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!

Hi, My Name Is...

Interim Pastor's First Day 
November 19, 2023

Today I start a new position as Bridge Pastor of a small congregation. Years ago, I read of a children's message for this occasion, in which the new Interim Pastor entered the sanctuary dragging a small suitcase behind her. During the children's sermon, she introduced herself, opened the suitcase and showed the children the items she had brought to outfit her office for the time they would spend together--things like a Bible, her in-home communion kit, her laptop, a collection of stoles, etc. Her time with them would be relatively short, she said. She would not be their pastor for years and years, like her predecessor. She explained how much she was looking forward to getting to know each of them, and of being their pastor, and of helping the church while it looked for a new minister. 

Then on her last Sunday, during the children's time, she packed up her suitcase with the same items, put in a couple of new things which would remind her of her experience at XYZ church, told them how much she had enjoyed being their pastor, that her job was done and they would now have the fun of getting to know their new minister. At the end of the service, she walked down the aisle, pulling her suitcase behind her. 

Unfortunately, I don't remember the name of the person who posted this brilliant idea originally, but I do plan to use it this morning. Thanks so much to its creator!

Servanthood

 Mark 10:35-45

I have a confession to make.  I spend too much time on my phone.  Do you know anyone who has this same problem?  Sometimes I tell myself, "I'll just check Facebook real quick to see whose birthday it is so I can post "Happy Birthday" wishes.  Then, 45 minutes later, I'm still staring at my phone.  The other day, however, I read something on Facebook that was actually worth my time.

A woman named Darlene posted a story about a FedEx driver named Rondy, who was on the road, delivering packages.  As he drove by a mobile home park, he noticed an elderly gentleman in the ditch by the side of the road.  He seemed to be having difficulty, so Rondy pulled a U-turn and went to the older man's aid.  It turned out that the man was walking home from the food bank with groceries in a push cart, when he became overwhelmed by the heat.  He fell into the ditch with his cart, and could barely stand.  Rondy was helping the 75-year-old when two other people stopped to offer their service as well.  They helped the struggling man home so that Rondy could get back to his job, delivering packages.

Jesus calls us to serve one another; to be helpful and kind.  In this way, we serve God and help to make the world what God intended for it to be all along--a kind and loving home for all people.

Prayer:

Loving God, we thank you for Rondy and people like him, who put aside their own agendas to help those in need.  Help me to serve you by serving others, too.  AMEN.

      FedEx driver Rondy, lending a helping hand
      Posted on Facebook by Darlene Griffith Pittman
      June 15, 2023

New Season: New Life

 A Story for the Coming of Spring

Tomorrow, March 20, at 5:24pm, marks the Spring Equinox.  In other words, tomorrow is the first day of Spring!  

People of different cultures welcome the arrival of spring in a variety of ways—

·       Every year, hundreds of thousands of people climb 360 steps up the ancient Pyramid of the Sun near Mexico City.   When they get to the top, they throw their arms up to the sun and welcome Springtime.

·       In India, the first day of Spring is called the Festival of Colors.  During this festival, people walk through the streets, throwing colored powder on each other.

·       In Gloucester, England, they roll a huge wheel of cheese down a steep street called Cooper’s Hill.

     The people of Thailand reach for their cannon-sized water guns, buckets, pressure hoses, or any other creative way they can think of to drench their neighbors in water on the first day of spring.

·       And finally, each Spring Equinox, at sunrise, people living in the town of Zenica in Bosnia, gather at the Bosna River and enjoy a community breakfast of scrambled eggs.

Spring is a season worth celebrating!  It is a season of promise and hope as we see new life springing up all around us.  Each day in springtime grows longer and warmer.  There are fresh, new leaves coming out on the trees, and beautiful flowers like daffodils and crocus tell us that Spring has arrived.  

Christians around the world welcome Spring with joy.  When Spring comes, we know that Easter will soon be here.  And Easter is the most important day of the year for those who love and follow Jesus.

You’ll hear more about Easter and why it is such an important day in the coming weeks.  For now, let’s thank God for Spring and all the promise and new life it holds.

MOVING DAY

God's Call to Abram and Sarai

2nd Sunday in Lent, Year A
Genesis 12:1-4a
Prop: A moving box

Good morning!  How many of you have moved from one home to another?  How many of you have always lived in the same home?  When I was young, my family and I moved around a lot.  I was born in Hollywood, California.  Then when I was five weeks old (I barely remember it), my family and I moved to Western Springs, Illinois.  Then we moved to Park Forest, IL, then to Union, Missouri, then back to Park Forest, then to Belleville, Illinois, then back to California.  A few weeks later, I started third grade. 

Moving from one home to another is a lot of work.  You have to go through everything you own, decide whether to take it with you, sell it, give it away or trash it.  You put all of your toys, books and clothes in boxes which often get loaded into a big truck with your furniture and taken to your new home.  Once your stuff arrives, it has to be taken off the truck and put away at the new place.  It’s exhausting!

Many, many years ago—about 3,900 years ago—God asked a man named Abram and his wife, Sarai, to move to a new place.  Abram and Sarai were used to moving.  They were nomads, and their home was a tent.  They would set up camp in a place and live there for a while, and then move to a new place where there was new grass for the animals to eat, fresh water, a different view of the desert.  But God wanted them to move to someplace far, far from the land they called home.  It would be like starting over completely.  They wouldn’t be able to visit their old friends and their family would be far away, too. 

God had an important reason for asking Abram and Sarai to move away from everything and everyone they knew to start over again.  God wanted to do something brand, new.  He wanted Abram and Sarai to be the start of a new nation—a nation of people devoted to God.  God said, ““Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. ² And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.”

And do you know what?  They went.  They packed up their tent and all of their stuff, loaded everything onto camels and headed off to a new adventure, a new life, a new relationship with God.  They stepped outside of their comfort zones in faith.  God richly blessed Abram and Sarai and in turn they were a blessing to others.  

Thanks be to God!