Holy Hump Day (November 16) with Pastor Robert

Today’s Focus:

Advent/Christmas Sermon

Series Sneak Preview!

Sermon (November 13) by Rev. Robert McDowell

    Maybe you’ve heard of this well known quote.  “If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it probably needs a little more time in the oven.”  

     Wait, that’s not it.  The saying goes like this, “If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it must be a duck.”

     If that’s true for ducks, can the same kind of thing be said about someone who identifies as a Christian?  And if so, what are those marks that would lead us to that conclusion, that if someone has those marks, they are most likely a Christian, a follower of Jesus?

     A lot of people have stereotypes of what Christians should look like and be like.  What are the marks of a Christian?  Does it mean your favorite coffee mug has to have a bible verse on it or that you wear a cross necklace or have at least one bumper sticker that has some type of Christian symbol.  Does it mean that you have to identify yourself with a particular political party or vote on issues a certain way?

     Today, we begin a 2-part sermon series on “Marks of a Christian.”  For these next two weeks, we’re going to be focusing on five key marks that are at the heart of what it means to say that we are followers of Jesus.  

     These are five marks that we find throughout the scriptures. And it’s no accident that these are the five marks that people who join a United Methodist Church say that they will make a priority in their lives as they seek to express their faith through that particular church family.

     The five marks of a Christian are prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness.  Prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness.  Let’s say those together.  Prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness.  

     So let’s get started.  The first two things a person agrees to do when they stand up here and become a member of First United Methodist Church is to say that they will support the church with their prayers and their presence. And when new members are received, the congregation also renews their membership vows as well.

    Let’s first focus on what it means to offer our prayers.  

    How are you doing in the area of prayer?       

     The first step in having a stronger prayer life is to not be bashful with your prayers.  Jesus says in Matthew 7:7, “Ask and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.  For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”

     We all seem to want to have a stronger prayer life, but we tend to struggle in how to go about it.  Maybe we’re worried that we won’t say a prayer in the right way and we’ll offend God.  Or maybe, we are afraid that we just might pray for the wrong thing.

     In the book, “Dear Pastor,” several short prayer requests have been compiled.  These prayer requests were written by children and given to their pastor.  Here are a few of these prayer requests.

     Dear Pastor, I know God loves me but I wish He would give me an “A” on my report card so I could be sure.  Love, Teresa (age 8, Milwaukee.)

     Dear Pastor, Thank you for your sermon on Sunday.  I will write more when my mother explains to me what you said.  Yours truly, Justin (age 9, Westport.)

     Dear Pastor, We say grace every night before we eat dinner even when we have leftovers from the night before.  Yours truly, Jackie (age 9, Chicago)

     If only all of us would be as free to express our prayer concerns!  I think there’s something to be said for being as open as children, to let God know what is on our heart and mind in any given moment or situation.  

     Remember this first thought.  Don’t be bashful.  Don’t worry about how your prayers might sound.  The important thing is to pray.

     The second step in having a deeper prayer life is to remember to whom your prayer is being directed.  In the Christian faith, when we begin our prayers with “Dear God” or “Our Father” or “Lord Jesus,” we are praying within a particular faith context.  

     We’re not praying to some unknown and distant God out there somewhere.  We are praying to the God of all creation who has been made known to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one God known in three persons.  

     The scriptures, which tell the story of the creation of the world, sin, Israel, Jesus, and the church, enable us to know who God is.  This is the context of every spoken and unspoken prayer for a Christian.

     This overarching story of who God is, helps our prayer life in a couple of ways.  First of all, it is a constant reminder that God can be personally known through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. And secondly, when we remember to whom we are addressing our prayers this personal God who wants to be in a relationship with us, we can have greater assurance that God will hear our prayers.  

     Just think of the long line of people over the centuries who have experienced a personal relationship with the living God.  Think of famous biblical names such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Deborah, Ruth, Obadiah, Mary, Peter, James, John.  And the list continues over the centuries and into the present day.

     Unless we know to whom we are addressing our prayers, it’s difficult to have any assurance that God really cares about what’s on our hearts in any given moment.

     So don’t be bashful in your prayers.  That’s #1.  And #2:  Know to whom you are addressing your prayers.  

     And just one more thought about prayer.  Prayers don’t have to be all that long. Sometimes we think that we have to be wordy in our prayers.  You might want to pray what I like to call, “ten second prayers.”  

     Ten second prayers are literally just that.  They are prayers that begin by addressing God, then maybe a very brief word of thanksgiving, then a specific request to God, and then you close the prayer.  Prayer can be that simple.  

     These ten second prayers are great to use when praying with someone face to face, instead of simply saying what we tend to say, “I’ll be praying for you.”  What if we would offer to pray a brief ten second prayer with and for someone at that moment?   

     Having a regular prayer life is a mark of a Christian.  Now, let’s look at another mark of a Christian.  Presence.  What does it mean to say that we will offer our presence through the church?  Presence refers to worshiping weekly within a faith community.

[Anne Lamott]

     Anne Lamott is one of my favorite contemporary Christian authors. She is originally from the Bay area and grew up with very little exposure to organized religion.  But in 1985 when she was 31, she decided to try out a Presbyterian Church one Sunday morning. 

     Hungover, she listened as the congregation sang old spirituals and she kind of enjoyed hearing those songs so she stayed there, and in her words, “the people didn’t hassle me.”  

     She goes on to share in an interview, “They didn’t try to get me to stay or to sign up for a bible study, and most important, they didn’t threaten to come and have a home visit and get to know me more, because I would have so run screaming back to my cute little life.  They just let me be there at a time where I didn’t really have much sense of belonging anywhere or of being OK, because I was pretty hung-over most mornings.”

     She goes on to say that she went to that same church “for months and months and months without staying for the sermon because it was too bizarre to hear the Jesus beliefs.  Then a year later, I just started to feel like Jesus was around me.  I would feel His presence.  God was like this little stray cat.  You know, I would kind of nudge him with my feet and say, ‘No,’ because you can’t let him in, because once you let him in and give him milk, you have a little cat, and I didn’t want it.  I lived on this tiny little houseboat at the time, and finally one day I just felt like: ‘Oh, whatever.  You can come in.’ And from that day on, which was almost 22 years ago, I have really felt a relationship or friendship with Jesus, a connection to him.”

     I love hearing Ann Lamott’s testimony.  This is one of the reasons why I believe so much in the people of God coming together week after week.  Because if we come enough times, these Jesus beliefs start to take hold of us.  Those dry prayers, those rambling sermons, and those same old songs, end up getting to us.  And in God’s own mysterious way, heaven breaks through and we become transformed.

     And sometimes, we get to be on the other end when someone comes through these doors, and we love them unconditionally - the way that Jesus loves them, and a life is changed simply through our presence in worship.

     I truly believe that being present through weekly worship is one of the key ways that we grow in our faith and experience God’s grace.  

     It’s in worship where we experience fellowship with other Christians, hear the scriptures read and proclaimed, receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion, surround a family with a community of love and forgiveness through the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, and remind ourselves on a weekly basis of who we are and to whom we belong.

     Along with a steady and deep prayer life, presence in worship is another important mark of a Christian.  

     Next week, we’re going to focus on three more marks – the marks of our gifts, service and witness.  

     Remember, if it prays, and if it worships, it just might be a Christian.

Marks of a Christian: Prayers & Presence

Sermon Discussion Questions

Revelation 4 & Luke 11:1-13

November 13, 2022

For these two Sundays, we will be focusing on the theme, “Marks of a Christian.” These marks include seeking to be followers of Jesus through our prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness. These are so important that they are what every new church member commits to when they join a local church.

Why do you think these five marks are an important part in growing in what it means to be followers of Jesus?

For this first Sunday, we are looking at the first two marks of a Christian; Prayers & Presence. Praying is what helps us to be in a relationship with God. There are three things to keep in mind when praying: 1) Don’t be bashful with your prayers! Jesus taught his followers to pray boldly! 2) Remember to whom you are praying. We are praying to God who has been made known to us through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We can know God in a personal way! 3) Prayers don’t have to be long. A simple template for prayer is to address God, offer a thanksgiving, share a prayer need, and close the prayer with “Amen” which means “so be it.”

Which of these 3 thoughts on prayer stands out for you the most and why do you think these are important in having a strong prayer life?

In addition to prayer, our presence is another important mark of a Christian. “Presence” refers to our weekly participation in worship. It’s when the community of faith gathers to confess our sins, hear the scriptures read and proclaimed, receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion, offer support for those who are being baptized, offer our prayers and gifts, receive a blessing, and fellowship with one another. 

How does weekly worship help you to be a growing follower of Jesus?

Pastor Robert shared the faith story of Christian author Anne Lamott. Before she became a Christian, she stumbled into a small church one Sunday morning because she was still hung over from the night before. Even though she left from that service early, there was something about the singing, the prayers, and the people that led her to return. The more she attended worship, the more she felt comfortable and at peace in her life. 

Why do you think that weekly worship is an important mark of a Christian?

Since our focus is on prayer and presence, offer this prayer from Sunday’s worship service:

Ever listening God, we confess that you are ever more ready to hear than we are to pray. You know our needs before we ask and our ignorance in asking.  We acknowledge that we have not always been faithful in praying for the needs of others, our community and world, and for the people and leaders of your church.  Forgive us we pray and free us for joyful obedience as we learn about the importance of prayer and worship today.  Amen.

Online Worship (November 13) Athens First UMC

Welcome to our 

November 13

online worship service!

Athens First UMC

2 S. College St., Athens, OH 45701

[Live-Stream Begins @ 10:25 AM]

Holy Hump Day (November 9) with Pastor Robert

Today’s Focus:

It’s a Miracle!!!

Sermon (Nov. 6/All Saints Sunday) by Rev. Robert McDowell

 

      Eulogies are an important part of the grieving process when a loved one dies. Sometimes people write their own eulogies ahead of time so that their loved ones do not have to do this. 

      I am fascinated by the many different kinds of eulogies you find. Some are very brief, others are lengthy especially when the person was part of a large family, was active in a lot of different organizations or worked in a variety of jobs.

     Some eulogies simply give the basic information about the person’s life while others are more in a story form that includes a descriptive and colorful sharing about that person’s life. A lot of times, the way the eulogy is worded is a reflection of that person.

     There’s really no one way to write a eulogy. A standard question to think about in writing a eulogy is does it reflect who that person truly was? 

     After doing a little research on the history of eulogies, in it’s earliest form, a eulogy was meant as a speech of praise or affirmation not for someone who had died, but for someone who was still living. It was only later, that eulogies were written primarily for those who had died. 

     The word, “eulogy” comes to us from the Latin word, “eulogia” which literally means to praise. When we offer a eulogy for someone, it is to offer praise and thanksgiving for a person’s life.

     I say all of this because of our appointed New Testament reading today from Ephesians in which Paul praises the Gentile believers in Christ. In writing this letter, the Apostle Paul is expressing how he wants to meet them some day. He has heard of their faithfulness to Christ.

    In our Ephesians scripture reading that was read for us, Paul continues his praise and eulogy of them by writing, “I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.”

     These Christians are living as “holy ones” who are embracing the inheritance of the life abundant they have received and are making their existence known by the way they love and serve God and God’s people. Paul wants them to know that they are part of God’s plan of salvation and they are called to continue the legacy of faithfulness in living out the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is what they have been doing as saints now.

      On this All Saints’ Sunday, we offer a collective eulogy of praise to those who have gone before us. We are thankful for those who have faithfully lived and died. We will be reading their names a little later in our worship service thanking God for how they have enriched our lives and the life of our church. 

     I like to think of All Saints’ Sunday as a day the church sets aside to join the Apostle Paul in offering a eulogy for the saints, both past and present. Hearing how those who have gone before us have been a blessing in the ways they have lived out their faith inspires us in our own walk with Christ. 

     This Sunday is always bitter/sweet time for us because on one hand we have heavy hearts because those who are no longer with us physically, but we also celebrate how we have been enriched through their faithfulness to Christ. This day inspires us to follow in their example by setting our hope in Christ, as Paul writes.

    The advantage of writing our own eulogies before we die is that it helps us to think about the spiritual legacy we want to leave behind. And when we can name that legacy, it can remind us again and again of the kind of life and faith that we are called to live each day.

     The Apostle Paul is giving us a starting point to help us write our eulogies when he reminds us that we are a people who have set our hope on Christ, that we have been sealed with the promise of the Holy Spirit, and our calling to grow in our faith in Christ and of our love for others.

     That’s a pretty good start in writing a eulogy! We already know who we are and how we are to live because we are a people of faith.

     Whenever we gather for worship, we are reminded of our eulogy through the reading of the scriptures, the hymns, our offerings, and the prayers. All of these worship components serve to remind us of who we are and who we are called to be. We are to live to the praise of God’s glory. This is the eulogy of the saints who have gone before us and for us as well as we live out our faith.

     Yes, we can include in our eulogies a listing of our family members, our jobs, and our hobbies, but at the heart of the saints’ eulogy is in how we have lived out the good news of our faith by loving God and serving others. That is at the heart of what it means for us to continue the legacy of those who have gone before us.

     So what would a saint’s living eulogy look like today? What would be included in a church’s living eulogy? I wonder if this is what would be written about us as a church:

     Once upon a time, when some people moved to this area to start a new community called Athens, they decided to build a church. It would be a church that would serve as the social hub of the community. Everybody attended worship on Sundays and other events during the week. It was a time when families enjoyed eating meals around the table, laughing, and spending time together. And even though people had their different opinions about life, politics, and religion, they always did their best to listen and respect each other.

     But gradually over time, life became more complicated. People started feeling more anxious and fearful. They weren’t always as respectful when someone offered their differing points of view. Schools that once felt safe now had to have new security measures in place. 

     To make things even more challenging, a global pandemic added even more stress to an already polarizing time. Schools, churches, and businesses had to learn very quickly new and creative ways of operating.

     During this very challenging time this church remembered that God was still with them. And even though there were many changes they needed to make during the pandemic, they discovered that some of these changes were a blessing in disguise. 

     Now, instead of only the people who were physically able to attend church on Sundays, were able to worship in their homes by watching the live-stream of the service on their computers and TVs.

     They started having zoom bible studies that led to people from out of state and even outside of the country to be able to participate. They found ways to provide meals to the community by offering a curbside pick-up option.

     When they wondered if people would keep supporting the church financially especially in the first several months of the pandemic when they were not able to have in-person worship, the faithfulness of the people never really wavered. 

     Not only did they continue to support the monthly operations of the church, they also ended up giving away approximately $80,000 a year in support of local and global mission work.

     Members continued to arrange and deliver flowers to the patients at the hospital. They made blankets for the police and sheriff departments. And they gave prayer shawls to people to remind them of the prayers and support of their church family.

     The people in that church found ways to continue to safely meet for prayer, support one another through small groups, and have choir practices. Even the church’s toys which had been tucked away in bins somehow found a way to make special appearances and bring a smile to the faces of the congregation. “Church Toys to the Rescue,” they would exclaim with glee!

     Yes, this was our church for the past two and a half years. During one of the most challenging times this church could remember, with the exception of the fire that destroyed the previous building back in 1955, the people of the church persisted in being the people God had called them to be.

     Marked with the seal of the Holy Spirit, with their hope set on Christ, and claiming the inheritance that awaits them to the praise of God’s glory, this church has not only survived, they thrived. 

     Not only has this church overcome challenges that have come their way, it has grown over the years in affirming and believing in the sacred worth of each person as a recipient of God’s love and grace. The church has sought to always be open and inclusive of all people regardless of gender, race, national origin, physical or mental ability, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status or economic condition.

     This is a church that continues to remember the immeasurable greatness of the power of Christ at work in and through them.

     I offer this living eulogy to all of you today and I invite you to write a living eulogy about our church as well. 

     Today, on this All-Saint’s Sunday, we give thanks to God for the eulogies of the saints who have gone before us. We continue to write our living eulogies as we follow in their footsteps. 

     And after more than 200 years, may the living eulogy of our church continue to be written for years to come as we seek to be faithful to Christ and to be the people God has called us to be. 

A Living Eulogy

Sermon Discussion Questions

Ephesians 1:11-23

November 6, 2022

On this All Saints’ Sunday when we remember and give thanks to God for saints who have gone before us, our Ephesians reading reminds us of what it means to be God’s faithful people. The Apostle Paul praises the people of the Ephesus congregation for their faith in the Lord Jesus and their love for each other. 

Who are the people in your life who have enriched your faith?

Originally, a eulogy was meant to praise someone who was still living and not just for those who had died. The Latin word, “eulogia” literally means “to praise.” This is what the Apostle Paul is doing when he praises the Ephesians for their faith in Christ. 

What praises do you have for people (past and present) who have enriched your faith in Christ?

When the Apostle Paul praises the saints in Ephesians for their faith in Christ, he is essentially offering a living eulogy that commends them for their faithful witness. 

If you were to write a living eulogy for someone who is a blessing in your life, what are some words that you would include?

Since Paul was praising the church of Ephesus, what words come to mind if you were to write a living eulogy about our church? What would you include in this living eulogy that would best describe how your church is faithfully living out the good news of Jesus Christ?

Some people write their own eulogies to be used instead of having a loved one write it.

What would you like to see included in your eulogy? What helps you to be the saint that God has called you to be?

Offer this prayer from Sunday’s All Saints’ worship service:

God of ages past and hope of days yet to come, we come into your presence with joy and thanksgiving. For those who have gone before us, we gratefully remember their wisdom and love. For those who follow after us, we fervently pray for their growth in faith. For those who are here now, we offer you our lives, that we may be faithful disciples of your love in such a time as this. We confess that we often forget that we are all your saints together. Empower us by your grace to live up to this calling that you have given to each one of us. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.

Online Worship (November 6/All Saints Sunday) Athens First UMC

Welcome to our 

November 6 (All Saints Sunday)

online worship service!

Athens First UMC

2 S. College St., Athens, OH 45701

[Live-Stream Begins @ 10:25 AM]

Holy Hump Day (November 2) with Pastor Robert

Today’s Focus:

Update on the United Methodist Church

& Disaffiliation Over LGBTQ