Sermon (Nov. 26/Christ the King Sunday) “Top Priority” by Rev. Robert McDowell

November 26, 2023

“Top Priority”

Rev. Robert McDowell

The celebration of Advent and Christmas, and Lent and Easter are holy days and seasons in the church that go back for many centuries.

 

There was a new recognition added to the church calendar in 1925 through the Catholic Church. The last Sunday before Advent was designated as Christ the King Sunday. This was done in response to governments who were seen as abusing their power and to life being lived with little thought of God.

 

This day is a worldwide recognition that above all leaders and states is the rule of Christ. In the twentieth century, monuments were erected like the famous statue of Christ in Rio de Janeiro to commemorate that Christ is indeed over all. A contemporary song expresses the theme of this Sunday celebration.

 

“Above all powers, above all kings

Above all nature and all created things

Above all wisdom and the ways of man

You were here, before the world began

Above all kingdoms, above all thrones

Above all wonders the world has ever known

Above all wealth and treasures of the earth

There's no way to measure what you're worth” 

 

By Paul Baloche and Lenny LeBlanc

 

In the U.S., a king is not a familiar figure to us. There are 26 countries in the world that are still headed by kings, queens, emperors, sheikhs, or princes.  We do not live under the rulership of a monarch, however we do have some interest in kings:

 

 -First of all, in our fascination with British royalty especially with King Charles taking over the throne following the death of Queen Elizabeth last year. 

 -We also have the fast food restaurant, Burger King.  

- And let’s not forget the king of rock and roll.              

                    

Elvis Presley was given the title of king because of his popularity. A friend of mine told me that in the mid-70's, she  worked with a woman named Linda who adored Elvis. He was doing a show at the Charlotte Coliseum. Her friend had never seen him perform live and she offered to give her a ride to the concert which was several hours away. She told me that her friend, Linda even bought a new outfit and had her hair done in a magnificent bouffant. She brought her to the arena and returned to pick her up after the concert. For Linda, it was one of the best nights of her life. She she that she had maneuvered all the way to the stage and was even able to touch his shoe. Her intention had been to take his boot off, but she had been unsuccessful.

 

But there’s a back story to this. Linda had polio as a child and consequently had spent time in a hospital. She had listened to Elvis on the radio during her illness and felt that it was his music that gave her hope. Elvis was at the top of her list, and for that one evening, life could not be better.We may have folks we idolize but our understanding of kings in our time is limited…

 

Let's look at what we can discover about Jesus being a king.

 

In the Old Testament, kings are described as being like shepherds. A shepherd is to care for his flock, to know them by name, to lead them in the right direction, to protect them from those who would harm them. Likewise, the king is to put the welfare of the people above his own.

 

Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd. He cared for the hungry, the hurting, and those who felt isolated from God. His heart was always concerned with his flock.

 

Jesus spoke a lot about God's kingdom in his teachings. At the ending of his ministry, he is publicly proclaimed as being the king of the Jewish people. In the last week of his life, Jesus enters into Jerusalem, and weeps for the city. He is accused of coming into Jerusalem to lead a rebellion against the ruling Roman government. He is tried and convicted. The Roman soldiers dressed him in a robe, put a crown of thorns on his head and mocked him.

 

The sign above his head on the cross read “King of the Jews.”  A king that is defeated and is killed is not our expectation.

 

The story of Jesus being a king of course doesn't end there.

 

In the letters of the New Testament and the Book of Revelation, we have wonderful descriptions of the risen Jesus who is now “king of all kings and lord of all lords.”

 

He suffered a cruel death and yet his love rules over all creation. In Colossians, he is described as showing us what God is like, the invisible is now visible and of holding all things together. He is making all things new. He is bringing peace and restoration. He is king not for his own glory, but he is king in order to bring all people to God. He is at the very center of everything. He reconciles all things through his death on the cross.

 

Some years ago a pastor in Scotland traveled to Queen Elizabeth’s Highland castle in order to lead the Sunday service at the chapel. He was uncomfortable about how to act around royalty, unsure what to say in her presence. He arrived but there was no one to meet him.

 

He was taking his suitcase from the car when a woman came into view wearing a tweed jacket, with a scarf tied around her head, and walking three corgis. It was Queen Elizabeth herself! She apologized that no one had welcomed him and called for the absent doorman. That evening he joined them for a pleasant supper and he saw royalty in a new light.

 

It is almost beyond belief that we have the privilege to daily be in the presence of our king who gave his all so that we might have abundant life.

 

What is the kingdom of God like? Jesus shared many stories to describe his kingdom. He taught that God’s kingdom is like the love extended by a father to his son when the son leaves home and takes his inheritance. When the son has nothing left, he returns home and is greeted by a joyful banquet hosted by his father who offers forgiveness and love.

 

God’s kingdom is like a shepherd who goes out to find one missing sheep and doesn't give up until that lost sheep is found. 

 

God’s kingdom is like a man who had a party and extends his invitation to all who want to come.  The kingdom is a place where servants are honored. It is a place of surprises: the last shall be first.

 

In God’s kingdom, there is justice; the widows, and poor and children are not forgotten.  It is a kingdom where the king offers not condemnation but forgiveness, not despair but hope, not brokenness but wholeness. It is a kingdom that may seem small like a mustard seed, but grows everyday into a mighty tree.

 

It is a good day to think about the qualities of our Lord, all the names of honor. It is imperative that we consider Christ being our king. When I hear the news of the world, and become concerned about all the troubles near and far, all the uncertainties, I rejoice that there is One who holds all things together: all space, all time.

 

When I think about this past week of Thanksgiving, I know that when we offer our thanks, that underneath all the blessings of life is the great love of God for us and for this world. We see this so clearly in the way Jesus lived.

 

A question that needs to be asked: Who has power over us? Who influences our lives?  Is Christ our top priority?

 

N.T. Wright, British pastor and scholar wrote in his book Simply Jesus : “We want someone to save our souls, not rule our world.”  He was acknowledging that there are other kingdoms that can pull for our devotion. They may offer prestige and security, status and honor but that is not what the kingdom of God is about.

 

We make a choice over who we follow and whose guidance we live by. We invite Christ to be a part of all areas of our lives as we claim him as king.

 

But this is the amazing thing about King Jesus.  He will only be recognized as king when others see his love, compassion, and mercy in us. The kingdom becomes visible through us and our actions.

 

Our hearts change, and our community changes -  God continues to work within creation. We are part of God’s kingdom happening here and now.

 

There is a carol sung often at Christmas concerning a king who looks out from his castle one cold night. He sees a man struggling to gather firewood. He asks his page who the man is and where he lives. Together, the king and the page travel to the man's house bringing food and drink. As they hike through the deepening snow, the night becomes more bitter. The page says that he cannot go on. The king tells the boy to walk in his footsteps and he will be able to make it.  He walks in the master's steps and together they bring a blessing.

 

Whose footsteps are you following?  Who reigns in your heart?

 

May Christ the king be our top priority.

Sunday (Nov. 26/Christ the King Sunday) Pastoral Prayer (Beulah UMC & Oak Grove UMC)

November 26, 2023

Pastoral Prayer

King of kings, we offer to you all of our praise and worship. As our prayer hymn says, “your name is wonderful.”

 

Your name is wonderful because you are a compassionate, loving, and gracious King. Your name is wonderful because you are our Good Shepherd who cares about each one of us as your sheep. Your name is wonderful because your rule is so different from earthly kings and politicians so motivated by self-interests and a desire for power. Your name is wonderful because you redefined what it means to be a King through your self-emptying and your willingness to die on the cross for our sins.

 

Today, we lift up to you those who are in need of a loving, just, and merciful King; for people who for whatever reason did not enjoy a Thanksgiving meal this past Thursday, for those who are struggling to make ends meet, for those searching for work and a more stable life, for those who are grieving the loss of a loved one especially during this holiday season, and for anyone who is in need of a new beginning. And for the hostages who have been recently released in Israel and for the continued pursuit of peace and justice in that region of the world.

 

And King of kings, hear our prayers for those on our church’s prayer list as well as others who are on our hearts and minds this day. May your gracious, caring, and healing love be with each of them and with each of us us as well as we lift them up in prayer. Sometimes when we pray for others, we are in need of reassurance that you really do hear our prayers. Thank you for being a King who doesn’t just rule from on high, but is also as close to us as each breath we take. 

 

During this transition Sunday from between the long season of Ordinary Time to next week when we will begin the Advent Season, remind us to always keep you as our top priority in all that we say, think, and do.

 

We pray this in the name of Jesus, the Alpha and the Omega, who is, who was, who is to come, and who has taught us to say together…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Sermon (November 19/Thanksgiving Sunday) “A Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving” by Rev. Robert McDowell

November 19, 2023

“A Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving”

    What is your ideal Thanksgiving holiday? What would make this Thursday’s holiday one of the best Thanksgivings you have ever had?

     A few years ago, the Thanksgiving holiday for Penny and me didn’t go as planned. We were supposed to spend the holiday with family in the Philadelphia area, but at the last minute, we canceled because of a huge snowstorm that hit the East Coast the day before Thanksgiving.

     When it comes to the holidays, we often have this picture-perfect dream of how it should go. We know that things won’t go as planned. They never do.

     An unexpected early snowstorm will keep some family members away. An uncle will come down with a terrible cold and share those germs with the rest of the family. You remembered to get everything for the big meal, but you can’t find the baster for the turkey. 

     The one time during the year that you need to use a baster, you can’t even find it. It’s hiding in some obscure kitchen drawer that rarely gets used. Things often don’t always go according to plan around the holidays. 

[Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving Painting, 1943]

     Do you remember the iconic Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving painting? As the perfectly golden-brown turkey is being placed on the table, each family member is admiring the spread of food on the table. 

     They are all beautifully dressed with picture perfect smiles. Nobody is crying. 

     Even a young child in that picture is looking on with admiration. Is this family for real? If this represents your typical family, then more power to you, but it’s probably not something that most of us experience when we get together with our loved ones each year.

     Let’s set the famous Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving painting off to the side for the moment, and let’s get a little more realistic, if you don’t mind. Maybe you heard this story about a family member who tried to have the perfect Thanksgiving gathering, but she went about it the wrong way.

     Here’s a letter from a lady named, Marney which she had sent to her out of town family members who were coming to her home for Thanksgiving. I think you might enjoy this. 

     She writes,

     “As you all know, a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner does not make itself. I need to ask each of you to help by bringing something to complete the meal. I truly appreciate your offers to assist with the meal preparation.

     Now, while I do have quite a sense of humor and like to joke around once in a while, I could not be more serious when I am providing you with your Thanksgiving instructions and orders. I am very particular, so please perform your task exactly as I have requested, and I expect you to read your portion very carefully.

     If I ask you to bring your offering in a container that has a lid, bring your offering in a container with a lid, not aluminum foil! If I ask you to bring a serving spoon for your dish, bring a serving spoon, not a soup spoon! And please do not forget anything.

     All food that is to be cooked should already be prepared, bring it hot and ready to serve, warm or room temperature. These are your only three options. Anything meant to be served cold, should of course, already be cold.”

     So then, Marney goes on to give specific instructions to six different families in this same letter. For the sake of time, I’ll only read what she wrote for three of these families.

     These are the instructions for the Mike Byron Family:

     She writes, “Turnips in a casserole with a lid and a serving spoon. Please do not fill the casserole all the way up to the top, it gets too messy. I know this may come as a bit of a surprise to you, but most of us hate turnips so don’t feel like you have to feed an army. Two half gallons of ice cream, one must be vanilla. I don’t care what the other one is. No store brands please. I did see an ad this morning for Haagen Daz Peppermint Bark Ice Cream, yum!!! No pressure here, though. 

     Also bring toppings for the ice cream and a case of bottled water, not gallons, any brand is OK.”

     Here’s what she wrote to the next family in the letter, The Lisa Bryon Chesterford Family.

     “Lisa, as a married woman you are now required to contribute at the adult level. You can bring hors d’oeuvres. A few helpful hints and suggestions, keep it very light, and non-filling. No cocktail sauce and no beans of any kind. I think your best bet would be a platter of fresh veggies and dip. Not a huge platter, mind you (i.e., not the plastic platter from the supermarket.”)

     And I’ll share one more set of instructions that she wrote to The June Davis Family.

     “15 lbs of mashed potatoes in a casserole with a serving spoon. Please do not use the over-size blue serving dish you used last year. Because you are making such a large batch you can do one of two things: put half the mashed potatoes in a regulation size casserole with a lid and put the other half in a plastic container and we can just replenish with that, or you may use two regulation size casserole dishes with lids. Only one serving spoon is needed.”

     After all of these Thanksgiving meal instructions, she then concludes her letter with these words, “Looking forward to the 28^th!”, signed “Marney.”

     So, if a lady named, Marney ever invites you to her house for a Thanksgiving meal, maybe say that you have other plans. Way too much pressure!

     Sometimes the holidays aren’t always what we want them to be. Sometimes our dreams for a brighter future leave us feeling empty. Life can be hard, and it can cause us to lose hope along the way.

     That’s why Psalm 126 is so important for us as we approach the holidays. Even though life has not gone as planned and it seems like there is no hope, this Psalmist is able to keep dreaming for a better future and he calls us to keep dreaming as well.

     He begins his Psalm by reminding the people that just as the Lord has been faithful to them in the past, the Lord will also fulfill their dreams for the future. 

     This is a psalm that doesn’t just celebrate an idyllic Norman Rockwell time from the past. It also looks ahead to the new thing that God is about to do through the people of Israel.

     The Psalmist pleads for God to replace the tears of the people with shouts of joy. He concludes his Psalm with a Thanksgiving harvest image of the people being blessed with abundance as they carry in their sheaves.

     This is a Psalm that reminds us that our best years are not behind us. They’re ahead of us.  And because our best days are ahead of us, we are encouraged to dream again. Whenever we don’t dream about a new future, we miss out on what God has in store for us.

     Another Psalmist puts it like this. “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” 

     Thanksgiving is a time to not only be thankful for our blessings, it’s also a time to look forward to the future and what God is about to do. 

     Someone once gave me a definition of the word, “praise” and his definition has always stayed with me. He said, to praise God, means that we are thanking God for what he is about to do in the future.

     I really like that definition. To praise God means that we are thanking God for the blessings yet to come. 

     It’s not always easy to remember that God isn’t just the God of our past but is also the God of the future. And because God is the God of the future, we can dream again. We can begin thanking God for what God will do as we live into the future.

     I was recently reading about someone who found it really difficult to dream. It was back in the 1990’s. She felt a calling from God to become a pastor. At the time, she was a first-year freshman in college.

     She applied to be a summer missionary with the North Carolina Baptist Convention. She looked over the opportunities and knew that she wanted to apply to be a youth and children’s minister. 

     Although several people told her that the convention would probably not place a freshman in that role and that she would probably need to first serve as a camp counselor, she was surprised when they placed her in a church in the middle of the state.

     Within moments of being commissioned to begin her summer year of ministry, she told her parents and her campus minister that she just couldn’t go through with it. She was too afraid of the unknown.

     She ended up backing out of this ministry opportunity, all because she was unable to dream about how God could use her in that new role. After she made the decision to not take that ministry job, she thought that she would feel a sense of relief. Instead, she felt miserable because she had disappointed the many people who were looking forward to working with her in ministry.

     For the next five years, she pushed away any thoughts of going into the ministry. In her mind, she had her chance and she blew it. She thought that any future ministry possibility was long gone.

     She wondered if God would ever trust her with a new ministry possibility. Like the people of Israel at different points of their journey with God, she had lost the ability to dream again.

     But here’s what happened. Even though she had stopped dreaming, God still had a dream for her. Nine years later as a public-school teacher, she was given the opportunity to be a campus ministry intern for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship collegiate ministry at Clemson University. 

     This time, she didn’t allow the opportunity to be in ministry to pass her by. As she prepared her last sermon as an intern and reviewed her past year in this new role of ministry, she felt like a brand new person, so different from that person she was back in the 1990’s when she had doubted herself.

     Looking back on these events, she now realizes that even though we sometimes act from a lack of faith, God is and will always be faithful. After all of those years, she was finally able to dream again.

     Justin had started attending church again. He had spent the last few years at a chemical dependency center to help him overcome his heroin addiction. 

     I met Justin one day in my office. He told me his story of how drugs had ruined his life. He had been at an all-time low, but that’s when He reconnected with God who slowly but surely helped him to get back on his feet again.

     Our church helped him to renew his driver’s license so that he would be able to find a job and start supporting himself. He said that the church gave him the renewed hope that he needed to get back on his feet again.

     He said, “I never want to miss church because I always get something out of each message, and it keeps me going in the right direction.”

     So, I said to Justin as he told me his story there in my office. “How about you share your story with the congregation on a Sunday morning?” He agreed and shared his testimony. 

     I can’t even begin to tell you the number of people who thanked him for sharing his story of hope, especially since there has been such a growing number of young people becoming addicted to drugs in our communities.

     In the midst of no employment, no driver’s license, and a custody battle, all Justin had was a dream, a dream that one day, he would be able to live a drug free life, a life that would be rooted in a hope made possible through Jesus Christ. This is a hope that is available to each and every one of us no matter what brokenness we may be facing in our lives.

     Bible scholars are not certain what the people of Israel were facing during the time when the Psalmist wrote those words of encouragement. All we know is that this Psalmist wrote this Psalm to encourage the people of Israel to dream again, to trust in God again for a bright future. 

     Even though the people of Israel probably didn’t have a long list of Thanksgiving blessings at the time this was written, he was reminding them to not forget to thank God for the blessings yet to come. Maybe, this is what God is calling us to be thankful for during this week of Thanksgiving. 

     So, this week, as we gather around the Thanksgiving table to enjoy a wonderful meal, and please don’t forget Marney’s instruction to cover your pan with a lid, and not just with aluminum foil…

     …As we gather together this Thursday to thank God for our many blessings, we also gather knowing that God isn’t finished with us, not by a long shot. God has so much in store for us, especially for those of us who feel like we have turned our back on God more times than we would ever care to admit.

     My prayer for you and for me is the same prayer of the Psalmist…that we would have a Dream Thanksgiving, a Thanksgiving where we dare to dream again because God is still dreaming about us. God has new blessings, new opportunities, new hope, new joys, and new beginnings in mind for us. 

     A dream Thanksgiving isn’t just for Norman Rockwell type of families where everyone is happy and smiling, where life is so good, and all is right with the world. A dream Thanksgiving is also possible for those of us who don’t feel like we belong at that Norman Rockwell table.

     It’s for those of us who maybe wondering what kind of future God has in mind for us. It’s for those who have faced some significant challenges and still struggling with past regrets. 

     God wants us to know that we’re welcome at that table, too. It doesn’t matter how dysfunctional we may think we are or how far we have strayed from God. Hey, the past is the past. It’s time to dream again.

     So, an interesting thing about Norman Rockwell is that the reason he specialized in these idealized drawings where everyone appears sweet and innocent in his paintings is because this is what helped him to dream again. 

     Norman Rockwell was raised in a bad area of New York City. His home life was emotionally and economically unstable. He also struggled with depression. Someone who knew him said that he “painted his happiness.”

     So maybe, Norman Rockwell’s famous Thanksgiving painting was how he kept hope alive. It was his way of holding on to the possibility of a brighter future.

     A Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving is when we not only thank God for our blessings, but we also thank God for the blessings that are to come.

    Happy Thanksgiving and keep dreaming!

Sunday (Nov. 19) Pastoral Prayer (Beulah UMC & Oak Grove UMC)

November 19, 2023

O God, thank you for our prayer hymn today, “Now, Thank We All Our God,” and for Rev. Martin Rinkart, who wrote it during the 30 years war, a war in which he conducted several funerals each year including the funeral of his own wife. No wonder he wrote these words about You in verse two, “who keeps us still in grace and guides us when perplexed.”

 

For those times in our lives when we have experienced heartache, grief, and pain, thank you that you are a God who keeps us still in grace and guides us when perplexed. As we near the Thanksgiving holiday, we especially pray for those who are in need of your guiding, caring, forgiving, and healing presence. Be with those who are on our churches’ prayer list and all who are on our hearts and minds this day. 

 

We are grateful for this Sunday of worship in which we thank you with heart, and hands, and voices, and for all the wondrous things you have done. Thank you for our psalmist for today who has reminded us to not only be thankful for past and present blessings, but for those blessing that are to come. 

 

At the end of each day, remind us to recount all of your many blessings that we encountered; like the morning walk with the dogs at the park, the delivery of homemade pumpkin spice bread sent from a sister who lives in Arizona, the completion of a two-month long home improvement project, the garbage company for picking up the trash, being able to complete the sermon, and writing this prayer. Thank you for all of those blessings that I experienced this past Monday. And for the Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday blessings as well!

 

No wonder that we are told to pray without ceasing because you never cease offering us your blessings, from the time we wake up and to the time that we go to sleep at night. 

 

Remind dear Marney from the sermon, as well as each one of us this Thursday, to not worry about having a perfect Thanksgiving, but to instead focus on your many blessings, or as Rev. Martin Rinkart likes to call them, “your countless gifts of love.”

 

We pray this with grateful hearts in the name of Jesus who taught us to pray saying… 

 

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Sermon (November 12) “Making Good Choices” by Rev. Robert McDowell

November 12, 2023

“Making Good Choices”

Rev. Robert McDowell

    “Choose this day who you will serve, but as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”

     I love this verse from our appointed Old Testament reading for today. This is definitely a verse that you sometimes see on a Christian coffee mug, or on a church banner, or on a poster in a Sunday School classroom. I think it’s a popular verse because we want people to know that we’re Christians. It’s a bold statement declaring that we believe in God. 

     This challenge of serving only one God is what Joshua presented to the Israelites who were no longer wanderers in the wilderness but were now residents of the Promised Land. Joshua is telling the people that it’s now time to choose because they have a lot of choices from which to choose. 

     In Joshua’s day, there was a wide array of intriguing religious possibilities. Thanks to archeological discoveries over the past several centuries, we know that in Canaan, there were 234 different gods who were worshipped by the people who lived there. 

     Kind of like the number of toothpaste choices you find in the grocery store. There are like a zillion toothpaste choices now if you take a moment to look. Nobody ever says that they have researched all of the different kinds of toothpaste options and here is the best one to buy. 

     So many choices! And this is what the Israelites were facing now that they were in the Promised Land. 234 different gods. And you might ask why you need 234 different gods, but it would also be like asking why do you need a zillion different kinds of toothpaste? 

     It’s because they do different things. Do you want more tartar control? Do you prefer more of a mint freshener? But don’t you need to get the one that says it’s the best at whitening teeth? 

     I would guess that if we took a survey of what brand and specific kind of toothpaste we each use, we would get a lot of different answers. Same with different kinds of deodorant or what bank you should use. 

     By the way, I looked this up and there are 4,844 different banks to choose from in our country. What if I would say to you that there is only one true bank to use and it’s the one that I use? That would be weird if I would say that because there are many banks from which to choose. We live in a culture with a ton of choices, right?

     So, if we were living during the time of Joshua, you might have a next-door neighbor who loves to worship Baal because you want your fields to have an abundant harvest this year and in case there’s a drought, Baal is known to be a god of rain. 

     Or maybe a buddy of yours has a child who is sick, so you spend a lot of time making sacrifices to Eshmun who is known as the god of healing. Or you know of a couple who are experiencing infertility, and they tell you that they worship Astarte, because that is the god of fertility who can help them have a child someday. 

     But the truth is that everybody is pretty much worshipping a lot of different gods because they all have different needs depending on what they are experiencing. And pity the person who believes in just one God, Yahweh, and refuses to worship any other god, because if there would be a famine in the land, their neighbors will end up blaming them for not making any sacrifices to Baal, the god of crop fertility.

     So, there would have been these extreme social pressures to worship various gods and not just one God. And this was the challenge that Joshua was presenting to the Israelites in our scripture reading for today. 

     Joshua is calling for the people to make a choice in which God they will ultimately serve, not just which god is convenient for whatever need you may have at the time. I know you have 234 choices of gods in this land to worship and you can worship more than one or maybe even all of them, but today, I want you to choose only one God to worship and obey, the God of Israel.  Make a good choice.

     And right there on the spot, the people responded to Joshua by saying, “God forbid that we ever leave the Lord to serve other gods!” Now, if I was Joshua, I would feel like mission accomplished. They are all ready to follow just one God and not any of the others. 

     But notice what Joshua does next! Instead of celebrating with them, he challenges them to make sure they understand the choice they are making. He says, “You can’t serve the Lord because he is a jealous God who will not tolerate you worshipping anyone else.” 

     But again, the people responded with, “No! The Lord is the one we will serve.”

     And then he makes it all binding when he asks them to be witnesses of what they have agreed to do which leads us to the last verse which says, “On that day, Joshua made a covenant for the people.”

     This was a choice that would be irrevocable. And the Lord will hold them accountable for their decision. This is some serious stuff, to be willing to put God first in your life, to worship only the Lord, and to obey the Lord in your day to day living.  That’s a big choice to make. 

     It’s probably about time that I share a little of my personal testimony with you.       

   When I was a freshman in college, I was really struggling with what I was supposed to do with my life. I wasn’t happy with my major, and so I decided to put all of my focus on playing baseball in college. When baseball was no longer fulfilling my happiness, I started to feel really empty.  I didn’t know what to do with my life. I was headed down a road without any clear direction or purpose in life.

     That all changed one day, when I happened to come across an old cassette tape from a county-wide youth rally that I had attended when I was in my early teens. 

     After I dusted off that old cassette tape, I listened the speaker at this event challenge the youth who had gathered for that rally to make a commitment to put Jesus Christ first in our lives.  He said that if we would put Jesus first in everything we did, that we would experience a sense of peace and purpose in our lives.

     Now, remember, I was there at that youth rally and heard that message in person, but when I listened to it on this tape several years later as a struggling freshman in college, it was like I was hearing if for the very first time.

     I listened to that tape over and over again, just taking in the message to put Jesus first in everything you do. And then, one afternoon, I’ll never forget it. 

     One afternoon, I got on my knees, and I made a recommitment of my life to Jesus Christ. While on my knees, I promised Jesus that I would do whatever he wanted me to do. I told him that I had tried to do things my way which wasn’t working very well and leaving me feel empty, but now I wanted to trust God with my life. 

     When I stood up from that prayer, it was like this huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I felt a peace that I had been missing in my life. 

     There were two things that Jesus wanted me to do immediately. The first thing was to study and get good grades even though I wasn’t sure about my major. And it worked! I made the Dean’s list the next Semester. My parents were in disbelief! 

     The next thing Jesus wanted me to do, was to begin a new bible study group by inviting people my age who didn’t have a church home. That bible study group met regularly for the rest of my time in college. 

     Three people in that group ended up becoming pastors. One of the group members stopped going to parties every weekend and started attending church on a regular basis. That bible study group is what helped me to do my best in keeping Christ first in my life during my college years. 

     And it wasn’t until my junior year of college, that I felt God calling me to become a pastor and that’s a whole other story, but that would not have happened if I didn’t make the choice during my freshman year to allow Christ to be first in my life. That was my Joshua moment. That was the day when I signed a covenant with God so to speak. 

     I am so glad that I made that choice. But I also know that it was God who first reached out to me through that old cassette tape.

     One of the things that Penny would tell her school students over and over again was, “Make good choices.” She was always reminding them that they always have a choice to do the right thing. And this was something that we reminded our children to do over and over again. Make good choices. 

     I like that Joshua gave the people a choice and he even tried to talk them out of it just to make sure they understood the importance of saying that they would worship only one God, the God of Israel. He knew that it wouldn’t be easy for them to follow through with their commitment. 

     And it’s not always easy for us to make good choices. So many options. So many things that can keep us from allowing Christ to be first in our lives. 

     Joshua actually reminded the people why following God is the best choice. He said that it was the Lord who first reached out to them by calling Abraham to leave his home land to begin a new nation. It was the Lord who freed them from slavery in Egypt. It was the Lord who gave them mighty signs so that they would know he was with them. It was the Lord who protected them as they traveled through the dangerous wilderness and into the Promised Land.

     I guess you can say that today’s scripture reading offers us both good and bad news.

    The good news is… God lets us choose. And the bad news is… God lets us choose.

    With choosing, comes responsibility. But it’s a choice that can lead to a life that is filled with peace, purpose, goodness, adventure, hope, and so many blessings. 

     What an opportunity for us today… and we get to choose. 

Pastoral Prayer (November 12) - Beulah UMC & Oak Grove UMC

Pastoral Prayer

November 12, 2023

O God, this truly is our prayer today to serve the present age, our calling to fulfill; O may it all our powers engage to do our Master’s will. Help us to make good choices in living out our faith. When all of the possible choices overwhelm us, lead us to make the best choice, one that would keep you at the center of all of our decision making. 

 

Thank you that you are a God who has our best interests in mind. You desire for each one of us to be the loving, caring, generous, and compassionate people that you call us to be. Help us to always keep you first in all that we say, think, and do.

 

And we know that one of the important ways for us to keep you first in our lives is by lifting each other in prayer. May your comforting, guiding, redeeming, and healing love be with those who are on our church’s prayer list as well as with others who are on our hearts and minds this day. 

On this Veterans’ Day Weekend, we are especially grateful for those who have served and our serving in the armed forces. May their sacrifice on behalf of our country promote peace and justice throughout the world. 

 

We also pray for ourselves especially during these days leading up to Thanksgiving. Keep us ever mindful of your many blessings in our lives and remind us to always offer you our thanks and praise.

 

And thank you for last week’s Charge Conference in which we were able to make commitments related to a new year of ministry. May the decisions that were made lead us to be even more faithful in our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

 

We offer our prayer in the name of Jesus who is the one true Lord, the one true King, and the one true Savior, and who invites us to pray together saying…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Sermon (November 5/All Saints’ Sunday) “A Great Multitude” by Rev. Robert McDowell

November 5, 2023

All Saints’ Sunday Sermon

“A Great Multitude”

       “After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.”

     I highlight this verse from our Revelation reading because it describes every preacher’s dream. We preachers love preaching to a great multitude. We like it when sanctuaries are filled. 

     No wonder the author of the Book of Revelation describes that great heavenly scene of worship as a “great multitude.” Crowd size is important to preachers.

     Maybe this is how I will start responding to people when they ask me how many were at church on Sunday. I’ll just say, “there was a great multitude” and leave it at that.

     All Saints’ Sunday is a day for us to remember that the worship attendance doesn’t just include the people who are in the pews. It also includes the great multitude that no one can count. As today’s scripture reading from the Book of Revelation reminds us, they are all crying out with a loud voice saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb.”

     This great multitude is not limited by those Sundays when it seems like every church member is on vacation. No, this crowd is one that goes beyond the pews of a sanctuary and includes all the company of heaven.

     During the early part of the COVID pandemic when churches were asked to not meet in-person for worship, not once did I ever say that the church I was serving was closed. I would say that we just didn’t have in-person worship those Sundays. We were still open, just in a different way. 

     The word, “church” doesn’t refer to the building where we meet. The word, “church” refers to the assembly of God’s people which is not dependent on whether we have a building or not. Building or no building, we are always the church.

     Now, it does help for a church to have a building where people can meet together face to face, but during those rare times when we’re not able to meet in-person, make no mistake about it, worship goes on. The church is never closed. 

     In theological language, the church is the communion of saints in which God’s people are knit together in a web of relationships that crosses the boundaries of life, death, time, and eternity. Boom! There’s the line for us to take from today’s sermon! So, let me say it again. 

     “The church is the communion of saints in which God’s people are knit together in a web of relationships that crosses the boundaries of life, death, time, and eternity.”

     And especially on this Sunday each year, All Saints Sunday, we are reminded of this true perspective of what it means when we say that we are the church. We are God’s people who just so happen to meet in a building for worship. 

     There is a beautiful mystery within this definition of what it means to be the church. The church includes all the saints of God including those who are alive now and those who have gone before us and who are now singing their alleluias around the very throne of God in heaven.

    The church is so much more than a building that sits along Winnsboro Road or Cedar Creek Road. The church is the people of God both past and present offering themselves as the visible expression of God’s healing love for our community and world. Boom! There’s another power statement that we can take with us from the sermon today. The preacher is on fire today!

     I could preach about this more mystical definition of the church all day long, but I also want to focus on what this means for us in how we live out our faith on a daily basis. How can All Saints Sunday lead us to have a deeper faith? What does it mean for you and me to be part of the great multitude of saints?

     To help us think about these questions, ask yourself who are the people in your life who have guided you in your faith? They may no longer be living, or maybe you haven’t seen them for the past several years, but their spiritual influence and guidance remain with you to this day. Who do you think about when you are struggling with an important decision in your life? 

     A couple of years ago, I was asked to do a funeral for a man who was a member of the church a long time ago before moving from the area. He had relocated out west several decades ago. At one point, he lived in Chicago.

     And during the funeral service, I invited people to share a thought or a memory about him. One of the people who shared was from Chicago and he had traveled to Ohio to be at the service. He shared how he attended the adult Sunday School class where Louis taught while living in Chicago. He said how everyone who attended that class grew in their faith because of Louis teaching that Sunday School class. 

     Saints can be Sunday School teachers, people in your small group, a parent or grandparent, or that confirmation mentor who met with you when you were preparing to join the church.

     I was reading about a white pastor in Virginia who has dedicated his life and ministry to speaking out against the sin of racism. He shares that the reason this is so important to him is because of his confirmation mentor when he was just a young teenager preparing to join the church.

     His mentor’s name was Bertha Hamilton, who happened to be a person of color. During their conversations during the confirmation process, Bertha noticed that he had a habit of saying things that as a person of color she felt were insensitive.

     She explained why some of the words and phrases he was using during their conversations, lacked a basic awareness of how that might be offensive, especially with people of color. Before he had met Bertha, nobody had ever pointed this out to him, because everyone talked like that. 

     During one of their conversations, Bertha said to him that to be a follower of Jesus means to allow God to reveal those things in our lives that are in need of transformation and that means being open to other people’s histories, backgrounds, and experiences. 

     He said that initially, he was taken aback by her willingness to challenge him about this, but she was the prophetic voice that he needed to hear. And he will always be thankful for Bertha, his confirmation mentor whose patient love and mentoring led him to later respond to a calling into the pastoral ministry. These are the saints who help us to be the people that God has called us to be; disciples of Jesus who are always growing, always learning, and always receptive to God’s transforming grace.  

     When I think of the saints in my life, I think of Ron Boyer who was my youth Sunday School teacher at the Stewartstown United Methodist Church, located in south central, Pennsylvania. During Sunday School one time, Ron shared his testimony with us about how early in his adult life, he got caught up with drinking too much and making really bad decisions in his life. But because of Jesus, he was now able to turn his life around. His life now had meaning and purpose.  

     Just by seeing Ron smile, anyone could easily see that Jesus was shining through him. I remember wanting to be like Ron and have that same joy that he had. 

     Almost exactly a year ago, I was back at my home church for a Sunday worship, and they asked me to share a few words with them. Now of course, the church has changed a lot since I attended there many years ago, but as I looked out on the congregation that Sunday morning, there were also still a lot of familiar faces like Ron, who were an important part of my faith journey and who helped me to recognize a calling from God to become a pastor. 

     And here’s what I shared with them, “Thank you for helping raise me in the faith.” And then I pointed to the baptism font that was near me and I said, “Back on Sunday, November 3^rd, 1963, when I was only 9 months old, I was baptized at that baptism font by Rev. John Stamm.” And then I said, “Thank you for being such a loving church family for me.” 

     So, when we light these candles on All Saints Sunday, we are remembering these loved ones who have been examples of what it means to follow in the way of Jesus. The multitude of saints surround us at all times whether they are still with us in person or even if they are now surrounding God’s heavenly throne. They continue to remind us of who we are and who we are called to be.

     This is what All Saints’ Sunday helps us to celebrate each year. Together, we are all part of God’s great big family.

     So, yes, there are those rare occasions when a church building may need to be closed on a Sunday morning, but never the church, never the church. There might seem like there are only 20 to 30 people here on a Sunday morning, but you really can’t put a number on it. Let’s just say, that on any given Sunday, it’s a “great multitude.”

Pastor’s Letter - November, 2023 “Simple Blessings”

November, 2023

 

Dear Friends,

 

Recently, I read about someone who makes it a habit to go to sleep every night thanking God for their many blessings. This person said that this little spiritual exercise helps them to have a more restful night of sleep. 

 

Many of these blessings are very simple things that happened that day like enjoying a cup of hot tea, going for a walk on a beautiful autumn day, being able to buy groceries at the store, taking a hot shower before going to bed, and a neighbor who dropped by the house offering some homemade cookies.

 

Maybe this is what the Apostle Paul meant by encouraging us to “pray without ceasing,” and “giving thanks in all circumstances.” Our blessings are so many that we might end up falling asleep in the middle of thanking God for one of those blessings! 

 

Sunday morning worship is another opportunity in which we are invited to thank God for our many blessings. We gather to give thanks to the One who saves, redeems, guides, forgives, provides, and loves us. Our opening hymn on the Sunday before Thanksgiving will be, “Come, Ye Thankful People, Come!” It’s a hymn that reminds us that we are God’s thankful people. In what ways has God blessed you this year? 

 

One of my personal thanksgivings is the opportunity to serve as your pastor here at Beulah and Oak Grove. I am so grateful to each of you and for our shared ministry together! 

 

Happy Thanksgiving! 

 

Pastor Robert