World Communion, 1 Corinthians 12:12-20, 10/6/2013

Today’s Message:  World Communion  Scripture:  1 Cor 12:12-20 NIV

¹² Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ For we were all baptized by^[a] one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. ¹⁴ Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.¹⁵ Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸ But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. ¹⁹ If they were all one part, where would the body be? ²⁰ As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

World communion Sunday October 2013

We are the body.  All of us.  Everyone matters.  You may be a quiet person who sits off to the side, but you matter.  You are welcome.  We want you.  God wants you.

I was on my annual trip to the redwoods for reading week.

It was Sunday morning.  I would leave the next day to fly home

After watching our service on live stream

I decided to visit a united Methodist church

Looked on the web, selected

Crystal springs umc

The pastor was advertized as contemplative.

I am very interested in that.  The more reflective side of Christianity

Her Name is hee soon kwon

Drove to the church.  Parked.  Found a bathroom.

Beautiful church nestled in the trees                            [PICTURE]

About 25 people gathered for worship

Everyone seemed very genuine and friendly

Now, remember, I am an easy touch

a gentleman led some hymns

then the pastor stepped to the pulpit

The look of the  pastor was so touching

She was so kind….. it just came out of her

Sang surely the presence

Pass the peace

Children’s time, no children

Adults came up for children’s time

Folks kept trickling in

Over about 20 minutes, the crowd doubled.

It was time for Special music

was a cappella

a young woman apologized for the song, then explained it was about her father who had recently passed away

a song pointed to God………

Lyrics

Tell him I miss him-----Hug him and kiss him

Tell him I love him----For being my father

Tell him he’s special----A glorious vessel-----Tell him well done

It was time for the sermon

Parable of the sower

13 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. ² Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. ³ Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. ⁴ As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵ Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. ⁶ But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

Common understanding……..what kind of soil are you?

Another way to look at this

Aren’t you glad for people that give you an alternative view?

You are the sower

You plant in the good soil, you plant where its rocky, thorny, weedy,

Sometimes the stuff grows, sometimes it doesn’t

This is how life feels.  Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesnt

Evil is a mystery that the bible does not try to explain

Job complains……..God answers…….

Skinned knee as a kid…..the bandaid did not fix it, but the hug made it ok

Serenity prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

The courage to change the things I can,

And wisdom to know the difference.

The new testament book of james points us toward the purpose of pain

² Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,^[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  James 1:2-4

The pastor taught us a new word……

Equanimity

Being calm in the midst of calamity

Equanimity (Latin: æquanimitas having an even mind; aequus even animus mind/soul) is a state of psychological stability and composure which is undisturbed by experience of or exposure to emotions, pain, or other phenomena that may cause others to lose the balance of their mind.

Samuel Johnson defined equanimity as "evenness of mind, neither elated nor depressed." In Christian philosophy, equanimity is considered essential for carrying out the theological virtues of gentleness, contentment, temperance, and charity.^[5]

It was the first time in years that I was in church just to be in church.  not leading something, not really trying to learn anything, not analyzing

Holy communion delivered.

Everyone is welcome

The words of welcome hit me in a way that they had not before.

Though I deliver them every week, now they were delivered to me

And so its world communion Sunday

We are all a part of the body

All are welcome

In this world we draw many lines of separation

[Rejection is a difficult thing]

Jesus drew a lot of circles

We are the body of Christ. 

If you are here today, you are welcome

Not just that, you are wanted, desired

In a broken temporal world, there is still an eternal embrace

Won’t you come to the table of the lord