Living in Anticipation
Psalm 25: 1-10 read responsively and Luke 21:25-36
Preached by Linda Jo Peters ~ November 29, 2009
First Sunday in Advent
Unity Presbyterian Church ~ Terre Haute, Indiana

INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTURE
Psalm 25: 1-10 expresses some of the most central and important theological themes in the Psalter: dependence on God for protection from enemies; requests for God to direct and teach; confession of sin and cries for forgiveness and confidence in God's abiding presence and faithfulness. The Psalm lays great ground for trust and patience that are integral to Advent.

1To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
2O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me.
3Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame; let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
4Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths.
5Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long.
6Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.
7Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness’ sake, O Lord!
8Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
9He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.
10All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.

Luke 21:25-36
Here as we await the celebration of Jesus’ birth, it seems out of sync to read about end times. Luke is down right vague about when Jesus will return, refusing to offer any hint of a timetable. Instead, Luke asserts that, just as budding fig leaves unmistakably herald the advent of summer, so also will the signs of the coming kingdom be transparent to the Christian community. The emphasis shifts from when these things will happen, to encouraging the disciples to develop an attitude of anticipation. Anticipation is filled with expectation, hope and eagerness for the future to come. Living in anticipation is a whole lot different than living in fear and dread of what tomorrow will bring.25“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. 26People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. 28Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
29Then he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees; 30as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. 31So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. 33Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 34“Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, 35like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. 36Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

SERMON
Let’s be honest. Talking about end times always seems out of sync with preparations for Christmas. Kate Huey, UCC pastor writes:
While we set up Nativity scenes with a sweet baby Jesus lying in a manger, (the lectionary reading has us encounter) the grown-up, just-about-to-die Jesus standing in the Temple, teaching about the coming catastrophe – the destruction of that Temple by the Romans... But Jesus seems to be talking about even more than the Temple’s destruction about the end of all things, the end of time itself. It certainly puts those Christmas preparations in a different perspective.[1]

A different perspective is hard to claim. We’re already in a rush. Getting the house clean and decorated, buying Christmas gifts, mailing cards and packages. Hurry, hurry there is still more to do. Then a real crisis hits and news comes that a family member is sick or lost a job. Your cousin’s marriage comes apart at the Thanksgiving dinner. Your perspective takes a hard right turn. We adjust to those crises each in our own way, but rarely with anticipation.

The other day, Dean Enslein gave me a wonder book to read called: Same Kind of Different As Me. About two men on very different paths and the woman whose life, love and sacrifice binds them as brothers. Ron Hall is an art dealer who has made a fortune in Fort Worth, TX. Denver Moore was an uneducated sharecropper who hitched a freight train and ended up homeless in Fort Worth. Ron’s wife, Debbie worked tirelessly with homeless people. As a servant of Jesus Christ, she first and always saw them as people. Denver first called Ron and Debbie Mr. and Mrs. Tuesday because that was the day they would regularly show up to help serve a meal. Debbie created a movie night, a salon day for the women, and birthday celebrations for the homeless for Fort Worth. Her battle with cancer brings these very different men close in faith. It is a wonderful story that reveals a change in perspective not only for Ron but Denver as well. Even with Debbie’s death they both live lives of anticipation for what tomorrow will bring.

It is back in the news more language about end times and the apocalyptic. How can we live with anticipation when the message about the future is not of hope but anxiety and fear? Wednesday as I was driving to work, the day was just so gray and depressing, I prayed for a change of attitude about the day and God gave me a view about anticipation about life itself. It is not the cloudy weather that makes me sad, but my own attitude. Jesus says, “Now when these things begin to take place stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” It is this change of attitude that Jesus is asking us to make our faith a reality in our lives. Death, war, disease, financial and climatic disasters are never the GOOD NEWS OF JESUS CHRIST! JESUS IS ABOUT LIFE. Don’t let any despair rob you of the great joy of our faith. The birth of the baby is no different than his return; all is good because it is of God. Stand up and raise you heads, look for signs of the coming kingdom. The day was gray, but Springhill road was open! Do you remember the news from our friend Tom Logan that in spite of the terrible financial crisis the Marion Medical Mission Board’s increased their goal for shallow wells for 2009 to 2000 wells? Last year their goal was 1500 and 1733 wells were built! Guess how many they built this year – 2006! Stand up and raise you heads, look for signs of the coming kingdom. There all around us, we just need eyes to see and, ears to hear and hearts open to love and life, the we will be filled with anticipation. Like a child on Christmas Eve.
Rejoice, again , I say rejoice! Amen.
[1] “Sermon Seeds” by Kate Huey Advent 1C, 2009

The Alpha and The Omega
Psalm 93 read responsively and Revelations 1:4-8
Preached by Linda Jo Peters ~ November 22, 2009
Christ the King Sunday
Unity Presbyterian Church ~ Terre Haute, Indiana

INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTURE
Psalm 93
When does your faith seem the strongest? When do you definitely feel the presence of God?
From time to time, we all have such “mountain top” experiences. These emotional highs assure us that God is truly present. In that rarefied air, praise becomes fact. We realize all the platitudes we heap upon our Maker have basis in reality. The power and glory of God are palpable. God really is the Alpha and the Omega. Psalm 93 is just such a song of praise. As we read this psalm responsively may you recall the glory of our Lord and King.

1The Lord is king, he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed, he is girded with strength. He has established the world; it shall never be moved;
2your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting.
3The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their roaring.
4More majestic than the thunders of mighty waters, more majestic than the waves of the sea, majestic on high is the Lord!
5Your decrees are very sure; holiness befits your house, O Lord, forevermore.

Revelations 1:4-8
Many hesitate to preach from Revelations. Maybe I am just foolish enough to try. It is a lectionary reading, but first the lesson must be read in its context. This is not a timeless, abstract vision. Its message is rooted in the experience of a specific person, John, who has been exiled for his faith to the island of Patmos, off the coast of present-day Turkey. He writes as Christ's messenger. When his letter was read aloud in the churches, people would have understood that through him Jesus Christ was testifying to the glory of God. John speaks to real churches, which are tempted, struggling, experiencing intense hostility from their neighbors, and he personally shares their suffering.[1] Cannot such a context speak to us as well? 4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia:
Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and freed* us from our sins by his blood, 6and made* us to be a kingdom, priests serving* his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. 7Look! He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him,even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail.So it is to be. Amen.
8 ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega’, says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

SERMON
John reminds us that God is The Alpha and the Omega. There are the very first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. It is like saying, “I am the A and the Z.” or “the beginning and the end.” It is an assurance that God is all encompassing.

The last week of the Christian year is meant to focus worshipers on the sole source of divine power and reign, so what a wonderful time to hear this message of the all embracing God. Christ the King Sunday is a day in which the people of faith are invited to the throne room where Christ is exalted and worshiped; it is the New Year's Eve of the Christian year, the day we come full circle and end a journey that began with the first Sunday in Advent. On this day we think of the entire Christian year, of our faith, of creation, of history, of the God who is all in all, and of the Christ who will rule over all. We think of the coming end of time and we submit to Christ as our sovereign, believing with Paul that "every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God" (Phil. 2:10-11).[2]

Yet perhaps the heightened sense of God's presence is best found outside the sanctuary, where Jesus is king not in places of power, but in people’s hearts and minds and where people try to serve him. Perhaps we will see him most vividly not among those of power but with those who seem powerless or those who work for peace. Jesus is king not where people seek advantage, but where people seek to be helpful; not where people seek security, but where people take risk to create a working, breathing and caring community.

This is good news. If Jesus is king not just once a year and on a throne but throughout all of time and in every place, then we don't have to be king, or seek another king. We no longer have to judge one another. We don't have to control what other people think and feel or force them to fit our expectations. When that happens, the kingdom of God is here and now, here in our hearts, here among us--and out there wherever we carry it. But as Bilbo of the Shire was want to say, “It’s a dangerous thing going out your door.” And it is still a dangerous thing to declare you faith.

Susan Eastman, Assistant Professor of Duke Divinity School writes that:
John takes conflict and suffering as the norm for Christian life and expects these churches to do the same. This expectation threads through the entire New Testament witness: to own Jesus as one's Lord is to come into conflict with all other "lords" that would claim our allegiance, whether they be the idols of economic success, social status, or simply apathy and personal safety. Revelation is a word of encouragement for those who are suffering, and a word of exhortation for Christians who acquiesce to the status quo in order to avoid any unpleasantness.

Mission work is one ways we learn to test our willingness to take a risk. Stony Point Center in New York hosted Young Adult Volunteers preparing to leave for their one-year service to the church in various places around the world. Most of them are fresh out of college and asking the proverbial question, “What am I going to do with my life?” Rather than giving an answer, our church provides an opportunity for them to extend the boundaries of their lives by serving in a volunteer position for one year, and touch other lives in the process. It is a risky endeavor; they may not find what they are looking for after giving a year of their young lives. They will be sharing lives with people who have little in common with them, and they may even face some harsh living conditions. Why do they do it? And why does the church spend resources to encourage our young people to take these risks? Mission is offering our lives into the lives of others. There is always the risk of rejection, misunderstanding others, being misunderstood, and many other consequences we did not anticipate or want. But as servants of the Alpha and the Omega can we do any less?
Sixty-seven 20-somethings with idealism, hope, and resolve (mixed with anxiety and trepidation) are going out to change the world. The world may not change much, but surely 67 lives will be changed, along with the lives of their families, friends and churches who support them in mission.[3]

Are you willing to walk the difficult road for your God and King, not just in worship or high holy days but every day? Will you follow Christ into times and places of risk? May this be a day when you can sense that you are a precious and an integral part of the great Alpha and Omega. May you recommit your lives to His service. Amen.

[1] “Commentary on Second Reading” by Susan Eastman, Duke Divinity School Durham, NC
[2] Living by the word: “Royal Choice” Christian Century, Nov 14, 2006 by Keith D. Herron

[3] Open letter from missionaries Simon and Haejung Park in Korea see: http://www.pcusa.org/missionconnections/letters/parks/parks_0909.htm

Birth-pains
Psalm 13 and Mark 13:1-8
Preached by Linda Jo Peters ~ November 15, 2009
Unity Presbyterian Church – Terre Haute, Indiana
Called Congregational Meeting Following Worship

SCRIPTURE INTRODUCTION
Psalm 13 read responsively
This psalm has often been used to teach believers how to pray for help. It has the basic elements of prayer: calling on God, naming the problem and ending with assurance. The psalm also speaks to our faith that even when we feel God is absent or at least not where we want God to be, we trust in God’s promises of salvation. Like giving birth, we know something good is going to come from this present suffering.

1How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?
2How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow in my heart all day long? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
3Consider and answer me, O Lord my God! Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,
4and my enemy will say, “I have prevailed”; my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.
5But I trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
6I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.

Mark 13:1-8
So is it pains or pangs. Pain is a steady consistent suffering where pangs are spasmodic in nature. But giving birth seems to have both. In fact most creative processes have struggles that go on – such as staring at the computer screen waiting for something to happen or the more spasmodic events of “oh this is so great… where was I going with this message?” Here Jesus gives us either a glimpse into the future and even more a lesson about living in the here and now.

As he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!” 2Then Jesus asked him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”
3When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, 4“Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?” 5Then Jesus began to say to them, “Beware that no one leads you astray. 6Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. 7When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. 8For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birthpangs.

SERMON
I love the scene in Fiddler on the Roof, when one of the residents of the persecuted villagers of Russian Anatevka, wonders, “Wouldn’t this be a good time for the Messiah to come?” And Tevye says, “Perhaps that is why we always where our hat.” Suffering comes to us all and though we need to be prepared for it (keeping our hats on), all suffering is not the end of time. It may in fact be the beginning of something new and wonderful.

Yet we seem to savor being afraid. The new movie 2012 plays on our relish of being scared.
When people get scared, their bodies automatically triggers the "fight or flight" response—adrenaline is pumped into their bodies so that their heart rates increases, they breathe faster, their muscles tense, and their attention focuses for quick and effective responses to threats.
David Rudd clinical psychologist says that this is nature's way of protecting us. If the brain knows there is no risk of really being harmed, it experiences this adrenaline rush as enjoyable, Rudd explained. The key to enjoying such thrills lies in knowing how to properly gauge the risk of harm. This phenomenon also explains why people can enjoy skydiving, bungee jumping and other extreme sports… Dr. Rudd said. “The key structure in the brain responsible for this effect is likely the amygdala, which is key to forming and storing memories linked with emotions.
Frank McAndrew an environmental psychologist says the ability to enjoy fear makes evolutionary sense, "We're motivated to seek out this kind of stimulation to explore new possibilities, to find new sources of food, better places to live and good allies… People enjoy deviations from the norm—a change of pace, within limits."[1]

So scary tales or predictions of end times are nothing new for people to respond with excitement and problem solve how to survive. The disciples find Jesus’ apocalyptic message titillating. So they go to Jesus and ask when the destruction of Jerusalem would happen. For these people this would be the end of their world. And he says, “This is but the beginning of the birthpangs.” The disciples particularly in Mark’s Gospel are clueless about what is really going on. Jesus has given them a powerful message that out of suffering can come new life. Not the first time he has given them this message. Eventually he will live and die and be raised thus demonstrating this message. But they are more interested as we often are with the coming events not how to live in the here and now. Birthpangs will pass but eventually birthpains come upon us and new life is given breath. Woman over time have learned that certain behaviors help when giving birth. Artist through trail and error also learn routines that help the creative process. Nations over time learn that governance with the people’s involvement works best. We call that democracy but our particular form is actually a democratic republic, a representative government. Today we will be practicing that principle during our called meeting after worship, as we elect representatives to lead us in ministry. All such behaviors though logical also have a powerful emotional link. That emotional link helps us remember: what is important and directs our responses to trials. Wednesday we as a community shared the grief of the Griffin family. More distant we are concerned with the families of those killed and the injured at Fort Hood, Tx. Ultimately all these lead back to the morning of September 11, 2001. Our responses to such tragedies can be how we handle the birthpangs of a new heaven and a new earth. Through it all Jesus wants us to recall his message of hope.
In our Mission Yearbook of prayer and study has a reading about a mission throughout on denomination. On Vertrans Day this was the mission shared:

An injured soldier wraps himself in a blanket knitted by someone he doesn't know, but it comforts him. Parents view their stillborn baby, beautifully dressed in the gift of a hand-knitted layette, and feel a small sense of peace. A woman undergoing chemotherapy pulls the knit cap she has been given over her hairless head and remembers her faith that everything will be all right. These somber scenes are filled with hope from a group called Heartstrings at Henry Memorial Presbyterian Church in Dublin, Georgia.

The group was started by two women at Henry Memorial who were going through their own personal struggles. Barbara Riddle was looking for something to occupy her time after major surgery. After hearing about a hospital needing items for premature and stillborn babies, she began knitting for them. Around the same time, Eileen and Norm Buckhouse lost one of their sons in a tragic accident, only to soon learn that two other sons would be deployed to Iraq.

A friend suggested that Eileen knit prayer shawls to keep her mind occupied. Together Barbara and Eileen began to teach knitting classes, and a ministry was born.

Today Heartstrings continues its ministry not only in its community, but throughout the world. Knitters make hats, blankets, and booties for an African hospital, cast socks and blankets for wounded soldiers being treated in Germany, dishcloths for seniors living in Swainsboro Presbyterian Apartments, and sweaters for children in the U.S. who need them. What began as a source of comfort in a time of pain has become a ministry serving children of God all over the world with a simple gift craft woven with love.[2]

What ministry is Jesus calling you into? Are their birthpangs, in your life that need to be survived or are you ready to suffer the pains of birthing something new? May the Creator of all life guide your breathing in and breathing out. As Jesus said, "With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God." (Mark 10:27). Amen.
[1] “Why We Love to be Scared” By Charles Q. Choi, Special to LiveScience posted: October 30, 2006.

[2] Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study, Tuesday, November 10

New Love, New Mercy

Lamentations 3:21-24 and Titus 3:3-9
Preached by Linda Jo Peters
November 8, 2009 – Dedication of Pledges and Celebration dinner
Unity Presbyterian Church ~ Terre Haute, Indiana

INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTURE

Lamentations 3:21-24 (read in unison) Love and Mercy is more than just our stewardship theme, it is the way of life for a disciple of Jesus. In the little letter from Jude, we read that during times of conflict disciples are to “…keep ourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” (Jude 1:23 NKJV)
Let us read this passage from Lamentations one more time in unison.
“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, God’s mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in God.’”

Titus 3:3-9
Ever since the Reformation there has been a theological struggle over works and salvation. It probably is way earlier for James writes “So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.” (2:17) Can we earn a place or at least a better place in heaven by the good works we do here on earth? But isn’t salvation by grace alone? Stewardship is so much more than just works righteousness. It is the on going struggle to discern God’s will for our individual lives, our families, our congregation, our community and our world. We have stewardship responsibilities in every area and in every relationship. How we use our talents, our time our treasure that God has entrusted to us is critical to our faith. As believers not only is our world view been changed by our encounter with the risen Christ but our self view is changed as well. Listen to Paul’s message to Titus about our changed attitudes. For God as made all things new. New love, New Mercy. Paul writes:

For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, despicable, hating one another. 4But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. 6This Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8The saying is sure. I desire that you insist on these things, so that those who have come to believe in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works; these things are excellent and profitable to everyone.
9But avoid stupid controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.


SERMON
New Love, New Mercy. Both love and mercy imply action. The emotions of love and mercy are never satisfied with just verbal expressions of affection and a desire for righteousness. They need to be part of our living to have purpose and meaning.

Because we love this beautifully created planet, we gather recycling and all the inconveniences that means. Because we love our families, we often work long hours to earn money even at jobs we hate and then do more work keeping up our home. Because we love our nation, we pay taxes, vote, debate policy and serve in military or peace corp. All of this is stewardship born of love. In the church we love Jesus and want others to know his story and want to be his instruments for peace, hope and joy in the world. So we volunteer our already over stretched time, money and talents.

Because we are moved by those who suffer, we act out of mercy in our support of the food pantry, victims of disaster and violence around the world and right in our neighborhood. We have a generous nature why then are stewardship drives even needed?

Adam Hamilton, author and pastor, writes in his book Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity:
… God designed us to be generous. God created us with the willingness to give – to God and to others. This design is part of our makeup; we actually have the need to be generous. Yet there are two “voices” that war against our God-given impulse toward generosity, tempting us to keep or hoard what we have.
The first voice is the voice of fear, which tells us, If you give, there may not be enough left over for you. We are afraid to be generous because we are afraid of what might happen to us…
The second voice is the voice of self-gratification, which tells us, If you give, you won’t have enough money to buy the stuff you need to make you happy. Our culture tells us that our lives consist in the abundance of our possessions and pleasurable experiences.[1]

Let’s be honest the second voice is greed. So fear and greed tempt us to keep rather than being generous as God has designed us to be. How then do we silence these voices and live out our generosity in love and mercy? First we need to remember who owns what. Have you ever traveled with children crowded in the back seat of a car? After about ten miles the bickering begins. She touched me. He took my book. I want to play with the game boy now. Humans with limited resources and space are often no different that children in the back seat of a car. Love and mercy go right out the window. But when a crisis comes: flat tire, accident, someone gets sick, our attitudes change. We recall a great truth, that we do not own anything. It is all on loan. Our job as God’s stewards is to use what we have been put in charge of wisely and generously.

Here is a prayer to help you recall who you are and to whom you really belong:
I am no longer my own, but yours, Lord. Put me to whatever work you will. Let me be whole or suffer as you see fit. Let me be full or empty. I freely and heartily yield all thing to your pleasure and disposal. Amen.[2]

Such a surrender to God’s authority has to come before we can be stewards of love and mercy.
As many of you know I have a deep affection for butterflies. Not just because they are some of the most beautiful insects but because their transformation is so dramatic they easily can represent new life as well as resurrection. But this year in particular I have seen very few butterflies. Earlier this week I was wearing a red blouse and a monarch flew down to check me out. One wing was damaged but it could still fly. But after the frost the past few weeks what was it was going to eat. I have no idea. Butterflies are a major pollinator. Their decline will affect many others in the circle of life. This one butterfly drove me to search the web for what is wrong. I found articles and comments from as far away as Australia and Scotland. The questions are “What is causing the decline?” and “Can I do anything about it?” Is it climate change, is it herbicides, is it habitat destruction, is it the parasitic black wasp, is it some unknown disease or a combination of several factors? This is how new love, new mercy work together to make us better stewards. We will pay attention to what we love. So a steward is attentive.

Years ago I served in Southeastern Illinois Presbytery. One meeting a group of members of a small Presbyterian congregation came to the meeting and told the presbytery they could no longer keep the church open. It was a shock. Though it was a small congregation – about 20 active members, they had never expressed a concern about their future. For years they had not had a regular pastor. Volunteers handled all the functions of the church leadership. Like the butterflies though one day they just disappeared and I believe their community was diminished by their absence. I have toured great cathedrals in the Czech republic that are nothing more than tourist sites. Unity is a vital and active congregation because of your generosity and the generosity of those who came before you. Let us make our commitments to continue to invest our resources so that the body of Christ here at Unity does more than survive but flourishes. Amen.

[1] Adam Hamilton, Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity, Abingdon Press, Nashville, TN, 2009, p.76f.
[2] Adapted from the “Covenant Prayer in the Wesleyan Tradition” see The United Methodist Hymnal, United Methodist Publishing House, 1998, p. 607.

New Love, New Mercy

Lamentations 3:21-24 and Titus 3:3-9
Preached by Linda Jo Peters
November 8, 2009 – Dedication of Pledges and Celebration dinner
Unity Presbyterian Church ~ Terre Haute, Indiana

INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTURE

Lamentations 3:21-24 (read in unison) Love and Mercy is more than just our stewardship theme, it is the way of life for a disciple of Jesus. In the little letter from Jude, we read that during times of conflict disciples are to “…keep ourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” (Jude 1:23 NKJV)
Let us read this passage from Lamentations one more time in unison.
“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, God’s mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in God.’”

Titus 3:3-9
Ever since the Reformation there has been a theological struggle over works and salvation. It probably is way earlier for James writes “So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.” (2:17) Can we earn a place or at least a better place in heaven by the good works we do here on earth? But isn’t salvation by grace alone? Stewardship is so much more than just works righteousness. It is the on going struggle to discern God’s will for our individual lives, our families, our congregation, our community and our world. We have stewardship responsibilities in every area and in every relationship. How we use our talents, our time our treasure that God has entrusted to us is critical to our faith. As believers not only is our world view been changed by our encounter with the risen Christ but our self view is changed as well. Listen to Paul’s message to Titus about our changed attitudes. For God as made all things new. New love, New Mercy. Paul writes:

For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, despicable, hating one another. 4But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. 6This Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8The saying is sure. I desire that you insist on these things, so that those who have come to believe in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works; these things are excellent and profitable to everyone.
9But avoid stupid controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.


SERMON
New Love, New Mercy. Both love and mercy imply action. The emotions of love and mercy are never satisfied with just verbal expressions of affection and a desire for righteousness. They need to be part of our living to have purpose and meaning.

Because we love this beautifully created planet, we gather recycling and all the inconveniences that means. Because we love our families, we often work long hours to earn money even at jobs we hate and then do more work keeping up our home. Because we love our nation, we pay taxes, vote, debate policy and serve in military or peace corp. All of this is stewardship born of love. In the church we love Jesus and want others to know his story and want to be his instruments for peace, hope and joy in the world. So we volunteer our already over stretched time, money and talents.

Because we are moved by those who suffer, we act out of mercy in our support of the food pantry, victims of disaster and violence around the world and right in our neighborhood. We have a generous nature why then are stewardship drives even needed?

Adam Hamilton, author and pastor, writes in his book Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity:
… God designed us to be generous. God created us with the willingness to give – to God and to others. This design is part of our makeup; we actually have the need to be generous. Yet there are two “voices” that war against our God-given impulse toward generosity, tempting us to keep or hoard what we have.
The first voice is the voice of fear, which tells us, If you give, there may not be enough left over for you. We are afraid to be generous because we are afraid of what might happen to us…
The second voice is the voice of self-gratification, which tells us, If you give, you won’t have enough money to buy the stuff you need to make you happy. Our culture tells us that our lives consist in the abundance of our possessions and pleasurable experiences.[1]

Let’s be honest the second voice is greed. So fear and greed tempt us to keep rather than being generous as God has designed us to be. How then do we silence these voices and live out our generosity in love and mercy? First we need to remember who owns what. Have you ever traveled with children crowded in the back seat of a car? After about ten miles the bickering begins. She touched me. He took my book. I want to play with the game boy now. Humans with limited resources and space are often no different that children in the back seat of a car. Love and mercy go right out the window. But when a crisis comes: flat tire, accident, someone gets sick, our attitudes change. We recall a great truth, that we do not own anything. It is all on loan. Our job as God’s stewards is to use what we have been put in charge of wisely and generously.

Here is a prayer to help you recall who you are and to whom you really belong:
I am no longer my own, but yours, Lord. Put me to whatever work you will. Let me be whole or suffer as you see fit. Let me be full or empty. I freely and heartily yield all thing to your pleasure and disposal. Amen.[2]

Such a surrender to God’s authority has to come before we can be stewards of love and mercy.
As many of you know I have a deep affection for butterflies. Not just because they are some of the most beautiful insects but because their transformation is so dramatic they easily can represent new life as well as resurrection. But this year in particular I have seen very few butterflies. Earlier this week I was wearing a red blouse and a monarch flew down to check me out. One wing was damaged but it could still fly. But after the frost the past few weeks what was it was going to eat. I have no idea. Butterflies are a major pollinator. Their decline will affect many others in the circle of life. This one butterfly drove me to search the web for what is wrong. I found articles and comments from as far away as Australia and Scotland. The questions are “What is causing the decline?” and “Can I do anything about it?” Is it climate change, is it herbicides, is it habitat destruction, is it the parasitic black wasp, is it some unknown disease or a combination of several factors? This is how new love, new mercy work together to make us better stewards. We will pay attention to what we love. So a steward is attentive.

Years ago I served in Southeastern Illinois Presbytery. One meeting a group of members of a small Presbyterian congregation came to the meeting and told the presbytery they could no longer keep the church open. It was a shock. Though it was a small congregation – about 20 active members, they had never expressed a concern about their future. For years they had not had a regular pastor. Volunteers handled all the functions of the church leadership. Like the butterflies though one day they just disappeared and I believe their community was diminished by their absence. I have toured great cathedrals in the Czech republic that are nothing more than tourist sites. Unity is a vital and active congregation because of your generosity and the generosity of those who came before you. Let us make our commitments to continue to invest our resources so that the body of Christ here at Unity does more than survive but flourishes. Amen.


[1] Adam Hamilton, Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity, Abingdon Press, Nashville, TN, 2009, p.76f.
[2] Adapted from the “Covenant Prayer in the Wesleyan Tradition” see The United Methodist Hymnal, United Methodist Publishing House, 1998, p. 607.

Giving Peace
Lamentations 3:21-24 read responsively Luke 19:41-48
Preached by Linda Jo Peters ~ November 1, 2009
All Saints Day – Celebration of Our Lord’s Supper
Unity Presbyterian Church ~ Terre Haute, Indiana

INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTURE
Lamentations 3:21-24 (read in unison) By now you know our Stewardship drive is “New Love: New Mercy.” As we consider our stewardship as giving peace, we are reminded by this passage that God is the source of all good including our desire for and our ability to give peace. Let us read this passage in unison.
“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, God’s mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in God.’”

Luke 19:41-48
This passage is not in the lectionary text. It follows Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on what we celebrate as Palm Sunday and the confrontation with the religious leaders who tell Jesus to keep his disciples quiet. He replies: ‘If these were silent, the stones would cry out’ (19:40).
Jewish historian, Josephus was present in Jerusalem when the city was captured and the Temple was burnt. He described the aftermath of its destruction:
The countryside like the City was a pitiful sight; for where once there had been a lovely vista of woods and parks there was nothing but desert and stumps of trees. No one - not even a foreigner - who had seen the Old Judea and the glorious suburbs of the City, and now set eyes on her present desolation, could have helped sighing and groaning at so terrible a change.
Was it this future that brought our Lord to tears? By the time of Luke’s writing his Gospel this destruction would have already occurred. Sometimes the stones are all that remain to cry out. In some sense the remnants of the great temple which we now see as the western (or wailing) wall in old Jerusalem still do their crying. They also cry out from the floors of torture rooms, scenes of massacre known and unknown, across the world.
Luke has surrounded the wonderful pageant of Jesus’ ascent to Jerusalem with pain. It is hard to trivialize the scene with shallow triumphalism. The context invites us to the horror of Jerusalem and of all other habitations where human blood has been shed. The message is not the cheap comfort of blame, but the mourning for lost peace. This is, for Luke, no longer a populist throng, but disciples who discern why Jesus was born and why he will die. They are to cry out - and not leave it only to the stones and not be silenced by devout advisers.[1]

41As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42saying, “If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43Indeed, the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up ramparts around you and surround you, and hem you in on every side. 44They will crush you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave within you one stone upon another; because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.” 45Then he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling things there; 46and he said, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer’; but you have made it a den of robbers.” 47Every day he was teaching in the temple. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people kept looking for a way to kill him; 48but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were spellbound by what they heard.

SERMON
Today is All Saints day when we remember and give thanks for all the Saints who have gone before us and provided for own nurture in the faith. Who truly gave us Christ’s peace. Many were treasured friends or family members that took the time to tell us about Jesus and opened the meaning of scripture to us. Some taught us valuable lessons about righteousness and loving sacrificially. They shared their passion for mission. Today we remember there witness as we gather at the table of the Lord. But there are thousands of others who we will never know their names but yet they laid the foundations for our lives as disciples of Jesus. This year we were given a bequest from the estate of Elaine Falber. She had planned that a tithe (10%) of her estate would be given to her church. There were no restrictions on the gift. So your Session saved some and used some to meet the budget but 10% went as our tithe to PYOCA our church camp. Children, teenagers and adults will benefit from this gift but they will not know Elaine’s name or the session members who made that choice. This is what stewardship is all about. Giving away what is needed and trusting God to lead the use of resources. It is about giving peace.

Jesus gives peace – his peace – but we often will have none of it. The human response to Jesus’ life, then and now, was rejection and violence. But thankfully it’s not God’s response to us. God’s ways are not our ways. God justifies the one who was refused, rejected, and killed, and raises him up to show that nothing can undo the hard truth that time and time again God comes bringing peace, his peace. Christ’s peace is reconciliation, the bringing together of enemies (not their annihilation) in order for them to sit at the same table. In Jesus’ time, you would never sit at the same table with your enemies. Which is not much different today, we would rather eat alone that with people who frustrate and anger us. It is not natural or easy to eat with enemies or strangers, but it is possible. Our rejection of others alienates us from God, and God’s will, but it cannot deter God’s desire to unite us to him through Christ. There was a time when we were alienated from God, but God has the power to bring alienated parties together, to bring people together at one table. For Christ is our peace, who has made us one, and has broken down the wall of hostility, reconciling us to God and to one another. Through Christ, God is calling all people into a new community, longer strangers and aliens, but fellow citizens of the household of God. This household of God, this new community, this new way of living is Christ’s beloved church – we exist to witness to the world a different way, an alternative vision of human community. Unity – like churches around the world – is called to witness to this truth in our life together, called to witness Christ’s peace, the peace we have with God which informs how we treat one another and every person who comes through our doors to this Table. It’s our job to give peace so that people have the eyes to see the things that make for peace in the world.[2]

This chapter in Luke also contains the story of Zacchaeus the tax collector. Unlike the city of Jerusalem, he is transformed by his encounter with Jesus. He makes restitution to those he has defrauded. This is the power of the peace of Christ. Giving peace is about giving out of our transformed lives so that others will know the peace that passes all understanding. When we share the peace of Christ, we touch on another and/or give a blessing. We demonstrate in our contact with one another the welcome of Jesus. What are the things that make for peace? Welcome of the stranger, an attitude of joy, rest for the weary and hope for the lost. Every event, worship, study experience here at Unity and at any church is to be an instrument of giving peace out of our transformed lives in Christ Jesus. As we were once lost and now have a place in the family of God, may we remember and give the peace for those who have yet to receive Christ. This will require concrete actions on our parts. Some of us will provide food for welcome, others will visit those who are ill or in prison, some will provide financial resources to make our facilities welcoming and support the staff. But however you are called, may your giving be an instrument of peace that is poured out for generations to come, who may never know your name but your Lord Jesus always will! Amen.

[1] Adapted from "First Thoughts on Year C Gospel Passages in the Lectionary: Palm Sunday," William Loader, Murdoch University, Uniting Church in Australia.
[2] Adapted from a sermon by Rev. Dr. Kenneth E. Kovacs Catonsville Presbyterian Church, Catonsville, Maryland “The Things That Make for Peace” World Communion Sunday/7th October 2007

The Church’s Role in Health Care
Begin Three Part Sermon Series on Health Care: A Tradition of Healing
Scripture Psalm 91 as a Psalter and Matthew 25:34-40 and Acts 8:5-8
Preached by Linda Jo Peters ~ September 6, 2009
Unity Presbyterian Church ~ Terre Haute, IN to read sermos click link http://sermonsbylindapeters.blogspot.com/

Welcome

Hi Everyone! Here are some up and coming events at Unity

Sunday, July 26 at 6:30PM we are hosting an evening of music with a reception. All are welcome!

Sunday,August 30 is our Rally Day - Picnic after worship

Communion here at Unity is open to all believers. It is a time of joy!

Sermon Series on "Making Money Work for God and You"

Sermon Series on “Making Money Work for God and You”
Scripture Psalm 92: 1- 5 read responsively and Luke 12:22-34
Preached by Linda Jo Peters ~ June 14 - July 19, 2009
Unity Presbyterian Church ~ Terre Haute, Indiana

to read the series click on the link to sermons
http://sermonsbylindapeters.blogspot.com/