Confessing Primary Citizenship

7 Pentecost, C p 9, July 3, 2016  

Isaiah 66:10-14 Psalm 66:1-10

Gal. 6:1-18    Luke 10:1-12,16-20  

Lectionary Link
  What if you were ask me today:  Can I be American citizen?  I would be rather shocked and I might have some questions for you.  Like: Aren't you already an American citizen?  Were you not born in the United States?  Were not your parents American citizens?  And how did you come to believe that you are not an American citizen?  Didn't you get instructed about your identity and rights as an American citizen?  Did someone not tell you that you were an American citizen?  Did someone tell you that you were not good enough to be an American citizen?  Why are you confused about not being an American citizen? 
   If you did not know about your American citizenship the I would want to teach you about your true identity as an American citizen.
  When Jesus grew up in Palestine he discovered something about many people.  He discovered that many people did not believe that they were children of God.  Why?  They did not have good knowledge about God or themselves.  Why?  Because many religious leaders made them feel like God was not their heavenly Father?  Why?  Because these religious leaders had some many special little rules which people did not and could not easily follow, and so the religious people came to tell people that only certain people were God's chosen people or children.
  This angered and saddened Jesus.  Why?  Because when he prayed, he prayed to God as his Father and he wondered why all people could not pray to God as God's children too.  Jesus knew that God created the world and that God made people in God's image, and so everyone is a child of God.  And Jesus knew that God had created a world for God's children to live in.  So all people live as God's children in God's world or God's kingdom.
  Jesus was sad that people did not know and believe this.  He was angry with people who did not preach this correct information to people.
  So when Jesus began his ministry he realized that he had a big mission to accomplish.  He had to correct all of the bad information that people had about themselves and about God.
  Jesus trained his friends and disciples to become group of people to spread the true message about God and about how all people could accept themselves as sons and daughters of God.  Jesus trained his evangelist to go to people and offer them peace and to tell them: The kingdom of God is near.
  Jesus wanted all people to know that everyone lives in the kingdom of God as a citizen of God's kingdom.
  When the disciples of Jesus came back from their mission, they were excited that they had defeated the devil who is the father of lies.  When they brought the truth of the message of God's kingdom, they defeated the lies that had ruled peoples' life.  And they were very proud of their mission.
  But Jesus had an important reminder for them.  No matter what we do, we need to rejoice that "our names are written in heaven."  This is a poetic way of saying, "The most important truth of our lives is that we are sons and daughters of God and we are made in God's image and we are citizens of God's kingdom in our lives while we live and we will continue to be citizens of God's kingdom after we have died.
  Tomorrow is the 4th of July and we will celebrate the birthday of our country.  We are proud of our country and we are proud to be citizens of our country.  But let us remember today,  that we have another larger country, we have the entire country of God's creation and so we live too as citizens in God's kingdom as God's sons and daughters.
  Let us be thankful that Jesus came to remind us that we live as citizens in God's kingdom as sons and daughters of God.  Amen.

Fruits of the Spirit

6 Pentecost C proper 8 June 26, 2016
2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14  Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20 b

Galatians 5:1,13-25  Luke 9:51-62

Lectionary Link
  Mom made some bread dough for her children one day.  She left it in the kitchen before she went to work and told her husband, who was working from home, "Please tell the children that I have surprise in the kitchen for them to use today."  So, mom went to work and when the children woke up, dad told them that mom had left a surprise for them in the kitchen.  The three children went into the kitchen and saw three zip lock bags with their names on them: Dora, Matthew and Jeremy.  Dora said, "Mom left us a summer activity.  I know what to do with this piece of dough.  Do you want me to show you?"  Matthew said, "No way!  I am going to use my dough in a better way than you."  Dora said to Jeremy, "Jeremy, do you want me to help you with your dough?"  Jeremy said, "I can do my own thing with my dough."  So each of the children took their dough to use for the day.
  When mom came home, she gathered the children and asked, "What did you do with your dough today?  When she saw Jeremy, she asked, "What is that red bruise on your cheek?"  Jeremy said, "Well Michael used the dough as a baseball and he threw it to me and I missed and it hit me on the cheek."  Mom asked Michael, "Did you use your dough as a baseball?"  Michael answer, "I did and I also tried to use it as play dough but it was too sticky, so I just threw it in the trash."  Mom asked Jeremy, "What did you do with your dough?"  Jeremy went to his room and brought back his dough and it was a big, dirty, ball full of dead ants, rolly polly bugs, sand, leaves, small sticks, stones, candy, gum and a marble.  Mom said, "That's interesting Jeremy.  You collected lots of things in your dough ball but we're going have to throw it away soon because it is getting really yucky."  And now Dora, what did you do with your dough?"  Dora said,  "Mom, you can smell my dough.  I let my dough rise and I made a loaf of French bread and I put it into the oven, and it is now ready to take out of the oven."  Dora took the bread out of the oven and showed her mom.  And mom said, "Wow, this is perfect for our supper tonight.  Dora, you sure found the very best way to use the dough."
  Our lives are like the piece of dough in the story.  There are many things that we can do with our lives.  Dora found the best thing to do with her piece of dough.  And we have to find the best thing to do with our lives.
  St. Paul wrote about finding the best thing to do with our lives.  Our life is made up of our bodies, and things inside of us called desire, feeling, thought and the power to choose.  And we have to decide how we are going to use our bodies with its desires, feelings, thoughts and choices.  St. Paul warned us that we can make some very bad choices and do some thing which harm us and other people.  But just as Dora found the best use for the bread dough, St. Paul said that we can find the very best things to do with our lives.  Just as bread dough has hidden yeast within it which makes the bread puff up and become tasty bread to eat, St. Paul said that we have the Invisible and Hidden Holy Spirit within us who will help our lives become like trees which produce wonderful fruit.  St. Paul wrote that the fruits of the Spirit are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
  St. Paul and Jesus remind us that we have to find and choose the right things to do with our lives.  What are the right things to do with our lives?  To love each other.  To find and express joy.  To practice peace with one another.  To be patience and forgiving.  To be kind to one another.  To be generous and share with those in need.  To have faith and act with hopefulness.  To be gentle and not cause harm.  To be our own heroes by being strong enough to practice self control.
  The fruits of the Spirit are available to everyone, you don't have to be a bishop or priest or pastor or monk or teacher or prophet to express the fruits of the Spirit.  They are given to us by God as we allow the energy of the Spirit of God to live through us.
  So, if mom leaves you piece of dough for your activity of the day, what are going to do?  Let it rise and bake some bread, right?
  If God has given you a body, full of desires, feelings, thoughts and choices, what are you going to do?  We are going to let God's Spirit grow the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.   Amen.