Sacramental Living

Second Sunday after Pentecost


Today we celebrate the baptism of Aaron (11yrs) and Brooke (9yrs)
and we celebrate Holy Communion


Acts 8:26-40 - Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch

• I love how this passage illustrates guy’s response to learning of salvation.

• But before that, we have the faithful witness of a disciple, completely open to being used by God, even when called upon to reach out to a complete stranger in the desert (not a safe or comfortable place), a guy who ended up completely different from him in social status, race, gender.

Make yourself available without determining outcome before it happens. Philip didn’t say “I can’t” but instead eagerly ran up to the carriage.

• I love the Ethiopian eunuch’s response to Philip’s teaching.

        (you thought I was talking about his impromptu baptism, which IS a right beginning… Jesus baptized in Jordan river as way of saying 'Whoever would follow me, start here.' Jordan river significant because it was through the Jordan that the children of Israel received the promise of God. Would you follow Jesus? Would you receive promise of God? It starts in the water.)

• Eunuch’s response I’m talking about is verse 39: he went on his way rejoicing.

What kind of things do we celebrate? Bdays. Graduations. Achievements. Victories. Small things, mostly. Because we like to celebrate, we don’t need much of an excuse.

Ironically, thing we ought to celebrate without ceasing: salvation. Good news that kingdom of God is near and you’re invited. Time to party like it’s 1999! Celebrate Good Times, Come On!

• Celebrate baptism, let your joy be made clear. I saw my friend Sherry last night, she has 3 grandchildren now, and before you can finish saying “how are they?” what’s she doing? Getting her wallet out. Celebrating.

Celebrate baptism. Celebrate communion. Celebrate God's grace and salvation.

Infectious joy is beginning of sacramental living. 

God’s spirit in us, enthusiasm

• Day to day feeding, nurturing in breaking bread together, celebrating communion…

(Directly into service of Baptism)

Living in the Spirit

Trinity Sunday / Graduate Recognition Sunday

Romans 8:12-17, John 3:1-17

• Yesterday I volunteered at Hershey Park, cleaning the condiments stand at Nathan's on the boardwalk. I love people-watching. Especially love seeing couples holding hands. I got to hear the aquatic safety announcements quite a bit, too, including that they sometimes place mannequins in the water for lifeguard drills. It's important to practice skills, so that when you need them, they're there.

• I am a biker. I take a motorcycle class every year, including quick starts and stops and emergency swerves. I want to develop and maintain excellent riding skills, so that if I ever need them, they're there.

• Romans 8:13 If you put to death the actions of the body with the spirit you will live. Paul is talking not only about physical discipline for the glory of God, but mental discipline for the glory of God. We have physical habits to control, and spiritual habits as well.

• Brother Lawrence on prayer at work:

   I said to God with a son-like trust, ‘My God, since You are with me, and since it is Your will that I should apply my mind to these outward things, I pray that You will give me the grace to remain with You and keep company with You. But so that my work may be better, Lord, work with me; receive my work and possess all my affections. – Brother Lawrence. p. 37

• God gives us Spirit.

• Jesus to Nicodemus, you must be born from above: start fresh, blank page, abandon preconceptions.

• Living by Spirit is community natured (selfishness will lead to death)

• Alyssa to West Point. Zach to HACC for elem ed. Katie nursing degree. Meredith earned doctor of medicine in dentistry, beginning residency. Ryan officers field artillery.

Each of these graduates has to do and will have to do mundane things they don't like, but that will develop and maintain their skills and will lead them to the fruit they desire.

• Brainstorm ways you could put your Spirit into action (physical mental discipline, live in spirit, abandon preconception. Study, cultivate fruit of spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)). Become accountable to another.

• Hymn 59 I Sing the Mighty Power of God

Galatians 5:22-23 Fruit of Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control

Conductors

Pentecost Sunday

Confirmation / New Members received

Memorial Day Weekend

Scripture readings today:
Acts 2:1-8 - The disciples receive the power of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost

Exodus 19:1-8 - The Israelites in the desert respond affirmatively to God's commands

John 14:15-17, 25-26 - Jesus says keep my commandments, promises the Holy Spirit

• Tradition has it that God gave the Israelites the Law fifty days after the exodus event. Thereafter the giving of the Law was celebrated with a harvest festival called Pentecost. No coincidence that the Law is connected to divine production (harvest). People of God do not exist merely to exist but to be involved in divine harvest.

Exodus 19. God is about to give the Law. 

God tells the people You are my Precious Possession. (I watched the movie "Courageous" in which a father gives his teenage daughter a precious ring as a reminder of how precious she is to him, and as a covenant between them). 

God tells the people You will be a Kingdom of Priests (priests offer sacrifices on behalf of others, and conduct others into divine presence). 

God tells the people You will be a Holy People (set aside for God).

And the people said We’re up for it. We will do everything the Lord says.

• At the first Pentecost after Jesus’ resurrection (and ascension) God again makes himself known to the people, this time through gift of the Holy Spirit and his power. Now at Pentecost Christians celebrate the birth of the church, the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise – Jesus had promised One to be with us as companion, guide, teacher.

• Human beings on our own are pretty lousy about keeping covenant, so God gives power.

• Where does power come from? Some kind of generator. How’s it get here? Wires. We don’t go to power store like grocery store and pick up a few bags of power. Ordinary metal wire conducts it, doesn’t hold on to it but conducts it.

That’s how we are to be with God’s power: conductors, not vessels. God flowing through us, bringing about reconciliation of world.

• What else is conductor? 

Musician who leads. 

Train guy who gets you there. 

Use of gifts and service.

• We are called to be conductors. To be obedient to God. To bear (conduct) God’s power to others. To bring others into presence of God.

Many have made vows of service to God. We renew today.

Many were baptized. We renew today.

(transition into Baptismal Covenant for new members) 

(Eight new members received)

Am I A Friend of God?

Sixth Sunday of Easter

Mother's Day

Scripture readings today:

1 John 5:1-6 - This is love: to keep the commandments of God

John 15:9-17 - Remain in my love

• I saw Hershey’s production of Godspell last night…

Classic and favorite, and malleable.

Telling of parables of Jesus, mostly from Gospel of Matthew.

At beginning there is chaos and disharmony, stress and dissociation. No relationships. And Jesus enters the scene and begins building… new relationships, new hope, kingdom. How? By interacting with people, engaging them where they are.

• Dovetail of relationships within Godspell and If you keep God’s commandments you are a friend of God. (1 John 5:3 This is the love of God: We keep God’s commandments.)

• There is no friendship with God without relationship with God.

Friendship is mutual trust, sharing.

Throughout Godspell, friendship built…

Throughout gospels, friendship built…

Are you a friend of God? How is your relationship built?

• Shared experience is important.

Benefit of friendship with Jesus?

Built community, wholeness, peace. Recovery. That the world may be one.

• Therefore Jesus invites shared experience of communion.

        Also Do This in Rememberance…. Keep relationship alive.

• right into Holy Communion. Then Hymn 510 Jesus Is All the World to Me

Who is Jesus?

Fifth Sunday of Easter
Acts 4:5-12 and 1 John 3:16-24 (accidentally used Fourth Sunday lectionary texts)

• A Facebook friend of mine who apparently also rents property out said they noticed a new tenant's Olympic medal, and wondered who on Facebook had met Olympic winners.  Well, I was a childhood friend with Nelson Diebel, Olympic swimming champion, 1992 Olympics in Barcelona (look him up on wikipedia or google) and yeah, I've seen his medals.

Think of a "brush with celebrity" that you may have had, and tell someone about that event...

• How about your spouse or significant other? Tell someone about what is special about that person?  Or, who is someone you would like to meet, and why?

• Who is your #1 teacher… Why? Tell someone about this person and what makes them your favorite teacher.

• Last night at church there was a Mother/Daughter banquet... Tell someone something special about your mother.

• How do you feel about Jesus? What do you love about Jesus? 

Tell someone about this...

• I wonder if the world really knows Jesus. It doesn’t take much encouragement to get us to talk about the people we love, and we spend our lives getting to know the significant people in our lives better. In fact we know it can be dangerous to ask a new parent (or esp. a new grandparent) to tell about their baby because you might be there for a while!!

   We bump into a celebrity in the grocery store or see one on vacation and we go gaga…

   But the world doesn’t know Jesus. If they DID, oh think of the possibilities.

From scripture today... Jesus is:

• Healer, even when he's not around. Peter healed a lame beggar in Jesus' name. Jesus is healer, even absentee.

• Cornerstone, worthy of building upon. Basing life on. Trusting in.

• Savior. Imagine you're in a car wreck, an EMT saves you. Later, you meet. What do you tell people about the person who saved your life? How do you interact with that person? Jesus is savior!

• Jesus is love personified, perfect in love and action (1 John 3:16-18)

• Jesus Alone is worthy of praise. Jesus is worth telling about.                     And the world needs to hear about this Jesus.

• Hymn 454 Glorious Is Thy Name Most Holy

PK where are you?

Hello, both of you who read this :)

I'm filling in some of the gaps, but it's been since Valentine's Day that I posted last... I haven't preached every week since then, but I have preached some.

Let's see. There's been a Youth Sunday, the District Superintendent spoke one Sunday, the Bishop spoke another one, there were two Cantata Sundays, and at least one Sunday of a presentation by a missionary. So that's five out of the last ten Sundays or so.

Anyhoo. I'm filling in some of those gaps.

Next time I leave a gap, make some noise!

Why A Miracle?

from John 6:1-15. John's reporting of the feeding of the 5,000.

• Imagine the enormity of this event. 5000 men. (HersheyPark stadium seats 16,000… every man with say one woman one child… imagine speaking to such a crowd… imagine the time to feed (imagine the time just to commune our worship!)

• Miracles are weird. They bother people. (From Leif Enger's Peace Like A River (PLAR. 2001): "Real miracles bother people. They rebut every rule all we good citizens take comfort in. When a person dies, the earth is generally unwilling to cough him back up. A miracle contradicts the will of the earth.") 

Miracles are UNREASONABLE and they DEMAND a response.

More I think about feeding of thousands more I think I’d lie awake at night, that wasn’t supposed to happen. I want to know more about this guy, and it is out of my comfort zone.

• Another selection from PLAR: "People fear miracles because they fear being changed, though ignoring them will change you also."  

(imagine telling about this miracle. Imagine not telling)

• Why miracle? (John 6:14 “When the people saw that he had done a miraculous sign they said This is truly the prophet who is coming into the world”)

This miracle shows God’s ability beyond shadow of a doubt. No natural explanation. In some cases undeniable just by sheer enormity (as setup: huge crowd, wilderness. Another account in Matthew says they were in wilderness for days.  You can't blame this on people not really being hungry or just eating the snacks they had brought with them...)

• Another selection from PLAR: "No miracle happens without a witness. Someone to declare, Here’s what I saw. Here’s how it went. Make of it what you will."

• This miracle: nurture belief in Jesus as God’s anointed one… this is no ordinary prophet. Worth paying attention to. Worth learning about, following, living for.

This is no ordinary God.

Purpose of miracle: So that they may know & believe that Jesus is Lord.

• Prayer that our actions and reactions may point to You / Bell Skit* / Hymn 529

*This scripture was selected today to go along with a handbell skit in which a picnic basket tells his point-of-view of the miraculous feeding of the 5,000 and his story is punctuated by handbell selections.