http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons The weekly sermons and announcements from the Bear Creek United Methodist Church. Tue, 07 Sep 2010 16:57:12 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 en hourly 1 © webmaster@bcumc.org () webmaster@bcumc.org() 1440 The weekly sermons and announcements from the Bear Creek United Methodist Church. webmaster@bcumc.org No no http://www.bcumc.org/Photos/RSSart.jpg http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons 144 144 http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2010/09/01/when-down-is-up/ http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2010/09/01/when-down-is-up/#comments Wed, 01 Sep 2010 02:31:31 +0000 johnl http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/?p=1619 http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2010/09/01/when-down-is-up/feed/ 00:01:01 David Orendorffnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Luke 14:1, 7-14nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; August 29, 2010 As usual, Jesus is counter intuitive.nbsp; Common wisdom says that if you want to get ahead then try ... David Orendorffnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Luke 14:1, 7-14nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; August 29, 2010 As usual, Jesus is counter intuitive.nbsp; Common wisdom says that if you want to get ahead then try your best to move up to the head table where you will be noticed by the right people.nbsp; But Jesus says go to a lower table, someplace humble, and serve him (Jesus) from there.nbsp; Jesus makes no sense on how we are taught to advance ourselves. In Jesus day much of social behavior was regulated by a set of honor codes.nbsp; The codes around dining were particularly clear. Where one sat determined ones status and future.nbsp; Those who sat near the host at the head of the table were the most honored.nbsp; Those at the foot of the table were the least honored.nbsp; The most honored dined first and ate best; the least honored dined last and had leftovers.nbsp; Even the conversation was ordered by the honor code.nbsp; The most honored guests chose the topic and their opinion was the most important. For Jesus to be invited to dinner with a leader of the Pharisees and his esteemed guests of lawyers meant Jesus was being honored.nbsp; And that Jesus was seated with the host and in the course of the meal led the discussion with his story/parable was even a greater honor.nbsp;nbsp; That he challenged their choosing the privileged seating was rude and highly offensive. We have strong remnants of this honor code in our own culture.nbsp; For great, formal dinners, dinners with distinguished guests, great care is given to who will sit where and with whom.nbsp; It is a privilege to be seated at the head table with the keynote speaker.nbsp; Those who are seated to the edges, to the back of the room and by the kitchen door have been clearly told their place in the pecking order. Even in our casual dinner parties some care is given to who is invited and who will sit where.nbsp; By the seat assigned we know our place.nbsp; When we find ourselves at the low end of the table it is human to want to move up.nbsp; And so thoughts of how we might find our way near to the head table naturally occur.nbsp; The advice we are most often given, if we desire to be upwardly mobile, is to network with others, particularly others who might help us move up.nbsp; These connections are meant to advance our careers and our contacts.nbsp; It is advice I have given to those seeking jobs.nbsp; It is not Jesus' advice. Not only have I given advice contrary to Jesus' way, I have lived contrary to Jesus' way.nbsp; Fortunately, and sometimes harshly, God has a way of returning me to the path.nbsp; When I started ministry I was in three very small congregations.nbsp; By making contacts and pleasing the right people I moved up to a larger single congregation and then a quite large congregation.nbsp; By hard work and pleasing the right people I moved from committee membership to committee chair.nbsp; I was feeling pretty important because now I sometimes sat at the head table with Bishops. Then through a series of events it came crashing down.nbsp; A self inflated ego led me down a way that departed from Jesus and instead of being humble to accept the help offered (and needed), I, with pride, said I could handle it myself.nbsp; I couldn't and ended up at odds with a co-pastor, two of three District Superintendents and the Bishop.nbsp; Not only was my appointment in jeopardy, but those above me wanted me gone.nbsp; I was being booted from the head table. As is my custom when confronted by something, and this felt very big, I went on a silence retreat under spiritual direction; and I prayed, studied and consulted my closest soul friends.nbsp; In my prayers I was confronted by the last line of today's scripture, "For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."nbsp; And instead of thinking it was about those with whom I had crossed, I understood it was about me.nbsp; God also gave me Psa... Sermons webmaster@bcumc.org no No http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2010/09/01/sermon-august-22-2010/ http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2010/09/01/sermon-august-22-2010/#comments Wed, 01 Sep 2010 02:27:47 +0000 johnl http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/?p=1618 http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2010/09/01/sermon-august-22-2010/feed/ 00:01:01 Sermon August 22, 2010 The weekly sermons and announcements from the Bear Creek United Methodist Church. Sermons webmaster@bcumc.org no No http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2010/08/16/it-is-god%e2%80%99s-good-pleasure-to-give-us-the-kingdom/ http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2010/08/16/it-is-god%e2%80%99s-good-pleasure-to-give-us-the-kingdom/#comments Mon, 16 Aug 2010 17:22:35 +0000 Bonnie http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/?p=1607 http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2010/08/16/it-is-god%e2%80%99s-good-pleasure-to-give-us-the-kingdom/feed/ 00:01:01 David Orendorffnbsp;nbsp; Luke 12:32-34nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; August 15, 2010 Today's scripture is obviously about divine pleasure, human fear and our possessions (or what we assume is ours). I ... David Orendorffnbsp;nbsp; Luke 12:32-34nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; August 15, 2010 Today's scripture is obviously about divine pleasure, human fear and our possessions (or what we assume is ours). I think the most striking content of the first verse is that it is Abba's pleasure to give us the kingdom. Abba does not give the kingdom to us begrudgingly. Nor does Abba give the kingdom to us because we have earned it. Abba gives the kingdom to us because to do so gives Abba good pleasure. This should alleviate our fears before God and life. But sadly, even the best of us sometimes fears, and in our fear we turn from Abba to stuff, forgetting that it is Abba who gives and sustains our lives and not us, and certainly not our stuff. Last week I talked about God, us and our possessions as well. And no, we are not in the midst of a stewardship campaign, though we are in need of a fusion of funds through the long, financially dry summer. I am preaching on our stuff again for three reasons: I am a lectionary preacher and this scripture is the one assigned for today by the international and interdenominational committee; More importantly, because Jesus preached about how the love of stuff is the most serious impediment to a healthy trust of God and is a serious threat to the quality of our relationships, and is the thief of true joy. And I am preaching about God and stuff because I am committed to preaching even from the words I wish Jesus hadn't said. What good is it to seek meaning in God's word only when it's comfortable? Jesus obviously thought confronting the false god named stuff was important. Misuse of wealth is one of the few things for which Jesus has no tolerance and which even makes him angry. Good stewardship, the right attitude and the right use of God's creation, is at the very center of Jesus' teachings. When I first began to work on this sermon I had nothing to say. I prayed my usual prayer and waited for a day or two before optimistically writing, "Dear God, give me words to comfort the weary." Usually, after having studied and meditated on the scripture for a week, an outline flows. But by the Wednesday when I should have been done with a draft and on to polishing, there was no outline, no idea, nothing but silence. So after sitting in the silence and fearing I would have no sermon, I prayed again. God, for 30 years you have told me what to say and helped me say it. What would you have me tell your children? What would you say to me? I held my pencil over my writing tablet, waiting. Then I simply wrote the words that came. Here they are, unedited: Tell them this: I am everything they need. I am the fruit of the earth. I am breathing in and breathing out. I am love itself. All other things are false gods that will destroy. Only my love can save. And in my love I give myself freely. You can have it all. All means all. What you truly need is yours, all of it. You need bread for your table? I give it to you. You need love for your heart? I give it to you. You need health? I give it to you, even in and beyond death. I am your greatest treasure. Though everything is Abba's, Abba chooses to freely give us the kingdom. We don't have to be afraid. We can be generous. We can make the treasure of our hearts the love of God and not the stuff from God. In the fear of life we have been trained to think our salvation and the kingdom lie in the stuff of life, the things and status that make us rich and respected. But this treasure is false and leads us to hell. Oddly, Jesus has the sociologists on his side. In 1956 a survey was done which measured two things; how much stuff we had and how happy we were. Forty years later, in 1996, the same survey was repeated. And though we had twice as much stuff, we were half as happy-twice as much stuff and half as happy. Other research by the Pew Memorial Trust reveals these startling statistics. Ninety percent of divorcees say there were battles over mon... Sermons webmaster@bcumc.org no No http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2010/08/02/pastors-message-for-sunday-august-1/ http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2010/08/02/pastors-message-for-sunday-august-1/#comments Mon, 02 Aug 2010 20:42:11 +0000 Bonnie http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/?p=1599 http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2010/08/02/pastors-message-for-sunday-august-1/feed/ 00:01:01 David Orendorffnbsp;nbsp; Luke 12:13-21nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; August 1, 2010 When my children were small, they played together well most of the time. But sometimes Vickie or I would ... David Orendorffnbsp;nbsp; Luke 12:13-21nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; August 1, 2010 When my children were small, they played together well most of the time. But sometimes Vickie or I would hear a yell and one of the children would come running to us and say, "Daddy, make her give it to me." Sound familiar? It is the early form of being covetous, desiring for yourself what another has. I can't play innocent about being covetous. The cry of my children has been my cry. I had two brothers and a sister who were all within a year or two of each other in age. My brothers and I sometimes fought over a toy. In frustration and anger, in a sense of being terribly wronged, we would yell at my parents, "Make him give it to me." They say girls mature faster than boys. My sister had a more sophisticated system for gaining what she wanted. Instead of fighting with us, she simply told us a favorite TV show was on. She would say, "Hop-a-Long Cassidy is on," and we would head for the TV and she would have what she wanted. And by family rules she could keep it. Such desire to get what another has and what we want is what the brother asks of Jesus. He is saying, "Jesus, make my brother give it to me." Do we outgrow this? Sadly, covetous desires haunt us as adults. We want our fair share of stuff. And often, the more we have the more we want. I once buried a woman whose family was an extreme case of "I want it." The family was two sisters and a brother. One of the sisters died. The two remaining children, in their seventies, began to fight over who would get what, each desiring to have what the other wanted. Finally, the sister gave some stuff up but carefully kept her resentment and anger. When her brother was ready to leave for the long trip home to Florida, she helped him pack. In her anger she packed a bunch of homemade garlic sausage into his suitcase, then took a fork and punched holes in the packaging so that the garlic and grease saturated everything in the suitcase. At heart we can still be children fighting for ours. The coming of death makes us face the truth about ourselves. The farmer whose abundant harvest led him to build more barns is confronted by his life when it is time to die. In the face of death, when he really can't take it with him, what is his life now worth? How did he serve God with the gifts of God? What about the children of the village who are hungry? He could have fed them. What about the families who are without shelter? Maybe he could have built a home instead of a new barn. He could have known the true and eternal joy of a generous heart, but he kept his to himself. He built more barns and stored the grain. The threat of death, whether it is today or 50 years from now, causes us to question how we are spending our lives. Has my living meant anything good? Henri Nouwen, in writing of his mother's dying, says this: Mother had told me not just once, but often, that she was afraid to die. Many people will say the same, but mother meant something very concrete, very specific, very unambiguous. Three weeks before her death she said to me, "I am afraid to die, not to go to the hospital, not to undergo surgery, not to suffer pain. I am afraid to appear before God and show him my life."[1] When we consider our lives in the face of meeting God, we naturally consider how we have spent the gifts God has so generously gifted to us. I pray it is not because we believe God might punish us, but because God has so generously loved us. If we have but the smallest modicum of self awareness, we are ashamed, perhaps even afraid, that we cannot explain how we could have had so much and lived so poorly. Like the rich man, we have all this stuff. So much stuff we have to get larger garages, build yard sheds and rent storage units. God has made us rich so that we might do great good and, instead, we have a tendency to build new barns. We have the chance to live like Jesus, generous in all things, and we... Sermons webmaster@bcumc.org no No http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2010/07/30/1593/ http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2010/07/30/1593/#comments Sat, 31 Jul 2010 04:55:03 +0000 johnl http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/?p=1593 http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2010/07/30/1593/feed/ 00:01:01 Message by Terri Stewartnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Sunday, July 25, 2010 Message by Terri Stewartnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Sunday, July 25, 2010 Sermons webmaster@bcumc.org no No http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2010/07/30/the-shadow-knows/ http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2010/07/30/the-shadow-knows/#comments Sat, 31 Jul 2010 04:51:57 +0000 johnl http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/?p=1591 http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2010/07/30/the-shadow-knows/feed/ 00:01:01 Message by Terri Stewartnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Sunday, July 18, 2010 Message by Terri Stewartnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Sunday, July 18, 2010 Sermons webmaster@bcumc.org no No http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2010/07/30/godly-play/ http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2010/07/30/godly-play/#comments Sat, 31 Jul 2010 04:44:56 +0000 johnl http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/?p=1590 http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2010/07/30/godly-play/feed/ 00:01:01 Presented by Terri Stewartnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Sunday, July 11, 2010 Presented by Terri Stewartnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Sunday, July 11, 2010 Sermons webmaster@bcumc.org no No http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2010/07/03/for-ise-still-goin-honey/ http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2010/07/03/for-ise-still-goin-honey/#comments Sat, 03 Jul 2010 14:45:17 +0000 johnl http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/?p=1576 http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2010/07/03/for-ise-still-goin-honey/feed/ 00:01:01 David Orendorffnbsp;nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Luke 9:51-56nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; June 27, 2010 Frank Dane once wrote, "It is not necessary to have enemies if you go out of your way to ... David Orendorffnbsp;nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Luke 9:51-56nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; June 27, 2010 Frank Dane once wrote, "It is not necessary to have enemies if you go out of your way to make friends hate you."[1] The Hebrews and Samaritans had once been friends, had been family and one faith worshiping the same God, now they were friends become enemies.nbsp; The Samaritans had so intermarried with foreigners that they were not really Hebrews; they had given up the true religion of Yahweh for idols; and, on more than one occasion, they had joined with the enemies of Jerusalem.nbsp; The Hebrews, for their part, shunned the Samaritans and persecuted them whenever they got the chance. We lightly glide over the information that on their way from Galilee to Jerusalem "they entered a village of the Samaritans." The first hearers would have understood immediately and viscerally that Jesus and his disciples had walked into the home of long time enemies asking for open hospitality, for food and lodging. The reaction of the Samaritan village to Jesus and his disciples, and of James and John to the village was predictable, all too typical and has a long history in the conflict of the Holy Land In fact, the very words of James and John to call down fire and destruction are an echo of words from the mouth of Elijah.nbsp; You can read the whole story in the first Chapter of II Kings.nbsp; The short version is: King Ahaziah of Israel fell out his window, was injured and sent messengers to ask the god Baalzebub for help.nbsp; The prophet Elijah intercepted the messengers and told them to warn Ahaziah that if he worships Baalzebub he will die.nbsp; The king then sent 50 soldiers to find Elijah but Elijah answered them with, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty."nbsp; The fire came and they were consumed.nbsp; A little later Ahaziah died in bed.nbsp; And that is how we can be when we think we are men or women of God, that is, when we think we are in the right and the other is clearly wrong we think about and sometimes do, call down fire. An early copyist/editor takes a different slant and adds these words to Jesus' response, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of; for the Son of Man came not to destroy lives but to save them."nbsp; There is an important shift of thought here.nbsp; The editor is making it clear that things are not as they were in the old days.nbsp; In this new day of Jesus, God seeks not to destroy life, but to save life and that humans, no matter who is right and who is wrong, are called to not destroy but to save life. We Christians are challenged to have a new mind and way when we are confronted by the inevitable conflict among us and around us.nbsp; We are called to find ways of forgiveness, reconciliation and peace.nbsp; Not because we are perfect, but because we have invited Jesus and the Holy Spirit to dwell as the love of God within and among us.nbsp; And because we have decided to follow Jesus God works the miracle of healing love in us. And when one of us fails or falls another is raised up. Margaret Wheatley writes: I recently learned from my son's fifth grade teacher that the largest known living organism on the planet lives in Utah, where we now live.nbsp; My son got excited and thought it was Bigfoot, but it's not.nbsp; It's a grove of aspen trees that covers thousands of acres.nbsp; When we look at them we think, 'Oh, look at all the trees."nbsp; When botanists looked underground they said, "Oh, look at this system, it's all one.nbsp; This is one organism."nbsp; You see, when aspen trees propagate, they don't send out seeds or cones, they send out runners, and a runner runs for the light (there's wonderful imagery in all of this), and we say, "Aha! There's another tree..." until we look underground, and we see that it is all one vast connection.[2] We are all one, Hebrew and Samaritan, connected just below... Sermons webmaster@bcumc.org no No http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2010/06/26/some-neighbors-are-afraid/ http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2010/06/26/some-neighbors-are-afraid/#comments Sat, 26 Jun 2010 14:44:45 +0000 johnl http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/?p=1573 http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2010/06/26/some-neighbors-are-afraid/feed/ 113:42 David Orendorffnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Luke 8:26-39nbsp; June 20, 2010 From its roots those who have decided to follow Jesus at Bear Creek have believed we are called to ... David Orendorffnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Luke 8:26-39nbsp; June 20, 2010 From its roots those who have decided to follow Jesus at Bear Creek have believed we are called to be like Jesus and to answer the simple question, "What would our Rabbi say and do?" And I believe Jesus would say to us that the kingdom of heaven is like unto a seat belt. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-8PBx7isoM That is one of the most popular YouTube videos of this past week.nbsp; As disciples of Jesus we are called to be like Jesus and when life is an accident happening, to be a seat belt for each other. Now here is the hard part, not everyone was pleased with Jesus' embrace of the demoniac. The scripture says that when the people of Gerasene found the demoniac sitting peaceful at Jesus' feet, clothed and in his right mind, they were afraid.nbsp; And two verses later it continues, "Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear."[1] The scripture doesn't tell us why the Gerasenes were so afraid when Jesus embraced the demoniac.nbsp; We could speculate but that would be guessing.nbsp; And likewise we don't know why some of our neighbors don't like us embracing the homeless. We have tried to know and answer their fears.nbsp; We met with, asked and listened more than once prior to our neighborhood informational meeting.nbsp; Then at the meeting we addressed with outside experts and our own preparations the concerns we had heard.nbsp; At the meeting we opened the floor to additional questions. Some neighbors were comforted.nbsp; Several neighbors came up afterwards, thanked us, promised support or signed up to volunteer.nbsp; But the most amazing transformation for me came from a woman who within the first few minutes of the meeting was yelling at me that this was a waste of time.nbsp; I had previously said the fundamental value by which we would treat each other was to "do unto others as you would have them do unto you."nbsp;nbsp; So I yelled at her asking her if she wanted me to yell at her.nbsp; She said she didn't care.nbsp; I was struck silent and then said rudely, "That is rude."nbsp; The exchange seemed to help quiet the room and for me to regain control of the agenda, but I didn't feel good about it. Later, when almost everyone was gone Don Robson, Vickie and I were in the parking lot talking.nbsp; A car drove up and rolled its window down.nbsp; It was the woman with whom I had exchanged yelling.nbsp; She told me she had changed her mind and that she was mostly comfortable with TC4 being at Bear Creek.nbsp; But she was still concerned with the TC4 security folks patrolling the neighborhood.nbsp; She continued that she had been thinking of organizing a Neighborhood Watch, did I think Kent Baxter (the former Chief of Police for Woodinville, now with the King County Sheriff's department and one of the panel) would help her?nbsp; And did I think that the security folks of TC4 would cooperate and coordinate with a Neighborhood Watch group.nbsp; For a second time she made me speechless.nbsp; Finally I said yes, Kent would help, and I didn't know what the TC4 security folks would say but I would be glad to help her ask them, and that we would love to help her start a Neighborhood Watch. We talked some more about dogs (she had two small ones in her car) and then she left.nbsp; God is amazing. And there is more.nbsp; Joan Thorson was at Annual Conference this week chaperoning the pages.nbsp; She and I were having lunch and I told her the story.nbsp; She said she knew the woman and was totally amazed that such a thing could happen.nbsp; I asked her if she wouldn't go to the woman, tell her that I had said she wanted to start a Neighborhood Watch and could we help.nbsp; And Joan, even knowing this might be risky, said yes. So a woman who yelled at me and at whom I yelled now supports us hosting TC4 and we are going to support her in forming a Neighborhood... Sermons webmaster@bcumc.org no No http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2010/06/08/our-children-are-in-trouble-and-we-can-help/ http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2010/06/08/our-children-are-in-trouble-and-we-can-help/#comments Tue, 08 Jun 2010 14:39:44 +0000 johnl http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/?p=1556 http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2010/06/08/our-children-are-in-trouble-and-we-can-help/feed/ 00:01:01 David Orendorffnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Luke 7:11-17nbsp;nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;June 6, 2010 Jesus doesn't just like children or find them to be interesting little miracles, he loves them.nbsp; When his disciples ... David Orendorffnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Luke 7:11-17nbsp;nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;June 6, 2010 Jesus doesn't just like children or find them to be interesting little miracles, he loves them.nbsp; When his disciples want to move the children out of the way Jesus draws the children closer, into his arms and onto his lap. Jesus comes from a long line of Hebrew prophets who love children.nbsp; The prophets Elijah and Elisha also raise dead sons. nbsp;nbsp;While Elijah is staying with a widow in Azrephath her son becomes very ill; so ill that, as the scripture says, "there was not breath left in him."nbsp; Elijah takes the child to his room and placing his body over the boys he prays to God and God breathes life back into the boy.nbsp; Elijah then returns the living boy to his mother saying, "See, your son is alive."[1] There is a similar story told of Elisha.nbsp; A wealthy woman befriends Elijah and thinks of him as a "man of God."nbsp; When he is in the neighborhood he stops by to chat and eat. nbsp;Eventually the woman and her husband built an addition to their home that Elisha would have his own room when he visited.nbsp; In gratitude Elisha asks God to give the couple, who had no children, a son and shortly after the woman gives birth to a boy.nbsp; One day the boy developed a horrible headache, curled up in his mother's lap and died. The woman sought Elisha and finding him she persuaded him to come care for her son.nbsp; When Elisha arrived he, like Elijah, took the son into a room, prayed to God and lay upon the child.nbsp; The child sneezed seven times (expelling evil spirits) and opened his eyes.nbsp; Elisha sent for the woman and when she came said to her, "Take your son."[2] It is within this prophetic tradition of healing children that Jesus ministers.nbsp; So it is as he approaches the little town of Nain, which is about seven miles from Nazareth in Galilee, he encounters a funeral procession on its way to bury a man who is the son of a widow.nbsp; When Jesus saw the widow, undoubtedly left homeless and destitute with the death of her son, he had compassion for her, touched the bier carrying her son's coffin and commanded the man to rise.nbsp; The son sat up and Jesus gave him to his mother, restoring both their lives. Jesus and the prophets are about saving the children.nbsp; It doesn't matter if they are the children of family, friends or strangers; if their names are Ashlyn, Carsten, Ian, Aiden, Emmett, Lucas, John or unknown.nbsp; To be of the Hebrew Christian faith is to have a passion for saving children, all children, from death. There is a precautionary principle often attributed to Native American wisdom which is called the Principle of the Seventh Generation.nbsp; Its advice is to think not of how an action will affect us or even our children, but how it will affect the seventh generation following us.nbsp; The great grandchildren of our great grandchildren are in trouble. I know that what I am about to say may cause some debate.nbsp; I will be available at 11:00 a.m. in Robert's scripture/sermon discussion group for more discussion.nbsp; I believe, however, that though individual aspects of what I am going to say are debatable, the overall picture I paint is frightening enough that we need to pay attention. For most of human history we have basically considered the present needs of only one, two or perhaps three generations.nbsp; This worked well enough when we were a smaller and simpler society, lived shorter life spans and the interconnected systems of the global economy and environment were less complex.nbsp; But now it is not working. Now we have amassed huge personal and governmental debts that will be generations in the paying.nbsp; My retirement as one of the Baby Boomers will likely exhaust the necessary financial resources needed for healthcare and social security. We have environmentally fouled our bed. Take, for example, the oceans.nbsp; There are whole sections of the ocean... Sermons webmaster@bcumc.org no No