Lent Begins, 2/15/15

Sermon 2-15-15 Lent Begins 1 John 1:5-2:2

1:5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all[b] sin. 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. 2:1My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world

Every morning I sit on a wooden stool and put on my socks.  [dave neimeyer-mercer] Every day.  I make a cup of coffee and drink it.  I drive to work…. The same route every day.  I do what I do.  I go home.  I eat.  I sleep.  And I do it all over again.  There are things that mark a life.  Monuments along the way, reminding us of what is mundane and what matters.

A river runs through it 1992 – blackfoot river

For me, ash Wednesday is such a day.  It comes once a year and reminds me that I need our Father.  It reminds me in no uncertain terms that I must repent and renew my walk with him.  It is an annual passage from death to life, from struggle to grace.  I wouldn’t miss it for the world.

Lent is a time to consider the suffering of Jesus
He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world -1

Lent is about the journey of self discovery
Lent asks the question
Where is god-Where are we-Where do we meet
Lent calls for self examination
Lent calls us to look at our selves

Lent is the annual reminder to remember that it is not about us
Often we think we have arrived - we can get kind of smug
When in fact we haven’t even got on board for the process yet

Lent calls us to leave the areas of superficial spirituality & give ourselves to God
Lent includes struggle, moving along the road, hard choices needed for meaning
Lent asks the hard question - Are you willing to repent of your sin
12 step program = fearless moral inventory

this is a prelent sermon

new sermon  series transformation – change - conversion
consider the stories of great men and women of the bible

transformation.  Change. Am I satisfied with myself?

Those who think they are a finished product scare me.

The nature of repentance.  Facing change.  Being honest with ones self

Real change is possible

The need for us to change.

Not top down, but heart up

What do I want to change into?

My list:

I aspire to

Not waste time

See the good

See people as god sees them.  No more value judgements

Be thankful

Q: What is Lent? Some of you grew up in churches that did not celebrate lent

if we had 20 questions regarding lent…..

1Q: What is Lent?
A:Historically, Lent is the forty day period before Easter, excluding Sundays, it began on Ash Wednesday and ended on Holy Saturday (the day before Easter Sunday).

2Q: Why are Sundays excluded from the reckoning of the forty days?
A: Because Sunday is the day on which Christ arose, its inappropriate day to fast and mourn our sins. On Sunday we must celebrate Christ’s resurrection

3Q: Q. Why are the forty days called Lent?
A: They are called Lent because that is the Old English word for spring, the season of the year during which they fall.  In most other cultures, lent is called Quadragesima, from the latin for “the forty days.”

4Q: Why is Lent forty days long?
A: Because forty days is a traditional number of discipline, devotion, and preparation in the Bible.
Moses stayed on the Mountain of God forty days (Exodus 24:18 and 34:28),
the spies were in the land for forty days (Numbers 13:25),
Elijah traveled forty days before he reached the cave where he had his vision
Nineveh was given forty days to repent (Jonah 3:4),
Jesus spent forty days in wilderness praying and fasting (Matthew 4:2).

5Q: how long has this been going on?
Since 400 ad- Constantine’s conversion 312

6Q: When does Lent begin? Why do we put on ashes
Ash Wednesday is this week
why, do we put on ashes on ash Wednesday?
ashes are a sign of remembrance.

Palms are burned from palm Sunday – joy changes to sorrow.
The Bible tells us that we came from the dust and to the dust we shall return. ...
These ashes are also a sign of repentance.
Ashes are a symbol of repentance & signs that we seek to follow in God's path.

What do we experience on ash Wednesday?
quiet entrance

Opportunity to give to emergency relief

Card with instructions…….on instructions on the wall

Pray.  Ashes.  communion
a chance for repentance – are you willing to repent of your sin and follow

Q: What are appropriate activities for ordinary days during Lent?
A: Prayer, Repentance, Mercy, [I reject this – should do all the time ]

Giving something up

A conversation between a father and his 10-year-old son, illustrates the problem in our attitude toward Lent. The father was attempting to explain to his young son the necessity for giving up something for Lent. Dad suggested that the lad give up candy.
Quizzed by the boy about this kind of religiosity and what it would bring, the father replied that It will improve your character. You'll be a better person on Easter Sunday if you give up candy. After all, your mother and I have given up liquor for Lent.
The boy then said: That's funny Dad. I saw you and mother having a drink before dinner last night. The father replied, That was wine. We gave up hard liquor.
The lad countered, Oh, that's good. I'll give up hard candy.

I gave up diet coke.  During lent im only going to drink coke zero

What might you give up if you were serious?
Sports? Tv? Children’s activities

We should not give up things that we should give up anyway
We should give things up because it helps us think about god [like fasting]
its not about no diet coke. We shouldn’t think about no diet coke
It is about this loss makes me think about God

and so here are some - suggestions for your lent

give something up
1“Cut back on work.” Whatever is taking the most time in your life, pare back on it so that you can find the quiet time [lack of quiet #1 issue in american life]

2.take better care of yourself – that is a spiritual exercise to take care - sleep more

3. if you are not engaged in acts of mercy, this is the time to start

4. “Have a heart-to-heart with God.” Go for a walk. Spend some time in quiet

5.  find a radical lent question….to ask yourself

        How can I think of you more God?

        How can I live for you more God?

        who can I care about for you God?

yet isn’t this what we should be doing all the time…

and so

Lent…….take time to consider the suffering of Jesus and your condition
You cannot apologize or even understand your shortcomings unless you spend some time to consider them and repent of them.

There is no Easter without lent
No resurrection without death
If there were no darkness, there would be no need for light
There is no understanding without contemplation

And being lost can lead to the wonderful experience of being found

As we begin lent, lets make time to consider the suffering of - lord Jesus Christ.
He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world

Opening the Door to Hope: The Journey Begins, 1 John 1:5 - 2:2, 03/02/14

March 2  the journey begins.  What is lent.  Why we do it.  1 jn 1:5-2:2

 

⁵ This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. ⁷ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all^[b] sin. ⁸ If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.  My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. ² He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

This Wednesday we begin the longest Christian holiday

Lent is a time to consider the suffering of Jesus
and so the scripture says - He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world

Lent is about the journey of self discovery
Lent asks the question
Where is god-Where are we-Where do we meet
Lent calls for self examination- it calls us to look at our selves

Lent is the annual reminder to remember that it is not about us
Often we think we have arrive- we can get kind of smug
When in fact we haven’t even got on board for the process yet

Let calls us to leave the areas of superficial spirituality & give ourselves to god
Lent includes struggle, moving along the road, hard choices needed for meaning

 

Amazing people- I was thinking the other day about the amazing people that I am surrounded by in this life… brave people who are working on who they are

Lent asks the hard question - Are you willing to repent of your sin

Sermons in this series will include
Temptation, prayer, devotion, forgiveness and crucifixion

Lent is the time Time to consider the suffering of Christ, repent and identify with Christ
as the scripture says - He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world

if we had 20 questions regarding lent…..

1Q: What is Lent?
A:Historically, Lent is the forty day period before Easter, excluding Sundays, it began on Ash Wednesday and ended on Holy Saturday (the day before Easter Sunday).
2Q: Why are Sundays excluded from the reckoning of the forty days?
A: Because Sunday is the day on which Christ arose, its inappropriate day to fast and mourn our sins. On Sunday we must celebrate Christ’s resurrection

3Q: Q. Why are the forty days called Lent?
A: They are called Lent because that is the Old English word for spring, the season of the year during which they fall.  In most other cultures, lent is called Quadragesima, from the latin for “the forty days.”
4Q: Why is Lent forty days long?
A: Because forty days is a traditional number of discipline, devotion, and preparation in the Bible.
Moses stayed on the Mountain of God forty days (Exodus 24:18 and 34:28),
the spies were in the land for forty days (Numbers 13:25),
Elijah traveled forty days before he reached the cave where he had his vision
Nineveh was given forty days to repent (Jonah 3:4),
Jesus spent forty days in wilderness praying and fasting (Matthew 4:2).
5Q: how long has this been going on?
Since 400 ad- Constantine’s conversion 312
6Q: When does Lent begin? Why do we put on ashes?
A: Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, which is the day on which they faithful have their foreheads signed with ashes in the form of a Cross

Ash Wednesday is this week
why, do we put on ashes on ash Wednesday?

ashes are a sign of remembrance.

The Bible tells us that we came from the dust and to the dust we shall return. ...
Ashes also are a symbol of repentance & signify that we seek to follow God's path.
Palms are burned from palm Sunday – joy changes to sorrow.

What do we experience on ash Wednesday?
quiet entrance

Opportunity to give to emergency relief

Card with instructions…….

Pray.  Ashes.  communion
a chance for repentance – are you willing to repent of your sin and follow

2 extremes of repentance – those who don’t, and those who keep beating themselves up

Garrison Keillor writes about Larry, a resident of the fictional town of Lake Wobegon. Larry was saved 12 times at the Lutheran Church, an all-time record for a church that never gave altar calls. There wasn't even an organ playing "Just As I Am Without One Plea" in the background. Regardless of that, between 1953 and 1961, Larry Sorenson came forward 12 times, weeping buckets and crumpled up at the communion rail, to the shock of the minister, who had delivered a dry sermon on stewardship. But now he needed to put his arm around this person, pray with him and be certain he had a way to get home. "Even we fundamentalists got tired of him," Keillor writes. God didn't mean for you to feel guilty all your life. There comes a time when you should dry your tears and join the building committee and grapple with the problems of the church furnace and the church roof. But Larry just kept repenting and repenting.--Garrison Keillor, Leaving Home

yet All of us need to repent –
At the funeral of Tsar Nicholas II, who was buried in 1998- 80 years after he and his family were murdered by Bolshevik zealots, Russian President Boris Yeltsin noted the necessity of national repentance for the crimes against the Romanov family. "We want to expiate the sins of our ancestors," he said. "Guilty are those who committed this heinous crime, and those who have been justifying it for decades - all of us."  Yeltzin was making the point that everyone was complicent.

and so it is true:  We are all complicent in the death of jesus in the rejection of God

Repentance means – more than being sorry. It means…..turning around
• I want to be a better father
• I want to be a better driver

every year pastors are asked about Giving up something for lent
John Smith was the only Protestant to move into a large Catholic neighborhood. On the first Friday of Lent, John was outside grilling a big juicy steak on his grill.
Meanwhile, all of his neighbors were eating cold tuna fish for supper. This went on each Friday of Lent. On the last Friday of Lent, the neighborhood men got together and decided that something had to be done about John. He was tempting them to eat meat each Friday of Lent, and they couldn’t take it anymore.
They decided to try and convert John to Catholicism. They went over and talked to him. John decided to join all of his neighbors and become a Catholic, which made them all very happy.
They took him to church, and the priest sprinkled some water over him, and said, “You were born a Baptist, you were raised a Baptist, and now you are a Catholic.”
The men were so relieved, now their biggest Lenten temptation was resolved. The next year’s Lenten season rolled around. The first Friday of Lent came, and, just at supper time, when the neighborhood was settling down to their cold tuna fish dinner, the smell of steak cooking on a grill came wafting into their homes. The neighborhood men could not believe their noses! What was going on?!
They called each other up and decided to meet over in John’s yard to see if he had forgotten it was the first Friday of Lent. The group arrived just in time to see John standing over his grill with a small pitcher of water. He was sprinkling some water over his steak on the grill, saying, “You were born a cow, you were raised a cow, and now you are a fish.”

a father was talking to his ten year old son -attempting to explain to his young son the necessity for giving up something for Lent. In fact, the father went beyond the nondirective method of parenting to suggest that the lad give up candy.
Quizzed by the boy about this kind of religiosity and what it would bring, the father replied that It will improve your character. You'll be a better person on Easter Sunday if you give up candy. After all, your mother and I have given up liquor for Lent.
The boy then said: That's funny Dad. I saw you and mother having a drink before dinner last night. The father replied, That was wine. We gave up hard liquor.
The lad countered, Oh, that's good. I'll give up hard candy.

Rules about giving things up….
1We should not give up things that we should give up anyway
2what we choose to give up, the giving up is not about their loss- its not about no diet coke. We shouldn’t think about no diet coke

3We should give things up because it helps us think about god
the loss of the thing, the suffering points me toward thinking of God

What might you give up if you were serious?
Sports? Tv? Children’s activities

and so here are some - suggestions for your lent

give something up
1“Cut back on work.” Whatever is taking the most time in your life, pare back on it so that you can find the quiet time

2.sleep more

3.take better care of yourself – that is a spiritual exercise to take care

4if you are not engaged in acts of mercy, this is the time to start

5“Have a heart-to-heart with God.” Go for a walk. Spend some time in quiet

6/ find a radical lent question….to ask yourself

·        How can I think of you more God?

·        How can I live for you more God?

·        who can I care about for you God?

yet isn’t this what we should be doing all the time…

Lent…….take time to consider the suffering of Jesus and your condition
You cannot apologize or even understand your shortcomings unless you spend some time to consider them and repent of them.

and so

There is no Easter without lent
No resurrection without death
If there were no darkness, there would be no need for light
There is no understanding without contemplation

And being lost can lead to the wonderful experience of being found

 

Lent is like going home

When cathy travelled

The tsunami movie “the impossible”

There is a great reunion at the end

As we begin lent, lets make time to consider the suffering of - lord Jesus Christ.
as the scripture says “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world”

 

Stories Jesus Told; Seeds and Yeast - Matthew 13:31-33 02-14-10

Ash Wednesday is this week!

Stories Jesus told: Seeds and yeast -Mt 13:31-33 2-14-2010

31He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches."
33He told them still another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount[b] of flour until it worked all through the dough."

Ash Wednesday is this week

Jesus makes it simple and clear
The nature of the kingdom is simple and clear
When you hear people making it complicated, watch out
Some latest fad, some latest teaching
There is nothing new under the sun
The simple loving grace of God beckons humans

1. In the kingdom of heaven
The seed becomes a tree
a.that is its purpose
there is a genetic code inside of it that calls it to be
Its what we do
Olathe oak
We hold each other up, we provide shade
b.It takes time
Be patient with yourself

Number of people that I talk to that are down on themselves….
Beating down one’s self because you don’t feel spiritual
Feelings of spirituality are fleeting
True spirituality makes a person humble, useable by god
When you start to feel real spiritual, you better watch out
Get acclimated to feeling unworthy-this is characteristic of the saints
Be patient with yourself.

Fruits and seeds
A woman dreamed that she walked into a brand new shop in the marketplace and, to her great surprise, found God behind the counter.
"What do you sell here?" she asked.
"Everything your heart desires," replied God.
"That is just wonderful," said the woman. "If that is so, I want peace of mind and love and wisdom and happiness and freedom from fear."
And, after a moment, she added, "Not just for me. For everyone on earth."
God smiled and said. "I think you have me wrong. We don't sell fruits here. Only seeds."

Don’t worry about being a genius….
Do you think the disciples were spiritual geniuses
share Gods love and put yourself in a position to grow.

This is a miracle

2. In the kingdom of heaven
The leaven acts on you, the dough
A little bit at a time
The love of god interacts with those places that are hard to get to
The innermost places of your heart
You change a little at a time, just like a big ship
Look back on your life- are you more gracious than you used to be? Are there things that used to bother you but now they don’t?

Story – illustration: a Time when I was acted on by another.
The words of my father act on me a little bit at a time
Jeff you talk too much
The words of a favorite professor, inscribed in my heart and mind, speak to me for my entire life and call me to change

But pastor, I have an Amazing story of conversion?
Yes but it still takes time for you to apply what happened to your life. For you to understand it.
The holy spirit acts on you a little bit at a time.

3.In the kingdom of heaven
You are the leaven, acting on others
Don’t have to close the sale
Jesus did not say the kingdom is like a person with a hammer
The kingdom is like a person with a guillotine
The kingdom is like yeast-acting on others
Sneak in, show up, be there.

Have you made an impact on the life of someone else?
How did it happen?

You are an active agent in the hands of a living god
You are the seed that becomes a tree

The great danger of life is that we will tire from our tasks, our purposes, our energy will wain – no matter how amped we are about something – time takes its toll.

The great Russian writer Solzhenitsyn, now self-exiled in Vermont, writing on the difference between communist countries and democratic America: "In the United States, the difficulties are not a Minotaur or a dragon - not imprisonment, hard labor, death, government harassment and censorship - but cupidity, boredom, sloppiness, indifference. Not the acts of a mighty, all-pervading repressive government but the failure of a listless public to make use of the freedom that is its birthright."

If you are a seed-
Where is your passion.
What is that which God has put inside of you?
Where is the point where your heart meets thee needs of others
An agent has a power, a dream, a persistence.

Do you see yourself as overwhelmed? Are you self focused? Does your ego get in the way of the cause? Do you do what you do out of obligation? Would you rather just maintain the status quo then risk effective change – or

Are you in touch with your passion? When we are, we possess enthusiasm and energy. You concentrate on your life purpose. You lead out with a surrendered ego. You have a clear vision. You are willing to take risks. You are confident.

Years ago the kids used to sing, I am a promise, a possibility

conclusion
Daffodil bulbs that came to life

Seeds dormant for 200 500 1800 years can come to life
You are a force, a power, an active agent in the hands of a living god

The Uncounted Denials - Matthew 18:1-11 March 4, 2001

Sermon 3-4-01 the uncounted denials Mt 18:1-11


Prayer for the Day
Those moments when ugly is just hanging out all over you
Unloading on someone
6th grade girls basketball

Scripture today … Judas as the traitor
Peter offers his first denial [tho uncounted]
Normally we think of peter as the three-denial guy
Peter denies, Jesus, rooster crows, peter weeps
Many ways we deny him in daily life
No rooster crows, no one weeps.

Questions that someone might want to ask/directly denying Christ
1. do you go to church
2. are you a Christian
3. will you renounce your faith in Christ
4. do you believe that Jesus Christ is the savior
Questions where we secretly deny Christ
Denying the teachings & principles of Christ [love me, love my teachings]
1. Do you turn the other cheek
2. Do you return evil for evil
3. if asked about church do you respond mealy-mouthed
4. do you spend more time teaching kids sports that Christ
5. do you say we believe in prayer, but do not pray
6. do we say we believe in love, but act in self centered ways
7. do you say u believe in the eternal, but stuck on the worldly
Are we fulfilling our potential?
If we forget who we are, this place is just a building
Hell begins when we see what we could have been
What is God's intention for us?
What could we do if we gave our best to Christ?

Jesus reminds peter, Jesus reminds us………….
Should I not drink the cup of my father?
Age 12 I must be about my fathers business

Forgiveness … Peter gets to see the worst of himself, yet he is forgiven
Here is the good news

Nothing broken beyond repair

I won the spiritual lottery

Ash Wednesday
As clean as you get
Sins as from the east to the west
Bottom of who you are

We turn our back on him in little ways every day
Jesus never turns his back on us
There is always a way home



Dear Lord,
My heart is filled with love for you today.
I am at peace within my soul
SO FAR TODAY I'VE DONE ALL RIGHT.
I HAVEN'T GOSSIPED.
I HAVEN'T LOST MY TEMPER.
I HAVEN'T BEEN GREEDY,
GRUMPY, NASTY, SELFISH, OR
OVERINDULGENT.
BUT IN A FEW MINUTES Lord,
I'M GOING TO GET OUT OF BED
AND FROM THEN ON I'M PROBABLY GOING
TO NEED A LOT OF HELP. AMEN.