Luke 9:28-43a
“The Third Epiphany”
Preached Sunday, February 27, 2022
8 Sundays ago, I stood up here and preached an Epiphany sermon - about the magi following the star to the place where Jesus was. And once they encountered Jesus, God-in-flesh in the form of a babe, they had an epiphany - a realization, they could not go back the way they came. Because they met Jesus they now had to travel a new path. We too, once we meet Jesus, are called to travel a new path - a path of peace, a path of justice, a path of love.
7 Sundays ago, I stood up here and preached a sermon I called “Another Epiphany” although it was on Baptism of our Lord Sunday.I shared that in this season that we call Epiphany there are 3 major realizations, or epiphanies, of who Jesus is that change us. The first - as I just shared, Epiphany Sunday, that God is human in Jesus. That epiphany causes us to go home by another way. The second - Jesus’s baptism at which he is declared God’s Son and called beloved. The epiphany for US being that we too are God’s children and beloved by God - an epiphany that changes everything.
And now, many weeks later, the 3rd and final epiphany of the season, today, Transfiguration Sunday. We just heard the story read to us in the Scripture, and a little background on where we are in Jesus’s ministry:
Jesus had just fed the 5,000. He asked his disciples who people say he is - Elijah or John the Baptist or one of the prophets resurrected. He asks, who do YOU say that I am? And Peter answered, “The Messiah of God.” This is then followed by Jesus’s first foretelling of his upcoming death and resurrection.
And then, 8 days later, Jesus takes Peter, John, and James with him up the mountain to prayer. And while they are up there he is transformed, transfigured, before their very eyes. “The appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white.” And alongside him appeared Moses and Elijah..”
I can’t imagine what this would be like to see with my own eyes. In the book of Exodus there is a story of Moses going up the mountain to talk to God, to receive the law - and when he comes back, his face is glowing. Think residual radiation of the power and glory of God. And it was too much for people to look at! He had to wear a veil over his face! And that was just from being exposed to God…so for Peter and James and John to see this shining, dazzling - DIVINE form of Jesus…wow! I think Peter is in a little bit of a shock as he is like, wha, wha…what do I do!? Let’s build tents and stay here! But alas, it was only, at this time, for a moment.
So how does this act as the third Epiphany?
Remember that question: Who do you say that I am? If seeing is believing, Peter has now seen - and us too, through his eyes. It is one thing to say “You are the Messiah of God.” It is another thing to see with your own eyes - to SEE the Divine Jesus - that Jesus is not only only God’s beloved son, enfleshed, but also GOD, God’s self, Divine radiance shining from his face. Wow. Light bulb above the head! Epiphany moment. Jesus REALLY is GOD. Look at him! Wow, oh wow, oh wow….
So if an epiphany is a realization that completely changes how you view things - how does seeing the Divine change you? I’d say, once you see the Divine in one place, you can start to see God everywhere…
Now, let’s pause here for a moment, and indulge me in sharing from my camp counselor days - I know I did last week too, and it’s just such a huge part of who I am.
So as a camp counselor at Camp Asbury, Thursday nights were always the big night. We celebrated communion, gathered around the campfire and made smores with our groups, and we asked them to do Rose-Thorn-Bud - as we did for the children’s moment today.
So Rose was your absolute highlight of the week.
Thorn was maybe a not so good moment or even a downright bad moment.
And bud is something you’re looking forward to.
Now, we did this with kids from as young as 6 or 7 to as old as 18. I myself grew up doing it. But as I grew up, I started seeing this not just for the processing and reflective exercise it was, but for the theological exercise that it was. And often, I still use this now, for my week or even my day.
What was a highlight of today? What was a struggle? What am I looking forward to? And the question that we didn’t ask as counselors but was kind of under the surface, and the question I do ask myself as an adult now is…And where was God in all this?
It’s easy to jump right to the rose, right? Like, obviously God was in that moment, in the success of the day, the win, the highlight.
But what about the thorn? Where was God in that?
It can be easy to see God in the roses of our lives. The mountain top moments, if you will, when God’s presence is just so obviously present - a bright shining beacon of Divinity. Yes! God was here! I saw God here!
It can be harder to see God in the thorns of our day. In the parts of the day that hurt us, that were hard - if the rose moments are the mountaintops then our thorns can be the valleys.
But that’s the thing about the epiphany of the transfiguration, Jesus doesn’t stay on the mountain top. He comes down and he immediately has some thorny situations. There is a boy with a demon, or, well, some sort of epilepsy, there is a father begging for help, there are a whole lot of people who Jesus is frustrated with for, I think, not helping, not healing, not being there. He is totally in the thorns.
BUT. If the Transfiguration Mountaintop Epiphany was our rose - our “wow! I can see God in Jesus!!” moment.
And coming down the mountain top to the ill boy was the thorn…well, wasn’t Jesus there too? In the thick of it? Wasn’t the Jesus on the mountaintop and the Jesus healing that boy…same Jesus, same Divinity, same God.
Sometimes it’s really really easy to see God, to be aware of God’s presence - our roses, our mountaintops, our epiphanies.
Other times we can’t seem to find God anywhere - our thorns, our valleys, our dark nights of the soul…But the thing is, God IS there, for God is only ever as far away as our next breath, if we look for God’s presence with us, if we quiet our minds and search our hearts - we will realize God is right there. Right here. God is always right here and we can trust that whatever tomorrow brings - our buds, whether they bloom into roses or get thorny - God will be right there too.
So today, as we close this season of Epiphany and this next week enter the season of Lent, a season of preparation, of reflection, of working out our relationship with God, I would invite you into the practice of God’s presence.
It might be doing Rose-Bud-Thorn in the evenings before bed. Or simply asking yourself, “Where was God in my day?” It might be pausing - in the midst of playing with your child or grandchild, walking the dog, doing the dishes, commuting to or from work, brushing your teeth - and realizing, this may not be a rose or a thorn, but God is here too. For God, that same God who took on human flesh in Jesus - Jesus who is God’s son, beloved by God, that same Jesus who shone brightly, overwhelming those who saw him with utter divine presence - that same God is in every single moment of our lives. The mountaintops, the valleys, the inbetweens - and if we just pause, take a moment, say a prayer, become aware of God’s presence - we can see it, even if dimly, even if through a veil - the shining presence of God in our lives.
May we all see it.
Amen.
Monday, February 28, 2022
Monday, February 21, 2022
Call to Worship based on Luke 6:27-38
Call to Worship based on Luke 6:27-38
L: We know what God’s two greatest commandments are.
P: To love God and to love neighbor as self.
L: Admittedly, sometimes we struggle with what love of neighbor looks like.
P: We turn to Scripture as our guide.
L: Scripture says to love,
P: even to love our enemies.
L: Scripture says to do all the good we can,
P: even to those who hate us.
L: Scripture says to bless,
P: even those who curse us.
L: Scripture says to pray,
P: even for those who abuse us.
L: We admit, loving neighbor as self isn’t easy and so we pray:
All: God of Love, help us love! Amen.
L: We know what God’s two greatest commandments are.
P: To love God and to love neighbor as self.
L: Admittedly, sometimes we struggle with what love of neighbor looks like.
P: We turn to Scripture as our guide.
L: Scripture says to love,
P: even to love our enemies.
L: Scripture says to do all the good we can,
P: even to those who hate us.
L: Scripture says to bless,
P: even those who curse us.
L: Scripture says to pray,
P: even for those who abuse us.
L: We admit, loving neighbor as self isn’t easy and so we pray:
All: God of Love, help us love! Amen.
“Love, Do, Bless, Pray” a sermon on Luke 6:27-38
Luke 6:27-38
“Love, Do, Bless, Pray”
Preached Sunday, February 20, 2022
I’ve shared with you all before how I was a camp counselor at Camp Asbury, one of our United Methodist East Ohio Summer camps, for many years. One of the tricks they taught us in staff training for working with kids was the “yes and” technique. Now, the “yes and” is to be employed when a kid is complaining about something. You start with the yes - that’s the affirmation of whatever they are feeling:
Yes, I know you don’t want to brush your teeth
Yes, I understand at home your bed time isn’t for another hour…
Yes, I get that you’re mad that we’re going on another hike…
Now normally here we’d say BUT,
But, the moment you say BUT - everything you just said before is negated and the kid - or person - adult brains actually work this way too - is pushed back into defense mode! Time to fight and plead my case more! So, instead of BUT - you say AND:
And, here at camp we brush our teeth in the morning.
AND, our group’s bedtime is now.
AND, we do activities together.
AND, believe it or not, I’ve seen this work countless times. And I even still use this when dealing with difficult situations with other people. So add the “yes and” technique to your conflict management toolboxes.
So let’s keep this in mind while we turn to this week’s Gospel reading, part 2 of the Sermon on the Plain - you might be more familiar with hearing it called “The Sermon on the Mount” - that’s in Matthew. The sermon on the plain is in Luke - much of the same content, and it’s the crux of Jesus’s teachings in the two Gospels, the Gospels writers just differ on the elevation of the ground on which Jesus was standing. So in the book of Luke, it is all one continuous sermon that Jesus is giving. The lectionary, however, breaks it up into 3 sections so we get it over three Sundays. Part 1, last week, the 6th Sunday after Epiphany. Part 2, this week, the 7th Sunday after Epiphany. And part 3 would be the 8th week after Epiphany EXCEPT how many Sundays there are in the season of Epiphany is based on when Easter falls. So we won’t get an Epiphany 8 this year as we will observe Transfiguration Sunday this year, always the last Sunday before Lent.
So I as we delve this week into part 2, I want to remind you how part 1 ended: With the woes part of what we call “The Blessings and Woes” in Scripture:
But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
“Woe to you who are full now,
for you will be hungry.
“Woe to you who are laughing now,
for you will mourn and weep.
The woes can be difficult to deal with - we’d much rather have the blessings. And still, they are important. While I have some qualms about The Message Interpretation of the Bible, I think it puts the woes into a way we can better make sense of them:
But it’s trouble ahead if you think you have it made.
What you have is all you’ll ever get.
And it’s trouble ahead if you’re satisfied with yourself.
Your self will not satisfy you for long.
And it’s trouble ahead if you think life’s all fun and games.
There’s suffering to be met, and you’re going to meet it.
It’s not just about physical wealth, satisfaction, and laughter - but our outlook, our actions, our worldview.
Okay, now that we better understand the woes - imagine yourself hearing Jesus preach these woes as someone who was poor, as someone who was hungry, as someone who was mourning and weeping - you might think AH-HA! You’re gonna get yours! You might have a good dose of schadenfreude - that all too apt German word that means finding pleasure in other people’s misery. You might even take it a step further and think, oh the woes are coming to you alright, I’M going to be your woe! I am going to ACT on the woes and make your life miserable - like God’s white knight or avenger.
BUT! Jesus starts this week’s reading - really, the next sentence in the sermon after the woes - no pause or break in between - Jesus starts with a big but here - and that “but” is meant to stop those thoughts about “ha-ha, you’re gonna get yours” right in their tracks. Jesus starts, “BUT I say to you…”
And then Jesus says how we are to treat one another, to live as Christians. We know that the two greatest commandments are to love God and to love neighbor. This section of the Sermon on the Plain can be seen as a breakdown of what is means to love our neighbors so Jesus says we are called to:
Love.
Do Good.
Bless.
Pray.
Sounds lovely doesn’t it? It seems like something you’d find at Hobby Lobby on a big wooden sign to hang in your kitchen…
Except that’s not the whole story of what Jesus says. I mean, he is saying that, yes. That we should love, that we should do good, that we should bless and pray….AND, Jesus is using the YES and technique.
He says:
As Christians we are called to do good - as Methodists you might think of the famous quote attributed to John Wesley:
As Christians we are called to bless others - AND not just those who bless us back, but those who curse us.
As Christians we are called to pray - AND not just pray for those who are praying for us but even those who would abuse us.
And - no ifs, ands, or buts about it - these are HARD teachings.
Love your enemies.
I think as 21st Century Christians, we don’t like to think of really having enemies - we want to get along with everyone. Also because, historically, people do NOT treat enemies nicely. At all. Mostly with violence. And we want nothing to do with that. And, the fact is, as Christians, we really should have enemies in this world. The definition of enemy is “a person who is actively opposed or hostile to someone or something.” As Christians, we hold to a lot of counter-cultural ideals - like, say, loving your enemies! People over profits. Peace over war. Community over individualism…so yeah, we have enemies. AND, we are called to love them. That doesn’t mean excusing their behavior or values that are harmful, it doesn’t mean a lack of accountability - it doesn’t even mean liking them, it means loving them. It means let God’s love shine through you. Through doing good to them, blessing them, praying for them. I especially want to lift this up for the verse “pray for those who abuse you” as it’s been used against women, children, and other vulnerable people in abusive relationships. By no means should this verse be used to convince people to stay in abusive relationships, to convince someone to not seek safety from abuse, or to shame needed boundaries for those who have left abusive situations… Remember that God desires wholeness and wellness for each and everyone of us. You can pray for and love those who would harm you - with healthy boundaries in place to protect your wellbeing and safety.
So back to these hard, counter-cultural teachings of Jesus. In December, a certain politician, who, honestly, I would probably consider an enemy of mine - cause what he stands for and what I stand for are at direct odds with each other, in a speech he said that following the teachings of Jesus, specifically Jesus’s teaching to turn the other cheek which is in this Gospel reading that we are focusing on today he said, and I quote, “it's gotten us nothing.” He expounded that if he and his party want to win - they have to stop following the teachings of Jesus.
Now, it’s easy to point fingers at politicians and campaign trail speeches. It’s easy to point to our enemies and say, “WOAH! They are SO off base!” And, well, while I do think he is WAY off base, he’s really just saying out loud what many of us think or do - most of the time without even realizing it.
Cause these are the teachings of Jesus, to love our enemies, to do good to those who hate us, to bless those who curse us, to pray for our abusers and yes, even to turn the other cheek -these are HARD teachings! They’re hard because they go against the whole way that the world works. Most of our world operates SOLELY on loving those who love us, doing good to those who do good to us, blessing those who bless us, praying for those who pray for us. We give and we expect it back. Our world is a tit for tat world. And we swim in this water and we can so easily just go with the flow of the rest of the world without even realizing it. That politician was right. He was right that you don’t win by the world’s standards by following the teachings of Jesus. As Jesus himself says elsewhere: Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
So we come to the question:
Do we want to win? Or do we want to follow Jesus?
Do we want to follow the ways of this world or be Children of the Most High?
And I really do think that most of us here today, we want to follow Jesus. We want to be Children of the Most High. We want to get it right. And, like I said, it’s hard. We will mess up. We won’t always get it right. Our love will fail. And! The Good News is: even when our love fails, God’s love never does, God’s love remains steadfast. God will ALWAYS love us AND God will always love our enemies. And through the love of God, may we all find room to love - yes, to love God and to love those who love us AND to love our enemies.
God of love, help us love.
Amen.
“Love, Do, Bless, Pray”
Preached Sunday, February 20, 2022
I’ve shared with you all before how I was a camp counselor at Camp Asbury, one of our United Methodist East Ohio Summer camps, for many years. One of the tricks they taught us in staff training for working with kids was the “yes and” technique. Now, the “yes and” is to be employed when a kid is complaining about something. You start with the yes - that’s the affirmation of whatever they are feeling:
Yes, I know you don’t want to brush your teeth
Yes, I understand at home your bed time isn’t for another hour…
Yes, I get that you’re mad that we’re going on another hike…
Now normally here we’d say BUT,
But, the moment you say BUT - everything you just said before is negated and the kid - or person - adult brains actually work this way too - is pushed back into defense mode! Time to fight and plead my case more! So, instead of BUT - you say AND:
And, here at camp we brush our teeth in the morning.
AND, our group’s bedtime is now.
AND, we do activities together.
AND, believe it or not, I’ve seen this work countless times. And I even still use this when dealing with difficult situations with other people. So add the “yes and” technique to your conflict management toolboxes.
So let’s keep this in mind while we turn to this week’s Gospel reading, part 2 of the Sermon on the Plain - you might be more familiar with hearing it called “The Sermon on the Mount” - that’s in Matthew. The sermon on the plain is in Luke - much of the same content, and it’s the crux of Jesus’s teachings in the two Gospels, the Gospels writers just differ on the elevation of the ground on which Jesus was standing. So in the book of Luke, it is all one continuous sermon that Jesus is giving. The lectionary, however, breaks it up into 3 sections so we get it over three Sundays. Part 1, last week, the 6th Sunday after Epiphany. Part 2, this week, the 7th Sunday after Epiphany. And part 3 would be the 8th week after Epiphany EXCEPT how many Sundays there are in the season of Epiphany is based on when Easter falls. So we won’t get an Epiphany 8 this year as we will observe Transfiguration Sunday this year, always the last Sunday before Lent.
So I as we delve this week into part 2, I want to remind you how part 1 ended: With the woes part of what we call “The Blessings and Woes” in Scripture:
But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
“Woe to you who are full now,
for you will be hungry.
“Woe to you who are laughing now,
for you will mourn and weep.
The woes can be difficult to deal with - we’d much rather have the blessings. And still, they are important. While I have some qualms about The Message Interpretation of the Bible, I think it puts the woes into a way we can better make sense of them:
But it’s trouble ahead if you think you have it made.
What you have is all you’ll ever get.
And it’s trouble ahead if you’re satisfied with yourself.
Your self will not satisfy you for long.
And it’s trouble ahead if you think life’s all fun and games.
There’s suffering to be met, and you’re going to meet it.
It’s not just about physical wealth, satisfaction, and laughter - but our outlook, our actions, our worldview.
Okay, now that we better understand the woes - imagine yourself hearing Jesus preach these woes as someone who was poor, as someone who was hungry, as someone who was mourning and weeping - you might think AH-HA! You’re gonna get yours! You might have a good dose of schadenfreude - that all too apt German word that means finding pleasure in other people’s misery. You might even take it a step further and think, oh the woes are coming to you alright, I’M going to be your woe! I am going to ACT on the woes and make your life miserable - like God’s white knight or avenger.
BUT! Jesus starts this week’s reading - really, the next sentence in the sermon after the woes - no pause or break in between - Jesus starts with a big but here - and that “but” is meant to stop those thoughts about “ha-ha, you’re gonna get yours” right in their tracks. Jesus starts, “BUT I say to you…”
And then Jesus says how we are to treat one another, to live as Christians. We know that the two greatest commandments are to love God and to love neighbor. This section of the Sermon on the Plain can be seen as a breakdown of what is means to love our neighbors so Jesus says we are called to:
Love.
Do Good.
Bless.
Pray.
Sounds lovely doesn’t it? It seems like something you’d find at Hobby Lobby on a big wooden sign to hang in your kitchen…
Except that’s not the whole story of what Jesus says. I mean, he is saying that, yes. That we should love, that we should do good, that we should bless and pray….AND, Jesus is using the YES and technique.
He says:
““If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return.” I’d interject here: AND love your enemies, do good and lend, expecting nothing in return.
As Christians we are called to love. We love our family, our friends, those who love us AND we are to love our enemies.
As Christians we are called to love. We love our family, our friends, those who love us AND we are to love our enemies.
As Christians we are called to do good - as Methodists you might think of the famous quote attributed to John Wesley:
“Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.”
AND Jesus isn’t just saying to do good to those who love us back or those who do good back to us, sure, we should do good to them AND we are called to do good for those who hate us.
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.”
AND Jesus isn’t just saying to do good to those who love us back or those who do good back to us, sure, we should do good to them AND we are called to do good for those who hate us.
As Christians we are called to bless others - AND not just those who bless us back, but those who curse us.
As Christians we are called to pray - AND not just pray for those who are praying for us but even those who would abuse us.
And - no ifs, ands, or buts about it - these are HARD teachings.
Love your enemies.
I think as 21st Century Christians, we don’t like to think of really having enemies - we want to get along with everyone. Also because, historically, people do NOT treat enemies nicely. At all. Mostly with violence. And we want nothing to do with that. And, the fact is, as Christians, we really should have enemies in this world. The definition of enemy is “a person who is actively opposed or hostile to someone or something.” As Christians, we hold to a lot of counter-cultural ideals - like, say, loving your enemies! People over profits. Peace over war. Community over individualism…so yeah, we have enemies. AND, we are called to love them. That doesn’t mean excusing their behavior or values that are harmful, it doesn’t mean a lack of accountability - it doesn’t even mean liking them, it means loving them. It means let God’s love shine through you. Through doing good to them, blessing them, praying for them. I especially want to lift this up for the verse “pray for those who abuse you” as it’s been used against women, children, and other vulnerable people in abusive relationships. By no means should this verse be used to convince people to stay in abusive relationships, to convince someone to not seek safety from abuse, or to shame needed boundaries for those who have left abusive situations… Remember that God desires wholeness and wellness for each and everyone of us. You can pray for and love those who would harm you - with healthy boundaries in place to protect your wellbeing and safety.
So back to these hard, counter-cultural teachings of Jesus. In December, a certain politician, who, honestly, I would probably consider an enemy of mine - cause what he stands for and what I stand for are at direct odds with each other, in a speech he said that following the teachings of Jesus, specifically Jesus’s teaching to turn the other cheek which is in this Gospel reading that we are focusing on today he said, and I quote, “it's gotten us nothing.” He expounded that if he and his party want to win - they have to stop following the teachings of Jesus.
Now, it’s easy to point fingers at politicians and campaign trail speeches. It’s easy to point to our enemies and say, “WOAH! They are SO off base!” And, well, while I do think he is WAY off base, he’s really just saying out loud what many of us think or do - most of the time without even realizing it.
Cause these are the teachings of Jesus, to love our enemies, to do good to those who hate us, to bless those who curse us, to pray for our abusers and yes, even to turn the other cheek -these are HARD teachings! They’re hard because they go against the whole way that the world works. Most of our world operates SOLELY on loving those who love us, doing good to those who do good to us, blessing those who bless us, praying for those who pray for us. We give and we expect it back. Our world is a tit for tat world. And we swim in this water and we can so easily just go with the flow of the rest of the world without even realizing it. That politician was right. He was right that you don’t win by the world’s standards by following the teachings of Jesus. As Jesus himself says elsewhere: Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
So we come to the question:
Do we want to win? Or do we want to follow Jesus?
Do we want to follow the ways of this world or be Children of the Most High?
And I really do think that most of us here today, we want to follow Jesus. We want to be Children of the Most High. We want to get it right. And, like I said, it’s hard. We will mess up. We won’t always get it right. Our love will fail. And! The Good News is: even when our love fails, God’s love never does, God’s love remains steadfast. God will ALWAYS love us AND God will always love our enemies. And through the love of God, may we all find room to love - yes, to love God and to love those who love us AND to love our enemies.
God of love, help us love.
Amen.
Monday, February 14, 2022
"Resurrected/Bodies" a sermon on 1 Corinthians 15:12-20 & Luke 6:17-26
1 Corinthians 15:12-20
Luke 6:17-26
“Resurrected/Bodies”
Preached Sunday, February 13, 2022
We are going to do something a little different today - it might make you uncomfortable but I pray you are open to the experience. We are going to do a breathing and mindfulness exercise around our bodies:
The purpose of this exercise is to enter into a prayerful, relaxed state in which we bring our whole selves, our body and spirit, into the presence of God.
We begin this exercise by thinking about our bodies, becoming mindful of the way we think about our body that we live in. How we think about it, imagine it, talk to ourselves about it.
What do you think or notice about your body?
How does that affect your emotions? Do you feel love? Gratitude? Frustration? Loathing?
Our bodies and our emotions toward them are complicated. Each of us is on a journey, our bodies are our constant companions as well as our vehicles. We need to be regularly reminded that our bodies, in whatever shape, form, condition they may be in, are gifts from God and God cares about our bodily experiences.
And so begin by getting comfortable. As comfortable as you can be in a pew or whatever chair you’re in if you’re watching from home. Scootch around a bit, find the right spot, settle in.
Close your eyes and turn your attention toward your body. If your thoughts begin to wander, listen to my voice and bring your attention back toward yourself.
Take a deep breath through your abdomen, feel your stomach and chest expand, hold it for a few moments… exhale slowly.
Again… in…and out.
As you breathe, notice your stomach rising and your lungs filling with air.
As you exhale, imagine the tension in your body being released and flowing away.
Inhale…and exhale.
Feel your body already relaxing.
Now, as you continue breathing, tune into your body. Notice how your body feels. Mindfully scan your body from top to bottom. Take note of areas that you are grateful for. Areas that cause you pain. Areas you are still learning to love.
Breathe in…and out.
Now imagine God bending down in the dirt and shaping your body out of clay.
Imagine yourself being shaped in the hands of God.
Your body, knit intricately together, God breathing the breath of the Divine into you.
Take some time to consider your own thoughts and ideas about your body. Do they match with the image of God lovingly forming you?
When you think about your body, are you feeling comfortable, uncomfortable, satisfied, dissatisfied...Whatever you are feeling, it’s ok, let yourself feel. Hand that feeling over to God in prayer, imagine yourself placing it and your whole body in God’s hands.
Imagine yourself being held by God, in your body, as it is, enveloped, embraced, loved. Imagine God caring for you, in your body as it is.
What might it be like to feel at peace with our bodies, to feel gratitude toward God, to thank God every day for our bodies?
You begin to see yourself as the wonderful creation of God that you are, as you are.
Breathe in…and out.
Give thanks to God for all the wonderful things your body does for you. How it rejuvenates you when you need energy, how it relaxes you when you need rest.
Now repeat after me:
I was created by God. (I was created by God.)
God loves all of me. (God loves all of me.)
And that includes my body. (And that includes my body.)
Thanks be to God for the gift of my body. (Thanks be to God for the gift of my body.)
Breathe in…and out.
Breathe in…and out.
Slowly begin to turn your attention back to your environment.
May you continue to feel embodied and grateful.
Slowly open your eyes and stretch your body.
(This ends the exercise.)
I took the time to do this in church today because I think that many of us have been taught or told - explicitly or implicitly - that our bodies are not good. That there is the Spirit - and then there is the Body - and the Body is bad - it’s the thing that leads us into temptation, that causes us to stumble - some churches and pastors have even gone as far to call the body evil. And we have seen the detrimental effect this has on people - body and spirit. And honestly, I think this is a misinterpretation of Paul and much of the New Testament. There is no denying that having a body is complicated, and messy, and, well, a journey with ups and downs. But God created us, made humans, embodied humans, looked at us and said “It is very good.” And then God in the form of Jesus, took on flesh. God had a body, a body like you and me - a complicated, messy body, on a journey with ups and downs.
And, this part is really important: Not only did God take on flesh, embodied God in the form of a baby Jesus…God was also resurrected with a body.
We know this from the resurrection accounts. His resurrection body might have been different - although it still carried the marks of his crucifixion. And, it was a body. Jesus ate with his disciples. They touched him.
Luke 6:17-26
“Resurrected/Bodies”
Preached Sunday, February 13, 2022
We are going to do something a little different today - it might make you uncomfortable but I pray you are open to the experience. We are going to do a breathing and mindfulness exercise around our bodies:
The purpose of this exercise is to enter into a prayerful, relaxed state in which we bring our whole selves, our body and spirit, into the presence of God.
We begin this exercise by thinking about our bodies, becoming mindful of the way we think about our body that we live in. How we think about it, imagine it, talk to ourselves about it.
What do you think or notice about your body?
How does that affect your emotions? Do you feel love? Gratitude? Frustration? Loathing?
Our bodies and our emotions toward them are complicated. Each of us is on a journey, our bodies are our constant companions as well as our vehicles. We need to be regularly reminded that our bodies, in whatever shape, form, condition they may be in, are gifts from God and God cares about our bodily experiences.
And so begin by getting comfortable. As comfortable as you can be in a pew or whatever chair you’re in if you’re watching from home. Scootch around a bit, find the right spot, settle in.
Close your eyes and turn your attention toward your body. If your thoughts begin to wander, listen to my voice and bring your attention back toward yourself.
Take a deep breath through your abdomen, feel your stomach and chest expand, hold it for a few moments… exhale slowly.
Again… in…and out.
As you breathe, notice your stomach rising and your lungs filling with air.
As you exhale, imagine the tension in your body being released and flowing away.
Inhale…and exhale.
Feel your body already relaxing.
Now, as you continue breathing, tune into your body. Notice how your body feels. Mindfully scan your body from top to bottom. Take note of areas that you are grateful for. Areas that cause you pain. Areas you are still learning to love.
Breathe in…and out.
Now imagine God bending down in the dirt and shaping your body out of clay.
Imagine yourself being shaped in the hands of God.
Your body, knit intricately together, God breathing the breath of the Divine into you.
Take some time to consider your own thoughts and ideas about your body. Do they match with the image of God lovingly forming you?
When you think about your body, are you feeling comfortable, uncomfortable, satisfied, dissatisfied...Whatever you are feeling, it’s ok, let yourself feel. Hand that feeling over to God in prayer, imagine yourself placing it and your whole body in God’s hands.
Imagine yourself being held by God, in your body, as it is, enveloped, embraced, loved. Imagine God caring for you, in your body as it is.
What might it be like to feel at peace with our bodies, to feel gratitude toward God, to thank God every day for our bodies?
You begin to see yourself as the wonderful creation of God that you are, as you are.
Breathe in…and out.
Give thanks to God for all the wonderful things your body does for you. How it rejuvenates you when you need energy, how it relaxes you when you need rest.
Now repeat after me:
I was created by God. (I was created by God.)
God loves all of me. (God loves all of me.)
And that includes my body. (And that includes my body.)
Thanks be to God for the gift of my body. (Thanks be to God for the gift of my body.)
Breathe in…and out.
Breathe in…and out.
Slowly begin to turn your attention back to your environment.
May you continue to feel embodied and grateful.
Slowly open your eyes and stretch your body.
(This ends the exercise.)
I took the time to do this in church today because I think that many of us have been taught or told - explicitly or implicitly - that our bodies are not good. That there is the Spirit - and then there is the Body - and the Body is bad - it’s the thing that leads us into temptation, that causes us to stumble - some churches and pastors have even gone as far to call the body evil. And we have seen the detrimental effect this has on people - body and spirit. And honestly, I think this is a misinterpretation of Paul and much of the New Testament. There is no denying that having a body is complicated, and messy, and, well, a journey with ups and downs. But God created us, made humans, embodied humans, looked at us and said “It is very good.” And then God in the form of Jesus, took on flesh. God had a body, a body like you and me - a complicated, messy body, on a journey with ups and downs.
And, this part is really important: Not only did God take on flesh, embodied God in the form of a baby Jesus…God was also resurrected with a body.
We know this from the resurrection accounts. His resurrection body might have been different - although it still carried the marks of his crucifixion. And, it was a body. Jesus ate with his disciples. They touched him.
Jesus could have come back as a disembodied spirit - but he didn’t. He had a resurrection body.
And as Christians who claim the resurrection of Jesus, we are also claiming the resurrection of the body for us. That Jesus was but the first fruit of the resurrection and one day all of creation will be made new - a new heaven and a new earth - AND, new, resurrected bodies for each of us.
We don’t know exactly what this will look like. We don’t know how it will function or how it will be done - but that’s faith. We believe in it. Those bodies may still have some of the scars of this life - as Jesus carried his scars after his resurrection. And, we know that in the new heaven and new earth there will be no more tears, no more pain, no more death.
So often we picture the next life as floating spirits on clouds - and again, maybe until the new creation it does look like that - I don’t know. We don’t know. If anyone says they do know I would seriously wonder, um, HOW. That’s God-level stuff.
What we do know is this, as we read in today’s Scripture:
Christ was raised from the dead.
Christ is the first fruit of those who have died.
So…what does this all mean for us, here and now?
Three things:
One - Be kinder to yourself when it comes to your body and all its ups and downs. Take time to breathe deeply and thank God for the gift of your body.
Two - Being grateful for our bodies is not to negate our current pain and struggles we experience in our bodies.
The Gospel reading from Luke today began with “They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases…”
Living in a body means disease and illness and pain and discomfort. And for some it means those things more than others. Why? We simply don’t know. What we do know is that Jesus cares about the plights of our bodies. One of the hallmarks of Jesus’s ministry was that he was a healer. He saw people’s pain. He saw their diseases. He saw that which held them back - and Jesus touched them or spoke and they were healed.
The Scripture continues with the blessings and the woes and in there he talks about those who are poor - and there is no doubt that being poor negatively affects your body - and he talks about those who are hungry - a bodily condition - and he talks of those who weep - again, grief and sadness are a deeply embodied experience…
In short, it is evidently clear through the ministry of Jesus: his actions and words, that he cared about the human body. And he still does.
Whatever you are going through in your body, Jesus cares. Jesus is with you on this journey. May you feel his presence with you, may you turn to him in trust and prayer.
And finally three - There is hope for us that have bodies. And that hope is not that one day we won’t have bodies - that hope is that one day we will share in the resurrection of Jesus in the new creation where there is no tears, pain, or death.
And as Christians who claim the resurrection of Jesus, we are also claiming the resurrection of the body for us. That Jesus was but the first fruit of the resurrection and one day all of creation will be made new - a new heaven and a new earth - AND, new, resurrected bodies for each of us.
We don’t know exactly what this will look like. We don’t know how it will function or how it will be done - but that’s faith. We believe in it. Those bodies may still have some of the scars of this life - as Jesus carried his scars after his resurrection. And, we know that in the new heaven and new earth there will be no more tears, no more pain, no more death.
So often we picture the next life as floating spirits on clouds - and again, maybe until the new creation it does look like that - I don’t know. We don’t know. If anyone says they do know I would seriously wonder, um, HOW. That’s God-level stuff.
What we do know is this, as we read in today’s Scripture:
Christ was raised from the dead.
Christ is the first fruit of those who have died.
So…what does this all mean for us, here and now?
Three things:
One - Be kinder to yourself when it comes to your body and all its ups and downs. Take time to breathe deeply and thank God for the gift of your body.
Two - Being grateful for our bodies is not to negate our current pain and struggles we experience in our bodies.
The Gospel reading from Luke today began with “They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases…”
Living in a body means disease and illness and pain and discomfort. And for some it means those things more than others. Why? We simply don’t know. What we do know is that Jesus cares about the plights of our bodies. One of the hallmarks of Jesus’s ministry was that he was a healer. He saw people’s pain. He saw their diseases. He saw that which held them back - and Jesus touched them or spoke and they were healed.
The Scripture continues with the blessings and the woes and in there he talks about those who are poor - and there is no doubt that being poor negatively affects your body - and he talks about those who are hungry - a bodily condition - and he talks of those who weep - again, grief and sadness are a deeply embodied experience…
In short, it is evidently clear through the ministry of Jesus: his actions and words, that he cared about the human body. And he still does.
Whatever you are going through in your body, Jesus cares. Jesus is with you on this journey. May you feel his presence with you, may you turn to him in trust and prayer.
And finally three - There is hope for us that have bodies. And that hope is not that one day we won’t have bodies - that hope is that one day we will share in the resurrection of Jesus in the new creation where there is no tears, pain, or death.
Until that day, let us give thanks to God for the gift of our bodies.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Tuesday, February 1, 2022
"What Is Love?" a sermon on 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
“What Is Love?”
Sermon preached Sunday, January 30, 2022
Today we’re going to talk about love.
I know, big shocker cause “Love” is never a word I say from the pulpit. And that was obviously a joke, I talk about love a lot. I was curious as to how much I actually talk about love so I looked at the last 6 sermons I’ve preached to you - and factoring in Christmas Eve and Lessons and Carols so no sermon on that day, we’re talking about just about a month of sermons. So based on my manuscripts I preached 7964 words from the pulpit. Of those, 153 of them were some form of love: love, loves, loved, loving. Doing the math, that means over my last 6 sermons, about 2% of the words I’ve preached to you have been love. And that number includes words like the, a, an, and…So I would venture that of the words that carry meaning and importance, maybe closer to 5% of what I say to you every Sunday is “Love.”
We worship the God who is Love, so that makes sense. One of my favorite passages of Scripture is 1 John 4:7-12:
“Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.”
And for the record, in the passage of Scripture there are 119 words and 15 of them are love. That’s 12 percent.
Another of my favorite passages of Scripture is the two greatest commandments, Matthew 22: 27-39: Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
Love is obviously an important part of our faith. Our God is love. Love is from God. Love was revealed through Jesus, Love incarnate. We are called to love God and to love neighbor as self. Others will know God and know we love God, by our Love.
Paul was definitely on to something when he said, “And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.”
Love is, arguably, the greatest and most important thing in our faith and how we live it out. So yes, I talk about love a lot from the pulpit. I’d rather be faulted for too much love than too little.
And today we are presented with what is known as “the love” passage in Scripture. And while this passage is often read or preached on at weddings, this passage’s definition of love goes far beyond marital love. It is, primarily, about God’s love and God’s love reflected through us.
And this passage from 1 Corinthians could be our dictionary entry next to the word love. We spend a lot of time talking about Love in church, and yet I wonder…how often do we define love? For there are a lot of things that this world labels as “love” that are not love, that do not reflect God’s love but that we are fooled or lied to so that we accept it as love. Or we compromise and settle for a poor definition. When love is used so much its definition, its understanding can be diluted, twisted, misunderstood. So today, using this famous love passage we are going to go line by line and define our Biblical understanding of love.
“If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”
For starters, love is the only thing that matters. If you don’t have love: It doesn’t matter what you say. It doesn’t matter what spiritual gift you have. It doesn’t matter what you know. It doesn’t matter if you believe all the right things. It doesn’t matter what you have or what you don’t have. It doesn’t matter how generous you are. It doesn’t matter if you even die for the faith. All of these are secondary to love and they don’t even come close. Now I’m not saying they don’t matter at all. I’m not saying that we’re not called to use our gifts and to grow in wisdom and to have faith and to be generous, I’m not saying that. I am saying that without love, none of that matters. Love is what gives everything else meaning.
“Love is patient.”
Love will never stop waiting for you. God will never stop waiting for you. As Methodists we call this prevenient grace - the grace of God, the love of God, that was there before you even knew there was grace and love to be had. At no point does the God of love give up on you, at no point does the God of love get tired of waiting for you to awaken to God. God will not rush you or hurry you, God will be patient all through our lives.
“Love is kind.”
To say love is kind is to say God is kind. Our God is not mean. There is a word in Hebrew, chesed, that some Bibles translate as loving-kindness. Hyphenated. Not that kindness is what you are loving but that loving-kindness is one word, one trait of our God. “Chesed means giving oneself fully, with love and compassion.” This love and compassion is geared toward us, being kind, considerate, loving.
“Love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude.”
If love is not envious, that means that love is content and accepting. Love does look upon others and who they are and what they have with an attitude of “why do THEY have THAT” or “I WANT that.” Instead love rejoices with others instead of envying. Love gives thanks for what one has rather than always thinking about more. In the same line, love is not boastful. Love at its core is also about humility. There is no room in love for tooting one’s own horn over another. Again, because love is not rude. Love considers others. Rejoices with others. In kind, humble, content love there is no room for rudeness.
Love “does not insist on its own way.”
Love is the opposite of “my way or the highway.” Love journeys with others no matter what path they are on. God journeys with us no matter what path we are on or where we find ourselves in this life. Love meets us where we are - not forcing us, pushing us, making us - love comes to us and walks with us, ever patient, ever extending grace.
Love “is not irritable or resentful.”
A relationship where you always feel like you are walking on egg shells, afraid the other person could blow up and lash out - verbally or physically - is a tell-tall sign of an abusive relationship. And it is the antithesis of love. There is no walking on egg shells with love, there is no fear of annoyance or rubbing the wrong way - the God who is Love accepts us freely as we are. There is no need to tread carefully around the God who is Love. God rejoices when we are out in the open, free, fully who we are. So too with resentfulness. Love does not hold things against us. God does not weaponize our mistakes. God doesn’t hold grudges. Because God is Love, God freely forgives, again and again and again.
Love “does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth.”
Sometimes in this world, we rejoice in wrongdoings. We do. When that person we don’t like messes up or has something awful happen to them. “Ha! Serves them right! Karma.” Well, that’s not love. Love looks at virtues, not vices. It celebrates all that is good, all that is true. There is no place for lies in Love. Love is open and honest and virtuous and true.
“What Is Love?”
Sermon preached Sunday, January 30, 2022
Today we’re going to talk about love.
I know, big shocker cause “Love” is never a word I say from the pulpit. And that was obviously a joke, I talk about love a lot. I was curious as to how much I actually talk about love so I looked at the last 6 sermons I’ve preached to you - and factoring in Christmas Eve and Lessons and Carols so no sermon on that day, we’re talking about just about a month of sermons. So based on my manuscripts I preached 7964 words from the pulpit. Of those, 153 of them were some form of love: love, loves, loved, loving. Doing the math, that means over my last 6 sermons, about 2% of the words I’ve preached to you have been love. And that number includes words like the, a, an, and…So I would venture that of the words that carry meaning and importance, maybe closer to 5% of what I say to you every Sunday is “Love.”
We worship the God who is Love, so that makes sense. One of my favorite passages of Scripture is 1 John 4:7-12:
“Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.”
And for the record, in the passage of Scripture there are 119 words and 15 of them are love. That’s 12 percent.
Another of my favorite passages of Scripture is the two greatest commandments, Matthew 22: 27-39: Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
Love is obviously an important part of our faith. Our God is love. Love is from God. Love was revealed through Jesus, Love incarnate. We are called to love God and to love neighbor as self. Others will know God and know we love God, by our Love.
Paul was definitely on to something when he said, “And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.”
Love is, arguably, the greatest and most important thing in our faith and how we live it out. So yes, I talk about love a lot from the pulpit. I’d rather be faulted for too much love than too little.
And today we are presented with what is known as “the love” passage in Scripture. And while this passage is often read or preached on at weddings, this passage’s definition of love goes far beyond marital love. It is, primarily, about God’s love and God’s love reflected through us.
And this passage from 1 Corinthians could be our dictionary entry next to the word love. We spend a lot of time talking about Love in church, and yet I wonder…how often do we define love? For there are a lot of things that this world labels as “love” that are not love, that do not reflect God’s love but that we are fooled or lied to so that we accept it as love. Or we compromise and settle for a poor definition. When love is used so much its definition, its understanding can be diluted, twisted, misunderstood. So today, using this famous love passage we are going to go line by line and define our Biblical understanding of love.
“If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”
For starters, love is the only thing that matters. If you don’t have love: It doesn’t matter what you say. It doesn’t matter what spiritual gift you have. It doesn’t matter what you know. It doesn’t matter if you believe all the right things. It doesn’t matter what you have or what you don’t have. It doesn’t matter how generous you are. It doesn’t matter if you even die for the faith. All of these are secondary to love and they don’t even come close. Now I’m not saying they don’t matter at all. I’m not saying that we’re not called to use our gifts and to grow in wisdom and to have faith and to be generous, I’m not saying that. I am saying that without love, none of that matters. Love is what gives everything else meaning.
“Love is patient.”
Love will never stop waiting for you. God will never stop waiting for you. As Methodists we call this prevenient grace - the grace of God, the love of God, that was there before you even knew there was grace and love to be had. At no point does the God of love give up on you, at no point does the God of love get tired of waiting for you to awaken to God. God will not rush you or hurry you, God will be patient all through our lives.
“Love is kind.”
To say love is kind is to say God is kind. Our God is not mean. There is a word in Hebrew, chesed, that some Bibles translate as loving-kindness. Hyphenated. Not that kindness is what you are loving but that loving-kindness is one word, one trait of our God. “Chesed means giving oneself fully, with love and compassion.” This love and compassion is geared toward us, being kind, considerate, loving.
“Love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude.”
If love is not envious, that means that love is content and accepting. Love does look upon others and who they are and what they have with an attitude of “why do THEY have THAT” or “I WANT that.” Instead love rejoices with others instead of envying. Love gives thanks for what one has rather than always thinking about more. In the same line, love is not boastful. Love at its core is also about humility. There is no room in love for tooting one’s own horn over another. Again, because love is not rude. Love considers others. Rejoices with others. In kind, humble, content love there is no room for rudeness.
Love “does not insist on its own way.”
Love is the opposite of “my way or the highway.” Love journeys with others no matter what path they are on. God journeys with us no matter what path we are on or where we find ourselves in this life. Love meets us where we are - not forcing us, pushing us, making us - love comes to us and walks with us, ever patient, ever extending grace.
Love “is not irritable or resentful.”
A relationship where you always feel like you are walking on egg shells, afraid the other person could blow up and lash out - verbally or physically - is a tell-tall sign of an abusive relationship. And it is the antithesis of love. There is no walking on egg shells with love, there is no fear of annoyance or rubbing the wrong way - the God who is Love accepts us freely as we are. There is no need to tread carefully around the God who is Love. God rejoices when we are out in the open, free, fully who we are. So too with resentfulness. Love does not hold things against us. God does not weaponize our mistakes. God doesn’t hold grudges. Because God is Love, God freely forgives, again and again and again.
Love “does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth.”
Sometimes in this world, we rejoice in wrongdoings. We do. When that person we don’t like messes up or has something awful happen to them. “Ha! Serves them right! Karma.” Well, that’s not love. Love looks at virtues, not vices. It celebrates all that is good, all that is true. There is no place for lies in Love. Love is open and honest and virtuous and true.
Love “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
“Ain't’ no mountain high enough, ain’t no valley low enough, ain’t no river wide enough…” Marvin Gaye was on to something. But really: there is nothing that will keep you from God’s love. The Apostle Paul says elsewhere in his writings, in Romans 8:
“Ain't’ no mountain high enough, ain’t no valley low enough, ain’t no river wide enough…” Marvin Gaye was on to something. But really: there is nothing that will keep you from God’s love. The Apostle Paul says elsewhere in his writings, in Romans 8:
“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
When it comes to Love, the God who is Love, there is no obstacle too great, no situation too hard, no burden too heavy.
Love bears. Love endures.
Love also hopes - always looking forward to that day when all of Creation is redeemed in God’s love. And Love believes too - even when the troubles of this world seem so heavy - love never loses sight of God.
Which brings us to:
“Love never ends.”
Paul ends this passage on love with this famous line: “And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.”
One day, faith will become sight.
One day, all that we have hoped for will become reality.
But love? Love will never fade, love will never cease, love will never end. And that is why love is the greatest.
In conclusion, today’s sermon, once all said and done is 1810 words, 142 of those are love. Or about 8%. It’s a lot! Well above my average…And while I said love a lot today, love matters, love is the only thing that matters.
I pray and hope that through spending time with the definition of love, we may all better understand what it truly means to say that God is Love and that the two greatest commandments are to love God and love neighbor.
May we know we are loved by God and may we love like God loves.
Amen.
When it comes to Love, the God who is Love, there is no obstacle too great, no situation too hard, no burden too heavy.
Love bears. Love endures.
Love also hopes - always looking forward to that day when all of Creation is redeemed in God’s love. And Love believes too - even when the troubles of this world seem so heavy - love never loses sight of God.
Which brings us to:
“Love never ends.”
Paul ends this passage on love with this famous line: “And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.”
One day, faith will become sight.
One day, all that we have hoped for will become reality.
But love? Love will never fade, love will never cease, love will never end. And that is why love is the greatest.
In conclusion, today’s sermon, once all said and done is 1810 words, 142 of those are love. Or about 8%. It’s a lot! Well above my average…And while I said love a lot today, love matters, love is the only thing that matters.
I pray and hope that through spending time with the definition of love, we may all better understand what it truly means to say that God is Love and that the two greatest commandments are to love God and love neighbor.
May we know we are loved by God and may we love like God loves.
Amen.
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