Vacation Bible School and Sermon from July 5th 2015

This week we are hosting the Vacation Bible School for the Lake City Community.  It's a fantastic week with all these little people running around the building.  There is nothing more rewarding than teaching and working with young children.

A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone that is helping out with VBS, in so very many different roles!  It is amazing to see and I'm so impressed and proud of all the great work and dedication to the youth here in and around Lake City.  What a wonderful place and such incredible people!  God Bless you all!

God Bless the little ones they are so precious.  Tonight in the first class that I taught (the 1st & 2nd Graders) one of the girls asked me if they got to keep the Bibles we were reading I told her no they were just for the class.  I then asked if they all had Bibles at home, all of the children did with the exception of the little girl who asked if they got to keep the Bibles.  I asked her if she wanted one and she vigorously shook her head yes and said yes she did.  So I gave her a Bible of her own to take home.  I like to tell everyone to "be a blessing to someone today", but today I have to say this little girl was my blessing.  She reminded me just how precious a Bible is to have.  Later I saw that she was clutching that Bible tight to her chest and she held it like that until her parents came and picked her up.  God Bless her always.  

I've attached the manuscript for the July 5th sermon for anyone who wishes to read through it.  Gail did record the sermon on her phone, but I forgot to have her download it for me before she left to go back to Omaha.  I'll try and get it this weekend and add it to this post.

In His Love & Care, 

Roy

Sermon July 5^th, 2015

Woodlawn Christian Church – Roy Karlen

First off, I was pleased to see so many of you make it to the Community Worship Service last weekend in the town square. It was a beautiful day and I thought it was a great day of worshiping with our fellow Christians here in Lake City.


It's going to be a busy week this week with Vacation Bible School going on and then next weekend is, of course, my formal installation service here at Woodlawn CC. We'll have a few special guests coming to be with us hopefully that day. My mentor the Rev. Bob Molby will be here with his wife Marcie, also my late mentor Jesse's wife Kathy will be here. Kathy will have with her, her sister Susan who is the past Executive Minister for the American Baptist in Nebraska. We'll also have my daughter Maddie and for the first time our son Creath will be here in Lake City. Creath will be playing his violin for us so that will be a treat. My older brother Merrill and his wife Karen are also making the trip, so I get another chance to harass my big brother from the pulpit, that's always fun for me. So make sure and be here next week to welcome all of these fine folks. You will also want to remember that we're having a potluck after the service, and you can never go wrong coming to church when there's a potluck.


Before we go any further this morning, let's go before the Lord in prayer;

We desire your presence with us O God.

Still our restless spirits, that with quiet minds and reverent hearts we may hear your voice and worthily worship you.

Prepare our minds and hearts O, God, that through your Word, read and proclaimed, Christ may come to dwell within us, and ever rule over our thoughts and affections as Lord of our lives.

AMEN

The scripture that we're going to be looking at today is found in the Gospel of Mark in the 6^th Chapter. It immediately follows a series of miracles that Jesus has performed and it's followed by the story of the death of John the Baptist. The story of John's death highlights for us just how dangerous this being a new voice was in these times. After the story of John's death, there are more stories of miracles.


Let’s go now to the Gospel of Mark;

Mark 6:1-13 Revised Standard Version (RSV)

The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth

6 He went away from there and came to his own country; and his disciples followed him. 2 And on the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue; and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get all this? What is the wisdom given to him? What mighty works are wrought by his hands! 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. 4 And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.” 5 And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands upon a few sick people and healed them. 6 And he marveled because of their unbelief.

And he went about among the villages teaching.

The Mission of the Twelve

7 And he called to him the twelve, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8 He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; 9 but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. 10 And he said to them, “Where you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. 11 And if any place will not receive you and they refuse to hear you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet for a testimony against them.” 12 So they went out and preached that men should repent. 13 And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them.

Jesus is in the first few lines of these verses, the hometown boy who's come back to town and the folks back home still see him as he was before. Isn't this the carpenter? Some translations say 'just' the carpenter. Isn't this the guy who we had make that table for us and one of the legs was too short? We grew up with this guy, what and who does he think he is now? And why can he do miracles and not the rest of us? What made him so special that God has favored him above all of us who grew up with him.

In the canonical writings there really isn't much about Jesus growing up other than a little bit in Luke's gospel. But it would seem by what Mark is telling us here that the folks in his hometown hadn't considered him as anything special prior to now. Isn't this just the carpenter and aren't his siblings here with us? Where did he get this wisdom and this power to do miracles?

We tend to have a hard time seeing people differently once we've gotten used to seeing them a certain way. An easy illustration of this would be parents and their children; it's difficult for us parents to see our children as grown adults and not think they still need us to tell them how to do things. I know for me as a father I still have a tendency to think of my kids as much younger and less capable than they really are. Sometimes it's easier for folks who have a bit more distance to see just how wonderful of an adult they might be.

Certainly, a prophet has a difficult time being appreciated in his own hometown, much less among his family and in his own home. We humans often have a tough time seeing what is right there in front of us all along.

Also here, we have no small amount of jealousy this guy wasn't special growing up? Why is he so special now? And why did God favor him over me anyways?

There just isn't the faith in him here where he grew up that is needed to see his work come to fruition.

Now let's look at the next section of this scripture, Jesus is sending his disciples off to the surrounding villages to heal and perform miracles. But get this, he tells them to not take any supplies or provisions along for the trip. He goes so far as to tell them that they are not to even take along an extra set of clothes, just the ones on their backs. And let's not forget the part about no money! He wants them to be entirely reliant on the help and generosity of those whom they are going to aid.

He is telling them to have faith that their endeavor will be supported and welcomed. They are to step forward into the darkness and uncertainty that lies ahead and believe that all will be well and God will ultimately provide for them through those that they encounter on their journey.

Have you ever been in a situation where all the odds seemed against you but you had absolute peace. You had peace because you had faith and an understanding that God would see you through. No matter what lay ahead you would prevail with God's support and love.

Now, I have to confess to you all that my wife Gail has a much stronger sense of faith than I or almost anyone else that I know. I want to tell you all a little story about our daughter Madeline or Maddie as we generally call her. Madeline was due to be born in December of 1994; over Labor Day weekend of that year my son Creath and I went up to South Dakota to visit my family. Gail wasn't able to go along as she was forbidden by her Doctor to travel. While we were there Gail called very early one morning to tell me that she was in the hospital and that the baby was coming. Her water had broken while she was asleep and she had called her mother to rush her to the hospital.

The baby was coming over three months early, well I immediately jumped in the car and drove as fast as I could back the 360 miles to Omaha. When I got to the hospital the contractions had slowed down but the baby was coming, there was no stopping that.  Maddie was born on September 5^th, which was Labor Day that year. She was so small that the Doctor handed her back with just one hand to the Doctors and nurses behind him that were there waiting for her.  

Now, I'm sure all of you can do the math but Maddie was coming into this world at 25 weeks term rather than the normal 40 weeks. Twenty one years ago this wasn't a good thing, Gail and I had already lost one child at 22 weeks and I'll be honest I was scared out of my mind. All the hospital staff was obviously concerned as well, but there surrounded by all this chaos, fear and frayed nerves laid Gail, absolutely, serene and assured. She told me not to worry that everything would be fine, I wish I could tell you I believed her completely... she said God would get us through this and that this child would be just fine.

Creath visiting Maddie in the NeoNat Unit.

Well Maddie came into this world at only 2 lbs 2 ounces, but a stubborn little girl from the get go. She gave us a lot of scares, actually she gave me a lot of scares, Gail always believed that everything would be fine... and it was. Maddie came home the day before Thanksgiving she was so small that we gave her baths in a mixing bowl, and not a large mixing bowl either. She was home for a short time before having to go back into the Neonate unit with RSV. She was very, very, very sick and honestly the doctors knew they were losing her. But Gail had faith, everything would be fine.

Maddie was so sick that they were giving her nebulizer treatments with albuterol with 15 minute intervals between treatments. There was no doubt that she was dying, but Gail remained stoic and professing that everything would be just fine.

Maddie's doctor came to us and said there was a drug trial that they wanted to put Maddie into. A new potential treatment for RSV that they wanted to know if we'd let them use on Maddie. Well, of course when you're in a drug trial you never know if you're getting a placebo or a real drug.  We said okay, honestly we didn't have anything else to do, she was dying right there before our eyes. Gail though again was unwavering in her belief that it would all be all right.

Well, they immediately started Maddie on the treatments and almost like magic she started to improve. She literally bounced back from death's door and lo and behold she recovered. Later we learned that she did indeed get the real drug and not a placebo. That drug which I don't remember the name of was shortly the standard treatment for babies with RSV and has saved many lives. One of the first lives it saved though was our own little Miss Maddie Kaye Karlen.

The fact that we just happened to be there when this drug trial was going on is to us no small miracle.  Certainly, Gail's great faith in her God for His provision and great care was well founded.  Maddie made a rapid and complete recovery, though she did have lung damage due to the RSV and her premature birth.  Thankfully, she outgrew this damage as she grew older and today her lungs are as good as gold.

Faith is a difficult thing, to step out and carry on even though the situation looks hopeless is not something that comes natural to us humans. Most of us let fear take over and we start to doubt... fear is normal and it's impossible to say that even the faithful don't suffer from fear. Faith means in spite of your fears and in spite of what should be normal human doubt, you place your faith in God and you go forth. Knowing that ultimately this world can only throw so much against us and that no matter what might come God will bring us through.

Even in those situations where it seems that the world has won, it really hasn't because God's Kingdom is bigger than the world. Now back to our scripture verses, I'm sure that the disciples all thought "what in the world is he trying to do to us, no food, no money, we're going to perish". But none of them did, at least not yet. In the end, of course, nearly all of them paid the ultimate price for witnessing for our Lord. Of course, we know that even in death their faith has saved them. The Apostle Paul tells us in his letter to the Church in Rome:

Romans 8:33-39 Revised Standard Version (RSV)

God’s Love in Christ Jesus

33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies; 34 who is to condemn? Is it Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us? 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written,

“For thy sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded 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 sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, 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.

In the end, it all works out, faith even into death.  For not even death can separate us from the Love of our God. I forget the name of the movie, but I remember this line from it; “it will all work out in the end and if it hasn't yet worked out, then it's not yet the end.”

In the end it all works out, we are called to journey through the darkness of life with the knowledge that the light of our God awaits us on the other side. We have faith that nothing in this world or beyond can change that truth.

But while we're on this journey of faith, let us never forget that we're supposed to be witnessing and helping others along the way.

Let us pray:

Heavenly Father,

Help us to be ever mindful to not be judgmental of others. But let us be ever mindful of living our lives as a reflection of your love for each and everyone. Please forgive us for our failings and guide us daily to a better understanding of you and the path that you wish for us to walk in your creation.

We pray this in Your Holy Name.

Amen