Prayers of the People - November 1, 2015

Lord God - we give you thanks for all your gifts to us – for daily food - for health - for each breath we take - for freedom to choose - and for the gifts of your word, your power, and your love.  Our hearts are truly overwhelmed, God, when we consider all that you are and how you have entrusted so much to us.  May we be worthy of that trust - may we be a people who are unafraid to live as fully and as richly as you want us to live....   Lord hear our prayer....

Help us O God, as followers of Jesus,

·       to multiply all that we have been given,

·       to spread your word into places it may not be welcomed

·       to love those whom others think are unworthy of love

·       to do serve those who are in deep need.

Make us ones who share in both word and deed that which you have given to us.  Lord hear our prayer....

Gracious God, you are to be praised for the women and men whose

faithful witness to your love inspires each generation of your people.  We honor the Saints who have come before us, we cherish the Saints who are with us today, and we strive to become a “Saint” to those who follow us.  

We pray, O God, for our church and leaders – may FCC encourage all its members to discover, develop, and use all their gifts, those of nature and those of grace... Lord hear our prayer...

We pray for those who are poor in body or in spirit...  

for those who are oppressed and heavy laden....  

for those who are sick or in despair...  

Loving God, minister by your Spirit, and by us, to all those for whom we have prayed and help us walk faithfully in the path of our Lord Jesus Christ - he who taught us to pray together as one family, saying. Our Father….

"Shout Even Louder" = Sermon from Oct. 25, 2015

Shout Even Louder

Last weekend my daughter Emma was home from college for Fall Break. Rick was on a youth retreat, so we were left to enjoy a “Girls Weekend”. We treated ourselves to hair appointments on Friday … I changed my hair color, and while my color was setting, Emma had her hair cut.  I sat about ten feet away from where she was enjoying her time in the stylist chair and listened as the two of them regaled each other with those stories we all tend to share while sitting in that chair. Emma is a very expressive storyteller and she is VERY LOUD. She has always been VERY LOUD, and Friday was no exception. Over blowing hair dryers I heard all about her roommate, her education class, her plans for the weekend. I wanted to jump up and tell her how loud she was being and that she probably should tone it down.   

Growing up as a girl, I learned that silence is golden. Society tells us as children to pipe down.  We are “shushed” to death at home, school, library, stores and even church. We start thinking that being silent is preferable to being vocal.  We hear, “Don’t speak unless you have something nice to say, don’t speak unless spoken to, watch your mouth, hush up and zip your lip”.  There are many ways to silence us and make us believe there is something wrong with speaking out or sharing what’s on our minds. We all get those messages to some extent, but I believe Girls internalize that message.   It changes who we were created to be.  I remembered what it was like to be “shushed” … and for once, I chose not to quiet my daughter.

Our story today is about a man who refused to be hushed!  Bartimaeus was a man who had lost his sight and was forced to become a beggar.  There weren’t other options for employment as a disabled person in first century Israel. Bartimaeus is found by the side of the road as Jesus and his followers were leaving Jericho.  Here was a man, sitting in the dirt, wearing a tattered cloak and waiting for a handout. Can you think of any people you encounter who are in similar situations today?

Somehow Barty hears that Jesus is there. We don’t know who he heard this from, or how he has knowledge of who Jesus is, but it is obvious that he KNOWS WHO JESUS IS! He shouts out “Jesus, Son of David, show me mercy!”  He not only knows who Jesus is, he knows a lot about him. First off, he calls him “Son of David” which is a term that has not been previously used in Mark’s Gospel.  Calling him “Son of David” means that Bartimaeus understands that Jesus is a descendent of David and subsequently that Jesus is royalty. David was a king, therefor David’s son must also be a King. Bartimaeus knows Jesus better than the Disciples do.  He asks Jesus to “Show Me Mercy” … He knows that Jesus is someone who pays attention to people on the margins. He calls out to be noticed. 

Let’s pretend for a moment that we are in the crowd … what do we in the crowd do?  We hate this! We aren’t supposed to notice the people on the fringes. The unsubstantial beggar is not worry of our attention and frankly, should not be annoying us with his loud voice calling up from the dirt. “Shut up Bartimaeus”, we can hear ourselves saying. “ Jesus has much better things to do than deal with the likes of you! Shut up, get out of the way, and don’t cause any trouble.”   

But Bartimaeus refuses to be ignored and he SHOUTS EVEN LOUDER, “Son of David, show me mercy!”  As Barty fans, we love the gumption this guy has!  You go Bartimaeus, you speak your truth buddy! As members of the crowd, however, don’t we hate that this guy is so annoying? How dare he keep yelling when we told him to be quiet.  Why does he insist on getting Jesus’ attention when we obviously deserve it much more because we are behaving!

Jesus could have very easily walked over to Bartimaeus himself. All of us in the crowd could have watched in silence as he approached the blind man. But instead, Jesus actually makes us deal with our own lack of compassion by telling us to get Bartimaeus and bring him forward. We have to move ourselves to make way for Bartimaeus. We have to be inconvenienced by the source of our inconvenience.  We have to help the person we tried to silence.   This is a gentle slap in the face from Jesus … “why are you spending your energy trying to silence others, when you should be showing them the way and helping them come to me!?”  The truth of that really stings, doesn’t it? How many times have we shushed or ignored someone in need? For me, it’s quite a few and I’m ashamed.

The story continues on without the crowd. Now it is just Jesus and Barty, face to face.  It is interesting to notice that when Bartimaeus gets up to go to Jesus he does two things … one he throws off his coat. This is the only possession that he has.  His coat protects him from the elements, the road, and the disdain of others.  His coat is the one thing that he has to keep close by his side as a blind man … his coat, he just tosses it aside. This seems like a foolish action, because throwing something away in the midst of a crowd almost guarantees that you will never see it again. But instead of being foolish, let’s remember that he really knows who Jesus is! He knows Jesus is capable of healing and he trusts that after this encounter he will no longer be blind and he will no longer be a beggar, he won’t need that coat. His health and his economic situation will be transformed.  The second thing that Bartimaeus does is he JUMPS up. He doesn’t just rise up from the dirt by the side of the road … he leaps to his feet to get to Jesus.  Bartimaeus knows time is now, and he has to GO!

Jesus asks him a question that we have heard him ask before. “What do you want me to do for you?” You might remember that we heard the same question asked in last week’s story when Jesus talked to James & John. Their answer to this question was they wanted to be made his favorites … to be put ahead of all others in eternity.   Bartimaeus answers the same question simply, “Teacher, I want to see.” He voiced this request with the confidence that Jesus could deliver what he asked.  And deliver he does. He is healed from his blindness.  Bartimaeus is no longer a beggar. Amen, am I right?

This story is even more interesting when we put it in context with the last several chapters of the Gospel of Mark. This middle section of Mark begins and ends with stories of Jesus healing a blind man. In between these healings, are stories of Jesus instructing and showing the disciples who he truly was, followed by them failing to understand his true nature and acting in ways contrary to his teachings. Jesus shares with them three times the difficult road to come … he will travel to Jerusalem where he will be ridiculed, beaten, persecuted and killed and after three days will rise. In response to this news, the disciples jockey for position, and try to keep people away from Jesus. They just don’t get it.  Jesus must have been tired with their inability to understand and react. I’m guessing Jesus gets tired of our inability to understand and react.  This makes Bartimaues’ interaction with Jesus even more powerful. The lowliest of society is the one who gets it. Those who traveled with the teacher continually miss the mark. The person in the dirt understands. What does say to us?  Do we need to be at our lowest point, our most broken and needy selves to recognize who Jesus is and what a life walked in faith with him can be? That is a big price to pay. THAT, my friends is something to ponder!

The story of Bartimaeus is a story of healing. It’s a story of recognizing Jesus. But it’s also a story of calling.  The story ends like this, ‘At once he was able to see, and he began to follow Jesus on the way.”  Bartimaeus was healed and transformed  and he immediately followed Jesus.  He hit the trail with the crew.    Bartimaeus is the only person who was healed by Jesus and then chose to follow him.  Bartimaeus immediately followed him on what would be his final journey.  It’s a short 15 mile journey, and the destination was Jerusalem.  And we all know what happened in Jerusalem.   Jerusalem was the beginning of the end. 

The story of Bartimaeus and Jesus challenges us.    It is a call to live in the Kingdom of God.  The kingdom of God is full of people who are broken, seeking, blind and poor.    Sometimes we ARE the people in the crowd … our human nature is to hush and ignore the outsider, and to place ourselves as more important.  Survival of the fittest.  But in Jesus’ reaction to the crowd, we understand that Kingdom people put others first.  Kingdom people seek out the broken, the wounded and the forgotten … they don’t leave them in the dirt and the certainly don’t hush them.   How do we as Flossmoor Community Church rate as a crowd?  Do we seek out the poor, the disabled, the broken to participate in our life of faith or do we hush and hide them?  Do you think the poor, the disabled and the broken feel welcome at FCC?  This might be an area we need to work on …

Not only are Kingdom people called to seek out the broken, they ARE the broken.  Bartimaeus is a Kingdom person.  Bartimaeus refused to be left in the dirt, Bartimaeus ignored the crowd who told him to be quiet and instead he SHOUTED EVEN LOUDER.    Bartimaeus knew that being quiet would leave him in the dirt with only a coat to his name.  When no one else spoke up for Bartimaeus, he chose to speak for himself.    The result of speaking up was a transformed life and a journey with Jesus. 

So where is your breaking point?  When will you find yourself speaking up for Bartimaeus?  When will you stand alongside someone who is broken and help them speak out?    We spend our lives trying to not ruffle feathers.  We bite our tongues and censor our thoughts.  But a life with Jesus demands that we speak up for those who can’t.   A life with Jesus demands that we not only speak the truth, but we shout it out even louder!    I’m not sure who those people are that YOU need to find beside the road… who are those YOU need to encourage to call out to Jesus, “Show me Mercy”, those that you long to help and encourage to rise up out of the dirt.    The “Way” that Jesus invites us to, is a road that is littered with broken people, unjust people, forgotten children, and wounded families.    The Way is where we SHOUT EVEN LOUDER for those who can’t.  The Way is a path that we walk with others, trying to change the way things are .  The way is a journey that unites us with Jesus, with God, and with others intent on bringing God’s Kingdom to everyone, right here and right now. 

May you discover your voice.  

May you find those broken people who need your shouting voice to advocate for them.

May we never silence a child, a stranger, a friend, or ourselves.  

May we provide megaphones so that every voice can be heard.

May Flossmoor Community Church discern where we are called to be a loud voice in the community and the world. 

BENEDICTION

Seek the blind and bring them to Jesus!

Shout even louder for those who have no voice!

Throw out your coat and follow Jesus!

The way may not be easy, but we know that it is worth it!

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord!

Amen            

Prayers of the People - October 11, 2015

God of infinite patience and wisdom, we come to you burdened with things that claim our time, our energy, our resources, our very lives. We are easily drawn away from a relationship with you by the enticements of the world … we strive for a life of wealth and comfort.   Turn our hearts away from the easy way.  Realign our desires and move us towards the life that you set before us.

Often, we are like the  man in the scriptures, we are owned by our possessions, and held captive by our treasures.  Help us to loosen the firm grip we have on our material goods and comfort.  Direct us to seek ways to be generous with the blessings we have received. 

We are grateful for a church that pushes us to reach out to others.  Be with the youth as they gather clothing for homeless LBGTQ youth in the city, and with our PADS team as they collect socks for our guests.   Help each of us to open our hearts next week and find ways to meaningfully connect and serve with the Community Partners that will be here for Outreach Commitment Sunday.    Open our hearts to the needs of others and help our arms reach out to the hurting world in ways that transform those we serve and ourselves.

Abundant creator, You continue to offer to us healing and hope.  Be with Mike and Francine as they mourn the loss of Vernon and  with Pres as his heart is full of sorrow following Gail's passing.  We know that you have a plan for Jeanne, and we pray for comfort for the Weir family as they walk gently together.   Surround the Thompson family on Monday as they await news of John's surgery.  We rejoice with the Rogers and Yoder families on the arrivals of Melvin and Ananya and recognize that each new life is a promise of hope.    We uplift those who are struggling with unemployment and financial stress.  Pour your healing on those in our lives who are in need of deep healing … healing of physical wounds, emotional scars and spiritual damage.

You seek to transform our lives from captivity to freedom in witness and service. We look at the world in which there is so much warfare and strife, anger and hatred, and we become overwhelmed by the needs and the stresses.    Loving God, remove the numbness we feel when confronted by repeated violence and despair … warm us to deeply feel the woundedness of your hurting children.    Light a spark in our hearts so we can seek creative solutions to complex problems and demand that evil that exists in the world be stamped out by your love made visible by our work.    Today we ask for your special care for the people of South Carolina recovering from devastating flooding.  We also lift up Ankara, Turkey and the thousands of people whose lives were painfully touched by the bombings at a peace rally.  Be with the families of the 95 that were killed, the 186 injured and the countless witnesses of this violence. We seek to bring about your Kingdom, here today … a world where children are not shot, schools are safe, no one is displaced from their home by violence or terror, everyone has access to education, medical care and clean water.    Show us the way, Lord, we feel so lost.

Help us to place our lives and our trust in you, knowing that with your help, we can accomplish anything.   Guide us to provide comfort, hope and peace for others and ourselves. Give us the courage and the strength to truly be your disciples.    We ask this in Jesus’ Name, who guided us to pray saying …

Prayers of the People - September 20, 2015

Almighty God, your gentle hand spins our planet and moves us around our sun.  You bring around the changing seasons and the cycle of life, death and resurrection that we face each year.  We enter this season of transformation, where the colors change, the temperature drops and the harvest is reaped.  Help us to enter autumn grateful for the gifts of this earth,  and thankful for the bounty of the harvest you provide.  Allow us to accept that the fading colors and dying leaves are necessary parts of the rebirth that is ahead next spring. 

This morning we honor up to you those who have answered the call to teach our children, youth and adults the beauty of your words and the lessons of faith.    May our prayers uplift our teachers, shepherds, staffers, lay advisors and facilitators.   Active and creative God, may your spirit become alive in each of them and inspire their words and actions.  Help our educators create an atmosphere where questions are encouraged, struggles are shared and wisdom is collective.  Prepare those they teach to receive the lessons and to open their hearts to a life walked in Christian faith. 

Living God, we come before you with our own wounds, struggles and doubts.  Some of us are in need of your healing …  our bodies seem to betray us with pain, illness and fatigue; our minds are clouded with depression, anxiety and fear; and our souls sorrow and fear for the life that is before us.    We feel weak and alone and ignored.    God, bring your wholeness and healing like a warm light into our bodies.  Transform those dark places in our lives, help us to ask for help when it is needed and allow us to be open to those you have sent to serve, assist and love us.   

Merciful God, we pray for people around the world who are displaced from their homes and living under constant fear.  We hear stories of the Syrian refugees and feel helpless.  We know your call to welcome the stranger and love our neighbor, but guide us as a church to discern where we can help those who are displaced and in desperate needs.   Hear our prayers on their behalf, and brighten a path for us to follow that will serve others in need.

Loving God, you and your son walk among us and are fully aware of our human failings.   We know that we are like the Disciples who ignored the gift of Christ in front of them, and focused instead on jockeying for position.    In our own ways, the desire for recognition and power blinds us to what is important to You and the Kingdom.  Our need to be first or best or right or justified is foolish and selfish … yet we know that you love us abundantly … you love us enough to call us out of ourselves and into a life of a servant of all.  You never give up on us.  We offer to you those places that we have failed to be a servant of all…  

Christ beside me, Christ before me … we are in awe of the gift of your son to us.  Christ, our rock, our redeemer, who brings us together each week and teaches us to offer our prayers to you.  Be with us as we pray …  

Prayers of the People, August 27, 2015

Loving God, we each have made our way here this morning … seeking community and looking to join together to worship you.    Thank you for this opportunity to set aside the busy-ness of our lives and focus on your word and your call to live a life set apart from the ways of the world.   Our time in worship is a deep breathe of peace. 

Take from us, Lord, those things that get in the way of our relationship with you—our pride and self-certainty, our doubt and our fear.  We become blind  to your wondrous presence and the work that you are doing in our midst.   Remove those things that keep us from you...  Lord, hear our prayer....

Strong and present God, we seek your wisdom and long to understand the confusing world that surrounds us.  We know that you are love, and that we are called to love our neighbor, but often it seems impossible to love when we are confronted with hatred and violence .   

We pray for the families, the co-workers and the people who witnessed the murders of Allison Parker and Adam Ward on television last Wednesday.   Our hearts ache for the victims of the gun violence that seems to have a grip on our country.    Guide us God, help us find ways to settle disagreements and work together to stop the mass shootings that too frequently.

Today, We remember the fourteen year old boy from Chicago who travelled to Mississippi 60 years ago and was murdered for whistling at a white woman.  Be with those who gathered this weekend in Chicago to commemorate the tragic anniversary of Emmett Till's death.   

52 years ago, Dr. King shared with the multitude of people gathered at the Lincoln Memorial , a speech that remains written on the souls of our nation.    Dr. King shared his dreams …  "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. I have a dream today!"

Merciful and just God, you have walked with those like Dr. King who have worked to move us forward.  We have seen the hearts change and people grow in acceptance. But we also know we still have a long way to go.  Comfort the victims of racial hatred and violence.  Ignite a fire within us, lead us forward to the day when truly all people are loved and judged only on the content of their character. 

Ten years ago this weekend, Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast, and destroyed the lives of thousands of people.   Our hearts were heavy with the news of the devastation, but even more so when we learned of the lack of assistance for the victims of the storm.  We lift up to you today, our brothers and sisters in faith, Charles and Thirawer Duplessis and the good people of Mt Nebo Bible Baptist Church.  We grieve that they lost so much, but we celebrate the spirit of hope that remains as they still are working towards rebuilding their church.   

As a congregation we lift up to you those that we have named, and the people and concerns that lie on our hearts.  Lord, hear our prayers …

We pray all these things in the name of Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior, our brother and our friend … as we speak together the prayer he taught …

Prayers of the People, August 16, 2015

God of wisdom, we look to you to lead us through our days.  As we enter the last weeks of summer, many of our families are in transition.  Children are headed back to school, our college students are leaving home for the year and we begin a season of schedules and routines. 

We seek to pass on to our children the wisdom that has been given to us ....  from the generations before us and from you.  

Inspire us to be a congregation that loves our children deeply and supports our families in times of transition.

We seek your wisdom as we guide our children though lessons at school, and lesson in life.  May our children learn to reflect your love to the world.

Help our children as they learn, discover and move forward towards their own independence.

Be with teachers as they begin the year, grant them patience and knowledge to teach well and guide our children.

We ask your special blessing on the parents who are sending college students away for the first time.  Comfort them in their grieving, as this can often feel like a great loss.  Teach them to rejoice as they learn to cherish and trust their children from afar.  Loving God, help them to let go and to trust that the wisdom they have shared will have made deep imprints on their children. 

God of wisdom, we struggle to find our way in the world.  Pour your wisdom like refreshing water upon us.

We seek your wisdom to hear your call to us, as we seek paths for our own lives.

We seek your wisdom to discern how to deal with others we meet… those we live with, work with, drive our roads with, wait in line with, and be with daily.

We seek your wisdom as we care for our own well-being and as we face issues with our health and our mental health.  Guide us as we seek to care for loved ones.

We seek your wisdom for the leaders in our world, country and community.

We seek your wisdom in dealing with injustice and suffering in our world.

We seek your wisdom for our new elders, and for all those who serve as the leaders of our church.  

We seek your wisdom as we reach out to those in need, and as we minister to our own members who are homebound or in need of extra care.

We seek your wisdom as we minister to those in hospitals, in recovery and rehab.

We seek your wisdom as we reach out to the world around us.  Soften our hearts and open our eyes to the needs of others.  Grant us generous hearts to give, serve and share with the world.

God of wisdom, August days of heat are beating us down.  The world around us begins to dry up and the bright green leaves and lawns fade.    We seek relief from the heat and long to walk in cool, refreshing rain.  Help us to enjoy the remaining days of summer, to celebrate our time together in fellowship with those we love before the season changes and we begin heading indoors. 

Loving God, you invite us to a feast of celebration as we live a life in community … a community of faith created by your son.  May we listen to your wisdom and become Christ’s hand and heart.  United in this task, we join together in praying ...

God Imitators - Sermon from August 9, 2015

When was the last time you wrote a letter?   I can’t remember the last time I picked up pen and paper and sat down to write.  We’ve all gotten so used to the immediacy of communication that is available to us via email and texting and we rarely rely on the convention of actually putting something in the mail.   Luckily for us, the early Christian church did not have the options that we have. 

Paul and other church leaders left behind evidence of the struggles, challenges and joys of the early church in the Epistles or the letters that follow the book of Acts in the New Testament.  Our passage this morning is from the book of Ephesians, which was a letter that most scholars attribute to the Apostle Paul.  Paul spent more time in Ephesus than anywhere else in his ministry, so he was comfortable addressing this particular community.  And while other letters of Paul address specific issues in cities, Ephesians is more general and provides us with a good summary of Paul’s basic understanding of Christian thought and Christian living.

If you were here last Sunday, you heard Don’s message about the beginning of fourth chapter of Ephesians.  He shared with us that we are called to be united as one in the Body of Christ.  We are also called to share our God-given gifts, we he called “pebbles" with that Body.  This is a new life that Christians are called to and Paul implores the early church to put aside their old lives, to give up their old habits and to live a life that follows the example of Christ. 

Let’s think back to Exodus, the Old Testament journey of God’s chosen people to a new life.  Moses led a group of ex-slaves out of Egypt to find their Promised Land.  This group was excited, but also unruly, disorganized, paranoid and untrusting.  God’s wisdom was to provide this group with a set of guidelines for living together in a new community.  Moses went up a mountain to meet with God, and came back down with stone tablets full of do’s and don’ts, which we call the Ten Commandments.  Don’t covet your neighbors stuff, Do worship one God and on and on.   The fourth chapter of Ephesians contains instructions similar to those stone tablets that God sent down the mountain … guidelines for a new community and instructions on how to live and treat one another.    We all benefit from some instructions and ground rules when starting a new job, or move to a new city.   Instructions are helpful in finding your way.

In Ephesians, Paul gives us some instructions.  This morning I'm going to concentrate on one of the many instructions  ...  instructions about our friend “ANGER”.    I call it our friend because sometimes it feels good to be angry!  Venting anger can be constructive and cleansing.  And Anger is often entertaining!  In the Hanzelin household, when my girls where teenagers it was soon discovered that a Grace vs. Rick argument rapidly escalated to loud yelling at each other.  Raised voices, veins popping out at the temple, voice getting scratchy kind of yelling.  One on level, it was horrible … but on another level it was hysterical to Emma & me.  We would hide out in the next room giggling like crazy because of the ridiculousness of their argument and their behavior.  Seriously?  They are losing it over the fact that someone left a backpack on the floor?  Watching other people be angry can be really funny … Lewis Black, the comedian who serves as the voice of Anger in the movie “Inside Out” has made his living on being angry at things.  

Many of us grew up in households where it was not ok to be angry.  No yelling, or slamming doors or disagreeing … it was not tolerated.   Others of us try to act like “good Christians” who don’t get angry ... we are always so “nice”.    But in truth, we all get angry, even nice people.  When we attempt to not show our anger, our anger goes underground, where it festers and creates more serious problems. 

Anger is a good and appropriate feeling when it is in reaction to a great injustice or oppression.  Who here was not angry upon hearing of the shooting last month of members of a Bible study in Charleston?   Weren’t you furious when you saw pictures of so-called Christians picketing with signs that read “God hates Fags” at the funerals of fallen service men and women?   Being angry is not only part of the human emotional experience, expressing anger can help  people energized and inspired to work towards great change.    

Paul also mentions that we need to speak the truth and sometimes expressing our anger is part of speaking the truth.    Remember the story of Jesus and the moneychangers?  Jesus was angry at the self-righteous arrogance of those who made a profit in front of the temple and he flipped their tables.  Jesus flipped those tables to show his anger, to make a statement, to call for a change.

Thank you Paul for realizing that anger has its place in our human experience!  We are all free to go ahead and be ANGRY.  Except … we aren’t free to act as we wish with that anger.  Paul writes,“Be angry without sinning. Don’t let the sun set on your anger.  Don’t provide an opportunity for the devil.”  Paul is telling us that we must be very careful what we do with our anger.  He recognizes that anger can quickly become obsessive, and we have a tendency to make it personal in a hurry.  We keep our grudge, we scheme our revenge.  Anger unchecked causes us to get worked up and to say and do things we don’t really mean.  Churches have split because of anger.  Wars have been started from anger.  Relationships have been destroyed by angry people.   

Part of the rich message of the Pixar movie “Inside Out” is that we all have a variety of feelings, and they all have an appropriate place in our human experience.  “Anger” here is harmless when the young character, Riley spits out the broccoli that her dad is trying to feed her while she sits in her high chair.   Anger advises teenage Riley's parents that things are not OK with their daughter.  We tell our children, “Feelings are not good or bad, it’s what you do with those feelings that is important.”  It is ok that you are mad at your sister for losing your cell phone.  It’s not ok if you punch her in the face because of it.    It is OK that you disagree with our method of serving communion, but we are not OK if you leave the church because of that.  Letting our feelings rule our actions in negative ways injures the Body of Christ.

So Paul instructs us to tell the truth, and to be angry without destroying … check and check.  With a little effort and accountability we can handle that.   And now here comes the kicker for me … “Don’t let any foul words come out of your mouth.”  Paul, I can handle the other two  but don’t take away from me the ability to throw down a good curse word now and then.  People who know me well are aware that I frequently enjoy the use of a good s-bomb … well and maybe a few other bombs beside that.  I’m careful when and how I use them, but I’m still not proud or happy that they fly so easily out of my mouth.   While they do allow me to dissipate my anger and I never direct those words at others, my foul words do absolutely nothing to build up the community.    Paul, the prolific author of letters to the early church is well aware that words are very powerful.    So powerful in fact, that the remainder of his list of  "don'ts"  includes bitterness, losing temper, anger, shouting and slander … all vices that are expressed in destructive speech. And I am quite sure that my use of those foul words are also a part of destructive speech.

We are simple sometimes and we need the list of what we shouldn’t do.  So we quit doing those things and then what?  What do we do instead?   Verse 32 says, “Be kind, compassionate and forgiving to each other,”   And then it goes on to say, “IMITATE GOD”.  OK, Paul … how exactly do we imitate our invisible, powerful, creator who rules heaven and earth and everything in between. 

We all understand that this is difficult, if not impossible … we are humans, we sin, we are hard wired to focus on ourselves.  Our sin is a result of our frail condition as humans. We can’t be without sin, so we can’t be like God.  But let’s remember, Paul’s letters are all about Christians doing things differently than before, living a new life.   Additionally, imitating means we work hard to be as close to representing another as we possibly can.  The instruction here is that we imitate, not that we become. 

This is the central message of Ephesians, IMITATE GOD.  Chapter five begins, “Therefore, imitate God like dearly LOVED children.  Live your life with LOVE, following the example of Christ, who LOVED us and gave himself for us.”    Imitating God is ultimately about being LOVE.  We are the beloved children of God, Christ loved us enough to die for us, and God loves us so much that we are filled by God’s spirit.  

The checklist we’ve gone through is not why God loves us.   Being kind, compassionate and forgiving does not cause God to love us.  God loves us because God loves us.  It's that "grace" thing we talk about. The love that is mentioned in the closing verses three times is that AGAPE kind of love, not the love of the world.   Not the love that we have for a great piece of pizza or our favorite TV show, but that deep down, unconditional, unselfish love that transcends our human nature.  That crazy love that God has for us despite our foul words, unkind actions and failures to speak truthfully.      Imagine living a life where we love that deeply.  If we imitate God and base everything in that deep and abiding love, aren’t we less likely to even need that checklist?    And what if our community was full of individuals whose goals aligned to love like God loved? This is the new life we are called to.  This is the community we are called to.  To imitate our God who loves.  Maybe instead of calling ourselves Christians, we should say we are God imitators.

May we work to put aside our old ways and be led into the new life that God has called us to … following the example give to us by Jesus and empowered by the gift of the Holy Spirit.  The trinity is all over us on this one.  So we have God, Jesus and the Spirit on our side … Plus we have each other in our community.  This is a new life.  

Prayers of the People, August 2, 2015

Gentle God: we have traveled through many waters to reach this place, but share one baptism; we arrive from different backgrounds and traditions, yet share one faith;
we are, each of us, unique and precious to God, and are members of one Body; we have different dreams and doubts, yet our hearts beat with one hope; we are graced with different gifts, so we may offer them in service to one Lord.

We each seek to lead a life worthy of you, but we often stumble in our efforts.  We tend to believe that we are always right, and that it is our duty to correct those we feel are wrong.  Forgive us when we let pride and self-righteousness have dominion in our actions.  Teach us to walk humbly, to set aside our need to be right, and to treat those we encounter with a kind and gentle spirit. 

Our patience is tested by our children, our neighbors, our spouses, our friends and strangers we meet.  People don’t act as we wish, in a way that we desire and in the time frame that we demand. Forgive us when we lose our patience and want things done promptly and in our way.  Gentle God, we need your help to put aside our assumptions and our own needs and to see each person as your child, created in your image. Lord, we know that YOU are our center, help us to trust you at all times and to be content with your timing, rather than our own.

You call us to treat one another with love, but often we forget and let our own wants and desires take precedence.  Loving God, forgive us when we fail to bear the burdens of our brothers and sisters.  Guide us to persevere in praying for them and upholding others in our communication with you.  Open our eyes to the ways that we can actively help those in need of your love, and guide our hands to serve promptly and with an open heart.

We know that you, O God, are always with us.  You actively pursue each of us and encourage us to do the work of your community.  Your deep love for us is a comfort in our times of sorrow.   As a church family, we offer our prayers to you for the Kappemeyer family and the Diener family in their times of great loss.    Comfort Christa, Scott and Pam and surround them with wonderful memories of these beloved women.  Allow them to peacefully trust that they are deep in your loving embrace in the life eternal.  

Graceful God, thank you for the apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers that have been given to us for the work of ministry.  Help us to work with one another to build up the Body of Christ, growing in wisdom and maturity as we see to understand the fullness of Christ and the unity of the faith.

God in Community, Holy in One, equip us for the work of ministry, as we pray together with one voice, as Jesus has taught us, saying,

Prayers of the People, July 19, 2015

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Mother Father God, we praise you this morning.  We lift up our prayers of joy for your presence in our lives and your guidance through all of our days.  You have created us in your image, and we know that you love us.  The gift of our lives is so great, that we stumble finding adequate words of praise to you.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Loving God, we know that your deepest desire is that we work together to bring about your kingdom today, not some far off time in the future.  But we have allowed a world where violence is accepted, where people are treated without mercy and justice and where many of your children lack clean water and adequate food sources.   The existence of suffering in the world is not your work, but too often because of our selfish focus on comfort and plenty, and our unwillingness to focus on others.   Be with those in the world in need of healing, comfort and peace.  Provoke us to put our own needs aside and provide more for the needs of others. 

Give us this day our daily bread,

Almighty God, you have provided us a world that has plenty.  Your sun and water and land spring forth with lush plants that provide us sustenance.   We know that there is enough food in the world to feed all of your children.  Alight a fire within us, to seek and discover ways to share what we have with those who have not. 

Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.

Lord, you know the secrets that lie deep within us, the stories of how we have failed one another and you.  We lay these ugly places and thoughts before you … we silently offer you our sins….   Gracious God, the way that you love and forgive us is overwhelming.  We are inadequate to receive your grace.  Help us to open our hearts to those that we need to forgive.  Carrying the weight of sins done against us wears us down, and separates us from you.  Forgive us and help us let go and forgive others.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

With every shooting, every needless death, every person mistreated we know that your heart breaks open.  We react in anger and feel helpless against the face of evil.    We feel tempted to seek revenge instead of residing with you.  All of our hearts are broken open this week at the killing of five brave servicemen in Chattanooga.  The acts of people like the gunman shakes us to our core.  Help us to create a world where love and community blot out the hatred that exists in the hearts of some.  We lift up to you and honor the lives of Carson Holmquist, Randall Smith, Thomas Sullivan, Skip Wells, David Wyatt    Surround these families and the families of all who are currently serving our country with your gracious and peaceful love.  May these feel our prayers and may they help sustain and guide them in the days ahead.

For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.

God you are our beginning and ending.  Thank you for your deep and abiding love for us.  Thank you for your spirit that lies within us, guiding our thoughts and actions.  And thank you for the gift of your son, whose life stands as our example of God on earth.  We share together the prayer that Jesus shared with us …

Prayers of the People - July 5, 2015

O God of the summer, our days are filled with light, heat and growth.  Your glowing sun and refreshing rain awaken the world around us ... the lush green covers our yards, the fruit is ripening on the vines and we feel fully alive.  Your delicate balancing act in nature draws us outdoors, to see the vibrant colors, hear the sounds and feel the warmth of your rich creation.

Today we gather in your house, depleted from the noise, overindulgence and celebrating of the fourth of July. We are grateful for the country that we live in, for the freedoms we have, and for the men and women who have fought to protect our rights ... but we also recognize the many challenges we continue to face.

We seek a nation where justice, mercy and compassion guide our laws and actions.  We proclaim that we celebrate liberty and justice for all, but we also know that many of our citizens feel this is a lie.

God, we saw your light in those days after Charleston, when people of all colors joined one another to be voices of love, forgiveness and light. Their collective brightness dimmed the noise of people who speak harsh words of racial hatred. We know that evil remains in the hearts of people. We have witnessed the repeated burning of black churches in the South,

we hear of increases in gun sales, and politicians continue to use race and marriage equality as a dividing issues for our people.  

God of light and abundance, we seek your calm spirit amidst the darkness of the world. 

Energize us to listen to your hurting people, to promote love over hatred, to cast out the negative voices. Change the hearts of those who seek to harm others, who hold on to hatred and revenge. Transform our own hatred and help us to face those places we know we need to change in our own lives.

God of the summer, we cherish the long days of extended light.  Our eyes become more opened to the daily miracle of life as we witness the growth and abundance that surrounds us. Expand our ability to see beauty in our world and to reconnect with you, our God, in profound ways.

Your son Jesus was sent to dwell among us, to challenge us to walk a journey more closely aligned with you. Our individual journeys have days of bright sun, and days of dark clouds. 

Many of us have bodies that betray us with illnesses and disease.  Others have minds that are clouded by depression, addiction and anxiety. Caring for our loved ones challenges and depletes us. Help us to feel your spirit and your light deep within us.

Lord, nourish us with healing and hope ... allow us to be gentle with ourselves and others

as we seek health, healing and better ways to cope with the challenges we face caring for ourselves and others.

As your church, loving God, we seek to unite with one another to grow in love and service to your hurting world.  Let the challenges of limited finances and busy lives be made small by the living, abundant spirits of your people.  May we seek out the dark places in our community and world to shine your light and life brightly.  Inspire your people to seek creative new ways to serve.  Bring us together to worship you and to be renewed for the challenges of the week. 

Like the bright and colorful flowers of summer, encourage us to stretch toward your light

and warm us with your deep, abiding presence.  Anoint us to be your energizing and loving presence in the world. 

We praise you, we thank you and together we speak the prayer taught to us by your beloved son ...