Sermon thoughts – Page 2

Sermon Seeds: It Starts At Home

The other day Asher and I went through the drive through at Burger King after school. This restaurant only uses their front window. The back window serves no real purpose—except for a glimpse into the inner workings.

As we waited in line, we watched a young man pealing and preparing onions. He didn’t appear to be enjoying the job. He grimaced as he pealed and sliced.

My heart went out to him. I’m not a fan of onion pealing, either.

But I love the image when it applies to understanding scripture. I relish the opportunities to pull back the outer (obvious) layers to discover the deeper meanings so I can come closer to the heart of God.

Looking at this text has pushed me to do that.

My online research seemed mired in studies that barely scraped the surface. The messages and commentary revealed a free-for-all of “Listen up, Kiddo, and do what your parents tell you.”

That can’t be the only reason.

Keep in mind these commands were given as God was seeking to develop the identity and community of his chosen people. The Spirit of the Law is God protecting and growing his people.

So God starts by making sure his people have laid the groundwork in their relationship: no other gods, no idols, carrying his name well, and resting in him. This fifth command is the transition from focus on their vertical relationship with him to the outer-workings of their relationships with others.

And it all begins at home.

The home is the place where we need to learn how to live and deal with others. Our relationship with our parents is a reflection of our relationship with God, and with authority in general.

The question that inevitably rises comes in the form of an objection or excuse: “But you don’t know how crumby my parents were.” “My dad left—I don’t have a father to honor.” “My mom is just a drug abusing whore.”

I get it. My parents were alcoholics—albeit functioning, but complete with all the baggage that goes with. I grew up with the emotional uncertainty and the psychological scars.

In college, and later during my years of Clinical Pastoral Education, I came to realize God provided godly men and women who stood in the gap for me when my parents couldn’t. Some of them appeared as Girl Scout Leaders, or the parents of friends. Others were the spiritual leaders of Choirs and Folk Groups, and youth leaders at church.

And here, my friends, where the Church needs to perk up its ears—especially in our world today. Now, as much or more than ever, the church needs to lean in and live out the instruction to care for the widows and orphans. They are all around us and our responsibility is clear: we are family and we need accept the responsibility of getting this right.

May it never be said of the church: I have no spiritual fathers or mothers there.

There is no honor in that at all.

Message Meme: Family Trees

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Have you noticed the growth in companies where you can find your DNA and roots in your family tree? The top ones, according to a google search (now I’m going to get a landslide of ads since they think I’m interested now—whatever happened to just doing research?) are: MyHeritage; Ancestry (because everyone wants a leaf); Living DNA; Vitagene; 23andMe; and GPS Origins. Wikipedia listed the options alphabetically and had 36 in their list.

Have your researched your family tree? Why all the interest? And, does it really matter?

I remember as a child watching with utter fascination as my great-grandmother unrolled a large piece of very old looking paper reavealing our family tree. This historical piece took my family line all the way back to William Bradford. I knew the name because I studied about him in school! My awe and excitement bubbled up and over.

Why do we seek to know our genetic history and connections to the past? I believe God made us this way. Our spiritual wiring is all about connection and relationship.

So it’s not surprising to me that when God gave Moses the fifth commandment, the one that begins to address our horizontal relationships, he begins at home. And he begins with staying connected.

In the commercials for the different DNA searching companies, the people who are telling their stories are finding pride in their ethnicity—in where they’re from and their newly found identiies.

I can’t fill in a lot of the boxes in my family tree. Sometimes that makes me sad. Then I remember my spiritual tree goes back to a garden. Not all my ancestors have pretty stories. But my bottom line is this: I am a child of God.

Sermon Seeds: Don’t Shame the Family Name

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Do not carry the Lord’s name in vain (Exodus 20:7).

Recently I was having a discussion about the meaning of this commandment. Our conversation reminded me of how important “the family name” used to be. And the oft repeated instruction to not do anything to bring shame to the family name.

Can you remember the last time this was a concern? Me, neither.

I wonder if our casual treating of family name and family honor hasn’t seeped over into our treatment of God’s holy name?

Perhaps that’s why Paul came down so hard on the early Christian church. Paul was raised to adhere to the Law and the Commandments. In his pedigree recital to the Philippians (see Philippians 3) he mentions being from the tribe of Benjamin right off the bat. He also said to the Colossians and the Corinthians:

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (Colossians 3:17, NIV).

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31, NIV).

Even Jesus thought this was important enough to include in his teaching on prayer with the disciples: Father, make your name holy in all I do (author’s paraphrase of Matthew 6:9).

As I was putting the finishing touches on this, a thought occurred to me. Historically, shaming the family name could have devastating and long-lasting consequences. Shunning and be disowned, cut off from the family forever, were not unheard of.

I’m thankful that it doesn’t have to be that way in the family of God. A quick read through the Bible shows that many of the recognizable characters had moments of shame. The good news is ours is a God of unfailing love, reconciliation, and restoration.

So as you head out the door today, what will you do to make Papa proud? Bring glory not shame to His name.

Sermon Meme: Third Commandment

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The third commandment is most often translated: You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. More modern translations have recognized the larger meaning—it’s not just a matter of speech—and now use “misuse.”

The Hebrew is more literally translated: “Do not carry the name of the Lord thy God in vain.”

With that in mind, I have opted to consider putting this in the positive for my sermon meme.

How do you carry the Name of God?

Message Meme: Exodus 20:4

I like watching things. I’m amazed by color. I have Missouri in my DNA: show me.

I took a course aimed at improving my blogging, and the emphasis was on adding pictures. So I would scour Google images until I found the perfect image to accompany my words.

Then I went to another writers conference and the faculty person warned us (scared the pants off us) to not use Google images because they could be pirated. Instead we were to use sites with free images, like pixabay.

I broke up with google immediately.

At that same conference, I learned how to create my own memes.

Hi, I’m Tina and I’m hooked: WordSwag, Canva, and PicCollage are my new best friends.

During the recent Advent season, I created memes that went with each Sunday’s message. Memes that would fit computer/iPad screens, phone screens, and covers for blogs or facebook. It was a way to get the message theme or scripture in front of the people every day.

We’re into a new message series on the Ten Commandments Jesus Style: Finding the Old in the New.

Since the first commandment is to not have any gods but God, I drew on Joshua’s calling the people back to their covenant relationship with God—putting him first. So this was last week’s message meme:

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This week we move onto the second commandment: you must not make an idol of any kind.

Here’s the memes I made to go along with this commandment:

Come back Friday and we’ll consider just what “making an idol” means.

Sermon Seeds: Here’s My Heart

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This week at AFCOB (Ashland First Church of the Brethren), I’m starting a new series of messages on finding the truth of the Ten Commandments in the New Testament. The first commandment is, “You must not have any other god but me (NLT).”

Have you ever taken the time to ponder what God is asking of us…and why?

Some of the older translations read “before me” which always lead me to think there were options and no other god was allowed to come in front of God. Not so.

If we consider the context in which we find the commandments, we realize that God has just delivered the Hebrews from Egypt. Extracated the entire nation from slavery in a foreign land. That’s a pretty big deal—a clear reference to his power (he just proved himself greater than what was considered the greatest power on earth), his faithfulness (they had not been forgotten), his love (he wanted better for them, and his provision (he had a place for them to go).

The Great I AM (the name he told Moses to share with the people) was letting his people know that he was not merely the Chief god—He’s the only God!

He’s the one who can be counted on to meet their every need. And what was true then is true today.

The people struggled with this. They battled with diety-envy and wanting to fit in with cultures around them. Sound familiar?

Years later, when Joshua’s time as leader was drawing to a close, he sought to renew the covenant between God and his people. Joshua questioned the people about their allegiance and their choice of gods. “Who will it be? Choose today! I don’t care what you do. I’m going to serve the LORD.”

I wonder if these words were on Jesus’ mind when he told his followers: “You can’t serve two masters (Matthew 6:24).”

According to David Seamands in his book, God’s Blueprint for Living, New Perspectives on the Ten Commandments: “Every human being is incurably religious and will worship some kind of a god or something beyond themselves. History and anthropology confirm that most people, however primitive or advanced, worship.”

Bob Dylan put it more simply: gotta serve somebody.

You will choose this day…who will you choose?

I Just Don’t Think Like God

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There was a time, early in my ministry, when I felt like God was nudging me toward a position in a state far from home and everything familiar.

Nothing about the potential move made any sense at all.

My husband and I traveled to Wisconsin from Ohio, interviewed, and talked the long trip home about how God couldn’t possibly want this for us.

We couldn’t call the district superintendent until Wednesday. Three days after we returned home. We would wait and then tell him, “No thank you.”

But before Wednesday came Tuesday. On Tuesday night there was a missionary speaker. I was on the platform as music director and my husband sat in the back pew with our two daughters (ages 2 and 1).

Three times during the message the missionary said, “God’s ways don’t always make sense.”

Do you ever feel like God has to bang pretty hard to get something through to you? I felt that way that night.

I didn’t look at my husband the remainder of the service. We gathered our things and walked in silence to the car. We said nothing most of the way home and then all at once, from both of us at the same time, out it poured.

We both heard it. We both knew. We were moving to Wisconsin.

Because God’s ways don’t always make sense.

Christmas teaches us that. None of what God did, or used, or planned made any sense from our limited, human perspective.

Can we trust that even now, today, His plans may not make sense to us, but there’s a reason and He is beyond worthy of our trust?

I hope so.

Here’s one of my favorite Christmas songs that poses the question from Joseph’s point of view.

Scripture text to ponder and consider: Isaiah 55

Monday Morning Musings: Homecoming

Yesterday we celebrated Homecoming Sunday. It was well-planned and well-attended. The music was such a blessing. If there had been a prize for widest age span at church we probably could have won. The youngest child there was seven months and the oldest person was one hundred and three (103). Our attendance was twice our normal average, from thirty to over sixty!

God laid on my heart the story Jesus told about the prodigal brothers and how their selfish ways caused them grief.

We often throw a lot of focus on the wayward wandering brother, but if the other brother’s behavior hadn’t mattered, Jesus wouldn’t have included him in the story. Each one made choices, each one put their desires first.

In the Bible there are so many stories about the consequences of choices made by individuals and groups of people. Think about Thomas, question one time and forever be remembered as the doubter. Or Mary and Martha, get frustrated when you get stuck in the kitchen, but don’t ever complain about it. And the list goes on and on.

Whether we’ve wandered and made a mess of things like the younger brother or stayed home with our heart tightly shut, it’s time to come home.

These twenty-one verses have been described as the most perfect short story ever written in literature.

It is a good story. But it doesn’t have to be over.

Yours doesn’t have to be either.

Write a different ending.

And even if the road home looks impossibly long. Remember the father went out to both of his sons. And he promises to be with you every step of the way as well.

Rebuilding With Nehemiah, Chapter 13 Day 1

Monday: What Happens Without Leadership?

Text: 6 But while all this was going on, I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had returned to the king. Some time later I asked his permission 7 and came back to Jerusalem. Here I learned about the evil thing Eliashib had done in providing Tobiah a room in the courts of the house of God.

Teach: As promised, Nehemiah returned to Babylon. While he was gone the people lost sight of the promises they had made. Nehemiah was mostly likely gone for ten to twelve years. That’s a long time to be without leadership.

Take: When I read of the behavior of the people, their spiritual amnesia, I wasn’t surprised. It reminded me of when Moses went up to the mountain to receive the Ten Commandments from God. He was only gone forty days, a little over a month, and look what happened: the people created their own god to worship made from gold. The hymn writer put it well, “Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love. Here’s my heart, O take and seal it. Seal it for thy courts above.” (Come Thou Fount)

Task: Godly leaders hold us accountable. We may not always like it, but we need it. Today let’s pray for those whose responsibility is to keep us on track spiritually.

Rebuilding With Nehemiah, Chapter 9 Day 7

Sunday: Put It In Writing

Text: 38 “In view of all this, we are making a binding agreement, putting it in writing, and our leaders, our Levites and our priests are affixing their seals to it.” (Neh. 9:38)

Teach: Our God is a god of covenant. A covenant is an agreement between two parties. There are 321 references to covenants contained in the Old and New Testaments. Covenants follow a standard pattern: first whoever initiates the covenant lists who he is and what he has done; then the obligations/expectations between the parties are identified; and finally the positive and negative results of keeping or breaking the covenant are defined.

Take: For many years my husband was in business for himself. At times it was construction and then in restaurant work. One of the hardest lessons for him to learn was to get things in writing. Creating a contract seemed to smack of distrust, but actually ended up providing the means for clarity and accountability. Both parties knew what was expected and could perform to their best.

Task: What covenants do you have with others and with God? How are you accountable? Journaling is one way to keep track of those things. I know I tend to forget things and writing things down helps me stay on track. Oh look, we’re back at remembering.

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