Sunday, June 25,2017, Pentecost 3, Bishop visitation (full size gallery)
We have just experienced a very busy week:
1. 5 days of Vacation Bible School
2. Village Harvest on Wednesday
3. All the preparations for the Bishop’s visit. The Bishop returned from Kenya on Tuesday and so the schedule had to be coordinated with his staff. The outside sign on the street was painted by Pitts Brothers. Preparations were made by Mike and Catherine to paint the historic sign on the church. The Prayer Walk had to be written and tested as well Prayers of Blessing for the service. Susan Tilt led a group of volunteers to prepare the luncheon after the service.
The readings are here. The readings show Jeremiah, Paul and to a certain extent Jesus. on the defensive.
Bishop Shannon helped several events.beginning at 8:30am
1. Prayer Walk
2. Painting of outside sign just before the service
3. Blessings of recent projects during the last part of the service
The Bishop spoke at 10am to the 4 people being received – John and Toni Faibisy, Woody and Cherry Everett and and to Felicia Huffman being confirmed. We are pleased they made this decision.
He made the following points:
1. Church is based on community. Participant in confirmation and reception makes several promises – renounce evil, renew commitment to Jesus . God makes a promise to you – I will be with you and I will nourish your life.
2. It is a special grace that will make a difference that is imparted in these events. You may feel a new call into something, an awakening. You should start see how God moves in your life. It may something that those in your family notices.
3. Keep open to Jesus so you know it when you see it so you can understand why you doing this. Enjoy what surprises of grace will come your way
4. Bishop Shannon was confirmed at age 12 which was traditional in his parish. He hated church and skipped out across the street since his mother was in the choir. However, at age 14 he was called into the priesthood in changing classes from biology to Algebra. He felt a voice providing direction. He took that direction and connected with Father Jim in his church.
We had 53 in the service. Besides the above we recognized the anniversaries of the Bill and Nancy Wick (41) and Roger and Eunice Key (40).
The reception featured barbecue, many casseroles and a desert tray of chocolate cake and an apple cake by Brad. Thanks for Susan Tilt for organizing it
The reading of Pentecost 3 help us to recognize that God’s strength will always help us as we witness to our faith. In the face of terror, the prophet Jeremiah remembers God’s promises. Paul reminds the Roman community that God’s great gift of salvation overflows freely. In the gospel, Jesus reassures his disciples of their great worth to God.
In the Old Testament, In a series of six laments or “confessions” Jeremiah reveals more of his personal struggle than any other Old Testament prophet.
Jeremiah has been beaten and put in stocks for announcing the Lord’s judgment (19:14–20:2). He then accuses the Lord of having deceived him since it hasn’t happened. Though he preaches God’s word of judgment, destruction has not come and Jeremiah is feeling like a fool. But he cannot keep silent. Jeremiah’s own proclamation, “terror is on all around,” (6:25, 20:3) has been turned against him as a mockery (20:10). Yet he recalls the promise of the Lord’s presence (1:8, 19, 15:20) and recommits himself to God’s purposes.
Paul in the Epistle also has to defend himself. Paul defends himself against the charge (3:8; 6:1) that his emphasis upon grace as a free gift not dependent upon works was an encouragement to sin (5:20). He replies by pointing out the fact and nature of the Christian’s new relationship to God: in baptism the Christian has died to sin. The waters of baptism identify the believer with Christ, indeed with the very act of redemption–his death and resurrection. By Jesus’ act, the penalty for sin–death–has been paid; baptism credits us with that payment. The Christian has put off, like old clothes, the old “body of sin”–not the physical body as opposed to the soul, but the sinful impulses of both body and mind. The Christian is no longer enslaved to sin, for Paul asserts that death in baptism frees one from sin.
Today’s Gospel reading is a part of Jesus’ instructions to the Twelve (10:1-42), whom he sends out to continue his ministry. Matthew, however, indicates that he sees persecution as part of the normal life of the Church rather than as a special sign of the end.Disciples are encouraged three times (10:26, 28, 31) not to fear what any person can do. In contrast to fearing people, the fear of God is an open, reverent, humble awe. The death and resurrection of Jesus show that those who kill the body cannot separate disciples from God and from fullness of life. The denial or acknowledgement of Christ is the touchstone of each disciple’s destiny.
Bishop Shannon’s sermon was on the Gospel.In part, it was a story of trying to preach this passage from the Gospel in seminary in the mid-80’s trying to make compromises to fit the time. (He said later that Matthew 10:24-39 and the one of the demoniac and the pigs Matthew 8:28-34 were two of the toughest passages to preach).
He presented a sermon on this passage in seminary for O. C. Edwards homiletics class and any who dropped in. Edwards was a famous scholars – they were using a book that he written for the class. Bishop Shannon said in the class the verse should be interpreted different in our time without the drastic consequences; it should be blended into the fabric of life and seen in the meaning of our own time. It was really not a call to deny your family or carry the cross to the death. That was in the past.
In the end, he failed to connect not only with his teacher in interpreting the scripture incorrectly but also the student. Basically, Edwards said he got it wrong. He remembers that day to the present and has sought to re-interpret the scripture to what it was intended.
We often see Jesus as a lovely man who is close to children and carries lambs. Part of this is true but the message of Jesus does tear lives apart. There is a heavy cost of discipleship that is part of the Gospel. It does divide families.
The Christian message is counter cultural since it emphasizes the transformation of culture according to the principles that are in the Gospel which comes down to love. We should not use religion to create band aid solutions that soft pedal the gospel.
Jesus was offensive to the culture he grew up in, both the Jews and the Roman. People were called upon to choose the path they would tread.
Religion challenges our predominant culture. The largest temptation is trying to fit faith into our lives rather than for it to provide the direction. Discipleship’s price is to purge of us of temptation and to choose the way of Jesus, to know the power of life.