctly when faced with good and evil.
Genesis 3:22 states the Tree of Life was given to man as a source of abundant nourishment in order to sustain eternal life.
Doesn’t that speak to you of Heaven on Earth? Eternally? Like that was God’s original plan? But, maybe, God needed to know for sure. So, that other tree was man’s test of his free will.
Revelation 2:7 and 22:2 assure us that the Tree of Life is eternal and still exists in heaven and is abundant with fruits for all God’s people.
But, here on earth, we must pass the test.
Now, trees have always fascinated me. If you ever looked at my Facebook page or in my phone you would find an abundance of photos of trees. It’s truly an obsession. It is something my sister Barb and I had in common. We could and did spend days, quite literally, just studying trees! I still do. The couple of things that always struck me was how trees can thrive in the harshest of conditions. I’ve seen trees hanging off some rocky, washed-out ledges, roots dug into the ledge and the tree trunk still reaching straight up to the sky. I’ve seen many trees that grow as a couple, holding onto each other, wrapping around each other, nourishing each other. Those trees always remind me of my Mum and Dad. And that always remind me of our connectedness and how we all depend on and need each other. And how we all can nourish each other. There is a tree in Abbe’s yard that has a smaller tree growing in one of its largest limbs. This is God’s grace in plain sight!
I am reading a book called “Thrive” by Mark Hall, and yes, he is the singer in our music video. He is also a Pastor down in the south and he does a lot of work with the youth in his congregation.
There’s a story he tells of a big old tree. He likes to take his youth and young adults on ministry tours. One of those tours is to see “The Tree”, as it has been named. He says, and I quote, “whenever someone tells you they’re going to the tree, everyone knows what you mean and, you know the tree must be really special when it sports a name like “The Tree” “.
The Tree sits at a spot in Geneva, Alabama named the Junction because it sits at the confluence of the Choctawhatchee River and the Pea River.
The Tree is a mammoth oak that is more than 300 years old. It has been around longer than the United States. {I may have to do a ministry tour and see this tree.} Sitting there at the banks of the Junction the two rivers have always watered it. It takes about 9 guys to stretch their arms out and circle the trunk of the tree. One person can’t even wrap their arms all the way around most of the branches, and some of its limbs are so heavy they bend almost to the ground. There were 60 people on one trip, and they took a photo of ALL of them sitting in the tree, all at once!
The flood waters of the two rivers have risen many times over the years, left mud lines around the tree trunk, and washed away just about everything around – everything but The Tree. There’s even a bike stuck up in the tree.
The Tree, watered by two rivers, has just as much growth underground as it has above ground. That is why it stands so strong.
Psalm 1:3 says this…
“He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields fruit in its season and whose leaf does not wither.”
This verse tells what happens when we are like trees. When we dig roots deep into God’s word and pray and learn from and with other roots, the natural occurrence is for us to then branch out and show God to people and exclaim His abundance of grace and love.
Think about this balance of existence that has allowed The Tree to thrive for hundreds of years.
If the tree (we) are all roots, then we are useless to everyone around us because we are not sharing our abundant knowledge and sustenance. If the tree (we) are all branches, then we are useless to ourselves because we are spreading our knowledge without being sustained. So, in either case when the storms blow in, and they surely will, what happens?
The tree topples over!
We (The Tree) must be firmly rooted and nourished in order to do the branching out that God expects of His perfect creation.
Let me share this from Pastor Steve Garnaas-Holmes. He starts with this verse:

As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Beloved,
continue to live your lives in them,
rooted and built up in Christ and established in the faith,
just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
—Colossians 2.6-7
You are not a potted plant,
dependent on your little cup of dirt for faith.
You are planted in Christ, the roots of your soul
tangled with the roots of a thousand saints,
like the million hands of a whole tribe's memory
grasping deep earth, roots like a lover's arms
reaching down into that love,
drinking water from underground springs
gushing up, roots wound like lovers' legs
in fungal webs of trade and alchemy, each
providing what the other lacks, holding hands
beneath all that can be seen,
deep in the earth of Christ.
You pray and praise with branches of the Spirits hands,
passing news from bird to bird,
and life from sun to little mouths that sing.

Rooted in Christ you are not a tree.
You are a forest,
abounding.
Now…
Let me ask you this…
How deeply do you believe Adam and Eve were rooted?
I don’t think very deep. At the first “storm”, even within the all-encompassing abundance of Eden, the perfect habitat, they toppled.
Both grace and evil are far reaching and ever present, everywhere, all the time.
However, God is also, far reaching and ever present, everywhere, all the time.
And He is just waiting for us to take root and Thrive!

Today was Transfiguration Sunday.
A day to remember Jesus and praise Him for all He does in our lives.

We did not have a sermon today, but testimonies of faith and hope through Jesus Christ our Lord.
These testimonies were provided by the guys at Adult and Teen Challenge NH. This is an addiction recovery program based in faith in God.
Hopefully you were lucky enough to hear them. If not, you can check out their stories at https://tcnewhampshire.org/

BUT I SAY...
I just want to say that our scripture focus for this week and next would have covered the remainder of the Sermon on the Mount. However, we have guests speaking next week, never mind that the Sermon on the Mount took days to complete! To try to cover that amount of teaching in one day, today, would have meant scripture readings from Matthew 5:1 through 7:27 and then creating a message to cover the entirety of it! In true Methodist tradition… We would have had to plan a dinner!

So, today we are going to focus on love in honor of St. Valentine’s Day.
When Jesus preached this sermon, it actually lasted for several days. He spent the better part of a week encouraging and instructing believers, and non-believers, about many important issues like witnessing, obedience, prophecy, anger, lust, divorce, integrity, revenge, loving our enemies, caring for the poor, prayer, fasting, money, criticizing others, going to heaven, servanthood, and faith. Whew!!
Whenever He spoke of an Old Testament rule he countered his own statement with “But I say…” and gave us that rule as what would eventually become Gospel. He spoke of rules and procedures and systems. I can only imagine that this sermon was intense and overwhelming and fascinating all at once!

As for rules, well we live by rules and learn procedures everywhere in life, from washing the dishes to how to behave in the library or at church. In our jobs, in our clubs and groups we belong to, and even in our families. Listen, if your house has seven kids like mine did, my Mum needed the rules and procedures just to maintain the house and our behavior.
Jesus focused on the details of daily life and spoke of revolutions and transformation. Sometimes all in the same sentence!

I believe he wanted us to consider HOW our behaviors, choices and attitudes affect and influence the greater community.
Take for example the “Warming Station” here at the Center Conway UMC. It was an idea that was brought up actually a few weeks ago. Some of us chatted about it over breakfast fellowship two Fridays ago. That would have been the morning of the deep freeze. What is that called… a Polar Vortex? Anyway. There were a few questions tossed around about liability and safety. A little research was done regarding rules that should be followed and safe sanctuary policy and the proper wording of such a ministry. Because ministry IS what it was after all, loving our neighbors and providing shelter from the cold and wind. And a few of us got together and opened the church for the night with games, movies and hot beverages available.
Now, nobody took advantage of the “Warming Station” ministry. But the impact on the community was huge! So many people helped us get the word out and we received many thanks for making our space available. Gratitude came from fellow citizens to the local police and fire depts. When I say “we” I mean CCUMC.
Obviously, this response from the community is NOT the reason this ministry was provided.
Matthew 6:3&4 says, “When you help someone out, don’t think about how it looks. Just do it, quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out.”
The reason it was offered was to actually Love our community, with no hidden agendas, just working to be “salt and light”! Good neighbors… Unconditionally! We had time and space and willing hearts ready to sacrifice a few hours, a little heat and a bit of sleep for the greater good. So, why not?!
Why not be like Mr. Rogers?

This sermon and its teachings was not just about avoiding doing terrible things – but actually loving even those who have hurt you.
It was not just about “killing” – but actually about not doing any harm to another’s life.
It was not just about avoiding adultery – but actually about being faithful in every way.
It was actually about living with and loving people, with integrity and compassion.

(READ Matthew 6:14&15 MSSG)

Or as Leviticus 19:18 God said, “Don’t seek revenge or carry a grudge against any of your people. Love your neighbor as yourself. I Am God!”

It seems that’s a pretty straightforward message.
Our salvation is bound together with our relationship to our neighbor.
The salvation of our church community is also bound together with our relationships with our neighbors.
Pastor Steve Garnaas-Holmes says it this way…
“All God’s love flowing through me, not mine!
All I do is get myself out of the way and let God’s love flow through.
Turns out I am not the salt of the earth.
I am the Salt shaker!”

Loving others without thinking of gaining anything. Just loving! Period!

Last week I mentioned to you that the Sermon on the Mount holds us to a “Higher Calling”. To put our relationship with God into all our relationships with others. We are called to find ways of creating a community that resembles the Kin-dom of God.

But I Say…
Who are you in this world?
Maybe it’s as simple as being a salt shaker!

“DO YOU GLOW IN THE DARK?”
The nocturnal section of the Perth Zoo in Australia they keep dark for the animals & wildlife that only come out at night. Do you know there’s a glass case which has a large scorpion in it. While looking at the scorpion, the light in the case suddenly goes very dull & something very strange happens …. the scorpion begins to glow in the relative darkness of the glass cabinet! The information printed on the front of the tank explains that scorpion’s glow in the relative darkness of ultra violet light…. what has often been referred to as black light. That’s an interesting thought, isn’t it, one of God’s creatures actually glows in the dark!!!
So, how about you …… are you one of his creations that glows in the dark?
As Christians that’s exactly what we have been created & called to do… Glow in the middle of the darkness of this world in which we live.
Text: (Mat 5:16 NKJV) "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
(Isaiah 58:10 NIV) “… then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like noonday.”
Basically, what the Lord is saying is that if you are a Christian …. You need to be glowing in the dark!
(ABBE IN BOSTON) (12 weeks at BCH with Finn)
Abbe’s first comment about her surroundings in Boston was, “Boston is loud! I had forgotten how noisy and busy and distracting it is to live in the city!”
Loud, indeed. And all those other things too! The idea of Abbe wandering those streets on her own all those weeks gave me the shivers. Maybe next time she ought to just keep her head down and stay inside the hospital. Just to be sure. Just to be safe.
Safe is a good thing. We spend a lot of time and money on being safe or feeling safe anyway. It occupies our thinking quite a lot. Yet, it never seems to be on Jesus’ list of things to worry about. He has a list. OK, maybe it isn’t a worry list – after all he did say, “Don’t worry.” Let’s call it a list of things to pay attention to. And it is a long and involved list, full of significant and powerful ideas and moments and people. But nowhere does safety enter into it. If anything, he seems to be a risk-taking kind of guy. “Get on out there,” he says. Go and do. Or perhaps, go and be.
“You are salt,” he says. You are light. No one lighting a lamp, hides it. “Hide my light under a bushel, NO! I’m gonna let it shine.” Admit it, you are singing that song in your head, aren’t you? Or if you aren’t, then you should be. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. That’s what Jesus says to do.

Bob walked us through the Beatitudes last week. We were reminded who we are, though we often try to turn them into imperatives - get out there and be peacemakers, be meek, be hungry and thirsty for righteousness – but Jesus doesn’t present them that way. He is describing, not commanding.
Likewise in these verses that follow the first twelve in the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus doesn’t say, “Get salty!” He doesn’t say “Light up!” He says, almost as a matter of fact, “You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.”
Now if you’re like me, you can’t help but wonder, when did that happen? When did I become salt for the earth? When did I become light for the world? I’m just me. Just doing my best. Just watching out for me. Just trying not to get trampled underfoot. Jesus wants me to shine, to give light to the whole house?!
But, see, that’s the thing about light; it doesn’t exist for its own sake. The light is there to help folks find their way. It is about shining on the path, about revealing the hazards along the way, about getting where we need to be with a minimum of detours.
And salt, salt on its own, for its own sake is not really a good thing. But as an enhancer, as a preservative, it is invaluable. I’m not a farmer and can’t speak to today’s practices, but In Jesus’ day, it was a common practice for farmers to salt their fields to add in the right mix of minerals to help crops to grow. The word that we translate as earth is literally ground or dirt. You are the salt of the ground, the salt of the dirt. That’s not a fun job, perhaps, but it is one that helps things to grow. That’s our job: Not to be the center of attention, but to help things grow.
Yeah, it’s risky. No question about it. It is a loud and noisy world out there, and we might be safer just keeping our heads down. But we can’t! Jesus tells us that too. “A city built on a hill cannot be hid.” It is a reminder that we are the representatives of the faith whether we want to be or not. So, we might as well be good ones. We are the manifestation of Christ in the world today, whether we claim it or not. So, why not claim it? Why not live as though Christ were alive in us? Let them “know we are Christians by our love.” AKA… light and salt.
That is what he is saying here, “You are the salt of the earth, why not help things grow? You are the light of the world, why not help folks find their way? Why not mentor, why not lead, why not teach, why not guide, why not be what you already are, a sign of Christ’s presence in the world today?”
“Get out there,” Jesus says. Get out there in the world; the noisy, wonderful, scary, glorious world and let your light shine! Season the world like the salt that you are. Don’t worry about being trampled underfoot; that only happens when you stop being who you are called and created to be. You are light and you are salt. Let it shine on and flavor everyone you meet! AMEN!!

UNITY
In our increasingly contentious society and world, to consider that a sign of the kin-dom is that the community has the same mind might be a bit of a stretch. Yet here is the call from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. In fact, this is the first call the Apostle gives us in this letter, so he clearly thinks it is important.
In the USA, we sometimes overvalue the individual, and many Christians say that it is all about “me and Jesus”. That it’s personal. I’ve said it myself and it is… to a point but, Paul argues for something else than that. Yes, of course, the individual is important, but so is the church, so is the community of faith. We are in this together. Again and again, the gospel indicates that we are not in this alone, that we are made to work this out together; we are meant to be reconciled; we are meant to be in relationship with God and with neighbor. We should want to preserve the community and not simply be right. Our early church leaders did just this. When there were issues and disagreements, they came together, face to face, to work them out. That is how we have the Nicene Creed. The early church wrote it with the earnest hope and prayer that it would serve as a unifying theological anchor for a strong church in their day and for generations to come.
We know the creed, but do we really live it?
Last week we celebrated our abundance, our “Lacking Nothing”. This week we give thanks for our relationships. We can celebrate the life of the community (and not just this community of faith but, the community of All believers) in fellowship, in learning together and serving together. We rejoice in our reach, which is always greater together than separately. There is an African proverb that says if you want to go fast go alone; but if you want to go far, then go together. We are in this for the long haul, all the way to the kin-dom of God. And along the way, we live by kin-dom rules, we show kin-dom values, we rejoice in kin-dom priorities, which sometimes means I set aside my personal preferences for the good of the whole. But many times, we realize that my personal good is fulfilled by the good of the whole community. Keep in mind when I say words like “our” and “community” and “they” and “we” I am speaking of ALL believers, from every denomination. This journey is always and will always be an ecumenical one.

So, we sing of the church and the joy that we have in communion and fellowship. We pray for the healing of broken relationships and misunderstandings so that our witness can be stronger. We give thanks for our leaders and teachers and pillars who have sacrificed much to help us be the church we are. And we continually look out for ways to be open, to invite and include those who are not yet a part of the fellowship of the church. We are making disciples of Jesus Christ, and there is always room for more.
So, “Have the same mind.” Okay, yes, well. Maybe we should look at some of the other texts assigned to this Sunday? Maybe there is something there that is within the realm of possibility. This “Unity” just seems so very far out of reach. Or maybe we’ve decided that this isn’t all that important. Or not as important as being right, standing firm, holding on to principles and doctrines. In our hierarchy of behaviors, “having the same mind” isn’t very high on the list, or so it seems. . .
Yet, just reading verse 10 will tell us how seriously Paul takes it as he makes his approach to all that is going on in the church at Corinth. How many times does he say the same thing in that single verse? “Be in agreement” and “no divisions among you” and “be united in the same mind” and “the same purpose.” All repetitions, or at best, nuances of the same idea. For Paul, what is tearing the church apart is the fact that they/we don’t agree.
Unfortunately, he doesn’t seem to be all that keen in telling us exactly what it means to be of the same mind. Does it mean that we have to agree on every single point of doctrine and ethics? Does it mean that we have to read the scriptures in exactly the same way every time? Does it mean that there is absolutely no room for differences or nuance? That you have to apply the word to your life in exactly the same way that I apply the word in mine? There are those who would insist that this rigid following of doctrine is exactly what Paul meant. But differences are inevitable when dealing with human beings who are made differently and who have different experiences and histories. So, where is the line, then?

What if we go back a moment and ask what Paul might have had in mind when he told the church in Corinth to “be of the same mind”? He uses a familial reference. “Brothers and sisters,” he says. Even when trying to correct their behavior, or at least their thinking about their behavior. We are connected, we are united, we are the family that was created by the life and witness and death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Even in a conflicted situation, there needs to be a sense of connection, a belief in community. So, might we say that being “of the same mind” is that we all agree that our primary effort is in building up the body?
So, does this mean that we surrender truth? Or right? In favor of just sticking together no matter what? Of course not. Paul is writing this letter to correct behaviors and understandings that he argues are not of Christ. Which also means that there are ways we will go about making our arguments; there are behaviors that we will not accept as we seek new understanding of one another. We won’t tear one another down; we won’t call names and point fingers; and we certainly won’t tell others not in the community what terrible people we are saddled with in the body of Christ. There is a call to a higher behavior, no matter how frustrated or upset we get. There is nothing here about giving up trying to find ways of coming to a common mind.
The next verses: “I belong to Paul” or “I belong to Cephas” or “I belong to Christ”. (Wait, Christ? Hold on and we’ll come back to that one.) What this sounds like is what psychologists call “confirmation bias.” We listen only to the ones who confirm what we already believe. We aren’t challenged to look at something in another way. We simply repeat our understandings and our beliefs, rather than digging deeper into the source of those beliefs and being willing to be challenged to another way of thinking. Sounds about like the way the whole world is living right now, yes?
So, okay, Paul and Cephas, maybe. But Christ? Why did Paul include that name on the list? As if there was some problem with saying, “I’m following Christ.” I mean isn’t that how the song goes, “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus”? Actually, it seems as though that one should be the antidote to the problems, rather than a separate camp to follow. And that would be true in the best of situations. We can and should always call upon Christ to be the moderator of our disputes and disagreements and multiple interpretations. Except that too often, we claim Christ as one who always agrees with me, but not with you. And that to disagree with me is to disagree with Christ. The other side is not just wrong, but they are anti-Christ, which is about the worst thing we can think to say about them! Christ is not our exclusive property, no matter how “right” we might be. We cannot claim that only we follow Christ!
In speaking about the universal church, Francis Chan in the book titled “Until Unity” writes, “Let’s consider how our internal squabbles look to the wider world. They don’t get wrapped up in the detail of the theology behind the debate, rather they only see how we treat one another when we disagree, and that reflects badly on the universal church. How then do we make disciples? The call to watch how we live out our faith is clear. Even when we disagree, even when we have differences of interpretation, can we be “in the same mind” that Christ is the way of hope and of salvation? Can we come back to the core and find common ground even as we continue to move in different directions? Can we live in grace always?”
When we hear something of a different theology where do we go for help to understand why this difference is believed? Who do we turn to when we believe this theology is wrong? Well, of course we go to the ones who have taught us, the ones who are “in our camp”, the ones who will most always agree with us. And this makes sense, but it also means we really only ever get one side of the story.
You probably agree that scripture is the basis for truth? If we all agree on that, then how come we have so many theological differences? Because there are so many interpretations of scripture. So, how do we figure out who has the best interpretation of scripture? Is it the most intelligent? The one with the most education? The most humble and loving person? The one who seems most in tune with the Holy Spirit?
Paul explains in Chapter 2 of 1 Corinthians that a natural person cannot understand spiritual truth no matter how brilliant he or she may be. Now I don’t want to discourage you from studying and continually learning but to warn you to avoid arrogance. You might subconsciously, or consciously, believe that you’ve got everything right and the beliefs of other people and denominations is completely unfounded. You may believe to the point where having a conversation with someone about their opposing belief is not an option. “I am not going to discuss this with you!” Boy, how often have you said or heard that one? This pride is only going to prevent you from hearing the true Spirit of God. If God gives grace to the humble, it would be hard to imagine that the arrogant would be the most right.
1 Corinthians chapter 13, is a chapter that many of us know by heart. At the end of his famous description of love, Paul writes in verses 8-12: “Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part, but when perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.”
Now if you’re having a hard time accepting your beliefs might be temporary, and you’re starting to feel defensive, stop right now and check your heart. Do you really think you have God all figured out? If so, that’s a scary place to be, for both of us!
Matthew 16:18 Jesus said, "I will build MY church", singular church, not your choice of many options.
1 Corinthians 1:11-13 Paul reminds us that Christ is not divided.
Christ does indeed want unity but not through diversity. He wants people to unite under His teachings, to draw near together to His throne of grace and mercy.
Unity is placing yourself in God's light, being in harmony with Him so we are united with all others in His light. We must strive for this kind of unity to bring us into the Kin-dom.
Look here… (CANDLES) You aren’t supposed to be a disciple of King Henry VIII, Martin Luther, John Wesley, John Knox, Joseph Smith, or Ellen White. None of these people died with ability to save you, none have risen to sit at God's right hand.
Christ is the only name by which you are saved. Christ Jesus is the only one we are to follow. AMEN?