August 28, 2022
Welcome! We’re so glad you have joined us today! Give us hearts to live into your risky miracles. (Walter Brueggemann) Gathering Announcements Tuesday – Thursday, 11:00 – 6:00 Pastor in Zoom Retreat Monday, September 19 6:30 PM SPRC at Sunapee Sunday, October 30 4:00 PM SPRC meet with D.S. (Zoom) 5:00 PM Church Conference (Zoom) Gathering Song Gather Us In Marty Haugen https://youtu.be/ar0BXa82F9M Opening Prayer Loving God, flow through our worship and our lives. Expand your love in and through each of us, and through our communities of faith, that we might create houses of such hospitality and love that all may feel truly welcome. Reach out through each of us and through our communities of faith, that we might reach out beyond our walls to the stranger, the lost, and the lonely, and that we might discover how abundant your love truly is. Amen. Hearing the Word Scripture Hebrews 13:1-3 (NRSV, Updated Edition) Let mutual affection continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them, those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured. Sermon The Extent of Love During the worst of the COVID pandemic, when there were so many desperately ill people in the hospitals and so very many deaths, I found myself thinking a lot about those patients who were not able to have any visitors, who faced the fight of their lives and sometimes even their own deaths alone. No family members could be there to hold their hands or offer any words of comfort or encouragement. What must it have been like to be there? To see only the faces – the eyes, really – of your team of doctors and nurses? To see your family members only with the help of Facetime or Zoom on small cell phone screens? What would it feel like to have to breathe with the aid of a respirator? How scary would it have been to be intubated? What thoughts would have gone through your mind if you realized that you were dying? Where would your strength have come from in fighting the disease? It made me sad and angry and frustrated to think about how many people had to experience this. I was practicing the kind of love that the writer of Hebrews spoke about in these verses. In the first verse of our passage, believers are encouraged to love each other, to “let mutual affection continue.” This kind of love might be a feeling; but more than that, it is a love that wills the good of others. In other words, you want what is best for each other. Having a congregation that loves each other is crucial to the Christian witness in the world. I have heard it said that there is no worse witness to the gospel than a church that is fighting or full of dissention. I have pastored churches where there were divisions among the members over all sorts of issues. And I have seen visitors come to the church once or twice, picking up on the negative feelings, and deciding not to come back. On the other hand, I have also pastored churches where there was a strong feeling of affection between the members, and they have extended this warm feeling to visitors, leading to many of them choosing to join our congregation. Next, the writer advises the Christians to show hospitality to strangers. This is one way that Christian love becomes concrete, according to David Adams, a priest at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in New York City. He points out that travel was dangerous and difficult in the ancient world, and travelers needed to find safe places to stay along their journeys. William Barclay reminds us that showing hospitality was an important virtue in the ancient world. It was especially valued by Jews and Greeks. And since inns were filthy, expensive, and “of low repute,” as he says, it was important for travelers to find suitable lodgings with reputable hosts. David Adams points out that some of these travelers who needed lodging were on business for the church, either as itinerant preachers or letter carriers, and they helped the local churches be connected to other communities around the world. While showing hospitality, even to strangers, was seen as a virtue in the ancient world, modern Christians may be a little leery of this practice. Lanny Peters, pastor of Oakhurst Baptist Church in Decatur, GA, says that “most of us are hesitant or outright resistant to living this out. We … usually fear the stranger…” It used to be that people felt safe picking up hitchhikers, but not anymore. It would never occur to me to let a stranger get into my car with me. I did know a pastor in Kentucky who made a practice of carrying several gallon jugs of water in the trunk of his car, along with roadside emergency supplies such as jumper cables and flares. If he saw someone with a car pulled over to the side of the road, he would stop and offer help. But I’m not at all sure that I would even feel safe doing that. Has the world changed so much since ancient times? Weren’t there dangerous people out and about then, just as much as today? We have to somehow find ways to work around our fears so that we can practice hospitality in safe ways that demonstrate our care and concern for people in trouble. The writer of this passage gives a good reason why it is important to show hospitality to strangers: it is because when we do so, we could be entertaining angels without realizing it. Now, that isn’t just some sweet thing to say, implying that strangers might really be very good people when we get to know them. No, the writer literally means that we could be sharing our supper with angels! It happened several times in the Old Testament times. Abraham and Sarah invited some strangers to share a meal, and they happened to be angels who had come with an important message from God: before a year had passed, Sarah would give birth to a son. In another story, Abraham’s nephew, Lot, invited strangers to stay with him. Some of the townspeople came to his house and demanded to have the strangers come out so that they could kill them. Lot protected them, and they turned out to be angels who warned Lot that this city was going to be destroyed, and they told him how to save his family. So, yes, when we show hospitality to strangers, we should not be surprised to find ourselves in the presence of divine beings. Finally, the writer of Hebrews gives one additional practice that Christians should take up in order to demonstrate their love. They were to remember those in prison as if they were in prison with them, and to remember those who were being tortured as if they themselves were also being tortured. This is more than just casually thinking about prisoners and victims of torture; this is imagining yourself in the place of someone who is in a bad way, such as a COVID patient. It’s important to remember that, at the time this letter was written, it wasn’t unusual that Christians found themselves in prison or being tortured because of their faith in Christ. This isn’t an unrealistic scenario that the writer is presenting, but a fairly common occurrence. And the members of the early churches did a good job of practicing love towards prisoners and those being tortured; they didn’t just offer their thoughts and prayers, they took action. The Greek thinker Aristides said of Christians, “If they hear that any of their number is imprisoned or in distress for the sake of their Christ’s name, they all render aid in his necessity and, if he can be redeemed, they set him free.” And it was said of the early Church Father Origen, in the 2nd century, “Not only was he at the side of the holy martyrs in their imprisonment and until their final condemnation but, when they were led to death, he boldly accompanied them into danger.” William Barclay writes, “The Christians became so notorious for their help to those in jail that at the beginning of the fourth century the Emperor Licinius passed new legislation that ‘no one was to show kindness to sufferers in prison by supplying them with food and that no one was to show mercy to those starving in prison.’ It was added that those who were discovered so doing would be compelled to suffer the same fate as those they tried to help.” So how could we practice showing love and concern for those in prison? There are those who are involved in the prison ministry known as Kairos, which is a branch of the Walk to Emmaus retreat and community, which a number of New England Methodists have participated in. The Claremont church collects blank, unused Christmas cards and gives them to those in the local jail to send out to their families and friends. It doesn’t have to be something huge; even a small act of kindness goes a long way for those in prison. I’d like to close by reading Leslie Brandt’s paraphrase of these verses found in her book, Epistles/Now: We must guard carefully our relationships with one another and regard even those who are unknown to us as possible emissaries from God. Every interpersonal relationship is a sacred trust – especially those within the family of faith. We need to remember our comrades who are facing problems and conflicts that are even more severe than our own. We are all God’s emissaries to one another – and the means by which He shares his grace with the members of Christ’s body. Together we can march through a hostile world as the men and women of God – reaching out to the wanderers and stragglers by the way to draw them into God’s family. There will be a price to pay and pains to bear, but we will be able to handle them because we have a great God whose love for us never changes and who promises that eternal joy which we even now have found in some measure and shall experience fully and eternally when our march has been completed. Song Christ for the World We Sing First Methodist Church, Houston, TX https://youtu.be/cG7iSIMANCI 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. Prayers of Intercession Gather us into your presence, Lord Jesus. We feel unworthy to be here, but we know that you alone can provide the nourishment we need. Hear the prayers of your people: For those who think highly of themselves; teach them to do justice, love mercy, and live humbly with you. For those who are looked down on by others; give them justice and dignity, and lift them up to a place of honor. For those who are called strangers; let them find welcome in the land and hospitality among your people. For those who are in prison; visit them with your compassion, and help them find freedom in you. Gather us into your presence, Lord Jesus. Clothe us in your righteousness, and make us ready for the joyful feast prepared for us in heaven. In your holy name we pray, as you taught your disciples: (David Gambrell) 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 Praise God, from whom all blessings flow! Praise God, all creatures here below! Praise God above, ye heavenly host! Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost! Amen. Song The Gift of Love Trinity Lutheran Church Choir https://youtu.be/AAO3C-kY7LY Benediction Go to share love with the world. Go to invite the least and the lost. Go to welcome the stranger. All in the name of Jesus. Amen.
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August 21, 2022
Welcome! We’re so glad you have joined us today! Give us hearts to live into your risky miracles. (Walter Brueggemann) Gathering Announcements Monday, 6:30 PM Food Pantry Meeting Sunday, August 28 10:30 AM All Church Worship at Newport We will worship with the Newport and Sunapee congregations. Bring a lawn chair and a picnic lunch. Gathering Song Gathering Song Bless the Lord Matt Redman https://youtu.be/xGfbduLuZlo Opening Prayer Come, dear Christ, into this house of worship and into every longing heart. Some who gather here need healing. Touch us, and give us strength. Some feel confused by the news of the day. Quiet our minds, and help us place our trust in you. Some of us doubt ourselves and question our purpose. Call us anew to be instruments of your grace for a world that yearns to know your peace. Amen. Hearing the Word Scripture Luke 13:10-17 (NIV) On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God. Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue ruler said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.” The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?” When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing. Sermon Keeping Our Priorities Straight I had only been in Harleyville, SC for a couple of months when I got a phone call from a panicked church member. There had been a terrible accident. One of my members, Hubert , had been killed and they needed me right away. So I got in my car and hurried up the street to find out what had happened. It seems that Hubert and a man that worked for him were taking some things in a dump truck to the back of Hubert’s property. When they went to dump the load, something got caught up in the truck in such a way that it couldn’t go all the way down. So Hubert got out to see if he could get it loose. Well, neither of them thought to turn the truck off or disengage the dumping function. So when Hubert removed the limb from the mechanism, the truck resumed dumping and Hubert was caught underneath. He was crushed to death. And his wife was hysterical with grief. Over the next weeks, as we got through the funeral, which was so crowded that we had people in the fellowship hall listening through a speaker, and memorial gifts began to flow in, Hubert’s wife, Margaret, came to talk to me about what she wanted to do with all that money. She felt that what was needed was to redo the sanctuary: paint it, replace the curtains beside the organ and piano, remove the carpet from the choir loft, and a number of other renovations. This work was approved by the Trustees; Hubert had been the chair of the board until his death, and they wanted to honor the wishes of his widow. And the work took place. And another member shared with me that Margaret had merely restored the church to the way it used to look before the previous renovations had been done about 10 years prior to this. I couldn’t help thinking at the time about how much good all that money could have done in the church and in the community. It seemed like a waste to spend it on the building, which really didn’t need renovating, when there were so many needs around us. We had a large group of youth who were in 5th to 7th grade, and we could have paid for them to go to camp or on a mission trip. We had a lot of seniors in the church and in the town who frequently needed assistance paying for medications or for rides to appointments. I could have pointed out a number of families who had trouble just keeping food on the table. But instead, all that money got spent prettying up a sanctuary that only about 30 people saw on a regular basis. It just seemed to me that our priorities were not where they should have been. That was the case in this story from Luke’s gospel, the only one of the gospels to record this particular incident. The priorities of the leader of the synagogue were not what they should have been. But Jesus helped to sort them out. It seems that Jesus was teaching in the synagogue one Sabbath day. This was something that he did on a fairly regular basis. And it happened that there was a woman in attendance that day who had suffered from a crippling disease for 18 years. Maybe it was severe arthritis; I have known people who were bent over from having so much arthritis in their backs. But whatever the reason, this woman could not straighten up at all. The woman was not someone that anyone paid much attention to. We aren’t even told her name. But her disability made her different. Sally Smith Holt, a professor at Belmont University College of Theology, writes, “Because of her physical condition, the bent-over woman could not have a face-to-face conversation with others in her community; we can imagine how this condition would have led to some marginalization and isolation. Her experience of such conditions had lasted eighteen long years. Thus, we suspect that she may not have been fully included in her community for quite some time.” But Jesus changed all that. He not only noticed this woman; he called her to come forward to stand with him. When Jesus drew the woman close to him, he was doing more than removing the physical space between them. He was crossing all sorts of boundaries. For one thing, he was probably standing in an area of the synagogue that was restricted to men only. Yet here he was, inviting a woman to stand there. She was a person with a disability, someone bound by Satan. Jesus put his hands on her; this would have made him ritually unclean. But Jesus didn’t think about any of that. Instead, he was focused on setting this woman free from the disease that had held her in bondage for 18 long years. And as soon as he touched her, she stood up straight and began praising God. Lynn Japinga, a professor at Hope College in Michigan, writes, “Jesus’ actions were radical and rule breaking in so many ways. The woman did not ask to be healed or express faith that Jesus could heal her. Jesus … touched her – despite the unclean-ness that would be associated with her illness and her gender – and restored her identity as a ‘daughter of Abraham.’ He brought her from the margins back into the center of the community, but he did it on the Sabbath. His gracious actions made the leader indignant. Rules had been broken.” Sabbath law was very clear about not working. Healing was considered work and was only permissible if someone’s life was in danger. Clearly, this woman was not in mortal danger. Professor Emeritus Ronald P. Byers of Union Theological Seminary points out that if the woman had been in that condition for 18 years, she could have waited another day. But Jesus did not want this woman to be in that condition for even one more day. And so he healed her, an act of grace, not of labor. But the leader of the synagogue did not see it that way. Instead, he was offended, indignant even. He quickly pointed out that there were six days for doing work and that anyone seeking healing should come only on those days, and not on the Sabbath. The law had been broken, and the leader of the synagogue did not appreciate it. It may be hard for us to understand why the leader of the synagogue was so uptight about working on the Sabbath. But just think about how we used to treat Sundays. I can remember my Grandmother Smith describing what Sundays were like when she was a little girl. (She was born in 1900.) She and her sister had to stay in their Sunday dresses all day, because there were both morning and evening church services. They were not allowed to play or even to read, except for their Bibles or Sunday School lessons for the next week. They were to sit quietly and patiently and not make a fuss about it. I can remember when there were still blue laws in place which restricted commercial activity on Sundays; there were no stores open for business, except maybe a pharmacy. You didn’t go to the movies or to the mall, because they were closed. The thing that changed all that was when Walmart came to town and remained open seven days a week, challenging the blue laws in our town. And eventually, everything began to open up. I’ve never been sure that that was a good thing. Wouldn’t it be nice to just enjoy one day a week where we rested from all the things that we are busy with during the rest of the week? I can almost have a little sympathy for the synagogue leader. After all, he was just trying to set a good example and let people know what was expected. Ronald Byers writes, “Those in leadership positions in any time and place are supposed to care about the rules! To be in a position of leadership requires bearing the responsibility for understanding the rules in depth and interpreting them as persuasively as possible … It takes a lot of fine-tuning to distinguish between upholding the rules and allowing for really exceptional cases … The safest course, usually, is to insist on the rule.” But Jesus calls out the man as a hypocrite. And he gives an example. He points out an interpretation of the law taken from the Mishnah, the commentary on the law, which allowed for leading livestock to water on the Sabbath, even though it was technically work, out of mercy for the animal. This was allowed as long as the cattle carried no burdens. Jesus wanted the synagogue leader to understand that the mercy shown to the bent-over woman was every bit as legitimate on the Sabbath as leading livestock to water. When Jesus finished speaking, the synagogue leader and Jesus’ opponents were humiliated. They must have been more than a little ashamed when they were confronted with a truth that they could not deny. Why should this woman have to wait even one more day to be set free from her suffering, just because the day that she met Jesus happened to be on the Sabbath? What purpose was there in healing tomorrow just because today was a day of rest? Would that honor God more than making this woman’s life more bearable? What was the real priority at work here? Clearly, an act of mercy and compassion was called for, even if it was on Saturday. People come to our churches all the time looking for help. Abigail W. Kocher, a United Methodist pastor in Richmond, Virginia, writes, “Of course, people show up all the time at our places of worship on Sundays looking for, hoping for, or praying for healing of one kind or another. They come precisely because it is Sunday, or because they hope God will come near if they dare to go inside a sanctuary, or because they do not know where else to turn. So often, such people arrive with the feeling that their life is defined by some aspect of their own brokenness, fragility, or ailment.” We have it in our power to heal people in one way or another. We can show compassion for everyone who comes through our door, whatever their condition or need, without judging them in any way. And we can do whatever we can to make their life better. I remember when I was serving a church in Columbia, South Carolina. There was a man named Willy who sometimes came to church, usually when he was looking for some financial assistance. The former pastor had told me about Willy. Willy lived with another man in a house that was packed to the gills with stuff. Willy and his friend were hoarders. There was literally just a path that they could walk through in their house to get to the kitchen, bedrooms, and bathroom. And their yard was also full of junk. They lived on disability income, which often did not stretch far enough to cover their bills. So sometimes Willy came looking for help. One Sunday, sure enough, Willy came to church. Now, you have to understand, that Willy rarely bathed or wore clean clothes. So when we came into the sanctuary, people noticed the smell right away. Willy sat down on the second pew on my right, just in front of the church secretary, her husband, and two daughters. The next thing I know, the four of them got up and moved to a seat farther away from Willy. So did two older women sitting behind Willy. I was mortified. Didn’t they realize how much that insulted Willy? Didn’t they have any concern for his pride? They probably hurt him deeply. They had their priorities all mixed up. They didn’t mind helping Willy when he came during the week; but they didn’t want to be caught within six feet of him if he showed up for service on Sunday. They came to church to worship God and to be inspired to follow Jesus; but they were willing to hurt someone’s feelings because they were offended by his odor and appearance. In my imagination, I could picture what I thought Jesus would do with Willy on a Sunday morning. He would take up a collection to cover Willy’s overdue bills and then offer him a ride home. And Jesus would do nothing to insult Willy’s dignity. We may not have a Willy who comes to our church. But we will have people who come who are different in some way, who have a need that we can’t understand, or who break some rule, written or unwritten, about what is appropriate or expected. How we treat them is much more important than whether all the hymns and prayers get sung and prayed, or whether we follow the order of service, or even if we do anything that is on the agenda. We can make or break someone with a word, a look, an attitude. Will we choose to welcome those who are unlovely and unlovable, those who are broken and battered, those who are lost and afraid, those who are crippled physically or emotionally or psychologically? Will we include those who feel on the outside, those who feel rejected or overlooked or judged? That is what is really important. Taking care of the needs of people should always be our priority, if we are going to follow Jesus. Song Heal the World Child Prodigy Cover/Michael Jackson Song https://youtu.be/h6d6Yo3DwVI 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. Prayers of Intercession O source of compassion, we pray today for those who are in deep physical pain; for those suffering from mental illness; for those society has rejected because of physical or mental illness; for those who have never been touched with care; for those who have never been met with compassion; for those bound to rules and laws; and those that oppress instead of bringing healing. Lord of the Sabbath, in your name we pray, as we join in the prayer you taught your disciples: (David Gambrell) 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 Praise God, from whom all blessings flow! Praise God, all creatures here below! Praise God above, ye heavenly host! Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost! Amen. Prayer of Dedication O God, we offer our praise and our gratitude for all our many blessings. Use these gifts so that healing may fill this community and our world. Amen. Song Lord of the Dance https://youtu.be/zDdQhsjNHcw Benediction Stand tall and walk in Christ’s peace. Speak up and tell of God’s goodness. Touch and heal with the Spirit’s love. Amen. August 7, 2022
Welcome! We’re so glad you have joined us today! Give us hearts to live into your risky miracles. (Walter Brueggemann) Gathering Announcements Tuesday, 6:30 PM Food Pantry Meeting Sunday, 8:30 AM Worship Gathering Song O Worship the King Chris Tomlin https://youtu.be/We9aR22C9BI Opening Prayer Source of wisdom, who changes those who long for you: Come and cleanse our hearts. Teach us to do good, seek what is just, rescue the oppressed, and plead for the widow, until the flourishing of all life becomes our only offering to you. Amen. Hearing the Word Scripture Isaiah 1:1, 10-18 (The Message Version) The vision that Isaiah son of Amoz saw regarding Judah and Jerusalem during the times of the kings of Judah: Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. “Listen to my Message, you Sodom-schooled leaders. Receive God’s revelation, you Gomorrah- schooled people. Why this frenzy of sacrifices?” God’s asking. “Don’t you think I’ve had my fill of burnt sacrifices, rams and plump grain-fed calves? Don’t you think I’ve had my fill of blood from bulls, lambs, and goats? When you come before me, whoever gave you the idea of acting like this, running here and there, doing this and that – all this sheer commotion in the place provided for worship? “Quit your worship charades. I can’t stand your trivial religious games: monthly conferences, weekly Sabbaths, special meetings – meetings, meetings, meetings – I can’t stand one more! Meetings for this, meetings for that. I hate them! You’ve worn me out! I’m sick of your religion, religion, religion, while you go right on sinning. When you put on your next prayer-performance, I’ll be looking the other way. No matter how long or loud or often you pray, I’ll not be listening. And do you know why? Because you’ve been tearing people to pieces, and your hands are bloody. Go home and wash up. Clean up your act. Sweep your lives clean of your evildoings so I don’t have to look at them any longer. Say no to wrong. Learn to do good. Work for justice. Help the down-and-out. Stand up for the homeless. Go to bat for the defenseless. “Come. Sit down. Let’s argue this out,” this is God’s Message. “If your sins are blood-red, they’ll be snow white. If they’re red like crimson, they’ll be like wool.” Sermon Getting Right With God I am one of those dinosaurs in our society that still prefers a morning newspaper, an actual paper copy, as my primary source of news. I do get news on my computer and my phone, but nothing measures up to opening that newspaper and reading the headlines of the day. (And, of course, there are the comics and puzzles to keep me entertained, as well.) I have noticed in recent weeks several articles pertaining to homelessness in our state. Back in May, there was an article that discussed how many homeless people there are in New Hampshire. There had been two different counts which did not agree. There was the Point in Time census, conducted in January by the federal government, which found that there were 1,491 people homeless in 2021. But the other tally, conducted by the Homeless Management Information System, found 4,412 people had experienced homelessness in the past year. The report stated that there were 239 chronic homeless people in Manchester and 889 in the state as a whole. The number of unsheltered people was 1,082; the number of family homeless was 1,311. The report concluded that “a lack of affordable housing is the primary precipitating factor leading to homelessness.” The city of Keene had an issues with a homeless encampment behind a Hanna-ford store, and the people living there were forced to leave. But just a short time later, another camp developed across the street. There were about 15 people staying there. The homeless camp behind Hannaford has been an issue for more then ten years. When the people living there were asked to leave back in March, they were all encouraged to look for assistance from the city and they were told they would not be allowed to set up a camp in another part of the city. But when five or six of them showed up at City Hall, they were not interested in entering a shelter, but would only go to a hotel. The city only puts people up in hotel rooms if it is necessary. But the human services director helps people with rental assistance or money to move into an apartment. Three city councilors said that the city should work to establish certain locations that could be designated as appropriate for homeless camping. They also recommended that the city provide dumpsters and latrines. There is a continuing issue of homelessness in Manchester. There was a neighborhood meeting in July with over 50 people in attendance. They were concerned about small homeless encampments popping up in local parks. Schonna Green, the city’s Director of Homelessness Initiatives, said that the city has enough services for the homeless, but they cannot make people use these services. Those who attended the meeting were encouraged to report to city officials if they see a homeless camp forming. Clearly, homelessness is a problem in our state. Every December since I have lived here, I have taken part in a service in Newport commemorating those who have died homeless that year. Their names and short biographies are read. These services take place in a number of towns and cities on the longest night of the year. It is so troubling and so very sad to hear those names read, and especially when there is nothing known about the person except for their name, and sometimes only their first name. I was utterly appalled last week when I read a letter to the editor in the Union Leader about the homeless. Peter M. Arel wrote: The City of Manchester needs two things: elected officials who are not afraid to play hardball with homeless people and legislation that allows Manchester’s finest to throw homeless people who beg on the streets and sidewalks of Manchester into the slammer for vagrancy. These people can get jobs; instead they solicit money from people who don’t want to give them any … We need elected officials who aren’t afraid to act like despots with homeless people who beg on the streets and otherwise bother the people of Manchester. When I read that letter, I couldn’t help but think about the scripture for this week’s sermon. Isaiah brings a message from God to his people – and I think to us, as well – about what God expects from those who believe in him. Let’s take a closer look. Apparently, the people of Israel were very religious. They carried on elaborate worship rituals and offered all the required sacrifices. But their hearts weren’t in it. They were religious but not spiritual! And God called them on it. In The Message version, God says to them, “Don’t you think I’ve had my fill of burnt sacrifices…? Quit your worship charades. I can’t stand your trivial religious games: monthly conferences, weekly Sabbaths, special meetings – meetings, meetings, meetings – I can’t stand one more! (I know how God feels!) Meetings for this, meetings for that. I hate them! You’ve worn me out! … I’m sick of your religion, religion, religion, while you go right on sinning.” The people were practicing what they felt compelled to do. They were doing the right things, but they weren’t being the right kind of people. They would fit right in with some modern congregations. In a recent poll conducted in the US by the Ipsos polling company, about 26% of those surveyed said that Christians are hypocritical and judgmental, and 23% said they are self-righteous. It’s no wonder that those who claim to be spiritual but not religious are the fastest-growing group! They are choosing to practice their faith outside a church that they see as irrelevant and immoral. God’s message didn’t end with a critique of the religious practices of Israel; God went on to spell out what is required of a person who professes faith in God. They are to get rid of doing evil and say no to wrong. They are to learn to do good, specifically by working for justice, helping the down-and-out, standing up for the homeless, and going to bat for the defenseless. All of those things have deep roots in Methodism. From the time of Wesley, Methodists worked to get rid of evil, not only in their personal lives, but in their communities as well. Methodists worked for justice, advocating against the slave trade, working for child labor regulations, building orphanages, visiting prisoners and the sick. In this country, Methodists were at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement and provided leadership in activism concerning peace, the rights of women, and the rights of workers to unionize, as well as environmentalism. We are still called to put into practice these aspects of faith: first removing the evil from our own lives and learning to say no to what is wrong, and then learning to do good, by working for justice for everyone, helping people who are down on their luck, standing up for the homeless, and protecting the defenseless. I don’t know what the solution to homelessness in our cities will be, but it can’t be sending armed police into city parks to arrest those who are living on the streets or in homeless camps. We have to come up with more humane and compassionate ways of dealing with people who have nowhere else to go, for whatever reason. If we want to get right with God, it will take work on our part. Yes, God’s salvation through Jesus Christ is by faith alone, not by works. But our faith ought to produce good works as a natural consequence of our being led by the Spirit of God. We should not get so caught up in our “religiousness” and our busy-ness as a church that we lose sight of the deeper aspects of faith. We will not be rewarded for the number of church meetings that we have attended, but by the number of lives we have had a positive impact on. As we come to the table of Christ, we remember that Jesus came to serve others, not to be served. He was willing to humble himself and wash the feet of those who had chosen to follow him. He had compassion on all those who were sick and out-cast and forgotten by the rest of society. Jesus showed us what it means to put our faith into practice. It is up to us to decide whether we can follow in his footsteps. It is up to us to decide to get ourselves right with God. Song What Now? Steven Curtis Chapman https://youtu.be/V1YcViDGO28 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. Prayers of Intercession God of justice, you call broken people, from all walks of life. Fill us with the faith of those who walked before us to do your holy work: to obey and follow you, even when we don’t know where we are going. to dismantle systems of oppression and live a new way of life. to believe in your promises, even if we have to live in foreign lands. to believe that there is enough for everyone and to remember that our ancestors were once strangers. to be faithful, even when we don’t believe in ourselves. to use our creativity and hard work to change that which keeps us in bondage. to keep going, even if we become strangers and immigrants on earth. to walk with humility and respect those who have left their homelands trying to build a better future. Fountain of faith, give us the strength of our ancestors as we walk with the confidence that you will welcome us all to the heavenly banquet. We pray all of this in Jesus’ name, as we pray together the prayer he taught his disciples: 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 Praise God, from whom all blessings flow! Praise God, all creatures here below! Praise God above, ye heavenly host! Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost! Amen. Prayer of Dedication Generous God, you offer us treasure in heaven. In love and gratitude for your gifts to us, we return these gifts and offerings to you. Use them to ease the distress of the poor and the homeless, the orphan and the downtrodden. Use us, that we may do good, seek justice, and be your light in the world. Amen. Song Here I Am, Lord Choir and Orchestra of St. Lillian https://youtu.be/CSODPhE-0ng Benediction Go out into the world ready to serve the lost and lonely, the poor and the homeless, the orphan and the widow. Have the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen, for it is in the depth of our faith that our hearts find their true treasure. Amen. |
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