SCRIPTURE: Mark 13:27-34
TEXT: 26Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory THEME: The love of God revealed to us in Jesus. INTRODUCTION “It’s beginning to feel a lot like the apocalypse, everywhere you go.” Apocalypse means to reveal, or to uncover. The best cinematic apocalyptic moment of ‘pulling back the curtain’ was with Toto in the Wizard of Oz. After obtaining the broom of the Wicked Witch of the West, Dorothy and company make a return appearance before the Wizard of Oz. Disappointed when the Wizard was not able to hold up his part of the bargain, Toto the dog, pulls back the curtain on the side, for an apocalyptic event, to reveal the ex-traveling Magician, Professor Marvel. Christmas trees have arrived on the island signaling the coming of Christmas. The Black Friday specials, (another sign of Christmas’ approach) began in October this year, stretching the shopping holiday. Ace Hardware had a sale on 100 LEDs buy one get one free. Up until a few weeks ago, it felt hot like summer. But then, all of a sudden, the weather switched and it got colder. Then it got darker as the days became shorter. Almost as if the heavens were signaling Christ’s arrival. 24bThe sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. My Gosh we had so many different kinds of moons this year: harvest, blue, wolf, worm, pink, harvest, strawberry, buck, super, flower, sturgeon, corn, gibbous and hunter. All signs uncovering a new month and the drawing of time towards the coming of the Son of Man. SCRIPTURE The Son of Man is a messianic reference to God’s Champion coming with great power and glory. An invitation is sent out to all, by angels deployed to gather us from the four winds of earth and heaven. This is Jesus coming and has happened, all at the same time. We live in the reality of Jesus’ coming and Jesus already being here. This is the season that we are in, it has come at Christmas 2020 years ago and continues to become realized for us every day. A commentator somewhere said that time for God is past, future and present are happening all at the same time, while for us, we experience time linearly, in a straight line. The leaves of the fig tree tell us that there is a new season that is emerging, replacing Spring, with sweet, plump figs, to eat and share. I’ve been binge watching ‘Life Below Zero’ about people who survive the extreme conditions living near the arctic circle in Alaska. Each season brings with it a different set of work. After the Freeze up of winter, comes the breakup of spring, as the residents gear up for possible flooding of the river. The days of endless sun brings summer bugs, harvesting fire wood and hunting for food. In the fall, all of the chores are preparations for the winter’s darkness and cold. The cues for each season bring new chores that need to be done in preparations for survival. What are the chores that the season of the Son of Man brings? How do we prepare for the challenges having the Son of Man with us? APPLICATION The Gospel of Mark gives us an apocalyptic view of the Son of Man, coming to be among us. It describes a cosmic disturbance, warning us to keep alert and awake. How does having the Son of Man come to reign in our world change the way we live? Matthew said the Kingdom of Heaven was like bridesmaids waiting with oil in their lamps, and that the Kingdom of Heaven is like those who plant seeds of God’s rule in our world. The Kingdom of Heaven is like those who see their neighbor’s wounds and participate in works of healing. What if the Son of Man is already here in Jesus, incarnate, crucified, resurrected, ascended and present through the Holy Spirit, all at the same time? This means that our living with the Son of Man here and our waiting for the Son of Man to come, are the same. This is not so much a futuristic event as it is a ‘pull back the curtain’ event to reveal that we had the brains we always wanted, that we had the courage we always needed, that we always had a compassionate heart and that we had the ability to go home anytime we wanted. God isn’t in the bye and bye, but in the here and now because how we are living with God now and tomorrow makes a difference in our world today and changes its future. To live with hope, To live with faith. To live seeing the wounds of others and participating in their healing. We are not to wait to be faithful but to live as if summer is already here as the leaves of the fig tree have promised. The impact of the incarnation of Christ is not for us to live later, but for our living now. Living with the premise that people are more important than things. With the relationships with cherish, with the relationships that are estranged, with our relationship with God up front and our relationship with the rest of humanity. Anthropologist Agustin Fuentes, was interviewed by Krista Tippett, on her last ‘On Being’ podcast. He talked about how, “for most human beings, exchanges are not about profit, but about making and keeping social connections.” People are more important than money. Social connections will determine where we eat, at what restaurant, or shop at that store, or choose that service or another, it is not always on which is the cheapest or best value. But about who we know, and how we can help by shopping here or buying this. Agustin Fuentes say, “‘Our acts of compassion and caring.’ make humans special, from all of the other specifies in the world.” Acts of love, reconciliation, forgiveness, grace, empathy, generosity, sacrifice make us distinctive from all other animals. It is no wonder that God, incarnates love in Jesus, comes to us, to reveal, to pull back the curtain of what living with God, looks like, and how to love others. God’s love doesn’t come to us, then goes away and we have to wait for it to come back again. God’s love for us has been there all along. Then in an apocalyptic event, God’s love tears the heavens apart and rips the cloth that separated us from the Holy. Be Awake, Be aware, we live in a world where the Love of God is unleashed as seen in the life and resurrection of Jesus, and in all the lives of those who love God. CONCLUSION On Halloween I went out to see the Blue moon and it wasn’t blue at all. All it was, was that rare event, when in a month’s time, two full moons appear. A sign from the heavens of distress in our world, or a disruption in our normal patterns. The great reveal, or apocalypse is for us to live graciously as God has lived among us, giving to people what they don’t deserve, loving those who have hurt us, forgiving and reconciling relationships. We sacrifice because we love, we have compassion because of love. We live because we are loved. This is what Christ’s coming has revealed to us. This is the love that is inside of us, that we now have to be our way of living, from now until the Son of Man returns and forever. It’s beginning to look a lot like the apocalypse…Sure it’s Christmas once more.
0 Comments
SCRIPTURE: Mathew 25:31-46
TEXT: 45Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ THEME: Having love for those in need. INTRODUCTION Today is the Reign of Christ Sunday, marking the last Sunday in Pentecost and next week’s beginning of Advent. The first batch of Christmas trees are in Costco, but it just seems a bit early, even before Thanksgiving. If I get a tree this year, I think it will fare better by being in the reefer for another week. SCRIPTURE The passage for today is the third in a triptych of parables about the Kingdom of Heaven. The first parable was with bride’s maids and lamps, we live the Kingdom of Heaven life every day. The second parable with the buried talent tells us that the Kingdom of Heaven plants seeds of good in an oppressive world to supplant evil. And today’s parable with sheep and goats tells us that the Kingdom of Heaven has eyes open to see others and respond with good. The nations of the world are gathered together before Christ as King. Then the citizens of the world are sorted out as a shepherd separates sheep from the goats. Neither the sheep nor goats knew who they were. The dividing characteristic was simply responding with compassion towards those who were suffering. Jesus takes compassion towards others personally. The sextuple: Hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick and imprisoned is repeated four times in this passage. “For I was... and you gave to me”, “When was it that we saw you…and we gave to you?”, “For I was…and you did nothing”, and “When was it that we saw you…and we did not take care of you?” Life is not an amazing scavenger hunt, where we try to accumulate enough points to get to the reward of heaven. Instead the Kingdom of Heaven is seeing the humanity of others; hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked sick and imprisoned, and to respond with love and care for others. God’s passionate love for us has consequences, it compels us to love others and holds us in eternal relationships. Ignoring our neighbors and focusing only on ourselves has consequences too. When all we want to do is be great, and not share what we have with our neighbors, our fear arms ourselves f to prevent others from taking what we have. Or we could compassionately share what we have with others and build relationships. Wars are waged against nations who refuse to trade their goods with others. Alliances are made to protect them from forces that consume resources destructively. Treaties are covenantal relationships of respect, sharing, trust stewardship, compassion and team work. Agreements are courses of responsibilities to guide our behavior and consumption. But Tariffs are punishments for keeping our self-interest protected from others. The Kingdom of Heaven is being empathetic, responding to those in need, with care. APPLICATION How do we see the love of Christ’s presence among those most often ignored? How might we respond with dignity? The food pantry served 37 families yesterday with 2 new, despite give aways from the County and Filipino community. We received food from Ala Lani Methodist that was distributed yesterday and received more food from Emmanuel Lutheran. Bill, Eileen, Fran, Coco, Maru, Nancy, Nanette, Papo, provided helping hands to receive, distribute and sort the food for distribution next week. The One Great Hour of Sharing’s annual offering, is one way we participate in addressing developing clean water sources for impoverished communities. Our prejudices are being challenged by Black Lives Matter protests, the use of guns and discussions on privilege. How we welcome the stranger is seen in how we treat our immigrants; separating children from parents, illegal surgeries, cages and the tactics used to deny entries or citizenship. How do we respond to the wounds that we see? Many of these issues are complicated and sometimes, our first call to action are not the best solutions to these wounds. A respected Council Person proposed a bill against the distribution of food or help to the homeless on public lands. At first glance that seems heartless, but its intent is to channel more social service help to these individuals. A good intent to a complicated wound. How we respond with God, to the brokenness and need we see, takes wisdom, listening, strategic planning and prayer. My Waimea High School Class of 73 president sent out a group email informing us of a classmate’s death. Later she followed that up by saying that she went to visit our classmate’s mother. It meant a lot to me that she took the time, to travel to the other side of the island to share her stories of this friend, with his mom. What she was able to do, she did for all of us who couldn’t do that. I went to Costco and there was a lady who wasn’t wearing a mask. I took a quick glance around me and everyone else had a mask on and looked a little concern. Then a Costco employee stopped to talk to the mask-less customer. I reached into my bag and pulled out newly laundered mask, with new paper towel insert. I debated whether to offer it to her or to walk on by. I decided to give my extra mask to her. As I offered her my mask to her, she quickly told me that she had a medical condition and that not wearing a mask was not a problem before, then she said she had just spoken with the Mayor who didn’t mention to her that not wearing a mask was not okay, and that nobody said anything when she came into Costco. The Costco employee said that they will be soon offering shields to those with medical conditions. I said that we all felt at risk because she wasn’t wearing a mask. Her response was that I was wearing a mask so I was protected. Then she didn’t stop talking, I couldn’t stay any longer with her. And she was within my 6-foot radius. I turned and walked away mid-sentence. I tried to be compassionate but was unsuccessful. The wound was more complicated than I realized. Which I am guessing will be the case with most times we try to do good to a wound that we see. Don’t give up, keep on trying, pray unceasingly, listen with discernment and feel the nudge of the Holy Spirit to move. Review, assess, adjust, pray and try again. CONCLUSION The Kingdom of Heaven is like Christ coming as King, to see what is in our hearts. Have we felt the hunger and thirst of those in need and how have we responded? Aloha does not need to be perfect. Aloha is a direction towards life. Aloha is a process, first we see the wound, next we figure out how best to help. It’s not always about hunger, thirst, stranger, naked, sick and imprisoned, but it is always about compassion and God’s Aloha. SCRIPTURE: Matthew 25:14-30
TEXT: 30As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. THEME: The Kingdom of Heaven planting good, in a world perceived as darkness by Evil. INTRODUCTION This parable comes as the second installment of a triptych, three stories, about the Kingdom of Heaven. The first parable was on how the Kingdom of Heaven is like bridesmaids waiting for the arrival of the bridegroom. The message is for us to live as citizens of the kingdom of Heaven every day, all of the time. Living in the Kingdom of Heaven as our normal way of life. Today’s parable is trickier because our knee jerk reaction is to work harder to make more money. A common value that we all share, but this is not what the parable is about and, as an added twist, the God figure in this passage is not the Master. SCRIPTURE So, to move us away from our usual way of viewing this passage, we are going to make some observations about the Master. First the master calls us slaves and not children of God. We have no value other than what we can do for the Master. The talents that are being distributed are monetary. One talent is about 15 years of a base salary. They are not the gifts of the Spirit, which are used to build up of the body of Christ. The Master’s goals have nothing to do with the Kingdom Heaven and are all about his personal prosperity. The slaves have financial talent and were entrusted with amounts that matched their abilities. This is an exploitive economic system designed to enrich a few and impoverish the rest. It is like farming but not being able to eat the fruits from the trees. God usually entrusts us, with way more than we think we are capable of handling, for the building and enriching of the community of God. When we meet our limits of talent, ability and strength God empowers us with the gifts of the Spirit to accomplish God’s designs. This is not the case here as the goal is strictly about money. Two out of the three slave do really well with the Master’s investment, but the third slave refuses to participate in the system of economic depravity and buries the entrusted talent so it would not be lost but more importantly, wouldn’t even collect any interest. A subversive, protest against enslavement, usury, and one person’s personal wealth over the good of the many. There isn’t even that much of a reward, ‘enter into the joy of your master’, more money for the master at the expense of others. The Master berates our hero, admits that he uses anger and fear to manipulate, is a thief or con artist reaping where he has not sown and gathering where he hasn’t scattered seed. Then the Master professes a prosperity gospel to those who have, more will be given and to those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away; health insurance, social security, peace of mind, freedom, their health and separation from their children. The Master throws the worthless slave into the outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. The Master is the personification of Evil, calling those who won’t do his bidding wicked, lazy and worthless. God creates us in God’s own image. God proclaims the world as good, not darkness. God takes on the flesh and blood of our good humanity in Jesus and comes to love us, contrary to the Master’s portrayal of the world, the world is good not dark and there is joy beyond the misery that the Master creates. APPLICATION The kingdom of Heaven is supplanting an oppressive economic culture. What does being made in the image of God incite us to do against an oppressive system? Our world may not be as we hoped for. God promises love and ways that are just. Created in the image of God, what is love motivating us to do? Slavery is found in the Bible but that doesn’t mean that slavery is an acceptable way to treat human beings. This passage may have been used to support slavery until we turn the characters around and see the master not as God but an oppressor of Christ. The unequal treatment of people, in whatever form is wrong. Our sensibilities are challenged to think about practices in new ways and wrestle with what we thought was true, for a new revelation. The kingdom of Heaven is like planting seeds of subversion, against the unjust treatment of God’s children. Jesus comes into our world to reveal God’s love for us. To show us how to live in relationship with God. We are rounding the corner to Advent, the season which prepares our hearts to celebrate Jesus’ birth into our world. Jesus plants seeds of Love over fear, Jesus plants seeds of our identity as Children of God and not slaves, Jesus plants seeds of our worth, that we are made in the Image of God and are not worthless, Relationships and the building of loving communities are more important than money, Coming to God, everyone has joy over the appeasement of a harsh dictator who could make our lives miserable at any whim or fancy. Jesus constantly planted seeds of the Kingdom of Heaven in speaking out for the just treatment of all. like speaking out against slavery, speaking out about the unequal treatment of blacks by Law Enforcement Officers. That all of our lives matter when it comes to a pandemic, and how simple practices like staying at home, wearing a mask when out and about, and staying 6 feet apart, plant seeds of the Kingdom of Heaven caring for the stranger, our family and ourselves. Jesus’ come to us with seeds from the Kingdom of Heaven that says, “We are good.” Jesus comes with liberating acts of justice and love, because we are valuable, worth full, loved, and precious. CONCLUSION The Kingdom of Heaven is like planting seeds of Heaven in a world where Evil is trying to create darkness. Sometimes it is the subversive act of resistance, refusing to participate and perpetuate exploitive practices. There are many Masters in our world that speak smack to us. Don’t succumb to their labels of who they think we are. Instead speak out about the injustices we see, lead a change of perspective, and a rally cry for God. In the Kingdom of Heaven, we are worthy of God’s very best. Jesus reveals the love of God to a world duped by materialism and shows us, how Heaven’s Reign can be lived in our world. SCRIPTURE: Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25
TEXT:23He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.” THEME: Inclining our hearts to God makes us peculiar. Commit a weekly amount to give as an act of worship to God. INTRODUCTION There are peculiar people who have chosen acting, as their profession. They seem to be picked to play characters in movies that are also peculiar; Owen Wilson, Bill Murray, Dianne Keaton, Sarah Silverman, Joaquin Phoenix, Helena Bonham Carter, Johnny Depp, John Malkovich, come to mind. From all of the people in the world, the Israelites are to be peculiar in worshiping one God instead of many. But when Joshua gathers them to inhabit the Promised Land, their family gods are hidden in their saddle bags, making them just like everyone else, and God, as an add deity among many. SCRIPTURE They started out just like everyone else worshiping all kind of things to get what they need. They had a god for every situation, a god for every human need, a god for help in every problem, and a god for every celebration. But long ago, when their ancestor Abraham lived across the River, beyond the Euphrates, God took him to the land of Canaan and secured a promise with the birth of Isaac. Now as they stand at this ancient land, they must choose to have God inhabit their lives as they move in. Regardless of what the rest of Israel may think, as for Joshua and his household, they will serve the Lord. Regardless of what the rest of Canaan believes, as for Joshua and his household they will serve the Lord. Regardless of all of the other gods that are worshipped out there, as for Joshua and his household they will be peculiar in the world, by serving the Lord. The Israelites answer Joshua by recalling their common ancestors in faith. They recite the signs of God delivering them out of Egypt, and pledge themselves to the service of the Lord. “Hold on now” cautions Joshua, “God loves you passionately and there are boundaries to this passionate love to keep. These boundaries, of passionate love, are impossible for us to keep on our own, they are to be lived in relationship with God and each other.” Journeying with God through the wilderness was to shape and form a peculiar people whose lives witness to living in relationship with God. A peculiar people whose lives witness to a God who passionately loves them. And a peculiar people whose lives witness that there are no other gods, only this God, who address all of their needs. A peculiar people whose lives witness that there are no other gods to appease, no other gods to run errands for, no other gods to manipulate, petition, bargain with, just this one God, to know and wrestle with. The Israelites were okay with this, so Joshua tells them to put away the foreign gods and incline their hearts to the Lord. Joshua made a covenant with the people that day with statues and ordinances that reflected their intent. APPLICATION As we incline our hearts to God, what makes us peculiar to our neighbors? This passage lends itself to make a list of all of the needs a person might have and what gods they might enlist to get the help that they need. Gods for prosperity, health, beauty, protection youthfulness, gods for agriculture, materialism, weather, money, success, gods for power, fame, prestige, fertility, shelter, gods for victory, safety, longevity, healing, death, liberation, gods for deliverance, love, popularity, sex and merriment. In Waimea Valley, there is a Buddhist church, with rows and rows of stone markers with Japanese Calligraphy on them. It looks like a miniature cemetery. I was told that those were gods that we could pray to for whatever we needed. You just had to pick the right god to pray to, for the problem that you had. What if the god that we needed wasn’t there? Then we would have to find out where the shrine for that god was so we could go there to make our request known. Praying to gods to do our bidding, in a sense makes us our own god, as we are able to get what we want and create our own destiny. This is exactly what Joshua wants the people of God to leave at the border. Peculiar to the rest of the world, the Israelites worship only one God, who is always with them, and can answer all of their prayers according what God knows is best for them. So, although they may want a certain outcome, God cannot be manipulated to do something outside of the Passionate love that God has for us and all people. So, part of the peculiarity of the Israelites, is wrestling, complaining, seeking, searching, and praying with their God. Inclined hearts to God, trust instead of fear, speak the truth instead of lie, serve instead of be served, love instead of ignore, our choice for God has consequences, it changes our lives. Care instead of neglect, share instead of hoard, worship instead of ritualize, pray instead of incantations, have faith instead of manipulation, inhabit instead of occupy, our inclination towards God is transformational and makes us devout instead of religious, honest instead of fraudulent, humble instead of proud, we tithe instead of keeping everything for ourselves, we pursue justice instead of leaving the status quo, we forgive instead of seeking revenge, we celebrate with others instead of envy, and we appreciate instead of criticize. We make a covenant with God, with statues and ordinances because we have a relationship with God with give and take, rather than just contractual. Choosing God has implications, that make us peculiar to our neighbors. CONCLUSION Even though there wasn’t a presidential candidate like Martin Sheen’s Josiah Bartlet, on the series, the West Wing, the way our Nation chooses its leaders, is peculiar to the rest of the World. So, the world watched the American election, and the tallying of votes on bated breath. Whether we voted for one candidate or another, the American people were in agreement of the sanctity of the election of our leaders and that each property submitted ballot must be counted. Although the results may be contested, we witnessed a democratic process. At the election we got to choose and discern the rhetoric of a fractured fairytale against hateful and toxic actions. Our choice gives us a chance to have a new narrative of our country. Our choice can replace the values of affluence and prestige, with those of humanity and community. Our choice for God, can give the Church a message beyond prosperity and one of humanity. Our choice for God, inclines our hearts, towards a peculiarity of actions that witnesses to the world, that we are passionately loved by God. As for me and my household, our inclination is to be peculiar for the Lord. SCRIPTURE: 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13
TEXT: 13We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God's word, which is also at work in you believers. THEME: Living into life with God’s love. INTRODUCTION Faith is to be lived out every day, in ordinary ways. Living out our faith should be as natural as being ordinary, but we also have holidays in which we remember special events of faith and celebrate, lest we forget. With short memories, we human beings can be unappreciative, self-centered and isolated. All Saints Day is a Holidays that gives us cause to remember champions of faith and loving individuals who have influenced and shaped our spiritual lives. This is one of the challenges of living under the oppression of COVID-19, how do we celebrate special days, when COVID-19 is trying to make every day conformed to safety? We just finished preaching from the book of Exodus, highlighting the life of Moses. An extraordinary prophet, with very human faults. His life becomes a lens from which we can see God and how to live in relationship with God. This was true with the characters in Genesis as we followed Abraham and Sarah, and their descendants; Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph all the way to Egypt. Real human beings with stories of how to live with God, good and bad behavior that informs, encourages, and guides our living with the reality of God who loves and cares for us. All the way to our present, where God’s love has been revealed to us through Jesus the Christ. We have new promises to look forward towards and live, and yet, Christ’s second coming is delayed and some of those among us have passed missing out on Christ’s glorious return. What about them? The Apostle Paul address these fears, anxiety, and worries of the first century believers in this oldest written document of the New Testament, his letters to the church in Thessalonica. Paul begins by reminding them of his time among them. SCRIPTURE These are the qualities Paul writes about, the kind of qualities we see in those around us, in our past, in history, and in the world, who shape our faith and influence us to live in compelling ways for God. Paul and company brought the good news of Jesus Christ without any coercion. Missionaries tried, without any ulterior motive, to bring the goodness of Jesus with no strings attached. The Apostle recalls paying for his own way while in Thessalonica, toiling night and day. I had a friend come up to me and asked if I would sell Amway products. It became very clear to me that there could be confusion between the virtue of a cleansing product and the gospel. That if Amway couldn’t get a stain out then maybe the gospel, I touted wouldn’t be able either. I stayed with the compensation the church offered me as all that I needed. The proof of a person’s integrity can be seen by their actions. This year, in memoriam, we recall the life of Civil Rights Leader-Senator John Lewis, the advocacy of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader-Ginsberg and actor Chadwick Boseman who was a super hero in real life, their life’s stories reveal how remarkable these people were. The servants of the Gospel bring us into community. There is advice given like a parent breaching and difficult topic for the welfare of the child. The speaking of the truth while upholding the consecutiveness and integrity of that family member. The shared vision, hope, potential, and joy of the realized life with God. Who have been the saints in our lives that have brought the Word of God to light? Who have lived examples that we could imitate? Who have been loving and gracious with us so we could do the same? Who have been example to us of how to live our relationship with God in real, authentic ways that are joyous? We give thanks for those people who show us the genuineness of life with God. APPLICATION The Apostle Paul is a Saint. His actions are above reproach. His intensions are not for himself but for the welfare of the Thessalonians. Who are those in our lives who have had our best interest at heart and have nurtured and steered us in the direction to receive the Word of God as the rule and measure of our lives? Living our lives, as best we can with God. When we mess up, admit it, ask for forgiveness and do what we can to make things better. We are not called to live perfect lives, just lives that are guided by our relationship with God. We will be influential in ways we won’t even know. We never know who is taking notice. Like at the rummage sale. Some patrons waiting for the doors to open, heard us pray before we began and listened to the laughter from the kitchen and saw that we really enjoyed each other. During the time Evangelist Jim Bakker was caught in adultery, the Christian leader for Inter Varsity Christian Fellow also admitted to an affair. They both submitted themselves to the discipline of the Church. Jim Bakker emerged a couple of weeks later healed of his condition, while Gordon MacDonald’s process took longer, making amends, rebuilding trust, asking for forgiveness to rebuild the broken covenants. We all sin, but Gordon MacDonald’s course of recovery was an example that anyone who has broken covenant, and caused the hurt others could do to set things right with God and others. He repaired his relationship with his wife, his reputation, and place in the Christian community. Sometimes the example of a saint is not in projecting an image of a perfect life, as it is to be an example of how to navigate through sin, failure and disappointment to restoration, healing and reconciliation. CONCLUSION Maybe there is nothing ordinary about having faith. It is the extraordinary work of the Holy Spirit in us that sparks a trust in God. Living by faith makes our lives profound, provocative and compelling. Doing Good for others has that effect on people. Speaking the words of justice, compassion, grace, forgiveness, honesty, truth and love, encourages communities to aspire to live philanthropic lives. Love that draws us into relationships of care, help, fellowship, laughter and support. Through Christ, we all have the potential, by grace and love, to be Saints. |
Pastor robbSermons Archives
April 2024
|