Neglected Virtues: Devotion, 7/6/14

forgotten virtues - this is the series –today - devotion

Mt 2:13-23  ¹³ When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” ¹⁴ So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, ¹⁵ where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”^{[c] 16} When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. ¹⁷ Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: ¹⁸ “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children   and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”^{[d] 19} After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt ²⁰ and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.” ²¹ So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. ²² But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, ²³ and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.

4 dead teens in the middle east –

when we think of devotion, we think of love

we shouldn't.  what most of us say about love is not love
- we say I love you but it really means take care of me
- we say I love you but it really means I am lonely
- we say I love you but it really means I don't want to be alone
- or I need financial help or my biological clock is ticking

the word devotion takes us in a different direction – a holy direction

it is much more clear in its meaning -
devotion is determining your true north and staying the course
it is doing the right thing
 

this sermon predisposes that you have done your best to make a thing work as you can

joseph was devoted
devoted to doing the right thing
he was going to put mary away
then he listened to the angel
not all of us listen to God
he takes them to Egypt [long journey- how far] 350 miles
he raises jesus in Nazareth
works as a carpenter

the methodical methods of a carpenter

         when I was in seminary I built decks
Joseph - does not get any publicity in bible
would have won best supporting actor
that's devotion
doing the right thing when you don't need the attention
staying with the program

being devoted to a person is not
I love you
oh, im tired ofyou
im out of here
sometimes we should leave abusive situations
most marriages are thrown away too soon

what does it mean to be devoted to a person
I will care about you
I will care for you
I will serve you
I will forgive you
I will give you grace

being devoted to your church is not this
I like my church
I love my church
oh? im not getting what I want?

im gonna skip
im out of here

sometimes we should leave abusive churches
most churches are thrown away too soon

devotion to a church means
working to make it better
understanding its warts
seeing past the parts that you don't prefer
understanding the value that we have working together
praying instead of complaining
being there - supporting it - advocating for it
pulling weeds, picking up trash, singing in the choir, painting, serving in mission
contributing to the greater good

being devoted to the cause of Jesus Christ

requires us to remember our mission

there are many ways to be off mission

jeff’s not here so I am going home- doesn’t jeff get vacations

holding up one thing over other things

I am only here because I like the gospel choir

My main purpose here is to take care of the flowers

John ortberg- book on shadow mission

All good things but not the main things

our mission is connecting people to jesus
I am going to love god - I am going to love others
I am going to be the hands and feet of jesus
I am going to fight off selfishness and keep at it

I am going to keep loving god - I am going to keep loving others
I am going to keep being the hands and feet of jesus

I am going to live an ethical life
I am going to work on the fruit of the spirit
love joy peace patience goodness kindness gentleness self-control

conclusion
devotion means doing the right thing

In a world of uncertainly

What keeps you grounded

Fear concern, stocks, war, supreme court……what keeps you grounded

What will we do if great gets to be a nickel a loaf?

There are Confused and painful moments in life

The titanic is sinking

Jesus died

Jesus left

Something happens and we experience base worry

The girls friend was killed in a boating accident over the weekend

Combat fear and confusion with devotion

Purpose in the middle of confusion

The right thing to do is the right thing to do

Fighting thru dysfunction to do the right thing

⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 1 tim 4

John evans visited his mom every day for 30 years

To love something truly – keeps us on the positive track

Love keeps us from the worst of ourselves

From hurting others

From being hateful

It keeps our dark side from rising

Devotion means possibly suffering for the thing that you love

Story- john I knew you would come

There is an end to this kind of thinking, but many people never suffer for a cause

Truly loving, being devoted to a thing brings us meaning in life

We find meaning by loving others

What is out there that is worth loving?

A wife, a friend, a child, a cousin, a cause, a dog, a cat, God - God’s children

There is an answer in this life –  it is to love

Not a feeling.  Not depende10321nce. Not attraction.

Generation to generation it does not change

Light of the world, shine on me, love is the answer – England dan/john ford coley

In a world where we seek meaning- to love and be loved is the thing

To love is the pinnacle of life

Love the lord thy god…….on this hangs all the law and the prophets

It is the highest calling of anything that you can do in life

Love is what god does. 

Love is what god is

Try it.  love something.  Be devoted.

To A person, a thing.  A dog.  A cat.   A random child of god

They suddenly are not that random are they?

Opening the Door to Hope: Love & Devotion, Romans 12:9-21, 3/30/14

Sermon 3-30-14 lent –love and devotion    Romans 12:9-21

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰ Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. ¹¹ Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. ¹² Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. ¹³ Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. ¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.^[c] Do not be conceited. ¹⁷ Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. ¹⁸ If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. ¹⁹ Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”^[d] says the Lord. ²⁰ On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
    if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”^[e]

²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good

Love and devotion-

Something we all think about.

A spouse.  A child.  A friend.  A pet.  A job.

Laugh – a job?  Yes devotion to work is very important

Where does one begin such a discussion?

Disclaimer- don’t stay in abusive situations

Don’t hear this sermon and insist on staying where you shouldn’t

Some people are not healthy and they are not going to become healthy

Disclaimer understood?

Disclaimer over

Everyone thinks that they know about love

We have ideas in our head about love

Thoughts about love are good

But as pat starke stays, it doesn’t count if you don’t express it

Loving thoughts and feelings are fine and valuable

But the highest form of love is love that is acted upon

Something must be said or done

“A bell's not a bell 'til you ring it A song's not a song 'til you sing it Love in your heart wasn't put there to stay Love isn't love 'til you give it away!”

Oscar Hammerstein

And so the bible is filled with not just thoughts but action

We like to think of faith as private.

I believe in jesus.  That’s enough

But over and over again we are pointed to act

Paul asks us - - Not just think nice thoughts about your enemy

Love your enemy

Be devoted to one another

Honor one another

Live in harmony

All actions

So love is a decision to care.  To invest.

Brian swanson gave me a book – love does. [author]

Love just does

I am here for you.

It sometimes includes feelings and sometimes it does not

Common misnomer that love is a feeling…… it is so much more

To be devoted to a person place or thing is to keep going back

To reinvest

To habitually be there

Tom cruise in top gun – i'm not leaving my wing man

Keeping the disclaimer in mind

Love recognizes that life has its challenges

Devotion means staying the course………..

Marriage and divorce.

The problem usually is not divorce but marriage for all the wrong reasons

Yet still I believe that too many people throw each other away much too easily

Too many marriages fail because people aren't all in

if you are married your spouse is going to drive you crazy at some point

 

the richard Roberts story

if you are married, your spouse is going to drive you crazy at some point

don't trade the car, don't quit the church, don't get a divorce

as long as you have grace to give, give it with all of your heart

keep working to win the person

Devotion means I am more interesting in loving you than arguing with you

Go home and lose an argument

 Acting and reacting

The rabbi who teaches the angry people to hum taking flight pg 18

 Love is Your ministry for Christ

When we love, its not about us

Those who love play the role of the servant

Love is to give, not to take

Love is something that we can learn about

No excuses

·        I was raised in a dysfunctional home

·        I was poor

·        I was…..whatever

You can choose to change.

I have witnessed big strong men decide to become people of love

The wives are ecstatic

The husbands are pretty happy inside about it too

Its something that we can get better at

When we first begin to do what we call love

Its about beauty

Its about dependence

Love is neither of these

Its an investment, a choice, a commitment

Truly loving people try to improve

Love is like a drug.  When you get the knack of it, you want to do it more and better

Loving people actively work on themselves

I love you, but I am a finished product.  I am what I am

Does that sound like love

Love is a journey toward healthy living

Richard rohr – every decision in life is either based in fear or love

Dysfunction, selfishness, anger, spiteful words = fear based

Caring, forgiving, embracing, seeing the good

Are love based

 Love is the mark of the Christian.  The sign

It trumps doctrine, though healthy teaching is good. Love trumps it.

Love is the core of the best of it

Financial gifts not given in love have a completely different ring to them

Missions work without love are simply good works

Love is the mark of the Christian

 Love is To see into a person’s soul

Someone said- the eyes are a window to the soul

When someone hurts us, it is hard to love

Others are closed, you cant see in

But we are invited to keep trying.  Keep loving.

All of us know of people that we grew to love

People that we were once estranged from, but the relationship healed

Get up close to someone.  Spend some time with them

Let them see that you care

 those who love a thing are willing to suffer for it

viktor frankl.......saw that the Nazis would take Austria. could have left.  his parents had no visas.  he could not leave them.  and so he was sent to auchwitz

the greatest example of love that we have is the love of God who sent jesus

we love him because he first loved us

love the lord your god with all your heart soul mind and strength.  Love your neighbor as yourself

[1 jn 4 7-8]beloved let us love one another

it is the highest form of living

From the movie the notebook

"I am nothing special, of this I am sure. I am a common man with common thoughts and I've led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten, but I've loved another with all my heart and soul, and to me, this has always been enough."

quotes in the book aspire pg 84-85

stories

closer