Father's Day/Graduate Sunday/Sunday School Teacher Recognition Day
Readings: Psalm 5:1-8, 1 Kings 21:1-21, Luke 7:36-8:3, Galatians 2:15-21
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, June 16th, 2013
A printable PDF file can be found here
Being a parent can be a frustrating experience. Today is Father's Day. As one who has had that role in life I remember there were days, particularly in the early years when frankly I didn't have a clue what I was doing. Babies don't arrive with a manual. And people who write baby books never seem to allow for the fact that every child (and every family) is totally unique.
I remember the first time I tried to put a disposable diaper on my first child. Could I get those tabs to stick together, after getting that cream all over my hands? Yvonne came home to find a red faced dad, a stack of disposables all over the floor and a baby still needing changing. Then the babies grow up and ask you for advice. What if you say it wrong? What if they go and do what they think you said rather than what you actually meant? It ain't easy being a dad!
Today is also Graduate Sunday. Being a student can be a frustrating experience. My first year in seminary I had to learn Hebrew and Greek. I am not good at languages. I remember almost screaming with frustration, 'Why can't I get this in my stupid head!” The first year I was in training Yvonne thought I only had two subjects to study such was my struggle to get my head around the languages. She was kind of surprised when I mentioned that we also did history and theology and comparative religion and a whole host of other things. I don't know where your particular areas of struggle may be, but I do know...we all have days when we feel like screaming 'I can't do this!' It ain't easy being a student.
Today is Sunday School Teacher Appreciation Sunday. And... teachers.... we do appreciate you. I personally appreciate what a frustrating thing teaching scripture can be. Most years I take kids on their confirmation journeys. You are sharing these stories, giving it your best shot, bearing your heart... and sometimes you feel it's going way off somewhere that only the Lord knows where! And I know that is a sentiment shared by teachers universally, not just Sunday School teachers. It ain't easy being a teacher.
Today we gather here as a community of faith. We are people under construction. We may even feel that to truly call us 'Christian' is a little foolish... as there isn't that much you'd notice as being 'Christ-like' about our lives. Following Jesus is hard. We wonder sometimes if we can really do it, or are just fooling ourselves. 'Take up your cross and follow me' Jesus says. Instead of 'taking up a cross', we just 'get cross' because it just doesn't seem to work for us some days! Any would be follower of Jesus is eventually going to hit the frustration barrier.
One of the great figures of Reformation history was Martin Luther. Much of his earliest religious journey could simply be defined by one word. 'Frustration'. Martin Luther really wanted to be the sort of person God wanted him to be. He read scripture. He prayed. He gave. It didn't seem to work.
So he decided to go the whole hog and became a monk. And there he read scripture. And he prayed. And he served. And he really, really, really tried to do everything that a religious person was supposed to do. He went on a pilgrimage to Rome. In Rome there was a great sacred stairway, the Scala Sancta. It is considered to be an act of great devotion and penance to climb the staircase on your hands and knees. It shows you are serious about faith. He tried it. It really hurt his knees. He felt like God was just as distant as ever. His life was a showpiece of discipline, self-denial and self-torture. 'If ever' he said, 'A man could be saved by monkery (that is by becoming a monk) that man was I!”
Then one day, in frustration, he gave up trying to justify himself. It was as though, in modern terminology, he switched on his car radio and heard Carrie Underwood singing 'Jesus take the Wheel'. When he did that, when he said, 'That's it. I can't do this anymore, take the wheel of my life', a voice came from heaven that said “The just shall live by faith”. He understood that a life of peace with God could not be attained by frustrating and futile, never ending, ever defeated effort; it could only be had by casting himself on the love and mercy of Jesus Christ. 'The just shall live by faith'.
Those words came from a biblical book we've been looking at the last couple of weeks. Paul's letter to the Galatians. Chapter 3:11 to be exact. 'The just shall live by faith'. Paul has begun developing that argument in the passage we read today. In 2:16 Paul writes; “We know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ'.
He has written to the church in Galatia because teachers have come amongst them and tried to pressurize them into taking up all sorts of dietary laws and Jewish rituals in order to be truly accepted by God. This has greatly concerned Paul, because nobody could have been more committed to Jewish rituals and laws than he had been, and it had not turned out well. It had led him to persecute the church and kick against the only One who could set him right, the Lord Jesus Christ.
On the road to Damascus his life had been turned around and he knew that God accepted a person, not on the grounds of what they had done, but only through the grace and forgiveness of Jesus Christ, who died on the cross and was raised to give new-life. Only by putting their faith in what God could do... could set people free. If they started putting their faith in what they could do... it was a dead end road.
He saw how when he had tried to live for God, it ended in frustration. He discovered that he needed to allow God to live in Him, through the presence of the Holy Spirit... Christ in him... was his only hope of glory.
In verse 20 he tells the Galatians “It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
As a Father I remember trying to teach my kids to swim. How hard they'd thrash about as you held them and would say, “Dad, please don't let go”. Eventually came that moment when they didn't realize you were no longer holding on. It may only be a few strokes as they swam to the side, but they understood, that they had to trust the water to hold them.
Faith doesn't come easily. We'd rather thrash about and rely on other things to hold us. We'd rather invest in good works and compliance and ritual and order than trust in God to take care of everything. Although we pray regularly to God 'Thy will be done', we often are hoping that God will fall in line with our expectations rather than expect us to risk all by trusting that God really does know what's best.
In our spiritual walk, God calls us first and foremost, not 'to do' but 'to be'. To be His children, to be in relationship with Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit, to be centered in His love. When we get the focus right then the other things have a habit of taking their rightful place. 'Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness;” invites Jesus “And all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33)
We don't need to prove to God how good we are. What a waste of effort! Because none of us is that good! God desires that we experience how good life can be as we allow Christ to live in us.
God invites us to trust that in Him our lives find their purpose, that as we apprehend what has been done for us through the Cross and Resurrection we will know that we are loved... that as we envisage the possibilities of what a life open to and molded by God's Holy Spirit could look like, we will want to have that kind of life!
It's one of the hardest things to do. To stop thinking we are in charge and let Jesus take the wheel of our lives. To live 'not my will be done Oh Lord, but thine'. Though hard, it's also essential. What we do, however admirable, how ever successful, is never enough. Paul knew that! No-one had been better at religion than Paul. Martin Luther discovered the same thing. Even monkery could not give him the relationship with God he desired.
Only grace could do it! Only allowing God to be God and accepting the forgiveness and love of Jesus Christ can save us. Only by throwing our faith totally on what God can do and by stopping believing we can save the world results in us breaking through to that relationship with God our hearts so desire.
Once we realize the wonder of grace, it can transform everything. We realize we don't have to do anything to be accepted by God other than accept we can do nothing. We realize we are God's children, adopted into God's family through Jesus alone, through His merit, through His love, through His death, through His life, through His ascension and resurrection. We are children of God, loved and claimed in Christ.
Grace encourages us to hold our heads up high. To see that though we are weak, the Holy Spirit is powerful. A mighty rushing wind that brings healing and vision and hope to lives that are otherwise bowed down and going nowhere. We start to understand that every little thing we do for the Kingdom is a big thing. We are changed... not by our own efforts but by allowing the love of God the freedom to live in us and through us.
It doesn't matter what we have been. Ask Paul! What counts is where we are now in our spiritual journey! Paul feared that the Galatians were being side-tracked by people who told them... 'No! Stop! You have to do this and be this and obey this and obey that law”. 'Been there, done that' says Paul . 'And it wasn't a good place to be'.' The life I now live... I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (verse 20).
Such is the challenge this passage leaves us with. Where are we right now in our spiritual journey? Trying to make it but really just faking it? A little lost and at sea? Or are we aware that grace is making of us more than we could ever make of our selves? Do we know ourselves children of God, saved, by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ?
Through the open doorway of prayer we always have the opportunity to invite Jesus to take His rightful place in our hearts and lives. To invite Him to take the wheel. To recommit ourselves to be Kingdom people. As we do so His Spirit will guide us. To places we can serve. To people who also need His touch. To situations where our unique make-up can fill a need. That's how grace works. That's what He calls us to do. In His name. In His power. In His grace. To God's name be the glory. Amen.
Rev Adrian J. Pratt B.D.
Monday, June 17, 2013
Monday, June 10, 2013
GALATIANS : THE GOSPEL OF GRACE 2. “Grace Takes Time”
Readings: Psalm146, 1 Kings 17:8-24, Luke 7:11-17, Galatians 1:11-24
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, June 9th, 2013
A printable PDF file can be found here
For the early Christian Church Saul of Tarsus was their worst nightmare. He held the coats when one of the first christian martyrs, Stephen, was stoned to death. Saul was educated, extreme and totally committed to wiping Christians from the face of the earth.
Then one day, on the road to Damascus, Saul encounters Jesus, as a voice asking him 'Why are you persecuting me?' He is temporarily struck down with blindness, and is changed from being Saul, the great persecutor of Christianity, to Paul the great defender and evangelist of the Christian faith.
Only one word suffices to explain what happened to Paul. Grace! In his own words from Galatian's this morning he says, God 'Called me through His grace'. Grace transformed every thing about his life.
The account Paul gives us in Galatians One about his transformation is a little different from that we are given in the Book of Acts. You can get the impression from reading Acts that it was a case of Saul, on the road, blinded by the light, reaches Damascus, meets Ananaias - becomes a preacher and saves the world. 'Boom' - there it is. Instant hero.
The account in Galatians is subtly different and involves Paul having to spend time trying to come to terms with what had happened to him and the revelation of God given in the scriptures; Paul putting into practice what he now believed as he is befriended by those whom once he persecuted, and finally, Paul returning home to confront his past and give evidence of the reality of the transforming grace that had gripped his life.
The point I'm making today is that grace, amazing and unmerited and transforming as it may be, does not just happen. Grace takes time. Grace works through a process that includes; commitment to scripture, communion with others and confronting the past. Think about some of those things!
Commitment to Scripture
Galatians 1:16 (Paul speaking of what happened to him after his revelation of Jesus Christ) “I did not confer with any human being, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were already apostles before me, but I went away, at once into Arabia”.
Just as Jesus after His baptism was led into the wilderness to prepare for His ministry, so Paul is led to the desert of Arabia to ground himself in the scriptures that he may find his center in the will of God. Up until this point in his life, Paul had read the scriptures, as it were, with a veil upon them. They kind of made sense, but not really. They were hard to put into practice, but if anyone could do it, it was going to be him.
Because he had never encountered Jesus, he never understood all the Old Testament passages that were fulfilled through Christ's coming into the world. He writes in a letter to the Corinthian church, about the blindness he once shared with his Jewish contemporaries in understanding the scripture, “But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.” (2 Corinthians 3:14-16 NIV)
In the gospels, when Jesus asks the disciples “Who do people say the son of Man is?” Peter comes to make the amazing confession of the Lord, “You are the Christ, the son of the Living God”. And Jesus looks him straight in the eye and says, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 16:17 NIV)
When after the resurrection two disciples are walking on the road to Emmaus, down-hearted and disillusioned, it is Jesus who draws along side them and begins to open up to them the scriptures that they had known since childhood, in such a way that they saw, what they had never seen before, that the Scriptures pointed to Him! “They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" (Luke 24:32 NIV)
The point being made here is that in order to understand the Scriptures we need the help of God's Holy Spirit to reveal the truth that they contain. Bible study is not an intellectual exercise, but a conversation with God. Without the presence of God, interpreting and applying Scripture to our lives, we study, as it were... under a veil. Only the action of God unveils the scripture.
Paul headed into Arabia. All the Scripture knowledge that he had in his head needed to make it's way into his heart. All his life he had missed out the one important ingredient that actually made sense of the scriptures - a living relationship with Jesus Christ.
He goes to no man on earth, not even to one of the apostles, to be confirmed in that truth. He turns to God and to the Scriptures, and they, in tandem, impart to him grace that transforms him from being blinded by the light, to someone who knows Jesus as the way, truth and life.
For scripture to come alive to us, for Scripture to be a force for grace that is transforming our lives, we need the presence of God to be acting as interpreter. Otherwise Scripture becomes just knowledge for knowledge's sake.
And that step, the step of moving from being in a place where the Bible becomes, not some old dusty book, but an album of God's messages to our hearts, is one that only happens through grace. For our part it involves a willingness to listen and obey, faith and trust that God can and will speak to us, and believing that the living Lord Jesus Christ walks with us in our lives.
But Paul doesn't stay in Arabia reading the good books. He leaves Arabia and seeks...
Communion with others
Paul heads to Damascus and works alongside the church leaders preaching the gospel. Eventually he heads to Jerusalem and for a few days meets with Peter and with James, the earthly brother of Jesus who by then had become a leader in the early church. I'd love to be a fly on the wall for some of those conversations!
'Peter, what was it like when you went up the mountain and saw Elijah and Moses talking with Jesus? 'James, how come you never got who Jesus really was when you were growing up?' 'Whatever became of Mary?'
Paul, through the revelation he had received on the road and in the desert of Arabia, now knew, beyond any personal doubt, that the gospel was true. He threw himself into the task of sharing with others what he had discovered. The great persecutor became the great proclaimer.
As you can imagine, it took a while for the leaders in the early church to accept him. How do you get beyond all your fears about somebody who has previously betrayed you and been the darkest of all opponents? Sure, we believe in grace, but can grace really be that trans-formative? What if it's a trick? What if there's a relapse?
There's a telling passage in Acts 9: 26-27 'When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.'
Not only does transforming grace take time, but it has to be a two way traffic. We have to extend grace towards those who extend grace to us. Paul's new friends were stretched to accept him as friend. But they did it! He 'gets by with a little help from his friends'.
Whenever we welcome new people into our lives, whether on a personal level or as a church fellowship, God calls us to extend our grace muscles. Because it's going to bring about change. And if there's one thing we don't handle well, it's change.
Paul changed the whole character of Christianity. Till he came along they thought that it was mostly a religion for scattered Jewish people. Only under Paul's influence did it become a religion that truly was for Gentiles as well. That was a 'Big' Change.
The final thing we see in Paul's journey of transforming grace is that of;
Confronting the past
He goes into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. This was his homelands. Jesus once told the folk of his hometown , "A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home." (Mark 6:4 NIV). But Paul feels he has to make that journey.
We never read of him actually managing to found a church in his hometown, but we do read in verse 23, 24 “The one who formerly was persecuting us is now proclaiming the faith he once tried to destroy.” And we hear Paul telling us “They glorified God because of me.” Even those who knew him the most could not deny that a change had come over him. They weren't prepared to let him build a church there, yet they could see that grace had the power to transform. Grace takes time.
I have been in ministry now for most of my life. Yet when I go back to my hometown I think there are still a few old friends who consider it to be just a phase I'm going through and wonder when I'll get a proper job. Whilst of course I pray for them, I feel that if ever they do embrace Christianity it will be through someone else's ministry rather than mine. They knew me too well when I was without the church, yet I hope they at least recognize that I'm probably the better for being with the church!
Sometimes we do have to confront our past. If nothing else, it keeps us humble. It reminds us, not just how far we have come, but that we have limitations. It recalls us to see that we are on a journey that takes a lifetime and that some portions of it, we would rather forget. Despite the fact of his position of leadership in the church, Paul would never escape the fact that he had once done the church a great deal of damage.
Great lessons in this passage about transforming grace. Grace takes time. Grace works through a process that involves; Commitment to scripture, Communion with others and Confronting the past.
Rev Adrian J. Pratt
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, June 9th, 2013
A printable PDF file can be found here
For the early Christian Church Saul of Tarsus was their worst nightmare. He held the coats when one of the first christian martyrs, Stephen, was stoned to death. Saul was educated, extreme and totally committed to wiping Christians from the face of the earth.
Then one day, on the road to Damascus, Saul encounters Jesus, as a voice asking him 'Why are you persecuting me?' He is temporarily struck down with blindness, and is changed from being Saul, the great persecutor of Christianity, to Paul the great defender and evangelist of the Christian faith.
Only one word suffices to explain what happened to Paul. Grace! In his own words from Galatian's this morning he says, God 'Called me through His grace'. Grace transformed every thing about his life.
The account Paul gives us in Galatians One about his transformation is a little different from that we are given in the Book of Acts. You can get the impression from reading Acts that it was a case of Saul, on the road, blinded by the light, reaches Damascus, meets Ananaias - becomes a preacher and saves the world. 'Boom' - there it is. Instant hero.
The account in Galatians is subtly different and involves Paul having to spend time trying to come to terms with what had happened to him and the revelation of God given in the scriptures; Paul putting into practice what he now believed as he is befriended by those whom once he persecuted, and finally, Paul returning home to confront his past and give evidence of the reality of the transforming grace that had gripped his life.
The point I'm making today is that grace, amazing and unmerited and transforming as it may be, does not just happen. Grace takes time. Grace works through a process that includes; commitment to scripture, communion with others and confronting the past. Think about some of those things!
Commitment to Scripture
Galatians 1:16 (Paul speaking of what happened to him after his revelation of Jesus Christ) “I did not confer with any human being, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were already apostles before me, but I went away, at once into Arabia”.
Just as Jesus after His baptism was led into the wilderness to prepare for His ministry, so Paul is led to the desert of Arabia to ground himself in the scriptures that he may find his center in the will of God. Up until this point in his life, Paul had read the scriptures, as it were, with a veil upon them. They kind of made sense, but not really. They were hard to put into practice, but if anyone could do it, it was going to be him.
Because he had never encountered Jesus, he never understood all the Old Testament passages that were fulfilled through Christ's coming into the world. He writes in a letter to the Corinthian church, about the blindness he once shared with his Jewish contemporaries in understanding the scripture, “But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.” (2 Corinthians 3:14-16 NIV)
In the gospels, when Jesus asks the disciples “Who do people say the son of Man is?” Peter comes to make the amazing confession of the Lord, “You are the Christ, the son of the Living God”. And Jesus looks him straight in the eye and says, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 16:17 NIV)
When after the resurrection two disciples are walking on the road to Emmaus, down-hearted and disillusioned, it is Jesus who draws along side them and begins to open up to them the scriptures that they had known since childhood, in such a way that they saw, what they had never seen before, that the Scriptures pointed to Him! “They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" (Luke 24:32 NIV)
The point being made here is that in order to understand the Scriptures we need the help of God's Holy Spirit to reveal the truth that they contain. Bible study is not an intellectual exercise, but a conversation with God. Without the presence of God, interpreting and applying Scripture to our lives, we study, as it were... under a veil. Only the action of God unveils the scripture.
Paul headed into Arabia. All the Scripture knowledge that he had in his head needed to make it's way into his heart. All his life he had missed out the one important ingredient that actually made sense of the scriptures - a living relationship with Jesus Christ.
He goes to no man on earth, not even to one of the apostles, to be confirmed in that truth. He turns to God and to the Scriptures, and they, in tandem, impart to him grace that transforms him from being blinded by the light, to someone who knows Jesus as the way, truth and life.
For scripture to come alive to us, for Scripture to be a force for grace that is transforming our lives, we need the presence of God to be acting as interpreter. Otherwise Scripture becomes just knowledge for knowledge's sake.
And that step, the step of moving from being in a place where the Bible becomes, not some old dusty book, but an album of God's messages to our hearts, is one that only happens through grace. For our part it involves a willingness to listen and obey, faith and trust that God can and will speak to us, and believing that the living Lord Jesus Christ walks with us in our lives.
But Paul doesn't stay in Arabia reading the good books. He leaves Arabia and seeks...
Communion with others
Paul heads to Damascus and works alongside the church leaders preaching the gospel. Eventually he heads to Jerusalem and for a few days meets with Peter and with James, the earthly brother of Jesus who by then had become a leader in the early church. I'd love to be a fly on the wall for some of those conversations!
'Peter, what was it like when you went up the mountain and saw Elijah and Moses talking with Jesus? 'James, how come you never got who Jesus really was when you were growing up?' 'Whatever became of Mary?'
Paul, through the revelation he had received on the road and in the desert of Arabia, now knew, beyond any personal doubt, that the gospel was true. He threw himself into the task of sharing with others what he had discovered. The great persecutor became the great proclaimer.
As you can imagine, it took a while for the leaders in the early church to accept him. How do you get beyond all your fears about somebody who has previously betrayed you and been the darkest of all opponents? Sure, we believe in grace, but can grace really be that trans-formative? What if it's a trick? What if there's a relapse?
There's a telling passage in Acts 9: 26-27 'When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.'
Not only does transforming grace take time, but it has to be a two way traffic. We have to extend grace towards those who extend grace to us. Paul's new friends were stretched to accept him as friend. But they did it! He 'gets by with a little help from his friends'.
Whenever we welcome new people into our lives, whether on a personal level or as a church fellowship, God calls us to extend our grace muscles. Because it's going to bring about change. And if there's one thing we don't handle well, it's change.
Paul changed the whole character of Christianity. Till he came along they thought that it was mostly a religion for scattered Jewish people. Only under Paul's influence did it become a religion that truly was for Gentiles as well. That was a 'Big' Change.
The final thing we see in Paul's journey of transforming grace is that of;
Confronting the past
He goes into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. This was his homelands. Jesus once told the folk of his hometown , "A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home." (Mark 6:4 NIV). But Paul feels he has to make that journey.
We never read of him actually managing to found a church in his hometown, but we do read in verse 23, 24 “The one who formerly was persecuting us is now proclaiming the faith he once tried to destroy.” And we hear Paul telling us “They glorified God because of me.” Even those who knew him the most could not deny that a change had come over him. They weren't prepared to let him build a church there, yet they could see that grace had the power to transform. Grace takes time.
I have been in ministry now for most of my life. Yet when I go back to my hometown I think there are still a few old friends who consider it to be just a phase I'm going through and wonder when I'll get a proper job. Whilst of course I pray for them, I feel that if ever they do embrace Christianity it will be through someone else's ministry rather than mine. They knew me too well when I was without the church, yet I hope they at least recognize that I'm probably the better for being with the church!
Sometimes we do have to confront our past. If nothing else, it keeps us humble. It reminds us, not just how far we have come, but that we have limitations. It recalls us to see that we are on a journey that takes a lifetime and that some portions of it, we would rather forget. Despite the fact of his position of leadership in the church, Paul would never escape the fact that he had once done the church a great deal of damage.
Great lessons in this passage about transforming grace. Grace takes time. Grace works through a process that involves; Commitment to scripture, Communion with others and Confronting the past.
- As we try and make sense of our own lives, Paul gives us some wonderful insight. We can be guided by God's Word, as long as we make Scripture study a conversation with God rather than just an intellectual exercise.
- We can get by with a little help from our friends, but in the process need to think about how we can be friends to others.
- We need to confront the past, if only to remind ourselves that we all face limitations and that if we have any bragging rights, then let us boast of what the grace of God has done for us!
Rev Adrian J. Pratt
Monday, June 3, 2013
GALATIANS : THE GOSPEL OF GRACE 1 “The True Gospel”
Readings: Psalm 96, 1 Kings, 18:20-29, Luke 7:1-10, Galatians 1:1-12
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, June 2nd, 2013
A printable PDF file can be found here
From earliest days groups of church folk have met around tables laid with bread and wine to celebrate the gospel. In the first chapter of Galatians, Paul instructs his readers that just as there existed a genuine gospel, so there was also a false gospel. And it was dangerous to get the two confused! In our reading today Paul gives us some clues as to what the true gospel looks like.
One of the foundational things he tells us is that the true gospel is a revelation from God. It is not a creation of any human mind, but a reflection of the mind and will of the One who created all things. He writes in verse 12 “I did not receive it from a human source, nor was I taught it, but I received it, through a revelation of Jesus Christ.”
Just as communion, bread and wine, are something to be received, so it is with the gospel. It is something we need to feed our hearts and souls and minds upon. It is something that offers us a radically different perspective on life, because it is coming from a place far beyond the confines of everyday life. Paul claims the gospel is a revelation from the God who gave all things their life.
But not a revelation in any general sort of way. It is a revelation of Jesus Christ that teaches us about what Jesus can do in our world and in our lives. Paul writes in verses 3-4 “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins to set us free from the present evil age, according to the will of God.”
Many have a sense of our world being out of synchronicity with it's purpose. They see it in the world around them and sense it within themselves. There's a disjointedness that often reveals itself through the addictive patterns of behavior we unwittingly become ensnared by. It is not that we are embroiled in some classic struggle of good against evil, more the case that many of us are just struggling to get by and make sense of it all.
Paul speaks of the times he lives in as being 'an evil age'. I wonder what he'd make of our day? For sure we witness wonders in our age that Paul would never have dreamed of. Yet in the light of all the advances it is a fact that even today all are not equal, many still suffer, millions go hungry, wars and disasters continue to befall us. Our current times seem as prone towards evil as they ever were!
The Good News, the great news, the gospel news, is that through the love and grace of Jesus Christ, life can be transformed. This is the true gospel. We can be moved from a place of striving to a place of peace, from a place of conflict to a place of healing, from a place of disjointedness to a place of 'Shalom', to a place of wholeness and completeness where we can rest secure in the love of God... and it's all because of Grace! The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Here around this table is our opportunity to connect with Jesus Christ, so that the level of servant life, that He exemplified, may be replicated and recreated in us, so that we can live for God's glory and be transformed by God's amazing Grace.
This desire for transformation is wonderfully captured in the third verse of Charles Wesley's hymn, 'Love Divine, All Loves Excelling' :-
The true gospel draws from us a sense of being children of God, being One with God and so with each other and all humanity. It is grace from beginning to end. It is a gift that takes our breath away and when rightly perceived leaves us in awe.
It is grace that causes us not to be satisfied with the way things are. It prompts us to make the kingdom 'a happening' because it forces us away from ourselves towards thinking of what can be done for others. It takes us right to the heart of Jesus teaching in the sermon on the mount, and prompts to take action to see the hungry are fed, the prisoners are set free, the sick healed and the poor restored to favor.
Transformed people are prompted to transform the world. And to do so in the light of the message of Easter. To proclaim Jesus as the living Lord. We are not powerless, we are empowered by the Holy Spirit. We never walk alone, we walk with Him. We are not lone-rangers but communities of faith who witness to our common humanity in Jesus Christ.
For Paul this is the true gospel, a gospel that if we embrace it, transforms not only ourselves but our world. The problem he faced in Galatia was that a different gospel was being preached. This false gospel was not about grace but about all the things you could do in order to be accepted by God.
This false gospel is attractive because it's more about us than it is about God. It suggests that if we can be all that we can be, then God's love will be ours for the taking. It suggests that if we can just jump through all the right hoops then we've got it made. We will be the insiders and the rest of the world will slide merrily on their way to destruction.
This false gospel offers us a platform from which we can look down our noses at the rest of humanity. It gives us the chance to be self-made people and absolves us from the responsibility of caring too much about others. After all, if they are in a mess, all they have to do is follow the same directions as we have followed and all will change.
We can call this false gospel not the 'Good News' but the 'Good Enough' message. At it's root is the notion that somehow if we can make ourselves 'good enough' than such will be enough for God to accept us and pour out blessings upon us.
Why is it false?
Paul is dismayed. “I am astonished” he writes in verse 6 “That you are so quickly deserting the one who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel.” He does not hold back in expressing his disdain for those who were promoting a false message. Verse 9 'As we have said before, so now I repeat, if anyone proclaims to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let that one be accursed!' He doesn't care how angelic their words may sound, how impressive their qualifications may seem, nor even how attractive their words may be, it was all about grace, or it was not the true gospel!
Today I invite you to come to receive bread and wine, in the light of the true gospel, the gospel of Grace. I invite you, here and now, around this table, to take a step of commitment towards the things of God's Kingdom. I invite you on this day to allow the Holy Spirit of God to inspire you and remould you through God's amazing grace.
Come to the holy table, not because you are strong, but because you are weak. Come, not because any goodness of your own gives you a right to come, but because you need mercy and help. Come, not because you love the Lord enough, but want to love Him more. Come because He loved you and gave Himself for you. Come to receive this bread and wine the token and pledge of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit”
“Taste and see that the Lord is good!”
Rev Adrian J. Pratt
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, June 2nd, 2013
A printable PDF file can be found here
From earliest days groups of church folk have met around tables laid with bread and wine to celebrate the gospel. In the first chapter of Galatians, Paul instructs his readers that just as there existed a genuine gospel, so there was also a false gospel. And it was dangerous to get the two confused! In our reading today Paul gives us some clues as to what the true gospel looks like.
One of the foundational things he tells us is that the true gospel is a revelation from God. It is not a creation of any human mind, but a reflection of the mind and will of the One who created all things. He writes in verse 12 “I did not receive it from a human source, nor was I taught it, but I received it, through a revelation of Jesus Christ.”
Just as communion, bread and wine, are something to be received, so it is with the gospel. It is something we need to feed our hearts and souls and minds upon. It is something that offers us a radically different perspective on life, because it is coming from a place far beyond the confines of everyday life. Paul claims the gospel is a revelation from the God who gave all things their life.
But not a revelation in any general sort of way. It is a revelation of Jesus Christ that teaches us about what Jesus can do in our world and in our lives. Paul writes in verses 3-4 “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins to set us free from the present evil age, according to the will of God.”
Many have a sense of our world being out of synchronicity with it's purpose. They see it in the world around them and sense it within themselves. There's a disjointedness that often reveals itself through the addictive patterns of behavior we unwittingly become ensnared by. It is not that we are embroiled in some classic struggle of good against evil, more the case that many of us are just struggling to get by and make sense of it all.
Paul speaks of the times he lives in as being 'an evil age'. I wonder what he'd make of our day? For sure we witness wonders in our age that Paul would never have dreamed of. Yet in the light of all the advances it is a fact that even today all are not equal, many still suffer, millions go hungry, wars and disasters continue to befall us. Our current times seem as prone towards evil as they ever were!
The Good News, the great news, the gospel news, is that through the love and grace of Jesus Christ, life can be transformed. This is the true gospel. We can be moved from a place of striving to a place of peace, from a place of conflict to a place of healing, from a place of disjointedness to a place of 'Shalom', to a place of wholeness and completeness where we can rest secure in the love of God... and it's all because of Grace! The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Here around this table is our opportunity to connect with Jesus Christ, so that the level of servant life, that He exemplified, may be replicated and recreated in us, so that we can live for God's glory and be transformed by God's amazing Grace.
This desire for transformation is wonderfully captured in the third verse of Charles Wesley's hymn, 'Love Divine, All Loves Excelling' :-
"Finish then thy new creation, Pure and sinless let us be;
Let us see thy great salvation, Perfectly restored in thee:
Changed from glory into glory, Till in heav'n we take our place,
Till we cast our crowns before thee, Lost in wonder, love and praise.” The true gospel draws from us a sense of being children of God, being One with God and so with each other and all humanity. It is grace from beginning to end. It is a gift that takes our breath away and when rightly perceived leaves us in awe.
It is grace that causes us not to be satisfied with the way things are. It prompts us to make the kingdom 'a happening' because it forces us away from ourselves towards thinking of what can be done for others. It takes us right to the heart of Jesus teaching in the sermon on the mount, and prompts to take action to see the hungry are fed, the prisoners are set free, the sick healed and the poor restored to favor.
Transformed people are prompted to transform the world. And to do so in the light of the message of Easter. To proclaim Jesus as the living Lord. We are not powerless, we are empowered by the Holy Spirit. We never walk alone, we walk with Him. We are not lone-rangers but communities of faith who witness to our common humanity in Jesus Christ.
For Paul this is the true gospel, a gospel that if we embrace it, transforms not only ourselves but our world. The problem he faced in Galatia was that a different gospel was being preached. This false gospel was not about grace but about all the things you could do in order to be accepted by God.
This false gospel is attractive because it's more about us than it is about God. It suggests that if we can be all that we can be, then God's love will be ours for the taking. It suggests that if we can just jump through all the right hoops then we've got it made. We will be the insiders and the rest of the world will slide merrily on their way to destruction.
This false gospel offers us a platform from which we can look down our noses at the rest of humanity. It gives us the chance to be self-made people and absolves us from the responsibility of caring too much about others. After all, if they are in a mess, all they have to do is follow the same directions as we have followed and all will change.
We can call this false gospel not the 'Good News' but the 'Good Enough' message. At it's root is the notion that somehow if we can make ourselves 'good enough' than such will be enough for God to accept us and pour out blessings upon us.
Why is it false?
- Firstly because that is not the way of salvation revealed to us by God in scripture. Paul's authentic message is that none of us have ever, can ever or will ever be sufficiently good enough to deserve God's blessing. We are sinners who fall short of the glory of God. Our only hope is the revelation that the grace of God restores us to a relationship with God.
- Secondly, the false gospel makes us into our own personal saviors and minimizes the need to put our faith in Jesus Christ. Paul teaches us that there is no other savior in all creation who can restore us to a right relationship with God other than our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the One who comes to save. He dies for the purpose of forgiving our sins. If we could atone for own sins He wouldn't have needed to face the Cross. His body wouldn't have needed to have been broken, nor His blood poured out. Again we are back with verse 4 “He gave himself for our sins to set us free … according to the will of our God and Father”
- Thirdly, this 'good enough' gospel causes us not to lift up our hearts in worship of God, but rather become focused on the rules of the game. It creates Pharisaic and judgmental ways of acting and behaving. It pulls us towards legislation, not towards grace. Rather than setting us free it sets us up for a fall.
Paul is dismayed. “I am astonished” he writes in verse 6 “That you are so quickly deserting the one who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel.” He does not hold back in expressing his disdain for those who were promoting a false message. Verse 9 'As we have said before, so now I repeat, if anyone proclaims to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let that one be accursed!' He doesn't care how angelic their words may sound, how impressive their qualifications may seem, nor even how attractive their words may be, it was all about grace, or it was not the true gospel!
Today I invite you to come to receive bread and wine, in the light of the true gospel, the gospel of Grace. I invite you, here and now, around this table, to take a step of commitment towards the things of God's Kingdom. I invite you on this day to allow the Holy Spirit of God to inspire you and remould you through God's amazing grace.
Come to the holy table, not because you are strong, but because you are weak. Come, not because any goodness of your own gives you a right to come, but because you need mercy and help. Come, not because you love the Lord enough, but want to love Him more. Come because He loved you and gave Himself for you. Come to receive this bread and wine the token and pledge of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit”
“Taste and see that the Lord is good!”
Rev Adrian J. Pratt
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Trinity Sunday - The 3 in 1 God
Readings: Psalm 8, Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31, Romans 5:1-5, Mark 1:14-20
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, 26th May 2013
A printable PDF file can be found here
One of the great mysteries of Christian faith is that Christians say that believe in One God, yet seem to talk about three gods; a god called Jesus, a god who is a Father and a god who is somehow involved in life called the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost. The claim is made that God is a "Three in One" God, a claim known as the "Doctrine of the Trinity". Today is Trinity Sunday and it is that "Trinity Doctrine" that I want us to think about. To do so we'll look at how it came to be experienced by one of the earliest disciples.
Our gospel reading spoke of Jesus calling four fishermen,one of them being Simon - later to be known as Peter. At that stage in Simon Peters spiritual journey we don't know much about him, but we can read back from later events to give us a picture of his character. Rugged, matter of fact, religious but not in a sanctimonious way. An ordinary working Jewish man of his day.
The gospels record that, because of the storms that blew up from nowhere, the sea of Galilee could be a rough and terrifying place to work. As one who battled against the elements Simon would probably be familiar with the words of the Psalmist, "You are my Defender and Protector. You are my God and in You I trust".
He would have had an awareness of his roots in Judaistic teaching. At the time Jesus first called him to follow, he would already be aware of God as one who had Father-like concern for His people. That was one of the great pictures of Hebrew religion, again from Psalm 91 (Verse 13) "When they call to me, I will answer them, when they are in trouble, I will be with them."
Simon and his brother Andrew started to be influenced by Jesus. They realized their was something different about Him. So much so that when He called them saying, "Come with me, I will teach you to catch people" they at once left their nets and went with Him!
Time went by and Peter (as Simon was now named) heard Jesus revealing more and more about God the Father and Creator of all things. He saw the miracles and wonders that were taking place. He in himself had to wrestle and come to terms with what was going on around him and within him. He came to realize that this Jesus was not your everyday religious teacher. He was incomparable. He was unique. Although others had said similar things, even done similar things, Jesus had about Him an authority that set Him apart.
A turning point came at Ceaserea-Phillipi in Northern Galilee, when Jesus asked His disciples, "Who do people say I am?". One said "John the Baptist, another Elijah, another suggested Jeremiah or some other prophet.” Jesus turned the question around. "But what about you, who do you say I am?".
Simon-Peter answered, maybe fearfully, maybe hesitantly, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God". And Jesus congratulates him, "Well done.. that's a truth that didn't come to you from any human being, it was given you directly by my Father in heaven!"
Through his openness and willingness to seek the truth, God had been able to work upon the heart and mind of Simon-Peter to reveal the truth about Jesus. He was the Messiah, the One sent by God; God Himself coming into history in a unique way.
Of course such a revelation was not easily accepted. Time and time again Jesus was rejected (and eventually crucified) because He claimed to be the Messiah. He used such expressions as, "Whoever has seen me, has seen the Father", "If you knew me, you would know my Father also" (John 8:19).
He referred to Himself in the special way only God referred to Himself, by saying in John 8:24, "I am who I am". He claimed, "The Father and I are One" (John 10:30). In the great prayer He made for His disciples, He prayed "May they be in us, just as You are in me, and I am in You". (John 17:21).
Peter became aware of Jesus as the Son of the Living God. But then came the crucifixion, and the disciples lost their focus. In fear and bewilderment they were scattered. If He was the Christ, how could such a thing happen?
The answer came in the resurrection. Through Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself. He died for our sins. He was raised to life that we may know His risen power amongst us. Jesus was not a dead friend to be mourned, but the Living Lord with whom they continued to have a redeeming and creative relationship.
This came home, powerfully, to Peter and the other disciples, when seven weeks after Easter, on the day of the feast of Pentecost, they had an intense experience of God as the Holy Spirit, whilst they gathered together in prayer at a house in Jerusalem. Those who witnessed the scene started to ask questions. And it was Peter who, in Acts 2, stands up and started to explain.
God had poured out His Spirit on them. Jesus had been raised and reigned for ever more with God the Father. He had promised that those who believed in Him would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit as His personal presence in their lives.
As the book of Acts unfolds it gives us a picture of God the Father, at work through Jesus in the person of the Holy Spirit; God the three in One God. Not three gods... but One Almighty God at work in three, united, complimentary ways. Peter had become aware of the reality of God in three ways, and in his evolving experience we see the pattern that became the special Christian awareness of God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The doctrine of the Trinity had nothing to do with scholars or theologians sitting around with nothing better to do than make God to complicated for people to believe in. It came out of the experience of the early Christians, including those who were the first called by Jesus to follow Him. It was never intended to be a representation of all that God was or an explanation of how God could be. Rather it is a picture of how we should be aware of God and how we should relate to God.
Jesus, in Matthew's gospel 28 commissions the disciples to go out into the world making others His disciples and baptizing them 'in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit'. So the church has proclaimed to the world that God was three, yet God was One, that just as a triangle has three sides, so God has revealed Himself to the world in three distinct yet united ways.
Think again of Peters experience. He was aware of God as the Heavenly Father and the great Creator. As he walked with Jesus he became aware of God, focusing Himself uniquely in Jesus Christ. He was aware of God, in the person of the Holy Spirit creatively invading the hearts and minds of those who believed in Jesus.
The key to understanding the Trinity appears to be personal experience. Try and get our minds around it or explain it and we can tie ourselves in knots. It's one of those things that once you see it, you realize that's the way it has be. The authentic Christian experience is Trinitarian.
The doctrine of the Trinity. Think about it. But not too much! Instead just get out there and live your life in the knowledge of God's presence. And somehow, as you seek to live in a way that brings glory to Jesus, as you seek for the help of God's Holy Spirit in your daily struggles and joys, as you seek to be that unique, beautiful, human person that God intends for you to be, then, somehow, it doesn't matter if you can't explain the doctrine of the Trinity. You become to busy enjoying it!
It's good to have a Sunday set aside to consider the awesome mystery of a God who has revealed Himself to us as the three in one God. It is good to reflect on the nature and being of Trinity. But don't get bogged down in theological reflection. Instead, listen to the call of the Jesus.
"Go" Jesus says, "Into all the world, and make others my disciples. Mark them by baptism in the threefold name; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. And, listen, I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end times."
May God help us to be faithful servants and in so doing discover His love.
And to God's name be the glory.
AMEN.
Rev. Adrian J. Pratt B.D.
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, 26th May 2013
A printable PDF file can be found here
One of the great mysteries of Christian faith is that Christians say that believe in One God, yet seem to talk about three gods; a god called Jesus, a god who is a Father and a god who is somehow involved in life called the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost. The claim is made that God is a "Three in One" God, a claim known as the "Doctrine of the Trinity". Today is Trinity Sunday and it is that "Trinity Doctrine" that I want us to think about. To do so we'll look at how it came to be experienced by one of the earliest disciples.
Our gospel reading spoke of Jesus calling four fishermen,one of them being Simon - later to be known as Peter. At that stage in Simon Peters spiritual journey we don't know much about him, but we can read back from later events to give us a picture of his character. Rugged, matter of fact, religious but not in a sanctimonious way. An ordinary working Jewish man of his day.
The gospels record that, because of the storms that blew up from nowhere, the sea of Galilee could be a rough and terrifying place to work. As one who battled against the elements Simon would probably be familiar with the words of the Psalmist, "You are my Defender and Protector. You are my God and in You I trust".
He would have had an awareness of his roots in Judaistic teaching. At the time Jesus first called him to follow, he would already be aware of God as one who had Father-like concern for His people. That was one of the great pictures of Hebrew religion, again from Psalm 91 (Verse 13) "When they call to me, I will answer them, when they are in trouble, I will be with them."
Simon and his brother Andrew started to be influenced by Jesus. They realized their was something different about Him. So much so that when He called them saying, "Come with me, I will teach you to catch people" they at once left their nets and went with Him!
Time went by and Peter (as Simon was now named) heard Jesus revealing more and more about God the Father and Creator of all things. He saw the miracles and wonders that were taking place. He in himself had to wrestle and come to terms with what was going on around him and within him. He came to realize that this Jesus was not your everyday religious teacher. He was incomparable. He was unique. Although others had said similar things, even done similar things, Jesus had about Him an authority that set Him apart.
A turning point came at Ceaserea-Phillipi in Northern Galilee, when Jesus asked His disciples, "Who do people say I am?". One said "John the Baptist, another Elijah, another suggested Jeremiah or some other prophet.” Jesus turned the question around. "But what about you, who do you say I am?".
Simon-Peter answered, maybe fearfully, maybe hesitantly, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God". And Jesus congratulates him, "Well done.. that's a truth that didn't come to you from any human being, it was given you directly by my Father in heaven!"
Through his openness and willingness to seek the truth, God had been able to work upon the heart and mind of Simon-Peter to reveal the truth about Jesus. He was the Messiah, the One sent by God; God Himself coming into history in a unique way.
Of course such a revelation was not easily accepted. Time and time again Jesus was rejected (and eventually crucified) because He claimed to be the Messiah. He used such expressions as, "Whoever has seen me, has seen the Father", "If you knew me, you would know my Father also" (John 8:19).
He referred to Himself in the special way only God referred to Himself, by saying in John 8:24, "I am who I am". He claimed, "The Father and I are One" (John 10:30). In the great prayer He made for His disciples, He prayed "May they be in us, just as You are in me, and I am in You". (John 17:21).
Peter became aware of Jesus as the Son of the Living God. But then came the crucifixion, and the disciples lost their focus. In fear and bewilderment they were scattered. If He was the Christ, how could such a thing happen?
The answer came in the resurrection. Through Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself. He died for our sins. He was raised to life that we may know His risen power amongst us. Jesus was not a dead friend to be mourned, but the Living Lord with whom they continued to have a redeeming and creative relationship.
This came home, powerfully, to Peter and the other disciples, when seven weeks after Easter, on the day of the feast of Pentecost, they had an intense experience of God as the Holy Spirit, whilst they gathered together in prayer at a house in Jerusalem. Those who witnessed the scene started to ask questions. And it was Peter who, in Acts 2, stands up and started to explain.
God had poured out His Spirit on them. Jesus had been raised and reigned for ever more with God the Father. He had promised that those who believed in Him would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit as His personal presence in their lives.
As the book of Acts unfolds it gives us a picture of God the Father, at work through Jesus in the person of the Holy Spirit; God the three in One God. Not three gods... but One Almighty God at work in three, united, complimentary ways. Peter had become aware of the reality of God in three ways, and in his evolving experience we see the pattern that became the special Christian awareness of God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The doctrine of the Trinity had nothing to do with scholars or theologians sitting around with nothing better to do than make God to complicated for people to believe in. It came out of the experience of the early Christians, including those who were the first called by Jesus to follow Him. It was never intended to be a representation of all that God was or an explanation of how God could be. Rather it is a picture of how we should be aware of God and how we should relate to God.
Jesus, in Matthew's gospel 28 commissions the disciples to go out into the world making others His disciples and baptizing them 'in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit'. So the church has proclaimed to the world that God was three, yet God was One, that just as a triangle has three sides, so God has revealed Himself to the world in three distinct yet united ways.
Think again of Peters experience. He was aware of God as the Heavenly Father and the great Creator. As he walked with Jesus he became aware of God, focusing Himself uniquely in Jesus Christ. He was aware of God, in the person of the Holy Spirit creatively invading the hearts and minds of those who believed in Jesus.
The key to understanding the Trinity appears to be personal experience. Try and get our minds around it or explain it and we can tie ourselves in knots. It's one of those things that once you see it, you realize that's the way it has be. The authentic Christian experience is Trinitarian.
- We need to know that God is the great Creator who has a parental like care for His Creation. That ultimately life finds it's beginning and end in God. That there is a purpose to life's mystery and a mystery to life's purpose and that is all tied up with the will and design of the Almighty One.
- We need to know that God is ultra-personal. In Christ we see the imprint of God fully expressed through humanity. We read of the life of Christ in the gospels and find ourselves saying, "Yes, if God were to come in the flesh that's exactly how you'd expect things to turn out!" There's something wrong with the world but something so very right about Jesus Christ.
- We need to know that God's love is not distant... and that the power of the resurrected Christ is not far off but can be known in our lives through the presence of the Holy Spirit. God is not God of the dead, but of the living and through Christ's love in our hearts we can really live!
The doctrine of the Trinity. Think about it. But not too much! Instead just get out there and live your life in the knowledge of God's presence. And somehow, as you seek to live in a way that brings glory to Jesus, as you seek for the help of God's Holy Spirit in your daily struggles and joys, as you seek to be that unique, beautiful, human person that God intends for you to be, then, somehow, it doesn't matter if you can't explain the doctrine of the Trinity. You become to busy enjoying it!
It's good to have a Sunday set aside to consider the awesome mystery of a God who has revealed Himself to us as the three in one God. It is good to reflect on the nature and being of Trinity. But don't get bogged down in theological reflection. Instead, listen to the call of the Jesus.
"Go" Jesus says, "Into all the world, and make others my disciples. Mark them by baptism in the threefold name; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. And, listen, I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end times."
May God help us to be faithful servants and in so doing discover His love.
And to God's name be the glory.
AMEN.
Rev. Adrian J. Pratt B.D.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Dreamers, Starters and Finishers
Pentecost/Confirmation Service
Readings: Genesis 11:1-9, Acts 2:1-21,Hebrews 12:1-6, Luke 14:28-33
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, Sunday, May 19th 2013
A printable PDF file can be found here
Luke 14 verses 29 and 30
“This man began to build and cannot finish the job”
“And all who see what happened will laugh at him”
It has been said that in life there are three groups of people. Dreamers, Starters and Finishers.
First off there are DREAMERS.
Dreams can be good. Martin Luther King Jr. preached one of the most famous sermons ever preached with the words 'I have a dream...” The musical 'South Pacific' has a song with the refrain; 'You gotta have a dream, Cos if you don't have a dream, How you ever gonna make your dreams come true'
Scripture is full of dreamers. In the Old Testament Joseph (known for his technicolor dreamcoat) has a whole life defined by dreams.
We all have dreams. We all have aspirations. We all have things we want to be or see. There's nothing wrong in being a dreamer. Some years ago somebody dreamed that there could be a Presbyterian Church here in Baldwin. Now here are some of you desiring to be members of it... buying into the dream.
God has a lot of time for dreamers. So dream on!
But, as I learnt from watching Sister Act 2 'If you wanna go somewhere, and you want to be someone, you gotta wake up and pay attention'. There's more to life than just being a dreamer.
We also need to be STARTERS.
I'll let you in on a secret. When I was young I didn't dream of being a preacher. I didn't even dream about being confirmed or joining the church. I had a far more compelling dream. I wanted to be a racing driver. Just like Dana Patrick! Well... no not really like her, I'm not talking Nascar, I'm talking Formula One, Grand Prix racing, the fastest, most exotic racers in the world. Monaco, Red Bull and Ferrari!
I cherished this dream. In school I learned all about how to be a driver you had to know the insides as well as the outsides of a car, so you should train as a mechanic. Despite my lack of mechanical skills, even this did not curb my enthusiasm!
My dream faded when I became old enough to drive on the local Go-Kart track. I'd watched the movies, I'd sat on my bed and practiced, VROOM - VROOM, I was excellent on my slot car racing track, making those little cars go round and around. But first time I got behind the wheel of a Go-Kart... well... call me Mr Tortoise! It didn't take me long to realize that I did not have the natural skills of a racing driver. To be honest I discovered speed, far from being exhilarating, was a little scary. Particularly the stopping bit... but that's another story!
I had purchased a book about Motor Racing. In it, it said 'Some people are 'thinkers' and some people are 'Doers'. The reason why 'thinkers' don't become 'doers' is that they just don't know what is involved”
Remember our Bible story. A story about a man who didn't consider what was involved. Luke 14 verses 29 and 30 “This man began to build and cannot finish the job” “And all who see what happened will laugh at him”
I'm glad that those of you who are being confirmed have moved from being dreamers to starters. I hope you'll also make the move from being 'thinkers' to 'doers'. You see there is a cost involved. There always is. We only get out of life, what we put into life.
In Luke13:44 Jesus tells His disciples 'None of you can be my disciple unless he gives up everything he has.” To put that in a different way, He is telling us that we can't go around saying He is Lord of our lives when we are really living only for ourselves. That the most important thing we can do with our lives is figure out how they can be lived for the glory of God.
God wants to have that conversation with us because otherwise, our words are just a bad joke. Otherwise our confirmation and church membership are about as useful as the house the man began to build but couldn't finish. Just a laughing matter.
Confirmation does not mean you have arrived. It means that some time in your life somebody had a dream that you would become a disciple of Jesus Christ. They sprinkled you with the waters of baptism. Confirmation is about you claiming that dream for yourself. It's about starting.
And you know that starting isn't enough! The man who started to build became a joke because he never reached the most important thing. Finishing. There are dreamers, there are starters and there are;
FINISHERS
When the Olympic games were held in Mexico City the Gold medal for the 26 mile marathon was won by Mamo Wolde of Ethiopia. Also running in the race was John Stephen Akhwari from Tanzania. Akhwari cramped up due to the high altitude of the city. He had not trained at such an altitude back in his home country. Half way through the race, there was jockeying for position between some runners and he was hit. He fell badly, dislocating his knee and hurting his shoulder on the pavement. He however continued running.
By the time he reached the stadium people were leaving. The medal ceremony for the winners had already taken place. The sun had set. When word was received that there was one more runner about to finish, people started to file back into the stadium. Even the TV cameras returned to watch John Akhwari hobble over the line. It is said that the crowd greeted him with more enthusiasm, urging him onward, then they had done for any of the medal winners.
After the race, they asked him, why, when he was so far behind, he didn't give up? He replied, "My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start the race; they sent me 5,000 miles to finish the race."
The Christian calling in not just to be dreamers and starters, but to be finishers. Hebrews 12: verses 1 and 2 instruct us; “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”
Friends of all ages, do not allow your faith to be a laughing matter. 'This man' said Jesus, 'Started to build but could not finish, and all who see it will laugh at him”.
Carry on dreaming. 'You gotta have a dream'.
You have made a great start in your faith journey. You were baptized.
Now you come to claim the baptismal promises for yourself. You are a starter.
But now it's up to you to be a finisher. To 'Fix your eyes upon Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith'.
And if you openly and honest come before God, seeking His leading and guiding, laying your life before God and pledging to be a Kingdom person, you will not be disappointed. God loves us more than we can ever fully realize. God's promises are true. As we place our trust in God, amazing things can happen in our lives.
May God help us all to run with perseverance the race of faith that is laid before us. AMEN!
REV. ADRIAN J. PRATT B.D.
Readings: Genesis 11:1-9, Acts 2:1-21,Hebrews 12:1-6, Luke 14:28-33
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, Sunday, May 19th 2013
A printable PDF file can be found here
Luke 14 verses 29 and 30
“This man began to build and cannot finish the job”
“And all who see what happened will laugh at him”
It has been said that in life there are three groups of people. Dreamers, Starters and Finishers.
First off there are DREAMERS.
Dreams can be good. Martin Luther King Jr. preached one of the most famous sermons ever preached with the words 'I have a dream...” The musical 'South Pacific' has a song with the refrain; 'You gotta have a dream, Cos if you don't have a dream, How you ever gonna make your dreams come true'
Scripture is full of dreamers. In the Old Testament Joseph (known for his technicolor dreamcoat) has a whole life defined by dreams.
We all have dreams. We all have aspirations. We all have things we want to be or see. There's nothing wrong in being a dreamer. Some years ago somebody dreamed that there could be a Presbyterian Church here in Baldwin. Now here are some of you desiring to be members of it... buying into the dream.
God has a lot of time for dreamers. So dream on!
But, as I learnt from watching Sister Act 2 'If you wanna go somewhere, and you want to be someone, you gotta wake up and pay attention'. There's more to life than just being a dreamer.
We also need to be STARTERS.
I'll let you in on a secret. When I was young I didn't dream of being a preacher. I didn't even dream about being confirmed or joining the church. I had a far more compelling dream. I wanted to be a racing driver. Just like Dana Patrick! Well... no not really like her, I'm not talking Nascar, I'm talking Formula One, Grand Prix racing, the fastest, most exotic racers in the world. Monaco, Red Bull and Ferrari!
I cherished this dream. In school I learned all about how to be a driver you had to know the insides as well as the outsides of a car, so you should train as a mechanic. Despite my lack of mechanical skills, even this did not curb my enthusiasm!
My dream faded when I became old enough to drive on the local Go-Kart track. I'd watched the movies, I'd sat on my bed and practiced, VROOM - VROOM, I was excellent on my slot car racing track, making those little cars go round and around. But first time I got behind the wheel of a Go-Kart... well... call me Mr Tortoise! It didn't take me long to realize that I did not have the natural skills of a racing driver. To be honest I discovered speed, far from being exhilarating, was a little scary. Particularly the stopping bit... but that's another story!
I had purchased a book about Motor Racing. In it, it said 'Some people are 'thinkers' and some people are 'Doers'. The reason why 'thinkers' don't become 'doers' is that they just don't know what is involved”
Remember our Bible story. A story about a man who didn't consider what was involved. Luke 14 verses 29 and 30 “This man began to build and cannot finish the job” “And all who see what happened will laugh at him”
I'm glad that those of you who are being confirmed have moved from being dreamers to starters. I hope you'll also make the move from being 'thinkers' to 'doers'. You see there is a cost involved. There always is. We only get out of life, what we put into life.
In Luke13:44 Jesus tells His disciples 'None of you can be my disciple unless he gives up everything he has.” To put that in a different way, He is telling us that we can't go around saying He is Lord of our lives when we are really living only for ourselves. That the most important thing we can do with our lives is figure out how they can be lived for the glory of God.
God wants to have that conversation with us because otherwise, our words are just a bad joke. Otherwise our confirmation and church membership are about as useful as the house the man began to build but couldn't finish. Just a laughing matter.
Confirmation does not mean you have arrived. It means that some time in your life somebody had a dream that you would become a disciple of Jesus Christ. They sprinkled you with the waters of baptism. Confirmation is about you claiming that dream for yourself. It's about starting.
And you know that starting isn't enough! The man who started to build became a joke because he never reached the most important thing. Finishing. There are dreamers, there are starters and there are;
FINISHERS
When the Olympic games were held in Mexico City the Gold medal for the 26 mile marathon was won by Mamo Wolde of Ethiopia. Also running in the race was John Stephen Akhwari from Tanzania. Akhwari cramped up due to the high altitude of the city. He had not trained at such an altitude back in his home country. Half way through the race, there was jockeying for position between some runners and he was hit. He fell badly, dislocating his knee and hurting his shoulder on the pavement. He however continued running.
By the time he reached the stadium people were leaving. The medal ceremony for the winners had already taken place. The sun had set. When word was received that there was one more runner about to finish, people started to file back into the stadium. Even the TV cameras returned to watch John Akhwari hobble over the line. It is said that the crowd greeted him with more enthusiasm, urging him onward, then they had done for any of the medal winners.
After the race, they asked him, why, when he was so far behind, he didn't give up? He replied, "My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start the race; they sent me 5,000 miles to finish the race."
The Christian calling in not just to be dreamers and starters, but to be finishers. Hebrews 12: verses 1 and 2 instruct us; “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”
Friends of all ages, do not allow your faith to be a laughing matter. 'This man' said Jesus, 'Started to build but could not finish, and all who see it will laugh at him”.
Carry on dreaming. 'You gotta have a dream'.
You have made a great start in your faith journey. You were baptized.
Now you come to claim the baptismal promises for yourself. You are a starter.
But now it's up to you to be a finisher. To 'Fix your eyes upon Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith'.
And if you openly and honest come before God, seeking His leading and guiding, laying your life before God and pledging to be a Kingdom person, you will not be disappointed. God loves us more than we can ever fully realize. God's promises are true. As we place our trust in God, amazing things can happen in our lives.
May God help us all to run with perseverance the race of faith that is laid before us. AMEN!
REV. ADRIAN J. PRATT B.D.
Monday, May 13, 2013
The Sun Still Rises
This past Sunday was Music Sunday and Mother's Day. We had some amazing presentations by our Choir, Bell-Choir, Youth and Adult Soloists. Thanks must go to our wonderful choir director, Ksenia Lowenfels.
My own contribution was a song that included reflections on personal loss, Hurricane Sandy and how every day brings healing as the sun rises to offer us a new day. There are a couple of download links at the bottom of the page if you want to listen to a recorded version.
The
sun still rises
Copyright - Adrian J Pratt - May 2013
When
the waves have all crashed through,
When
there's nothing you can do,
When
your nightmares all come true,
The
sun still rises.
When
there's nothing left to save,
When
you've gone past being brave,
When
there's fears you cannot name,
The
sun still rises.
Oh,
precious sun,
Greet
the new day begun,
Oh,
precious light,
Break
the darkness of this night
When
the worst has come to pass,
When
every hope is dashed,
When
all your dreams are trashed,
The
sun still rises.
When
all you know has changed,
When
all you feel is rage,
When
you can't shake off the day,
The
sun still rises.
Oh,
precious sun,
Greet
the new day begun,
Oh,
precious light,
Break
the darkness of this night
When
all we have disappears beneath the waves
And
all we have is memories of better days
When
we weep for those we've lost,
When
we cannot count the cost,.
When
our hearts are cold as frost,
The
sun still rises.
When
all you have is scarred,
When
the way ahead is hard,
When
the road stretches too far,
The
sun still rises.
Oh,
precious sun,
Greet
the new day begun,
Oh,
precious light
Break
the darkness of this night
Download
Song at "Soundcloud" (wave)
Story behind the song
In August 2012 mum passed away.
In November 2012 our community on Long Island was devastated by
Hurricane Sandy. Sometime after February 2013, after I'd been back to
the U.K. to commit mums ashes to their final resting place, I was
walking along the front near Freeports Nautical Mile. Though much was
still a huge mess, recovery had begun. It was a cold, winter dawn...
and the sun came up. I couldn't help but reflect that no matter what
life throws at us... the sun still rises.
Monday, May 6, 2013
Signposts to the Table
Readings: Psalm 67, Acts 16:9-15, John 5:1-9, I Corinthians 11:23-29
Preached at Baldwin Presbyterian Church, NY, May 5th 2013
A printable PDF file can be found here
This morning I want to take you on a journey – a journey towards the Communion Table. Along the way I want to share with you some signposts from the Scriptures. These signs are designed to direct us to the table.
SIGNPOST 1: Our first sign comes from 1 Corinthians 11:26;
“For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup,
you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.”
Our celebration is often called a Memorial or a Remembrance of Christ. At the table we look back to the life of our Savior. We see how He was born as a helpless baby in the manger, how He grew to be obedient to the will of God, how He told us about His Father and brought peace and healing to many lives. We see how He gave himself for the sake of all people, accepting death upon a cross for our sakes. He claimed to bear our sins. We see how God raised Him from the dead and He is declared Lord of all.
We proclaim His death, that His death was not the ultimate calamity but the ultimate victory of a life filled with God’s love, a life in which we are called to share.
SIGNPOST 2: Our second signpost is from 1 Corinthians 10:16:
“Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ?
Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?”
Around this table many have testified that they have sensed God presence in a special way. The bread and wine, representing for us Christ’s body and blood, call us to share in the life of the Savior who died for us and was raised for us.
Symbols, such as bread and wine, have been described as “interpretations to the heart” through which we experience a fellowship with Christ that is unable to be put into words. As we commune with Him, we know we're not alone. We need never give in to fear or despair, for He stands with us and shares in our lives.
SIGNPOST 3: Whilst we come to this table as individuals, our next signpost, 1 Corinthians 11: 20-21 reminds us we are also a community of faith. The Corinthian church was in danger of forgetting this, so Paul tells them,
“Therefore when you meet together, it is not to eat the Lord's Supper,
for in your eating each one takes his own supper first;
and one is hungry and another is drunk.”
Fellowship with God, and with each other, is an important element of our celebration. A church manual belonging to the year 150 A. D, one of the earliest church documents outside of the Scriptures called the ‘Didache’, contains the following prayer to be said over the bread.
“As this broken bread, once disbursed over the hills was brought together and became one loaf, so may the church be brought together from the ends of the earth into thy kingdom."
“May the church be brought together." Let us remember each other around this table. We are not alone in our hurts or our needs. We are to come together in fellowship, to worship God. We remember Christ’s life, we sense His presence, not in isolation but as a community. And as a community there are things that should color our celebration.
SIGNPOST 4: Our next signpost points us to one of the things that should be part of our celebration - thanksgiving. 1 Corinthians 11:23-24 says;
“For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you,
that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread;
and when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said,
"This is My body, which is for you;
do this in remembrance of Me."
Some traditions of the church refer to the Lord’s Supper as the ‘Eucharist’, a Greek word meaning ‘Thanksgiving’. Jesus gave thanks. For what? For the fact that He was about to be betrayed and tried by a corrupt court? For the fact He was about to endure untold suffering and face an untimely death? If anyone had cause to complain about His lot, it would be Him! Instead, He gave thanks.
As we review our life, no doubt we can find things to complain about. If we take a deeper look, we will find a great deal to be thankful about. Not only has God given us our "daily bread", but here at this table, we see God’s promise to nourish our spiritual lives, that God is able to meet the deepest needs of our hearts and minds. Now is a time for counting our blessings.
SIGNPOST 5: We should count our blessings in hope; our next signpost, 1 Corinthians 11:26 declares;
“For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup,
you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.”
"Until He comes." Those three little words remind us that the best is yet to be. They look forward to the time when people, all people, will give Jesus Christ His rightful place in their lives. That day may be today, or it may be a thousand years away, but until Christ’s reign is established upon earth, we are told to praise Him by gathering together at His table with the expectant hope of a living faith.
SIGNPOST 6: Our final signpost, bids us not to speed towards the table! Just as roads have speed limits for our safety, so we are told in 1 Corinthians 11:28;
“But let a man examine himself first,
and then eat of the bread and drink of the cup.”
The word “Sacrament” was one used in Greek to describe a pledge, an oath of allegiance or a vow of loyalty. Only a fool would rush into a deep commitment without giving it serious thought. As we come to this Sacrament of Holy Communion, Paul simply says, "Examine yourself first.” Use this as a time for putting your life right with God. See how much God has given for you, and respond by placing your life in God’s hands.
Such are some of the signposts we see in the Scriptures as we travel towards the table. We haven't exhausted them all by any means. Those we've seen remind us:
These are some of the signposts that point us to towards the table. These are the signposts that people all over the world will be looking towards that they may deepen their fellowship with their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
As we approach the table this morning, may we rejoice in the knowledge we are part of a community, called to remember Jesus Christ in this special way; taking bread and wine in simple faith. For when we remember Jesus in this way, His promise is that the Holy Spirit will renew our lives.
AMEN
ADRIAN J PRATT
Preached at Baldwin Presbyterian Church, NY, May 5th 2013
A printable PDF file can be found here
This morning I want to take you on a journey – a journey towards the Communion Table. Along the way I want to share with you some signposts from the Scriptures. These signs are designed to direct us to the table.
SIGNPOST 1: Our first sign comes from 1 Corinthians 11:26;
“For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup,
you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.”
Our celebration is often called a Memorial or a Remembrance of Christ. At the table we look back to the life of our Savior. We see how He was born as a helpless baby in the manger, how He grew to be obedient to the will of God, how He told us about His Father and brought peace and healing to many lives. We see how He gave himself for the sake of all people, accepting death upon a cross for our sakes. He claimed to bear our sins. We see how God raised Him from the dead and He is declared Lord of all.
We proclaim His death, that His death was not the ultimate calamity but the ultimate victory of a life filled with God’s love, a life in which we are called to share.
SIGNPOST 2: Our second signpost is from 1 Corinthians 10:16:
“Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ?
Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?”
Around this table many have testified that they have sensed God presence in a special way. The bread and wine, representing for us Christ’s body and blood, call us to share in the life of the Savior who died for us and was raised for us.
Symbols, such as bread and wine, have been described as “interpretations to the heart” through which we experience a fellowship with Christ that is unable to be put into words. As we commune with Him, we know we're not alone. We need never give in to fear or despair, for He stands with us and shares in our lives.
SIGNPOST 3: Whilst we come to this table as individuals, our next signpost, 1 Corinthians 11: 20-21 reminds us we are also a community of faith. The Corinthian church was in danger of forgetting this, so Paul tells them,
“Therefore when you meet together, it is not to eat the Lord's Supper,
for in your eating each one takes his own supper first;
and one is hungry and another is drunk.”
Fellowship with God, and with each other, is an important element of our celebration. A church manual belonging to the year 150 A. D, one of the earliest church documents outside of the Scriptures called the ‘Didache’, contains the following prayer to be said over the bread.
“As this broken bread, once disbursed over the hills was brought together and became one loaf, so may the church be brought together from the ends of the earth into thy kingdom."
“May the church be brought together." Let us remember each other around this table. We are not alone in our hurts or our needs. We are to come together in fellowship, to worship God. We remember Christ’s life, we sense His presence, not in isolation but as a community. And as a community there are things that should color our celebration.
SIGNPOST 4: Our next signpost points us to one of the things that should be part of our celebration - thanksgiving. 1 Corinthians 11:23-24 says;
“For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you,
that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread;
and when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said,
"This is My body, which is for you;
do this in remembrance of Me."
Some traditions of the church refer to the Lord’s Supper as the ‘Eucharist’, a Greek word meaning ‘Thanksgiving’. Jesus gave thanks. For what? For the fact that He was about to be betrayed and tried by a corrupt court? For the fact He was about to endure untold suffering and face an untimely death? If anyone had cause to complain about His lot, it would be Him! Instead, He gave thanks.
As we review our life, no doubt we can find things to complain about. If we take a deeper look, we will find a great deal to be thankful about. Not only has God given us our "daily bread", but here at this table, we see God’s promise to nourish our spiritual lives, that God is able to meet the deepest needs of our hearts and minds. Now is a time for counting our blessings.
SIGNPOST 5: We should count our blessings in hope; our next signpost, 1 Corinthians 11:26 declares;
“For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup,
you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.”
"Until He comes." Those three little words remind us that the best is yet to be. They look forward to the time when people, all people, will give Jesus Christ His rightful place in their lives. That day may be today, or it may be a thousand years away, but until Christ’s reign is established upon earth, we are told to praise Him by gathering together at His table with the expectant hope of a living faith.
SIGNPOST 6: Our final signpost, bids us not to speed towards the table! Just as roads have speed limits for our safety, so we are told in 1 Corinthians 11:28;
“But let a man examine himself first,
and then eat of the bread and drink of the cup.”
The word “Sacrament” was one used in Greek to describe a pledge, an oath of allegiance or a vow of loyalty. Only a fool would rush into a deep commitment without giving it serious thought. As we come to this Sacrament of Holy Communion, Paul simply says, "Examine yourself first.” Use this as a time for putting your life right with God. See how much God has given for you, and respond by placing your life in God’s hands.
Such are some of the signposts we see in the Scriptures as we travel towards the table. We haven't exhausted them all by any means. Those we've seen remind us:
- This is a time of remembrance.
- This is a time to focus on Christ.
- It's a time the sharing in His love.
- It's something we share in together as a community of faith.
- It's a time of thanksgiving
- It’s a time to pledge our loyalty to God.
These are some of the signposts that point us to towards the table. These are the signposts that people all over the world will be looking towards that they may deepen their fellowship with their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
As we approach the table this morning, may we rejoice in the knowledge we are part of a community, called to remember Jesus Christ in this special way; taking bread and wine in simple faith. For when we remember Jesus in this way, His promise is that the Holy Spirit will renew our lives.
AMEN
ADRIAN J PRATT
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)