4th Sunday after Pentecost Proper 8 Sermon

4th Sunday after Pentecost

Proper 8

Mark 5: 21-43

"Hush child, God ain't dead!"


21 ¶ And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him; and he was beside the sea.

22 Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and seeing him, he fell at his feet,

23 and besought him, saying, "My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live."

24 And he went with him. And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him.

25 And there was a woman who had had a flow of blood for twelve years,

26 and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse.

27 She had heard the reports about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment.

28 For she said, "If I touch even his garments, I shall be made well."

29 And immediately the hemorrhage ceased; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.

30 And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone forth from him, immediately turned about in the crowd, and said, "Who touched my garments?"

31 And his disciples said to him, "You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, 'Who touched me?'"

32 And he looked around to see who had done it.

33 But the woman, knowing what had been done to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him, and told him the whole truth.

34 And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease."

35 ¶ While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler's house some who said, "Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?"

36 But ignoring what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not fear, only believe."

37 And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James.

38 When they came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, he saw a tumult, and people weeping and wailing loudly.

39 And when he had entered, he said to them, "Why do you make a tumult and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping."

40 And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside, and took the child's father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was.

41 Taking her by the hand he said to her, "Talitha cumi"; which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise."

42 And immediately the girl got up and walked (she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement.

43 And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat

Grace and Peace to you from our Lord and Saviour, who is the Christ. Amen

A woman lost her husband and went into an extended grief period. She took flowers to the cemetery weekly. She secluded herself, dropped out of organizations and activities. Her doctor became very concerned about her.

Symptoms of physical illness began to appear. One day, he told her about two of his patients in a nearby hospital. They did not have families to visit them. They were alone in the world. The doctor said to the grieving woman, "Next Sunday, Instead of taking flowers to the cemetery, why don't you take them to those two lonely patients of mine in the hospital? Just say 'hello' to them, and see if they need anything; see what you can do for them."

Somewhat reluctantly, the woman did as her doctor suggested. And by that simple little act, the logjam was broken. It melted the ice around her heart. It washed away the bitterness. More and more often she took the flowers to the hospital instead of the cemetery. She found the healing power of God, which she had been resisting, had broken through, and she was healed of the kind of destructive grief that had been diminishing her life. She had moved into the gracious circle - and all because of a simple act of mercy.

We need each other when troubles strike. her simple act of sharing flowers taught her that everyone has troubles in this world.
Everyone has encountered troubles in one form or another. Trouble is everywhere, grief, sorrow, pain, heartache, sickness, loneliness, we could go on and on. As one human being aches, all human beings experience something of that ache. When one hurts all hurt.

Especially do we see that when death strikes. It seems the whole community is affected by the death of one of its members. There is a hush, a heaviness in the air as the sting of death is experienced. People speak is hushed tones, food is brought to the house where death has been felt. People hug, cry, try to console one another with words, or just the action of being there.

When our nephew died in a traffic accident at the age of 23, it seemed like everyone in this world came to the funeral home. They sat, they stared. Boys his age, just stared bewildered at the sight of death. There was just a hush in the air though hundreds of people came, there was hardly any noise in the funeral home. Death brought a quiet heaviness to everyone present.

We live in a troubled world, a world which has felt the brokenness of sin, the separation from the loving hand of God.

In this troubled world filled with sin and brokenness we tend to look to someone or something to place the blame, or place our anger upon for the troubles which surround us.

Dr. William Sloan Coffin of New York's Riverside Church said this in the April 20,1984 Lutheran Standard after the death of his son, Alex.

"The night after Alex died, I was sitting in the living room of my sister's house outside of Boston, when a middle-aged lady came in, shook her head when she saw me and said, "I just don't understand the will of God."

Instantly, I was up and in hot pursuit, swarming all over her. "I'll say you don't, lady!!" I said. (I knew the anger would do me good, and the instruction to her was long overdue. )

I continued,"Do you think it was the will of God that Alex never fixed that lousy windshield wiper of his, that he was probably driving too fast in such a storm, that he probably had had a couple of 'frosties' too many? Do you think it is God's will that there are no street lights along that stretch of road, and no guard rails separating the road and Boston Harbor?"

Dr. Coffin continues in the article:"Nothing so infuriates me as the incapacity of seemingly intelligent people to get it through their heads that God doesn't go around this world with his fingers on triggers, his fist around knives, his hands on steering wheels. God is against all unnatural deaths. And Christ spent an inordinate amount of time delivering people from paralysis, insanity, leprosy and muteness. As Alex's younger brother put it simply, standing at the head of the casket:"You blew it buddy. You blew it."

Dr. Coffin continues:"The one thing that should never be said when someone dies is,"It is the will of God." Never do we know enough to say that. My consolation lies in knowing that it was not the will of God that Alex die; that when the waves closed over the sinking car, God's was the first of all our hearts to break."

God shares our sorrow. God shares our pain.

We live in a world that has not been fully redeemed. We live in a world with brokenness, sorrow and grief.

As we live in this world, we need to remember that God is here. He has not caused our brokenness, but he is there to share it with us. God has not fully redeemed this world so He allows sin, death and the power of Satan to live in our lives.

A pastor wrote:

"Some time ago I saw a picture of an old burned-out mountain shack. All that remained was the chimney...the charred debris of what had been that family's sole possession. In front of this destroyed home stood an old grandfather-looking man dressed only in his underclothes with a small boy clutching a pair of patched overalls. It was evident that the child was crying.

Beneath the picture were the words which the artist felt the old man was speaking to the boy. They were simple words, yet they presented a profound theology and philosophy of life. Those words were, "Hush child, God ain't dead!" That vivid picture of that burned - out mountain shack, that old man, the weeping child, and those words "God ain't dead" keep returning to my mind. Instead of it being a reminder of the despair of life, it has come to be a reminder of hope! I need reminders that there is hope in this world. In the midst of all of life's troubles and failures, I need mental pictures to remind me that all is not lost as long as God is alive and in control of His world.1

God is indeed in control. And that control is seen in our gospel lesson this morning.

A man named Jairus was in a desperate way. His little girl lay dying.


Jairus was faced with the trouble of sickness. He had tried everything,doctors hod come and gone. The priests had come, but their prayers were unanswered. Jairus was in a desperate situation.

Then he thought about Jesus. No doubt he had heard Jesus preach in his own synagogue. No doubt he had heard of the many miracles Jesus performed like healing Simon Peter's mother-in-law, or the man who had been lowered through the ceiling and healed on his bed. No doubt he had even heard about the miracle of Jesus calming the sea the night before.

So, Jairus thought, maybe this preacher can help me. Maybe I can swallow my pride, and try this one more thing. His hopelessness probably was turning to confidence, to faith, to trust in Jesus as he made his way to find Jesus.

Jairus sought out this wandering preacher, this son of a carpenter, this religious fanatic, this Jesus of Nazareth, this one who claimed to be from God, even God's Son.

Jairus had faith enough to turn to Jesus in his encounter with trouble. He had faith enough to place the well-being of his girl into Jesus' hands.

Christ became Jairus' hope. And Christ did deliver.

Even when the messenger came to say that the girl had died Jesus said "Do not fear, only believe." Jesus gave Jairus hope. Even when the mourners laughed at Jesus, Jesus still gave hope to Jarius .He asked everyone to step outside, then Jesus took the hand of the girl and said, "Little girl, I say to you arise.''

And immediately, the girl rose from her bed. The hope, the trust, that had been placed in Jesus was well founded.. He did deliver the girl. He did deliver this family from this moment of trouble.

So with us as we face the troubles of life. It is to Christ we must turn. It is to Christ the one who can deliver, the one who can ease our burden, who can shoulder our sorrow, who can walk with us through the valley.

It is to this Christ we must turn.

Like Jarius, we must trust Jesus with our troubles. In that trust and faith, Jesus will be present. He might deliver us, through the power of His Holy Spirit, we might be delivered. There are countless of stories of people who have had miraculous cures from disease, people who have gotten better with no physical reason. People have had tumors shrink, pain go away, tissues which were unhealthy became healthy.

"Hush child, God ain't dead!"

Christ does deliver. He can if it be His will. But at the same time, we need to ask for the courage and strength from His presence to face the troubles in our lives. There may not be deliverance. There may be the strength, the courage, the power to live, to walk the road of life with that certain trouble walking along with us.

"Hush child, God ain't dead!"

Now, most of us think about physical troubles, sickness, that sort of thing in which we ask for deliverance, or the courage to live with it, but there are many more kinds of trouble in life.

Troubles in relationships, troubles with not accomplishing what we dreamed for ourselves, troubles with being rejected by others, troubles in a marriage, troubles with alcohol and drugs, troubles with a child and the list could go on and on. And in many cases these kinds of troubles have no instant cure, but they go on and on. Some are cured so-to-speak with time, others are lived with. Some leave a mark on a life that will never be erased.

Christ can and does give us strength to go on living, in the full promise of His love and mercy. These day-in-and-day-out battles we all experience with trouble of what ever cause can and should be consecrated to God, lifted up to him in prayer, handed over to him for His care

"An girl who was handicapped was told that she could never escape from her prison of pain and weakness. "Oh, well' she replied, 'there's a lot of living to be found within your limitations if you don't wear yourself out fighting them "

I would like to maintain that the strength to live within the limits of your troubles comes from Christ. Yes, there is a lot of living you and I can and should do as we face the troubled times of life and that living comes from Christ's power in our lives.

"Hush child, God ain't dead!"

A closing story tells us about the love of God in our lives.

A little girl had been shopping with her Mom in Wal-Mart. She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful red haired, freckle faced image of innocence. It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the earth it has no time to flow down the spout.

We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the Wal-Mart. We waited, some patiently, others irritated because nature messed up their hurried day. I am always mesmerized by rainfall. I got lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running, splashing so carefree as a child came pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day.

The little voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in "Mom, let's run through the rain," she said.

"What?" Mom asked.

"Let's run through the rain!"

She repeated. "No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit," Mom replied.

This young child waited about another minute and repeated: "Mom, let's run through the rain,"

"We'll get soaked if we do," Mom said.

"No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning," the young girl said as she tugged at her Mom's arm. This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?

"Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, 'If God can get us through this, he can get us through anything!"

The entire crowd stopped dead silent.. I swear you couldn't hear anything but the rain. We all stood silently. No one came or left in the next few minutes. Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say.

Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's life. A time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith. "Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If GOD let's us get wet, well maybe we just needed washing," Mom said.

Then off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars and yes, through the puddles. They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked. But they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars.

And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing. Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions, they can take away your money, and they can take away your health. But no one can ever take away your precious memories...2

"Hush child, God ain't dead!" Run through the rain.

Amen

Written by Pastor Tim Zingale June 26, 2006
You may freely use this as is or in parts. Please somehow give credit if possible, thanks! Not for commercial use.

1 James DeLoach, associate pastor of the Second Baptist Church of Houston, quoted in When God Was Taken Captive, W. Aldrich, Multnomah, 1989, p. 24

2 Author Unknown from The Daily Encourager

3rd Sunday after Pentecost Proper 7

3rd Sunday after Pentecost

Proper 7

Mark 4:35-41

Job 38:1-11

Peace


35 ¶ On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side."

36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him.

37 And a great storm of wind arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already filling.

38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care if we perish?"

39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

40 He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?"

41 And they were filled with awe, and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey him?"

Grace and Peace to you from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus who is the Christ. Amen

"An artist was commissioned by a wealthy man to paint something that would depict peace. After a great deal of thought, the artist painted a beautiful country scene. There were green fields with cows standing in them, birds were flying in the blue sky and a lovely little village lay in a distant valley. The artist gave the picture to the man, but there was a look of disappointment on his face. The man said to the artist, " This isn't a picture of true peace. It isn't right. Go back and try again.

The artist went back to his studio, thought for several hours about peace, then went to his canvas and began to paint. When he was finished, there on the canvas was a beautiful picture of a mother, holding a sleeping baby in her arms, smiling lovingly at the child. He thought, surely, this is true peace, and hurried to give the picture to the wealthy man. But again, the wealthy an refused the painting and asked the painter to try again.

The artist returned again to his studio. He was discouraged, he was tired and he was disappointed. Anger swelled inside him, he felt the rejection of this wealthy man. Again, he thought, he even prayed for inspiration to paint a picture of true peace. Then, all of a sudden an idea came, he rushed to the canvas and began to paint as he had never painted before. When he finished, he hurried to the wealthy man.

He gave the painting to the man. He studied it carefully for several minutes. The artist held his breath. Then the wealthy man said, "Now this is a picture of true peace." He accepted the painting, paid the artist and everyone was happy.

And what was this picture of true peace?? The picture showed a stormy sea pounding against a cliff. The artist had captured the furry of the wind as it whipped black rain clouds which were laced with streaks of lightening. The sea was roaring in turmoil, waves churning, the dark sky filled with the power of the furious thunderstorm. And in the middle of the picture, under a cliff, the artist had painted a small bird, safe and dry in her nest snuggled safely in the rocks. The bird was at peace midst the storm that raged about her."1

Peace, tranquility, calmness, these are the emotions which each we seek as we experience the storms of life. We long, we search for peace. We search for the quiet, the calm, the contentment as we experience the storms, the chaos, the uncertainties of life.

As we live with all the brokenness of sin, with all the tension of this sinful world, we cry out, we long for some peace to somehow insulate, or protect us from all the fury around us. We are very much like that wealthy man, searching, dreaming, wanting peace in the middle of the fury of life. We search, we long, for that peace. We even call out as the disciples did to Jesus in that sinking boat, we call out to God for peace, for comfort. We call out to God,, wondering if He is around, wondering if He is sleeping while we are searching.

The question asked more often by human beings is always some variation on this theme,'Where are you, God?" Or "God, are you sleeping?" or "God, are you dead?" or God, do you hear me?" or "God, why don't you. answer me?"

And God's answer, God's 's only answer, God's answer that we can only understand is this: "I am in the midst of you through the crucified Christ" Yes, I am here, I am with you as I was with my Son on the cross of Calvary."

Our Old Testament Lesson and our gospel lesson focus for us this morning on that question, "Where is God in the tumult of life?" Job asks that question of God as he is suffering, the disciples ask that question of Jesus as they are sinking with their boat into the Sea of Galilee.

"Don't you care, aren't you concerned with our plight, why am I suffering like this," are the questions which beg for an answer in our lessons this morning.

Jesus and the disciples were crossing the sea when a sudden storm broke upon them. The disciples became afraid as the wind blew, and the fury of the storm began to fill the boat with water. These were seasoned fishermen, they had experienced these kinds of storms before, but this one was different, it was worse than they had ever experienced. They used their skills, but still they were sinking.

Then in the middle of the storm, they thought about Jesus, where was he. He was in the stern of the boat sleeping on a pillow. Jesus had that sure confidence in the peace of God which allowed Him to sleep even though the storms of life, even this storm of the sea as it was raging all about him.

But the disciples didn't have that peace, they were afraid, they wondered if Jesus even cared for them as they awoke Him with this question "Teacher, do you not care if we perish?"

They soon saw Jesus' caring as He awoke and spoke to the wind and the sea saying: "Peace' Be Still !"' Then the sea calmed, the winds stopped there was peace.

Then Jesus asked the disciples a question: "Why are you afraid?? Have you no faith?"

Jesus had peace, he was not afraid because He had faith in the Father to protect and provide for Him.

He wanted His disciples to have that same peace. A peace that knows that no matter what circumstances in life we may find ourselves, God ifs in control, so there is peace. Peace does come, peace is equal to faith in the power of God to control, to provide. The disciples saw the power of God in nature as Jesus calmed the storm. That same power is present in all circumstances of life. There is peace to life when we believe in and trust in the power of God to be with us, to guide us, to save us from all the storms of life.

The disciples were afraid because they could only see the storm, their eyes we fixed on that storm. It was difficult for them to have any peace when they were focused on the storm. The problem for the disciples and our problem is not the storms of life but where our attention is placed. It's hard to see the Christ in the boat when our attention is riveted on the waves outside the boat. When our attention is so consumed by the storms of life so that we cannot see Christ, or turn to Him, or trust in Him, then there is no peace, no contentment, but only worry and despair.

For example: "A story from the days of sailing ships, tell about a ship caught in a sudden and severe storm. The passengers became panicky, rushing here and there as the waves beat upon the ship. There was fear and dread on the faces of all the passengers except one little boy, who remained calm and cheerful. When asked why he was so calm, he said,"Why should I be afraid? My father is at the helm." In order words, he was not afraid, because e his father was in control..

So, too, with us we face the storms of life. We need not be afraid, or full of despair, because God through His Son Jesus Christ is in control. God is at the helm of life. We need to believe and trust in His power to guide our lives.

Job, in our first lesson, learned of this power of God to be in control of life as God encountered Job in the whirlwind. Job comes to God with his questions of why. Why did he have to suffer? Was there something he did wrong that he deserved this suffering? He came to God, he, in a sense challenged God with his questions.

And what does God do? He comes to Job in a whirlwind and God asks Job questions. God asks if Job had been present at the beginning of time, was Job present at creation, did he have a hand in creating the world? God asked Job if he was the one to control the seas, if he was the one who created the rain and clouds? God came to Job in all of His power and reminded Job of that power, reminded him that humankind cannot understand the mind or the workings of God.

The text doesn't say Job's reply, but if we read further we see that the only reply Job had was to fall on his knees in humble subjection. When he finally saw and encountered God, Job saw his own helplessness and lack of wisdom. Job remained faithful to God in all of his trials, but he never came to a point where he didn't trust or believe in God's power to deliver or save him.

So, with us, as we face the unanswered questions, as we face the whys, the how comes, as we face suffering, as we face the tragedies of life.

It is not that we disbelieve God's ability to do anything to save. We all too frequently fail to trust the power He has. We come to God with our human condition of sin. We come to God with our inability to really understand God, so we give up. We question, we ask, we search, but we don't wait for an answer.

As Pastor Paul Scheidt says in Preaching Helps:

"God calls us to faith, but we prefer to hope for miracles..
"Surely we say, "Our Creator, who supports the earth's foundations, can arrest the storm in a moment. He has before; perhaps he will again."

But if our prayer is one-dimensional request for a miraculous calm, we may let ourselves in for a large helping of disappointment and despair if God's plan dictates some thing different from our request.

The prayer of of faith will include a second dimension that God will help us, hear his voice in the storm. His voice which says loud and clear, I am with you, I am with you."

As Job found out, as the disciples found out the only answer to our questions about life comes with a simple but powerful answer, "I am with you, period."

That is all we need to know our God is with us as we face all the why questions of life.

40 He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?"

Amen

Written by Pastor Tim Zingale June 19, 2006

You may freely use this as is or in parts. Please somehow give credit if possible, thanks! Not for commercial use.


1 Author Unknown

2nd Sunday after Pentecost Proper 6

2nd Sunday after Pentecost

Proper 6

Mark 4:26-34

"The Kingdom of God.........."

"or Umbrella Faith"



26* And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed upon the ground,
27* and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he knows not how.
28* The earth produces of itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
29* But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
30* And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it?
31* It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth;
32* yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”
33* With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it;
34* he did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus who is the Christ. Amen

One summer, a drought threatened the crop in a small town. On a hot and dry Sunday, the village parson told his congregation, "There isn't anything that will save us except to pray for rain. Go home, pray, believe, and come back next Sunday ready to thank God for sending rain."

The people did as they were told and returned to church the following Sunday. But as soon as the parson saw them, he was furious.

"We can't worship today. You do not yet believe," he said.

"But," they protested, "we prayed, and we do believe."

"Believe?" he responded. "Then where are your umbrellas?"1

"Where are your umbrellas?" The parson was reminding the people that their faith needed to be seen in some action. "Where are your umbrellas".

Our gospel lesson this morning speaks about that kind of faith and trust in God. Umbrella faith. Jesus is speaking about the kingdom of God and how that kingdom grows. It grows with faith, a unwavering faith, a faith that we cannot see or understand.

The first parable in our gospel lesson this morning deals with the kingdom of God in a way that you and I in this rural area can understand. Jesus tells a story about a farmer, any farmer. who goes out to plant his seeds into the ground. Then instead of worrying about the seeds, lets nature take its course, and the seeds grow first the blade, then the ear then the full grain in the ear.

Then the farmer goes out and harvests the fruit of the harvest. The words in the text of sleep and rise, night and day means the man didn't do anything to the seed, but trusted in the natural order of things for he knew he could do nothing to help the seed grow.

We can understand that. No mater how much we worry about the crop, how come we pace the floor, how much we complain about the wet weather, or the dry weather,in the end we cannot do anything. We must let the natural order of things be done. Sometimes it is very difficult for us to surrender to the natural order. Sometimes we cannot let go, sometimes we get so caught up in trying to help the natural order that life become miserable for us. We become a grouch and others tend to avoid us. If we do our job of planting the seed right, the seed will do its job and eventually the harvest will be there.

Jesus is comparing the kingdom of God to this idea of a natural order in the growing of crops and the harvest.

He is saying that just as we need to surrender to the natural order in growing crops, in the kingdom of God we need to surrender to the reign or rule of God in his kingdom. The kingdom of God for Jesus was not a place on this earth, it was not a kingdom. The kingdom of God is God's rule, is God's reign on this earth. Jesus is saying that God's rules his kingdom, God's reigns not us.

The kingdom of God comes of itself. We don't bring God's kingdom, he does. We don't rule, he does.

Martin Luther says: "The kingdom of God comes of itself" and our prayer, "Thy Kingdom come" is that it may come to us. It is almost blasphemous to ask people to help God to build his kingdom.

We must acknowledge "Thine is, the kingdom" and build upon that solid fact. The kingdom of God is not the product of human effort. God brings his plan to fruition in his own way and needs no help from us.

Our activity becomes constructive only when we allow him to take full charge.

What you and I are called to have is faith, faith that God is the ruler of his kingdom, faith that God is working even when we cannot see him, even when we have lost sight of him, even when we see no answer from him, we must believe that he is still ruling, he is still in charge.

Umbrella faith. Faith that believes God is in control.

A pastor tells this story: A young woman in our parish was going through a serious crisis in her life., It was extremely difficult for her to do what she had to do, and I assured her that God would help her through her time of trial and instantly she retorted almost in a sneer: "Look Pastor, you know I've been a good church member, but the first time I really need
God he's nowhere around. I've prayed and I got no answer. I asked for help, nothing. Then I knew what I'm going to do, I'm going to have to do by myself. In all of this, I don't even know whether God exists or not. I've searched, but I can't find him."

Many of us can tell the same the story or something similar. Many of us have at times wondered if God is really real. We wonder if he is active in his kingdom, whether he is working or just leaving us to our own ends. It is many times in these dark hours that we come to a vital, lasting relationship with God. When we thought we had lost him in the pain and frustration of life, it is in those very kinds of circumstances that we end up finding God.

In his book, Out of the Whirlwind, Mark Tabb writes, “He tells us to trust him enough to believe he knows what he is doing.When his actions don't make sense, trust him.When the windows of heaven seem to be open extra wide and life can't get any better, trust him.When the bottom falls out and life turns hard, trust him.Good times and bad, happy and sad, trust him.When I try to explain him away or reduce him to neat little formulas, I show a lack of faith not a wealth of it.”

What will God do?I have no idea, but I do know this: isn't making things up on the fly.He knows what he is doing.Now I must trust him enough to entrust my life to him even when I would rather not.” 2

Umbrella faith!

In the second parable Jesus tells us that God's kingdom will grow like a mustard seed.

He says: 31* It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth;
32* yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”

The kingdom of God is like a small seed planted in the earth. It will grow and grow till it becomes the largest of all shrubs. Jesus is saying though God's kingdom started out small with just 12 disciples, it will grow and become very large. God's rule on this earth began small but will grow.

We must have umbrella faith!

We must have faith that God is working in His kingdom.

It is like the safety net in the following:

When the Golden Gate bridge was being built in San Francisco, a number of workers lost their lives by falling from precariously high positions. As a result, the work proceeded slowly until someone hit on the idea of building a net under the construction area so that when a workman fell, he would not fall to his death but would be caught by the net.

A giant safety net was developed—at a cost of $100,000. This was the first time something like this was used at a construction site. With the security of the net below them, men were able to move about at a faster pace because they knew that if they fell their lives would be spared. With the security of the net below them, they could work without the dread of uncertainty.

We may not be able to see the net below us, but it's there. Our security comes from a loving, all-powerful God who protects us every step of the way. 3

God is working in His kingdom. We have a sense of security in this life that God is alive and well.

The kingdom of God is like a seed planted in the ground it grows of it's own accord. The kingdom of God is having unbrella faith that God is alive and well.

This closing story about a Grandma and gardening, I think, sums it all up.

I watched my grandma hoe the clay soil in my garden. “Don't see how you grow anything in this,” she mused.

“Colorado soil can't compare to yours in Iowa, Grandma!” I stared at her in awe, capturing the moment in my memory forever. Wisps of her silvery hair sneaked from beneath her headscarf as her thin torso bent down to pull a fistful of bindweed.

“This stuff will grow anywhere,” she laughed. “Even in this soil!”

Although she lived alone on the Iowa farm she and Grandpa had settled a half century ago, she still maintained a garden that could sustain most of Benton County! Some of my favorite summer childhood days had been spent in her garden helping her pull up plants she identified as weeds, or planting vegetables and flowers.

She had taught me that gardening wasn't only about cultivating plants, it was about cultivating faith. Each seed planted was proof of that. When I was seven I asked, “Grandma, how do the seeds know to grow the roots down and the green part up?”

“Faith,” was her answer.

When I grew up and married, my husband recognized the impression Grandma's dirt left under my fingernails and in my heart. He supported my dream to live outside the city. Our two-acre plot had a horse, dog, cat, rabbit, six hens and, of course, a large garden. I was privileged and overjoyed to have Grandma working in it.

Grandma leaned the hoe next to a fence post and walked to my flower bed to help me plant the daisies she'd brought from her garden to mine. She didn't know I was watching as she patted the dirt around the base of a plant.

Waving her hand in the sign of a cross above it, she whispered, “God bless you, grow.”

I'd almost forgotten that garden blessing from my youth.

Ten years later, those daisies still flourish.

Grandma is tending God's garden now but still influences me daily. Whenever I tuck a seedling into the earth, I trace a small cross above it in the air and say, “God bless you, grow.”

And in quiet times, I can still hear her blessing, nurturing my faith. “God bless you, grow.”4


Amen

Written by Pastor Tim Zingale June 12, 2006

You may freely use this as is or in parts. Please somehow give credit if possible, thanks! Not for commercial use.


1 from Life Support e-mail list
2 Out of the Whirlwind, p.28
3 by Steve May
4 By LeAnn Thieman

Holy Trinity Sunday Sermon

Holy Trinity Sunday
John 3:1-17
"One God, Three Faces"



3:1 ¶ Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.

2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him."

3 Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

4 Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"

5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

7 Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born anew.'

8 The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes; so it is with every one who is born of the Spirit."

9 Nicodemus said to him, "How can this be?"

10 Jesus answered him, "Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand this?

11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen; but you do not receive our testimony.

12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?

13 No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of man.

14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up,

15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life."

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

17 For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.RSV

Grace and Peace to you from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus who is the Christ. Amen

As many of you know, I had my internship in Wisconsin at Chippewa Falls, near Eau Claire, we have returned there many times to visit with friends. As we travel through Minnesota, one of the towns we pass through has a court house in the middle of their square and on top of that building there is clock tower. On the tower is clock, the clock which has four faces, so no matter in which direction you are coming into that town and around that square, you can see the hands and the face of a clock, telling you what time it is. During one trip, I stopped to think whether there are four different clocks running each set of faces and hands, or whether there is one clock somehow running those four faces and hands. It is a mystery, how those faces and hands on that clock tower really work .

At the same time, a thought also popped into my mind, isn't that the same mystery we have concerning God as three persons, the Trinity. We have God, the father, creator, God, the son, the redeemer, God, the Spirit the comforter, the counselor, the one who makes us holy. We see the three faces of God, but we have only one God. Like that clock on the tower, God has three faces, but only one God. Each face of God tells us something about God. God, the father, creator tells us about the God of the universe, God who creates, God who is powerful. God, the son, Jesus, shows us the love of God, the saving, redeeming quality of God. Then we have God, the Spirit who shows us the God who is with us through all the circumstances of our lives. God the spirit ,who brings the Father and the Son into our very souls, hearts and minds.

This Holy Spirit thing is difficult to understand. Jesus was trying to have Nicodemus the concept of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus says 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born anew.'

8 The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes; so it is with every one who is born of the Spirit."

Jesus is telling Nicodemus that the Spirit which came on Pentecost will cause a person to be born anew. This means that the person will be a new child in Christ.

When we were Baptized, we received the Holy Spirit. When you were Baptized, the pastor said," I baptize you in the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. "

And then later on in the service, the pastor says "the child's name, "child of God you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever", and while saying these words the pastor makes the sign of the cross on the baby's forehead.

At that point, we are filled with the Holy Spirit. and we have the rest of our lives to live in that Spirit and allow it to do it works.

Being born of the Spirit is not an act which we accomplish, but it is an act that God does on our behalf.

"Being born from above is not something we do. We are not the "actors". It is something done to us (by God). In a similar way, being born the first time was not something we did. Our physical births were caused by powers far beyond our infantile abilities and understanding. Being born is something that happens to us from powers outside of ourselves."1

Being born again is not something which we do, it is the Holy Spirit which does the action. It is the wind of the Spirit which is active in our lives. Unlike the normal wind, this wind is something which we cannot feel, but we must believe, have faith that it is active in our lives.

The Holy Spirit is not some vague idea, but as Lutherans we believe that is it part of the Holy Trinity. The three faces or persons of God. God the father, who created, God the redeemer in Jesus Christ who saved, and God the Holy Spirit who sanctifies, or makes us Holy.

The Holy Spirit is not a thing or an it, the Holy Spirit is a person, the third part of the Trinity of God. That person then resides in each of us as we live out our faith lives.

The Holy Spirit is not a thing, or a wind, or something that fills us like water, but the Holy Spirit is a person, the third part of the Trinity.

The Holy Spirit is not just an influence. So many seem to talk about being filled with the Spirit as if the Holy Spirit were some kind of liquid. They talk about having an 'empty vessel', an empty jug, and having the Spirit poured in. That is entirely wrong because it forgets that the Holy Spirit is a Person. He is not a substance, not a liquid, and not a power like electricity. We all tend to fall into this error. We even tend to refer to the Holy Spirit as 'it', forgetting that the Holy Spirit is the third Person in the blessed Holy Trinity."2

When we cry to God for anything it is the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity that bears witness with our own Spirit that allows us to cry to God, to "Daddy God". "Mother God".

When we say that the Spirit himself bearing witness, what does that actually mean. It means To give grounds for believing in the existence or presence of

So the third part of the Trinity gives our Spirit the grounds it needs to believe in the God who is three in One.

As we pray to God through the Spirit we are in the words of - Andrew Murray

True prayer is the living experience of the Holy Trinity. The Spirit's breathing, the Son's intercession, the Father's will, these three become one in us.

A son came home from Sunday school and was confused about the Holy Trinity. His conversation with father.

Parent (Dad)

Child (Son)

C: Dad, I got a question.

P: What is it, Son.

C: Well, today in Sunday School, we talked about God.

P: God, huh. Maybe you should talk to your mother.

C: Come on, Dad.

P: Okay, Son, what is your question?

C: Well, our teacher was trying to explain the Trinity, you know, God in three persons?

P: Son, I REALLY think this is a Mom question, don't you?

C: Dad....

P: All right, what is your question?

C: Well, I guess it is just confusing. I mean, I have never met a Trinity before.

P: What do you mean, Son.

C: Everyone I know is just one person, not three.

P: I see. And this worries you?

C: It's just confusing, Dad. I mean, who is this Trinity God supposed to be?

P: That is a good question, Son.

C: (PAUSE) Well...

P: Well, what?

C: Don't you have some wonderful parental insight to help me out, here?

P: Right, well, let me think. God is like H2O, you know, Ice, liquid and steam, all H2O, but different make-ups...

C: So God is like water?

P: Well, not exactly. Oh, okay. Let's try this...your Mother, for instance... She is one person but she is a mother, a wife and a daughter...

C: So Mom is God?

P: Let's not go there, Son. Let me think....

C: What about the beauty of a flower, or the smile of a baby?

P: What? How is that like Trinity?

C: I don't know, but when I see something like that, I know that God must have had a hand in it.

P: I would agree with you there, Son.

C: But, which one?

P: Which one what?

C: Which God is involved in something like that?

P: I am not following you here, Son.

C: Well, if God is three persons, which person makes the flowers bloom? Which person breathes new life into a baby?

P: Now wait, remember we have a rule in this house. Mom answers all questions about babies, okay?

C: Not just babies, Dad, everything. Which person paints the colors of the sunset? Which person listens to me when no one else will? Which one?

P: Wow. These are good questions, Son.

C: Which one is it? And how do we know? And who decides? And do they ever argue with each other?

Do they live in the same place? Can you see them all, or just some of them? How can you tell them apart? Are they identical? Is it just three, or could it be four, or five, or more?

P: (LONG PAUSE - staring at Child) Son, the Trinity is like an apple, it has a core, the meat of the apple and the skin...

C: Dad?

P: Or maybe, like a three-leafed clover?

C: You don't know do you?

P: Or a triangle?

C: I'll go ask Mom, or whoever she is!
P: Or three interlocking circles....?3

As the child in the conversation says:

C: Which one is it? And how do we know? And who decides? And do they ever argue with each other?

Which one is it. It is all one and three at the same time. The Trinity is not a vague doctrinal experience, but it is personal. The Trinity is God relating to each of us on a personal level. The Trinity is not some puzzle to be solved, but a relationship to be lived.

Which one is it? It is all three.

How do we know? We have a relationship with the God who wills, the Son who intercedes and the Spirit who lives in us .

What name is the name of my God?

I told you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit

But that is three.

Yes, but it's only one.

Amen

Written by Pastor Tim Zingale June 5, 2006

You may freely use this as is or in parts. Please somehow give credit if possible, thanks! Not for commercial use.

1 Brian Stoffregen Faith Lutheran Church, 1000 D St., Marysville, CA 95901 e-mail: b.stoffregen@worldnet.att.net
2 "Life In The Spirit - in Marriage Home and Work" - Lloyd-Jones, pg 47 1973 Baker Books from www.sermoncentral.com Contributed by: Clark Tanner
3 This was written by Charlie Woodward Pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church Westerville, Ohio