Rules Are Rules--Or Are They?

Matthew 22:36-40

Prop: A Board Game (optional)

Good morning, everyone! I have in my hand a board game I've never played before. What is the first thing you do when you get a brand, new board game--after you open the box and unfold the board? You read the rules! That's right.

Our lives are full of rules, aren't they? Rules like "Cross the street at the corner--no jaywalking!" "Keep your hands to yourself," and "Don't look at your neighbor's test paper." Rules are an important part of living together. They help to keep us safe, and to keep things fair for everyone.

There are rules everywhere--at home, in school, on the road, at work and even at church. When we hear them, most rules make sense. There are a few rules, however, that sound pretty outrageous. For example:

1. In Missouri, it is illegal to drive down the highway with an uncaged bear in your car.

2. Restaurants in Kansas are not allowed to serve cherry pie with ice cream on Sundays.

3. In Illinois, it is illegal to give a lighted cigar to your pets.

4. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has a law which prevents housekeepers from hiding dirt under the rug.

5. And my personal favorite--In Arizona, donkeys are not allowed to sleep in bathtubs. This law was passed in 1924 following an incident involving a donkey, a bathtub and a flood.

The Bible is loaded with rules, too. Sometimes it can be hard to remember and try to follow all of God's rules, but Jesus made it easier. He said the two most important rules are these:

1. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and

2. You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Jesus explained that if we live our lives following these two rules--love God and love your neighbor as yourself--we will be following all of God's rules.

Please pray with me. 
Loving God, we thank-you for putting us into community with you and with other people. We thank you for our families, our friends, our church family, our neighbors. Help us to follow your rules by loving you and loving all of your children. Amen.

It's Pentecost!

 Prop: Make streamers of red, orange and yellow for each congregant. These can be made by stapling together strips of crepe paper, or tying lengths of ribbon in a knot. Here's a photo of the ribbon streamers I made:

Since COVID, our church does not have the children come to the front. I tell the story, either from the center of the chancel, floor level at the top of the aisle, or sometimes walking up and down the aisle. The story, geared to youth, is told to the whole congregation. Here's the Pentecost story:

Before I tell the story, did everyone receive a set of streamers? I want you to pretend that this is fire, and when I get to the part in the story where I mention "wildfire," everyone wave their streamers and keep waving until I stop waving mine, OK? Let's practice. "Wildfire!" (Wave your streamer.) Great! OK, let's begin.

Raise your hand if you have ever been to a children's birthday party. Did you play games at this party?--maybe pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey, have a scavenger hunt or a pinata? Did the birthday child receive gifts? What kind of food did you have at this birthday party? Cake?!! And what happened BEFORE you ate the cake? (Candles lit; everyone sang "Happy Birthday"; child made a wish; blew out candles)

Well, today is Pentecost--the birthday of Christ's Church. There were no party games at this first Pentecost, but there was excitement, and wind and fire--like birthday candles--and a very special gift. Let me tell you what happened. (Read Acts 2:1-8 in Eugene Peterson's, The Message.)

As he had promised, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to the Christian community on that day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit is God with us today. The Holy Spirit helps us to live the way that God wants us to live--showing respect and kindness to others, being honest and caring. The Holy Spirit unites us in our faith, brings us together, cares for us and helps us to love and understand one another, as if we are all speaking the same language. The Holy Spirit is God's gift to us on this birthday of the Church, and every day.

Happy Pentecost! Happy Birthday!

St. Patrick

 March 17, 2024 - or any year!

Today is St. Patrick’s Day, and I have a few questions for you to commemorate this important holiday.

1.    What do you get when you cross a 4-leaf clover with poison ivy? A rash of good luck.

2.    How do musicians show off on St. Patrick’s Day? They play their brag-pipes.

3.    What do you call a leprechaun prank? A St. Pat-Trick.

4.    Finally, who, exactly, was St. Patrick?

St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. Patrick lived a long, long time ago, and the people of Ireland believe that he is in heaven protecting and watching over them. Most countries have one or more patron saints. The most popular is the patroness saint Mary, the mother of Jesus. She is the patroness saint of the United States, in fact. But back to Ireland and St. Patrick…The interesting thing is, Patrick wasn’t Irish.

He was born in Great Britain to wealthy parents near the end of the 4^th century. His family was not particularly religious. When he was 16 years old, Patrick was kidnapped by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family estate. They took him to Ireland where he spent six years as a slave.

During this time, he worked as a shepherd, tending sheep outdoors and away from people. He became lonely, cold and afraid. He turned to the religion of his childhood for comfort, and became a devoted Christian.

Finally, Patrick escaped. He made his way back to Britain. He wrote that an angel told him in a dream that God wanted him to return to Ireland as a missionary. Patrick studied Christianity for over 15 years, was ordained a priest and returned to Ireland with a two-part mission:

1.    To minister to the few Christians already in Ireland, and

2.    To tell all of the Irish people about God’s love for them in Jesus.

Patrick was a brave and faithful man. He did a lot of good for the Irish people—so much that the people of that country—Catholics and Protestants—agree that Patrick deserves to be the nation’s patron saint. Irish immigrants brought their love of St. Patrick with them when they came to the United States, and that’s why we all celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, whether we are Irish or not!