Sermon (May 30/Trinity Sunday) by Rev. Robert McDowell

     Every year for Memorial Day Weekend, I can’t help but to think about my hometown’s community softball tournament. Our church always had a team in this tournament led by a church member who was our coach and pitcher. He also was the only one who had a bunch of bats and balls for us to use. 

     The tournament would begin on Friday evening and last through Monday afternoon of that long holiday weekend. There were about twenty adult teams who participated.  Our team consisted mostly of teenagers but also had some really old guys and by old, I mean guys in their 40s! To us younger players, that was really old.

     For a team that was pretty young and inexperienced, we did really well, even winning the tournament a couple of times. The church member who was our coach did a really good job of helping us to play as a team. The only broken bone I have ever had came from playing in one of those softball tournaments. 

     Since this was a community and not a church softball tournament, we were the only church team and the only team that prayed before each game. Theologically, I don’t think that our prayers had anything to do with our winning or losing, but it did remind us that we were representing our church when we took the field. It also taught us a lot about teamwork and giving our best.

     In our Romans scripture reading for today, the Apostle Paul is reminding me a little of our softball coach. Like a good coach, Paul is reminding the church in Rome that they are children of God. They are teammates. He uses this phrase, “children of God” three times in this one passage of scripture. We are children of God. We are teammates who represent Christ and his church. Win or lose, we belong to God. “We are joint heirs with Christ,” Paul says. 

     I love this image of the church being like a team where we are connected with each other and with God who has made us his children. Which brings me to the Trinity Sunday part of this scripture passage.    

     Paul refers to all three persons of the Trinity in this very short passage. He says that when we cry, “Abba, Father,” it is that very Spirit that bears witness with our spirit that we are teammates, we are children of God. 

     And then Paul says, that as God’s children we are all heirs with Christ. There you have it. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It only takes Paul two verses to include all three members of the Trinity and he does so in the context that we are children of God. 

     This is what is beautiful about being part of the church. We all have this in common where God’s Spirit keeps us from falling back in fear by reminding us that we are heirs with Christ. We are reminded of this every time that we offer our prayers to the Father. 

     This scripture reading is at the very middle of Romans, chapter eight, probably one of the most hope-filled chapters in all of the Bible. It concludes with this incredible exclamation point of who we are because of this God who is known as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 

     After giving us this long list of things that might separate us from God and each other; things like rulers, worry about the future, powers, height, depth, and even death itself, Paul concludes this chapter by saying, “None of these things will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord.”

     We remind each other of this hope that we have together in a variety of ways. Through our weekly worship, through bible studies, through small groups, through the sharing of testimonies, and through prayer requests that we receive each week.

     Those prayer requests always remind me that we are children of God. Especially this one that was shared a while back by a member of our church who has been fighting cancer the past six and a half years. 

     He updated our prayer chain to let us know how our prayers for him over all these years have helped him to beat the odds of this disease and that he is truly blessed. He says “I am a winner in so many ways! Let’s celebrate!”

     That’s our teammate sharing this with us. That’s a member of our family letting us know that our prayers have been a life-line to him, especially during these many months of being separated because of COVID19 precautions. 

     As children of the Triune God, Paul wants us to be reminded again and again that we have much to celebrate. We are joint heirs of Christ and nothing can ever separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. We have the Spirit who Paul says will not allow us to fall back into fear but always keeps us moving forward in hope.

     Heirs of Christ, children of God, Paul says. I like that. Children of the Triune God.

     In reflecting on this passage, gifted speaker and author, Heather Murray Elkins says that “Trinity relationships are ties that bind and loosen at the same time. We are family because we’ve been adopted by the triune One whose nature and name is Love. We are heirs of God, not by right, not by ancestry, but by grace.” 

     This is what binds us together in the church, God’s grace, God’s unconditional, inclusive, and all-embracing grace. And it’s because of this grace, that the Triune God loosens us from our fears and doubts. We are freed from all that would enslave us and keep us from being the people that God has called us to be. 

     Next week, close to three-thousand clergy and lay delegates, representing the one-thousand United Methodist churches from all over the West Ohio Conference will be meeting online for our Annual Conference meeting. We met online last year as well because of the global pandemic.

     It is amazing to me that this online option works as well as it does. We are able to conduct the business of the annual conference as well as receive new clergy into the conference, recognize pastors who are retiring, and share in worship together. 

     But what I miss the most is not being able to physically gather in Hoover auditorium along Lake Erie, in Lakeside, Ohio. It’s always so powerful to worship with three thousand other United Methodists in the same place.

     One of the hymns that we sing when we gather at annual conference is the Charles Wesley hymn, “And Are We Yet Alive.” It’s a powerful hymn to sing when we’re all together because it’s a hymn that reminds us to celebrate these opportunities when we can gather as children of the Triune God.

     The first verse says, “And are we yet alive, and see each other’s face? Glory and thanks to Jesus give for this almighty grace.” The 3^rd verse says, “What troubles have we seen, what mighty conflicts past, fightings without, and fears within, since we assembled last.”

     This leads to verse four, “Yet out of all the Lord hath brought us by his love; and still he doth his help afford, and hides our life above.”

     These verses build upon each other in describing what it means to be children of God together. We are a family. We are “heirs of God” as Heather Murray Elkins says so beautifully. We are heirs of God, not by right, not by ancestry, but by grace. 

     This is what makes us children or teammates of the Triune God.

     Speaking of hymns, I think it’s really interesting that when the church building before this one burnt down back in 1955, that they were able to salvage this one hymnal. We have this hymnal in a glass case here at the church.

      And if you look closely, the hymn that is at the top of that burnt hymnal is the hymn, “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty.” It was our opening hymn for today’s worship. It’s a hymn that celebrates the Triune God. “God in three persons, blessed Trinity.” 

     It would be three years later in 1958 when the congregation would be able to worship for the first time in this building. I can’t even imagine what it must have felt like for the congregation to worship for the first time here. 

     They say they even needed forty ushers that first Sunday to accommodate the crowd. On that Sunday, February 9, 1958 they truly were children of the Triune God, teammates, brothers and sisters who together by God’s grace were able to start anew.

     I think of these past several months where we have faced the many challenges of a global pandemic. Like the Apostle Paul at the end of this eight chapter of Romans, maybe we have been asking, “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or a fire, or a global pandemic?”

     And we can answer with confidence. “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” Why? Because we are children and teammates of the Triune God!

Children of the Triune God

Sermon Discussion Questions

Romans 8:22-27

May 30, 2021

In our New Testament reading, the Apostle Paul refers to God in terms of the “Father” in verse 15, “Christ” in verse 17, and the “Spirit”  in verses 13-16 which is why this is one of the appointed scripture readings on Trinity Sunday. On this day, we celebrate that God is one God, but known in three persons; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The reason that Trinity Sunday is observed on this Sunday is because during the Easter Season, we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus (Easter) and the giving of the Holy Spirit (Pentecost.) 

Share how this past Easter/Pentecost season has helped you to grow closer to God.

In our Romans scripture passage which only includes six verses, the Apostle Paul uses the phrase, “children of God” three times. Paul wants us to know that we are children of the Triune God. The word, “children” implies that we are connected to each other and part of the same Triune family. Pastor Robert used the word “teammates” in describing our relationship with each other.

In what ways do you see the people of our church as teammates? What are some things that good teammates do for their fellow teammates?

Pastor Robert offered an example from our own Athens First UMC history of how the congregation pulled together as teammates following the fire that burnt down our previous church building. Together, they were able to raise money and build our current building in just three years. He noted a hymnal that was salvaged from the fire. We have it in a glass encasement  here in our church and that hymnal is opened to the hymn, “Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty” which is a classic hymn about the Trinity. Even though part of that hymn’s page was charred from the 1955 fire, it serves to remind us even to this day that together, we are “Children of God.” We are teammates!

Share some ways that teammates pull together when facing adversity. 

Pray our Trinity Sunday prayer and think about the meaning of these words:

O God, you are holy, holy, holy. You are Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer, one God known in three persons. On this Trinity Sunday, we confess those times when we have forgotten that you have created us in Your image and have included us in your family. Thank you for sending us your Holy Spirit that bears witness with our spirit that we are your children together. On this day, we celebrate your claim in our lives and your call for us to live out who you have called us to be. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen. 

Online Worship (May 30/Trinity Sunday) Athens First UMC

Welcome to our 

May 30

online worship service!

Athens First UMC

2 S. College St., Athens, OH 45701

[Live-Stream Begins @ 10:25 AM]

Holy Hump Day (May 26) with Pastor Robert

Today’s Focus:

The Hymnal as a Spiritual Guide

Sermon (May 23/Pentecost) by Rev. Robert McDowell

     There are so many names for God throughout the scriptures. It’s striking to me that we so often focus on only a couple of these names especially in the way we address God when we pray. God is probably the most common name we use when we pray to or speak about God. And on this Pentecost Sunday, we are reminded of another name for God, “Spirit.”

     And of course we have other standard names for God like, “Lord” and “Heavenly Father.” These names for God usually get top billing.

     I’m amazed at how many times I continue to uncover new names for God, at least new to me. In today’s New Testament reading from Romans, the Apostle Paul slips in another beautiful name for God. “Searcher of Hearts.”

     We find this name for God in our Romans passage. The New Revised Standard Version which is what we commonly use for scripture readings during our worship services and bible studies makes this name sound more like a description than a name, which is why I like how one New Testament scholar translates this verse.

     His translation of Romans 8:27 based on his understanding of the Greek language which Paul is using here says, “And the Searcher of Hearts knows what the spirit is thinking, because the spirit pleads for God’s people according to God’s will.” “The Searcher of Hearts.” What a great name!

     This name, “Searcher of Hearts” reminds us that God is active. I like that. God is a searching God. This name reminds us that God is always on the move.

     One of my favorite chapters in the four Gospels is found in the 15^th chapter of Luke’s Gospel. This one chapter contains three parables where Jesus is describing God as a searching God. It begins with the parable of the Lost Sheep. “Which one of you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness  and goes after the one that is lost until he finds it?”

     The second parable is the parable of the Lost Coin. “What woman having ten silver coins if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?” 

     And the third parable is the parable of the Son Son, the Prodigal Son. That parable concludes with the father saying to the elder son after the younger son had returned home, “We had to celebrate and rejoice because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.”

     These parables all point to a God who is always searching for what is lost. And at the conclusion of each of those parables is a time of rejoicing because what was lost is now found.

     In our Romans scripture reading, Paul writes “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.” And the Spirit does this because God is a searcher of hearts.”

     In theological language, this is what we refer to as God’s prevenient grace. “Prevenient” means to go before, to go ahead of us, to prepare the way. Which means that God is always the primary actor. God is the one who is initiating a relationship with us and who first reaches out to us before we even think about reaching out to God.

     Or let me describe prevenient grace in this way. There is never a moment, there is never a second, and there is never a time in our lives, when God is NOT searching for us and reaching out to us. When we take a moment to let that sink in, it really gives us this powerful picture of a God who is the one who always makes the first move toward us. That’s prevenient grace.

     The word that Apostle Paul is using here for “search” is a Greek word that was often used in reference to the lighting of a torch in order to search for something in the dark.  And when Paul says that the Spirit helps us in our weakness which he defines as those times when we don’t know how to pray, this becomes an even more powerful image for us. I love this thought of the Searcher of Hearts lighting a torch in the depths of our soul to help us communicate what is so deep down in us that we can’t even find the words to tell God what we are feeling.

     If you ever find it too difficult to pray because what you are feeling is so raw and inexpressible in that moment, then this scripture reading offers us a powerful word of hope. The Searcher of Hearts is lighting the way in our troubled souls.

     Maybe that darkness is related to a grief that you are experiencing. It might even be a grief that you didn’t even know you had until the Searcher of Hearts revealed it to you.

     A few years ago on a late afternoon, I was driving down the road and listening to the radio. I wasn’t able to concentrate that whole day and I knew that something had been troubling my soul but I couldn’t put my finger on it.

     Something was telling me to turn off the radio, so I turned it off and there was this eerie silence as I continued down the road. But that’s when I finally realized why I was so down and distracted that whole day. It was like a light revealed what was troubling my soul. 

     All of the sudden, it came to me. It was my dad’s death anniversary. And that time of silence in the car is what helped God’s spirit to connect with my spirit and led me to be able to name what was troubling me so that I could receive God’s healing and comforting grace. 

     Whether it’s grief or past wounds or a regret or feelings of disappointment, this Searcher of Hearts is helping us in our weakness. This Searcher of Hearts is shining the light of love and grace in whatever brokenness we may be experiencing.

     This is a dimension of Pentecost that I never really gave that much focus until I noticed this new name for God buried in this passage of Romans. “The Searcher of Hearts.” God’s grace and love are always going before us. This Searcher of Hearts has already been lighting up the darkness of our souls to help lead us to healing and wholeness.

     Tomorrow marks the anniversary of when John Wesley, the founder of Methodism had his heart-warming experience in London, England after suffering through a very long time of spiritual dryness. It’s kind of interesting that it was when Wesley was hearing someone read from this letter of Romans that led him to stand up and tell everyone at that prayer meeting that he felt his heart strangely warmed.

     Strangely warmed. The Searcher of Hearts had been lighting a torch in Wesley’s despondent soul leading him to be awakened to God’s joy, hope, and mercy. Wesley went on to share his heart-warming faith with others who like him were in need of God’s reassuring love.

     Methodists are known for our wonderful casseroles and our love of committee meetings, but we are most known for being a people of warm hearts. We are known for our warm hearts because the Seeker of Hearts is always lighting the darkness of our souls. 

     God’s prevenient grace is always going before us, preparing us, inviting us, wooing us, beckoning us, and reaching out to us with a love that fills our hearts. This God who is known as The Searcher of Hearts.

     Several years ago, I served as a Christian camp counselor at one of our United Methodist camps. I was sitting with four or five other camp counselors around a blazing campfire. Our hearts had been warmed by the testimonies of several of the campers who just shared how they had experienced God’s love in a very real way because of that week of camp.

      Some of the young campers had shared how they had received Jesus in their heart for the first time because of our week together. Others shared that they experienced God’s love in a new way and they were now ready to make a recommitment in being Jesus’s followers.

      And as I sat there with the other camp counselors around that campfire, one of them questioned why these same spiritual experiences weren’t happening in our local churches. There was some silence as we thought about that questions. And then I said, “Well, maybe tonight wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for the local church that sponsored them to come, that shared God’s love with them through Sunday School, youth group, and worship. Maybe God was already at work before we even arrived here this week for camp.”  

     This Searcher of Hearts is always going before us lighting the way and preparing us to have hearts that are strangely warmed. 

     On that first Pentecost, we are told that a tongue of fire rested on each of the disciples and all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit. 

     Spirit, Searcher of Hearts, so many names for this God who is always on the move, always lighting the way before us and who is always helping us in our weakness.

Searcher of Hearts

Sermon Discussion Questions

Romans 8:22-27

May 23, 2021

The scriptures offer us many names for God. Some of these include; Father, Rock, Lord, Shepherd, King, Spirit, Mother, Savior, etc.

What are some other names for God and do you have a favorite name for God?

In our Romans 8 scripture reading, the Apostle Paul offers us another name for God that is very descriptive. Paul refers to God as the “Searcher of Hearts.” In the Greek language, the word “searcher” was often used to describe how someone would light a torch to find something in the dark. In the context of Romans, chapter 8, the thought is that God is like a light that reveals what is hidden in our souls. This could be a grief, a regret, a sadness, or something else that might be difficult for us to identify because it is buried deep within us.

Has God ever revealed to you something that was deeply hidden in your soul which was in need of healing? These moments can be painful but also very liberating as well.

This name for God, “Searcher of Hearts” reminds us that God is the one who first searches for us before we seek God. In our Wesleyan/Methodist theological understanding, this is what is known as God’s prevenient grace. Prevenient means to “go before.” God’s grace reaches out to us before our awareness of it! This means that God is always reaching out to us in any given moment.

How does this thought of prevenient grace where God’s grace is always being extended to us in any given moment have an impact upon you? What helps you to be open and receive God’s grace?

On the Day of Pentecost, we are told that a tongue of fire rested upon each of the disciples. When we think of Paul’s name for God as a “Searcher of Hearts” who is always shining the light in our dark souls, it helps us to appreciate how the Spirit of God is at work in our lives.

As you say this Pentecost prayer, extend your hands in front of you with palms facing upward in a spirit of receiving what the Searcher of Hearts is wanting to share with you in this moment:

Gracious God, we do not often listen for your Holy Spirit. We turn from your guidance and your inspiration. The whispers and the shouts do not penetrate the noise of our daily lives. We silence the wisdom available to us through your Spirit of Truth. O searcher of our hearts, help us to hear both your quiet whispers and your holy shouts that our very lives may testify to your unseen hope. Amen.

Online Worship (May 23/Pentecost) Athens First UMC

Welcome to our 

May 23

online worship service!

Athens First UMC

2 S. College St., Athens, OH 45701

[Live-Stream Begins @ 10:25 AM]

Holy Hump Day (May 19) with Pastor Robert

Today’s Focus:

God Can Use Anyone,

Especially Church Toys!

Sermon (May 16/Ascension Sunday) by Rev. Robert McDowell

     Today’s Acts scripture reading on this Ascension Sunday offers us a three dimensional perspective for our faith. It reminds us that we are called to have a faith that looks upward, that looks downward, and a faith that also looks outward.

    Let’s first focus on what it means to have a faith that looks upward. Ascension Sunday is when we remember that it was on the 40^th day following Jesus’ resurrection that as Jesus was with his disciples, he was mysteriously lifted up into the sky and eventually out of their sight.

     Jesus was lifted up. And then we are told that as he was being lifted up, the disciples were gazing up toward heaven, watching this incredible sight. With their heads upward, two men in white robes, supposedly messengers from God mysteriously appeared on the scene and said to them, “This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

     What do we make of a story like this? 

     This is a great example of remembering that the biblical writers were very creative and gifted in how they described mysterious and holy events like this one. When we say that the biblical writers were inspired by God to write scripture, it’s important to remember that God allowed the biblical writers to use their literature and storytelling skills in describing events that are really indescribable. 

      If we read this story of Jesus’ ascension and all we get out of it is that Jesus took an invisible hot air balloon up into the sky, we will totally miss what this author of Acts is wanting us to take away from this scene. Depicting Jesus as being lifted from earth into the sky is a very creative way of giving us a mental picture that on this fortieth day following his resurrection, it was now time for Jesus to ascend to his heavenly throne. It’s the same language that we use when a king on earth ascends to his royal throne. It’s about assuming authority and rule.

     And so, when we think of this ascension of Jesus story, our pondering should be less about questions related to the defiance of gravity and more focused on the question, “What does it mean that the Risen Christ is now ascending to his throne to rule as the true King over all creation?”

     It’s this second question that the scripture writer wants us to give our utmost focus. The Risen Christ is ascending to his heavenly throne to rule over all creation and what does that mean for us?”

     So with this background in mind, I have no problem whatsoever with the disciples gazing toward heaven as Jesus was leaving them. As long as we remember that looking upward isn’t about “how did he do that?” and more of, “Jesus truly is the King of kings.”

Faith Dimension #1 - Looking Upward

     I began by saying that this scripture of Jesus’ ascension offers us a three dimensional perspective of our faith. This first dimension is pointing out the importance that we remember to look upward from time to time. When we look upward and remember that the Risen Christ is ascended upon his heavenly throne and offering his loving and gracious rule over all creation, it gives us hope as we face the challenges and injustices of this world. 

     Ascension Day reminds us that it’s not all up to us. We have a Risen King! We have a gracious King! We have a victorious King!

     When the world gets crazy as it often does, this scripture reminds us to look upward and see Jesus seated as the King of kings!

     When you are facing what seems to be an impossible challenge in your life or what feels like an impossible decision to make, look upward and see Jesus seated as the King of kings!

     When you listen to the news and feel so helpless with so much suffering and injustice in the world, look upward and see Jesus seated as the King of kings.

     When you feel that you have been misunderstood and treated unfairly, look upward and see Jesus seated as the King of kings. 

     Ascension Sunday is such an important day on the church calendar because sometimes we forget that Jesus is the one who is enthroned and who rules over all. And not only is there a King, who as the scriptures inform us is above all and in all, this King is also the one who has promised to come again and establish his kingdom here on earth forever and ever. Looking upward is what gives us that larger perspective that as the song says, “he’s got the whole world in his hands.”

Faith Dimension #2 - Looking Downward

     If looking upward is the first dimension of our faith from our ascension scripture reading, the second dimension of our faith is by looking downward. Why would we want to look downward? 

     In the next verse, verse 12, which isn’t part of our Acts reading this morning, we are told that after Jesus’ ascension, they went to a room where they were staying in Jerusalem. We are told that it was an upper room which is where we get the name of the United Methodist devotional pamphlet. The Upper Room. And in verse 14, it says that it was there that the disciples devoted themselves to prayer along with certain women.

     Many times when we are invited to pray, we bow our heads. If looking upward to Jesus sitting on his heavenly throne is what reminds us that Jesus is the King of kings over all creation, it’s when we look downward in prayer that we can have a conversation with this King of kings. Prayer is where we enter into a sacred space with the King. It’s how we listen. It’s how we share what’s on our hearts and minds. It’s what we do when we offer ourselves in worship.

     One of the spiritual exercises that has really helped in my faith formation over the years is in the regular discipline of writing down my prayers. I have found that writing is a very therapeutic way of expressing what is deepest in our hearts and minds.

     Often time, it’s during this process of writing out my prayers, that I am able to to get at the heart of what is most troubling me. It gives me the needed time and space to reflect on what I am feeling in any given moment. Sometimes, it reveals where I am feeling week, anxious, and broken. And I can just give all of that to God and be filled anew with his mercy and love.

     Writing out my prayers also helps me to go beyond my immediate concerns because it slows me down to where I am more open to other needs around me, needs that I would have probably not thought about without that time of reflection. This has led me to pray regularly for family members, for the people of our congregation, for our church’s ministries, as well as churches and church leaders beyond Athens First. 

     I now look at my prayer time during the early morning hour as my therapy time with God. It helps me to process all that happened the day before so that I can begin the new day. So where is your Upper Room located? What helps you to look downward and pray to the King of kings and the Lord of lords? 

       Faith Dimension #3 - Looking Outward

     Our three dimensional faith includes looking upward and remembering that the Risen Christ is enthroned in heaven as the King of kings. We look downward and find daily renewal through prayer, and the third dimension of our faith is that we are invited to look outward in sharing our faith and serving others.

      Just before Jesus ascended into heaven, he told his disciples that they are to be his witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judaea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. In other words, Jesus was handing the baton to them. It was now their turn to be his witnesses. 

     Mike was my Trustees chairperson at a church I was serving. He was great at getting things repaired or knowing who to call to get things fixed. Mike was highly analytical and didn’t often show his emotions in church.

     So I was kind of surprised when Mike signed up to attend a weekend-long faith sharing seminar that we were sponsoring at our church. The seminar began on Friday evening and lasted through Sunday afternoon.

     At the closing of the seminar on Sunday afternoon, the leader invited anyone to share what they learned by attending the faith sharing seminar. And immediately, Mike stood up and with great enthusiasm he exclaimed, “I’d like to share something!”

     I couldn’t believe that this was Mike who was volunteering to share so eagerly. And he could hardly contain himself as he told us that this seminar gave him the confidence to invite someone he had just met the day before at a nearby restaurant to attend worship with him and his wife the next morning.

     And then Mike said that this young man enjoyed our worship service and meeting new people and told Mike that he wanted to come back next Sunday. I had never seen Mike this happy and this willing to show and share his emotions. 

     Not only did this weekend seminar help Mike to look outward and share his faith with others, this young man that he had invited to attend church kept coming and ended up becoming part of our church family.

     The reason this story is on my mind this morning is because Mike recently called me here at the church to give me an update on how our mutual friend is doing. He said that he was soon going to move to be closer to his family and Mike thought it would mean a lot to him if I called him to say a prayer for him over the phone.

     So I called him and we had a great conversation. And he said to me what a difference Mike and his wife had made in his life over these past several years and how our church has meant so much to him. 

     And when I got off the phone, I just said a little prayer thanking God for sending Mike to that seminar that led him to invite this man to our church which ended up having a huge impact on his life. What a wonderful thing it is to share our faith with others and invite them to be part of our church family. What a blessing it is to be witnesses for Jesus. Mike was willing to look outward and share his faith with others.

     Ascension Sunday is day that reminds us to look upward and remember that Jesus is the King of kings. It’s a day that reminds us to also look downward and offer our daily prayers to this King of kings. And it’s a day that reminds us to look outward and share our faith with others.

     Happy Ascension Sunday!

A Three Dimensional Faith

Sermon Discussion Questions

Acts 1:1-11

May 16, 2021

Ascension Sunday occurs on the 40th day following Easter Sunday and focuses on when Jesus ascended to heaven. Our Acts scripture reading for this Sunday tells us that  Jesus was lifted up and a cloud took him out of their sight. This is a creative way that the author is showing that Jesus is “ascending” to his heavenly throne. In other words, we shouldn’t be focused on how Jesus was able to defy the laws of gravity but instead focus on what it means that the Risen Christ has ascended to rule as the true King over all creation.

What are your thoughts about the creative ways that the biblical writers describe events like the ascension of Jesus? What biblical resources have helped you to interpret the Bible in a way that represents the author’s original intention? Commentaries? Sermons? Bible Studies? 

Since the Ascension of Jesus is more about the Risen Christ ascending to his heavenly throne than about how did Jesus defy the laws of gravity, this scripture reading invites us to think about our faith in three different dimensions. These three dimensions include the importance of 1) looking upward 2) looking downward and 3) looking outward.

Faith Dimension #1 - Looking Upward

Like the disciples, what helps you to look upward at Jesus ascending to his throne and remember that the Risen Christ truly is the King of kings and the Lord of lords?

Faith Dimension #2 - Looking Downward

Like the disciples who after the ascension of Jesus, went to the Upper Room to pray, what helps you to look downward in prayer to have a conversation with the Risen Christ who is the King of kings and the Lord of lords?

Faith Dimension #3 - Looking Outward

Like the disciples who following the Day of Pentecost and with the power of the Holy Spirit shared their faith with others, what helps you to look outward and share the good news of the Risen Christ who is the King of kings and the Lord of lords?

Which of these three dimensions of faith do you need to focus on the most now?