February 27, 2022
Welcome! We’re so glad you have joined us today! Gathering Gathering Song God of Wonders Third Day https://youtu.be/0M8XK2w7wmw Announcements Tuesday, 10:00 AM Lenten Study at Lake Sunapee UMC Thursday, 7:00 PM Lenten Study via Zoom Elisabeth Smith is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: Lenten Study Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86066732644?pwd=emorNUc2RlJkWEN4UUdrZHJZY0o2Zz09 Meeting ID: 860 6673 2644 Passcode: 762435 One tap mobile +19292056099,,86066732644#,,,,*762435# US (New York) +13017158592,,86066732644#,,,,*762435# US (Washington DC) Dial by your location +1 929 205 6099 US (New York) +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) Meeting ID: 860 6673 2644 Passcode: 762435 Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcyTFEtQFq Next Sunday, March 6 our in-person worship time changes to 8:30 AM. Lenten Study: Max Lucado’s book 3:16 The Numbers of Hope. There will be an in-person group on Tuesdays at 10:00 AM beginning March 1 and a Zoom group on Thursdays at 7:00 PM beginning on March 3. Books are now available. Cost is $18. Opening Prayer God, who blesses us in all the seasons of our lives, assure us of the truth of your birth, death, and resurrection, so we can know, despite the trials of this world, that we are blessed because we are yours. Amen. Song Transfiguration Hillsong Worship https://youtu.be/pri10SRoBPc Hearing the Word Scripture Luke 9:18-45a (NIV) Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “God’s Messiah.” Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone. And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in all his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.” About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters – one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.) While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen. The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. A man in the crowd called out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him. I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not.” “You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.” Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the impure spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father. And they were all amazed at the greatness of God. While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did, he said to his disciples, “Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.” But they did not understand what this meant. Sermon Signs and Wonders One of my favorite comics was “Ziggy.” I found that I could almost always relate to him and the things that he went through. One comic strip that I cut out of the paper and had tacked on my bulletin board for years until it finally just wore out showed Ziggy standing and looking up at the sky, shouting, “If you’re up there, give me a sign!” And in the next frame there is a giant neon sign sticking by its corner in the ground that says, “I’m here!” Who among us hasn’t, at one time or another, wished that God would give us a sign that he is up there? A sign that it’s all real? A sign that what we believe in is true? A sign that what we have prayed for might be granted? A sign that the decision we made after seeking God’s will was the right one? A sign that we have done the right thing? In the scripture passage that begins with Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Christ and ends with Jesus – again – telling his disciples that he is going to be betrayed, right in the middle of it we find God offering signs and wonders to both Jesus and to three of the disciples, Peter, James, and John, on the mount of Transfiguration. These signs are offered for a number of reasons: to encourage them, to reassure them, to convince them of the truth, to commission them for the next part of the journey, and to verify for them that Jesus was who they believed him to be. Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Christ is a high point of the gospels. In fact, in the Gospel of Mark, it comes exactly in the middle, the clear hinge point of the story of Jesus. It was an important matter, for Jesus to be sure that his disciples understood who he was and what he had come to do. He knew that his time on this earth was limited – he realized that his enemies were plotting against him and wanted to arrest him and put him to death. And if his followers didn’t get it by now, then he needed to be sure that they figured it out pretty quickly, or his mission would have failed. Immediately after Peter affirmed his belief that Jesus was the Christ, Jesus said “The Son of Man must suffer and be rejected by the religious authorities and must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” This message was stunning; the Jewish expectations of the Messiah – or Christ – did not include his being arrested and put to death. And then Jesus went on to say that those who followed him must be prepared to deny themselves, take up their own crosses daily and follow him. “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.” Those words should shock us, still, but we have read or heard them so often that we don’t even realize how radical they were, how radical they are. Jesus links discipleship to suffering, perhaps even to death. These are hard teachings. But about a week later, Jesus invited his three closest friends, Peter, James, and John, to go up a mountain with him to pray. Throughout the Bible, God often chose to reveal himself on mountains. God gave Moses the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. And at the end of his life, God called Moses up a mountain so that he could get a glimpse of the Promised Land, which he would not be permitted to enter. Elijah was on a mountain when he faced off with the prophets of Baal to prove whose God was the true God. And Elijah was on a mountain when he heard God speak to him in a still, small voice. While they were on the mountain, something amazing happened. The appearance of Jesus’ face changed and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. It reminds me of when Moses met God on the mountain, and his face shone afterwards. Then Moses and Elijah appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus about his departure, in other words, about his death which would soon take place in Jerusalem. The disciples saw this. And Peter, who almost can’t help himself sometimes from the need to say something, offered to build a shelter for Moses, another for Elijah, and another for Jesus. While he was still talking, a cloud came over them all and a voice spoke from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” This experience would have been reassuring to the disciples. They must have been anxious about their future, having just been told about how Jesus would be reject-ed by the religious authorities and that they, too, should be prepared to take up a cross. For one thing, to see Moses and Elijah there would connect Jesus with both the giver of the Law and the most esteemed of the prophets. Jesus the Messiah is the one to whom both the Law and the Prophets point. And I think that seeing Moses and Elijah would have also been a comfort to Jesus, because both of them had also experienced rejection and persecution, but in the end had been vindicated by God. As one commentator put it, “Their presence confirms the prediction of Jesus’ own suffering and death, but also assures his future vindication.” And the second source of reassurance was God’s voice telling them that Jesus was, in fact, his son and that they should listen to him. It was almost the same message that God spoke to Jesus at the time of his baptism, and it would have probably been as much a source of encouragement and blessing to Jesus as it was to the disciples. In his book, Intense Moments With the Savior, Ken Gire writes about how the Transfiguration affected both the disciples and Jesus: As he prays, a rush of adrenalin runs through him. Maybe it’s from the climb. Or the claustrophobia. His fate is closing in on him, and he feels as if the hounds of hell have been unleashed, have picked up his scent, and are baying in pursuit… And so he calls to heaven for the strength to face the hounds, the strength to surrender, to give his neck to their ravenous jaws. He prays for the strength to descend the valley of suffering that awaits him. He prays for a ray of hope – however dim, however distant – to help him through the darkness of the days ahead. Heaven answers, and the ray comes … Blinding in its resplendence, the face of Jesus shines as the noonday sun. Seamless folds of light flow from his garments like so much fabric unfurling from a bolt of shimmering white cloth. The bewildered disciples spring to their feet. Is this a dream? A vision? … the light grows more intense and hurts their eyes. They not only see the light, they feel it. Then they know. It is no dream. It is no vision. It is no hallucination. Until now, the tent of Jesus’ humanity has largely concealed his identity. But now the flap on that tent is lifted, and these privileged three are given a glimpse of his glory. As their eyes adjust they see Moses and Elijah standing beside Jesus. They stand next to him as men who have also known the wilderness. Also endured suffering. Also experienced the rejection of the very people they were called to lead. How Jesus must have longed to step off that mountain and go with these kindred spirits back to heaven, to return home to his Father and to the honor that was rightfully his. He could have been swept from earth as Elijah had been by a chariot of fire. He could have been delivered as Moses had been by a miraculous exodus. But no chariot comes to whisk him away from his circumstances. No miracles come to provide a way out of his suffering. How ironic … He who is the fulfillment of the Law and Prophets stands between the greatest lawgiver and the greatest prophet, to be filled by them. Encouraged by them. Strengthened by them. The Savior needs all the strength and encouragement they have to give, for the reality of his death weighs on him heavily. And so for him this moment on the mountain is a sacrament from heaven. A taste of the glory that awaits him. “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” [These words] are what [Jesus] needed to hear three years age before he faced the temptations of the wilderness. And they are what he needs to hear now before he faces the tortures of the cross. He needs to hear those words, but maybe more than the words themselves, he needs to hear the voice. That familiar inflection. That fatherly tone. So rich and reso-nant. So full of eternity. Just the sound of his Father’s voice infuses him with strength. “Listen to him.” The message Jesus has been trying to get [the disciples] to hear is a crucial one; he must suffer and die, and they must brace themselves for that reality. He told them this before they climbed the mountain … He would tell them again after they made their descent. On that day on the mountain the disciples saw Jesus in a way they had never seen him before. Before that day, they saw themselves on a fast camel bound for glory … What they didn’t see was that the road to glory passed through the tunnel of suffering. Jesus asked his disciples to follow him through that tunnel, which connected this life to the next… That’s where the Transfiguration fits in. It was, quite literally, the light at the end of the tunnel – a glimpse of the glory on the other side. The way to that glory is not a road around suffering but through it. Of course, Jesus and the disciples didn’t stay on the mountain; they couldn’t. They had to come down and continue the journey that had been laid out for Jesus by his Father. He still had work to do, things like healing those with diseases and casting out evil spirits that tormented children. And Jesus would have to keep reminding his followers that he was on the way to being betrayed, arrested, and put to death. And it would continue to be hard for them to understand or accept what he said, even for Peter, James, and John. Because no matter what they had seen up on that mountain, it was hard to imagine once they got back down again. Has God ever given you a sign? Have you ever seen a wonder that gave you strength or encouragement just when you needed it? Have you ever experienced something that you couldn’t explain but you just knew was something God sent in order to give you comfort or reassurance? I bet you have. I know I have. Not often. But just enough to convince me that those experiences were real and true and sacred. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to work for me like it did for Ziggy. I don’t seem to get signs from God on demand! But sometimes, after prayer and reflection and persistence, God does provide just what I need in order to move forward with confidence and courage. And I know that God does the same for all of his children who ask in faith. Song Show Me Your Glory Third Day https://youtu.be/Z_e3aJLRsdc Praying Together Concerns and Celebrations: Please share any concerns or celebrations you may have with Pastor Elisabeth. Please note if you do not want this shared with this faith community. Pastoral Prayer Gracious God, listen as we bring to you our prayers of joy and concern. We pray for our world, and especially today for the people of Ukraine, who are undergoing the sufferings of war. We don’t understand all that they are experiencing, but we hold them up to you, trusting in your mercy and compassion. We know that there is violence and war in other parts of the world, as well, and we lift up to you all those who are caught in the destruction. Assure us that despite everything that is happening, your presence remains among us and your will is going to prevail on this earth. We pray for our families and friends, those whom we are closest to. Protect our loved ones from harm and danger. And may we learn to love not only those who are closest to us, but also those who are members of your family throughout the world. We pray for this earth, over which you have given us dominion. We have not taken care of it and its resources as we should have, and we are at the point of environmental crisis. You have given us responsibility of being stewards of your creation, and we pray that we will learn to use the earth’s resources wisely and justly, so that we might protect the world and all that is in it, and so that everyone will have enough. And God, we even pray for our enemies. You have taught us to love everyone, even those who are most difficult. Help us not to harbor animosity or hostility against other people, but to see your glory in all of your children. Gracious God, as we have lifted up these prayers to you, we trust in your promises. Strengthen us to walk forward in faith so that your purposes will come forth in our lives. We pray this in the name of Jesus, who taught his disciples to pray: The Lord’s Prayer 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 and ever. Amen. Responding Offertory: You may send your offerings to Grantham United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 152, Grantham, NH, 03753. Doxology UMH #95 Prayer of Dedication Jesus, Chosen One of God, you shone upon the mountain with your glory. You shone in other ways, as you healed the sick and fed the hungry. You continue to shine today, every time we follow your example. Bless our gifts of every kind – our energy and talent, our money and our mission. May our light shine through these gifts, so that our world may be transformed by your power. Amen. Song Shine, Jesus, Shine Ingrid DuMosch https://youtu.be/g1jlKj6Obck Commission and Blessing Go forth into the world with hope and boldness. Listen for the voice of Jesus. We will not lose heart. We will listen and look for Jesus’ glory. Be transformed from fear to love, from despair to hope, from confusion to trust. We will shine, shine, ever more shine! Amen.
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February 20, 2022
Welcome! We’re so glad you have joined us today! Gathering Gathering Song Awesome God Michael W. Smith https://youtu.be/sEZDuMGp3WY Announcements Thursday, 7:00 PM Bible Study via Zoom Elisabeth Smith is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: Bible Study Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86066732644?pwd=emorNUc2RlJkWEN4UUdrZHJZY0o2Zz09 Meeting ID: 860 6673 2644 Passcode: 762435 One tap mobile +19292056099,,86066732644#,,,,*762435# US (New York) +13017158592,,86066732644#,,,,*762435# US (Washington DC) Dial by your location +1 929 205 6099 US (New York) +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) Meeting ID: 860 6673 2644 Passcode: 762435 Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcyTFEtQFq Sunday, 8:00 AM Visioning Board Lenten Study: Max Lucado’s book 3:16 The Numbers of Hope. There will be an in-person group on Tuesdays at 10:00 AM beginning March 1 and a Zoom group on Thursdays at 7:00 PM beginning on March 3. Books are now available. Cost is $18. Opening Prayer God, who blesses us in all the seasons of our lives, assure us of the truth of your birth, death, and resurrection, so we can know, despite the trials of this world, that we are blessed because we are yours. Amen. Song Power Chris Tomlin and Bear Rinehart https://youtu.be/gCVLrAszuig Hearing the Word Scripture Luke 6:17-19 (NIV) He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coast of Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by evil spirits were cured, and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all. Sermon The Power Comes From Jesus There was a farmer who had three sons: Jim, John, and Sam. No one in the family ever attended church or had time for God. The pastor and members of the church had tried for years to interest the family in the things of God, but with no success. Then one day Sam was bitten by a rattlesnake. They sent for the doctor, and he did all that he could, but things didn’t look good for Sam. So they called the pastor and told him about the situation. The pastor came right over, and when he got there, he offered this prayer: “O wise and righteous Father, we thank you that in your wisdom you sent this rattlesnake to bite Sam. He has never been inside the church and it is doubtful that he has ever prayed or even acknowledged your existence. Now we trust that this experience will be a valuable lesson to him and will lead to his genuine repentance. And now, O God, will you send another rattlesnake to bite Jim, and another to bite John, and another really big one to bite the old man? For years we have done everything we know to get them to turn to you, but it was all in vain. It seems, therefore, that what all our combined efforts could not do, this rattlesnake has done. We thus conclude that the only thing that will do this family any real good is rattlesnakes; so, Lord, send us bigger and better rattlesnakes. Amen.” Of course, that story isn’t true. But it makes me think about a few verses in the gospels that talk about snakes. One passage is from Mark 16, when Jesus speaks to his disciples after his resurrection. He said, “And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” And in Luke 10, Jesus is talking to the seventy-two of his followers who had been sent out after they returned and reported how even the demons had submitted in Jesus’ name. Jesus said, “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.” In both instances, Jesus is talking about power that he has given to his followers. They are not able to do any of these things without the power that comes from Jesus. Sometimes we get stuck in our thinking about Jesus. We like the stories that show his compassion and his mercy. It is comforting to think of Jesus as our Good Shepherd, who leads us as his sheep and takes care of us. We are all too happy to imagine Jesus welcoming women and outcasts into his circle of friends. We love the picture of Jesus holding the little children on his lap and blessing them. And when we get stuck with these images of Jesus, we are missing another dimension of who Jesus is: a source and a demonstrator of power. There are several kinds of stories that reveal the power of Jesus. There are the stories that reveal Jesus’ power over nature, such as the story of Jesus walking on water and the story of Jesus calming the storm. There are the miracle stories like the turning of water into wine or the amazing catch of fish by the disciples. And what about the feeding of a crowd of over 5,000 people with just 5 loaves of bread and two fish, the lunch of one small boy? And there are the stories of Jesus healing the sick and casting out demons from those who were possessed. There are not many places, however, where the word “power” is explicitly used to describe the power of Jesus or the power that Jesus conveys to his disciples. There is this story at the beginning of the sermon on the plain, where people came to Jesus and tried to touch him because power was coming from him and healing them all. There is the account of the woman with the bleeding who came up to Jesus in the crowd and touched the hem of his cloak because she believed if she just touched his clothes, she would be healed. And when she touched it, her bleeding immediately stopped and she felt that her suffering had come to an end. And at once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. And in another story of healing, when a paralyzed man was brought and lowered through the roof of a house for Jesus to make well, Jesus was teaching Pharisees and teachers of the law who had come from every village of Galilee, from Judea and from Jerusalem, and the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick. There are also stories of Jesus giving power to his followers to do the same kinds of things that he could do. In Luke 9, Jesus sent out the Twelve; he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. Later on, he sent out the 72, and they came back reporting that the demons had submitted to them in Jesus’ name. Jesus said it was because he had given them authority. And at the end of Luke, Jesus tells his disciples, “I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” (Presumably he was talking about the coming of the Holy Spirit.) Jesus was not shy about claiming and using his power during his earthly ministry. He had the power of God within him, power that could subdue demons and cure diseases. That is some strong power! And Jesus only used that power for good. He did not perform miracles just to bring attention to himself or to get some benefit from them; the miracles were for the benefit of others. He fed hungry people; he cured the sick; he healed the lame; and he raised the dead. Jesus apparently had so much power that it literally seeped out of him. People could just touch him and the power would go out of him to heal them. But that power did not make Jesus proud or boastful. In fact, Jesus practiced a humility that is incredibly rare among great leaders of the world. In John 13 we find the story of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet. It says that Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and in the next verse it says that he got up from the meal and began to wash the feet of his disciples. His power was channeled through his love and compassion and humility in such a way that it allowed him, or even compelled him, to serve others. The disciples of Jesus were given the same kind of power that he had. They were also able to cure people of diseases and heal the lame, to cast out demons from those who were possessed. They claimed their authority and they traveled about the countryside preaching about the kingdom of God that had its beginning in the coming of Jesus. And, especially after the death and resurrection of Jesus, they used that power and authority to stand up to the Jewish authorities and the Roman government in order to preach the message of Jesus throughout the Roman world, even into the city of Rome itself, within thirty years of the death of Jesus. What does it mean for us to claim the power and authority that Jesus gives to his followers? Are we expected to be able to literally lay hands on people and heal them? Is performing exorcisms really meant to be a part of our mission today? And what about those snakes? Well, I know that healing does take place and that some Christians do seem to have that spiritual gift. I can’t explain it, but I do know of instances where it appears to have taken place. But for most of us, claiming our power and authority means being bold in our faith and in our ministry. It means moving beyond comfortable, Sunday-morning religion to active everyday Christian mission and ministry. It means creating a Jesus-sized dream for our congregation and then living into it with courage and passion. It means getting off the back burner and taking a position of leadership in our community. And it means believing that we belong in that place because what we have to offer is significant and relevant to the whole community. What does it look like to have a Jesus-sized dream for our church? What kind of vision does that take? Rebekah Simon-Peter, in the Creating a Culture of Renewal Program, defines a vision as an imagined future condition that expands assumptions about what is possible; is bigger than you are; scares you; focuses on the flourishing of the Kingdom or the community, rather than the survival of the congregation; and in-spires and unifies the people. That is some kind of dream! And it is absolutely certain that we cannot live into that kind of dream on our own power and relying only on our own resources. We will need God’s help and the power of Jesus. We will also need help with money, resources, and people-power. What we can never forget in this process is that ultimately the power comes from Jesus. It does not come from us. We can’t create and live into a vision that is powered by our own human effort and energy. We need the power of Jesus, the power of God, to infuse it and us if it is to succeed. It’s like plugging a lamp into a socket. A lamp may look good sitting on a table, but if it is to fulfill its purpose and do anybody any good, it has to be plugged in to its power source. And the same is true of us; we have to be connected to our power source. So let’s never forget: the power comes from Jesus. Song There is Power Lincoln Brewster https://youtu.be/WkeeHG5cR68 Praying Together Concerns and Celebrations: Please share any concerns or celebrations you may have with Pastor Elisabeth. Please note if you do not want this shared with this faith community. Pastoral Prayer Mighty and Powerful God, We who gather in your presence are amazed by all that you do in our lives and in our world. You created all that is: the plants and the rocks, the rivers and the oceans, and all of the creatures that inhabit the earth, the air, and the water. You fashioned us out of that same earth and breathed life into us and set us free to live in your beautiful world. But we allowed the power of the evil one to lure us away from you and from your will. Sin came into the world. Even though we deserved judgment, you provided mercy as well. And through Jesus, we have been forgiven and redeemed. And now Jesus empowers us to live as faithful disciples. He calls us to do the things that he did when he walked this earth: teach and preach, heal, show compassion for the poor, welcome the outcast. He gives us all that we need to build up his church. But too often we feel weak and unable to live up to our calling. We look at our weakness instead of your strength. We consider our resources instead of yours. We do not take into account the power of the name of Jesus. Give us courage and boldness to take risks, to dream dreams, to see visions that are too big for us to accomplish on our own, so that with your help we might see them come true. We pray this in the name of Jesus, who taught his disciples to pray: The Lord’s Prayer 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 and ever. Amen. Responding Offertory: You may send your offerings to Grantham United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 152, Grantham, NH, 03753. Doxology UMH #95 Prayer of Dedication Gracious God, may these gifts given in response to your love enable many to touch Jesus and be healed. May your church manage well the resources entrusted to us, so that faith and hope may grow here. We rejoice in the power of Jesus to transform us. Amen. Song Believe For It Ce Ce Wynans https://youtu.be/n4ggKHAK_xk Commission and Blessing We have known the touch of Jesus in our listening, our songs, and our prayers. We have felt the presence of Jesus in the company of people who love one another. God has met us here to bless us and make us whole. We jump for joy as we experience the hope that is made real in Christ. We have been empowered by Jesus to go out in mission and ministry to our community and our world. We go out now to be channels of God’s love. Amen. February 6, 2022
Welcome! We’re so glad you have joined us today! Gathering Gathering Song I Will Follow Him Sister Act https://youtu.be/pFSCVfDpdZQ Announcements Thursday, 7:00 PM Bible Study via Zoom Elisabeth Smith is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: Bible Study Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86066732644?pwd=emorNUc2RlJkWEN4UUdrZHJZY0o2Zz09 Meeting ID: 860 6673 2644 Passcode: 762435 One tap mobile +19292056099,,86066732644#,,,,*762435# US (New York) +13017158592,,86066732644#,,,,*762435# US (Washington DC) Dial by your location +1 929 205 6099 US (New York) +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) Meeting ID: 860 6673 2644 Passcode: 762435 Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcyTFEtQFq Opening Prayer God, whose Word calls us to take risks and whose revelation in Jesus Christ gives us confidence to try again when we have failed, appear to us now as we listen to the Scriptures and lift our eyes to see your face. Grant that we may feel your presence and discern your will. Equip us to respond with confident faithfulness to the work you give us to do. We want to go where you send us and live up to what you expect of us. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen, Hearing the Word Scripture Luke 5:1-11 (NIV) One day as Jesus was standing by the Sea of Galilee, with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, he saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch people.” So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. Sermon Because You Say So My brother, Philip, and his wife, Angelina, have six daughters, all adopted out of foster care over about an 8-year period. The first two to arrive were Contessa and Andrea, who were 8 and 6 years old at the time. As it happened, my dad and I had planned a trip out to California just a couple of months after the girls moved in. Philip and I were going somewhere in the car with the girls in the backseat chattering away, occasionally calling out to “Dad” for something. I asked him after a little while, “So when did you start feeling like a Dad?” He answered, “When I started hearing Mama’s words coming out of my mouth.” “What do you mean?” I asked him. “Well, things like, ‘Because I said so, that’s why!’ I swore I’d never say that to a child of mine, but I do!” “Because I said so, that’s why!” Most of us have said that to a child or a grandchild who has asked “Why?” once too often. I’m sure I heard it often enough when I was a little girl! Sometimes we do things our parents tell us to do, just because they said so, and for no other reason. That’s what it means to be obedient and well-mannered children. The same can be said about obedient disciples. Sometimes we do things just because Jesus says so, and for no other reason. Sometimes we do things just because Jesus says so, even when they make no sense to us, even when they seem crazy or risky or costly. We do them because Jesus tells us to do them. That is what happened one afternoon on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus had been standing there teaching the people who crowded around him listening to the word of God. These people had heard about the things he had been doing, healing the sick, and teaching with authority, and they wanted to hear what he had to say. Jesus noticed two fishing boats at the water’s edge, left there by the fishermen who had come in after a night’s work. The men were nearby washing their nets. Jesus went over and got into a boat that belonged to Simon Peter, and asked him to put out a little way from shore. That way Jesus could teach and have some distance between him and the crowds, so that he could see them and they could see him better. After a while, when Jesus finished with what he wanted to say to the people, he told Simon Peter to go out into the deep water and let down his nets, and he would catch some fish. Carol M. Bechtel, a professor at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan, captures the scene perfectly when she writes: “We can hear the weariness and skepticism in Simon’s voice when he answers, ‘Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing.’ One imagines a shrug prior to his next words: ‘Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.’” Simon Peter was willing to do as Jesus asked, because Jesus said so. That was it. Simply because Jesus told him to do it. Simon had no expectation of catching any fish; the fish weren’t there, they hadn’t been there all night long. He was exhausted from his work, ready to go home and rest, but because Jesus told him to, he put his nets out into the water one more time. What would make Simon Peter do such a thing? Why would he have any confidence in Jesus’ words? Jesus wasn’t a fisherman! He was a carpenter! What did he know about catching fish? But as Bechtel writes, “Simon must have reviewed what he has witnessed Jesus saying and doing in previous days. Simon has seen Jesus healing people and casting out demons with a word. Jesus has cured Simon’s own mother-in-law of a fever. Simon has heard Jesus preach and teach with unprecedented authority on more than one occasion. In light of who is giving the orders, Simon abandons his skepticism and obeys.” Simon Peter did what Jesus said, because Jesus said so, and because he knew enough about Jesus to believe that what Jesus said was reliable. He knew something about the character of Jesus, enough to trust him, even when it seemed a lost cause, even when it seemed impossible. And the results were miraculous! He caught so many fish that his nets started to break. He called in James and John with their boat, and between them they filled both boats so full of fish that they were in danger of sinking. And Simon immediately fell down and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” He caught a glimpse of who it was that he was really dealing with. As Bishop Howard K. Gregory of Montego Bay, Jamaica, says, “Simon becomes aware of his own unworthiness and diminutive stature in the presence of the Divine; so he underscores his sinfulness and asks that Jesus depart from him …” When Simon understood the significance of who Jesus was, he knew that he was not worthy to be in his presence. And he was afraid. But Jesus right away told Simon, “Don’t be afraid. From now on, you will catch people.” And Luke tells us that right away, Simon Peter, his brother Andrew, James and John, pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed Jesus. They had their boats full of fish, the catch of their lives, and they left it all behind, just walked away from it all. To put it in perspective, think of it this way. Gary Peluso-Verdend, President of Phillips Theological Seminary in Tulsa, Oklahoma, writes, “Imagine walking away from the biggest deal, from the greatest offer of promotion you will ever receive, from a lottery jackpot – because you have just received a better offer.” I’ve always been amazed by this incredible act of commitment and trust. These men, Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John, walked away from their homes, their jobs, their families, and followed Jesus, literally walked with him, through Galilee and Judea, into Jerusalem and to the cross, and then to the empty tomb. They put their lives on the line for him and for the sake of the Gospel. They had their assumptions challenged, their stereotypes blown away, their understanding of what it meant to be a faithful Jew totally reinterpreted, and were sent out to teach the message of Jesus to others. They were given authority over demons and power to heal people of their diseases. And many of them, in the end, were put to death for their allegiance to Jesus Christ. Gay L. Byron, Professor of New Testament at Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School in Rochester, New York, writes, “ …’they left everything and followed him.’ This is the heart of discipleship … Not only are the disciples to leave the big catch of fish they have just hauled in; they are also to renounce and leave everything else, to embark upon an incomprehensible mission. With the presence of God and the willingness to trust wherever this ‘Master’ and ‘Lord’ who orchestrated the great catch may lead, Simon Peter and the other disciples are ready to embark upon the journey.” And all because Jesus said so. Have you ever done something in your life just because Jesus said so? Have you ever taken a chance because Jesus said so? Have you ever risked something because Jesus said so? When I first felt called to ministry, I had all kinds of reasons why not to do it. I only knew one woman who was a minister, and she was the associate minister of youth and education at my home church. I knew that ministers didn’t make a lot of money. I could make a list as long as your arm of reasons why not to say “yes.” But I did say “yes,” just because Jesus said so. While I was in seminary, I discerned that my calling was to be a pastor. I was a woman attending a Southern Baptist seminary. I didn’t know a single woman who was a pastor. I knew that the Southern Baptist Convention had passed resolutions against women pastors. In my classes in the School of Theology, there would be 95 men and 5 women. Most of them were going to become chaplains. But because Jesus said so, I said “yes.” When I came near to graduation, I began to feel Jesus calling me to leave the Baptist Church and become a United Methodist minister. The Baptist Church was my home, and my home church had been very supportive of me in my calling and in my seminary training. They had ordained me to ministry while I was serving as a youth director in a Methodist church. I felt I owed something to the Baptists. But I left because Jesus said so. When I had spent 15 years in the South Carolina Annual Conference serving miserable appointments, in churches that didn’t want a woman pastor in the first place, fighting the same uphill battle over and over again, I began to feel that I couldn’t do that work any longer. I thought about just quitting it all and going to work at McDonalds where there was no pressure. But then I got the crazy idea of moving to New England, where things were different for women pastors. I had a list of reasons why that was a bad idea: it’s cold up here, and it snows a lot, and people are not very friendly in the north, and it’s full of Yankees. But I left in 2002 and moved to Massachusetts because Jesus said so. I have found, as Bishop Gregory writes, that “the most profound and significant experiences of God and life are not to be found in the safe ways and places.” Instead, they are found in the risky and adventurous paths. They are found in the places where you have to depend on God and follow Jesus in order to navigate safely through to the other side. They are found where trust is essential and taking chances unavoidable. But the results of following Jesus, of doing what Jesus says because he says so, are always miraculous catches of one sort or another. If I had not taken the chances I did, if I had not done what Jesus told me to do, my life would have been so different than it is today. I am so grateful that I was able to scrape up the faith and courage to say “yes” to Jesus. Sometimes it took me awhile to get to that point – sometimes it took me years – but I have never been sorry that I said “yes.” Sometimes congregations are called to do things that seem crazy or risky or challenging. And sometimes we have to screw up our courage and hold on to our faith and say “yes” to Jesus and do what he says, just because Jesus says so. When we do that, I can’t predict the results, but I can tell you that they will be miraculous. Because Jesus always rewards our faith with results beyond our wildest imaginations. Song For the Sake of the Call Steven Curtis Chapman https://youtu.be/CcByHYt-2uY Praying Together Concerns and Celebrations: Please share any concerns or celebrations you may have with Pastor Elisabeth. Please note if you do not want this shared with this faith community. Pastoral Prayer Gracious Lord Jesus, We have witnessed miraculous catches of fish in our lives without recognizing them as having come from your hand. And so we have missed opportunities for following you. And we have heard you calling us to follow you, but failed to respond because of our fear – fear of commitment, fear of taking a risk, fear of failure, fear of what we might have to leave behind. Give us ears to hear and hearts to respond to your call today. Make us willing to go – or stay – because you say so. Give us courage to trust you because of our past experiences of your faithfulness to us. And teach us to see the incredible dream that you expressed in the prayer that you taught your disciples and that we pray together now: The Lord’s Prayer 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 and ever. Amen. Responding Offertory: You may send your offerings to Grantham United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 152, Grantham, NH, 03753. Doxology UMH #95 Prayer of Dedication We have heard your voice, O God. Your presence has moved us to respond. Send us where you want us to go. Use the resources we dedicate here to empower others to witness to your love and care. Fill our lives with thanksgiving and our days with purpose. We rededicate ourselves to work and worship that express our profound gratitude for life and all its opportunities. Amen. Song Wherever He Leads, I’ll Go Alan Jackson https://youtu.be/mRJY7SlujNw Benediction Go out to announce good news to all the people. Christ promises to walk life’s road with us. Go forth in faith at Christ’s command to try what appears impossible. The love of God empowers us and serving God increases our trust. Amen. |
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