Life Verses 2 Corinthians 5:17 RUMC 5/28/17

Life Verses 2 Corinthians 5:17

RUMC 5/28/17

 Who likes change? Who looks forward to change? How many of us really seek out changer in our lives? What is the famous battle cry of the church? “WE’VE NEVER DONE IT THAT WAY BEFORE!”

Statistics show how resistant people are to change.

A study at Johns Hopkins University studied patients whose heart disease was so severe that they had to undergo bypass surgery. They discovered that 90 % of the bypass patients who were told, “Change your lifestyle, or die,” had made no lasting changes in their diets or lifestyle 2 years after their surgery.

When Paul wrote, “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new,” I think he intended it to be encouraging but for some people, maybe even some of us… the idea of change just makes us nervous.

Jim Buskohl is not one of those people. He chose 2 Corinthians 5:17 as his life verse exactly because it fits his experience and it gives him hope. He tells of being invited to this church and shortly after their first visit talking to Pastor Dick Boatman. He tells of how Pastor Boatman helped him to claim that new life in Christ and helped him to change the trajectory of his life toward Christ.

Like many of us, Jim is a new creation in Christ. He owns that and seeks to live into that new life. Also like many of us, he doesn’t do that perfectly. I don’t think any of us do. Nevertheless, he wakes up in the morning, looks at the new day God has given him, and sets his sights on living as a new creature in Christ.

How about you?

Do you know Isaac Newton’s first law of Physics? “An object at rest will stay at rest unless acted up on by an outside force.” In other words, nothing changes unless it has to. Maybe it isn’t so strange that most people seem to have a bent toward avoiding change unless acted up on by outside forces.

Paul says Jesus Christ is the outside force that affects change in our lives. Anyone who is “in Christ,” Paul says, “is a new creation.” To be IN CHRIST is to have faith in him and place our lives in Christ’s hands. We are born again to participate in his life, death, resurrection, and ascension.

•           IN CHRIST, we are offered salvation.

•           IN CHRIST, the old life is left behind and a new life begins.

•           IN CHRIST, we have an opportunity to leave the old behind.

•           IN CHRIST, we have an opportunity to start over in the image of God.

•           If you are listening carefully, you will realize that what I am so delicately dancing around is that word we dislike so much… CHANGE.

•           Being IN CHRIST means our lives CHANGE.

Given that 9 of 10 the people refuse to CHANGE when they are told “change of die of a heart attack,” we might be unlikely or even unable to choose change for ourselves. Being IN CHRIST, however, means CHANGE.

 If you have to ask why we would change, just look at our old lives.

•           In our old lives, prejudice, hatred, fear, and unforgiveness keep us from loving others and therefore loving God.

•           In our old lives, depression, anger, worry, scars from past relationships, and self-centeredness take the joy right out of our hearts.

•           In our old lives, anxiety, hopelessness, stress, family discord, terrorism, fighting, and frustration obscure any hope of peace.

•           In our old lives, instant gratification, guilt, mistrust, rushing-rushing all the time, lack of confidence, and being beaten down emotionally strain our patience

•           In our old lives, rudeness, being judgmental, inconsiderate, or indifferent; being merciless, lacking any compassion, or caring all make us rather unkind.

•           In our old lives, bitterness, greed, our egos, our need to be the best, and come out on top suck the generosity right out of us.

•           In our old lives, abuse, bullying, being the target of gossip, intolerance, and seeking revenge all compromise our ability to have faith.

•           In our old lives, violence, yelling, name-calling, road rage, being forgotten, or ignored, or cheated, or violated make it hard to be gentle.

•           In our old lives, drugs and alcohol-- or addictions of any kind (or for that matter-- habits,) feeling victimized can take away out self-control.

Did I hit everyone in there somewhere at least once? If I didn’t find the thing that robs you of life, you can add it in right now because the list seems endless.

Paul wants us to know… and Jim Buskohl and I want you to know that there is hope because in Jesus Christ, your past doesn't have to be your future… Your past doesn't have to be your future.

 MOTION SLIDE

In Jesus Christ, by the power of Jesus Christ, in the strength of Jesus Christ, by the grace of Jesus Christ, you are no longer that old creature. You are God’s next project for an extreme makeover.

I am not talking about a fixer upper. Jesus doesn’t want to freshen up the paint and carpet. Jesus wants you to give him your whole life, so he can demolish the old life and work in you’re the extreme makeover of becoming a new creation.

  MOTION SLIDE

Scottish Theologian, Carl Bard said, "No one can go back and make a new beginning -- but anyone can start from now and make a brand new end.”

He took the words right out of Paul’s mouth starting in verse 16. “ From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view;” When God looks at you he does not see angry, mentally ill, abused, sick, down and out, old, or young, purple or green! He doesn’t see you as you were… but as you will be. When God looks at God doesn’t see us as homosexual, or black, or poor, or disabled, or old, or stubborn, or greedy, or losers. God doesn’t see us for what we are able or aren’t able to do, or what we look like on the outside, and neither should we. “From now on, therefore, (let us) regard no one from a human point of view.”

Paul continues, “if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation: everything old has passed away.”

In Christ, we die to our old selves, and we begin our brand new life in Christ. A brand new today and brand new future. …

Buuuuut… theeeeeen…. We go back and roll in the mud and muck of who we were. We think we can live with one foot in our new life in Christ and one foot in our old life in the world.

•           Or we fall to temptation, or old habits creep back in, or the excitement wears off when we get back from camp and we forget that we are no longer that person.

•           Or we fall back into the same social circles and live into the expectations of those who only knew us before we became a new creation in Christ.

•           My experience is that becoming a new creation doesn’t happen just once, it happens over and over, and if you want me to be real honest it happens to me every single day because in some little or not so little way I keep falling back to the old creature every day.

Fortunately, every morning (actually every minute, if you want to be precise) we have the opportunity to wake up and realize who we are… a new creation… and claim the power of Christ to lift us up from the old mud in which are so comfortable, and help us on our way of being new creatures with a new future. Our old creature does not define who we are. Our old creature does not determine our future.

 “If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation: everything old has passed away.”

Finally, Paul declares, “everything has become new!”

There is that word new which requires change… and most of us don’t like change... so let’s try the word TRANSFORMATION. Paul writes in Romans 12:2. “Be ye not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”  To be honest, transformation is just a fancy word for change, but if it helps you to swallow that pill, we’ll call it transformation.

From the Greek word translated as “transformed” in Romans 12:2 we get the word metamorphosis. Metamorphosis is a relatively rapid change from one state of being to another… caterpillar to butterfly for instance… or, in our case, old creature to new creature.

The old has passed away and the new creature has been transformed from all that is sinful and ugly to one that bears the fruit of the spirit, which Paul lifts up in Galatians 5 as a picture of new life in Christ. The fruit of living as new creatures is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

 That is who we are as new creatures in Christ. …listen again.

•           The new creature is loving,

•           The new creature is joyful,

•           The new creature is peaceful,

•           The new creature is patient,

•           The new creature is kind,

•           The new creature is generous,

•           The new creature is faithful,

•           The new creature is gentle, and

•           The new creature is self-controlled.

Now that is a kind of change I can embrace. 

Maybe 90 % of people are resistant to change…

But I suspect that 90% of us would change if we could be loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, generous, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled.

And 100% of us would say we would rather be around people like that.

People will try all sorts of things to change. Crash diets, plastic surgery, new hairdos, new clothes. In truth, they just want to change the outside covering. Jesus offers a metamorphosis that changes us form one creature to another. Old creature to new creature.

Like the butterfly, the Christian says - once I was that way… now I am a new creature.

Sadly, hanging out with new creatures does not make you one.

Being a member of the church does not make you a new creature.

Coming to worship does not make you a new creature.

It is not hard. But Jesus is very clear "You must be born again. "

“IF ANYONE IS IN CHRIST, THERE IS A NEW CREATION:

EVERYTHING OLD HAS PASSED AWAY;

SEE, EVERYTHING HAS BECOME NEW!”

LET US PRAY

Life verses #3 Psalm 118:24 RUMC

Life verses #3

Psalm 118:24

RUMC

There is a story about a women living with cancer. She made a choice: to live each day saying, “THIS IS THE DAY THE LORD HAS MADE. I WILL REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT”

The alarm clock would ring and she would jump out of bed and Say, “THIS IS THE DAY THE LORD HAS MADE. I CHOSE TO REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT.” She would go about her day full of JOY.

One day she heard the alarm. She jumped out of bed and said, “THIS IS THE DAY THE LORD HAS MADE. I CHOSE TO REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT.” She was smiling ear to ear as she looked into the mirror. She had 3 hairs remaining on her head. . She made the choice: I THINK I WILL BRAID MY HAIR. She got a lot of joy from her beautiful hairdo and the day the Lord made for her.

The next day she heard the alarm. She crawled out of bed a little slower and said, “THIS IS THE DAY THE LORD HAS MADE. I CHOSE TO REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT.” She went in to the mirror to discover she had only 2 hairs left. She smiled and said, “I know what to do. I will part my hair down the middle.” AND SHE HAD A WONDERFUL DAY.

The next day, the alarm rang; she was thrilled to be alive. She got out of bed “THIS IS THE DAY THE LORD HAS MADE. I CHOSE TO REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT.” She walked over to the mirror and found that day she only had 1 hair left. She thought, "You know, I haven't tried a pony tail in some time." She fixed her hair into a ponytail. SHE HAD A WONDERFUL DAY.

The next day, the alarm rang, she said, “God has given me another day.” She got out of bed “THIS IS THE DAY THE LORD HAS MADE. I CHOSE TO REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT.” She looked in the mirror and to her surprise, ALL her hair was gone. A moment of sadness passed and she said, “You know what? I don’t have to fix my hair today!” AND SHE HAD A WONDERFUL DAY!

Now I have my doubts that it happened quite that way, but you get the point. The woman’s happiness was not dependent on what happened outside of her, but a choice she made on the inside. Her joy was a result of what her faith did inside of her.

 Edie chose Psalm 118:24 as her life verse. Some of you remember Edie and Carolyn’s mom, Doris Dugan? Edie tells of her mother being very sick with kidney failure and a long list of health problems. She lived at Parkview. When she answered the phone, she answered in a particular way. Do any of you remember how she answered it? “This is the day that the lord has made.” She would not answer saying, “Oh I’m so sick,” or, “I hope you feel sorry for me” or “why do I have all these problems.” She lived by Psalm 188:24 “THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HAS MADE, LET US REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT.”

Actually, she inherited that verse from her mother, Edie and Carolyn’s Grandma Ruby. What a testimony she offered when she did that. What a witness she made to not only her family, and anyone else who called, but also to those around her.

We all know that Edie has tried to live by that same verse. Though none of us is perfect, none of our lives is perfect, and Edie admits that there have been hard times, Psalm 118 has made all the difference to her. Do not get me wrong. This is no magic charm, or supernatural incantation. This is a statement of faith. This is a choice that Grandma Ruby, and Doris, and Edie make. “THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HAS MADE, LET US REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT.”

 First, let’s talk about “This is the day that the Lord has made.”

This is more than a choice. It is a statement of faith.

When an expert looks at a painting, they can see brushstrokes that tell them that this is the original masterpiece or an imposter. The artist not only signs the masterpiece, they leave their fingerprints all over it in the choice of shape, and color, and texture, and brush stroke.

The same is true for our days. God starts with a fresh canvas every morning. That is the way God created the world, so that yesterday would fade into last night, but every morning the sun comes up and we have a blank canvas on which God starts painting.

•             We see the glory of God in the brightness of the yellows and oranges of the sunrise.

•             We hear the melody of God as the birds start to sing their morning song.

•             We experience the spirit of God resurrecting us from our nights rest and offering an early glimpse of the masterpiece that will unfold throughout the next 12-16 hours.

Sure, we can (and often times DO) go through our days with the illusion that it is just the same old same old, or with the even more dangerous illusion that we are the painter and it is our vision and skill that drives the day.

•             Unless we can make the sun rise earlier or later, or stop all the surprises that a day brings…

•             unless we can add even one minute to the day…

•             unless we can rewind the day and have a do-over. We have to admit that it is not our day… it is the day that God has made and graciously shares with all creation.

Unless you have perfected time travel, you only have one day at a time.

•             THIS DAY.

•             Not yesterday.

•             Not the good old days.

•             Not the day after I finally finish school,

•             or after I retire,

•             or that nebulous “some day.” The Psalm does not say THAT IS THE DAY… no it is THIS one and only day we have. THIS day today.

As people of faith, this is a fact with which we live. This part is not a choice we make, it is a fact… “THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HAS MADE.”

 The rest IS a choice. We have a choice about what we will do with the gift of this day. We are not always very gracious recipients.

•             Sometimes we set the gift on the shelf and try to push and shove our way through the hours under our own power and influence.

•             Sometimes we take the gift without opening it, because we believe it is the same old same old, and we just rehash all of the problems of the past.

•             Sometimes we reject the gift because we don’t want this day, but yearn for the good old days, which probably weren’t as good as we think.

•             Sometimes we are too busy wishing THIS DAY was over so we could get to SOME day.

That is not what a gracious recipient does with a gift. We teach our children to “say thank you” when grandma gives them a gift, but we fail to give thanks for the gift that God gives each of us each and every day.

REJOICE and be GLAD the psalm says. To rejoice is to be full of joy.

Our supporting scripture from Philippians says, “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice." Paul is saying chose thankfulness always, choose joy always, choose rejoicing every day. To understand let’s watch this video.

 So are you more like the fly or the bee? Psalm 118 and Philippians say that we need to be more like the bee. We need to ignore the ugly and stinky stuff and seek out that which is beautiful and joyful in each day. How do we do that? I think part of the answer comes in verse 8 “Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

What do you think about all day?

•             Are you more like the bee thinking about what is true, or the fly attracted to the lies?

•             The honorable, or the ugly.

•             The just, or how unfair life is to you.

•             The pure, or those things that soil our minds and spirits

•             Are you more likely to be a bee remembering that which is pleasing, or a fly that keeps buzzing about the things that torque you off?

•             The things that are commendable, or the things about which we should be ashamed.

•             The excellent, or the deficient.

•             The things that are worthy of praise, or the things that are reprehensible.

Paul’s advice is to make a choice for the things that are “true, honorable, just, pure, pleasing, commendable, excellent, and praiseworthy.” Psalm 118 recommends focusing on the things that fill us with joy.

I am not advocating a Pollyanna approach to life. There are things in life over which we should weep. There things in life which should enrage us. Psalm 118 does not tell us to ignore those things.  It does not tell us to deny those things. It does not tell us to rejoice in evil or injustice.

It simply says, deal with those things but don’t focus on them. Focus on the gift and the power of God in your life, and (As the Psalm says), “Rejoice and he glad in it.”

 If this is a struggle for you… you have a lot of company, including this preacher. My best advice to those who struggle with rejoicing and being glad, is twofold.

•             The good news is that to live with joy is a choice or a habit …. It is not genetic; it is not a special talent. It is a choice we all have. It is a habit we can all start. You are not left out.

•             Second, I notice that am strongly influenced by the people with whom I surround myself. If I surround myself with flies buzzing around the garbage, I tend to start to think that everything stinks. If I surround myself with bees, with people who get out of bed and say THIS IS THE DAY THE LORD HAS MADE, LET US REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT, I begin to see the beautiful and I am more able to REJOICE AND BE GLAD. I suspect that might be true for many of you too.

So if this is hard, be encouraged because you do have the power to choose joy. Then, once you choose joy, it will be much easier if you surround yourself with others who choose Joy.

This is the day that the lord has made… what will you do with it? Will you complain, and weep and fret. Or will you rejoice and be glad. Thank you for choosing this passage Edie. It reminded me that it is my choice too. It is all up to me… It is all up to you too

Because THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HAS MADE

THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HAS MADE

THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HAS MADE

THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HAS MADE

Now it is up to you…

LET US REJOICE AND BE GLAD- in today and in all our days to come.

Life verse #2 Jeremiah 29:11 May 14.2017

Life verse #2

Jeremiah 29:11

Do you trust me?

 This is the second sermon in the series I call “Life Verses.” In May and June, I will be preaching on some of your favorite verses chosen by folks in the congregation. Dixie chose Jeremiah 29:11. It was also second choice for both Scott and Deb. Dixie is going to read it for us today.

  --------------------------------

This is part of a letter from God, sent through the prophet Jeremiah, to the Israelites exiled to Babylon in 587 BC. We don’t know the exact year of the letter, but they had been in Babylon long enough to wonder if God had forgotten them.

The letter has essentially two messages for them and for us.

 The first message is TRUST IN GOD.

There is an old story of a father who took his young son out and stood him on the railing of the back porch. He then went down, stood on the lawn, and encouraged the little fellow to jump into his arms. "I'll catch you," the father said confidently. After a lot of coaxing, the little boy finally made the leap. When he did, the father stepped back and let the child fall to the ground. He then picked his son up, dusted him off, and dried his tears.

"Let that be a lesson," he said sternly. "Don't ever trust anyone."

That is a sad story, but I’ll be the first to admit that it is hard to know whom to trust.

•              “Just trust me.” says the slick used car salesman, as he pats you on the back.

•              “Just trust me.” says the politician, as he winks at the lobbyist standing behind you in line.

•              “Why can’t you just trust me.” says the teenager arguing with her parents about curfew.

•              “Just trust me.” says the slick preacher on TV.

My advice is if someone has to say “Just trust me”… run… run as fast as you can! I say that because of the word “JUST.” Trust is not to be taken lightly. There is a difference between “trust me” and” JUST trust me.” At best, those who want to make trust JUST simple and JUST easy, think you are a gullible pigeon. Usually they are dishonest or even delusional. Though I don’t’ agree with the father, “Don’t trust anyone.” I would say pick and chose very carefully, whom you will trust.

 Jeremiah’s letter says, “I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you.”

Essentially, God is saying “TRUST ME.” However, God is, not some salesman, or politician, or whining teenager. This is the God of our ancestors who has made good on every promise God ever made. This is the God who, over and over, proved trustworthiness to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the Egyptian slaves, the Israelites in the desert, the judges, the kings, and the prophets. This is the God who has been watching Israel’s back for generations and generations. God’s message to the Hebrew exile sand us is “I have a plan. Trust me. I have your back.”

Dixie says, when life is hard, when life seems uncertain, when she has needed it the most it is good to know that God has her back. God’s promise that “I have plans for you” brings her comfort and peace. Dixie actually used the word “peace” when we were talking, can you guess that I found when I did an in depth study of the passage, discovered that the Hebrew actually includes a word we all know: SHALOM. How do we usually translate of Shalom? “Peace or wholeness.” The passage reads, “I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to bring you shalom and not to harm you.” that is “plans to bring you peace and not to harm you.” You might even read it “plans to put you back together and not to harm you.”

Shalom can also be translated wholeness so it might be read “plans to put you back together.” No wonder, when life is falling apart, Dixie, and so many others cling to this promise that trust God to bring you peace or put you back together. No wonder so many people have this promise hanging in their house, underlined in their Bible, and tattooed on their skin. When we have to make a big decision, or when our plans seem to be going down the tubes; it is any wonder that so many of us turn to this that instructs us to  trust God to  bring you peace or  put you back together. No wonder so many people turn to this passage over and over to hear God say “Trust me, I’ve God your back”

But in order for God to “have out back” we have to trust God.

 The other message in this passage is to be patient

We usually quote verse 11 of this chapter. Do you remember verse 10? 10 This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. Had you ever noticed 70 years?!? 70 years! Does that mean that this plan is for someday, in the sweet by and by? NO.

The 70 years, reminds, us, however, that God’s plan will unfold on God’s timeline; not ours. God’s plan is not always immediately obvious. We may not see it right away. We may not be ready for it. We may not have the perspective yet. We may be too wrapped up in our lower story lives to see what God is doing in God’s upper story plans.

Trusting God means being patient. Patiently believing that God’s plan is working even though we don’t see it. Patently trusting that at the right time we will see what God has been doing.

God has always worked on God’s own timeline.

It was 430 years before the slaves were freed from Egypt. Patience.

It was 40 years before the people were lead into the Promised Land. Patience.

It was 70 years before the exiles made it back to Jerusalem. Patience.

The God who came to earth as Jesus Christ after thousands of years, Patience.

It was 400 years after that, before God came to live on the earth.

And even then, Jesus was born as a baby- and we had to wait another 30 years for him to grow up and start his ministry. Patience.

God raised Jesus from the grave, but only after 3 long days of darkness. Patience.

•              I think back to when I left the church 22 years ago. You think back to a time when you lost a job, failed a class, hit a roadblock in your plans, experienced a tragedy… remember one? Now, think back. At that moment, could you imagine any possible future when things would be better? I couldn’t. But I look back from the perspective of today. I’ll admit that I was not always patient (you know “do as I say, not as I do”) but I look back from the perspective of today and I can see that God was working all along. Do you see that in your lives?

God will bring light from your darkness, but you have to be patient.

God will bring hope from your despair, but you have to be patient.

God will bring shalom (or wholeness) form your brokenness, but we must be patient. It is after all God’s plan not ours.

 Finally, I want to ask, "How will we know God’s plan when it comes." I am one of those people who can look and look, and not see something right in front of my face. Remember confirmation week? I knew I bought palm crosses for the confirmands as my gift to them. I looked for them Friday, and Saturday (several times) and Sunday (several times) When Dian came into the church I asked her, and guess what… she walked in my office and handed me the box with the crosses. 

But don’t snicker too much because we are all a little that way when it comes to God’s plan. How do we recognize God’s plan.

  Unfortunately, God rarely lays a map out in front of us and shows us exactly where we're going. Frankly, I'd be a lot more comfortable with that.

In Washington, they say follow the money. At the risk of oversimplifying, as Christians following God’s map means following the love.

  In the verses 12 and 13, God’s map is to give you hope. God’s plan for hope was that he loved us so much that he gave his only begotten son.

  In the verses 12 and 13, God’s map is to hear and answer your prayers. “Jesus said God loves us like a father who wants to give good things to his children. 

  In the verses 12 and 13, God’s map is that we would” seek God with all our heart.” God’s love is so great that he provided Jesus to be our way, truth, and life.”

God’s plan is no roadmap. God is not the autopilot of our lives. Jesus is not likely to take the wheel as the country-western song says. The picture here is of a God who loves us no matter what, and wants us return that love no matter what. … The picture here is of a God who gives us hope, hears our prayers, and wants you to love him with all your heart. The picture here is of a God who has or back no matter what. That sounds like a pretty good plan to me. If you want to follow God’s plan… follow the love.

 I chose this week to address this life verse in part because of senior recognition. So I am going to address the rest of the sermon to the seniors, but the rest of you are welcome to listen in and translate it to your life. 

You will likely receive more than one graduation card that quotes Jeremiah 29:11. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you.

It would be a mistake to think that the passage means that God has your life all mapped out and all you have to do it put it on autopilot.

It would be a mistake to think that the passage means that God has your life all mapped out, and all and your job is to find the one correct route.

It would be a mistake to think that the passage means that God has your life all mapped out, and you don’t have any say in it.

               

But it would also be a mistake to think that you are all alone as you face your future.

You are not. God does have a plan and a hope for your life.

 It’s just that instead of looking like this… It looks more like this.

Three things I would tell you as you graduate

Trust God.

Be patient with God.

Love God and let God love you.

AMEN