SCRIPTURE: Mark 8:31-38
TEXT: 34He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. THEME: See the cross as a symbol of God’s love for us. INTRODUCTION I just got a card stuck in my door inviting me to a Bible study. I wondered what sort of invitation this might be, so I turned the card over and on it in large font where the words “God Loves You!”, then statements about my sin. In this standard approach to Christianity, it begins with our being a problem that needs to be fixed. “Regardless of your past and current sins…” Then the hook is baited, with the promise of eternal life. “The message of hope and forgiveness is often called the Gospel or Good News.” In order for this Gospel to work, we have to admit to our sinfulness, believe Jesus died on the cross as a payment of our sins, so we can be forgiven, and have eternal life. But what if we are not a problem to God? What if although we have messed up, made mistakes, disobeyed, lied, blamed, cheated and even killed, that we are still loved by God, and do not need to have a worthy sacrifice to pay the price of our sin? Isn’t that even better Good News? Nobody likes thinking that we are the problem, that we need to be fixed. So, wouldn’t an even better Good News be “You are Good and loved by God, come and be loved by God, love God and others (no other conditions).”? If that is truly the case, then why do we need the cross? SCRIPTURE On the road up to Caesarea Philippi Jesus asks the disciples, “Eh, who da people tell who me? “ Peter said, “You da Christ Guy, Da Spesho Guy God Wen Sen”. Then Jesus taught them that he would suffer many things, be rejected by the elders, chief priest and scribes and be killed. And after three days rise again. Peter pulled Jesus aside and said, “Eh, No talk like dat” Jesus turned to the others and said, “Satan is any thing that takes you away from living God’s story. Satan is any story other than God’s; It’s the story about money, it’s the story about politics, the story about power, the story about sex…Pick up your cross and follow me.” What is our cross? Jesus teaching us about God, Jesus ministering to make us whole, Jesus revealing who God is, Jesus showing us how to live loving God in defiance to the high priest in Jerusalem and the Roman government represented by Pontus Pilate. Jesus’ loving us threatens the forces that ultimately kill him on the cross. The Cross is not a payment of our sin, but the result of loving us. The cross is not for saving lives, God’s love for us, is. The cross is the most painful and shameful way the Romans have devised to humiliate and kill their political opponents. It is Jesus’ loving of us that gets him there. This is how Ira Brent Driggers, on SERMON BRAINWAVE describes the events that led up to Jesus’ death. “Jesus and his disciples know that earthly powers violently oppose them. In Mark, Jesus “must” die because his commitment to human healing will not falter. The Son of God will not dial down his ministry to spare his own life, or even to ease his suffering. His commitment to the healing of humanity literally knows no limits.” The Gospel is not about doing acts that will save our lives. The good News is about relationship with God as revealed in the way that Jesus lives, in the way Jesus dies and, in the way, Jesus is resurrected three days later. Our crosses are the things that God calls us to do, to participate in God’s healing of humanity. APPLICATION God’s grace and inclusive love can cause us to live in ways that are counter to our culture. Jesus invites us to follow in God’s ways. How do we respond to God faithfully in our time? There is a shift in our thinking that moves us from being selfish to selfless. Instead of thinking about all of the things that we want, we participate in helping people get the things that they need. 29 families came up to the Food Pantry yesterday. That translates to about 90 people who have a little bit more to eat this week. Our food pantry is quite a machine, with people picking up food, setting it up, making bags of food to give away, greeting people, finding the things that they need and want, praying for those who want it. Have patrons pray for us. When I remember, my grace at a meal goes deeper and becomes a prayer of gratitude that is thankful for the food, the delivery persons, the food pantry, the truck drivers, the farmers, the seed, the soil, the sun, clean water and the Creator. We shift or thinking off of ourselves and what we can get for ourselves, to what we can give to others to help them. This is what is so profound about what we are doing with the Wailuku Mission Housing. We are creating a place where people can live, and make a life, in an expensive housing market. Why? Because we want to create a way that some of our children can stay on Maui and live. We want to pump some youth and vitality into our community by becoming our neighbors. We want those who are differently abled to get a shot at living independently. We want to give our best to people who need our best. Sometimes when people give to the church, we get what is old, obsolete and broken. Through the rummage sale, I have seen what people give to the church have been what is treasured, valued, special, unique, things that they are not using but are their best. This is the same with our Pot Lucks (when we had them) We brought our best dishes to share. I miss our getting together like that. And even in our not meeting together. It is because of a deep and profound love, respect and caring for each other during these pandemic times. Keeping our Preschool opened and running safely so parents can have child care while they work is a huge gift to the community, and all who keep this bubble safe. Our Preschool Director. Kauka Kanani told our preschool board, that they had a surprise inspection from the Board of Health, and she took the inspector on a tour, limiting where she could stand, showing her how we did things, teaching the health inspector how to create a safe COVID free space for teachers and students. Even all that we have been doing to have a cyber worship on Facebook are works of love, to stay connected, inspired, encouraged, prayed for and blessed. These acts are not about ourselves, but are about our loving of others. CONCLUSION The Good News of the Cross is love. You can hold on to the love that dies in our place, as a payment of our sins. But we can also see a life, that loves in such a way that it makes the structures of power and control uncomfortable. As it advocates for fairness, equality, justice, liberation, sharing, acceptance, representation, respect and other changes that tear at the power ‘the few’ have held and will fight to keep. A love so compelling to live, to bring healing to humanity, that it is far more than just eternal life. It is about living in communion with God and others now, in this world. Now that’s Good News we can see. When we see the cross, see a heart too.
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SCRIPTURE: Mark 1:9-15
TEXT: 15and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” THEME: Believe the Good News. INTRODUCTION What we believe sets the course of our actions. If we believe the world is flat, then we will not venture too far for fear of falling off of the surface of the world. If we believe love is more powerful than fear, then it sets our course in different directions confronting the powerful in our world. If we believe there is a God then we live with a consciousness that guides us. If we believe in Jesus then there is Good News that shapes our lives. SCRIPTURE In the Season of Epiphany, the lectionary readings from the Apostle Paul had us asking question about the Good News. As we enter the season of Lent, we will be looking at the Gospel readings from the book of Mark and John. Today we have the familiar passage of the baptism of Jesus, but asking, “What is the good news found at this event?” One of the first observations of this text is that God comes to us and not the other way around. God comes to us in Jesus. Jesus comes from Nazareth to Galilee. As Jesus comes out of the water the heavens tear open and the Spirit (the power of God) descends. This is a God initiative as the Kingdom of God comes near (to us). The Good News is that we don’t have to do anything to be good enough for God to come, we already are. The Good News is that this is an act of love not merit. God comes to be near to us. The Good News that is that God is not silent but still speak. The Good News that God is active and not passive about us or our world. “You are my Son, the Beloved.” God is not embarrassed to call this bag of flesh ‘Son’, and more than that ‘loved’. The Good News is that as far as God is concerned, we are loved and our adoption into the family of God is possible. The Good News is that the heaven is torn open. That thing that kept heaven and earth separated now has a rip in it and the first thing to come through is God’s Spirit. The Good News is the just Holy Spirit of God is set loose in our world. The Good News is that a rip only gets bigger and the mix of heaven and earth will only become more profound. The Good News is that the Spirit is moving, even driving Jesus into the wilderness. A place without distraction. The Good news is that Jesus is real and deals with the temptations we deal with that are contrary to the will of God. The Good News is that the wilderness is dangerous but survivable. The Good News is that as we are tempted but there is help, angels wait, the Spirit empowers, Jesus is our example of love and God desires the very best for us. The Good News is that God’s timing is immediately. Jesus comes, God is near, the Spirit drives and Time is fulfilled. The Good News is that the reign of God has come near. God’s rule in our world increases a little bit more each time anyone repents and believes. The Good News is that no matter where we are in life’s journey we can turn towards God. The Good News is that we can begin to believe all or part of the Good News to begin our journey of faith with God. APPLICATION How do we live the good news of the Good News? Our relationship with Jesus is like any other relationship we have. It influences the way we live. We need to spend time to connect with each other. Communication is very important which includes listening as well as talking. There are things we don’t do because of Jesus. As well as there are things that we do because we believe in Jesus. We don’t need to be perfect or have a lot of faith, considering this is the beginning. Consider praying for someone that you know because they are sick. Consider singing a spiritual song or hymn when you are in a funk, or bad mood. Consider eternal life, now realizing that when we die, we live. Then our investments are in relationships with each other and not in material goods. Consider the needs of other and the resources we have and how God might want us to used them. At the Hawaii’s Conference Leader’s Event, I was amazed at what the pastor of Hauula Congregational Church was doing, caring for the poor of his community, dealing with housing, feeding the poor, connecting them with the social services they need. He is doing exactly what we did by asking who the fallen travelers were in our neighborhood and how do we use the resources we have in the way that God would want them used. We start off with a theory to try, live, experiment with then modify, adjust, discover, revise and improvise. This is how we become Good News; this is how the church becomes Good News. CONCLUSION What’s good about the Good News of Jesus? It is about God’s love for us. It does not begin with our sin being a problem. It begins with Jesus coming, with God coming, with heaven ripped open for us and the Spirit coming to us. It begins with God loving us, our goodness and being accepted. Just believing this much is a game changer because we can begin living, just as we are, God loves us. This is good news to live, by loving ourselves, loving God and loving others. SCRIPTURE: 2 Corinthians 4:3-6
TEXT: 6b who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. THEME: Living loved by God brings God’s light into the world. INTRODUCTION When we have something of great value, we want to protect it. We leave it in the box it came in and wrap it up nicely and stick it in a drawer. This is what I did with this amazing chef’s knife I was given. I kept it in my drawer waiting for the time, my current knife would break. The giver of the gift asked how I liked the knife. I told them what I had done, and they said, “don’t wait, it’s to be used and enjoyed.” I took it out and began using it. Today, it is the best knife in my drawer. SCRIPTURE The title of today’s sermon is in reference to the ‘treasure’ that is mentioned in the next verse, 7, that says “we have this treasure in clay jars. God creates us from out of the dust of the ground, our bodies are clay jars. Verses 3-6 is the description of the gospel treasure, that is placed in us. The gospel is the valued treasure, housed in our fragile bodies of clay, but that is where the gospel takes flight. As we live the gospel with our lives, in our unique way, the gospel comes to life and becomes light to others. There are so many who are unable to see God’s light because of the other gods that they have in their lives, like veils that block the light of God. Their veils may seem so evident to us, but we have our own. Veils that we have accepted innocently enough. Veils of greed, power, prestige and money can block the light of stewardship, sharing what with have with others, humility and using our wealth in an economic current away from hoarding. Veils of possessions, materialism and fame can lead us away from the light of a simple life, not cluttered with stuff, being happy with our own opinions of ourselves. Veils of Privilege, image and approval that moves us away from the light of equal treatment of all, embracing our uniqueness, and self-assurance. When our appetite feeds our popularity, ego and selfishness, we are letting what people think about us shake our confidence and faith in doing what God calls us to do. Fear is the opposite of love, Prejudice is the opposite of inclusiveness, and racism is the opposite of diversity. If we are not careful, veils can block out the light of God. Blind, we can’t gaze upon God and live, but we can look upon Jesus and find life. If we imitate Jesus, we become points of light that inspire others towards God. We are not pointing to ourselves, but we are interpreters of what the Good news of God’s love through Jesus means. “Christ in you the hope of glory.” Is what the Apostle Paul says in his letter to the church in Colosse, to encourage them to live by the light of Christ. Anyone who believes in Jesus dispels darkness with light. APPLICATION It is important to know what the Good News is up against in the world. It is up against the veils put up by the gods of this world. It blinds and prevents a vision of the image of God in Jesus from being seen. Where and when have we sensed the sacred and caught glimpses of God’s presence? How can we help others get a glimpse of light so they can change their lives and community? We sense the holiness of God in our time of worship each week. We get a glimpse of God in the stories of consecutiveness and coincidence when things work out. We get this glimpse when we hear of healing and protections. The life that is rescued from harm, addiction, pain, abuse and fear give glimpses of God’s light. We sense the Holiness of God in our prayers. We may not be able to grab a hand and pray like we used to, but prayers are being put into poems. Prayers are texted. Prayers in the liturgy of the worship that can be cut and pasted and edited for our situation, shine light in the darkness of our despair. We sense the sacred in creation. Mountains, sunsets, flowers, clouds, skies, space, cells, molecules, animals, nature, even in the math that discover the formulas of the structures of nature. We help others get a glimpse of God in our gratitude, in our considerations of love, By the way we are. And the things we do. How we treat each other, especially when people are not looking reflect the image of God. Yesterday, I didn’t know how I was going to do it. I had a CTEL class and the Hawaii Conference’s Leader’s Event at the same time. I also was going to be away from home for half the day. I was up at 5. I putting things around the kitchen away, when outside to take in the laundry, I put away my folded clothes and pulled some weeds and cut some branches. My family always gets the left overs of my time and attention, so I decided to give them my best before my class and workshop. The treasure of the Good News is about fostering relationships with God, our family, and others. Being forgiven and being able to forgive others is a tremendous treasure in the reconciliation it forges. To be able to admit our errors, be forgiven and change our actions are acts of transformation that set us on new directions, made possible when the treasure of God is in our hearts and lived out, and not kept in its box. CONCLUSION Kung Hee Fat Choy, At Chinese New Year we gave, Lai see, to the grand kids. It made me recall what my mom told me about red paper money. “It is to be enjoyed, not saved. Buy something sweet. Spend it on something.” It is a blessing to your life. It’s worth, is when it adds something good to your life. The good News of Jesus Christ is the same way. It is to be lived not saved up, “put it under a bushel “no”. The Light of Christ is to be lived out. Our job is not to dispel the darkness in the world. Our job is to live as light. We don’t have to feel that we are at war with the gods of this world, we can burn through their veils just by living in the light of God. This is the treasure God has implanted in us, the love of God, with Jesus in our hearts. SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 9:16-23
TEXT: 23I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings. THEME: INTRODUCTION When you discover something great, don’t you want to share it with others, with family, friends, and even strangers, especially when they are dealing with the same things you are dealing with? What we have discovered will be a blessing to this life. Here are a few things shared with me that I have shared with others; Dry fit shirts, Frixion erasable roller Gel pens, instant pot, air fryer, indoor smokeless grill, CTEL classes from PSR. Impact drivers, electric hot water kettle. SCRIPTURE After 2000 years of its development, Judaism is changing because of the good news of Jesus Christ. Judaism has been refined and defined with the Law, spelling out what is right and wrong, prescribing how to live and trying to take into account every contingency. What they weren’t prepared for was the long-awaited Messiah being so different from what they excepted. This is Paul’s experienced with Jesus. At first not believing those bold claims of forgiving sin, healing, identifying himself as the Son God and God, and the resurrection. This attack on the Jewish faith had to be stopped by all means, even violent means. When from Jerusalem, he heard that there were Christians in Damascus he set out to round them up and incarcerate them. En route, the resurrected Jesus appears before him and intercepts him and his posse. Jesus is real, resurrected making the inconceivable possible and changing all of Paul’s violent objections to Christianity. All that Paul thought were blasphemous lies from a deranged egomaniac were now placed in the context of truth and love, creating a new paradigm for understanding Jesus as the Son of God, the Christ, the Savior of the world. This persecutor of the faith becomes the greatest promoter of the church. Truth so profound that Paul is compelled, obligated and commissioned to proclaim the Good News to others. The Good New that;
We are profoundly and completely loved. This good news is not only for Paul, or for a particular people, but for everyone. But they won’t know this unless someone tells them, so Paul joins God’s mission, responds to God’s call and is obligated and commissioned to share the Good News. The second part of this passage is where Paul becomes all thing to all people. He has these perspectives from his life as a Jew, a Lawyer, a Roman Citizen and one weaken, suffering at the hands of power, incarcerated for proclaiming the good news. These experiences give him insights into other people’s situations, and find common experiences where he can share his experiences with God. We cannot fully understand everything about another person just by being of the same ethnic back ground, or by living in the same town, or by living under the same cultural rules, or by ensuring that same illness but it does give us some common ground to make a personal connection. This is where what we know about Christ from our own life, can bring the gospel to life for others. These are where the connection points make faith in Jesus real. Connecting points can also be made by being a good listener. Listening to other people’s stories, identifying how they are feeling. And not interjecting our opinions until we they are done sharing. APPLICATION To be all things to all people is to be empathetic, nonjudgmental, listening, and understanding things from another’s perspective. How is our presentation of the gospel influenced by this sensitivity? What kind of diversity might emerge from this expression of faith? The future of the church will be with those, like Paul who, have a sense of obligation to be a vehicle for the Gospel to be proclaimed. Often times meeting people where they are instead of having them come to us. They gather around interest and connections and build a connection where they are willing to explore spiritual things.
These are becoming the new models of the church but they are not self-sufficient. They will need support for entities like WUC, that can be stewards of their resources to help these versions of the church. Their leaders will have to be trained, if not, they will be insulated, sheltered from learning and tend to be conservative, literal and judgmental. Our Association and Conference will have to provide training for them and continue programs for learning like Equipping Tomorrow’s Church Leaders, and Pacific School of Religion’s Certificate of Theological Education for Leadership (CTEL). The Paul-like leaders of these churches, have heart, they are called, they are obligated and feel Commissioned because of how the Gospel has impacted their lives. But like Paul, they need an Ananias in Damascus to teach them, frame a theological foundation and give them the tools to continue to do theological work for an ever-evolving faith. Then lastly, they need us, a connection with an established bunch of Christians, to be in relationship with them. There is a sense of accountability, a mutual caring and sharing; to inspire them and be inspired by. Our relationship with these new forms of the church will put them in connection with those in our Association, the Conference and the UCC. Together, these partnerships can accomplish for God, what we are unable to do on our own. CONCLUSION I watched a webinar on the rural church sponsored by the UCC. Panelist shared what their Small membership churches were doing during the pandemic to survive. I was exhausted by what these exceptional, energetic pastoral leaders were doing with their congregations. But the model was clear to me, “these were Churches the figured out how to do more with what they had”. If they are not careful, they will burn themselves out their church members. Thank goodness, you don’t have an exceptional, energetic pastor. The story of the Wailuku Mission Housing is the story of the Gospel being lived out by our church (not its pastor). The story of God’s love has called and compelled us to live faithfully. We have taken God’s loving of us to love God and others and have decreed the use of our 2.5 acres of land for Affordable rental homes for our neighbors. Believe it or not, we are a church that is doing the best we can to live out the Gospel of Jesus Christ by what we say and by what we do. This is the same old gospel of Jesus Christ, being lived out new in 2021 and beyond. Listening to the voice of God, listening to the cry of our neighbor, and responding in stewardship of what we have, to be used as God would want it used. This is our sharing of the Good News of Jesus, as a blessing for others. |
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April 2024
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