Sermon at Parkside Baptist Church, March 22, 2015

This morning Gail and I went up to visit the congregation at Parkside Baptist Church in the Florence area of Omaha.  I was invited to come up and provide pulpit supply while their Pastor was away for a few days of vacation.  Parkside has a smaller congregation but a beautiful little sanctuary.  They have some wonderful stained glass windows that were well lit today and were just beautiful.  Gail forgot to start recording the sermon today until it was well underway and so she decided to just skip trying to record it at all.  In the absence of any video, I've attached a copy of the manuscript to the end of this blog post.

I spent a little bit of the day working on some artwork that I recently received a commission to complete.  The commission is for one large painting and another extremely large wall sculpture.  Today I was working on the pieces that will be attached to the front of the sculpture.  I will be working in earnest on these pieces for the next three weeks and, therefore, my goals for getting my bodyweight down a bit will have to wait.  In fact, I will be lucky to even get in a couple of workouts in the next three weeks.

Our Landlord at the Gallery has been kind enough to agree to let me use an empty bay in the shopping center in which to assemble and make the final preparations of the wall sculpture. The piece is simply too large to work on in my normal studio space.  Fortunately, the customer that I'm creating the art for runs a trucking company and they are going to provide a truck to haul it from the space to their home for installation.  It's always fun and exciting to take on these bigger pieces, but they do present logistic and physical problems that more normal sized pieces do not.

I don't have too much more that I can share at this time, so I will end this blog post here.  Please do read through the manuscript of the sermon today, it was very well received by the good people at Parkside Baptist.

May you all be well and richly blessed.

In His Grace & Love,
Roy

Sermon March 22, 2015 – Parkside Baptist Church

Good morning, my name is Roy Karlen my wife Gail is here with me this morning and we are both very happy to have this chance to be with you all today.  We regularly attend Benson Baptist where I also help with the Sunday School program.  But, both Gail and I very much enjoy visiting different churches and we admittedly have a special fondness for smaller congregations.  So we both thank you for the invitation to come and have this time to worship with you this morning.

Please let me tell you a little more about who I am.  My wife Gail and I own Leonardo's Art & Prints which is an art gallery and custom framing shop located at 120th and West Center Road here in Omaha.  I am a graduate of Cotner College's “Educating Lay Ministry Program” or ELM.  ELM is a three-year program here in Nebraska designed to train lay people to take on roles in formal ministry.  ELM is a multi-denominational or ecumenical program with students from the Presbyterian Church, the United Church of Christ, the Disciples of Christ and, of course, the American Baptist Church.

Stained Glass at Parkside Baptist Church, Omaha, NE
WmRoy Karlen photo

In addition to my ELM training, I studied for a number of years with Jesse Brown who was my mentor.  I'm sure that at least a few of you were acquainted with Jesse.  After Jesse's death Bob Molby took over the formal role as my mentor but, I have also received spiritual and personal guidance from Dick Peterson, Susan Gillies, and Kathy Brown, as well as others.

I will confess that I am not necessarily a smooth nor an eloquent preacher, rather I consider myself more of a teacher than a preacher.  In all of my sermons, there is an element of teaching thrown in with the sermon.

The verses we're going to be looking at in just a little bit concern the healing of blindness.  Of course, we find this metaphor in the Gospels in several places.  And the metaphor doesn't necessarily mean we are completely blind but that we cannot see adequately or correctly.  In order to see properly we need adequate light.

Parkside Baptist Church, Omaha, NE
WmRoy Karlen photo

Not long ago my daughter was having problems with her car and we decided that it was time to get her a different used vehicle.  One of the cars, I went to look at the gentleman selling it told me that he had repaired the hood and the front fender.  The car was parked in the shade and where it was the repairs looked very good.  So I asked to drive it and when I had completed the test drive I parked the car in a different location.  The man asked me to pull it in where it had been and I told him I wanted to see the car out in the full sunlight.  Well, of course with adequate light, I could see that the paint on the hood and fender did not match the rest of the car.

It looked fine in the shade, but in the fullness of the light it was obviously not.  The difference in the light changed the way I saw the car, just as the light of God changes the way we see the world.

Before we go any further though, let's please go before the Lord in Prayer:

O' God we desire your presence with us here today.  Lord, still our restless spirits, that with quiet minds and reverent hearts we may hear your voice and genuinely 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 the Lord of our lives.     AMEN

Parkside Baptist Church, Omaha, NE
WmRoy Karlen photo

Today we're going to be looking at a bit of scripture found in the Gospel of Mark.  As you all may be aware, the Gospel of Mark is accepted by the vast majority of Biblical Scholars as the earliest of the four Gospels that are found in the New Testament.  The exact date of its composition is unknown and the estimates of its age do vary, however my personal opinion is that the book dates to sometime shortly after the destruction of the Temple by the Romans in 70 AD.  The Gospels of Matthew and Luke were likely written around a decade later and the Gospel of John was probably completed very near to the end of the first century AD.

The verses that we will be taking a closer look at this morning are found in the Gospel of Mark 10: 46-52.  In this story, we find Jesus on the way to Jerusalem to observe Passover and to face his destiny with the Roman Empire and the Jewish Leaders.  With that let's listen to these verses and then we'll examine the verses themselves as well as those verses that frame them.

Mark 10: 46-52 - Jesus Heals a Blind Man
46 Then they came to the town of Jericho. As Jesus was leaving there with his followers and a great many people, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus son of Timaeus was sitting by the road. 47 When he heard that Jesus from Nazareth was walking by, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
48 Many people warned the blind man to be quiet, but he shouted even more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
49 Jesus stopped and said, “Tell the man to come here.”
So they called the blind man, saying, “Cheer up! Get to your feet. Jesus is calling you.” 50 The blind man jumped up, left his coat there, and went to Jesus.
51 Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?”
The blind man answered, “Teacher, I want to see.”
52 Jesus said, “Go, you are healed because you believed.” At once the man could see, and he followed Jesus on the road.

Parkside Baptist Church, Omaha, NE
WmRoy Karlen photo

Okay, now let's unpack this just a little bit.  Jesus and his followers are leaving Jericho on the way towards Jerusalem.  Here along the road a blind beggar learns that Jesus is passing by and he cries out to Jesus repeatedly, even though the crowd tells him to be quiet.  The blind man is persistent, and ultimately it pays off for him.

For a moment let's consider this man's name 'Bartimaeus'.  Often in scripture there is a message hidden in the names utilized.  Now when we see a name that begins with 'Bar', it means in Aramaic 'the son of' whatever name follows.  We see this here and we'll see it again later in Mark Chapter 15 where we encounter 'Barabbas'.  Pilate offers up to the crowd the choice to set free either Jesus 'the son of God' or Barabbas, Bar 'the son of' Abba 'Father'.  Barabbas 'the son of The Father'.  Now Barabbas is considered to be a man of violence here in scripture and of course we know Jesus was a man of peace and non-violence.  It is thought by some scholars that Barabbas may well have been attempting to lead, or was at least participating in a revolution of sorts against the Romans.  Given the choice between the peaceful 'Son of God' or the violent 'son of The Father', the people choose violence.  A very telling event, but one for another sermon on another day.

'Bartimaeus', what does this name mean in Aramaic?  Well again 'Bar' is son of and 'Timaeus' in Aramaic means unclean, impure, an outcast.  This blind beggar crying out to Jesus is the son of the unclean, the child of impurity.  Rejected, marginalized and ignored by society, but not ignored by Jesus.  Bartimaeus' name is so important that it is even translated within the scripture itself, 'Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus'. Jesus summons him to his side, and what does the beggar do?  He jumps up and hurries to Jesus, leaving his coat behind.  This is an important detail, he left his coat behind.  Now obviously, it would be difficult if not impossible for this man to find his way back to what is likely his only source of protection from the elements.  Leaving his coat behind is a great display of faith, faith that Jesus could and would heal his affliction.

Generally, when we're contemplating scripture it is advisable to consider the verses that directly follow and those which directly precede the verses we're studying.  Now immediately after these verses we find the 'triumphant entry' into Jerusalem.  I'll be very careful and not tread too far as that's for next week, when we celebrate Palm Sunday and Jesus procession into Jerusalem.  But that's what we find immediately follow this passage, the entry into the city and the beginning of the chain of events that would forever define Jesus' ministry.
What do we find preceding our chosen verses?  Well let's back up to the passage that was read earlier as our scripture verses for today.  Mark 10: 13-16

Jesus Accepts Children
13 Some people brought their little children to Jesus so he could touch them, but his followers told them to stop. 14 When Jesus saw this, he was upset and said to them, “Let the little children come to me. Don’t stop them, because the kingdom of God belongs to people who are like these children. 15 I tell you the truth, you must accept the kingdom of God as if you were a little child, or you will never enter it.” 16 Then Jesus took the children in his arms, put his hands on them, and blessed them.

Now in Jesus' time, children were not regarded the way children are today.  They were to be honest a marginalized component of the society.  Certainly, they were not supposed to impose upon a teacher such as Jesus.  Just as in the story of the blind beggar, we have a marginalized section of society seeking out the blessing of Christ.  And just like our earlier story here an attempt is made to prevent them from having access to Jesus.  But what we find in both stories is Christ calling out to those deemed lesser by society and calling them to him.  In one he heals and in the other he blesses, but in both his behavior and attitude towards them is frankly unexpected by society.

I'm going to skip over for the moment the story of the 'Rich Young Man' and first look at Mark 10: 35-45

Two Followers Ask Jesus a Favor
35 Then James and John, sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want to ask you to do something for us.”
36 Jesus asked, “What do you want me to do for you?”
37 They answered, “Let one of us sit at your right side and one of us sit at your left side in your glory in your kingdom.”
38 Jesus said, “You don’t understand what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I must drink? And can you be baptized with the same kind of baptism that I must go through?”
39 They answered, “Yes, we can.”
Jesus said to them, “You will drink the same cup that I will drink, and you will be baptized with the same baptism that I must go through. 40 But I cannot choose who will sit at my right or my left; those places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”
41 When the other ten followers heard this, they began to be angry with James and John.
42 Jesus called them together and said, “The other nations have rulers. You know that those rulers love to show their power over the people, and their important leaders love to use all their authority. 43 But it should not be that way among you. Whoever wants to become great among you must serve the rest of you like a servant. 44 Whoever wants to become the first among you must serve all of you like a slave. 45 In the same way, the Son of Man did not come to be served. He came to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many people.”

One could argue that the Apostles are just as blind as poor Bartimaeus, perhaps even more so.  The Apostles have been literally walking side by side with Jesus and yet here they are concerned with where they will sit in the Kingdom to come and not about serving people here in this world as the world was then and as it is still today.  Immediately however, Jesus puts them straight and with no uncertain terms.  Jesus did not come to be served but to serve, and he calls those that claim to follow him to do the same.

Let us now go back to the verses about the Rich Young Man.  Mark 10: 17-22

A Rich Young Man’s Question
17 As Jesus started to leave, a man ran to him and fell on his knees before Jesus. The man asked, “Good teacher, what must I do to have life forever?”
18 Jesus answered, “Why do you call me good? Only God is good. 19 You know the commands: ‘You must not murder anyone. You must not be guilty of adultery. You must not steal. You must not tell lies about your neighbor. You must not cheat. Honor your father and mother.’”
20 The man said, “Teacher, I have obeyed all these things since I was a boy.”
21 Jesus, looking at the man, loved him and said, “There is one more thing you need to do. Go and sell everything you have, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me.”
22 He was very sad to hear Jesus say this, and he left sorrowfully, because he was rich.

Let's contrast this 'Rich Young Man' with our poor soul 'Bartimaeus'.  In both stories, we have a man seeking out Jesus.  Both have requests to put before him, one seeks salvation and the other sight.  In both cases Jesus gives them exactly what they ask for yet to surprisingly different results.

Bartimaeus, the 'Son of the Unclean' leaves behind even his coat to join Christ on the road headed to Jerusalem.  This man who is clearly an outcast and 'impure' recognizes Jesus for who he is and joins his procession.  And again, the story leaves us to believe that he has left behind his coat, likely his major worldly possession.

Now the 'Rich Young Man' by his own profession has obeyed all the laws and commandments since he was a child.  He is certainly ritually pure and if we can believe his confession he is without sin.  Yet, when told what he needed to do to have riches in Heaven, he could not follow through.  Unable to let go of what he has in this world, he turned and walked away, leaving behind Jesus and the gift that had been offered to him.

My late mentor Jesse used to like to say that Jesus never asked us to worship him, but he did repeatedly ask us to follow him.  Here in these two stories we find one man who is specifically asked to follow who declines and another who seems to take it for granted and just joins right in with the procession towards Jerusalem.  And of course it is important to note that it is the unclean man who has faith and follows and the pious man, the man who is accepted by society who falls away.

These are all stories with unexpected elements in them.  Children who recognize Jesus for who he is, the unclean who are crippled and marginalized willingly following Christ, the Apostles allowing their egos to get in the way of understanding Christ's message, and a man who claims to be extraordinarily pious unable to let go of his worldly wealth to gain treasures in heaven.
As we read these stories we have to ask ourselves, are we going to focus on the things of this world, our egos, our possessions, our status or position... or are we going to open our eyes as Jesus commands and then join the procession into Jerusalem on our way to Palm Sunday and beyond.  For you see the message in the story of Bartimaeus isn't only about seeing, more importantly it's about faith and doing.  Rising up and following Christ all the way to Jerusalem.

God bless you all and again, thank you so very much for asking me to come and worship with you.

Let us close with a prayer.

Dear Father, Abba, we come to you humbly, and freely accept the grace that you provide to us, grace given despite our sins against you in thought, word and deed.  Lord, we thank you for your love and forgiveness and we cherish above all else our relationship to you, we also thank you for the relationships that you have blessed us with in our families, our friends, our fellow believers and all our fellow human beings.  Truly, all are a part of your grand design and creation.  Dear God, let us always be mindful of your directions in this world and let us be your hands and feet in this place.  Father, we look forward to the day when through your direction all shall be reconciled to you and to each other.
We pray this in your most Holy and Blessed name, AMEN.

Parkside Baptist Church, Omaha, NE
WmRoy Karlen photo

The Ides of March

Well, yesterday after Church we had a million errands to run.  It was a constant run, run, run until evening it seemed.  Luckily, for me anyways we did stop for a while at one of my favorite places 'Half Priced Books'.  This week I only purchased two books, but I managed to find both in the bargain section so I was pretty pleased with that.  The first book is by Diana Butler Bass entitled 'Christianity After Religion'.  Some of her work was part of the ELM curriculum, but I haven't read any of her books for a while now so I'm curious to read this one.  The other book is a bird of an entirely different feather entitled 'The Suffering of God' by Terence E. Fretheim.  The book focuses on the 'God of the Old Testament' and the Forward for the book was written by none other than Walter Brueggemann.  Brueggemann lavishes much praise onto the writing, and you really can't get much better than that for a book concerning the Old Testament.  This morning I started the book by Fretheim as just last night I finished one of the books I have been reading a book entitled 'The First Parish' by J. Keith Cook.  This was a very interesting little book with a good deal of great information.  I picked it up a while back at a book sale at a Church in Lincoln.  It was written in 1983 so it's discussion of technology was entertaining, but most of the book is still entirely applicable and well worth reading.

Yesterday of course was the 'Ides of March', and unlike Caeser, I managed to survive the Day without incident.  Like I said, we spent almost the entire day running around doing errands.  So, in hindsight I was fortunate to survive.  There is nothing like shopping for clothes with a 20-year-old young lady and her mother.  At least I got to go to the bookstore and we went to 'Five Guys' for a late lunch/early dinner.  I'd never gone there before and now I know what all the fuss is about.  The burger I had was very tasty and the fries are great as well.  The place was a bit noisy for my old ears, but the food was worth tolerating the racket for a spell.

 Last week Maddie's car decided it wanted to start acting up and so I missed a few nights of workouts in order to spend them going to check out used cars in the area.  Finally, on Saturday morning I managed to locate an older car that is in good condition and within the budget allowed.  So now, Maddie has a different car an older one for sure but a bit newer than her last vehicle.  This one is in nearly perfect condition inside and out and looks very sharp for its age.

After all of the running around we came home and I changed and ran to the gym to get in a workout.  I truly hate working out on a Sunday, but today I have a commitment in the evening and I didn't want to miss another workout.  The session went very well and I was pleased, especially considering how messed up my workouts have gotten in the last couple of weeks.  It seemed that there was always something which I had to attend to that altered my schedule.

I do have somethings brewing in the search for a permanent pulpit though of course I cannot share the particulars here.  Hopefully, there will be some news to report in the coming month or months.  Please, pray for guidance for me and all of the Search Committees out there looking for the right minister for their congregations.  It's all in God's good timing and being patient is being faithful.

God's Great and Abundant Blessings upon you all.

In Christ,
Roy

A quick road trip and Roy's ramblings...

This week Maddie started a new job, working at a new business in town called the 'Kolache Factory'.  Of course as the name implies, they make Kolaches and very tasty ones at that.  Maddie was originally hired as a cashier, but they quickly discovered that she (thanks to her mother) has a real knack in the kitchen.  She's been transferred over to baking and her new boss just loves her.  So far, she's had a 100% turnout rate for her baking (many of the kolaches break open in baking).  Today she made meatball kolaches and again had a perfect score, her boss was so thrilled he dubbed her 'the meatball whisperer' and said from now on if she's at work she is making the meatball kolaches.  Apparently, the meatball ones are extremely tough to make and all the rest of the cooks have multiple failures in each batch.

I'm extremely proud of how hard she's working, she has been going in at 3 am and a couple of days she worked until 3 pm.  She's a hard little worker and she tells us that she just loves this job and working with baking.  Of course, she's excited because she's getting a lot of hours and will have more money to save up to travel to Canada again soon to see Yves.

Today I picked Maddie up from work at eleven and we drove to Sioux Falls to help Creath do his income taxes.  Once we finished that I took Maddie and Creath out to supper and then Creath had to get to work so Maddie and I set off back to Omaha.  She told me on the way home that Yves band has been offered a chance to open for another band on tour.  If they take the offer they'll be touring not only Canada and the USA but also over in Europe.  They're both very excited as it could be a big opportunity for Yves and his group.  He and his band are also planning on coming to the US soon to meet with the producer who is putting together a cd for them.  They're all excited about this as well as apparently he's a big name and has worked with several groups that went on to be well-known and popular bands (of course I've never heard of any of them). Who knows, Maddie may find herself with a rockstar on her hands, at any rate he plays a very mean guitar.

Today marks three months until my 55 and one-half birthday, and since I've not been training towards any particular event or date lately I decided to train towards that date.  And with that I have set my sights on May 22, 2015, by which I will strive to have dropped 20 to 30 lbs of body weight, and be in as good as, or better shape than I was at less than half of my current age.  Age is as I constantly say, just a number, and no reason for us to give up on being healthy, strong and active.

Well, it's getting late and I better get going, so with that I'll leave you all with this prayer.

God's Love & Blessings to you all,
Roy


O Lord, who hast mercy upon all, take away from me my sins,
and mercifully kindle in me the fire of thy Holy Spirit.
Take away from me the heart of stone,
and give me a heart of flesh,
a heart to love and adore thee,
a heart to delight in thee,
to follow and to enjoy thee,
for Christ's sake.

(Ambrose of Milan, c 339-397)

The passing of the Guard

Well, I pray this blog post finds everyone who wanders through in good health and spirits.  I do have some very sad news to report in that my Aunt Sylvia passed away at her home this past Friday afternoon.  Sylvia was diagnosed with lung cancer a while back and she decided to refrain from treatment.  She wanted to enjoy as much of the life that she had left, without the illness and wear and tear of chemo or radiation treatments.  Sylvia was a wonderful, wonderful woman and she's the last of her five siblings to pass into heaven.  The very last of the old guard Karlen's, they leave behind only my Uncle Elton's wife Beth and my mother Rosemarie, both of whom of course married into the Karlen clan.

The "Old Guard Karlen Clan."
Back Row, Elton, Joan, my grandmother Madeline Karlen
Front Row, my father Merrill, Sylvia and Vida.
All five siblings with their mother at Grandma's house out at the Ranch
Their birth order was: Elton, Merrill, Vida, Joan & Sylvia

Today I helped out a bit with the worship service at Benson Baptist with leading the prayers for both services.  I was also the lead teacher today for Sunday School, it seems that these two responsibilities always seem to fall on the same Sunday.  In Sunday School, we are working on creating Easter cards for children in an orphanage in Romania.

Working on these cards dovetails well with the topic we're covering in the program we've been utilizing.  This month's topic is 'kindness'.  We've tried very diligently to convey to the children how this act of kindness, making cards for these orphans, will hopefully brighten Easter day for them.  While the children were working on the cards, I had them go around the table and offer their class members compliments.  The lesson there was how even a tiny act of kindness can brighten another's day.

I've said it before in this blog, and I will give emphasis to it once again... it does not take a large act of kindness or generosity to make a profound impact on another human being.  So very often it's the small acts that have the greatest impact on another.  The much used saying "practice random acts of kindness" has much truth and merit.

I like to say "be a blessing to someone today", but remember these blessings don't have to be big nor grand.  Just spread them out and let God do the rest.

And with that I'll end this short blog post with a prayer from Mother Teresa.

God's Blessings to you all.

In Christ,

Roy

DEAR JESUS, help me to spread Thy fragrance everywhere I go. Flood my soul with Thy spirit and love. Penetrate and possess my whole Return to "Paying Tribute to Mother Teresa of Calcutta "being so utterly that all my life may only be a radiance of Thine. Shine through me and be so in me that every soul I come in contact with may feel Thy presence in my soul. Let them look up and see no longer me but only Jesus. Stay with me and then I shall begin to shine as you shine, so to shine as to be a light to others.

Mother Teresa

Of course, more books...

I apologize that I haven't posted anything for a couple of weeks.  Honestly, I haven't had much interesting to say.  Our weather here went from nice, to snow, to nice again, and today it's cold and windy.  You have to love winter in Nebraska, but all things considered we've had a very easy winter this year.  I have a couple of friends in the New England area and man, oh man, I wouldn't trade winters with them for love nor money. 

This last Sunday we went to 'Half Price Books' as we often do, and I was thrilled to find three books that interested me and all three just happened to be on clearance to boot.  So last night I finished the book that I have been reading and started reading one of the three that I purchased Sunday.  The name of the new book is "The Externally Focused Church" by Rick Rusaw & Eric Swanson.  I'm only a short ways into it but so far it's been a very good resource.

Lately, I've been doing a lot of deep reading on Church History and this book is a much lighter and faster read to be honest.  I love dense books, but I'll admit even I need a break from them every so often.  The one I just finished was a great book with some very interesting observations about the relationships of the cast of characters in the early church.  I'll confess that part of why I liked it was the author confirmed some observations that I have long had myself.  It's not a book I'd recommend to others though as it's not an easy read at all.

My book haul from last Sunday afternoon.  A Brian McLaren book on clearance even.
WmRoy Karlen photo

Above you'll see a photo of the books that I found Sunday.  I was especially happy to pick up a book by Brian McLaren on clearance.  McLaren is an author that I do like to read, but with whom I constantly find myself arguing with as I'm reading them.  Generally, I contain these outbursts in my mind, but occasionally, I have been known to start arguing with him out loud as I'm reading.  When this happens Gail will give me that look, and often she'll say if you don't like him why are you reading his book.  To which I tell her, it's not that I don't like him, much of what he says I agree with.  I just can't stand the way he says what he's saying.  I've had the chance to listen to McLaren in a 'skype' broadcast at a church program, and he gives me the same feeling hearing him speak.  Much of what he says is great stuff, but the way he comes across just isn't productive in my opinion.

But, having said all of that I'm greatly looking forward to reading his book as soon as I finish reading the one I started last night.  McLaren is a bit like Dali I suppose, Dali always wanted to generate some emotional response from the observer, he didn't care if it was positive or negative.  Dali just wanted a response, in his eyes the worst thing a piece of art could do is leave the observer with a 'take it or leave it' attitude.  The middle ground was not where Dali wanted to be and perhaps McLaren has that concept in mind while he's writing.

One should always strive to read and converse with those with whom you disagree.  As I so often like to say "if I only talk to those who I agree with, I'll never learn a thing".  We all need to challenge ourselves from time to time, if for no other reason than to make us reassess why we feel or believe the way we do.

So far I have nothing to report on the journey to finding a permanent position with a church.  But, recently Gail and I have decided that we need to broaden the area of our search.  No longer am I limiting the search to areas close to Omaha, in fact today I've talked to people about opportunities on either coast.  Yesterday though, I learned of a church opening in South Dakota and I sent off my resume for that position.  I would really love to get back to my home State, so I'm hopeful about this opportunity.

With that, I pray you all will have a wonderful remainder of the week and I wish you all the very best.

In Christ,

Roy

Sermon at New Life Baptist Church

Yesterday, Gail and I attended service at New Life Baptist Church in Bellevue, NE.  Their Pastor Rick Wheatley, left this week to go on a Mission trip, and so I was offered the chance to provide pulpit supply for them.  New Life is a very upbeat and happy congregation.  Their service has a good deal of energy, and they are greatly blessed with folks with musical and singing talents.  It was a very uplifting service, and I enjoyed it immensely.

New Life Baptist Church, Bellevue, NE

Website for New Life Baptist Church, Bellevue, NE

Gail was able to record the sermon and miraculously, I was able to get it loaded up to Youtube without any issues.  The sermon topic was 'The Lord's Prayer'.  Since I had fairly short notice about the opportunity to preach for New Life, I didn't really have time to write a new sermon.  So, I did something I have never done before, and I just revised a sermon I had already preached in the past.

The last time, however the video didn't cooperate so I wasn't able to load the recorded sermon onto this blog.

Here is the video, I hope you enjoy the sermon.  Remember, I never claim to be the smoothest preacher out there, but the message is a good one in my opinion. (of course I am somewhat biased)

I pray that you all will have a wonderful week, and I will leave you with the prayer that I used to close the sermon.

God's abundant Love & Grace to you all,
Roy

God above, Father, Abba

Holy, Sacred and Revered Lord.

We pledge our hands, our feet, our hearts and our spirits
to you Oh Lord, to fashion this world as you
would desire.

Let us ever be your emissaries of Love,
Charity, Grace and Forgiveness in this world.

Let us follow the model that you have given us, of Jesus who is the Christ, as we pursue your perfect example of grace and love to this broken world.

Allow us Oh Lord, to come into communion and relationship with you.  Give us the strength of body, mind and spirit that we require to serve you.

We pray for your protection from those that would oppose and harm us, and from our own sinful and selfish egos.  

Oh Lord, guide us steadfastly down your path of Forgiveness, Grace, Charity and Love onto this world.

For yours alone Oh Lord, is the Kingdom, and the power and the glory, until the very end of all time.

Amen

Christmas Eve & Christmas Day

Well, another Christmas has come and gone.  Here in Omaha, it was a beautiful day with a high temperature for the day of just shy of 50 degrees.  Of course, this year it was not a white Christmas.

On Christmas Eve this year, Maddie had to work until 6:00 pm, so we were unable to attend the Christmas Eve Service at Benson Baptist, since their service started at 5:30 pm.  So I Googled a bit and found a 7:30 service at a ELCA Lutheran Church and we decided to give that a try.  Creath was home for the Holiday and so all four of us attended the service at Saint Michael's Lutheran Church, located at 132nd & Blondo.  Years ago, I was actually a member at St. Michael's, but I hadn't been inside the building for many years and they've added on at least twice in these passing years.

Saint Michael's has a beautiful facility, though I will confess the decor is a bit too contemporary for my preferences at this stage in my life.  Their service however, was wonderful.  They have a Minister who is a very talented speaker, and they had a soloist who had an absolutely marvelous voice.  Going to the service just to hear her sing, would have been well worth it all.

Pipe Organ at St. Michael's Lutheran Church, Omaha, NE
WmRoy Karlen photo

After the service we went home and had a bite to eat.  We had planned to go down to St. Cecilia's for their Midnight Mass, but Gail and the kids were too tired to go.  Going to St. Cecilia's Midnight Service is for me one of the highlights of my year, so undeterred, I set off and attended the service alone.  This year I walked in the front doors (we've always parked beside the building and gone in the side doors) in order to see the sanctuary in all it's glory.  Saint Cecilia's is a magnificent building, and I love to go down and hear the choir singing in Latin.  There is just something ethereal about this building and it is especially so when there is beautiful music.  The acoustics for the sanctuary are incredible.

Gail and I, once went to a performance there of an a-capella quartet, singing Irish Folk Hymns.  The four women came from the curved hallway that goes behind the Altar, two came out from each side.  You could hear them singing long before they appeared in sight, and they sang the entire performance without any amplification.  It was just their natural voices and the amazing acoustics of the Cathedral.

During the service of Midnight Mass, I sat along the center aisle and the entering and exiting processions went right past me.  Even the next morning, I could still smell the incense on my coat.  On the drive home (about 2 am) there was almost no traffic, and that peaceful drive, along with the smell of the incense was in itself almost a spiritual event... very serene and almost surreal.

Christmas morning we of course opened gifts at home and then went over to Mary Alice's (Gail's mom) home to open still more gifts.  After everything was done at Mary Alice's and the rest of the folks had to run off to Christmas events with other relatives, Gail, the kids and I took Mary Alice over to our house.

Mary can't walk on her own right now and the simplest way to get her up the stairs and into the house, was for me to just pick her up and carry her inside.  She is not heavy at all, the only thing I was concerned about was that she has a terrible habit of reaching out and grabbing the railing or something else and just won't let go, even when you need to keep moving.

Before I picked her up (each and every time, as I carried her into, and out of the house and also carried her into the bedroom so she could take a nap) I told her clearly to NOT reach out and try to grab anything as I was carrying her.  I told her to grab ahold of my shoulders and to not reach out for a railing or doorknob or anything else.  Honestly, if she grabbed and pulled on the railing as I was taking her up or down the steps she could have caused both of us to fall.  She listened well, and we had no troubles at all getting her wherever she needed to be.

Gail told me "you do come in handy sometimes".  To which I replied, quoting the famous trainer Mark Rippetoe "strong people are generally more useful, and are harder to kill".  There are times in all of our lives when we need the assistance of someone either stronger physically, mentally, or spiritually than we are ourselves.  There is no shame in this, it is just part of being a human being.

Mary's trying to grab ahold of something while you're helping her, is a lot like how we are when we're in God's guiding grasp.  All too often when we're faced with difficulty, we pray to God for help, and then we reach out for something else... rather than, putting our faith in his strength and guidance to get us through the situation.  We reach out to crutches such as alcohol or drugs, we have extra-marital affairs, or any of a number of other things that we put our faith in, rather than God's guidance.  Take your troubles before the Lord, trust in Him to get you through these difficult times.  Do not reaching out in fear, but trust in the love, guidance, and healing that God can and will provide.

Well, that's enough for today.  May you each and everyone, know the peace, grace and strength of God in your lives.

In His Love & Joy,

Roy

Prayers please for:
Connie Surat, Kelly & Patti Wills, Don & Laura Fletcher, the Huntzeker family, Sylvia Schafer, Edsel Buchanan, and remember to pray for yourself as well.