Tag Archives: christianity

The kingdom of heaven…….

23 Saturday Sep 2017

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This week the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner, an owner of an estate, head of a household, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 

Before I continue, in Christ’s parables we are invited into the story to find ourselves a part of it.  With the hope that we can apply the lesson to our own lives.

The landowner, a person of means goes into town to find people to work on his land.  He goes out around 6 am and makes an agreement with those he finds there to work for the usual daily wage, a Roman denarius. 

The landowner went to the marketplace again at 9 am and saw others standing idle in the marketplace and said to them, “You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.”  And so they went.

Before I continue through this parable, does anyone know or suspect who the landowner is……..The landowner is Christ.  The marketplace is the world.  And the vineyard is……………….Christ’s church.  Any guess who the idle laborers are? 

I was an idle laborer for many years.  An idle laborer seems contradictory.  It could be used to describe many of us at some point in our life, it but for a short season.

As a landowner seeks out laborers to work on his land, Christ is seeking, calling and employing laborers to be about the work of his church.  It is important for us to be about the work of the church.

Yes, we know Pastor.  I don’t know much about much, but I believe that once we become complacent, once the status quo is acceptable as a church, the church begins to die.  That is an important reason it is important to be about the work of the church.

The landowner had gone out early in the morning, again at nine, he goes out again at noon and three and finds more laborers to employ.  He goes out at the eleventh hour, or around 5 pm and found others standing around and he said to them, “Why are you standing here idle all day?”

What have you been doing here, nothing?  They said, “Because no one has hired us.”  No one has put us to work, no one has invited us to the vineyard to work, or invited us to church to be part of a community.

So, here are all these laborers.  Some have been working all day under the hot sun since early in the morning.  Some started at noon and some just showed up.  And now we’ve arrived at the end of the work day.

It was a common practice and an expectation of those that you employed that they were paid at the end of the day in biblical times. 

So, it is quitting time.  A hard day’s work for some, an hour of work for others…..I’ve talked about how Christ reversed the expectations of what people expected.

In this parable the landowner said to his foreman, “Call the laborers and given them their pay, beginning with the last and giving to the first.”

This parable has been very straight forward so far, but here is where it gets tricky.  Those that had started working last came forward and they were paid the usually daily wage, a Roman denarius.  

What a generous guy this man is.  If he paid a day’s wage for working for an hour, just think he will pay those that have worked since early this morning, since 9 am and since noon.  Am I right?  If I had been there since 6-7 am I would be thinking, YES.  Today is going to be a good day.  I’m eating steak tonight.

Guess how much the all the workers got paid regardless of how long they worked……….the same amount.  One Roman denarius.  One day’s wage.

And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner saying, “These last worked only one hour and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.”

I would be right there with them.  This is a bunch of crap.  I’ve been working all day, I deserve more.  I worked harder, I worked more.  Have you ever noticed how sometimes you or someone you work with or someone you know thinks they are entitled to more?

I’m as guilty as anyone.  There are times when we covet what God gives to others, blind to all that he has done for us.  I’m easily as bad as anyone here today when it comes to coveting.  I want a nicer house, a fancier car, a bigger bank account and everything else I want and I want it right now. 

If I see someone’s existence as more comfortable or easier I want it.  They don’t deserve it, I do.  God, why can’t I have it?  I completely dismiss all that I have been given.  We have all worked hard in our lives, but there is little to nothing of what we’ve accomplished or have that can’t be traced back to something we were given.

Given from our parents, grandparents, family, friends, teachers, coaches, mentors and most importantly our God.  Education level, intelligence, income, good health, safe places to grow up in – those are all things granted to us by the grace of God…..

I am usually first to take credit for what I’ve accomplished.  See, I am selfish.  I bet I’m not the only here today that is.  It is part of our human condition.  We have to fight our human needs, our compulsions, our want to do whatever we want whenever we want.

One of the best lessons we can learn in this life is to learn to sacrifice for others.  To be content and grateful for all that we have and all that we are. 

Not all of us are called to be saints, but we are called to help those in need.  We are called to make a difference in our own, small corner of the world wherever that may be.  To be pioneers in social justice.

This landowner, the owner of the estate was hearing from his disgruntled employees on how unfairly he had compensated them, even though they all had agreed to work for the daily wage.  He answered them, “Friend, I have not been unfair.  Did you not agree with me to work for the usual daily wage?”

“Take what belongs to you and go, I choose to give to this last the same as I have given to you.  Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me?  Or are you envious because I am generous?  So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

We are called to live lives of service.  The reward for every man, woman and child who has faith in Christ, faith in the God that we serve, will receive the same eternal reward. 

So let us not be idle workers in the marketplace.  Let us not sit by in this world in our sin wasting precious time.  Let us be called by our God into service in his church.  And let us not covet what others have.

Pastor Shawn LaRue, Seymour UMC

Author of Incomplete

Forgiveness…

17 Sunday Sep 2017

Posted by in Guest Bloggers on BnV, Poetry

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The parable of the unforgiving servant.  This parable is pretty straight forward and applicable to today’s world.  Like the se

The parable of the unforgiving servant.  This parable is pretty straight forward and applicable to today’s world.  Like the servant in today’s scripture we are to forgive as we have been forgiven.  All day, every day.

Forgiveness, the amazing power that forgiveness possesses, it frees both the offender and the offended.  It breaks the shackles and chains of resentment, grudges and bitterness.  With such tremendous power, forgiveness should be our number one option, our go to when needed, right?

It doesn’t seem to work that way does it?  When we are injured, our feelings get hurt or some event brings to light those things that we are insecure about – are we quick to forgive…..or are we quick to retaliate?

You’ve heard me tell you I’m a hypocrite before right?  When reading scripture or preparing a sermon I often times get exposed for my own behavior, for my own sin, for my unwillingness at times to forgive.

Sometimes we like to own those offenses, they become a badge of honor to tell others about and plot revenge.  Do you know what such and such did to me?  Can you believe that? 

I’ll tell you something I don’t get mad, I get even.  Ever had that phrase go through your mind and off your lips?  In our broken, human form revenge, retaliation, emotion and anger move us toward retribution.

But why would we want to hang onto such ugliness?  An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.  Those looking for scripture to support their case for revenge often cite that passage.

The message that Christ brought almost always turns human motive and cultural norms and expectations 180 degrees.  Completely reverses what was to be expected.

You must be last in order to be first, those that are humble will be exalted.  This passage is no different.  The disciple Peter approaches Christ and asks him this question, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive?  As many as seven times?

Seven times seems like enough doesn’t it?  Seven slams, seven sarcastic remarks, seven times you make me mad, seven times you injure me verbally, physically, emotionally or spiritually and I will forgive.  But the eighth time, you’re mine.

I don’t know where Peter got that number, but it caused me to think and reflect.  If you get beyond those that you live with, spouse, children, family and close friends.  If someone made you mad seven times how much time would you be spending with them?

Probably not a whole lot.  I would be avoiding them as much as possible.  I have a lot of work to do on this forgiveness thing.

Christ responds to Peter’s question of is seven times enough to forgive, “Not seven times, but 77 times.”  I read another translation that said 70 times 7.  Are you kidding, at least 77 and as many as 490 times?

As much as them seems to be I look at those married couples that have been together for decades, some for half a century or longer.  Do you think that forgiveness has been part of their story?

I think that it would have to be.  The inability to forgive leads to bitterness.  Is it enjoyable to be around someone that is bitter?  Our existence was not made to be heavy and burdensome with the weight of every slight one has ever encountered.

Our existence is meant to be light and joyful, full of compassion with hearts willing to forgive.  The granting of forgiveness is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength.  It can be done in person or in prayer.

After telling Peter how many times he would have to forgive he speaks the parable of the unforgiving servant.  “The kingdom of heaven can be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants.  One that owed 10,000 talents was brought to him.” 

A talent is a measurement of weight, it is approximately 130 pounds of what was probably a precious metal or something of value.  10,000 talents is equal to 1.3 million pounds of gold, silver or some other valuable commodity.  1.3 million pounds.

It was more than a lifetime of debt, a debt that could not be repaid.  The servant that owed this amount was well aware that he couldn’t pay it and when the king ordered that he, his wife and children and all their possession be sold to pay it, he begged for patience, he begged for forgiveness.

And what did the king that was owed this extraordinary amount of money do?  He forgave it.  Just like that….You know the bible is rich with symbolism, who do you think that the king in this scripture is?

……It is the God we serve, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  The kingdom of heaven is like a king that paid the ransom for those who could not pay it.  Who sent his son to die in their place.  A king that opened the treasure chest of grace and shared it with all and it pleased him to do so.

The servant fell in front of the king and begged not to be sold into slavery.  The kind of slavery that carrying grudges and resentments bring.  The king said that I forgive you of everything, all of it.

As the parable continues the servant that had been forgiven of a mountain of debt, whose family had been spared from being split up and sold into slavery, turns to another servant who owes him a fraction of the debt that he just had cancelled and seizes him by the throat and demands payment.

This servant got down on his hands and knees and pleads for more time, pleads for forgiveness.  The man that had been forgiven of so much refused to forgive a far smaller debt and had him thrown into prison until he could pay the debt he owed.

Very ironic that given the blessing, the good fortune that was extended that he couldn’t extend even a fraction to someone else.  Any guesses on who the unforgiving servant is in this parable…….

I’m afraid that it has been each one of us at some point in our life.  I know it has been me, I suspect it has been you.  It has been anyone that has withheld forgiveness in spite of how much they have been forgiven.

We have all been hurt, injured, slighted, talked about, gossiped about or made fun of at some point in our life.  We have to let those things go, we can’t control what other people do, we can only control our response to such things.

Word got back to the king of what had taken place.  The servant that had been forgiven of a lifetime of debt was summoned to appear before him.  “You wicked slave!” he says, “I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.  Should you not have mercy on your fellow man, as I had mercy on you?”

In his anger the king handed over the unforgiving servant to be tortured until he could pay his entire debt.  Christ would end the parable with this word of warning, “So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

An unwillingness to forgive not only haunts us in this life, but in the one to come.  Hard hearts, hearts of those whose lives are painfully difficult have to be soften by coming to faith, by knowing the healing power of our God.

We are called to set the example, to live lives full of grace, mercy and compassion to be an example, to witness to those that are distant from God.  To show a willingness to forgive as our Father in heaven has forgiven us. rvant in today’s scripture we are to forgive as we have been forgiven.  All day, every day.

Pastor Shawn, Seymour UMC

Author of Incomplete

Forgiveness, the amazing power that forgiveness possesses, it frees both the offender and the offended.  It breaks the shackles and chains of resentment, grudges and bitterness.  With such tremendous power, forgiveness should be our number one option, our go to when needed, right?

It doesn’t seem to work that way does it?  When we are injured, our feelings get hurt or some event brings to light those things that we are insecure about – are we quick to forgive…..or are we quick to retaliate?

You’ve heard me tell you I’m a hypocrite before right?  When reading scripture or preparing a sermon I often times get exposed for my own behavior, for my own sin, for my unwillingness at times to forgive.

Sometimes we like to own those offenses, they become a badge of honor to tell others about and plot revenge.  Do you know what such and such did to me?  Can you believe that? 

I’ll tell you something I don’t get mad, I get even.  Ever had that phrase go through your mind and off your lips?  In our broken, human form revenge, retaliation, emotion and anger move us toward retribution.

But why would we want to hang onto such ugliness?  An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.  Those looking for scripture to support their case for revenge often cite that passage.

The message that Christ brought almost always turns human motive and cultural norms and expectations 180 degrees.  Completely reverses what was to be expected.

You must be last in order to be first, those that are humble will be exalted.  This passage is no different.  The disciple Peter approaches Christ and asks him this question, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive?  As many as seven times?

Seven times seems like enough doesn’t it?  Seven slams, seven sarcastic remarks, seven times you make me mad, seven times you injure me verbally, physically, emotionally or spiritually and I will forgive.  But the eighth time, you’re mine.

I don’t know where Peter got that number, but it caused me to think and reflect.  If you get beyond those that you live with, spouse, children, family and close friends.  If someone made you mad seven times how much time would you be spending with them?

Probably not a whole lot.  I would be avoiding them as much as possible.  I have a lot of work to do on this forgiveness thing.

Christ responds to Peter’s question of is seven times enough to forgive, “Not seven times, but 77 times.”  I read another translation that said 70 times 7.  Are you kidding, at least 77 and as many as 490 times?

As much as them seems to be I look at those married couples that have been together for decades, some for half a century or longer.  Do you think that forgiveness has been part of their story?

I think that it would have to be.  The inability to forgive leads to bitterness.  Is it enjoyable to be around someone that is bitter?  Our existence was not made to be heavy and burdensome with the weight of every slight one has ever encountered.

Our existence is meant to be light and joyful, full of compassion with hearts willing to forgive.  The granting of forgiveness is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength.  It can be done in person or in prayer.

After telling Peter how many times he would have to forgive he speaks the parable of the unforgiving servant.  “The kingdom of heaven can be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants.  One that owed 10,000 talents was brought to him.” 

A talent is a measurement of weight, it is approximately 130 pounds of what was probably a precious metal or something of value.  10,000 talents is equal to 1.3 million pounds of gold, silver or some other valuable commodity.  1.3 million pounds.

It was more than a lifetime of debt, a debt that could not be repaid.  The servant that owed this amount was well aware that he couldn’t pay it and when the king ordered that he, his wife and children and all their possession be sold to pay it, he begged for patience, he begged for forgiveness.

And what did the king that was owed this extraordinary amount of money do?  He forgave it.  Just like that….You know the bible is rich with symbolism, who do you think that the king in this scripture is?

……It is the God we serve, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  The kingdom of heaven is like a king that paid the ransom for those who could not pay it.  Who sent his son to die in their place.  A king that opened the treasure chest of grace and shared it with all and it pleased him to do so.

The servant fell in front of the king and begged not to be sold into slavery.  The kind of slavery that carrying grudges and resentments bring.  The king said that I forgive you of everything, all of it.

As the parable continues the servant that had been forgiven of a mountain of debt, whose family had been spared from being split up and sold into slavery, turns to another servant who owes him a fraction of the debt that he just had cancelled and seizes him by the throat and demands payment.

This servant got down on his hands and knees and pleads for more time, pleads for forgiveness.  The man that had been forgiven of so much refused to forgive a far smaller debt and had him thrown into prison until he could pay the debt he owed.

Very ironic that given the blessing, the good fortune that was extended that he couldn’t extend even a fraction to someone else.  Any guesses on who the unforgiving servant is in this parable…….

I’m afraid that it has been each one of us at some point in our life.  I know it has been me, I suspect it has been you.  It has been anyone that has withheld forgiveness in spite of how much they have been forgiven.

We have all been hurt, injured, slighted, talked about, gossiped about or made fun of at some point in our life.  We have to let those things go, we can’t control what other people do, we can only control our response to such things.

Word got back to the king of what had taken place.  The servant that had been forgiven of a lifetime of debt was summoned to appear before him.  “You wicked slave!” he says, “I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.  Should you not have mercy on your fellow man, as I had mercy on you?”

In his anger the king handed over the unforgiving servant to be tortured until he could pay his entire debt.  Christ would end the parable with this word of warning, “So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

An unwillingness to forgive not only haunts us in this life, but in the one to come.  Hard hearts, hearts of those whose lives are painfully difficult have to be soften by coming to faith, by knowing the healing power of our God.

We are called to set the example, to live lives full of grace, mercy and compassion to be an example, to witness to those that are distant from God.  To show a willingness to forgive as our Father in heaven has forgiven us.

 

Pastor Shawn LaRue

Author of Incomplete

Who do people say that I am?

03 Sunday Sep 2017

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“Who do people say that I am?” asked Christ.  Who do you say that I am?  A sharp, pointed question that might leave some struggling to answer.  Have we, have you, have I, thought about the answer to that question?

After yet another exchange with the leaders of the church, Christ has some quiet time with his disciples away from the crowds, scribes and Pharisees.  It was time for discussion with his disciples.

It is not uncommon to wonder what others think of you, even if you are the Son of God.  “Who do you say that I am?”  Maybe this question was borne out of curiosity on the part of Christ or maybe it was something of a test for his disciples.

Who do you say the Son of Man is?  Christ often referred to himself as the Son of Man.  Christ referring to himself as the Son of Man confirms his divinity and his human nature. 

When I pose the question to you about who Christ is and who is he to you, what kind of response would I get?  Maybe an objective, textbook-like answer free of emotion or attachment.  Jesus is the Son of God, Savior, Lord, teacher, rabbi, to name a few.

Should our answer as Christians be far more personal and connected?  I think that it should be.  This man they call Christ that existed on the same plane and form as God took on flesh to live in this world of selfishness, violence and pain.

He came to this world not as a military leader or educated, learned part of the church hierarchy, but as a suffering servant.  He could have had everything, but he chose to possess nothing.

Christ could have chosen more educated, sophisticated men to lead, that might have been easier.  He could have stopped the beating, torture and crucifixion that he endured.  He chose to follow his father’s will, out of obedience, not out of weakness.  There is nothing weak about Christ or being a Christian.

When you speak about your family do you speak in stiff, unemotional tones or do you talk about my parents, my children, my spouse.  I have referred to my kids as my wife’s kids when they do something that I’m not pleased with.

When you speak of your father do you say, “My biological father conceived three children with my biological mother?”  I don’t know anyone that talks like that.  It is personal, my dad, my mother, my grandparents, my children.

The relationship that each of us has with our God should be deep and meaningful as well.  My God, My Savior, My Creator.

Christ asked his disciples this question, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”  And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but other say Elijah and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 

Some say John the Baptist, Christ’s cousin, the man with the strange appearance, the voice crying out in the wilderness, “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

Others say Elijah, the prophet who upstaged 450 pagan prophets at Mt Carmel.  Still others say you are Jeremiah.  A prophet who was given the task of preaching to people that didn’t listen to him.  History refers to Jeremiah as the weeping prophet.

 The disciples had answered the question of who and what others thought Christ was.  Now come this sharp, abrupt question, “But who do you say that I am?” 

The pointed words, questions and parables that came from the Son of God.  Had the time he had invested in them made an impact?  Had they seen enough to erase any doubt they may have had?

The brash, outspoken disciple, Peter, fires back, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God!”….and there it is .  You are the Son of the living God.  A God that is alive, who works in this world to bring life to his people.

Peter did not say you are the Son of the cold and distant God.  He did not say you are the son of the God that we’re not sure about anymore. 

Christ is the God that took on flesh.  He is the God that desires to have a relationship with those he created, to those that he loved enough to give them the freedom of how to live their lives. 

The God we serve is a God that heals, reveals, that brings life, eternal life to his people.  After Simon Peter had answered, Christ said to him, “Blessed are you son of Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, it is from my Father in heaven.”

It was not mere mortal that had told Peter of Christ’s true identity, it was a revelation, a truth spoken to Peter from God.  How blessed Peter must have felt.  Not only does he live during Christ’s lifetime, he is one of his very disciples.  Of that chosen few God has revealed this most precious of truths.

Whether he realized it or not, Peter had attested to the truth, that Christ is the son of the living God.  Truth is an interesting thing.  Many search for it, but not everyone finds it.  We are called to search for the truth in our own lives.

The truth is that Christ is the son of the living God.  That much is truth.  But we are called to continue to seek him, to seek our God, to seek the truth in our own lives.  As I mentioned earlier, the relationship each of us has with our God should be personal.

It is not as easy as leaving here today saying, the preacher said that Christ is the son of God.  That is truth and now I’ll be on my way.  We are called into a deeper relationship with Christ and with one another.

On this truth, on this revelation, Christ said that he will build his church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.  On this truth that Peter attested to Christ built his church and in spite of all the violence, hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, shootings, terrorist acts, darkness, selfishness and need for convenience in this world, nothing, including the gates of hell will prevail against it.  Nothing.

Who do you say that Christ is?  Is it a question that you have given much thought to?  The Son of the Living God.  Can you see his work in your life, in others and in your church? 

Christ would continue, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”  Then he sternly warned them not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

We know that Christ’s ministry was a fairly short, it lasted about three years.  He will give the keys to his church, the keys of the kingdom of heaven to his disciples to spread the good news.

It would be the acts of the disciples and apostles that would spread the gospel after Christ’s death and resurrection.  It is our responsibility to do the same today.  We have been granted the keys to the kingdom of heaven.

To be the church, to be on the front lines of our community.  Helping those in need, assisting the poor and engaging people of all ages.  My hope for each of you here today is that you would draw closer in your relationship to the Son of Gog.

That your search for truth would begin and would continue.  That the revelation of truth that was granted to Peter would be granted to you as well. I hope that if the question is posed to you, “Who is Christ to you?” 

That you would answer with conviction, with passion, with the knowledge of blessings too numerous to mention in your life that has come from the God we serve.  Will you join me in prayer?  Good and gracious God, this world needs people that know you, your son and the truth that was revealed in today’s scripture.  In spite of the pain in this world, there is much that is good.  We have seen examples of neighbor helping neighbor, stranger helping stranger.  Continue to reveal yourself and your Son to us.  Draw us into a deeper relationship.  Make this church a shelter, a safe place and a place where your spirit is always present and everyone is always welcome.  Amen.

Pastor Shawn LaRue

Author of Incomplete

Can you drink the cup?

13 Sunday Aug 2017

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Can you drink the cup?  The mother of the sons of Zebedee makes a request of Christ, “Promise that these two sons of mine will sit on your right and left in your kingdom.”  Christ sets the overzealous mother and her sons straight, “You do not know what you are asking.”

They were asking for things along the lines of accomplishment without hard work, freedom without responsibility, all the gifts and grace that God has to offer without any of the suffering of the human condition.  Can you drink of the cup, of the cup of your own life?

The hectic pace of this life leaves little time for reflection.  It is an effort to put our phones away and pay attention.  Being fully present is in danger of being fully extinct.  Can you drink the cup?

It took me a long time to be willing to look at the cup of my own life.  Growing up in the presence of alcoholism left me anxious and unwilling to discuss what I had lived through.  Little did I know that others endured the same or worse.  I lived with that for far too long.

It took a lot of counseling in addition to God’s ability to heal for me to arrive where I am today.  Much healthier, but still reluctant to trust.  That is my cup.  No shame in the things that were beyond my control.  To be able to see that the events that take part in each of our lives is God’s way of molding and shaping us, even when those things are painful and don’t make any sense.

Christ’s cup was so painful that he asked if it could pass.  All the ugliness and sin the world has to offer.  Christ submitted to his Father’s will, we should do the same.

 

Pastor Shawn, Seymour UMC

Author of Incomplete

The beatitudes….

06 Sunday Aug 2017

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Christ brought with him a message of hope, a message of salvation and a message that turned how we see the world upside down.  He showed us how God sees this world through human eyes.  This God with us.

So, how is it that God sees this world?   And what is his message of hope……..Last week I talked about how Christ called his first disciples and they joined him with nothing more than the invitation of, “Follow me.”

Follow me.  Peter, Andrew, James and John did just that.  As Christ traveled throughout Galilee teaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God, crowds of people gathered to listen to him preach and cure people of sickness and disease.

I’ve have talked before about the Roman occupation of the Holy Land.  Life was hard.  The taxes were oppressive, it was all some could do just to exist.  Many were forced to sell their children and themselves into slavery.

Here comes this guy they call Jesus, bringing a message unlike anything they’d ever heard.  Crowds gathered and as this particular group gathered, Christ went up on the side of the mountain and preaches about the kingdom of heaven.

Eight statements, eight blessings, eight beatitudes. Eight statements that turn the world as we know it on end.  The great paradox of Christian life – in order to be first, you have to be last.  The humble will be exalted and the exalted will be humbled.  Where one has to be born again.

In the book of Matthew, the beatitudes take place early in Christ’s ministry – it is his first recorded sermon.  His message of hope.  In the children’s time message I attempted show how things are when they are inverted.

Christ spoke about seeing the world as he sees it, how God sees it.  Not from the vantage point of standing on your head, but of leaving the accumulation of wealth, possessions and other obstacles that get placed between us and our God.

To meet and minister to people where they are and for who they are – children of God, as one who bears the image of the Creator, just as each of us do.  He blesses those afflicted, not based on anything they can do, but simply because they are.

Christ starts this message of hope with, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”……I have read that each of these statements build on the previous one and none of them are possible without this one, the first one.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for they will see the kingdom of heaven.  Poverty of spirit is the beginning of discipleship.  It doesn’t mean that you don’t have spirituality.  It means that those poor in spirit are not full of themselves.

They understand their own brokenness, have been convicted of sin and put Christ, the cross and faith at the center of their lives….Those poor in spirit know how destructive sin is, they’ve seen it firsthand.  They know that sin causes them to stray from God, even if only for a short time. 

….Well Pastor, I’ve gone to church since I was a child, I haven’t strayed from God….I don’t know every intricate detail about everyone’s life.  But I would contend that we have all strayed at some point in our life, if only for a short time.

The power of sin is great.  God’s power, grace, mercy and love are greater….Coming before God with open minds, grateful hearts and empty hands.  Knowing that money, power, titles, land, riches and possessions won’t save us and they certainly should not define us.

This message of hope – blessed are they that know of their need for God.  Christ continued with these petitions.  “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” 

Do you ever watch the new and some of the stories they report on almost make you sick?  So much suffering, too many evil acts and loss of life.  Blessed are those that mourn over the brokenness of this world. 

For lives that end prematurely, for children that go hungry, neglected or abused.  For people in countries torn apart by war and are displaced.  For those that dead the pain and emptiness in their own life with things like alcohol and drugs.

We mourn for things that we don’t fully understand because they seem so distant or foreign to us….Those that see with eyes and hearts of faith feel the pain of those that suffer.  It is only by the grace of God that we don’t suffer through the same circumstances.

This sermon, not mine – Christ’s beatitudes were taken to heart by many of the saints and they did their best to live out these petitions, as difficult as that may seem.  I’ve talked about Mother Teresa’s example before.

She had been called by God to work with the poor in India.  She sensed that God was calling her to work with the poorest of the poor.  She left behind the work she had done for years and off she went.  She to one of the poorest slums, gathered some children and began teaching them the alphabet….using a stick to draw in the dirt with.

A ministry that would be known around the world, she would become a household name and she started with nothing other than who she was and the message that burnt within her.  Her own message of hope.

That is essentially what ministry is.  Each of us has a message that burns within us, each of us has a story written on each of our hearts – it exists, it is there waiting for that fire to be lit and that song to be sung.

As with the parables that Christ spoke of this scripture, these blessings that Christ bestows call for more than a quick passing over, they have to be studied and wrestled with.  Christ continued, “Blessed are the meek, for they will be filled.” 

God blesses those who are humble and gentle, for the whole earth will belong to them.  Those that submit to God in patience and humility.  What is the opposite of humility………pride, arrogance.  Those things are dangerous.

Pride and arrogance blind us to our own weaknesses while amplifying those of others.  If you are like me, pride can come quickly, seemingly out of nowhere.  It can be easy to take credit for the talent and skills that we have that God granted us. 

Blessed are those who do not return evil for evil, an eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth.  Who are slow to anger, abundantly patient and wise.

Christ continues this message of hope when he blesses those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.  Thank God for those who seek justice that believe in the right to be treated fairly. 

The road to seek out fairness, equality and justice is not a short one and seems to be the road less traveled. 

We thank God for those that seek out righteousness, who strive for holiness and seek out their God.  Treating all of God’s creation and people with the respect and value they deserve.  There is holiness that lives within each of us.  It cries out to be joined with the one that placed it there.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.”  God has given us this treasure of grace, it is only right that we extend it to others.  We should not judge, label or put down others.  We are called to be merciful and love one another unconditionally.

Blessed are those who are pure in heart, for the peacemakers and those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.  Christ’s message of hope.

We should be reminded of God’s mercy and grace every day and extend it to others. 

This scripture, these eight statements, the Beatitudes, show us how our God sees the world.  It is a message of hope.

Pastor Shawn LaRue

Author of Incomplete

 

The kingdom of heaven……

30 Sunday Jul 2017

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“The kingdom of heaven.”  The kingdom of heaven, you will hear that a lot in this message.  We are still in the same chapter of the book of Matthew that we’ve been in the past two weeks. 

At the beginning of the 13th chapter of Matthew, Christ had gotten into a boat to address the large crowd that had gathered to see him, to hear him preach.  Parable after parable – of the sower, the weeds and the wheat and the mustard seed.  Christ leaves the boat and the crowd.

What would he do now……..It was now time to teach his disciples.  After he explains the parable of the weeds to his disciples, he gives them three more.   Three more parables.  Why these parables, why not just say sin is bad, God is good….

Because it isn’t that easy.  These parables Christ spoke of have to be chewed on and wrestled with.  It takes time for them to sink into our soul and become a part of our being.

Several of Christ’s parables being with, “The kingdom of heaven.”  That phrase appears over 30 times in the book of Matthew.  Which begs the question, “What exactly is the kingdom of heaven?”

I researched this very thing.  I did not find a definition that I liked.  I did find some learned, scholarly definitions that I frankly didn’t understand.  I believe that the kingdom of heaven exists when we live with the freedom that comes with faith.

When we acknowledge and live knowing that everything comes from God.  Everything good comes from God.  Everything we have comes from God.  Our intellect, health, family, provisions, good looks, everything comes from God.

That freedom allows us to do for others without worrying about how much stuff we have.  Christ begins, “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid, then in joy goes and sells all that they have and buys that field.”

Keep in mind that this is a first century setting.  There were no lockboxes, safes or banks to deposit or keep your valuables.  To go and bury something valuable during a time of war or oppression would have been fairly common for those that had wealth.

This is a short, one-verse parable.  It appears that the individual that found the treasure wasn’t looking for it, wasn’t searching for it, but found it nonetheless.

Such things happen, you know.  Did anyone meet their spouse by a chance encounter?  Or did you meet them immediately after making the decision that you were getting married right now? 

Did it just happen?  Just happened to meet them, maybe by chance.  Or maybe you knew them or of them and didn’t feel much of anything for them initially.  Maybe you still don’t – just kidding.

This happens, we find things when we aren’t looking for them.  I did not set out to be a preacher.  I would have scoffed if you would have told me 10 years ago that this is where I would be.  It just happened. 

We don’t always go looking for God, but God is always looking for us.  Maybe you have always attended church, that was modeled for you as a child and you are committed to do the same. 

Or maybe you read or heard something that got your attention that stirred something in your soul that would eventually bring you to faith. 

God uses people, places and the circumstances in our life to turn us back to him.  The individual in this parable stumbles across a treasure hidden in a field.  It wasn’t laying on top of the soil on the surface.  It was buried underneath.

Once it is found, he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field, to possess this treasure, the kingdom of heaven.

That treasure might be different for each of us.  It would be God’s endless treasure of grace, it could be the forgiveness, the healing of deep and painful wounds or the Almighty himself. 

Whatever your treasure is if meets you at your deepest poverty, in the deepest areas of your soul.  It is what brings spiritual riches.

 It is God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit that provides, nourishes and empowers us.  That is true treasure.

Christ would provide another example of the kingdom of heaven.  “The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant of fine pearls, on finding one pearl of great value, the merchant went off and sold all that he had and bought it.”

Christ transitions from an agricultural realm to the business one.  There no second thoughts by the merchant.  No, I’ll think about it, I’ll get to it eventually or when it is convenient – those things that we humans are good at.

The last parable of these three short parables begins, “Again the kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind.  When it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad.

So it will be at the end of the age.  The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Christ goes from a farming example of finding treasure in a field, to a merchant finding a great pearl to a parable that would resonate with fishermen in the first century.  Being a fishermen was a common trade in Christ’s time.  It was hard work.

This last parable is rich in symbolism.  The net cast out into the sea could represent God’s word being spread throughout the world.  It caught fish of every kind.  People from all walks of life were brought to faith – young and old, rich and poor, black, white, people of all ethnic backgrounds and skin color.

When the net was full.  At the appointed time that only God the Father knows, the net was full and brought ashore.  The good fish, or God’s people, those that put their faith in Jesus Christ were put into baskets.

I don’t think that we will be put into baskets, fish are put into baskets.  The basket represents heaven, where we all hope to be someday.  But the bad fish were thrown out.  Those that were evil, those that rejected God time and time again were thrown out.

Last week I talked about the how the weeds were gathered, bundled up and thrown into the fire.  In today’s scripture Christ states, “The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

The scripture from this week and last ends with this painful and damning language.  But it is true, the collecting of weeds to be bundled and burned and the bad fish to be thrown into the furnace of fire represents hell.

 Our triune God works endlessly, tirelessly to bring us back to him.  There is no joy in seems anyone stumble and fall once, let alone their entire life.  God gives us the choice with what we will do with him.  We can deny and reject him or follow and embrace him.  The choice is ours. 

Given that choice, let us be the ones that went beyond what lay on the surface of that field and find that treasure and embrace it.  Let us be the merchant that finds that fine jewel that is Christ and never relinquish it.  Let us be the ones that brings the kingdom of heaven to this church and community.

Pastor Shawn LaRue

Author of Incomplete

The parable of the wheat and the weeds…

23 Sunday Jul 2017

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Radiant Morning

In the 13th chapter of Matthew Christ gives the parable of the wheat and the weeds.  “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat.”

“Master did you sow good seed in your field?” his servants asked.  “An enemy has done this,” the Master replied.  “Should we gather the weeds?” the servants questioned.  “No, in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them.  Let both grow until harvest, the reapers will collect the weeds and burn them, the wheat will be stored in my barn.”

The Master of the house in this parable is God, the seed sown is the word of God and the servants are us – his disciples.  The enemy if the devil who sows weeds in this parable and lies in our lives.  Under the cover of nightfall, when we aren’t watching, when we are at our most vulnerable is when Satan preys upon us.  Sowing the seeds of hate, discontent, anger jealousy, envy and greed.

He is the great sower of lies.  You’re not good enough, you don’t measure up and you won’t gain approval from those from whom you seek it the most.  Those are just a few examples, there are thousands more.  The grain in this parable has to compete with the weeds in order to survive.
Our spiritual’s lives and Christ’s church are the same.  Competing with vacations, ball games, camping, fishing, enjoying the summer weather and on and on.

The weeds, those things that don’t bear fruit, will be gathered up and thrown into the fire.  The good seed, that which produces a harvest of 30, 60 or a hundredfold will be stored up in the treasure of heaven.

Pastor Shawn – Seymour UMC

Author of Incomplete

incompletedevotional.com

The sower and the seed.

16 Sunday Jul 2017

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Halfway through the book of Matthew, in today’s reading of the 13th chapter, the crowds following Jesus had gotten so large that he got into a boat to address the crowd with his teaching and to speak in parables as he often did.

He got into the boat so that he would not be pressed and could be heard by all that had gathered along the beach.  He presents the parable of the sower and the four types of soil.  Hopefully this passage from scripture and message I’ve prepared will find a home with many of you given our agricultural based way of living in southern Iowa

I would ask you, after hearing he scripture read and the children’s message demonstrated, who is the sower and what is the seed?

Christ oftentimes spoke in parables and parables can be understood by those willing to be taught, for those unwilling they are complex and difficult.  At times, Christ’s own disciples didn’t understand them.

Parables are meant for examination and the searching of one’s soul.  To search for the truth in our own lives.  The search for God because he is truth.  God wants to draw us into relationship with him.  This requires effort on our part.

Christ addressed the crowd and said, “Listen! A sower went out to sow and as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up.” 

This sentence could just as easily read, “A farmer went out to plant his crops and some of the seed fell on the highway, a gravel road, in his driveway or the access point to his field.”

Would we expect seed dropped in such places to grow?  Of course not.  Do crops, gardens or flowers grow in soil that is not broken, not plowed or prepared for the seed to be planted in it?  Not usually or not very well.  Our souls, our lives and our being are the same.

Some seed fell on the path, fell by the wayside and birds came and ate it.  That seed laid uncovered, unprotected and was easy prey to those that would devour it.  It had little chance to grow.

Christ would sometimes explain what his parables meant so that those in attendance would understand.  He did not do that with this teaching, with this parable.  He leaves it with the crowd to turn over in their minds and to evaluation their own being and search for truth.

First century life was hard, poverty was common and brutal.  Many had to beg to survive.  This crowd, these people needed hope.  They needed to have their burden made lighter.

We live in an affluent country and probably struggle to fully understand the crushing weight that these people carried.  We lead far more comfortable lives today, but our souls today still cry out to know that easy burden and to be nourished, just as this crowd that surrounded Christ did.

Some seed fell on the path and was immediately eaten.  Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil.  There was enough soil for the seed to take hold and grow.  But the soil wasn’t deep enough for the roots to take hold and when the sun rose, they were scorched because they had no root and they withered away.

I asked earlier who is the sower and what is the seed.  That might seem obvious.  The seed is the word of God and the sower is Jesus Christ.  That may seem easy enough.  But here is the part that requires self-examination.

As I talk about the four types of soil, which one represents you…….Some seed fell on stony places, where there was not much earth or soil.  The ground was shallow and although the seed took hold and grew quickly, there wasn’t enough soil or depth to sustain it.

The sun came out and scorched what had begun to grow because it didn’t have the roots or the ability to withstand the heat of the sun and it withered away.  With our collective knowledge of farming we know that it is hard to grow much out of stony, rocky ground.

I could use this part of scripture to argue that this is what happens when you don’t go to church.  The devil comes and burns up what faith you have.  But attending worship is only a part of the Christian, spiritual life. 

Being part of a community of faith is important, but so is prayer, reading your bible, being of service to your community, loving your family.  If you are completely reliant on my preaching, I’m afraid that we are both in trouble.

The seed that fell on stony ground was quickly burnt up by the sun because it didn’t have deep enough roots.  When things get hot, where there is pressure, too much stress, trials and tribulation. 

When life seems overwhelming, nothing is going right, not only do we not get everything we want, we can’t seem to get anything we want, it is at those times that those fledgling seeds are at risk.  The devil turns up the heat in order to snuff out those seeds of faith.

We’ve had the seed that fell on the path and was devoured.  The seed that fell on rocky ground, didn’t have the necessary roots and was burnt up by the sun’s heat.  Christ would continue, “Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.”

Other seed fell among the weeds and thorns and was choked by them.  Christ doesn’t mention anything that indicates that there is anything wrong with this soil.  The weeds and thorns lay beneath the surface.  They spring up and grow at the same time and maybe even the same pace as the seed that was planted.

But they overtake the seed, they over take the faith that had started to grow and eventually destroyed it.  The seed was sown on ground that appears to be fertile, good ground.  But there was competition, it seems like there always is.

I have talked a lot about things like convenience, selfishness and all the things of this world that this flesh burns for.  You might be tired of hearing about them.  I have some bad news for you.  You are going to continue to hear about them.

I’m not going to continue to bring them up to screw with you, I bring them up because things like convenience, our own selfishness – mine included and all the fun, exciting things that the world offers have the power to kill the church.

Just like the weeds and thorns in today’s scripture had the power to overtake the seed that was planted.  For those of you that plant flowers, do you plant them in the spring and then never tend to them?  I doubt it. 

For those of you that garden, do you plant your tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet corn, green beans and other vegetables and leave it idle until fall?  Of course not, weeds are pulled, the plants are checked.

Do farmers plant their crops, do they not fertilize, cultivate, watch over and pray for rain for them?  Of course they do all those things.  It is no different with our spirituality and with our souls.  They must be cared for, kept and tended to.

Christ would end this parable with, “Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.  Let anyone with ears hear!”

Not everyone that hears the word of God will hear it, listen to it or pay any attention to it.  But for that good soil, that fertile soil – from that will come 30, 60, 100 fold.  That soil that has been broken and is ready to be seeded.

Like that soil we are all broken whether we realize it or want to admit it.  We are all broken people.  All capable of being or becoming that good soil.  Everyone has the ability to bear fruit, to be the fertile and rich soil. 

Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.  Not just to hear the audible words, but to allow these words of Christ to take hold in your soul.  That this parable would not be about information, but transformation.

 

Pastor Shawn, Seymour UMC

Author of Incomplete

incompletedevotional.com

Faith v. Flesh

09 Sunday Jul 2017

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Paul’s letter to the Romans takes place near the end of his ministry.  It includes his mature reflections on the Christian life.  In the seventh chapter he writes, “For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh.  I can will what is right, but I cannot do it.  For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do.”

In spite of our best efforts we still lose our temper, say things we shouldn’t have and may not accomplish everything we want in this life.  Lust, greed, envy and pride are all day every day temptations.

It is only when we understand that this flesh is rebellious, wants everything in it’s path and can only be tamed with faith, that life changes.  Faith and the belief in God is the only context in which our being makes sense.  We are given life freely by our Creator.  We can choose to follow him or reject him, we can pick earth or eternity and convenience or Christ.  We choose to tame the flesh by faith or feed its every desire and ultimately choose death.

Pastor Shawn, Seymour UMC

Author of Incomplete

incompletedevotional..com

The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few….

18 Sunday Jun 2017

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A crowd of people had gathered around Christ and he had compassion for them.  What was it he felt…..He was moved because they were like sheep without a shepherd.  Many of the first century Jews were lost, harassed, troubled and vulnerable.  Life was hard.  Few could read or write.  Those in leadership positions in the Jewish establishment did not nourish their spirit, they taught them rituals, the law and public acts of piety.  All of those are hollow in and of themselves.

It is the spirit that brings life.  It is the very presence and the spirit of our God that we experience when we celebrate communion, baptism and sacraments of the church.  It is the spirit that brings people together to worship.  It is the spirit that brings life.

People were drawn to Christ because he was speaking truth into their lives, he was lifting their spirit and easing their burden.  After observing the crowd and feeling their pain he says, “The harvest in plentiful, but the laborers are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

One doesn’t have to read or quote from the bible to labor effectively.  One only needs to be intentional about their faith and allow themselves to be led in the direction that God would take them.  There is work to be done.  We are called to do it.  It will require commitment, it will require time and it will require listening to what God has been speaking to each of us and stepping out in faith.

Pastor Shawn – Seymour UMC

Author of Incomplete

shawnlarueorg.wordpress.com

Let the one without sin throw the first stone….

04 Sunday Jun 2017

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“Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”  Christ’s statement to the scribes and Pharisees that presented an anonymous female adulteress before him in the temple.
The guilt and shame this woman must have felt, the anxiety she must have experienced.  She was probably well aware of the penalty for adultery – death by stoning.  A public and barbaric display to make an example out of the sinner.
Christ was being tested to see if he would uphold the law and condemn the woman.  Christ advocated for the truth and challenged those that judged her to look at the condition of their hearts, souls and the sin that existed in their own lives.
He did not pass judgment on her, as easy and common as that is today.  It is far easier to judge and place distance between ourselves and those whose appearance, clothes, homes, income level and tattoos we don’t like and don’t even begin to understand.
It requires that precious resource of time that we guard with an iron grip and are far too many times selfish with.  What do people want as much as anything in this life…….to be accepted for who and what they are in spite of their shortcomings.
Pastor Shawn, Seymour UMC
Author of Incomplete
shawnlarueorg.wordpress.com

Abide in me.

29 Monday May 2017

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Christ is the true vine.  God the Father is the vinedresser.  Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear even more fruit.  Abide in me and I will abide in you.  Those that abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.
Christ is the source of life, the source of eternal life, the source of the spirit.  That spirit tells us that we are far more than flesh and blood.  It tells us that we are beautifully and wonderfully made.  It gnaws within us, telling us to in things of eternity.
The battle within our mind and on the spiritual battlefield is waged every day.  We make choices every day.  To choose things of earth or eternity and convenience or Christ.  It is only when we abide in Christ that the battle is won.
Pastor Shawn, Seymour UMC
Author of Incomplete
shawnlarueorg.wordpress.com

The work of the Holy Spirit….

21 Sunday May 2017

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“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever.  This is the spirit of truth.”  This passage is from the 14th chapter of John.  Christ is speaking of the Holy Spirit.

It is the Holy Spirit that rattles the sabre within our soul.  It is the Holy Spirit that leads people to faith.  It is the Holy Spirit that brings people to a community of faith and leads them to be baptized, join the church, lead bible studies and read to the children at the school.
God still speaks, Christ still reveals, the Holy Spirit still moves people to step out of their comfort zone and leads them to deeper levels of faith.  Speaking to us through this life that is oftentimes difficult, confusing, hard and beyond understanding at times.
It is the work of our God and of the Holy Spirit that beckons us to live intentional lives of faith.
Pastor Shawn, Seymour UMC
Author of Incomplete
shawnlarueorg.wordpress.com

I’ve always struggled with acceptance……

07 Sunday May 2017

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I’ve always struggled with acceptance.  I’m afraid I always will.  I think one of the greatest fears humans experience is the fear and painful sting of rejection.  It keeps many from stepping out of their comfort zone.  It paralyzes us with fear.

Those that step into leadership positions, either by a calling or through their own ambition, immediately become targets for their own shortcomings and those of whatever it is they are leading.

The church is one place where acceptance should be found.  Unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen.  Many have walked away hurt, confused and bitter because they have been looked down upon or treated as inferior.

What a terrible thing it is not to be accepted for who you are, regardless of how others think.  It is okay to disagree, it is not okay to judge, dismiss or take humanity from those that we disagree with.

Not being accepted is hurtful and causes anxiety.  Having said all that, true acceptance can only be found in God and his grace.  There are areas within our souls that cannot be touched or healed by others.  That healing and acceptance can only come from our triune God.

It is frustrating and not fair to ask of others only what God can provide.  Even having been a pastor for almost two years I still struggle with this.

Shawn LaRue

shawnlarueorg@wordpress.com

Author of Incomplete

Eyes to see….

06 Saturday May 2017

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Two of Christ’s followers were walking to Emmaus.  They were discussing all that had happened when Christ began walking with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him.  Being blind to God’s presence happened in biblical times and still does today.  Mary Magdalene didn’t recognize him standing before her in the garden tomb and Cleopas and his friend don’t recognize him when he is walking alongside.
It was only when Christ opened their eyes that they saw him.  How blind we can be at times.  Blind to the pain and suffering of others, blind to our own actions and how they impact others.  We need to ask God for eyes to see and for his presence to soften hard hearts.
Pastor Shawn – Seymour Methodist Church, Seymour, IA
Author of Incomplete