Online Worship (August 1) Athens First UMC

Welcome to our 

August 1

online worship service!

Athens First UMC

2 S. College St., Athens, OH 45701

[Live-Stream Begins @ 10:25 AM]

Holy Hump Day (July 28) with Pastor Robert

Today’s Focus: Happy 

Online Worship Broadcast

Birthday!!!

Sermon (July 25) by Rev. Robert McDowell

     When I first came here six years ago to serve as your pastor, I remember walking into the sanctuary and I could tell something right away. Call this what you want but I could sense even before I started meeting you, that you had been praying for me.

     There was just something about the spirit of this place where I knew that there had been many prayers preceding my arrival here. I mentioned this to somebody soon after I arrived here and that person said, “Yeah, that’s true. The people here really do believe in prayer.”

     Based on me sharing this observation with you, the answer to my sermon title question is pretty obvious. Yes, our prayers really do make a difference.

     The Apostle Paul believed in the power of prayer. In a letter that he wrote to the Christians who lived in Ephesus, he tells them that he has been praying for them. Paul was in prison when he wrote this letter to them. Imagine receiving a letter from someone who is confined to a prison cell because of his faith, but who still wants you to know that you are being lifted in prayer.

     And even though Paul was praying primarily for the Christians in Ephesus, as I read his letter, it feels like he was praying for all of us as well. He writes,

     “For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, form whom every family in heaven and earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted  and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the Saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

     If you are ever having a rough day and feeling discouraged, imagine receiving a letter like this where someone shares that they are praying for you in such an uplifting and encouraging way. Prayers really do make a difference!

     In one of the churches I served, there was a home bound member I would visit from time to time. He lived in a really tiny apartment. His name was Chester, Chester Mustard. Great name! During my first visit with him, I introduced myself and he wanted me to know that he prays for me every day and that he would continue to pray for me every day.

     He said this in a way that I knew it was true. Just the look in his eyes told me that he really meant it. And throughout my ministry at that church, I would think of Chester often and how he was lifting me in prayer. That had such a powerful impact on me. Even though he was confined there in his small apartment, I could feel his prayers and encouragement finding their way to wherever I was at the time.

     I think it’s interesting that this Ephesians reading is paired today with our Gospel reading where Jesus fed five thousand people with just five loaves and two fish.  How do you feed that many people with such a small amount of food?

     What does Jesus do? He puts an usher team together and has them seat the people on the hillside. And after everyone has been seated, Jesus takes that little bit of food and offers a prayer of thanksgiving and that little bit of food ended up not only feeding those five thousand people, but they even had lots of leftovers.

     One little prayer of thanksgiving led to a miraculous feeding. Our prayers really do make a difference!

     These reminders of how prayer really does make a difference is important for us especially during those days when we are feeling that our prayers are just bouncing off the walls. We can get discouraged and we might begin to wonder if our prayers really do make a difference.

     This past spring following the mass shooting at a grocery store in Colorado, I was listening to two politicians sparring with each other over the topic of prayer. This type of heated exchange often happens after these mass shootings. A politician will offer their thoughts and prayers for the families of the shooting victims and then another politician will say, “our thoughts and prayers are not enough. We need common sense gun legislation.”

     The phrase, “thoughts and prayers” has been used so often that it almost feels empty in it’s meaning. Have you ever felt that way about prayer? I want to interrupt these politicians who are arguing with each other and say, “It’s not one or the other. We can pray and take action as well.” It’s both/and, not either/or. I want to say, “Yes, let’s offer our thoughts and prayers especially for politicians to make changes that will make it more difficult for these mass shootings to occur.”

     Sometimes, our prayers do lead us to make positive changes in order to make this world a better place. It’s not one over the other.

     Whenever I pray for someone who is about to have surgery, I pray for the surgeon and the medical team to use their God-given abilities, skills, medical knowledge, training, and expertise in a way that would help that person to receive healing and wholeness. Whenever I pray for friends or family members who are going on a trip, I pray for them to make wise decisions and to be alert to any challenges they may face along the way.

     I do this because deep down, I believe that our prayers really do make a difference. Even though the Apostle Paul was in a prison and there wasn’t a whole lot that he could do from a prison cell, he knew that his prayers could make a big difference.

     One of the reasons our church was able to not only survive but thrive during all of those months when our church building was closed for many of our ministries, was because of all of our prayers. We never stopped praying whether it was through our online worship services or throughout our weekly email prayer chain. 

     The prayers kept pouring out. And whenever I received those prayer requests, it always reminded me that we were still praying. And God was answering our prayers. Even though we were often times physically separated from each other, we stayed connected through our prayers for each other.

     I know all of this may sound mysterious as we think about how prayer makes a difference so let me offer a more scientific approach. 

     Ilia Delia is a Christian author and theologian who focuses on the interaction of science and religion. She explains in her writings how quantum physics helps us to understand how prayer can make a difference. Yes, you can tell the people that you see after church that your pastor talked about quantum physics in the sermon.

     Delia makes the point that quantum physics is really about wave particle duality. Now, stay with me because I think you will find this really interesting.

     All matter is a form of energy and all energy is a form of matter. So instead of matter simply consisting of separate little atoms, these atoms are really energy that have a relationship with each other. In other words, there is no matter that exists independent of any other matter. It’s all deeply relational and interconnected fields within fields.

     So, for example, if you pick a flower on earth, you can move the farthest star. And that means that if I would take two particles that have interacted and I separate them by a vast distance, and I then place one particle on this pulpit here in Athens, Ohio and the other particle on the moon, and if I would place the particle on this pulpit 180 degrees here, that means that the particle on the moon should also turn 180 degrees down. 

     Albert Einstein is the one who first started talking about this idea of the relationality of particles even when they are separated by an incredibly long distance. Even though the particles aren’t communicating with each other, by changing one particle, you end up changing the other. The word that describes this relationality between particles is known as quantum entanglement. 

     Ilia Delio has taken this understanding of quantum physics where there is this incredible relationship with particles and has applied it to our interactions as humans. Our actions and our thoughts are not isolated. Our thoughts and actions affect others.

     She uses the example of someone who has been interacting with a friend. And that person might wonder how his or her friend is doing in that particular moment. And then maybe just a half hour later, that person gets a phone call or an email from that same person. These mysterious serendipitous moments happen to us from time to time leaving us wonder if that was just a coincidence. 

     Based on quantum physics, these so called “coincidences” might have something to do with how our thoughts and our actions can still have this relational connection even when you are totally separated from the other person. This idea of quantum entanglement can help us to see how creation itself is entangled with the Creator. Which means that God’s life affects our lives and our lives affect God’s life.

     And all of this is what our faith teaches us that God is personal. God is communicative. And God is relational. The incarnation where God becomes one of us through the person of Jesus Christ reminds us that even though God is distinct from matter, God is is also connected with matter. 

     And all of this can lead us to this theological conclusion: Everything that has been created, you, me and this entire world has a divine dimension of depth to it in which all matter is connected to an eternal source. And this is what makes this world holy. 

     So when you see the face of another person, you are in some sense seeing a reflection of the face of God. When you look at a leaf, you are in some sense seeing a reflection of God’s wisdom and glory. 

     Maybe instead of referring to this as “quantum entanglement,” we can think of prayer as an exercise in “holy entanglement.” When we pray, we release an energy, an energy of divine love that according to all of this scientific talk, can have a positive impact in our world. Our prayers are connected with God and can make a difference in the lives of others.

     Well, anyway, the Apostle Paul thought so. And that’s why he continued to pray even while he was in prison because he knew that those prayers would have an impact upon the Christians in Ephesus. 

     So much so that this is why Paul says in the last verse of our scripture reading,

     “Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever, and ever. Amen.”

    And so, yes.  Our prayers really do make a difference! Thanks be to God!

Do My Prayers Make a Difference?

Sermon Discussion Questions

Ephesians 3:14-21

July 25, 2021

Pastor Robert shared that when he first arrived in Athens, he could already sense the prayers that had been lifted for him. 

Have you ever sensed that someone had been praying for you? Share what that experience was like.

In our Ephesians scripture reading, the Apostle Paul is in prison for his faith and he is letting the Christians in Ephesus know that he has been praying for them. 

Why do you think that Paul wanted to them to know that he was praying for them? How do you think this made them feel?

Our Ephesians reading reminds us of the importance of prayer.

Who do you pray for on a consistent basis? Do you ever wonder if your prayers are making a difference in that person’s life?

Pastor Robert shared the theological work of Ilia Delio who focuses on the interaction of science and religion. Ilia uses the concept of quantum physics to help describe how our prayers really can make a difference in the lives of others. She explains how quantum physics says that atoms are energy and they share a relationship. In a similar way, our prayers are a form of energy that share a relationship. She uses the example of when we are thinking of someone, we sometimes receive a call from that person. We wonder if it’s just a coincidence but based on quantum physics, it may be that our thoughts and our prayer energy are making a connection with that person.

Share a time when you felt that a connection was being made with someone through your prayers. 

Our church provides several different opportunities for sharing prayers. These include sharing prayer requests that are sent to our email prayer chain, sharing in worship service prayers such as the opening prayer of confession and the pastoral prayer. We also encourage our small groups and bible studies to begin with prayer.

Do you have a personal prayer routine throughout the week? Share some of the ways that you seek to make prayer more of a priority in your life.

Share in this worship prayer that was used in Sunday’s service:

O Lord, we confess that there are times when we wonder if you really hear our prayers. Sometimes you feel so far away and we begin to doubt if our prayers really make a difference. As our Psalm for today says, “we have all gone astray.” Help us to find our way again and to rejoice in how you have been our refuge and strength. When we look down and see that we only have five loaves and two fish to feed thousands of people, remind us to also look up and offer these gifts to you. You are able to accomplish far more than we can ask or imagine! To you be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Online Worship (July 25) Athens First UMC

Welcome to our 

July 25

online worship service!

Athens First UMC

2 S. College St., Athens, OH 45701

[Live-Stream Begins @ 10:25 AM]

Holy Hump Day (July 21) with Pastor Robert

Today’s Focus:

The Spiritual Discipline

Of Daily Devotions

Sermon (July 18) by Rev. Robert McDowell

      I came across a children’s book written by a Rabbi that is entitled, “Where Does God Live?” Have you ever thought about where God lives? What kind of house would be suitable for the creator of the world to live?

     King David was thinking about this very question in our Old Testament reading. Notice how our scripture reading begins. “Now when the king was settled in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, the king said to the prophet Nathan, “See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent.” 

     David is feeling settled and satisfied in his luxurious house so it makes sense for God to have a nice house as well. Nathan agrees and gives David the green light to proceed forward.

     But just before David even had time to go to his Zillow app and start searching for the nicest houses on the market or contact a local builder, that very next morning, the Lord tells Nathan “thanks, but not thanks.” The mobile tabernacle home where the Lord has been residing for the past several years is more than adequate. So this leads us to ask the question, “Why doesn’t God want to live in a nicer house?”

     Well, as they say about real estate. It’s all about location, location, location. The tabernacle in which God was living was transportable. The Israelites took the tabernacle wherever they went. This God likes to be on the move. This God doesn’t seem all that interested in settling down in one specific place.

     I think this is something that we have discovered during the long global pandemic. We have this wonderful church building, not to mention substantial renovations that we made just a few years ago. But for over a year, for many of us, our homes became God’s new address. Our kitchen tables were transformed into sanctuary altars every Sunday morning. Yes, God still resided at 2 S. College Street, but we needed to set another place for God at the kitchen table or make room for God in our living rooms as we worshiped in our homes.  

     People ask me what I’ve learned during this long pandemic and I believe that we have been reminded that with or without a church building we are still the church because God is with us wherever we may be. When our church building burnt down in 1955, that was another time when the people of our church were reminded that God was still with them.

     God was with them at Memorial Auditorium on the OU campus where they worshipped for the next three years before our current church building was completed. God doesn’t just have one address. God lives in multiple locations, even at the same time!

     And then I think back to when our church was founded back in 1800. We didn’t even have a church building until fifteen years later. For those first fifteen years, somebody’s log cabin was God’s address on Sunday mornings. 

     If God was listed in the white pages, there wouldn’t be enough room to list all of the places where God lives because God is present wherever the people of God are able to gather and worship together. That’s a lot of dwelling places! This is why I say that the pandemic was a reminder of how we are still the church with or without a church building. 

     Sometimes, we can focus so much on a church building that we forget that God isn’t tied to a building with a steeple on top. When we fall in love with a building or equate the building with God, we develop what some church consultants refer to as an “edifice complex.”

     Early in my ministry, I served on staff at a church in which the youth group was not allowed to use one of the rooms in the church because that room was too nice for them to use. This room had the really nice furniture, the expensive coffee table, the nice book shelves, the plush carpet. 

     Since I was the youth pastor, I suggested that they just turn that space into a museum room that had signs that read, “Don’t Touch.” The youth were eventually allowed to use that room.

     I will be the first person to say how much I love this building. I love the simplicity and beauty of our sanctuary. I love our tall steeple. Love the large meeting rooms and our spacious kitchen. There is a lot to love about our building. But Lord have mercy, if I should ever elevate this space over the One for whom this space was created. 

     It was understandable that David wanted to build God a great big house to live. And that great big Temple did eventually get built by Solomon, David’s son. It would become a gathering point for people to worship. Having a physical space for people to gather is so important as we were reminded during this long pandemic but it didn’t stop us from being the church.

     I wonder if our Old Testament reading this morning is here to remind us that as important as it may be to have this wonderful space to gather as a congregation, it’s even more important to remember that God isn’t contained within these walls. God isn’t confined to our physical space. God is always on the move, calling us to recognize God’s presence wherever we may be.

     This past February, I watched the movie, Nomadland. It won the Golden Globe best motion picture of the year. I’ll try not to give away the main plot, but it’s a movie about people who downsize by selling their houses and buying a conversion van where they can live, travel and become nomads on wheels.

     What struck me most about this movie was in how the people who did this became a community where they shared their resources and found lasting relationships. One of the advantages of this lifestyle is that they are free to travel to wherever they’d like to go. 

     There’s a scene in this movie that has stayed with me. The main character in the movie is Fern, a woman who had lost her job and whose husband had recently died. She sells what little she has, buys a van and travels out west to places where she can find seasonal work. 

     A friend invites her to become part of a community of people who are also nomads. The people are really nice and they help her to develop survival skills for the road and they become her friends.

     Early in the movie just after she started to live in her van, Fern runs into a family she knows while shopping at a Walmart. This was before she left town. The woman who heard that she was now living in her van is concerned about her. In this scene, she asks Fern, “Are you still doing the van thing? We’re worried about you.” And Fern tells her to not worry about her and that she’s fine.

     And then this woman’s school age daughter who she had tutored came up to Fern to say, “Hi.” And she says, “My mom said that you’re homeless.” And Fern reassures her by saying, “I’m just houseless, not homeless. It’s not the same thing, right?”

     That moment in the movie stood out for me and I was reminded of it when I started preparing this sermon. Fern chose to do the van thing. And God was choosing to keep doing the tabernacle thing. God didn’t need a Temple. God wanted something more mobile in which to reside.

     I wonder if God was telling David, “I’m not homeless. Just houseless. It’s not the same thing, right?”

     Sometimes we want to have a place for God to live but we forget that God can’t be contained in one location. God shows up in places that we don’t expect. Yes, we expect to meet God in a sanctuary on a Sunday morning, but we also meet God in so many other places, too.

     Like out on the front sidewalk as we give away water bottles to college students. Like at the hospital when we deliver flowers to the patients and hospital staff. Like at the assisted living facility where we provide a worship service and get to know the residents. Like where we work and go to school and share a little of our faith with others. God is in all of these places.

     There is a wonderful Irish blessing that reminds us of God’s traveling ways. It goes like this:

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me.

     We have a traveling faith where God is with us wherever we go.

     There is a little twist to our Old Testament reading that I think is worth mentioning. David wanted to build a house for God, but God tells David that he is going to build a house for him, not a house of cedar which David already had, but a house that will establish David’s kingdom forever.

     That promise was fulfilled centuries after David through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the long awaited Messiah. Jesus, who was born in a stable because there was no room in the inn. Jesus, the traveling rabbi who once told someone who wanted to follow him, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

     This God who doesn’t have a primary address isn’t confined to one place. Maybe we should think of our church building more as a base of operations for kingdom work than as a permanent address for God. We encounter the living God whenever we gather in this place, but then we are sent into our community to encounter the living God wherever we go. 

     Where does God live? And maybe the best way to answer that question is, God isn’t homeless. Just houseless. It’s not the same thing, right?

Where Does God Live?

Sermon Discussion Questions

II Samuel 7:1-14

July 18, 2021

There is a children’s book that is entitled, “Where Does God Live?” It’s a great question and one that King David asks in our appointed Old Testament reading.

Why is having a place to live important? Why do you think that King David was thinking about this question? 

Up until the time of King David, the Lord was living in a portable tabernacle. This was because Israel was God’s traveling people. After God freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, they needed to travel through the wilderness for forty years before finally arriving in the Promise Land.

Share a time when you have been in between homes. How was God present with you in that time of transition?

During the global pandemic and especially when our church building was closed to in-person worship, many of us needed to turn our homes into “sanctuaries” where we watched worship online. 

In what ways was that experience of not having access to our church building for weekly worship a challenge? In what ways was it a blessing?

The short answer to the question, “Where does God live?” is “everywhere.” God is present with us wherever we go even though we dedicate particular places like a church building as our physical gathering point to encounter the living God. We encounter God in our church building, but God goes with us as we go out into the community and world to live out our faith. As Pastor Robert said in the sermon, “God may be houseless, but not homeless.”

Share some ways that help you to remember that God is present with you and with the people you encounter in your day to day living.

This traditional Irish blessing reminds us that God goes with us wherever we travel. Share these words out loud and give thanks for God’s presence.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me.

Online Worship (July 18) Athens First UMC

Welcome to our 

July 18

online worship service!

Athens First UMC

2 S. College St., Athens, OH 45701

[Live-Stream Begins @ 10:25 AM]