Sermon: January 23, 2011

Leaving Everything to Follow Jesus

Psalm 27: 1-7 read responsively and Matthew 4:12-23

Preached by Linda Jo Peters ~ January 23, 2011

INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTURE
Psalm 27
Many displaced people of our day can relate to the suffering of the Israelites as one powerful neighbor after another invades their lands. There is no help to be found except in the grace of God. This is a song of praise of God’s saving activity.
1The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
2When evildoers assail me to devour my flesh— my adversaries and foes— they shall stumble and fall.
3Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise up against me, yet I will be confident.
4One thing I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.
5For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock.
6Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord.
7Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me!

Matthew 4: 12-23
Thomas H. Troeger is an author and professor of Christian Communication. In his commentary on this passage, he writes:
The evangelist is writing for a congregation that knows how precarious their own situation is. There have been arrests, some have been thrown out of synagogues, their beliefs have been attacked and mocked. Surely the temptation is great, especially since Christ has not returned as expected, to give up their faith or at least to collapse into some weaker, less public form of religious life. But now Matthew reminds them that Jesus (and his disciples) faced their own temptations and Jesus began his public ministry amidst a dangerous situation. Matthew’s church is the beneficiary of Jesus’ courage to proclaim the kingdom of heaven has come near.

12Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. 13He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: 15“Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— 16the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.” 17From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

18As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. 19And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” 20Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. 22Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.

23Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.

SERMON
Have you ever left everything behind to answer a call? Those who go into the Mission field or serve in the military often leave everything they own and value behind. Most expect there will be a day when they can come home and reclaim that was left behind. Some take on a new job or retire and move to another part of the world. Usually they are expecting what they leave behind will follow them into their new life. But to leave everything to answer the call of Jesus that is radical behavior. It is on the order of going to prison or dying. Even loosing one’s home to flood or fire, leaves the land and hopefully family and friends, but these two sets of brothers are leaving everything. Their work, their families and friends, even their identity based in what they did for a living is lost. They will now become fishers of people. Whatever does that mean to these men?

Jesus is asking them to give up there old lives and follow him.  It is about attachments. Why would Jesus want his disciples to detach from things and even people?

Shannon Carney is a small business woman. She was working with a life coach that asked her, “Who would you be if you took all those things away?” She didn't know where to start because in her mind, her “stuff” was who she is, but it is also gave her the inspiration to live with purpose. She writes:
I started detaching from "stuff" around me because that is what I could handle. Day 10 really helped me dig deeper in finding out more about myself than I ever thought I could. I got my boyfriend involved in the detachment process and we started clearing out old clothes to give to Purple Heart and (we were) amazed at how much more space was created! I was thrilled and so was my boyfriend. I couldn't believe how much crowded space really drains your energy. We did this with the kitchen, vitamins, bathrooms, cars, basement, garage, and I really looked forward to it. It became our time away from noise. Getting rid of "stuff" allowed us to focus less on "stuff" and more on each other, our families, and traveling - which allowed us to live with joy and peace and spread that to other people we interact with.

So why would Jesus want his disciples to detach from things and even people?

We can see that things get in our way of relishing life and serving God with joy. But detaching from people is a lot harder isn’t it?
From the Lance Armstrong foundation they suggest that to detach from people is the:
• Ability to allow people, places or things the freedom to be themselves.
• Holding back from the need to rescue, save or fix another person from being sick, dysfunctional or irrational.
• Giving another others "the space" to be themselves.
• Disengaging from an over-enmeshed or dependent relationship with people.
• Willingness to accept that you cannot change or control a person, place or thing.

So why would Jesus want his disciples to detach from things and even people?

It is simply because following Jesus is hard work. If we insist on carrying all that baggage with us, we may never get where he needs us to be. So leave everything behind and follow the one who promises you, “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:30) Amen.

Resources:

Dig Deeper And Detach From Your Stuff - Extreme Thought Makeover by: Dr Rick Schaefer see: www.articlecity.com/articles/self_improvement_and_motivation/article_8606.shtml

http://www.livestrong.com/article/14712-developing-detachment/

Sermon, January 16, 2011

Called by God to Serve

Scripture: Psalm 40:1-11 read responsively and Isaiah 49: 1-7

Preached by Linda Jo Peters ~ January 16, 2011

Installation of Officers (Martin Luther King Sunday)

INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTURE
Here is a song of thanksgiving after a time of great trail. The writer has learned through this experience that God prefers people to listen and obey God’s will rather than make offerings of an unwilling heart.

1I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry.
2He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.
3He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.
4Happy are those who make the Lord their trust, who do not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after false gods.
5You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you. Were I to proclaim and tell of them, they would be more than can be counted.
6Sacrifice and offering you do not desire, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required.
7Then I said, “Here I am; in the scroll of the book it is written of me.
8I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.”
9I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; see, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O Lord.
10I have not hidden your saving help within my heart, I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation.
11Do not, O Lord, withhold your mercy from me; let your steadfast love and your faithfulness keep me safe forever.

Isaiah 49: 1-7
Last week we considered baptism as our first call to serve by proclaiming the Good News. Jesus’ own baptism fulfilled a call to be the servant leadership. Today we ordain and install leaders of our church to that same leadership of service. Here in Isaiah we hear not only the personal nature of being called by God but the communal nature. For we are a people of God called to serve as well as individuals called into service.

Listen to me, O coastlands, pay attention, you peoples from far away! The Lord called me before I was born, while I was in my mother’s womb he named me. He made my mouth like a sharp sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid me away. And he said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.” But I said, “I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my cause is with the Lord, and my reward with my God.” And now the Lord says, who formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him, and that Israel might be gathered to him, for I am honored in the sight of the Lord, and my God has become my strength— he says, “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One, to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations, the slave of rulers, “Kings shall see and stand up, princes, and they shall prostrate themselves, because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”

SERMON
In the corporate business world Robert Greenleaf is said to have coined the term servant leadership. But God has been calling a people/a community to service leadership for thousands of years.

Thomas H. Greco consolidated Greenleaf’s work into 10 characteristics that need to be cultivated by anyone who would aspire to lead in any realm. He sees them as especially important in the development of a new paradigm of social justice, global harmony, and sustainability. The characteristics are:

1. Servant leaders are servants first, and consciously choose to lead as a way to serve the development of others.
2. Servant leaders respond to any problem by listening first. Their attitude emulates St Francis: “Lord, grant that I may not seek so much to be understood as to understand.”
3. Servant leaders maintain empathy for the essential humanity of other people, even when they cannot accept the other person’s acts.
4. Servant leaders utilize both analysis and intuition to develop foresight (Greenleaf considered foresight to be the Central ethic of leadership.) Believers would call it prophetic vision.
5. Servant leaders cultivate awareness and hone their powers of perception.
6. Servant leaders create change by inspiration and persuasion, not coercion.
7. Servant leaders are highly creative, drawing from their unique strengths to create fresh responses to new situations.
8. Servant leaders remember that healing means “to make whole.” They know that to be wholly human, one must joyfully accept both the goodness and the bitterness of life” while contributing to the good.
9. Servant leaders recognize that healing actions take place in the context of community.
10. Servant leaders change the world by first changing themselves.

God’s call is to Israel is to be instruments of restoration and to bring light to all people. When Isaiah first challenged the leadership of Israel it was to call them to account for their neglect of the poor. He warns of their impending exile, but always God says they have a role to play in the world which requires them to take real risks in order to truly lead people to God. As much as they want to be heard they need to listen, be empathic, have foresight, use their powers of perception and inspiration to create and heal a broken and lost world.

Greco writes: “Servant leaders change the world by first changing themselves.” To me this is the most significant characteristic of servant leaders.

During the life of Isaiah, Israel had become a comfortable and wealthy nation especially for the royal court, because it had prime real estate where it could play one aggressor against another such as the rivalry between the Egypt and Assyria. They were not interested in rocking the boat, in changing. Isaiah was part of that elet group but changed himself to answer God’s call. He challenged the leader to trust in God instead of their treaties. Eventually their unwillingness to change led to their ruin.

The officers we ordain and install today may ask us to make changes that they believe will serve God first. Because they are servant leaders, they will listen and pray, be open to God’s direction, they will inspire us and work creatively to inspire change. Our job is to listen to them, pray for them and work creatively with them to make ourselves better witnesses to the good news of Jesus Christ. It is not easy to be a leader in the church because you have no power to make anyone do anything, except the power of the Holy Spirit that can change hearts, renew broken spirits and binds us together in love. What would this world be like if leaders of industry and governments alike chose to be servant leaders? What if we chose to be servant leaders in our families, neighborhoods, nation and world? What if we lead with inspiration and persuasion, not coercion? I think things would be very good. This is God’s design for leadership wherever we are called to serve. Amen.

Resources:
Paul D. Hanson, Interpretation Series “Isaiah 40 – 66,” John Knox Press, Louisville, 1995
See: http://www.relationship-economy.com/?p=7437
Gale Encyclopedia of Biography: Isaiah; see: answers.com

Sermon January 9, 2010

“The Beloved One”

Preached by Linda Jo Peters ~ January 9, 2011

Matthew 3:13-17

with Celebration of the Lord’s Supper

INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTURE
Matthew 3:13-17
In all the gospels Jesus’ baptism has a mythical quality. It is a point in time where the heavenly world and earthly reality meet. Like the story of the star, the opening of the heavens is making a statement about the breakthrough which is to come. It seems to carry a sense of call as Jesus begins his calling of his disciples and ministry soon after his baptism. It celebrates who Jesus is: the beloved of God.

13Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. 14John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

SERMON
The prophet Isaiah tells us of God’s promised Messiah. Through him God tells the people:
Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. (Isaiah 43:1)

Coming onto the scene and asking for baptism, Jesus is announcing himself as the one promised by God through the prophet long ago. And John's response clearly indicates his awareness of himself not as the One promised but as the one who prepares the way. Jesus is the fulfillment of the promise which God gives to sinners who have no standing. In Jesus they have a place to stand in a new relationship with God. We who have put on Christ are the beloved of God.

When Jesus speaks of "righteousness," he relates it to salvation, which is another word for healing. Here is healing of the damage that has been done to our relationship with God. Commentator F. Dean Lueking writes “His baptism is the decisive opening event that further unfolds that for which he came, to lay his healing hands upon a broken, alienated world to make it right with God again."

“A broken, alienated,” ever felt broken in body, mind or spirit? Ever felt alienated at work or school or from friends, family even God? Sure you have. We all have. Some of us cause our own brokenness and alienation but others are victims of a divisive and angry world. In our baptism we are claimed by God as brothers and sisters of his beloved, Jesus.

Christ gave us two sacraments: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. It is a rare event to celebrate both sacraments on the same day. Today we will renew our baptismal covenant with God and claim that we are beloved. Baptism is the sign and seal of our life together in Christ. In our Baptism we die to sin and are reborn to new life in Christ. Then we will taste the break and drink of the cup of salvation found in our Lord’s Supper. We will remember that Jesus took ordinary bread and a cup and transformed them with his sacrifice into a new covenant with God for us. In the Lord’s Supper the people are spiritually nourished by Christ our host and anticipate the banquet we will share when there is a new heaven and a new earth. When we celebrate these sacraments in worship, we proclaim the Gospel. Through our experience in worship, as individuals and as a community, we are sent out into the world to share the Good News of Jesus the Christ giver of new life for all of creation. This sharing is our call. You are beloved of God. Go out into the world and let everyone you meet know how precious they are. Be loving and generous even when you are afraid or angry. There is a whole world of people yearning to know they too are beloved of God.

Resources:
See: Kate Huey, ucc.org: Sermon Seeds, lectionary ( www.ucc.org/worship/samuel/january-09-2011-i-the.html) quotes F. Dean Lueking The Lectionary CommentaryRenewal of Baptismal Covenant

Sermon December 12, 2010

A Child Who Turns the World Upside-down

Preached by Linda Jo Peters ~ December 12, 2010

Third Sunday of Advent – Children’s Choir and dedication of white gifts

Scripture Psalm 146:5-10 and Luke 1:46-55

INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTURE
Psalm 146 is the first of the five great Hallel or praise Psalms that conclude the book of Psalms.
All five of these psalms begin and conclude with the refrain, "Praise the LORD!" The psalmist exhorts us to make praise of the Lord an act for every day of one's life. In the season of Advent we give praise for God’s gift of salvation found in the birth of the Messiah. With the psalmist, we too live out our lives continually in the presence of the God who has given us the gift of life and salvation. So let us praise the Lord together!
1Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul!
2I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long.
3Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help.
4When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish.
5Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God,
6who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever;
7who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free;
8the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous.
9The LORD watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
10The LORD will reign forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the LORD!
Luke 1:46-55
The Magnificat or Mary’s song gives voice to her blessedness and at the same time reconnects the personal event of her pregnancy and the birth of Jesus to the wider vision which will challenge powers that oppress. Note the connections as we move through the song: a personal sense of joy, call and blessedness from a very personal divine encounter with the Holy One connects to the divine compassion for all who fear God and divine transformation on a wider scope, deposing the powers and lifting the fallen. The story of Jesus begins with his mother’s vision of change and transformation.

And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

SERMON
All children come into this world with great expectations. Children bring delight to our present and hope better things to come. Jesus’ mother says he is the long awaited Messiah and he will turn things upside down.

Now the natural order of things is that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. We have seen a recent rise in this activity here in this country. Figures released by the Census Bureau show that poverty is the highest it's been since 1994 - and for working-age people 18 to 65 years old, it's the highest since 1965, when President Johnson declared a war on poverty. For millions of low- and middle-income Americans, the economic ladder has gone only down... The richest 1 percent of Americans account for 24 percent of the nation's total income, the highest share since 1928, right before the Great Depression.

From scripture God seems to side with those on the bottom, those who are excluded, those left out. Yet, God does not triumph over their oppressors in a vindictive act, but rather a loving one. God wants them to change and join the mission of the kingdom… This is how God triumphs--not through violence, the customary pattern of the powers of this world, but through compassion and love.

When we listen to the children of the church sing, we hear the voice of every child and see how precious each child is through them. We need contact with new life in order to appreciate our lives. Children are amazingly present in the here and now and because they hold so much promise they pull us into the future. In my “Transforming Thoughts” for the December newsletter I asked, “Where do you see the face of God?” I often see God in the face of children because they are so open and able still to wonder. When news or personal worries make me feel discouraged and tired, I just have to spend some time with a young child my whole attitude changes! But youth and young adults challenge my think and turn my world upside down, too. R&B is hardly my fist choice in music, but on Facebook this week Shannon Johnson introduced me to a wonderful singer called Jill Scott who sings a song called “Golden,” in which she sings that she is living her life like it is golden. Her music and the lyrics really touched and lifted my spirit. The truth is some days I live my life like its aluminum, ready for recycling. When I see the face of God in one of our children, or they introduce me to new ideas and music, I remember how precious life is and how precious they are. I wonder what the world will be like when these children of ours go out into it.

Our small group is watching the Rob Bell videos. Our first one is called “Rich” and takes place in a garage as he waits for his car to be repaired. He reports that roughly 7% of the world’s population owns cars. So even if it is an old car that makes him rich in the eyes of 93% of the world. Guess how many of our children will expect to own a car? Most of them probably. But what if this next generation looks at transportation in a whole new way and starts shared car ownership or renting a zip car as needed. Bicycles might become more prevalent. Just these changes would turn our world upside down. What will it mean for the church, if our children became the new leaders? They can only turn the church upside down if they are in it. Our job as the previous generations is to make sure they are welcome in church and find meaning and purpose for their lives in relationship with Jesus Christ.

Ray Prichard writes: “that historically most of the great revivals of church history started first with the young people. Often the Holy Spirit begins with the next generation when He wants to wake up this generation.” I pray that the Holy Spirit will bless our children with an awareness of the wonder of our lives right now and a vision for the future with Jesus central to their lives.

Here this Advent season we recall Mary’s words, “The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name!” Amen!

Resources:
From the Census Bureau Posted Friday, September 17, 2010

John Petty, Progressive Involvement, 2009.see: http://www.progressiveinvolvement.com/progressive_involvement/2009/12/lectionary-blogging-luke-1-3956.html

Sermon December 5, 2010

“Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has Come Near”

Preached by Linda Jo Peters ~ December 5, 2010

Second Sunday of Advent with Celebration of the Lord’s Supper

Scripture: Matthew 3:1-12

INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTURE
The Greek word John uses in this passage, we translate as “repentance.” It refers to far more than a simply being or saying one is sorry for past sins, far more than mere regret or remorse for such sins. It refers to a turning away from the past way of life and the inauguration of a new one. In the 1970’s there was a musical production that was written, produced and performed by students at Carnegie Mellon University. Later it moved to La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in Greenwich Village. It was then re-scored for an off-Broadway production which became a long-running success. You might know it as Godspell. One of the songs refers to this understanding of repentance; “Turn Back Oh Man.” It was an adaptation of an old hymn. Turning away from what leads us to sin and turning toward what leads to righteousness. Never an easy task.

In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’” Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit worthy of repentance. Do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. “I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

SERMON
Perhaps the best and simplest definition of "repentance" comes from Richard Jensen in Touched by the Spirit. He connects it to baptism: The daily baptismal experience has many names. It may be called repentance. Unfortunately, repentance is often understood as an "I can" experience. "I am sorry for my sins. I can do better. I can please you, God." So often we interpret repentance as our way of turning to God. That cannot be. Christianity is not about an individual turning to God. Christianity is about God turning to us.

So repentace is not a onetime vent.  In repenting, therefore, we ask the God who has turned towards us, buried us in baptism and raised us to new life, to continue his work of putting us to death. Repentance is an "I can't" experience. To repent is to volunteer for death. Repentance asks that the "death of self" which God began to work in us in baptism continue to this day. The repentant person comes before God saying, "I can't do it myself, God. Kill me and give me new life. You buried me in baptism. Bury me again today. Raise me to a new life." That is the language of repentance. Repentance is a daily experience that renews our baptism.


It is the greates value to Christians to visit the stable, the mountain, the garden, the corss and the tomb to hear Jesus' story over and over, because our own will lead us away form God.  "Turn back, oh man, and foreswear your foolish ways." Like a driver who missed a turn, we need to turn back to the way of Christ.  Looking into the image in our review mirror we realize we have once again missed the turn and have to turn back, retrace our steppes.  But in life we cannot go back to who we were, so how do we turn back?  John says, "Repent (or turn back) for the Kingdom of Heaven has come near."  We need to look for a sign post that their is a new direction we can take.  One that says, "turn this way to the kingdom of God."  From Jesus' teachings we know eveyone is invited: from east and west, north and south, and every kind is gathered into the net, the weeds and the wheat are allowed to grow together, faith as small as mustard seed can do wondrous things in the kingdom of heaven, you must be a child to enter it, it is like a great banquet or a marriag feast.  I f we use Jensen's image of asking God to kill off our old life, we see how radical kingdom living is!  John says, "Bear fruit worthy of repentance." In the kingdom of heaven we recommit ourselves to God's Lordship every day.  When we can't find our way, we pray because we can't do it, but God can! 

At the table of the Lord, all our excusees die and we are given new life in Christ Jesus.  Thanks be to God.  Amen.
 
Resources: Touched by the Spirit by Richard Jensen, 1975, Augsburg Pubishing House p.49
See: Matthew 8:11, 13: 29&31 and 22:2