narciejeter

Psalm 23 Sermon

Posted on April 17, 2016April 17, 2016 by narciejeter

I picked two scriptures from the lectionary today, we will explore one first and then the next. The first one is Psalm 23.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff—
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
my whole life long.

It was one of the scriptures my mother made us memorize when we were little and it is a familiar refrain in the Bible. Ryan talked about it last week, we, as sheep, tuning in to Jesus, our good shepherds, voice, tuning into our Master and Lord’s voice. In this particular passage, “He restores my soul,” is actually a statement of conclusion. In other words, green pastures and still waters are the way God restores our souls. And if we stop long enough to let God speak to us, we’ll discover that our souls need restoring. Especially at the end of the semester with the last three of days of class.

“He restores my soul” literally means He causes my life to return. The word restore means replenish, to return to its original state. Restoring my soul means God keeps me going and gives the enjoyment of life back to me. Notice it’s not some general or physical restoration—“He restores my soul.” I would always get sick at the end of the semester, whether it was over Christmas break or if it were May. My mom would say that I was running on adrenaline all during the semester, and if I didn’t take little moments to recharge then I would eventually burn out.

Those who really know God, also know God “makes” us lie down sometimes. We’re not smart enough or willing enough to do many things for our own good. But our Shepherd will do what the Shepherd needs to do to get us where we need to be—in green pastures—so God can restore our souls.

Soul is a very important word in the Bible. The Hebrew term nephesh can be translated soul, life, heart, or mind. Nephesh is the word used in Genesis 2:7 to describe what happened when God breathed into the clay figure He had made: “The man became a living creature [or soul].” Soul refers to the immaterial part of you that will survive beyond this life. The central thing that is most you about you is your soul. Your soul relates and responds to God.

So, if God continually “restores my soul,” how does God do it? First, “He makes me lie down in green pastures.” In Hebrew, “green pastures” literally means the tender grass. In sheep terms, it’s rich, lush feeding places from which the flock need never move to be satisfied. What do we do to get fed? What do we do to get our God fix?

Psalm 63 verses 1-4 talks about it this way, “O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name.”

“He leads me beside still waters.” God says, What are you doing over there? C’mon over here. This is where the water is quiet. This is where you can be refreshed. My living water is deep and plentiful. And it restores your soul. Sheep are scared by troubled waters, and so are we. God provides the still waters of God’s thirst-quenching presence. God can satisfy your deepest longings every time we turn to God.

A bit of poetry from Wisdom Path by Jan Richardson,

God of the waters,

help me to know

that there will be wilderness,

but the wilderness

will turn to green land;

that there will be desert,

but in the desert a spring;

that in the heart

of the rock

of my life

will begin to flow

a river

washing through the chasm of my soul;

and that I will walk

wet with memory

when again I touch

dry land.

Don’t you love that imagery. Through the chasm of my soul… I have the memory ot water even when I’m on dry land. In the original text, notice the word beside. This isn’t some down-to-the-river-and-out-again experience. Beside the still waters is where you can live your life. It isn’t a monthly or a weekly thing; it’s a daily, continuous replenishing. The psalmist of Psalm 121 wrote, “I lift up my eyes to the mountains — where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.” You’re walking with Christ beside still waters, walking in his ways, letting him lead and guide you as the good Shepherd he is. You’re alone with God, not thinking about the time. It’s quiet . . . and God’s restoring you. God actively seeks to restore your soul.

After my grandfather died, my gandaddy because I was the first grandchild and I couldn’t say my r’s when I was little, we gathered in his hospital room, all of his extended family. He had a heart attack and because it was so sudden we were all in shock. He was one of six boys and they were all farmers at one time or another. He went to Clemson when it was a military college and he was stationed at White Plains in El Paso where they were doing nuclear testing. He was a long-time educator in Williamsburg County, one of the counties off of the I-95 corridor, first as a math teacher and then as a principal. He loved Clint Eastwood movies and he challenged me to not use empty words like “cool.” He was our rock. Our constant. He lived #blacklivesmatter before it became a thing to stand for. For that matter, he stood for #alllivesmatter. And when we all crowded in the hospital room, we all joined together in saying Psalm 23. I’m so glad my mother made us memorize it as children. It comes in handy. When I don’t know what to pray. When I don’t know what end is up. When I just need some Jesus in my life. I pray it. I encourage each of you to write it on your hearts because when the rubber hits the road, it will come back to you. Lyrics to a song…Scripture passages you’ve memorized…the Holy Spirit will give you a nudge or a loud clanging cymbal about where you should go and who you are. Not only that, but whose you are.

Our other lectionary text for today is from Revelation 7:15-17 talking about those who come out of the great ordeal.

“¹⁵For this reason they are before the throne of God,
and worship him day and night within his temple,
and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them.
¹⁶They will hunger no more, and thirst no more;
the sun will not strike them,
nor any scorching heat;
¹⁷for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of the water of life,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Tune in to the Shepherd’s voice even when things seem insurmountable and the entire deck is stacked against you. Even when you barely hear the Shepherd’s voice, even when the shepherd’s voice is silent. Keep reading scripture, keep listening, keep doing all you can to connect to the Source of life – God. My prayer for all of you and for me is that God will give us the courage and strength to stand firm in the midst of every adversity, that Christ be our shelter and shield and he wield his sword of truth, and that the Holy Spirit blow over this place igniting anew and afresh our hopes, our dreams, our deepest longings.

You have below your seat a button and a card. The buttons say things like “Praise God,” “You are Loved,” “Joy,” “Be You,” “Shine Your Light,” and “Be Love.” I encourage you to “Be Love” because you are precious and Beloved. The card is a great quote of Frederick Buechner, “Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things happen. Don’t be afraid.” The Bible, nor Jesus, nor I – don’t promise the road is going to be easy, but God promises to always restore your soul and Jesus promises to never leave you nor forsake you.

This benediction was used at Old St. Paul’s Church in Baltimore, Maryland in 1692. It still rings true today. “Go placidly among the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms will all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant, they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you will become vain and bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism

Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither, be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of the spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gently with yourself.

You are a child of the universe, no less than the tress and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore, be at peace with God for he is greater than we can ever comprehend. Whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy.”

Choose joy. Be joy. Choose love. Be love. Choose hope. Be hope. Amen.

*The classic Dr. Seuss book “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” will be read for the graduating seniors.

Book of Worship, Colossians 3, Confession, Forgiveness, Peter Storey, Reconciliation, UMC

Confession, Forgiveness, Love Prayer Station

Posted on January 15, 2016March 6, 2016 by narciejeter

This past Wednesday, during our Evensong worship service, I gave the students a handout with these words on it. We read the confession together. Then I asked them to write with black sharpies on a black table cloth a couple of things.* Those things that they feel are hindering them from feeling God’s love, the personal and corporate sins they wanted to confess, the name of person(s) that they want to forgive, and their worries and fears. We have every Sunday and Wednesday, Communion, as well as a votive candle rack, so I asked them to ponder, light a candle, and focus on confession, forgiveness and love and then we would do Communion, a tangible sign of God’s love for each of us.

Lord Jesus Christ, you are the way of peace.

Come into the brokenness of our lives and our land

with your healing love.

Help us to be willing to bow before you in true, actual repentance,

and to bow to one another in real forgiveness.

Lead and guide us, O God our creator, to see anyone that we have

done actual harm or the harm of neglecting the others feelings.

By the fire of your Holy Spirit, melt our hard hearts

and consume the pride and prejudice which separate us.

Fill us, O Lord, with your perfect love, which casts out all fear,

and bind us together in that renewed reconciliation and unity.

May we trust that as we confess ALL of our sins both personal and corporate,

that Jesus, Emmanuel, will be faithful and true.

Renew us day by day by the power of the Living God that seeps into

us as we seek the freedom that comes from knowing that we are truly forgiven.

Revive in us a Spirit of forgiveness in our day to day lives, walking and living in

a way that leads to evidence of God’s kingdom coming to Earth.

Amen.

(based on BOW 482 and changed by me to fit this particular community – Cecil Kerr, Northern Ireland, 20^th Century)

“Make Me Merciful”

by Peter Storey

Holy Jesus, your forgiving love

Saves and disturbs me.

Without it, I am lost,

Yet, if I receive it, I must practice it.

By your mercy, make me merciful;

By your forgiveness, help me to forgive.

As I have been forgiven.

Amen.

Colossians 3:12-15 (NRSV)

¹²As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. ¹³Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. ¹⁴Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. ¹⁵And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.

I played Needtobreath’s “More Heart, Less Attack” and “Rivers in the Wasteland.”

Kristen Marshall created this prayer station.

Anger, anxious, Chosen, Emmanuel, exile, Fear, God, Identity

Worry

Posted on January 10, 2016March 6, 2016 by narciejeter

Isaiah 43:1-7

But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you. Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you, I give people in return for you, nations in exchange for your life. Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you; I will say to the north, “Give them up,” and to the south, “Do not withhold; bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the end of the earth— everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

How many times have you heard those words, or something similar? The song, “Don’t worry, be happy” is certainly catchy, but not as “Hakuna Matata.” Maybe what you heard was a distinctive New York accent saying, “Fuggedaboudit!”

Those four words — “Don’t worry about it” — are, in combination with each other, possibly the most useless words in the English language. You could say “no worries” and the words could mean very different things. Someone could say them honestly “no worries” and it means genuinely don’t worry about it or they could say “no worries” because they’re really mad that you made something they cared about seem trivial or you said something to hurt their feelings and when they saw it, they brushed it off.

They’re useless not because banishing worry isn’t a good idea. Certainly, it is. Duh. “Don’t worry about it” is advice routinely ignored and impossible to obey. It’s a clichéd phrase that often doesn’t get at the weight or depth of the issue.

Some psychologists — borrowing language from medical science — draw a distinction between acute anxiety and chronic anxiety. Acute anxiety, they say, is related to some immediate threat. Leonardo DiCaprio when he comes face to face with the grizzly bear in The Revenant has acute anxiety. You could say he’s experiencing acute anxiety and fear for most of the movie because he just reaches the double digits with his lines.

Yet, if you wake up each morning with a sense of free-floating dread, but have little idea where those dark forebodings come from — nor any idea when or how you’ll break free from them — then chances are, you’re a victim of chronic anxiety. My mom calls this the worry cycle. When you wake up every morning going down the list of worries…your family…your classes…your job…that particular test…that girl or guy that you like…what am I going to this summer…

The word “anxious” is historically related to a Latin word, angere, which literally means “to choke or strangle.” I figured it meant something along the lines of nervous, but I didn’t know it meant to choke or strangle.

There’s another English word that traces its lineage to the same Latin root. The word is angina — the sharp, piercing pain that precedes a heart attack. Angina arises when one of the coronary arteries becomes choked off by arterial plaque, blocking oxygen from reaching the heart muscle.

Anxiety, in other words, can kill you, if you let it fester.

Another English word that grows out of this Latin root, angere, is “anger.” Anxious people, as it so happens, are often angry people. They sense the breath of life being choked off from their soul, and so they lash out, flailing wildly in an effort to remove the threat, whatever they imagine it to be.

Anxious. Angina. Anger. It would be so easy to link this to Star Wars as leading to the Dark Side, but I won’t. In our 24 hour news cycle, we’ve gotten numb to the headlines. Would you say it is worse now, more violent now, more worrisome now?

Although we may imagine ourselves the most anxiety-ridden people ever, gazing back longingly, a quick look at the Scriptures reveals this is hardly the case. Speaking God’s word to the community of Israelites in Babylonian captivity, our text reminds us: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you. … For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior” (vv. 2-3). The good news of the salvation oracle in Isaiah 43 is that God directly addresses this experience of exile.

It can be hard for us to conceive just what Jewish people went through as they were uprooted from their homes, and transported to the Babylonian capital. Not everyone was compelled to relocate, of course — just the political, intellectual and economic elite, the ruling class. The Babylonian rulers seem to have followed the advice, “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” Settling the cream of Judah’s leadership in comfortable quarters, in a neighborhood of the city all their own, the Babylonian overlords made certain there were none from the defeated nation’s leadership who could raise a rebellion back home.

The entire identity of the Jewish people, by contrast, was rooted in their theological understanding of the land. They were proud to be the chosen people Moses had led out of Egypt to claim the land of milk and honey for their own. The land was the principal sign of the Lord’s favor, the continual reminder that they lived in a state of divine grace. The temple mount in Jerusalem was the spiritual center of their universe. Remember God’s broader plan of salvation is for ALL people, unlike what those Turlington preachers say, but God focused attention on the shocking particularity of God’s love for this one people, Israel, for whom God would pay any price.

When all this was suddenly snatched away from them, not only for their immediate physical circumstances, but, also, whether they could maintain an identity as the Lord’s chosen people without that tangible reality of the Promised Land. They also wondered how they could worship God apart from the cherished temple rites. Their cry of despair is echoed in Psalm 137:4: “How could we sing the LORD’S song in a foreign land?”

Isaiah assures them. He gives the people a word from the Lord. “I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” Who but the Lord could accomplish such a wonder, redeeming the exiles from their hopeless situation? How could such a miraculous release from their captivity happen, unless the Lord willed it? This prophetic passage pictures the exiles’ journey home, passing even through rushing rivers without hindrance or danger.

The image of passing safely through the waters may recall Song of Songs 8:7: “Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it.” What miraculous power is it that brings the exiles home, across the mighty Euphrates, but divine love? How is it that God can bring us out of the muck and mire of our own lives and set our feet on solid ground?

God is with us. We are not the first generation of human beings to feel inundated by worry. True, we often use our mass-communications technology to construct an echo chamber to amplify our natural anxieties, but the fundamental psychological fact of worry is no different. By nature, we are a worrying people. At times, worry keeps us appropriately vigilant so we may fend off tangible threats. Yet, more often than not, it’s simply a burden.

Yet the Bible in today’s text reminds us that we need not fear.

We can live without anxiety because:

– God created us – In John Wesley’s notes he wrote about this particular passage. “I have not only created them out of nothing, but I have also formed and made them my peculiar people.” God formed us. When you build or create something, you know it inside and out. God, as our Creator, knows us better than we know ourselves. Moreover, the text says, God redeemed us, God calls us by name and God says “you are mine.”

So worry is a lack of trust. If we truly believe that God says, “You are mine,” then how can we be anxious about the things that cross our paths?

This does not mean that there will not be waters to pass through, or fires to put out, but God promises to be our faithful shield and strength.

Such anxiety does not honor the God who created us, calls us by name and not only says “You are mine,” but “you are precious in my sight” (v. 4).

I invite y’all this week as worries or fears flood your minds and hearts, that you come up with 3-5 word phrase like, “Lord have mercy” or “God give me peace” that you say in your head as these thoughts come unbidden. The Holy Spirit will lead and guide you and we as a community will be here for you.

The Bible says that we should “Cast all your anxiety on God, because God cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). Here, the writer echoes the comforting voice of Isaiah the prophet.
Two Days We Should Not Worry

There are two days in every week about which we should not worry; two days which should be kept free from fear and apprehension.

One of these days is Yesterday with all its mistakes and cares, its faults and blunders, its aches and pains.

Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control. All the money in the world cannot bring back Yesterday.

We cannot undo a single act we performed; we cannot erase a single word we said. Yesterday is gone forever.

The other day we should not worry about is Tomorrow. With all its possible adversities, its burdens, its large promise and its poor performance, Tomorrow is also beyond our immediate control.

Tomorrow’s sun will rise, either in splendor or behind a mask of clouds, but it will rise. Until it does, we have no stake in Tomorrow, for it is yet to be born.

This leaves only one day, Today. Any person can fight the battle of just one day. It is when you and I add the burdens of those two awful eternities Yesterday and Tomorrow that we break down.

It is not the experience of Today that drives a person mad. It is the remorse or bitterness of something which happened Yesterday and the dread of what Tomorrow may bring that renders a person wild with anxiety. Let us, therefore, live but one day at a time.

–Author unknown.

Matthew 6:25-34 says it this way, “25 ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?^* ²⁸And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, ²⁹yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. ³⁰But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹Therefore do not worry, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear?” ³²For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³But strive first for the kingdom of God and his^* righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 ‘So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

Chronic anxiety — unlike the acute variety — isn’t based on outside threats. It rises from within. Psalm 46:1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” The great God of the Universe knows your name. And some of y’all may freak out at that. Don’t worry. Confident that you are more than your name, that you are first and foremost a baptized and beloved child of God, you can look at the world, and even around your neighborhood, with new eyes. How would that affect how we live? If we know the Living God? How would that shape us being in the world? Do we spread peace that way? Would that affect how we see the challenges that come daily into our personal world? And the broader world? I’ll let you wrestle with those questions. It’s easy to say what we would do, it’s much harder to banish worry from hearts and minds, to act as peace agents in the world, seeing if we could help, only a little, and trusting God will be our strong fortress……all the days of our life. Amen.

Campus Ministry, Epiphany, Reflection, Scripture

Epiphany at Evensong

Posted on January 7, 2016March 6, 2016 by narciejeter

Greeting

Tonight we will celebrate the Ephipany (Manifestation) of the Lord. This is always celebrated on January 6^th. The United Methodist Book of Worship says it’s an even more ancient celebration among Christians than Christmas, originally focused on the nativity, incarnation, and baptism of Christ. Today we celebrate the coming of the three wise men (magi), who brought gifts to the Christ child.

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Amen.

Song – Holy Spirit

Vesper Psalms

We started going through the Psalms one by one at Evensong. We’re on Psalm 29 tonight.

Psalm 29

¹ Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
² Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name;
worship the Lord in holy splendour.
³ The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord, over mighty waters.
⁴ The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
⁵ The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
⁶ He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
and Sirion like a young wild ox.
⁷ The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
⁸ The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
⁹ The voice of the Lord causes the oaks to whirl,^*
and strips the forest bare;
and in his temple all say, ‘Glory!’
¹⁰ The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
the Lord sits enthroned as king for ever.
¹¹ May the Lord give strength to his people!
May the Lord bless his people with peace!

Song – Finally Free

Story –

I’ve printed out the three scriptures the lectionary gives us to begin the new year (hold up the lectionary book and explain the lectionary). I thought it appropriate during this Epiphany service to give you a quiet prayer time during this busy time of year of getting books and meeting with professors about changing class schedules and learning a new rhythm of life as you figure out where your classes are or when you will break for lunch. Our hope is to create an atmosphere of Holy manifestations. I’ve asked Erin to set out crayons, colored pencils and paint so that you can prayerfully draw or if you’re not into drawing, perhaps circle and underline and pray these scriptures while reading them. Make this time be between you and God. If somethings comes into your mind to distract you, pray for it. If you have a burden on your heart that needs the community to pray, I invite you to share that during prayers and praises. If you don’t want to do the prayer stations, you can reflect and pray. Let nothing come between your time with your Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-13 (NRSV)

3For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: ²a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; ³a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; ⁴a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; ⁵a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; ⁶a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away; ⁷a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; ⁸a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. ⁹What gain have the workers from their toil? ¹⁰I have seen the business that God has given to everyone to be busy with.

¹¹He has made everything suitable for its time; moreover he has put a sense of past and future into their minds, yet they cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. ¹²I know that there is nothing better for them than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live; ¹³moreover, it is God’s gift that all should eat and drink and take pleasure in all their toil.

Psalm 8 (NRSV)

O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.

Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a bulwark because of your foes, to silence the enemy and the avenger.

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established;

what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?

Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor.

You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet,

all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field,

the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Revelation 21:1-6 (NRSV)

The New Heaven and the New Earth

21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. ²And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,

“See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them;
⁴he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.”

⁵And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.”⁶Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.

Prayer Requests

Communion

Communion Song – Ever Be

Prayer after Receiving

Song – It Is Well

Call to Prayer and Request for Presence (Liturgy Reader)

May the Lord Almighty grant me and those I love a peaceful night and a perfect end.

Our help is in the Name of the Lord; the maker of heaven and earth.

Nunc Dimittis (Song of Simeon) (Liturgy Reader)

Lord, you now have set your servants free to go in peace as you have promised;

for these eyes of mine have seen the Savior,

whom you have prepared for all the world to see:

a Light to enlighten the nations, and the glory of your people.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Song – Gracious Tempest

Benediction

Advent, Christmas, Darkness, Light

Christmas Eve Reflection

Posted on December 23, 2015March 6, 2016 by narciejeter

Does anyone feel like we need this in-breaking of the kingdom of God a little more this year? Simply saying that there’s suffering in the world, we’re a country that’s more viciously divided albeit in my short life time, and the community-wide, familial, and personal tumult is not enough. Simply acknowledging this reality is not enough. Frankly, because that attitude breeds complacency and apathy. We need to be urgently praying and seeking God’s will in the big and small ways so we can bring peace, joy, love and hope to the world, in our communities, and within our own hearts.

A dear friend recently shared this quote with me. It’s from Bobbi Patterson, long-time faculty at Emory University’s Department of Religion. “As this darkening grows drawing us closer to a spark of incarnate light generating long-haul love.” I love that. I’ve been meditating on it since she sent it to me. You see, we expect that with darkness, grief, sadness, despair, suffering, a greater darkness, but the opposite is true. That’s when we cling to that spark of incarnate light. That’s what Advent is all about. An in-breaking of the kingdom of God in the form of the most vulnerable thing on Earth, a baby, who came to proclaim release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, to set us free of our societal, communal, and personal bondage. As it is written in Isaiah 9:2, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them light has shined.”

May you draw closer to God’s Incarnate Light. It’s available for each of us. No one is separated from the love of God, and Bobbi’s right, it’s a “long-haul love.” We love even when it’s difficult, even when it’s costly, even when hatred is spewed. We’re called to be the light of Christ and, as Robert Louis Stevenson says, “to punch holes in the darkness.” Gator Wesley always does an Early Christmas Eve service and I prefer not to sing the traditional “Silent Night” choosing instead “Joy to the World.” I love how the entire service is dark and somber and then it transitions with that last hymn, each person has his or her own light and when all of the candles are lit, it’s definitely effervescent light. May we make him room; the light of Christ radiating out of each of us and shining in the world. Come Lord Jesus, Come.

Joy to The world! the Lord is come
Let earth receive her King
Let ev’ry heart prepare him room
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven and nature sing

Joy to the world! the Savior reigns
Let men their songs employ
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat the sounding joy

He rules the world with truth and grace
And makes the nations prove The glories of His righteousness
And wonders of His love
And wonders of His love
And wonder wonders of His love

Uncategorized

Compelling Faith Evensong

Posted on October 7, 2015October 7, 2015 by narciejeter

The image above is from the movie Oliver Twist and he draws the long string…

“The other thing that comes to mind about compelling content is that….. it leaves me thirsting for more. There’s something about compelling content that drives me to subscribe, join or bookmark because I’ve had a taste of something I’d like a second helping of.”

I know this reaction for myself.

When I read a book from a new author that I enjoy I immediately look for more information on the author to see what else they’ve written. I got all of Ellin Hildebrand’s, Sophia Kinsella and Madeline Wickham’s book, and I realized that Sophia and Madeline were the same person, she just wrote under these pseudonyms.
When I see someone tweet something that grabs my attention or makes me think – I check out their other tweets or when a news source like huffpost religion or the New York Times post an article I usually read it
When I watch a TV show that entertains me, makes me laugh or gives me something to think about – I put it on our “list”
When I read a blog post that informs me, teaches me or stretches my mind – like Bishop Ken Carter’s blog that’s currently doing a 6 part series on Fresh Expressions – I bookmark it, to check back to read next week’s installment.

What is the definition of compelling? com·pel·ling kəmˈpeliNG/

adjective

evoking interest, attention, or admiration in a powerfully irresistible way.

“his eyes were strangely compelling”

synonyms:

enthralling, captivating, gripping, riveting, spellbinding, mesmerizing,absorbing, irresistible

“a compelling performance”

not able to be refuted; inspiring conviction.

“compelling evidence”

synonyms:

convincing, persuasive, cogent, irresistible, powerful, strong, weighty,plausible, credible, sound, valid, telling, conclusive, irrefutable,unanswerable

“a compelling argument”

not able to be resisted; overwhelming.

“the temptation to give up was compelling”

What makes a compelling story?

What makes you trust the storyteller?

What gives someone a compelling faith story that leaves you wanting more?

Is it the integrity of the story teller? Is it the way that the storyteller tells the story? Building up anticipation?

I would wager it has more to do with nonverbal – the sincerity, the vulnerability, the body language, the raw emotion, the honesty. I would also guess that you have to trust this person. It doesn’t mean you have to know the person, it just means you have to buy what they’re selling.

As we were giving out free cake today at Santa Fe College, I went into the coffee shop to buy an iced drink as I do. Two of the co-workers had just gotten our free cake and they were trying to talk their other co-worker into getting a piece. He said, “I don’t trust free cake.” They said that we were a church. He answered, “I don’t trust free cake, especially from a church.” As he was taking my order and I didn’t tell him I was the pastor of the sketchy church giving out free cake.

Some synonyms for “compelling” are convincing, persuasive, irresistible, strong, credible, valid…I bet if he works that same shift every week and if he sees us and gets to know us and we share stories for a period of time, he will find us more “credible.”

I know I highlight this multiple times a week, but when we share stories, lives together, then that’s when the real change happens.

I know some of you know all about my second brain surgery in 2013 that left me without the ability to speak for three weeks. I typed a text to Mike a few weeks after the surgery, “The quickness with which I speak comes back?” and it took me 20 minutes to even type that. Thankfully, my speech has returned for the most part. When I’m tired, y’all have been great about doing charades to understand what I mean. I still don’t have the fine motor skills in my right hand, but I can deal with that! I have to go back to get an MRI and meet with my oncologist every 3 months. I’m due for that next Wednesday. Mike and I know the rhythm so well, that we start getting tense when it comes close. I was diagnosed with a oligodendroglioma when I was 30. Enoch turned 3 in the two weeks when I first was diagnosed and the first surgery. Evy was 1. They don’t remember me not having this diagnosis. I’ve been brutally honest on my blog that I don’t write very much on any more. I created the blog so that I could update everyone about the medical aspects and what my head space was at the time, so I didn’t have to repeat it all the time, and also so I can LIVE my life. The fullness of it. I claim the end of John 10:10 “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” and I claim the last verses the song “In Christ Alone.”

No guilt in life, no fear in death—
This is the pow’r of Christ in me;
From life’s first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow’r of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home—
Here in the pow’r of Christ I’ll stand.

You don’t have to have had brain surgery to have a compelling story of faith. Trust me.

The best stories are from the heart, when you peel back the layers and are vulnerable. Being real with people is the highest compliment you can pay, because no one likes to be bs-ed. No one likes to be made a fool of, but when you drop the masks and you KNOW and RECOGNIZE that you don’t have any control of the situation that’s where God’s love steps in and makes a way. That’s where the trust comes and the faith. It’s okay to yell at God. And it’s okay to cry out. May scriptures come to you in the midst. May songs come to you in the midst. May a friend lift you up in the midst. May you have the courage to be vulnerable and may people’s responses be more than enough…may they lift you up with the grace and mercy of God.

You see, you’ve been invited into the greatest story ever told. You have your own story of redemption. You have your own story of the mountaintops and valleys. You just have to tell it. God will give you a story. God will give you the boldness, the tenacity, and the courage to speak it. Don’t be afraid. If you’re not a great speaker. Many people in the Bible and throughout time have had that same problem! God will give you the words. God will guide and lead you in all that you do and say. Tell the story. Last Easter, we painted the 34th Street Wall with the words of the last song Jake is going to sing tonight. #BecauseHeLives Tell the story. You will have a compelling one, indeed. The world is hungry for a life-giving, life-tranforming story.

Song During Communion

Uncategorized

Determination to Love

Posted on August 23, 2015August 23, 2015 by narciejeter

Mark 2:1-12

2 When he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. ²So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door; and he was speaking the word to them. ³Then some people^[a] came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. ⁴And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay.⁵When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” ⁶Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, ⁷“Why does this fellow speak in this way? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” ⁸At once Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were discussing these questions among themselves; and he said to them, “Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? ⁹Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and take your mat and walk’? ¹⁰But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— ¹¹“I say to you, stand up, take your mat and go to your home.” ¹²And he stood up, and immediately took the mat and went out before all of them; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

This morning we’re going to look at people who went the extra mile or went the distance, like the song from Hercules, to help or intercede for their friend. These are the kinds of friends that you want to surround yourself with while you’re in college and grad school. You’ve met a lot of people so far. You’re still feeling each other out. You’re still finding your groove. May God give you the wisdom and discernment to know and cultivate relationships whether it be late night sessions hanging out in someone’s room in a residence hall or whether it is late night runs to taco bell.

I lived in a small town during my high school years. The nearest movie theater was an hour away. I hate to admit it, but when I was in high school the first DVD’s came out. So we were starving for cultural references in rural South Carolina. On many a road trip to the movies we would pack up to 15 people in my mom’s minivan.

I visualize that image when I read this passage. The crowd that was gathered was packed in like a concert with One Direction or The Who or if the Spice Girls finally do a reunion concert. It was beyond claustrophobic. Saying it was hard to get in, may be an understatement. Seeing Jesus was like an ancient day rock star. The word was already out. It started with the leper. Mark says it this way in Mark 1:40-45, “A leper came to him begging him, and kneeling he said to him, ‘If you choose, you can make me clean.’ Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, ‘I do choose. Be made clean!’ Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. After sternly warning him he sent him away at once, saying to him, ‘See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.’ ⁴⁵But he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the word, so that Jesus could no longer go into a town openly, but stayed out in the country; and people came to him from every quarter.” It reminds me of Acts 4:20 that says, “We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

He couldn’t help but spread the good news! He didn’t even have to say it; the people could see he was made clean. Matthew says it this way in chapter 11, “The blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.”

If you had been in their place, what would you have done if you had arrived at the house and seen all those people crowded and overflowing out into the street? Would you sit back and wait for the crowd to leave? Would you think – let’s just go home. We’ll never get in. We’ll try again the next time he’s in town. You know that feeling that you get in your gut where you’re about to give up…when the road is getting all kinds of hard, and no one would blame you if you gave up.

As Albus Dumbledore says to Harry in the Chamber of Secrets, “It is our choices that show what we truly are far more than our abilities.” It is the choices we make, the determination and the commitment when it gets hard, when the mountain is steep and the valley low that really determines your character and what you’re made of.

I was watching the Today Show when they were celebrating the summer Olympics being a year away. They were interviewing athletes that have been training daily just to prepare for the trials. They don’t even know yet if they’ll make the Olympic team. What kind of perseverance and determination and motivation, it would take someone to get up early in the morning every day and push themselves harder and faster…wow. You’ve got to have something within you AND around you that spurs you on. The four friends had that determination. The thing that spurred them on and gave them the strength to keep going was their faith.

So where is this located in Jesus ministry? It’s still pretty early. He’s been preaching for about a year. Luke 4 tells us that when Jesus went back to Nazareth, after his baptism and temptation in the wilderness, he was so thoroughly rejected by the people with whom he grew up that he left Nazareth and made Capernaum, which was a fishing village on the Sea of Galilee, his home base for the three years of his public ministry.

Okay, so now we know where he was and how he got there, and we know why the word had spread. Let’s talk more about the crowd. Another section only in Mark, “So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door; and he was speaking the word to them.” The people were, whether they knew it or not, there to worship God and hear God, in the person of Jesus, “speak the word.” Maybe they were curious about the crowd or what all the fuss was about, much like the crowd in Life of Brian listening to Jesus preach the sermon on the mount. Maybe they had heard about his healing of the leper and they wanted to see this Jesus, this healer. Maybe they just wanted to see a spectacle, a magic show. Maybe they saw a crowd and like students drawn to a fight in school or to a speech, they were curious.

While the crowd struggled to get closer to Jesus, these four men came bringing a paralyzed man on a stretcher. A friend recently visited Capernaum, he said that his group included a couple of people in wheelchairs and he noticed that even today, Capernaum is not an easy place in which to maneuver if you are disabled. The roads are not paved smoothly, stairs and vertical rises make it difficult to get around, and you really have to rely on your friends to help you travel there if you can’t walk.

This wasn’t an easy task. It’s not like they thought – oh, cool a crowd – let’s jump up on the roof, lower him through and call it a day. They had to go the distance to carry him into the house. In Palestine, the roofs were flat. They would be used for rest and quiet, for drying clothes and storing things. In 1 Kings 17, we read about Elijah living on the roof. In Acts 10, Peter is up on the roof praying. So generally there were stairs going up along an outside wall. Although they were determined, and possibly had outside stairs, they weren’t the Avengers. This wasn’t easy.

They actually had to tear up the roof to let him down. To me, there’s something really powerful about them having to actually dig through and get dirty to help make this miracle happen. According to some scholars, the roof was usually made of beams about 3 feet apart. These beams would be filled with twigs, then packed with clay and covered with dirt.

If you have ever worked with drywall or insulation, particularly taking it down, you know that there’s small particles and dust everywhere. A big mess. So as you can probably imagine, as these four are pulling away chunks of clay, bits of dirt, and dried leaves are falling all over those below.

And the people who stood in the room, who most likely had some small rubble or debris dropped on their heads were doubtfully very thrilled and the men had to know this when they concocted their plan. They risked a lot because they had faith in who Jesus is and what a tremendous impact he could have on the life of their friend.

I wonder what Jesus was doing during this creation of a skylight in his home? Does he stop speaking the word or does he just continue going just like the preacher tries to do when a baby starts crying during church? Does he stop and watch maybe with an amused look on his face, or does he began to shake his head and chuckle to himself at the enthusiasm or boldness of these guys?

How would you feel if you were in the crowd? You’re sitting there during a leisurely but exhilarating afternoon listening to Jesus, when all of a sudden some crazy guys start tearing open the roof over your head and get you all dirty. You waited and maneuvered a while to get your spot in the house, and here these people are skipping all the steps to get to the front or to the top I should say. It reminds of the story of the prodigal son. You go into it focusing on the prodigal, but the elder brother as just as distant from the father. At Gator Wesley, we don’t want insiders or outsiders. All of us are prodigals and older brothers. All of us are at times, crowd, friends, and paralytic and that’s only natural. Some of us don’t want to rock the boat, to rock the happy equilibrium. Some of us are in need of healing. We need a community to surround us to lead us back to Jesus the Great Physician, to the one who gave it all.

These four men weren’t thinking of themselves. They did not need a miracle for themselves, but they had a friend who did. They went to a whole lot of trouble to get him the help that he needed. Because he was important to them and they cared about him.

Friends are determined to work for the others’ good. At our Leadership Retreat this past week we looked at Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 13. Erin Wagner spoke up and said when she was on staff at Branches this summer, they encouraged them to say their name instead of love, so I will do that and the words will be on the screen.

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love doesn’t strut,
Doesn’t have a swelled head,
Doesn’t force itself on others,
Isn’t always “me first,”
Doesn’t fly off the handle,
Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn’t revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.

If we all lived like that the campuses we serve would be transformed. The whole world would change. To actually put into practice what we proclaim…

I think sometimes we see the obstacles and how much it will cost us or offend other people, and we go ahead and decide what’s not going to work and who’s not going to respond and what and why something can’t be done. And we’re defeated or excused out before we even start. Before we even get off the ground. Or get up the steps carrying our friend. We decide that we know best and it totally won’t work.

I’m not saying that God doesn’t want us to use our brains or that we should not reason out the situation first, but I am saying, that sometimes the impossible is made possible. God does work miracles. Bring the dead to life. Give sight to the blind. Heal the leper. So in continuation of that, God calls us to also envision the possibilities to see the dusting of miracles around our community and world. God’s work is done by people who believe in the power of God, who do what they can, relying on God to supply the rest.

And you know, this really boils down to faith. And faith is so important to this story, both as the motivation of these men that empowered their determination and as the starter for Jesus’ healing of the paralytic. Four short words in verse 5, “Jesus saw their faith.” Most people would say, “You can’t ‘see’ faith. Faith isn’t in the physical, visible realm.” But it is. And Jesus saw the faith of these four men. There faith was evident. It shone through their actions.

These four friends had the faith to believe that Jesus would welcome them and that Jesus could change their friend’s life. What a gamble. They took a bold step of faith to make sure their friend had a chance for healing.

Their friend couldn’t walk – so they carried him.

The crowd blocked their path and access to Jesus – they went around or by passed them.

The roof was in the way – they ripped a hole in it.

They are people on a mission. They were determined. Spiritually and physically they were determined.

Verse 5 says, “when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” They had faith, Jesus saw it, and did the miracle/worked the healing that they had faith would take place.

Do we have that kind of spiritual determination? We all have people we know, friends, neighbors, co-workers, family members who are in need of healing. What are we doing to be present with that? Sometimes we need to intercede, whether by prayer, through encouragement, or by our actions.

Are we determined? Willing to go that extra mile? Endure the climb when it burns and our lungs are about to explode?

Jesus commends the man’s friends for their faith. It was their faith that brought the man to a place of forgiveness. I wonder, if the salvation of the people around me depended on my faith and my direct actions, how much more seriously and intentionally I would take my time with God and the Christian community and to what extent would I live out my faith?

Sometimes it means doing what one writer calls, “getting your hands dirty in other people’s lives.”

James said, “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if a person claims to have faith but has no deeds?…Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?” (James 2:14-16).

God loves us so much that God took extreme measures to provide an opportunity for healing for each one of us. God loves us so much that God came and dwelt among us showing us and providing us with that healing. God loves us so much that God draws us to God’s self, guiding us and leading us.

As the body of Christ today, we’ve got to be people who are spiritually determined, who truly care, who show God’s love to the world. In Romans 12:15, Paul wrote, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with them that weep.” In other words, we are to care for one another. To love one another. To truly empathize and connect with the other. This connection means that we move outside of the box of our own concerns and problems and become open and present to the needs of the other, the community around us.

I’ll leave you with these words from Lawrence Kushner writes, “We understand that ordinary people are messengers of the Most High. They go about their tasks in holy anonymity. Often, even unknown to themselves. Yet, if they had not been there, if they had no said what they said or did what they did, it would not be the way it is now. We would not be the way we are now. Never forget that you too yourself may be a messenger.”

PS – I’ve been listening to an Ellie Holcomb CD on my drive to South Carolina and some of the songs totally fit with wins I was trying to get across in the sermon.

Love Never Fails – https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AJ4Hdu3snmU

Love Broke Through – https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iywc4oIl_fA

Uncategorized

Community Redux

Posted on July 19, 2015July 19, 2015 by narciejeter

Colossians 3:12-15

12 As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. ¹³Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.¹⁴Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. ¹⁵And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.

Philippians 4:8-9

⁸Finally, 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. ⁹Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

I’ve preached on these two texts from weddings to Love Campaign to almost anything because I think they are THAT important. I wish I could blow them up big and put them on the walls here where we worship or in the college room, where we do much of our life together. In fact, I may put them on the wall in the kitchen in the Upper Room, our residential hospitality staff. I want us to be evermindful of all of the words we use – whether to build up or tear down; our actions – whether they are loving and full of the grace and love of God or if they’re from the darkness of the world with its jealousies and deceit; lastly our meditations of the heart – what we input into our bodies whether that’s good, nourishing, and sustaining things or it’s candy that when you eat it, you may get a momentary high, but you are sure to crash eventually.

I’m preaching on these scriptures because we’re continuing our Animate series and this week’s lesson is Doug Paggit talking about Community: An Unexpected Family.

What are some of the communities to which you belong?

Developing real, authentic, hard, and messy community is definitely NOT a spectator sport.

Community changes YOU. I’ve often quoted my campus minister, Risher Brabham, at his retirement lunch saying, “The only way I could have lived this life is through community.” I truly believe that.

Stanley Hauerwas writes these words, “Saints cannot exist without a community, as they require like all of us, nurturing by a people who, while often unfaithful, preserve the habits necessary to the learn the story of God.” The story of God. What are the habits of God? If you are a runner and your running partner is faster than you, won’t you work that much harder? Or if you’re in a big race like the Imagine No Malaria run at this year’s Florida Annual Conference, I watched Ryan practice and push himself harder because of the trash talking, yes, because he was with people that pushed him harder. Won’t you push yourself more to develop holy habits if you surround yourself with a faithful community? As Hebrews 10:24-25 says,

²⁴And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, ²⁵not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Community surrounds us and pushes us harder for the Gospel, to live our lives as the hands and feet of Christ.

Louise Erdrich writes these pull no punches words, “Life will break you. Nobody can protect you from that, and living alone won’t either, for solitude will also break you with its yearning. You have to love. You have to feel. It is the reason you are here on this earth. You are here to risk your heart. You are here to be swallowed up.” We’re here to protect your heart as much as we can protect it.

You do not have to walk this road alone. You don’t have to be an island. As the Tenth Avenue North song says, “No man is an island, we can be found // No man is an island, let your guard down // You don’t have to fight me, I am for you // We’re not meant to live this life alone” You don’t have to do it all on your own. We can be fellow sojourners.

Kurt Vonnegut says it’s a different way but it’s the same theme verse, “What should young people do with their lives today? Many things obviously, but the most daring thing is to create stable communities in which the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured.”

It has to be intentional. You don’t just stumble upon community, no matter what the people in charge may lead you to believe. Community is created and nurtured and watered and pruned and…..Community is not easy. It takes work. It gets messy. It gets realer than any Real World or reality tv show. It takes practice and it takes trust. And yes, it takes sometimes being uncomfortable when someone calls you out in love and accountability.

It doesn’t have to be cookie cutter people either. We’re not looking for Stepford Wives clones. The beauty of community is that we’re all DIFFERENT but we’re all UNITED with one goal in mind. I love this quote by Frida Kahlo, you know the lady with the eyebrows, “I used to think I was the strangest person in the world but then I thought there are so many people in the world, there must be someone just like me who feel bizarre and flawed in the same ways I do….Well, I hope that you are out there and read this and know that yes, it’s true I’m here, and I’m just as strange as you.”

I have on my wall at my house this picture that says, “Family is like chocolate with a few nuts sprinkled in.” We’re a cast of characters. I’m leaving after church, to spend until Friday morning with my family. Pray that we don’t stress each other out and we don’t yell or spew forth stuff that we would only say to a family member because we know that they will love us anyway. You see, in community like a family, we have to be aware of our words of venom wound sometimes. It’s hard to unhear something. We must be aware of our words and our actions, when we hang up on someone, how does that make the person feel? We have to be intentionally loving in both word and deed. So may God button my lip when I speak a bad word about someone. May God put lead in my feet when I want to walk across the room to give someone a piece of my mind. You see, in community we’re not all in the valley’s or the mountaintop’s at the same time. It’s a hodge podge always. That’s the point of being a family, a community, a body.

What do you bring with you to the community? Do you bring the gift of hospitality and welcoming people? Do you bring the gift of conversation and an even-keel spirit? Do you bring the gift of exhortation and teaching? Do you bring the heart for justice, longing to bring the community to bear witness in the suffering of this world?

Romans 12:5-8 (NRSV)

⁵so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. ⁶We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ⁷ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; ⁸the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.

We’re going to go on this journey together as a community of faith. We need each other. We can’t do this alone. We lift up joys and concerns, we support each other. More than that, we need the community to share the love of Christ. You see we can use each of our gifts to make our Gospel message stronger. Our collective strengths, cover our collective weaknesses, like the web of the finger, if you cover them with the strength of your fingers….We are STRONGER TOGEHER. I’ll close with this quote from Jean Vanier, “One of the marvelous things about community is that it enables us to welcome and help people in a way we couldn’t as individuals. When we pool our strength and share the work and responsibility, we can welcome many people, even those in deep distress, and perhaps help them find self-confidence and inner healing.”

Amen.

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Celebration of Life – Carmen Degenito

Posted on June 14, 2015 by narciejeter

Celebration of Life
Carmen Degenito

GATHERING
Prelude Mike Jeter
Greeting
Friends, we have gathered here to praise God
and to witness our faith as we celebrate the life of Carmen Degenito.
We come together in grief, acknowledging our human loss.
May God grant us grace, that in pain we may find comfort,
in sorrow hope, in death resurrection.

The Word of Grace
Jesus said, I am the resurrection and I am life.
Those who believe in me, even though they die, yet shall they live,
and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
I died, and behold I am alive for evermore,
and I hold the keys of hell and death.
Because I live, you shall live also.

Opening Hymn How Great Thou Art UMH 77

Prayer
Leader: The Lord be with you.
All: And also with you.
Leader: Let us pray.
All: O God, who gave us birth, you are ever more ready to hear than we are to pray. You know our needs before we ask, and our ignorance in asking. Give to us now your grace, that as we shrink before the mystery of death, we may see the light of eternity. Speak to us once more your solemn message of life and of death. Help us to live as those who are prepared to die. And when our days here are accomplished, enable us to die as those who go forth to live, so that living or dying, our life may be in you, and that nothing in life or in death will be able to separate us from your great love in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

PROCLAMATION AND RESPONSE
Old Testament Lesson Isaiah 40:28-31
28 Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the faint,
and strengthens the powerless.
30 Even youths will faint and be weary,
and the young will fall exhausted;
31 but those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint.
New Testament Lesson Romans 8:35-39
8 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all day long;
we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Psalm 139:1-18
1O LORD, you have searched me and known me. 2You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away. 3You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. 4Even before a word is on my tongue, O LORD, you know it completely. 5You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. 6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high that I cannot attain it. 7Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? 8If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. 9If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, 10even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast. 11If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light around me become night,” 12even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day, for darkness is as light to you. 13For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well. 15My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 16Your eyes beheld my unformed substance. In your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed. 17How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18I try to count them—they are more than the sand; I come to the end—I am still with you.
Hymn of Promise Shout to the Lord
*Gospel Lesson John 14:1-4, 18-19, 25-27
14 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And you know the way to the place where I am going.” 18 “I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. 19 In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. 25 “I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.
NAMING AND WITNESS
Carmen was born in Red Bank, New Jersey on April 24, 1940. In his last weeks, Carmen shared personal stories with me, bits and pieces, that hinted to the person he was. The “black sheep” of the family, the girl from South Carolina who wrote letters to him and said she loved him, how his mom died when he was little and he had a strained relationship with his stepmother… Carmen told few details from his life prior to Gainesville. He would always start his stories with when I came to Gainesville in 1985. Ryan, Brad, Mike, Enoch and Evy gave him one last birthday party. Though he always said he didn’t like sweet things, only healthy things. He got a full piece of cake, ice cream and vanilla pudding. He said it was the only birthday party he ever had outside of childhood. We did it up! With balloons, flowers, hand-made cards from his beloved students and Enoch and Evy. He had a heart for working with students!
He worked at a sorority house. He worked at the BCM. He worked as a parking lot attendant at UUMC. Pam Petersen remembers, “When we owned the shopping center we had a life guard’s chair for the parking attendants. After we hired Carmen, he came into the office and said “Pamela (he’s one of two people outside of my family who called me that) I guess I can’t be a parking guard after all.” We let him sit in a regular seat and eventually someone stole the life guard seat anyway.”
He had definite views on things. He was grounded in his convictions. He was a card carrying member of the Republican Party and he kept the Christmas card George and Laura Bush sent him in his treasured possessions. He prided himself on being self-sufficient and independent and he always wanted to give back. He walked into my office one day with one of those internet scams printed out where you send them some money and you get millions. He had made an appointment with me the day before at church, and he sincerely wanted to give a large chunk of it, if not all, to Gator Wesley. Kelly Haskins tells this story, “One time, Carmen came into the college room pouring sweat. He was lugging two of if the reusable grocery bags full to the brim of sweet potatoes. They must’ve weighed 50 lbs! He explained that someone (I couldn’t catch who) had an overabundance, and were giving them out. He immediately thought of Wesley, and insisted that Angielina and I make them as a part of Wesley lunch. He had carried them for miles to make sure that he could donate to his church.”

He cared deeply about others. He was really passionate on behalf of the least of these. Serena Minton remembers, “I have so many endearing memories of Carmen, but one of my favorites was a time when Carmen displayed how much he cares for others. When the bishop came to Wesley for a meet and greet, during the Q&A session, Carmen stood up, and began talking about the PBS special he had seen the night before. The special was on child abuse and human trafficking, and Carmen was so concerned that he challenged the bishop on his plan to combat this tragedy. The bishop recovered well, but I’ll never forget his righteous anger at the injustices he had just become aware of. We’ll miss you, Carmen.” He loved people and cared deeply about the world!

He kept memento’s and cards that were meaningful to him and they are displayed on the altar. Carmen’s room at Haven had all the cards, verses, and sayings taped up all over from all of his friends and family – especially the Schaeffer’s and the Keith’s. Nancy Shaeffer told me just this morning that he had given her the beautiful butterfly pin she’s wearing in the last year. Carmen would not hesitate to give the shirt off his back of he could. He was such a caring and compassionate individual.

Carmen knew where the free food was. Gordon Green says he would see him on Monday night’s, “At the International Friendship dinner, Carmen would join us for our small-group Gospel study. He would open his humongous large-print Bible and follow along–sometimes with the aid of a magnifying glass. Carmen found great comfort in studying the Word with fellow believers.” He would go every Thursday to First UMC for lunch and then Zane, a student who cared very much for Carmen would take him to Publix. Sylvia Rotela says, “I remember seeing Carmen at the Jewish temple every Friday at Hillel. He would go there to listen to the Hebrew songs and go up to get blessings from the Rabbi. Afterward he would go down stairs to eat the free dinner. Shabbat shalom!”

Matt Watson shared, “My favorite memory of him was the first time I had to take him to Ward’s market. I got to have a full conversation with him, and it helped me look past his demanding side and realize he was actually an interesting and loving person.” Oh, Carmen could be demanding. Anybody that spent 5 minutes with him would know that he had to have things in a particular way and he was very opinionated. He would tell 6-7 students to turn the air up on Sunday mornings and if it was still blowing to cold, he would put the hat part of his signature hoodie and pull the strings just to show how cold it was. You always knew where you stood with Carmen and he was nothing if not authentic and transparent. Dan Wunderlich said that when he announced his engagement to Kara during worship, Carmen went up to Kara after the service, “Are you sure?” But he was also sincere and genuine. Kelly Haskins says, “In the summer after my junior year, we had a karaoke night. It was packed with students and, of course, Carmen came. I got up to sing, had fun, and sat back down. After the event, we were cleaning up and Carmen, with such earnest emotion, rushed up to me and told me that I had such a nice singing voice, how he had greatly enjoyed it, and that I should really sing more often. The punchline to this story is that at the time, I had been singing regularly in the Wesley worship band for 3 years! Lol thanks Carmen!”

He always would talk to those sitting around him at worship. Meredith used to sit beside him every Sunday that she was here. She graduated the December before he died. Ali writes, “If I’ve learned anything from working at a church, it’s that you make friends with unlikely people. One of those friends, Carmen (the older man on the left in the gray hoodie) passed away this morning. I met Carmen before anyone else at Gator Wesley. My first Sunday I sat in front of him, when he preceded to ask me about 10 minutes worth of questions about my life, my plans, and my dreams. Almost every Sunday since, he’s asked me about the stories I’ve done and the people I’ve met. Although he was confused about what I was doing (he was fairly convinced my dream was to be a TV anchor or a talk show host), he kept listening. Every week he told me how he prayed for me. His last Sunday before he entered assisted care, he told me that I was going to go out and change the world. I didn’t know that was going to be the last time I saw him not in a hospital bed. While Carmen never realized it, the love he has shown all of the students at Gator Wesley has been unending. Although he was stubborn and cantankerous, he was a good man. Gator Wesley became his family. Wesley is much larger than this photo taken on Easter, but it’s nice to see Carmen with his home. Everyone deserves a Carmen in their life. I’m glad that I met mine.”

Carmen smiled and waved to students at the student apartment where he lived. He touched countless lives. He wanted his life to mean something. He was so concerned, that I started to tell him that the students were his legacy. The students are his legacy. He would light up when “the students” were mentioned. The hospice social worker saw it and I did too. He only wanted to see “the students” at the end. So we piled into his room on a Sunday after church two weeks ago. Four of the students went with me and Ryan to see him the Wednesday before he died. Megan Becker, a rising sophomore was there and said, “I am glad that I was able to see Carmen last Wednesday after small groups. I really enjoyed getting to know Carmen this last year, he was such a nice man and he will truly be missed.” That Wednesday night we shared the Lord’s Prayer, Carmen’s favorite prayer, and he was able to say some of it with us. That was the last smile I saw on his face, when he noticed the 4 students we brought.

The students are his legacy. I’ll never forget when this semester, I had finished my sermon and Carmen stood up quick as I’ve ever seen him and said, “Gator Wesley IS going to change the world!” I’m so glad I got to hear and see that. You see Carmen was a deeply spiritual person and a follower of Jesus Christ. He had been raised in the Catholic Church, but he didn’t like what he called the “rules” or what he thought was the earning of salvation. He struggled with the concept of grace. Don’t we all do that? He was just honest enough to say it out loud. He joined the baptism class my first year here and he would read the Bible and all of the handouts and he wanted a copy of the Baptism service in the Book of Worship and so on and so on. He wanted to be prepared and he was excited about the United Methodist Church that I haven’t seen. I would tell him over and over again and again, any time he came up to me after the service, and in his last few weeks. You’re a child of God. You were made in your mother’s womb. God’s grace was given to every one of us. You don’t have to earn it. There’s nothing you can do to earn it. It’s a gift. I would say it over and over again. Chelsea Kowal says it was meaningful to her, “To see his face light up in a group when he was told that God loves him no matter what.” “Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Amen?
Wendy Alexander shares, “Jim and I first met Carmen at University Methodist Church over 30 years ago when we were college students. I remember leading a Bible Study as a student and his comments were profound and also very touching. He loved John Wesley and being a Methodist. He also loved college students and being a part of University UMC. He stated that he had no family alive and that UUMC was his only family. I never forgot that, so after we were married, we started inviting Carmen to our house 2-3 times a year (for Christmas, Thanksgiving, and horse races). He especially looked forward to watching the Kentucky Derby every year at our house and the homemade meal that Jim would make. He had “his spot” on the couch and enjoyed being “waited on”. As most of you know Carmen could be very particular, so we finally perfected his choice of beverage which was 1/3 warm water, 1/3 caffeine free diet coke, and 1/3 dry red wine. We were so glad that he was able to watch the Kentucky Derby one last time at our house this May. Carmen will be missed by all who knew him and will remain in our hearts. His other last request was to listen to “Dream” by Frank Sinatra. He had the biggest smile on his face while listening to the song, and requested to hear it about 5 times.”
We will listen to that song now. Thank you God for the life, legacy and faith of Carmen Degenito. Amen.

Song of Thanksgiving My Hope is Built UMH 368

Prayer of Thanksgiving and Lord’s Prayer
God of love, we thank you
for all with which you have blessed us
even to this day:
for the gift of joy in days of health and strength
and for the gifts of your abiding presence and promise
in days of pain and grief.
We praise you for home and friends,
and for our baptism and place in your Church
with all who have faithfully lived and died.
Above all else we thank you for Jesus,
who knew our griefs,
who died our death and rose for our sake,
and who lives and prays for us.
And as he taught us, so now we pray. [LORD’S PRAYER]. Amen.

Song of Hope Joy to the World UMH 246

Dismissal with Blessing
*Hear now the Benediction
The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of God’s Son Jesus Christ our Lord. And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.

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The First Sunday of Advent

Posted on November 30, 2014November 30, 2014 by narciejeter

Call to Worship:

Leader: Come, Lord Jesus!

People: Today we begin the journey of Advent. Let us pray that we may be ready and able to welcome the Christ child into our lives again.

Leader: May the keeping of Advent be upon our hearts and lives.

People: Come, Lord Jesus!

Leader: May this Advent wreath constantly remind us to prepare for Christ’s coming.

People: Come, Lord Jesus!

Leader: The first candle is the candle of HOPE. It was hope that gave people the courage to go on, and it was hope that directed their prayers toward a Messiah.

People: Because of our trust in what God has already done for us, we are bold to hope for what he will yet do with us.

(Light the first Advent candle)

Leader: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.”

People: Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” May our lights so shine before others that they will give glory to our Father in heaven! Amen.

Scripture: Mark 13:24-37

²⁴“But in those days, after that suffering,

the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light,
²⁵and the stars will be falling from heaven,
and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

²⁶Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. ²⁷Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

²⁸“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. ²⁹So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. ³⁰Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. ³¹Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

³²“But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³³Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. ³⁴It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch.³⁵Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, ³⁶or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. ³⁷And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”

Mike has never been to me parent’s house in Aiken. From Florida, Aiken is not near anything so you spend the last two hours of the trip on one back road or another. My parents prefer Highway 16 right outside of Savannah up through small towns in Georgia going around Augusta, but I prefer going through the small towns in South Carolina and thinking of what life was like pre-World War. It’s full of pot holes and towns I’ve never heard of before and at the condition of the roads and obvious distress of the towns and the closed up shops on Main Street, Mike said it was downright depressing. I on the other hand, wonder what people DO there, how to people make a living, what will happen to all of those tiny United Methodist Churches in 10-20 years? It’s like that James Taylor song on Disney’s Cars “Your Town.” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGlmCShMQpI) The land that time forgot. We stopped at a gas station after a particularly long stretch and the lady behind the cash register informed me that they had no bathroom, but we could find one two gas stations ahead but going the other way there’s nothing but woods. Never have I seen more gas stations without name brands. El Cheapo, Korner Stop with a K instead of a C…. Then I start thinking of a world like Divergent or the Hunger Games or the Zombie Apocalypse, we can go to a place like this where no one will bother us, and I vow to start learning how to grow plants, or maybe I’ll just take Shannon with me. These are my musings, when I see crumbling downtown’s. As we drove to Marion, SC, where my great aunt and uncle and first cousins live, we noticed the strip bar had closed. Mike made the comment, “You know times are tough, when the strip bars close.”

Times are tough. People are hurting. Are you going to offer them lottery tickets and Black Friday deals, that won’t last? Or the wellspring of hope that never runs dry? Those towns may never be what it was back in the day, a long time ago, because the world has changed so much, but the people in the towns, our brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, still have a hope, because they don’t know the hour or the day, it may come as a thief in the night, but if they put their hope and trust in Jesus, it will all eventually be alright because we’re a resurrection people.

We watched the movie, “We Bought a Zoo” with Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson over the break. It’s a true story about a dad, Ben, that’s just lost his wife, who has a son in high school and a daughter in elementary school. His son gets expelled for doing disturbing drawings and basically screaming out for his father to give him attention. His daughter is making her own peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, where she writes on the bag with a sharpie PBJ and the J is backwards. He asks his daughter, “Am I doing anything right?” He puts his daughter to bed and picks up his son’s drawing book because he’s fallen asleep with it, and looks through the drawings for himself. As he’s getting ready for bed, he looks at the massive amounts of pill bottles from his wife’s battles with cancer, a picture of the two of them, and her earrings and Lucy, his daughter, walks in and says the neighbors were being loud. The neighbors are throwing a party and celebrating, perhaps Thanksgiving. She says, and this is heartbreaking, “Their Happy is Too Loud.” He hugs his daughter and begins looking for a new house the next morning. He wants everything “new.” He wants to start over. So long story short, he buys a zoo. Their – the rest of the world – happy is too loud. Have you ever felt that way? When you’re grieving, when you’re struggling, when you can’t get out of the bed in the morning? Have you ever wanted to plug up your ears and crawl under the covers and block out the world? You don’t want to check facebook and twitter especially – to see the faces that your “friends” want you to see.

We need to be real with people. We need to let the world see and know that Jesus doesn’t whitewash anything. He doesn’t say it’s going to be easy. He actually says it will be hard. As Christians as we journey towards the baby in the manger, the in-breaking of the kingdom of God, we have to be HOPE sharers. Each one of us needs to be a little hope beacon.

We live in a hurting world that needs HOPE all the more. I don’t have to tell y’all this because we’re inundated with news about our world going to heck in a hand basket. Ferguson, Isis, Grace Marketplace here in Gainesville – it reminds me of a quote by Archbishop Oscar Romero, “I also try to live these four weeks of Advent, this time of preparation for the Nativity, with an attitude of joyful hope and at the same time try to clothe myself in the virtues that the Word of God highlights: first, poverty and hunger for God, second, vigilance and faith; third, Christian presence and action in the world.”

A baby will come. Don’t forget that. As we travel through Advent, know that we’re not getting a safe Jesus that Ricky Bobby prays to, but a new world order. It reminds me of the song Bill Wolf wrote, “A Baby Will Come.” The lyrics are as follows:

The kings of this world
Have torn it apart
But we can take heart
A baby will come

To the hungry and meek
To those who grieve
To the broken in need
A baby will come

We have known pain
We’ve felt death’s sting
God help us believe
This baby will come

The angel appeared
Said do not fear
For peace is here
A baby has come

The advent of life
Let hope arise
We’ve our Savior and Christ
The baby has come

We’ve waited so long
God for Your mighty arm
May our doubts ever calm
For the baby has come

The proud will be low
The humble will know
They’re valued and loved
For the baby has come

Cause the kings of this world
Won’t have the last word
That God is Yours
For the baby has come

We don’t know everyone’s stories and we can’t assume things about people because we don’t know what struggles they’re going through. We can’t judge on the outside because we may miss what God wants us to see on the inside. Injustice and brokenness is nothing new, but God will have the last word and we have hope that it will be so.

Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

We’re a people of hope. The South Carolina motto is Dum spiro spero, “While I breathe, I hope” and the people of Christ should be radiating the hope that comes from knowing that God will never leave nor forsake us. If we have hope built on nothing less than Christ’s abundant grace and salvation, it will see us through whenever Jesus returns. We do need to keep alert, living our faith out loud every day, being agents of hope as well as agents of change bringing God’s kingdom to earth. It can happen and it will happen, if we believe what we say we do.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 says this, “So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.”

Whether we’re Black Friday shoppers or freedom fighters, grieving and hurting people, joyous, high on the mountain top, God goes with us every step of the way, and that is the Good News. Giving us the hope we need at the time when we most need it.

So back to the movie, “We Bought a Zoo, our reluctant hero, Ben, has maxed out all of his credit cards and has spent all of his father’s inheritance and spent all of his wife’s “Circus Money.” He got naively into the zoo business true, and as he entered his darkest hour, hope came from an unlikely source, the lady at Home Depot working the cash register. She sees the name on his maxed out (Lucy, his daughter, says it won’t work) credit card Rosemoor Animal Park, and she says she’s coming to the grand opening of the zoo because she remembers spending summers there as a child and she’ll bring her whole family. Fast forward a few clips and Ben cuts the ribbon officially opening the zoo, but no people come. Dylan senses something is wrong, so he runs ahead and there’s a tree down blocking the way. On the other side of the tree, cars are lined up as far as the eye can see, and the Home Depot lady is there with her family. Just that one word of hope kept his spirit going. You never know who needs that word of hope. You never know who needs reminding of the HOPE of a Savior who comes as Emmanuel – one with us – and lived and breathed and walked among us. Zechariah prays in Luke 1:78-79, ^“78By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, ⁷⁹to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” May we continue to come toward, to draw near the hope of Jesus as we journey through this Advent season.