http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons The weekly sermons and announcements from the Bear Creek United Methodist Church. Fri, 18 May 2012 15:49:12 +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/2012/05/17/2205/ http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2012/05/17/2205/#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 18:40:31 +0000 Bonnie http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/?p=2205 http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2012/05/17/2205/feed/ http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2012/05/17/2204/ http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2012/05/17/2204/#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 18:35:18 +0000 Bonnie http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/?p=2204 http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2012/05/17/2204/feed/ http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2012/05/14/2202/ http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2012/05/14/2202/#comments Mon, 14 May 2012 19:56:43 +0000 Bonnie http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/?p=2202 http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2012/05/14/2202/feed/ 00:01:01 David Orendorff May 13, 2012 In a recent email a friend said to me, ldquo;You seem sad.rdquo; There was no explanation of what made me seem ... David Orendorff May 13, 2012 In a recent email a friend said to me, ldquo;You seem sad.rdquo; There was no explanation of what made me seem sad, just the comment. I think of myself as a generally pretty happy person and the comment made me stop and wonder, ldquo;Am I sad?rdquo; And in my wondering I had to admit that there is sadness in me and that I can easily feel it. ldquo;So,rdquo; I asked ask myself, ldquo;What do I feel sad about?rdquo; And I went over parts of my life. I found much of my sadness has to do with lifersquo;s suffering. There is a personal sadness over some of our family circumstances, like the health of my father. But the greater sadness has to do with the unnecessary and preventable suffering I see around me. There is more than enough food in the world to feed us all but today 33,000 of the worldrsquo;s children will die of hunger, 1 in 5 children in our country donrsquo;t know where their next meal will come from while nearly half the food we have goes into the dumpster. There is enough shelter in the world to house us all but the last King County One Night count in January of 2010 found 8,937 homeless individuals. There is enough money in our system to fund healthcare for all but today someone will enter the emergency room to die because they didnrsquo;t have money for a doctor last week. The list of such unnecessary and preventable suffering is long and when I think on it I feel sad. And I have sadness over the state of human discourse in our nation. For example, according to columnist Rex Huppke there was a recent death that you might have missed. It wasn't an actor, musician or famous politician, but facts. In a piece for the Chicago Tribune, Huppke says facts ndash; things we know to be true ndash; are now dead. He writes that Facts are survived by two brothers, ldquo;Rumor and Innuendo,rdquo; and a sister, ldquo;Emphatic Assertion.rdquo;[1] In his article Huppke reflects on how our public discourse is based almost exclusively on rumor, innuendo and emphatic assertion rather than on facts. I love to read history and know well that the public discourse of our time is no worse, and maybe better, than it has been at other times. I was reflecting on this with our United Methodist Clergy Cluster and Curtis Brown said that he had once heard it said this way, ldquo;Our conversation has always been contentious, but it used to end in civil war.rdquo; Still, when I think about the manner of our national discourse around hot topics, I feel sad. I, like you, could write a long list of reasons to be sad for our world. But then I read Psalm 98: ldquo;O sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things.rdquo; I wonder, when the Psalmist says to sing a new song if she or he is tired of the sad songs. Psalm 98 was probably written during Israelrsquo;s exile to Babylon, a time of great sadness and a questioning of Godrsquo;s faithfulness to his people. In contrast to mourning Godrsquo;s absence, the Psalmist calls Godrsquo;s people to ldquo;Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises.rdquo; And why does the Psalmist think we should be so joyful in singing to God? Because: ldquo;God has done marvelous things.rdquo; ldquo;God has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness.rdquo; ldquo;All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.rdquo; Here is where the cynic, a faithful member of the committee that lives in my head, says, ldquo;What marvelous things. Are not the hungry still dying? What steadfast love and faithfulnessrdquo; Are not the homeless still without shelter? And what victory? Do not tyrants and democracies both still torture and murder? Show me where this God of yours is ending suffering and perhaps I will ldquo;sing a new and joyous songrdquo; with you. The chair of my in head committee calls on Reason, a very dispassionate committee member and asks, ldquo;Do you know anything that will help us to choose between ... Sermons webmaster@bcumc.org no No http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2012/05/10/2201/ http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2012/05/10/2201/#comments Thu, 10 May 2012 21:55:02 +0000 Bonnie http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/?p=2201 http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2012/05/10/2201/feed/ http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2012/05/10/2200/ http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2012/05/10/2200/#comments Thu, 10 May 2012 21:49:13 +0000 Bonnie http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/?p=2200 http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2012/05/10/2200/feed/ http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2012/05/09/the-unfinished-business-of-gods-love/ http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2012/05/09/the-unfinished-business-of-gods-love/#comments Wed, 09 May 2012 15:18:41 +0000 johnl http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/?p=2197 http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2012/05/09/the-unfinished-business-of-gods-love/feed/ 00:01:01 David Orendorffnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; I John 4:7-12nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; May 6, 2012 Why do some people, in the name of God, give up life's comfort and go to the hard ... David Orendorffnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; I John 4:7-12nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; May 6, 2012 Why do some people, in the name of God, give up life's comfort and go to the hard places of the world? One such place was the Pacific Northwest in the 1830s.nbsp; The history of Methodism in the Northwest begins in 1834 when Reverend Jason Lee, a Methodist preacher, arrived in the Oregon territory.nbsp; He came from Independence, Missouri.nbsp; By foot and wagon he crossed the great prairie and the stony mountains (as they called the Rockies).nbsp; When he arrived Oregon was a no-man's land, still being fought for by Great Britain and the United States.nbsp; And it was a no-man's land because it was still mostly wilderness. A classmate of Lee's offers this description: Jason Lee was a large, athletic young man, six feet, three inches in height, with a fully developed frame and a constitution like iron.nbsp; His piety was deep and uniform, and his life, in a very uncommon degree, pure and exemplary.nbsp; In those days of extensive and powerful revivals, I used to observe with what confidence and satisfaction seekers of religion would place themselves under his instruction.nbsp; They regarded him as a righteous man whose prayers availed much; and when there were indications that the Holy Spirit was moving in the heart of the sinner within the circle of his acquaintance, his warm Christian heart would incite him to constant labor until deliverance would be proclaimed to the captive.[1] Jason Lee delivered the first Protestant sermon west of the Rockies on July 27, 1834 and the next day performed his first funeral for a man killed by some Indians.nbsp; Lee was soon followed by other Methodist Missionaries and in 1840 he appointed John P. Richmond to Nisqually, on the Puget Sound. Jason Lee and others came in God's name to what civilized folks called a God forsaken land because the Gospel needed preached.nbsp; They came because they knew that no place and no time is truly "God forsaken."nbsp; They came because they knew that God is in all places and all times.nbsp; These early Methodists meant to awaken the Spirit of God in the people of the Northwest.nbsp; They preached what John had preached in the early second century: Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.nbsp; Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. It is a timeless naming of the Gospel.nbsp; It called the early people of the Northwest, a rough people in a rough land, to reform their lives with the servant love of God known in Jesus.nbsp; Charlie Russell, the great western painter, once wrote of one of the early Montana missionaries, Charles Van Orsdale, or as he was better known, Brother Van: I soon lernt this gospel sharp wasn't workin' no religious roundup.nbsp; He sorta ran a floatin' outfit, crisscrossin' the range, prowlin' for mavericks and strays.nbsp; In two days he was to hold a preachin' in the Utica Hotel at third drink time sharp.nbsp; We helped him round up a herd of cowboys, trappers, bullwhackers, mule skinners, miners, sheepherders, and a holdup man or two.nbsp; Montana had no law yet, so nobody lifted your guns when we bowed our heads.nbsp; When some rounders grew restless, Van burst into that song, "Where Is My Wandering Boy Tonight."nbsp; Tears big as horse turds rolled down many a sunbrown cheek. Brother Van made hard cowboys weep remembering their better selves.nbsp; He reminded them of the God within and in so doing called to them to live for the God without. Those who have joined their lives in the Spirit and in the tradition of Jason Lee, John Richmond and Brother Van, who have brought the love of God to us, bring tears to our eyes as we rediscover how much it is that God loves us, and we rediscover how much love is in us and in our life.nbsp; When we discover God's love for us the next step comes naturally because we also disc... Sermons webmaster@bcumc.org no No http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2012/05/03/2196/ http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2012/05/03/2196/#comments Thu, 03 May 2012 21:37:36 +0000 Bonnie http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/?p=2196 http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2012/05/03/2196/feed/ http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2012/05/03/2195/ http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2012/05/03/2195/#comments Thu, 03 May 2012 21:34:02 +0000 Bonnie http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/?p=2195 http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2012/05/03/2195/feed/ http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2012/05/01/are-you-ready-to-die/ http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2012/05/01/are-you-ready-to-die/#comments Tue, 01 May 2012 16:29:30 +0000 Bonnie http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/?p=2193 http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2012/05/01/are-you-ready-to-die/feed/ 00:01:01 David Orendorff 1st John 3:16-18 April 29, 2012 Kate, in the movie ldquo;The Family Man,rdquo; has a tough decision to make. Play video clip http://www.wingclips.com/movie-clips/the-family-man/because-i-love-you ... David Orendorff 1st John 3:16-18 April 29, 2012 Kate, in the movie ldquo;The Family Man,rdquo; has a tough decision to make. Play video clip http://www.wingclips.com/movie-clips/the-family-man/because-i-love-you (2 minutes 11 seconds) Whoever said being a follower of Jesus is easy hasnrsquo;t read Johnrsquo;s description of what it means to love. Speaking of Godrsquo;s love for us John writes ldquo;By this we know love that he laid down his life for us.rdquo; It is a gift; a grace that we might know how great is Godrsquo;s love. And then John proceeds to say if God so loves us ldquo;we ought to lay down our lives for each other.rdquo; Kate lays down her life for love of Jack. As difficult as it was for Kate, there are greater sacrifices we are called to make as followers of Jesus, just as Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice. I introduce you to Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Many of you have probably heard of him but for those who havenrsquo;t or need their memories refreshed (like I needed mine) Dietrich Bonhoeffer was born with a twin sister in 1906. He became a Lutheran pastor, theologian and writer. He was vocally anti-Nazi and a founder of the Confessing Church of Germany which called Christianity to oppose by peaceful means all forms of fascism. Bonhoeffer was a pacifist who is alleged to have become involved in a plot by the German Military Intelligence Office to assassinate Hitler. The plot failed, Bonhoeffer was arrested and imprisoned. On April 9, 1945, just 23 days before the Nazirsquo;s surrendered to the Allies, he was executed by hanging. One of Bonhoefferrsquo;s most influential books is ldquo;The Cost of Discipleship.rdquo; In it he makes a distinction between cheap grace and costly grace. He defines cheap grace this way: ldquo;Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession.... Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, and grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.rdquo; [1] And he defines costly grace this way: ldquo;Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Sonhellip;Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us.rdquo;[2] Bonhoeffer defines the call to being a disciple of Jesus this way: ldquo;When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.rdquo; And so true to his faith Dietrich Bonhoeffer lay down his life by condemning and resisting an enemy of humanity and so an enemy of God. Dietrich Bonhoeffer died in service to Godrsquo;s costly grace. John and Jesus call us to costly grace, to a grace in which we are willing to lay down our lives in love. In costly grace fulfilling my desires, my dreams, my hopes, my way and even my days is less important than helping my brothers and sisters in the family of God fulfill their desires, dreams, hopes and days. To lay down our lives, to even die for another is the challenge we accept when we proclaim our faith and claim the title ldquo;child of God.rdquo; So child of God consider for a moment your call to sacrificial and costly grace. How are you being called to lay down your life for those who interrupt and inconvenience you? Can you give them time? How are you being called to lay down your life for the growing number of homeless and impoverished? Can you donate to our Helping Hand Fund, or perhaps give time, a meal or funds for bus tickets to Tent City 4 just up... Sermons webmaster@bcumc.org no No http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2012/04/26/2189/ http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2012/04/26/2189/#comments Thu, 26 Apr 2012 21:03:38 +0000 Bonnie http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/?p=2189 http://www.bcumc.org/Sermons/2012/04/26/2189/feed/