UCUMC Bulletin 9/28/14

Brown's Daily Word 9/26/14

Praise the Lord for this last Friday of September.  It is going to be a brilliant and  beautiful day.  The Autumn colors are splendid everywhere you go.  The Lord of   brilliant colors is displaying His technicolor world all around us for His glory.  Praise the Lord for the splendor of the season.  It is the season of harvest, when all around is ripe.  Praise the Lord for the fruits so variegated in color and in taste.   Praise the Lord for the way the Lord remembers us with His bountiful blessings.  The Lord of all seasons posts His signs, both visible and invisible, audible and inaudible all around us.  He reminds us so eloquently how much we are loved and cared for and above all blessed. 

    Those of you live in the area join us this evening for our weekly Television outreach at 7 PM on Time Warner Cable channel 4.  I will preaching on  "The Lord is Our Strength.  He is our song.  He has become our salvation".  Our Youth will gather for special youth event tomorrow, Saturday September 27 at 5:30 PM.  We will be serving Pizza, Chicken wings and ice cream - all youth-friendly foods.  Our Russian friends Mike and Eugene will be ministering in music and the Word. 

    We will meet  for worship Sunday at 8:30 and 11:00 at Union Center and at 9:30 at Wesley UMC.  Sunday school will meet at 9:50 AM.  I will be preaching on Mannaburgers and Barbecued Quails", based on Exodus 15.  Plan to be in the Lord's house wherever you might be.   When the saints sing and shout the praises of the Lord Satan trembles and flees.

    In his book, "The Great Divorce", C. S. Lewis described a young man who is tormented by a red lizard that sits on his shoulder and mocks him.  For Lewis, the lizard represents the indwelling sin all of us struggle with.  An angel comes and promises to get rid of the red lizard, and the man, for the moment, takes great joy in that.  He's thrilled.  I can be rid of this thing.  And then he realizes the way the angel will get rid of it, as the angel begins to glow with a fiery heat.  He will kill the lizard. Beginning to recognize the implications, the young man says, "Maybe you don't have to kill it.  Maybe you don't have to get rid of it entirely.  Can't we just do this another time?"  The angel says, "In this moment are all moments.  Either you want the red lizard to live or you do not."  The lizard, recognizing the hesitation of the young man, begins to mock and plead at the same time.

    "Be careful.  He can do what he says.  He can kill me.  One fatal word from you and he will.  Then you'll be without me forever and ever.  It's not natural.  How could you live?  You'll only be a sort of a ghost, not a real man as you are now.  He doesn't understand.  He's only a cold, bloodless, abstract thing.  It may be natural for him, but it's not natural for us.  I know there are no real pleasures, only dreams, but aren't they better than nothing?  I'll be so good.  I admit I've gone too far in the past, but I promise I won't do it again.  I'll give you nothing but really nice dreams, all sweet and fresh and almost innocent.

    For C. S. Lewis, these words typify for all of us the way in which we compromise and allow indwelling sin in our lives.  It is with such words that we allow the lizards of sin to live that torment us.

    It is written "So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking," (Ephesians 4:17).  These are strong words.  It always difficult to say to others--- we must not live as the rest of the world.  The apostle knows  he must say it: When we are really in Christ Jesus, we  are walking a different path.  May we continue to walk in His light and under His grace.  May He provoke us to walk with  joyfully, serve Him with self abandon... Looking unto Jesus the author and the pioneer of our faith.

  In Him,

  Brown

http://youtu.be/n7lvyd1JdQU

Brown's Daily Word 9/24/14

   Praise the Lord for this Wednesday.  It is going to be an awesome day.  The Autumn colors are bursting forth all around.  I was visiting a dear brother yesterday.  He is one of the men involved in the ministry planting and harvesting.  He is 76 years old, and is involved  deeply and devotedly in serving Jesus.  He and his wife are involved in teaching the children.  He is one of those who is called not only the hearer of the Word but the doer of the Word.  He, along with some other men who own tractors, planted potatoes.  They harvested them this past week and over 180 people came for harvesting.  They harvested over 35 tons - that amounts to 70 thousand pounds of potatoes. These potatoes are given to the Food Banks to be shared.  We are saved to serve.  We are given to give.  We are loved to love.  We are blessed to bless others.  We are blessed on heavenly places because of Jesus  and best of all in and through Jesus. 

    We will meet for our Wednesday Evening gathering at 6 PM.  We will share a very special meal followed by Bible Study and children's ministry and then Choir Practice. 

    Doing some reading recently, I was amazed to learn about the terrible trend our society is seeing in the area of self-injury or self-mutilation, which some are calling an epidemic among young people.  It breaks my heart to think about young women and men who are burdened with such internal pain that it leads them to this kind of self-abuse.  It points us to a story of a man in Scripture, who was consumed with pain, and who cut and abused himself until He encountered the One who could bring healing to his soul, as well as his body. 

 

    Mark 5:1 ff: "They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes.  And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit.  He lived among the tombs.  And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces.  No one had the strength to subdue him.  Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones."

    Prior to this story we read about how the disciples had been with Jesus on a boat on the Sea of Galilee when a terrible storm rose up and threatened to destroy them.  They cried out to Jesus, and with a word He calmed the storm, demonstrating His power over the natural world.  In the aftermath of this miracle, the disciples asked themselves, "Who is this?"  In fact, the demons themselves  would answer that question about who He is.  Immediately after the storm, they landed on the east side of the Sea of Galilee, in what is Gentile territory, and encountered a different kind of storm.  They saw a horrible scene: this man whose life had been devastated by evil forces, who lived alone among the tombs, all day and all night, crying out in agony and cutting himself, trying try to counteract the pain in his heart and mind.  This was a man was consumed by madness and pain.

    Apparently the people who lived in that area had tried to control him by chaining him, but he was so strong that he had broken free from the chains.  Demonic forces had occupied his life, and they had brought him great strength…and great pain.  Then, much to their surprise, they saw Jesus.  Others may not have known who Jesus was, but these demons had no question about who He was; they were terrified as He approached.  "And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before Him.  And crying out with a loud voice, he said, 'What have You to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?  I adjure you by God [that is, I solemnly appeal to you], do not torment me.'  For He was saying to him, 'Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!'  And Jesus asked him, 'What is your name?'  He replied, 'My name is Legion, for we are many.'  And he begged Him earnestly not to send them out of the country.  Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged Him, saying, 'Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.'  So He gave them permission.  And the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea."

    No doubt people had long been running away from this dangerous madman, but Jesus approached him and commanded the demons to come out of him, using the same word that was used to describe how Jesus commanded the storm to be still. Under the influence of these evil forces, the man fell down before Him—as if in an attitude of worship—and begged to be left alone.  It is very revealing that the man immediately knew Jesus,  and called Him "Son of the Most High God".

    Just as they have referred to Him by name, Jesus asked the man his name.  He said, "My name is Legion, for we are many."  A Roman legion consisted of about 6,000 soldiers-- his response is intended to convey that he's under the control of multiple evil forces—a demonic mob.  These demons knew Jesus could destroy them with a word.  We are invited to discover that  there is nothing beyond His power and authority.  Because of that power, Jesus can transform our pain into freedom.

    In the words of Tom Wright, a New Testament Theolgian and scholar from Great Britain, "That's what we need to know as we ourselves sign on to follow Him.  He isn't just somebody with good ideas.  He isn't just somebody who will tell us how to establish a better relationship with God.  He is somebody with authority over everything the physical world…and the non-physical world…can throw at us.  This is a Jesus we can trust with every aspect of our lives."

    The demons knew Jesus had the power to remove them from the man, so they begged Him not destroy them.  When they asked to be sent into the swine, Jesus granted them permission; but much to their surprise, as soon as the demons fled into the pigs, the herd rushed down the bank and fell into the sea to their death. As we  can imagine, the herders who were responsible for the pigs were shocked and ran to report on this turn of events.  "The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country.  And people came to see what it was that had happened.  And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.  And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs.  And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region.  As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged Him that he might be with Him.  And He did not permit him but said to him, 'Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how He has had mercy on you.'  And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled."

    People came to see what had happened to the pigs, but they were more shocked when they saw what had happened to the madman of the tombs.  No longer shrieking in agony, he was now clothed and sitting calmly with Jesus.  The One who has authority over storms of every kind had calmed the storm in this man's life, and they saw him transformed.  The demoniac had become a disciple.  That is the greatest type of miracle we  will ever see.  There are miracles of physical and emotional healing.  There are miracles that demonstrate God's power over the natural world.  However, the most compelling miracle is the one in which Christ , transforms a demoniac in to a disciple.  Jesus welcomes prodigal home.  He brings new life to one dead in sin.  Jesus can transform our pain into freedom.

In Him,

 Brown

http://youtu.be/rg9Uv0wUZdM?list=RDrg9Uv0wUZdM

Brown's Daily Word 9/23/14

  Praise the Lord for this beautiful and lovely new day the Lord has given us to celebrate and to glorify Him.  I spent last evening at the Open House of one of our local High Schools which my nieces and nephew attend.  It was many years ago our daughters graduated from High School, the last in 2002.  I graduated from my High School 50 years ago.  It was wonderful to see some young parents whom I had joined in marriage, who came to meet the High School teachers of their children.  During my High School days we had only text books, notebooks, pen and pencil.  Now It is all high tech with the latest gadgets and gizmos, including powerpoint, the web, twitter accounts, e-mail, all on desk tops, PCs, laptops, and tablets.  It is all exciting and thrilling to study and learn.

    I have been reflecting on our lives as a pilgrimage on earth, as journeys that we take.  I was reflecting on Psalm 84.  This particular psalm describes a journey of hope.  The Christian life as a journey is the controlling metaphor in perhaps the most famous book written on the Christian life, The Pilgrim's Progress.  John Bunyan's hero, aptly named Christian, makes his way to the Celestial City.  This theme also is reflected in the words of Amazing Grace: "Through many dangers, toils, and snares I have already come. 'Tis grace that brought me safe thus far and grace will lead me home."

    The idea of life as a journey or pilgrimage is a solid metaphor for our life as Christ-followers in this world.  Jesus is our bread for the journey.  He is the manna and the fountain of the living water for the journey we take.  He is also our strength.  In verses 5-8 the word "strength" is used several times.  Verse 5 says, "Blessed are those whose strength is in you."  Verse 7 continues, "They go from strength to strength."  It makes sense that those on a long journey would get tired and need strength, but it's more than that.  In verse 6 the psalmist talks about passing "through the Valley of Baka."  On the way to the temple, the pilgrim would pass through this valley.  Baka was a Hebrew word that meant weeping or tears. We'll pass through difficult and dry times on our pilgrimage at  times  become the of weeping.  The surprise is that this valley, of all places, can become a blessing. The psalmist says those who receive strength from God are those "whose hearts are set on pilgrimage."  There's a direction to their life.  They're moving towards God.  Their hearts are set.  That's what allows them to "make it a place of springs." When we face difficulties, when we walk through the Valley of Baka and it never seems to end. Certainly, the Holy Spirit must do a work in our lives. He's the one who gives us a homing instinct for God.  There is still something we can do, found in verse 5, "Blessed are those whose strength is in you."  We need to show our dependence, our reliance, upon God, in a walk of faith.  It's God-reliance rather than self-reliance that we need.  Out of that spirit of weakness and helplessness, the psalmist cries, "Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty; listen to me, God of Jacob."

    In verses 9-12, we see this pilgrimage was a journey of joy.  It's almost as if the pilgrim has reached his destination, where he finds in the presence of God every imaginable good.  He cries out, "Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere."  In essence, he's saying that he wouldn't trade one day in God's presence for anything on earth. Then he adds, "I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked."  In other words, "I'll take the most humble position in God's house above anything the world has to offer" because "the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor."  The Lord is a sun—he gives light and guides us.  He's a shield—he protects us and guards us.  He bestows favor and honor, or as another translation says, grace and glory. . .  

    God is the author of our story.  He's watching our journey, supplying us with his strength each day, and he will bring us home to live with him and the great company of the redeemed forever.  The joy of our destination makes our current struggle worth it.

In Jesus our Lord.

Brown

http://youtu.be/0VdUiKagWjU

Brown's Daily Word 9/22/14

Praise the Lord for this new day. The Lord blessed us with a very warm weekend.  Though awesome Autumn has made its debut It still feels like summer.. Thank you Jesus.  We have been picking pears from our own trees.  The trees are loaded.  I participated in a Jewish wedding this past Saturday.  It was fantastic.  I was reminded Jesus our Lord attending a Jewish wedding in Cana of Galilee.  He, in fact, crashed the party with His disciples and performed His first miracles in providing for the wedding with much abundance.  He still performs miracles in our marriages, in our homes, in our churches, and in our lives.  He blessed us with His abundance in His house yesterday.  I preached from Exodus 15:19 ff.

    In Exodus 15:22, as soon as Miriam stopped singing, Moses led the people into the wilderness, the place of testing and growth. The Israelites probably expected the journey to be fairly uneventful. Its only around 200 miles from Egypt to the promised land, but Israel was not go directly from grace to glory. They would only get to the promised land through the wilderness.  So it is with us.  As Philip Ryken says, “The church is now living in the wilderness between the first and second comings of Christ. He came once to save us; he will come again to lead us home." In the meantime we are on a long and difficult pilgrimage, which God is using us to make us holy.  As the Scripture says, “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). 

    When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah.  The hardship is magnified in verse 23 because, though water was found, it was undrinkable.  Having no water is hard, but having undrinkable water may be harder still.  For this reason, they called the place Marah for its bitter waters.

    What’s interesting to me about this trial is how it so quickly follows the great victory of God at the Red Sea.  At this, the first test, the people grumbled and complained against Moses.  Moses cried out to God.  Moses did not defend himself or get into a shouting match with the Israelites.  He called on God.  Moses knew only God could deliver the people and he knew that no amount of grumbling would change anything.  God showed him a tree, which he threw into the water, and the water became sweet - drinkable.

    We see the patience of God here.  He had just delivered Israel from Egypt by His mighty hand, but when they turned to complaining, God did not forsake them or punish them.  He id not speak against them, but He just provided for them.  He gave them fresh water to drink.  Calvin said, “Herein shone forth the inestimable mercy of God, who deigned to change the nature of water for the purpose of supplying such wicked and rebellious and ungrateful men.”  God’s grace is so amazing that he even provides for whiners.  God is so gracious even though we are so ungrateful.  God blesses His people.  In the first plague, God cursed Egypt by making their water undrinkable, turning the Nile to blood.  In this passage God did the reverse for Israel, making the undrinkable water drinkable.  God blessed His people and judged His enemies.

    It is amazing to see that it was a tree that turned the bitter to the sweet.  We think about other trees in the Scriptures - the tree of life in the Garden of Eden, the tree of life in the New Jerusalem, whose leaves are for the healing of the nations, and, of course, the tree on which Jesus was cursed, the cross, where through His death we are set free from the bitter penalty of our sin.  So we have here in the healing tree a little foreshadow of what is to come.

    Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the water.  Elim was a place of abundance. The numbers 12 and 70 are numbers of fullness and blessing.  There were twelve tribes in Israel and 70 elders of the people.  So life in the wilderness is not all hardship.  God gives us wonderful blessings in the midst of this life as we wait for the greater blessing of eternity with Him.

    As I think about God leading Israel from despair to hope to abundance, I think about the words of Jesus in the Gospel of John.  John 7:37-38 tells us that On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'”  This same Jesus said, “I have come that they might have life, and have it abundantly.”

In His Abundant Grace,

 Brown

http://youtu.be/qg_PT2oTtlM