A Divine Invitation -- sermon for Wednesday of Holy Week

“When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad for your reward is great in heaven.” Matthew 5:1-12

Let us pray: Loving God we thank you for your word to us . . . especially for the life of Jesus and for his teachings about how we should live. We confess that there are some scriptures that we love because they are familiar to us, because we learned them as children, because we know them by memory and they flow so beautifully off our tongues. . . and yet we confess that there are times in which we struggle with believing you really want us to live as the scriptures teach us. We want to be sure of ourselves, not poor in our spirits; we want to have a voice so that we can exert our authority, after all we speak for you . . . if we are meek we may not be successful; we want to be merciful to those who deserve our mercy and have earned their place in our world; we want to make peace with those who see things our way. We want to be a part of building your kingdom because we are your people . . . and yet we struggle. We thank you that you never tire of speaking to us through the words of Jesus and we pray that we might grow in our understanding of your love for the world this day. Amen.

Walter Wink, a wonderful contemporary theologian says, “In the Beatitudes of Jesus, in his extraordinary concern for the outcasts and marginalized, in his wholly unconventional treatment of women, in his love of children, in his rejection of the belief that high-ranking men are the favorites of God, in his subversive proclamation of a new order in which domination will give way to compassion and communion, Jesus brought to fruition the prophetic longing for the “kingdom of God” These very familiar teachings from Jesus come very early in his career and they are followed by many other lessons that are familiar to us . . . you are the salt and the light, you are the branches of my vine, you are to love your neighbor as yourself, if your neighbor asks for your shirt, give him your coat as well. It’s no wonder Jesus was persecuted by the religious authorities . . . He forgave persons they thought were unforgivable – George talked about the woman caught in the act of adultery who could have been stoned but was instead offered new life – Jesus included people who were unworthy in the eyes of the holy people of his day – people with questionable business practices and social diseases and unwelcome foreigners. His teachings were not just counter-cultural . . . they countered the religious culture of his day . . . they were controversial . . . they upset the accepted systems of his day . . . they were even considered subversive to those who held power . . . he said the rich would be poor and the first would be last . . . and those who were the gatekeepers of holiness would be left outside the gates on judgment day because they had become too comfortable in their entitled place in the kingdom . . . . . .and we will remember this week what happened to Jesus as a result of his teachings that upset the power systems of his day . . . both the religious empire and the secular empire. And that is perhaps a little disconcerting for us because we ARE now the religious people of our day . . . we are, in almost any sense of the word, the powerful.

As I thought about the message for this week, the word that continued to come into my prayer time was the word “surrender” and I want to talk a little about it today, particularly in relation the these teachings of Jesus and about our relationship to God and to the world. We think of surrender in military terms . . . as being defeated, as losing the battle, as being weak . . . but perhaps we can rethink it in light of the teachings of Jesus and even in the shadow of the cross. The issue is not can we manage to surrender, although that is very hard for us in almost any venue of life, but can we surrender to God’s vision for the Kingdom. Surrender in our faith walk is not about being spineless or giving up our convictions or forgoing our voice about the way the world operates . . . it is about surrendering our power to allow God’s power of love to work within us . . . it is about surrendering our will to allow God’s will to be done through us . . . it is about surrendering our self-centeredness so that God’s love might be known through us that empowers us to be the voice of God in our world. When I was a young mother, I had an experience with my daughter that transformed my thinking, not just about parenthood, but about living as well . . . Amanda had been playing with her best girlfriend all afternoon and close to time for her friend to go home, I did what I always did . . . asked them to pick up the toys in her room . . . when i went back a little while later, i found Amanda sitting on her bed and her friend picking up all the toys. "What are you doing?" I asked, just a bit perturbed. "Mother," said Amanda . . . we're practicing cooperation . . . I'm telling her what to do and she's doing it." Very perplexed, I did what every good mother would do . . . I went out and bought a book on parenting the strong willed child. The advice I received there, from a very well-known Christian expert on child-rearing, was that my job as a parent was to break her will . . . and at that point, after much prayer and contemplation, I decided that was not the approach I would take . . . because you see, I believe God needs our strong wills and my job as a parent, i determined, was not to break her will but to help her conform it to the teachings of Jesus, leaving her strength intact. . . I have been very thankful, as the years have progressed that I made that choice for my three wonderful daughters who have voice and determination to live out God's will for their lives. Jesus is our model. . . a few thoughts about surrender . . .

1. Surrender acknowledges relationship with God. “What remains incontestable is the fact that, in spite of what is reported about his curing the sick and raising the dead to life in Galilee and other places, Jesus displayed on the cross nothing but utter surrender. The reason is that love, in terms of this world’s values, is forever vulnerable . . . Jesus, powerless on the cross, is the symbol of love . . . even the very incarnation of love.” When he said “Father, if it is your will, take this cup from me . . . nevertheless, not my will but thine,” Jesus wasn’t waving the white flag and surrendering to the religious or Roman authorities because they were winning. . . . he didn’t say “OK you win . . . I lose . . . I was wrong all along . . . “ he surrendered to the love of God for the world and God’s claim on his life to be consumed by that love. How many times do we bite our tongue or offer our coat or our shirt to our neighbor in need because we know God would call us to be loving instead of judgmental . . . generous instead of selfish . . . loving not because the world is worthy of our love but because God is worthy of our surrender to his will for the world. Surrender, both ours and that of Jesus, is about our acknowledging that it is God’s kingdom for whom we work . . . much as we might hate it . . . God is God and we are not!
2. Surrender is a conscious choice. Followers of Jesus have speculated for the centuries since Good Friday about whether or not Jesus had a choice in the crucifixion. That speculation is probably pointless if it’s goal is to figure out all there is to know about God. My own belief about Jesus’ life and death are very well expressed when we say: “God came in Jesus, the Word made flesh . . . to reconcile and make new.” If God came in Jesus, then God always had a choice about how he lived in relationship with the world. Jesus had the choice in the wilderness to display his power over evil . . . he chose surrender instead; he had the choice on the cross to save himself . . . but he chose to surrender to the power of love over hate and peace over violence. He refused to play by the rules of the power systems of his day because he knew that the Kingdom of God would never come through the power struggles of this world . . . only through surrender to God’s love for the world. I believe Jesus went to the cross because he spoke for God, he embodied the love of God, not because God demanded it but because Jesus CHOSE to surrender his power so that the world might know the power of God’s love.
3. It is in our surrender to God that we are empowered. Jesus taught us to pray “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” In our words, we might say “Let the world be your world, God. Let us live out your dream for the world.” Sunday we will sing again Handel’s wonderful Hallelujah Chorus from the Messiah, and we especially love to sing the big ending . . . Hallelujah, Hallelujah! But in the middle of this magnificent piece are these words which swell to that glorious ending “The kingdom of this world is become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ . . . and he shall reign forever and ever.” The kingdom “is become” . . . .has it already become or is it becoming? Handel says it “is become” -- the already and the not yet. . . We surrender . . . . we offer up our will and with the all strength of the Holy Spirit, take on the will of God for the world. And bit by bit, as we offer up our power, we make room for God to be at work in us and at work in the world through us. The kingdom has already come in the life of Jesus, it is already coming again and it has not yet come in all its fullness. We had an Easter Egg hunt at our community center in Rancho Brazos on Sunday and one of our volunteers shared a story of a little boy, about 11, who wandered into the building as she was cleaning up. She asked “did you have fun?” And he responded “Yes but I won’t be here next year because my dad’s getting out of prison and I’m going to be living with him next year.” She prayed that his life would be better next year and that the few hours of fun he had that day had given him hope that his life would be a little better. It occurred to me that that event was possible because 20 adults and youth surrendered to God’s claim in their lives on Sunday afternoon ,. . . and because they did so, God empowered them . . . God was at work. . . at least one little boy was able to share his hopes and dreams with someone who cared. . . with someone who is now praying for him and for his dad and for their future together. . . . that is the kingdom here and not yet here. What amazing power and promise we have!

When we look around us, we see that the kingdom has not yet come . . .the poor in spirit do not all know the blessings of God, there are still many who mourn without the comfort of the hope of God. . . the power of the world still triumphs over meekness. The rich still control the resources that could benefit the poor. Peacemakers are called naïve and the merciful are thought to be simpleminded. The kingdom has not yet come in its fullest sense and yet the kingdom HAS come in moments of light, in moments of love, in moments when a little piece of the world is transformed into the kingdom and we believe the truths that Jesus taught us. . . . even in a yard full of Easter eggs that can say to a child . . . there is new life ahead for you too.

I saw the new “Alice in Wonderland” movie this weekend and I recognized I’m a little like Alice who said “Sometimes I believe as many as 6 impossible things before breakfast . . . “ I believe that Tte kingdom does come when we surrender to the impossible . . . to the unconditional love of God for the world . . . we do get a glimpse of God’s kingdom when we do God’s work in blessing the poor in spirit and offering hope to those who long for righteousness but just can’t find their way, and supporting those who are persecuted for the sake of a kingdom that does not belong to God.

Robert Carr wrote these words . . . a “Divine Invitation” to God’s Kingdom work . . .

My heart
Like yours
Aches under the weight
Of humanity’s pain.

Distractions offer soothing but superficial relief
Food. Television. The Mall.

But from the heart’s pure center
A divine invitation echoes
Love God; love your neighbor as yourself.
Bring your gaze to the difficult,
The heartbreaking thing.
The overwhelming situation.
The tragic circumstances,
That hopeless place.
Turn your attention, your gaze, yourself,
To the poor
And be uncomfortable.

How easily we forget, lose sight of the vastness of God’s love
The depth of mercy poured out upon us.
To love God is to allow God
To give us God’s heart
To fill us with compassion
And steadfast serenity
That we might never weary of loving our neighbors,
Becoming for them God’s vessel of grace and hope and healing
In the Golgothas of our world.

Could it be that my aching for the anguish of the world
Is the feeling of my heart being enlarged?
Could it be that my willingness to ache for my suffering neighbor
Is my purest assent to God’s perfect intent?

Let us pray . . . “We thank you, God, that you ached so much for the anguish of the world that you were willing to come to the world, to surrender your power, to suffer for us when we didn’t deserve your love. We pray that as we surrender to your love we would become servants like Jesus who never lose sight of the power of sacrificial love. It is in his name that we pray and live . . . Amen.”

Easter Egg Hunting at Rancho Brazos Community Center

A picture is worth a thousand words . . .

Wonderland

"Sometimes I believe as many as six impossible things before breakfast" said Alice in Alice In Wonderland . . . we're never too old for dreaming the impossible when God is at the center of our dreams. Wonderland was the Rancho Brazos Community Center yesterday . . . beautiful spring day with plenty of sunshine . . . 40 beautiful children hunting eggs, playing game and having hot dogs . . . 20 AMAZING volunteers from the AUMC youth group and the Koinonia Sunday School class providing all the fun . . . more love than could be humanly possible . . . God's gift to us!

Blessings Abound!!

What happens when God puts opportunities in our paths? Miracles and blessings sprout up everywhere. This week the "Faith Ladies" . . . a wonderful women's Sunday School class prepared frito pie and brownies for clients at the Children's Advocacy Center. Way to go faith ladies! And, as a result of our alternative Easter giving opportunity, we purchased 39 flocks of chicks, 8 trios of rabbits and 2 goats through Heifer International. Isn't that better than a candy egg? If you have great ideas about outreach projects . . . we'd love to hear them...

Palm Sunday

"Tell me the stories of Jesus I love to hear" reminds me of my childhood in the church . . . waiving palm branches and processing in to sing about Jesus on the donkey . . . somehow that story connects us to the human side of Jesus. I confess that I still love to sing that old song and I love to remember the stories of Jesus . . . especially the stories of Jesus loving children, reaching out to those the "church people" didn't accept, and washing the feet of the disciples so they could understand servant leadership. Especially during Lent, we remember the humility of Jesus, the Word made flesh, the flesh who suffered so that we can know the unconditional love of God, the love that has no boundaries. Today, I'll thankfully wave my palm branch again, recognizing in my act of worship my submission to the lordship of a servant king who loved the world without exception. Easter Egg Hunt at the Rancho Brazos Community Center today at 4:00 PM . . .

Rancho Brazos Easter Egg Hunt

Hunting Easter Eggs is one of those secular traditions that has become a part of our faith life . . . we're never too old to grab a basket and search through the spring blooms for an egg that just might have a surprise inside. Egg hunting is a "threshhold experience" that takes us not only into spring but also into the assurance of the new life we know through our faith in Jesus. The enthusiasm of the children reminds us that life is full of surprises and that we never really know where the prize egg will be found . . . and that even though there may be many of us "on the hunt" there are always enough eggs to go around. This Sunday afternoon, our Koinonia class will be sponsoring an Easter Egg hunt at our Rancho Brazos Community Center at 4:00 PM. If you would like to help, please respond here and we'll get you connected. You never know what surprise might be in store for you as you serve these precious children in the name of Jesus. Happy Egg Hunting!

Sojourners in Faith

"Come along with me as a sojourner in faith.
Bring along a sense of expectancy, a vision of high hopes, a glimpse of future possibility, a vivid imagination.
For God's creation is not done.
We are called to pioneer forth toward a future yet unnamed.
As we venture forward, we leave behind our desires for a no-risk life , worldly accumulations, certainty of answers.
Let us travel light in the spirit of faith and expectation toward the God of our hopes and dreams.
Let us be a witness to God's future breaking in.
Come along with me as a sojourner in faith secure in the knowledge that we never travel alone."
--Susan gregg-Schroeder

Bunnies and Chicks

Chocolate bunnies and chicks aren't the only things in Easter baskets this Easter! This year we've offered real bunnies and chickens through Heifer International as an alternative giving option that really reflects the love of God to the world. To date, we've sent 22 flocks of chicks and 21 rabbits around the world to celebrate the living Christ. You can multiply your Easter giving by contributing to Heifer as well. Let me know if you need more information!

Love Granbury Kindness Explosion

"If you are a follower of Christ . . . . all that matter is your faith that makes you love others." (Galatians 5:6) It sometimes seems like the most difficult place to love others is our own backyard. "Love Granbury Kindness Explosion" is a non-denominational experiment in servant evangelism . . . loving the world in the name of Jesus with no strings attached! If this is the kind of evangelism that warms your heart and feeds your spirit, join Acton United Methodist Church (along with many other churches in our community) on Saturday, April 17 as we go out into our Granbury community with the pure unconditional love of Jesus . . . . bagging groceries, carrying bags to cars, pumping gasoline, and other random acts of kindness . . . not sure how to do that? Call Rev. Dawne McAlpin at 817-326-4242 or reply to this blog to get more information . . .

FaithWork: God's Love in Action is a new "hands-on" outreach ministry at Acton UMC. We began on Saturday, March 13 when four dedicated folks helped a neighbor in the Rancho Brazos community clean his lot. Not only did we share the work, but we shared God's love and grace as our hearts and hands combined to clean up the world a bit. We'll be working again this Saturday, march 21 . . . meet at 9:30 at the Rancho Brazos Community Center.

In addition, we're well on our way to increasing the bunny and chick population of the world by offering persons the opportunity to give a live Easter gift to someone in need around the world through Heifer, International. So far, we've provided 15 sets of chicks and 6 sets of rabbits. Those are real Easter bunnies.

Upcoming FaithWork projects: Monday, April 5 . . . meet at AUMC at 9:00 AM and we'll travel to work at the Rainbow Room, a support ministry for caseworkers and families in the Child Protective Services system. Persons of all ages and skill sets are invited to come as we help to change the world one family at a time.

On Saturday, April 17, we'll be joining other churches in the Granbury community with Love Granbury Kindness Explosion. Look for us around the community with our bright green reusable bags offering assistance and random acts of kindness showing the love of Jesus. Contact me if you want more information.

If you have other ideas for FaithWork projects, please let us know. We look forward to hearing from you with your ideas.