Matthew 5:21-37, Anger/Adultry/Divorce/Oaths - February 16, 2020

Jesus has just finished telling us that we must be more righteous than the scribes and the Pharisees (how does one even do that?) and now He's ratcheted things up even farther...  These verses are the beginning of what is sometimes called the 'six antitheses', Jesus gives us one thing and contrasts it (amplifies it) with another.  These verses do a wonderful and complete job of convicting each of us.  There is simply no way that any of us escapes this convicting commentary completely innocent.  All have been angry at their brother and/or sister... all have been seduced in their mind by some alluring woman (or man), far, far too many of us have been divorced, and all of us have claimed some oath or another... often giving them no thought whatsoever.

In the end, this sermon was an extension of the previous week's message and the only thing we are left with is a confirmation of our reliance upon Christ for our salvation.  These verses drive home our failures and shortcomings, they point out to us our sin and the amazing grace that Christ holds forth for us all.

Praise God for the grace of Christ!

Be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ,
Roy

Matthew 5:21-37 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
Concerning Anger
21 “You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister,[a] you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult[b] a brother or sister,[c] you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell[d] of fire. 23 So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister[e] has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister,[f] and then come and offer your gift. 25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court[g] with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

Concerning Adultery
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.[h] 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.[i]

Concerning Divorce
31 “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Concerning Oaths
33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ 34 But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.[j]

Footnotes:
a) Matthew 5:22 Gk a brother; other ancient authorities add without cause
b) Matthew 5:22 Gk say Raca to (an obscure term of abuse)
c) Matthew 5:22 Gk a brother
d) Matthew 5:22 Gk Gehenna
e) Matthew 5:23 Gk your brother
f) Matthew 5:24 Gk your brother
g) Matthew 5:25 Gk lacks to court
h) Matthew 5:29 Gk Gehenna
i) Matthew 5:30 Gk Gehenna
j) Matthew 5:37 Or evil

Matthew 5:17-20 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
The Law and the Prophets
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter,[a] not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks[b] one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Footnotes:
a) Matthew 5:18 Gk one iota
b) Matthew 5:19 Or annuls

Sermon on Divorce - Mark 10:2-16, given on October 7, 2018

Last Sunday's sermon covered that always difficult topic of the sin of divorce.  There can be little doubt when one reads the scriptures for today's sermon that divorce is indeed a sin... a big one to be honest.

I've included a link to a previous article that I wrote on divorce and marriage so I'll try to avoid replicating too much of that post.  One of the major problems we have today is that people want to deny or rationalize away their sin (pretty much all sin), it's something that is done constantly with the sin of divorce.

The argument often focuses on the angle that in Jesus' time a divorced woman was left with little hope and would often have to resort to prostitution in order to survive.  That sounds like a very valid argument and it is almost always accepted and heads nod and the hurt feelings of having sinned are assuaged... there's just one problem... CLEARLY, Jesus isn't worried primarily about the welfare of the woman.  If he was then there wouldn't be a prohibition upon her divorcing her husband and remarrying, and there wouldn't be sin involved in another man marrying a divorced woman.

Luke 16:18 New International Version (NIV)

18 “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Obviously, there's more at stake here than just concern for the woman's welfare.  The problem is the breaking of a covenant and the breaking of the relationship between the husband and the wife, and the two parties with God.  Marriage in a Church is, in fact, a sworn covenant with the Almighty and isn't something that can just casually toss aside... no matter how much we might wish to do so.

In the sermon, I mentioned the Prodigal Son and his father's relationship and then I didn't get around to fully connecting that to the prohibition on divorce (one of the problems with my stream of consciousness style of preaching).  The issue in the story of the Prodigal Son is, of course, one of reconciliation, the beauty of the story is the full reconciliation of the father/son relationship with the father rushing to the son, the giving of the ring, robe, and shoes, and the celebration thrown in honor of this restored relationship.  The sin in divorce is the breaking of the covenant and the broken relationship that divorce entails... the sin in the remarriage is the inability to restore or reconcile that which is broken.

The problem of divorce in our lives merely mirrors an even greater problem and that is the problem of minimizing, rationalizing, or even completely disregarding our sins.  Until we acknowledge our sins and confess them to our Creator... we'll just keep on sinning... and sin is of course, what divides us from our Lord.  Our Lord who so desperately wants only reconciliation with His children and His creation.

Be a blessing to someone today (reconcile with them!).

In His Grace & Love,
Roy 

Mark 10:2-16 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
2 Some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” 3 He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” 4 They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her.” 5 But Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. 6 But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ 7 ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,[a] 8 and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

10 Then in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. 11 He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; 12 and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

13 People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. 14 But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. 15 Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” 16 And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

Footnotes:

a) Mark 10:7 Other ancient authorities lack and be joined to his wife

Photo by Christian Begeman

past blog post covering these same verses on marriage and divorce

Violence, let's not lose focus of the real problem.

Genesis 4:1-16  New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
Cain Murders Abel
4 Now the man knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have produced a man with the help of the Lord.” 2 Next she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a tiller of the ground. 3 In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel for his part brought of the firstlings of his flock, their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. 6 The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.”

8 Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let us go out to the field.” And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him. 9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” 10 And the Lord said, “What have you done? Listen; your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground! 11 And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you till the ground, it will no longer yield to you its strength; you will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.” 13 Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear! 14 Today you have driven me away from the soil, and I shall be hidden from your face; I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and anyone who meets me may kill me.” 15 Then the Lord said to him, “Not so!  Whoever kills Cain will suffer a sevenfold vengeance.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain, so that no one who came upon him would kill him. 16 Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord, and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

Like many, I have been listening to the news lately of another horrible act of violence in one of our schools.  Many are calling this and other attacks "gun violence" and screaming for more restrictions on gun purchases and some even for an outright gun ban and confiscation akin to what occurred in Austrailia. There are claims that guns are too easy to purchase, that there is more access to guns today, that high capacity magazines somehow are to blame.  Most, if not all making these claims have never purchased a gun, many have never owned a gun, nor ever been trained or taught gun safety and handling.

First of all, guns are not easy to purchase today.  In order to purchase a gun, you do have to have a background check; to purchase a handgun you have to have a permit in most states, and that means going to the local sheriff and having them issue you this permit after of course, they check your records.  As far as access, whereas there are more guns in private ownership today the actual access is far less. Fewer people own guns today, it's just that those that own them tend to own more than in the past. There is a 'meme' going around about how in years past, guns were in the back window of every pickup truck in the High School parking lot.  As a person born in 1959, I can confirm that most of the pickups in the High School parking lot, did indeed have at least one rifle or shotgun in the back window, or stashed behind the seat, or even in a pouch in the front of the seat cover.  My older brother had one of those types of seat covers in his pickup and it always contained a Ruger Mini-14 semi-automatic rifle. There were far, far more guns within a nearby proximity of the school building than there is today, yet not once did one of those rifles or shotguns harm anyone... as it has been said over and over... something has changed... but it's not the gun.  

Guns that function essentially like the commercially available AR, AK, Mini-14 and many others have been around for decades and decades... for the last 100 years to be honest.  Semi-automatics are not new and the basic function has not changed since their introduction into the market.  What has changed in their design is cosmetic and nothing more; more recreational shooters today favor the AR platform but in all truthfulness it's function is the same as the old rifles. I personally am not a fan of either the AR or AK rifles but that has nothing to do with their function, I own a Mini-14 which though it looks more like a 'conventional' rifle functions in the same basic manner and has equal magazine capacity.  I'm an artist and I just believe it to be a better-looking gun aesthetically, functionality wise though it's the same.

BUT... here's the problem... we're all wrapped up in discussing the "weapon" and this very act drains energy from combating the real cause(s).  The real causes aren't as easy to tackle, we can't go and picket, and protest and then go home thinking how 'morally superior' we are, how 'involved', how we are so much more 'insightful' than those who just want to 'cling' to their guns... The sad truth is that all these misguided protests and all these ill-conceived 'laws' accomplish is to divide us and to drain the focus and energy from what we all need to come together and confront.

The problem in this country is the behavior(s) of far too many children and far too many adults as well.  A bit of study revealed to me that the primary correlation in all of these acts of school violence is 'bullying'.  Almost 100% of these boys have been bullied and some were apparently bullied relentlessly. Of course, bullying isn't new either, it's been around forever, what has changed is the school's ability to confront these kids.  Today, not only are the students bullied but so are the teachers.  There is simply no way to address the discipline issues with any real effectiveness. Too many parents are no longer co-educators with the teachers and school administration, the school is basically left in the wind with no support from far too many parents and with outright hostility and confrontation again from far too many.  How will the kids respect the teacher and administration when the parents won't?  I see this lack of respect for and obedience of authority weekly in our Youth Group children, and it worries me greatly.

But back to bullying... today kids aren't just bullied at school and then they can retreat back home to some level of safety, no... today they are bullied even worse online. The level of cyber-bullying in today's society is shocking, and the behavior of the youth online is repulsive. I see this on my travels around the web, the vulgarity and disregard for other human life is shocking.  We have children live-streaming their own suicides and folks cheering them on.  We have Youtube videos of children fighting in bloody fist fights that are broadcast for our 'entertainment'... we have devolved as a society.

Instead of arguing about the 2nd Amendment, we ministers and lay people should be ministering and advocating for the family.  We need to enter into an honest debate, not about guns, but about family values, morals, empathy, the decay of the nuclear family, and somehow this needs to be done without becoming entrenched in political dogma.  We need to realize that when you condone abortion, that you're telling that child in sex education class that children are expendable if inconvenient, that they have zero value to society... we need to consider how that child from a broken marriage who is already used as a pawn by each parent against the other feels... they're already feeling inconvenient and now you tell them that human life is of no more value than to be torn apart or scrapped from a uterus... you're telling these children that no human life is of value, so then why are you surprised they have no regard for other's lives and suffering...

Broken homes are the norm today, we've allowed divorce and children out of wedlock to become the norm for families.  Bullying, domestic abuse, and absentee fathers pretty much cover all the risk factors for acts of school violence. We need to recognize that those ministers of old who we often hold in high regard are/were part of the problem.  They are the ones who failed to do an adequate job of pre-marital counseling.  Sadly, as I've discussed before on my blog, I divorced my first wife (we had no children, even as the heathen I was then, I would never have divorced her if children were involved) and ultimately I blame that on a lack of maturity on my part, my inability to communicate my hopes and dreams, and also on a complete lack of pre-marital counseling.  If Carolin and I had gone through the type of counseling I require of young couples I firmly believe we would have either remained married or perhaps more likely never gotten married at all.  For the record, the minister that performed my second marriage never required counseling either and he was a man highly regarded as a minister, if that was his normal procedure, for young couples, I'm sorry to say he failed in what I believe to be one of the most important functions of ministry.  The fact that my second wife and I remain happily married has had everything to do with our being better matches in our life goals and interests.

It is my opinion for whatever it's worth, that pre-marital counseling is vital and should be extensive in its scope.  I personally put all couples through at least four or five sessions of counseling ranging from one to two hours each meeting. I believe this kind of counseling and discussion can help immensely in preventing divorce and single parenthood.

We need to address our stances as a church on marriage and divorce, we need to provide more counseling to struggling couples, rather than passing stricter gun laws we need to pass stricter laws concerning divorce, especially if there are children involved.  We as a whole need to advocate harder for those who are being bullied in society, we need to come together and do a lot of things........ BUT, not one of those things is to become fixated upon the tool used in the violence that ultimately should be expected as a result of all our other failings.

The story of Cain and Abel does not mention the weapon, there's a reason for that... it's not about the weapon... it's about the heart... and the violence.

Let all of us, ministers and lay people alike focus on the people and not the inanimate object in the story.

Each of us needs to work in our little corner of the world, here I and our Church Council Vice Chair met yesterday with the High School Principal to discuss how we as a local church can better assist them. I have been in conversation with people locally and online trying to find solutions to these failings, solutions that we can implement here in our little town in Iowa. We are considering a number of ideas and will be in discussion as a church about how and where we should be involved.  Ultimately, we will do something to focus on the issue(s), we are not so naive as to think we can help everyone but we can help someone and that is what we shall do.

Bottom-line is that what is needed is building relationships, to actually come alongside these children, adults, and families... that's not easy to do... it's not easy to even figure out how to do... but, if you're in this 'gig' of being a Christian because it's easy, I've got some really bad news for you...

Be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ,
Roy

I welcome helpful dialogue about these issues, BUT, be forewarned if your comment is an attack upon the 'weapon', it will be deleted and it will never make the comments section.  Likewise, if you're going to blame 'gay marriage' or homosexuality, your comment will disappear into the ether of the internet.  If you so much as make an inference that President Trump is the problem 'poof' you're gone... this issue has been brewing under the surface for decades and neither Trump nor Obama for that matter are the issue... blame either and your comment is gone.

Honestly, if that's all you've got you're a large part of the problem and not a part of the solution.  We need to stop making excuses, we need to stop blaming 'things', we are the problem partially because of what we've done and also for what we've allowed... we've allowed ourselves to be divided, and it's only together that we can fix these problems. If we allow politicians and the media to continue to divide us... use us and our emotions to remain in power, to promote their agenda, or boost viewership... well, then we will continue together down this dark path.

May God's guidance be upon us all.

One of my favorite videos revisited, a wonderful message.

Photo by Christian Begeman

This video from China isn't new, and I've linked to it before, but it is one of my favorite videos out there online.  I only wish that more couples would follow the wisdom of the young woman portrayed in the story. 

Be a blessing to someone today!

In His glory,
Roy

Photo by WmRoy Karlen

The Sin of Sin, Matthew 5:21-37 - February 12th, 2017

Below you'll find the video to this last Sunday's sermon along with the scripture verses that the sermon covered.  Matthew 5:21-37 includes some difficult verses and is certainly difficult enough to convict each and every one of us for some sin or another.  None of us escapes conviction by scripture, if you think you do... well think again.

Matthew 5:21-37
Concerning Anger
21 “You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult[f] a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire. 23 So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

Concerning Adultery
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.[l] 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.

Concerning Divorce
31 “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Concerning Oaths
33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ 34 But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.

The common thread that runs through all sin is the "broken" relationships of us to God, and/or us to one another.  In the sermon I focus on this underlying nature of sin especially the brokenness of divorce, which I do believe is a sin, as it of course is the poster child of "brokenness".  In divorce you see both aspects of sin, that of a severed relationship(s) and the betrayal of an oath (covenant with God and each other).  I've discussed the sin of divorce in another post here and I won't belabor it again in this blog post, but will provide the link to that blog post at the end of this writing.

There is in my opinion no hierarchy of sin, all sin is sin.  We can infer this from the verses above in Matthew and we can see it explicitly in the scripture found in the letter from James.

James 2:10 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.

Though there is no hierarchy of sin, divorce certainly isn't to be taken lightly, as I have mentioned it is really a two fold (or more) sin or violation.  Divorce without a doubt separates us from God and each other and it is only through faith and prayer that our relationship(s) can be repaired.  Of course most divorces are never reconciled here in this world, I have to believe (due to my faith) that somehow this brokenness is rectified beyond this world and into the next.  Through Christ all that is broken, no matter what sin it is, will be repaired and forgotten.

Please take a listen to the sermon, I hope you'll find it worthwhile.  Have a wonderful and blessed day, and as always...

Be a blessing to someone today!

In His love,
Roy

Link to past blog post concerning divorce/sin

http://thepathtothepulpit.blogspot.com/2014/05/a-wedding-and-roys-ramblings.html

Remembrance Celebration - Lampe's Funeral Home

Last week on Tuesday evening (Dec 15th), we hosted here at Woodlawn Christian Church the Annual Remembrance Celebration for the local funeral home, Lampe Funeral Home.  This is a celebration of life but also a time to come together and comfort one another concerning our losses this past year. (Everyone in the community is welcome and some attend that lost loved ones years ago, after all there is no time limit nor expiration date on grief and loss)

It is an ecumenical gathering with Pastors participating from the local Catholic Church as well as from the Union Church (mixed Methodist & Presbyterian), other nearby Methodist Churches and of course our congregation the Disciples of Christ.  This year I was asked to also do the message for the service.  I didn't have the sermon video taped, but it was very well received and I have been given nothing but good feedback concerning it.  One lady told me today that they were still talking about the message at the coffee shop today and how it had helped several individuals in dealing with their grief.  I praise God that he was able to use me to aid anyone in their time of suffering.

The sermon included two bits of scripture:
First Scripture referenced: Matthew 5:4 
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Second Scripture referenced: Ecclesiastes 3:1-4

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

We will be comforted if we reach out to God for our comfort. Though in the referenced translation it doesn't specify that God is doing the comforting, other translations go farther and say that we will be comforted by God.  This though, being a part of the beatitudes would imply that it is God doing the comforting.  Again some translations want to make this more specific and do so.

Of course a great deal of God's comfort is provided by His people, this is one of the great advantages of having a close and loving Church family.  Also, we lean on our friends and our family.

One of the things that I hit upon in the sermon was that we will never be 'normal' again.  Rather we have to search for a 'new normal'.  We aren't (or shouldn't be) looking to completely forget and get over the loss of our loved one.  Rather we are seeking to rebuild our life around our loss and to continue on with our lives in spite of it all.

I shared with those gathered about how even now over 20 years later, I still grieve for our son that passed away shortly after birth.  How even now the day of his birth and death haunt both Gail and I.  Often I see that day looming ahead of me, sometimes a month or more in advance, and it weighs heavily on me.  We never fully recover from such a loss and as Elizabeth Kubler-Ross implies, why should I want to.  Grief is a product of loving and losing, it's impossible to avoid.  During the sermon I also shared how losing my grandmother ultimately changed everything in my life... how I did not react to the loss well and how destructive my reaction was to me, and to those who loved me.

The worst part of the loss of my grandmother Karlen was the loss of a dream, and I shared with everyone how deeply this kind of loss affects us all.  I advised them to understand that this is a major part of losing a loved one.  In fact I shared with them that just a few days prior I had been to the funeral of a friend who passed away suddenly, a woman of only 58 years of age.  I laid out how not only had her husband lost his wife, his best friend, his lover, his care taker and the mother of his child, but that he had also lost all those dreams that they had of a retirement together.  Just a little more than a hand full of years separated them from this dream and now 'poof' it's gone.  Never, ever underestimate the intense power of grief related to a lost dream.

Ultimately, the loss of the dream of seeing my grandmother hold and admire my own child, another great grandchild for her, caused me to destroy my first marriage.  Grief can make us irrational at times, and do not disregard the anger that grief can instill in our hearts.  All of us need coping mechanisms in times of grief, do not let anger be your means of coping, I can tell you from first hand knowledge that it will not end well.

Just remember that love is why you're suffering this pain, and love, God's love can help you to get through this time of adjustment to your loss.  If you are having difficulty coping with a loss I urge you to see a caring (sadly not all are) minister or to see a reputable therapist.  If any of you are in the Lake City area and are suffering, please feel free to contact me here at Woodlawn Christian Church.

I have blogged about grief and loss before and due to time constraints, I will just post up some links to these previous blog posts.  As always I highly recommend the little book "All Our Losses/All Our Griefs", and I'll provide a link to it as well.

Previous blog posts of interest:
Sad News
Steve Main Funeral
Doris DeVries Funeral
Blog post about loss and which contains all the rest of the links to my posts on grief and loss

The last link will take you to one of my blog posts which contains more links to blog posts of mine about grief and loss.

Here is the link to Amazon where you can purchase the book "All Our Losses/All our Griefs".

All Our Losses / All Our Griefs - link to Amazon

I did also share with the folks gathered at the Remembrance Service, a poem and an e-mail that I sent to my first wife several years ago after learning of her mother's passing.  She was always very close to her mother, particularly close because her father died when she was very, very young.  Knowing this and knowing that Christmas (especially the first Christmas) is a very difficult time for those grieving loved ones, I sent her this poem and this e-mail.

When I saw this the other day for some reason I immediately thought of your Mother, you, Tom, Deb and all of your families.

Though I'm certain your Mother would very much love to be here with all of you, this year she is celebrating Christmas in Heaven.  How beautiful a thing that must be, and after waiting nearly 45 years she once again gets to spend Christmas with your Father.  Praise God!

On Christmas Eve when we come before God in worship and celebration, perhaps we are just a breath away from Heaven ourselves.  Certainly when I attend midnight Mass at St Cecilia's on Christmas Eve I'm convinced that Heaven is truly there.  It's there all around me, but 'just' beyond my human reach...

Have a wonderful Christmas, filled with all the joy that life brings.  Remember fondly Christmases past, look forward with anticipation to Christmases still to come, but rest assured that someday on some far distant Christmas you will once again feel the tender and caring arms of both your parents around you.  Until then may the loving arms of your husband, children and your Lord carry you to that blessed day.

God's Love & Blessings to you always.

Perhaps, the poem or the words in the e-mail will help some other soul who is suffering at this wonderful, but all too often painful time of year.  I pray with all my heart and soul that you all will have a very blessed and joy filled Christmas this year.  May our loving and grace filled God bless you in abundance this coming year.

In His Joy & Love,
Roy

Giving Thanks, for all things. Sermon 11/22/15

This past Sunday my sermon (as many others around the Nation) focused on giving thanks.  There are just so very many things in our lives that we need to give thanks for that we could not possibly even begin to list them all.  Our mighty God provides for and guides us so untiringly and faithfully.

Now by now if you've followed my blog or watched any of my sermons I'm sure you realize that I am not of the persuasion that God causes bad things to happen to anyone.  But what I am a firm believer in is that God can gather up the pieces of all the awful things we and others bring into our world and make something good (or great) out of the wreckage.  This, however, is often predicated on us being open and willing to see and accept this blessing.  One of the things that I think we regularly fail to do is give thanks to a God that is so willing and adept at raising phoenixes out of the ashes of life that we leave behind.

I also believe that we fail all too often to give thanks for a persistent God that never stops tapping us on the shoulder and trying to guide us where we are called to be.  Thank you God Almighty, for never giving up on us who try so hard to ignore you and, in fact, run the other way.

In the sermon, I talk about how early in my life (I would have been 23) a minister asked if I had ever considered going to Seminary.  At that time, I certainly seemed to be the least likely candidate for such an endeavor.  But, I now often sit and wonder, was that God whispering in that old minister's ear... was that God trying to whisper into my ear through that minister's questioning?  I am left thanking and praising my God, a God that has never given up on me... even though I certainly wasn't responding.

I hope you enjoy the sermon if you decide to take a listen. Following the video, I have also attached a copy of my meanderings for the December Newsletter.

May this day find you well and richly blessed!

Be a blessing to someone today!

In His Absolute and Unyielding Grace!

Roy

Pastor's Report – December 2015

Well, what a wonderful weekend we just had!  We all woke up Saturday morning to snow covered sidewalks, a genuine winter wonderland!  I started out scooping the walks in preparation for the God's Portion Sale and eventually Scott DeVries and the Daisy clan showed up to help.  Lonnie started up the new snow blower and we made short work of the clean-up.

As most everyone should know by now the God's Portion Sale was a tremendous success!  With the proceeds from the lunch included we topped $ 9,000 for the event.  What a great turn out!  The meal that Donna Westcott prepared was fantastic especially considering all the stress she'd been through with dealing with Clyde's hip surgery just a few days before and only getting back to Lake City the afternoon before the event.  I was so very impressed with the Sale, and I am only sorry that Gail wasn't able to be with us, unfortunately on top of the weather she also fell ill the day before and wasn't up to traveling.  Thankfully though she will be with us all this coming weekend for the first Sunday of Advent.

I want to thank everyone who donated items to the auction, as well as all those who came and purchased items.  It takes both forms of contributions in order to make this a successful event.  Special thanks go out to Leon & Judy Hendricks and Clyde & Donna Westcott for agreeing to chair and manage the event.  You all did a fabulous job in putting together this wildly successful sale.  Thanks especially to Leon for all the hustling about and acquiring donations from local businesses!  A thanks to Jeff Frank for assembling the shelves and display for the Sale, Jeff came up and did this all by himself late one night.  I still can't believe he was able to pull that off alone, but he did it...

On Sunday, we had a great turn out for both the worship service and Thanksgiving dinner.  Thank you to both Brenda and Barb for preparing such a wonderful meal!  Thank you also to Linda Potts for getting a birthday cake for me, and a thank you to the entire congregation for all your well wishes and cards for my birthday.  You are all the very best and I do so appreciate you all!

The Community Thanksgiving Worship Service was held here at WCC that same afternoon and we had a great attendance there as well.  I'm very proud of the way that our membership turns out for these Community Services, we had a great representation at the event this last summer in the Square and we did so again this last weekend.  Thank you all!  Thank you also to Jodi for setting up snacks for after the service and also for setting up snacks for after the 'Hanging of the Greens' in the Sanctuary.  Which we did after our guests from the Community Service had left the Church.

Watching the Sanctuary being converted from its Fall trappings to its full blown Christmas attire was a magical experience.  Everyone was like a bunch of little bees going about setting up the decorations in the long tradition of Woodlawn Christian Church.  Many of these decorations have been here for many, many years and are a large part of the members experience of this most blessed Holiday Season.  What a wonderful thing to become a part of.  Thank you to all that helped out, though I could see that it was a labor of love and everyone was enjoying themselves tremendously.

This coming weekend is the first Sunday of Advent, the Sunday when we will be lighting the 'Hope' candle.  With all the uncertainty and senseless violence that we see in the World today, perhaps there has been no time in history when we needed to so fully place our 'Hope' in our Lord and Savior.  We place our 'Hope' in Christ, and we know that He will provide and guide us and the World through these perilous times.  Praise be to God!

Ryan Daisy and Emily Winker are back from school at UNI for this coming weekend and will kick off the Advent season for all of us here at WCC by lighting the candle of 'Hope'.  I sincerely, hope that you all will join us in this amazing time in the Church Calendar, the celebration of the Advent season and the expectation of the birth of the Christ-child.

God's Love to you all and remember always to, “be a blessing to someone today!”

Pastor Roy

A Wedding at Woodlawn Christian Church

,

This past Saturday I was able to perform my first wedding here at Woodlawn Christian Church.  The young couple Matt Weiss and Alicia Stonehocker, are a wonderful couple and I enjoyed going through the premarital counseling with them and the wedding went off without a hitch.  I am very confident that Matt and Alicia will enjoy a lifetime together as one, and I am extremely happy for them and proud of them.

I've attached below the script of the service.  Our wedding coordinator for the Church, Roxy Crandall told her husband that it was the best wedding service she'd seen.  I think that's likely an extreme stretch, but I'm thankful that it went over so well.

Thank you, Matt and Alicia and God's blessings on you both!

In His Grace,
Roy

Stonehocker / Weiss Wedding
Prelude

Processional

Bridal Processional

Introduction
When two hearts are bound together in the bonds of Christian matrimony, it is a blessed and sacred moment. We recognize that marriage is an important part of God’s plan for mankind. God Himself long ago ordained and instituted marriage, and it was He who performed the first wedding ceremony in the Garden of Eden.

When our Lord Jesus Christ came into this world He chose a wedding at Cana in Galilee to perform His mighty miracle. In order to achieve success in this, the highest of all human commitments, we must look to Gods’ Word for direction. The Bible says that you are to submit yourselves one to another in the fear of God. Wives, you are to submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord, for the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church, and He is the Savior of the body.

Husbands love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it. A man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

The beautiful love you share with each other is described in 1st Corinthians 13. There the Bible says, “Love is ever patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do wrong. It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out. If you love someone you will be loyal to them no matter what the cost. You will always believe in them, always expect the best of them, and always stand your ground in defending them. All the special gifts and powers from God will someday come to an end, but love goes on forever. Someday prophecy, and speaking in unknown languages, and special knowledge— these gifts will disappear. There are three things that remain – faith, hope, and love – and the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor. 13:4-9, 13, TLB).

Giving Away of the Bride
May the Lord bless you both as from this day forward you seek to carry out these scriptural ideals in your marriage.
In light of the serious approach the Scriptures take toward marriage, it should be entered into with sobriety and great reverence.  If any man can show just cause why this couple should not be joined together, let him speak now or else, hereafter and forevermore, hold his peace.
Who gives this woman to be married to this man?

Response: Her mother and I.

Prayer
LET US PRAY
Most gracious God, we give you thanks for your tender love in sending Jesus Christ to come among us, to be born of a human mother, and to make the way of the cross to be the way of life.

We thank you, also, for consecrating the union of a man and a woman in his Holy Name. By the power of your Holy Spirit, pour out the abundance of your blessing upon this man - Matthew, and this woman - Alicia.  Defend them from every enemy.  Lead them into all peace.  Let their love for each other be a seal upon their hearts, a mantle about their shoulders, and a crown upon their foreheads.  

Bless them in their work and in their companionship; in their sleeping and in their waking; in their joys and in their sorrows; in their life and in their death. Finally, in your mercy, bring them to that table where your saints feast for ever in your heavenly home; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, forever and ever.  Amen.

Message

Vows
So, Matt and Alicia, you have come today signifying your desire to be formally united in the bonds of Christian matrimony.  Will you now please join both hands, remember always that the closer you keep Christ in the center of your life, the greater your love will be for the other.

Matt in taking Alicia to be your lawful and wedded wife, before God and these witnesses present, you must promise to love her, to honor and cherish her, and leaving all others, to cleave only to her and be to her in all things the true and faithful husband so long as you both shall live. Do you so promise?

Response: I do.

Alicia in taking Matt to be your lawful and wedded husband, before God and these witnesses present, you must promise to love him, to honor and cherish him and leaving all others, to cleave only to him and be to him in all things the true and faithful wife so long as you both shall live. Do you so promise?

Response: I do.

Then, you are each given one to the other. In times of happiness and in times of sorrow; in times of plenty and in times of poverty; in times of sickness and in times of well-being; to love and enjoy till death shall separate you.

Exchange of Rings
May I have the rings?

Throughout all time the ring has been used to seal this most important of all human commitments. The ring is a beautiful symbol of your love, in that it is an unending circle symbolizing the eternity of your love, and the purity of gold in the ring symbolizes the purity of your love and marriage in God’s eyes.

Matt, will you take this ring which is a beautiful symbol and meaningful token of your love for Alicia and place it on the ring finger of her left hand while holding it in place repeat these words to her? “With this ring I thee wed, with loyal love thee endow, and all my worldly goods with thee I share, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen”

Alicia, this ring is a beautiful symbol and meaningful token of your love for Matt. Will you now place it on the ring finger of his left hand while holding it in place repeat these words to him? “With this ring I thee wed, with loyal love thee endow, and all my worldly goods with thee I share, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen”

The pouring of the Unity Sand
“Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). God created you as an individual, perfect by His glory and love. But God also said that it was not good for man to be alone, and so he created woman to be his partner and helper. Today as you have made a sacred covenant before God joining in marriage, you now become one flesh. You have chosen to symbolize that union with a sand ceremony.

First, I will pour in the TAN sand, representing your faith in God as the foundation of who you are as individuals. 

Now ALICIA, pour some of your sand, representing yourself as an individual before you came to this union. 

Now MATT, also pour some of your sand, representing yourself as an individual before you came to this union. 

I will next pour some more TAN sand, representing your faith in God as the foundation of your marriage.

Now, MATT and ALICIA pour your remaining sand together to represent your joining as one in marriage completely and eternally.

Lastly, I pour a final layer of TAN sand to represent God watching over you and protecting you with his everlasting love.

May God bless this marriage so that you are as inseparable as these grains of sand. Amen.

Signing of the Marriage Certificate

Pronouncement
Now, having pledged your eternal faith in each other, and your undying love for each other, having entered into a convent agreement with God, and having sealed that pledge and covenant through the symbolic union of your lives through the enactment of the unity sand, by the exchange of these holy and blessed rings, and by your solemn vows to each other before and with God, I, acting in the authority vested in me as a minister of the Gospel, and looking to God for his divine approval upon your lives, I hereby pronounce you husband and wife. “What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder” (Mark 10:9).

Introduction of Couple
I present to you all Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Weiss.
Matt, you may now kiss your bride...

Benediction
May the God of peace who raised Christ from the dead strengthen your inner being for every good work, and may the blessing of God Almighty Father, Son and Holy Spirit Rest upon you both and dwell within you this day and forevermore. 
Amen. 

Recessional