On Fire: Blessed from Acts 4:32-37 on November 1, 2020

So, do you feel blessed?

In this season of Thanksgiving, in spite of the election, and in spite of COVID, do you sense that in some way that God has blessed you?

Are you planning to take time to gather with the ones you love and celebrate the grace God has surrounded you with, the blessings material and otherwise, the relationships with family and friends near and far, which have sustained you over the last year?

Some of you know that old hymn “Count your blessings”.

It goes like this:

When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

Refrain:
Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your blessings, see what God has done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will be singing as the days go by.

It seems to me, that one of the great blessings of the Thanksgiving season is our counting and recounting of the blessings. Seeing them. Naming them. Sharing them.

To see objectively what is happening in our lives, not from the point of view of our trials and troubles, misgivings and issues, but from the observatory of what God has done on our behalf. What God has done, not only blessing us with needs met, but also blessing us with opportunities – to be a blessing to others!

Someone said recently that the challenge in life is to see your glass as half full, not half empty. Someone else noted with a bit of irony, that perhaps we should also notice that we have a glass, and perhaps, something to put in it!

And that seems to be what is happening in the early church community in Jerusalem after Peter and John’s release from prison. The community is seeing God at work and feeling amazingly blessed.

It is as if they now understand that God can provide in all kinds of situations, and that they don’t need to worry about going without, because as fast as they are giving what God has given them away, God is busy refilling their cups.

I have shared this before but one of the great gratitude stories I have heard is the one Carolee Union shared at one of our church retreats. Carolee unfortunately has since passed away, going on to her great reward, but before she did, what a blessing she was for us.

She told us of her gratitude journal, a book she created to force herself to look and see what God was doing to bless her, even when she was not paying attention, or when she felt just overwhelmed by life.

She said that one morning she sat at her table and was just struggling with no idea what to write in the gratitude book. And then a beautiful cardinal came and sat on her window sill, and so she opened her Gratitude Journal and wrote: “Thank you today for the gift of that beautiful red blessing!”

And as her mind turned more and more towards gratitude, little blessings became more obvious and then were added to the book.

Do you feel blessed?

Sometimes when we are struggling with life, in a true wrestling match with illness or jobs or a lack of income or family issues or even addiction, we just don’t see what God is doing on our behalf!

We don’t see how God is suppling our needs, including our NEED to be generous.

You heard me, didn’t you?

We don’t see how God is supplying our needs, including that essential spiritual NEED to be generous.

We as God’s children, need, right down deep in the center of our souls, in the center of our spirit, in the center of the Holy Spirit’s presence in us, to be generous!

That’s what was happening in Jerusalem!

The children of God were mimicking their Lord and Savior, using all that God had given them, to take care of God’s people, just as God had been doing for them.

Mimicking is how children learn. We all know that.

Lately our grandson Noah has been taking sticks and plastic hangers and whatever he can find and making chainsaw noises, because he saw his father put on the chaps and goggles and ear protection and cut up logs up at the cottage at Loon Lake.

Noah even found a strap of some kind and hung it over his ears as ear protection as he cut up all those imaginary logs! As Rachel said on Friday, “I never thought I would tell my toddler, ‘let’s go upstairs to play with your chainsaws before bed!’”

Because he is mimicking what he has seen his father do, just as these folks in Jerusalem as now mimicking what they have seen their Heavenly Father do for them - use his resources to take care of the least of these.

Even Barnabus, the son of encouragement, jumps in to do what he can, and sells a piece of land so that the folks who need a blessing have a blessing, and becomes himself a conduit of God’s love.

It is often said that the Dead Sea is dead, because everything flows into it, but nothing flows out of it. So, if you are feeling a bit dead inside, consider all the ways you could take your many blessings and share them with others.

The opportunities are endless!

Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes, Thanksgiving Baskets, and food for the backpacks we take to the Otisville Elementary School to help some children who need a breakfast and lunch on the weekend.

We can send a card to someone who we know needs a blessing, we could make that phone call, or stop by and visit with an old friend socially distanced.

Taking some of the Holy Spirit’s energy in us and volunteer at the food pantry or offer to come up to the church and organize some of the stuff we have accumulated and not used for 6 months.

You see, as our faith grows, our need to control our destiny through wealth slips away. Then it is replaced by first, a desire to relieve the suffering of others and second, a desire to grow the Christian community through the resources God has blessed us with!

So, do you feel blessed?

If so, what are you doing with your blessings?

Use them to bless others!

In Jesus name! Amen!

On Fire: Brave from Acts 4:23-31 on October 25, 2020

So,

I suspect, since you are here in worship this morning, that you are a person who prays! Yes?

And, maybe you have made it into a regular discipline. If so, congratulations. Connecting yourself up regularly to God’s presence, Jesus’ passion, and the Spirit’s power is a really, really good idea!

Or perhaps you are the kind of person who prays when you remember, when things are going rough, or when you become aware of someone in need.

It’s not a bad thing. Every prayer counts and every prayer makes a difference, in you and in God’s plans.

Of course, we all know the idea is to pray early and often, but if you find that your prayers are perhaps a bit haphazard that’s okay too.

Almost all of us have had times of great enthusiasm, as well as times where life’s events have overwhelmed our schedules and left us at the end of the day, almost prayerless!

Instead of feeling bad, the best solution is the one most fitness expert’s give their charges that have fallen off the fitness plan!

Start again! Don’t feel bad. No guilt! Just do it!

The idea is to pray when you can, and then look for ways to add to your prayer times. Maybe instead of listening to the radio in the car on the way to work once in a while, take a few moments to pray first.

Or before you watch the evening news offer up a prayer, and certainly right after, please pray!

The bottom line is prayer matters!

And not only individual prayer, but also what is called corporate prayer! That is the prayers of the gathered, the body of Christ lifting up our words of thanks, as well as our words of supplication, that is asking God to work in our situations for healing and more, and intercession, that is asking God to work in the lives of others.

It's something we do on Sundays four times as the community of faith gathers and connects. We share both joys and concerns at 9:00am, 9:30am, 11:00am and at 5:30pm (until next Sunday when we will meet at 4:00pm after the Time Change).

In fact, as a church we are known for our praying, and often have people contact the church or church members to ask us to pray, to ask for prayer blankets, or connect with a worship gathering so they can add prayer concerns and joys.

And as an advertising aside, be sure to note that you can add prayer concerns to our Church App’s prayer wall (https://tithely.app.link/Otisville-Mt-Hope-Presbyterian-Church) or send a note to me to add you to our Facebook Group called “Prayer Concerns”, a private, hidden, Facebook group, just for joys and concerns.

And here is the golden ticket – we will pray! And we will see together what God has in mind to do when God asks us to gather and then promises to be in our midst!

We pray fearlessly, boldly, bravely, because we know with confidence that God will be moving in the lives of his people because of our prayers.

But today’s story about Peter and John and the healing of the lame man suggest another possibility for prayer. Prayer can move God. But prayer can also move us!

Sometimes I think we get it in our head that prayer is all about moving God. And I’m not sure that is mistaken. God desires that we pray and God is moved by our prayers, especially when the community prays with focus and determination.

But prayer is also about moving us, focusing our attention, reminding us of our calling, unifying the community so that when we are done praying, we are ready to head out into the world, knowing God is with us as we confront the issues we have just prayed about.

Just like what happened to the followers of Jesus who prayed after Peter and John’s return that God would make them brave to continue the very ministry that had gotten Peter and John in trouble.

Luke tells us “the meeting place shook. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and (they all) bravely spoke God’s message”.

They prayed and God answered! Whoo hoo! If only every prayer was like that!

But look at what they prayed for and what the answer was!

They prayed they would be empowered to do the very work God had called them to - without fear, and God’s answer was more Holy Spirit.

You see, it turns out prayer matters! But what you pray for also matters!

And sometimes, unlike these disciples in Jerusalem, I think we pray to be timid!

I suppose you might want to disagree with me, but I think it’s true. Being the answer to our own prayers - could, I’m just saying - be a lot of hard work.

We want healing, but are not always on board with becoming the healers.

We want people to find jobs, but are not necessarily offering to be come the ones offering jobs, or telling each about jobs. And on and on it goes!

We want our students and teachers to thrive, but are not necessarily ready - personally – to become the supports our students, parents, teachers and administrators need right now.

We want a little space perhaps to be able to have what a friend in state government work called “plausible deniability”.

Thinking, well, maybe God didn’t answer that prayer. Or someone got in God’s way.

When in fact the problem might actually be that we were willing to pray, but not willing to be part of the answer God sent!

You and I!

Peter and John came back and they prayed to be brave!

What are we praying for to happen to our church?

Are we ready to be brave?

May it be so, Lord Jesus. Amen!

On Fire: Over Forty from Acts 4:13-22 on October 18

 When the Spirit moves, we go! 

And when we go with the Spirit, things happen! 

People notice when people are healed and ask questions! 

And sometimes they get upset! 

But here is the best part! The man who was healed was more than 40 years old. 

Now why Luke felt it was important that his readers of the Acts of the Apostles know this is anyone’s conjecture. Maybe because in those days 40 years old - was old! Maybe because his readers needed to have another reminder that he had been living lame since birth. 

And we don’t know why the man was lame. 

Sue and I have been watching a show on Hulu called “My feet are killing me” about two podiatrists and foot and ankle surgeons who tackle the most amazing foot and ankle issues. 

So, because we now have our degrees in TV Doctorhood, we are curious, for the lame man, was it his feet that were the problem or his ankles or knees or hips, or his muscles or tendons? 

We don’t know! What we do know is that God healed the man and now, the authorities are angry and confused, because Peter said Jesus did it! 

The men who have been part of this healing (and note, the formerly lame man is with them – pretty remarkable evidence, since it is likely everyone in the room had seen him begging outside the Temple) are not typical problem people. 

They aren’t villains, they aren’t rabble-rousers, they aren’t rioters and looters, they aren’t even heretics! They are plain old typical blue collars working stiffs, who don’t have an education, but now are chin deep in confronting the authorities with a problem. 

The authorities, Peter reminds them, “you folks” let Jesus be killed! They sent him to Pilate! They accused him of blasphemy! And all because of what he was teaching and who he implied he was. 

Now, they knew of the miracles and the stories of healings. But those events didn’t happen right in the middle of the Temple! And they didn’t happen with a man everyone had known for years and years was unable to walk. 

But here he was, exhibit A - and they had no idea what to do! 

Back to the foot doctors, Dr. Ebonie Vincent and Dr. Brad Schaffer sometimes are surprised too by the crazy stuff that happens to feet and ankles. But at least on the TV show, they know exactly what to do. Numb it up, cut it off, screw it together and off you go. 

It’s all miraculous too, but not like this. 

This healing has not only changed the lame man’s life; it has changed the relationship between the church and the Temple. 

Now thousands want to know about Jesus, and while the church is overwhelmed trying to scale up to a worshipping community of 5-8000 people, the Temple authorities are scared that their influence, and therefore their cash flow is going down the tubes. 

Imagine a church community that doesn’t need a big expensive building! That doesn’t need to heat and light up that building! That can shift its budget from wood and stone, to caring for and about people. 

Every church in the world right now is facing that new challenge. Asking… 

How do we care for the people God has entrusted to us? 

How do we love these people Christ has touched through his healing power? 

Especially when they don’t come here, when they don’t spend lots of time in our Sanctuary and Fellowship Hall and classrooms, when they don’t even live here, but live all over the world, but are part of our worshipping and rejoicing community because Jesus has touched their lives and healed them? 

“What do we do”, the religious authorities of Jesus day wondered, “when these healed folks don’t throw every coin they have into the massive cornucopia’s at the front of the Temple”? 

When instead, they use whatever resources they have, to instead grow the faith community’s ability to reach needy people? Because that is exactly what the church in Jerusalem was doing! 

Now don’t misunderstand, they still needed the upper rooms, they still needed the Apostles to preach and teach, they still needed to take care of the folks around them who needed dinner because where they came from that night, nobody offered them any. 

The community was safe and secure! But the institution was in danger! 

And when the institution is in danger, what happens? It clamps down! 

They said, “don’t talk about this Jesus!” 

“Don’t tell them about the miracle you just saw!” 

“Don’t be healing people!” 

“Don’t use the internet to bring hope to the world!” 

And then, they thought, the institution would be fine, unless… 

This was God’s doing! 

God at work in this. It has to make you wonder, doesn’t it? 

Did you know that according to Facebook, our page “Otisville Presbyterian” has reached just short of 8,000 people? 

You do understand we really can’t fit 8,000 people inside here? 

But the church isn’t a building, it’s a community of faith, it’s a body made of many parts, parts that aren’t necessarily in the same zip code. 

What matters is that we are bringing the healing grace of Jesus to the world, just like those Apostles did. 

And God is using our faltering efforts to build his kingdom! 

Because when we bring healing to this world… then the testimony of the church about the power of Jesus is redemptive! 

Amen? And Amen! 

On Fire: Speaking Truth from Acts 4:1-12 on October 11

When the Spirit moves, we go!

And when we go with the Spirit, things happen!

Last week we were talking about the man born lame who was sitting at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple, who was healed, and then went into the Temple walking, and leaping, and praising God.

And I said, “It turns out that if healing is not happening in our community because the church and its people are not in the community… then the testimony of the church about the power of Jesus is without evidence!”

This is huge! This matters! This is essential!

If there is NO evidence of Jesus’ healing power, then no one will be listening to the church’s testimony.

This is gospel truth right here, so pay attention!

If we are too busy, if we are too wrapped up in our own stuff, if we are too wrapped up in what is happening in our isolated little church building to make a difference in our communities on Jesus behalf…

Then no one will be listening to our testimony about Jesus!

So, maybe, just maybe, while I don’t think God sent this horrible virus, it may be that God is using it to get the church and its people out the door of our buildings, so that we can engage in healing this world and thereby bringing the testimony of God’s love and power to it.

But…

Be aware, when we go outside the building, there may be those who will oppose what we are doing and saying.

Because sometimes, when we go and do and tell, others get upset.

Why?

Because sometimes change is uncomfortable and scary!

Sometimes change upsets the establishment, and can make them fearing losing their power and authority.

Sometimes when God starts to shake the tree, not only does the ripe fruit fall, but so does some of the rotten apples.

As happened with Peter and John.

They were still in the Temple with the formerly lame man, and were explaining to the people what had just happened, who Jesus was, and why they should put their faith in him and join the growing community of followers of Jesus.

And then the authorities came to get them.

They arrested them and took them to jail, because they were upsetting the carefully laid plans of the religious authorities, and were preaching that there was a resurrection of the dead.

This sounds crazy!

Because to our ears it seems like such an odd thing to be worried about, especially since there were some other sects in Israel that believed in resurrection.

But the Sadducees did not, as well as some others, and some felt that only the “official theology” should be spoken of in the Temple.

According to Luke some 5000 people had started following Jesus and become part of the faith community that was meeting with the Apostles because of what had happened to the lame man.

And some authorities felt that something needed to be done to squash this movement immediately and get things back under official control.

Imagine if the church in this generation, in this community, unafraid of the consequences, was bringing healing to so many lives that the officials nearby were worried that folks were no longer sick and struggling, and the church was growing too fast!

Too much traffic, people parking all over in weird ways, no food left at the stores in town as everyone went to get an egg sandwich after church.

Except that with COVID, that’s not what is happening in the building. Instead it’s happening online. Right now, that is where our impact in transformed lives is happening just as much as in person.

Where people on Sunday at 11:00am are hearing God’s word and being challenged to live transformed lives right where they are.

So, what if we decided that what we need to do, is not be shy, and careful, and just hope things go back to the way they were, but instead decided to go and bring God’s presence with power to the online community.

What if we decided transform our sanctuary into a studio with space for all the folks we need to help us be online?

Where instead of just poor John and Elizabeth squeezed into a corner, and Wendy at home doing the tasks of 6 or 7 people, that all seven tech people we need were able to make sure that every person who joins us online is invited in, greeted, connected, loved and given an opportunity to let us know what they need right now from God, so that we can pray and care and bring the Holy spirit’s power to bare in their lives!

So that we had room for an internet director, screen producer, in house sound person, internet sound person, camera operator, online hosts for Facebook, and online hosts for the Website and app.

Bringing God’s healing power to every person we meet so that we have an opportunity to share with them the amazing good news that Jesus of Nazareth is the only begotten son of God in whom you can place your faith and know that for all eternity you will be in his care.

Not just on the streets of Otisville, but to this whole broken world. So amazing that while the streets of Otisville are quiet and empty, the world is meeting Jesus because of this small unassuming sanctuary at the corner of Main and Orchard streets.

Because when the Spirit moves, we go! And when we go with the Spirit, things happen! And we have decided to go, no matter what stands in our way, just like Peter and John.

And all God’s people said, Amen!

On Fire Healing from Acts 3:1-10 on October 4

So,

When the Spirit moves, we go!

At least that is what the Book of the Acts of the Apostles seems to make clear. By the way, that is the full name of the book.

This book of the bible is not the story of the apostles hanging out, eating good food, making good worship music, and caring about just themselves!

Rather the story is all about the acts, the deeds, the ministries, the transformational power applied, as the church goes about fulfilling the Great Commission, preaching in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the world; while also fulfill the Great Commandment to Love God and neighbors.

It’s a chronological account of what happened when the Apostles left the upper room and did what they were supposed to do.

Folks, we need to listen carefully to this, because that commission and that commandment are for us too!

What matters in God’s kingdom is not what we do in here, in this lovely church building!

Don’t get me wrong, God loves our worship and our fellowship!

But what God rejoices in, is jubilant about, is what we do out there beyond the walls of the church, when we love our neighbors in the same way Jesus did.

Healing them, introducing them to Jesus, using our resources to build the community, and then doing it all over again and again!

Now centuries ago, when I took my preaching classes in seminary, they told us the best approach to sharing God’s word with folks is to make one point and make it clear and concise. And that has been my practice for all these years.

But that last week I made four points and I need to do it again, well, just three, because I want you to see this story from Acts 3 as an amazing example of what happens when God’s people go!

It’s all about when Peter and John one day went to the Temple.

This day, they not only worshipped there, but they also brought the transformational power of Jesus Christ to a man in need of a Savior and did it by loving healing him!

How did that happen?

Well a man born lame was laid by the Temple gates each day so he could beg to support himself. Understand, this was a normal and acceptable thing to do when you had no possible way of supporting yourself.

The people passing by who offer him alms, and he would take them to provide for his own food and shelter.

But when Peter and John saw him, they knew there was something else that needed to be done. So they decided to go and make a difference, one two, three!

First, they were unafraid!

What an amazing transformation for Peter, from the one who denied Jesus, to the one who goes boldly to the Temple with John and then shakes up everything by bringing the healing presence of Jesus to a man in need!

Yes, this is the Peter that preached on Pentecost. Yes, this is the Peter who was told by Jesus to “feed his sheep!” Yes, this is the Peter who so many of us identify with because he is such a bundle of contradictions.

But here, he is bold, and God honors boldness in caring for others!

Second, even though they had given all their money to the church community to enable it to do amazing things back in that upper room, they were unafraid to offer what they did have to the man in need: the power and presence of the Holy Spirit!

So often, we feel like we have nothing to offer when the needs are so big!

But that’s not the truth!

The truth is that we travel with God’s presence and so, even if we can’t, God can.

We just need to do what we can at the moment!

Simply offering to pray for another person can be the very bit of hope they need to get through another day. Don’t minimize what you bring to the table! Ever!

Third, they transformed the life of this man born lame.

Now he can walk! Now he can run! Now, he can jump for joy!

And most importantly, now he has met Jesus and the community of faith and can tell everyone about it!

The community of faith is to go!

Not hide in the church buildings, not be so focused on our own little world over here that we fail to see and then to go where the places of need are!

We have to be out and about bringing God’s presence in whatever way we can, with food, with a prayer blanket, with a moment to talk, a pat on the back, a word of praise, or of comfort, or of encouragement!

Our presence matters! Our presence matters!

Write it down: our presence matters! God is using us to reach this world, and so we have to be prepared to go!

And here is the biggest thing of all!

It turns out that if healing is not happening in our community because the church and its people are not in the community… then the testimony of the church about the power of Jesus is without evidence!

Did you hear that?

It turns out that if healing is not happening in our community because the church and its people are not in the community… then the testimony of the church about the power of Jesus is without evidence!

It is only when we bring transformational power to the people of this world that they begin to listen to the testimony about God’s love and the wonder of Jesus grace and the power of the Holy Spirit!

So, we need to be just like those followers of Jesus, Peter and John and all the rest!

We need to go, and we need to bring the healing power of Jesus to this world. 

Amen!