Brown's Daily Word 1-18-13

Praise the Lord for this Friday. Sunday is coming. Plan to be in the House of the Lord wherever you might be this coming Lord's day for worship, for witness, and for celebration. When the Redeemed gather to worship and praise Jesus, Satan trembles. When those believe in Christ and belong to Him, proclaim in word and deed that Jesus is Lord, Satan trembles.

We are excited for this weekend. Janice, Jeremy, Micah, Simeon and Ada are coming home from Boston tomorrow morning, Lord willing. Sunita and Andy are coming home Washington, Jessica and Tom are coming in from Philadelphia. Laureen is coming home from Binghamton. We praise the Lord for our children. We praise the Lord for our grandchildren. They are the perfect grandchildren for us, or, at least, we find them to be perfectly grand. We are so blessed to have them in our lives. We are planning to party all weekend, including Sunday.

The Gospel reading for this Sunday is taken from John 2.1-12. I love this passage. In these verses our Lord performed His first miracle in John's Gospel in a wedding setting. Jesus must love parties. At least, Jesus was at a party! The most joyous time in the life of a first-century Jew was a wedding feast, because that was all they had. A wedding feast was not just something that lasted for an hour on the night of the wedding, or the night before the wedding. The wedding feast, like the one described in John 2:1-12, often lasted for a whole week. It was the happiest and most wondrous party that was given in the first century in Judaism. I am certain that I know some Christians who would come to Jesus, while He was at this wedding feast, and say, "Jesus, you shouldn't be here. The whole world is lost and dying and here you are at a party. Jesus, people need to be healed. The dead need to be raised. There are broken hearts out there. And you are at a party! You ought to be about Your Father's business." I think His reply would be. "This is my Father's business."

If you think that nobody would say that kind of thing to Jesus, check out Matthew 11:18-19: "(Jesus said) John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' The son of man (I) came eating and drinking and they say, 'Behold, a glutton and a drunkard...'"

Jesus was in a place where people laughed. You will still find Him at places like that. Jesus was present at a wedding celebration. He was probably dancing. He is the Lord of the dance. He taught by example how to live, how to dance, how to die well, and how to rise again.

While Jesus was at the party He helped out some friends so that their party wouldn 't be a flop. How about that? We always picture Jesus helping the broken hearted, the lonely, and the fearful. And he does. We see Him healing the sick and raising the dead. He does that, too, but how often do you picture Him making a good party better? How can we gauge the spiritual depth of a church? By how easily they laugh. When Jesus gives joy, it is real joy.

One of the most godly men I ever knew had the most infectious laugh I have ever heard, and nobody would think of having a party without having him there. Jesus' mother said to a slave, "Jesus says fill up those jars with water." and that slave says to another slave, "Why do we want to fill up the jars with water? We already have water." But Mary said, "Do it because He says do it." So they filled the jars with water. Then she said, "Take a cup of water to the steward?. . . He's not thirsty. He didn't ask for a cup of water. What are we going to do that for?" Mary said, "Do it." So the slave took a cup of water over to the steward and saw a surprised look cover the steward's face as his taste buds started working. "Wow! "That's good wine! That's the best wine! You're supposed to serve the best wine first, not last."

This is what the servants were doing. Jesus was standing over in a corner laughing. That's the methodology of Jesus. I can just see Jesus and the disciples as they left the marriage feast at Cana: "Did you see the expression on that steward's face when he tasted and the water was wine?" Do you see it? Jesus could have very simply changed water into wine, but His methodology was one of humor. "This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory, and his disciples believed in him..."

What happened in the midst of the laughter, and the fun, and the jokes and the party? People were converted! In the midst of the laughter the name of Jesus Christ was glorified. We don't think about that always, do we? We think He gets glorified in a prayer meeting, or a worship service, but did you ever think that the name of Christ is glorified when we laugh? Did you ever think that people are changed and converted when our joy catches fire in their lives? Empty pious-ness will kill a church faster than apostasy.

Rubens, the seventeenth century artist, once said that with a single stroke of his brush he could change a weeping child into a laughing child. Jesus does that, too, with the brush stroke of forgiveness. The brush stroke of freedom. The brush stroke of love. The brush stroke of power. The brush stroke of eternal life. The brush stroke of acceptance. In one brush stroke He changes the frown and tears into laughter. Even at the funeral service of Lazarus, as it is recorded in John 11, Jesus our Lord turned "Mourning into Dancing".

Wow! Come to Jesus and live.

In Christ,

Brown

http://youtu.be/3MJ4VqfCRZI

Union Center UMC
Saturday Night - Worship, Fellowship and Witness
Saturday, January 26,.2013
5.30 PM at First United Methodist Church
53 McKinley Avenue, Endicott, NY, 13760
Music: Dave and Jane Hettinger
Preaching and Testimony: Pastor Marshall Sorber
Chef: Joe Walker
Menu: Roast Beef, Roasted Potatoes and homemade Desserts
Sponsored by:
Union Center United Methodist Church
128 Maple Drive, Endicott, NY 13760
For information call (607)-748-6329

Brown's Daily Word 1-17-13

Thanks be to Jesus for this new day, for us to live, to love, and to glorify His Name. Praise the Lord for all His promises for the journeys that we take. He is the Bread for the journey. He is our Eternal Home. He is with us and for us and He goes before us every way, all the way, leading us to the Eternal City. Praise the Lord for the way He gives us blessings and challenges. There are times He allows trials , tragedies, tribulations, and tears to come our way. Praise the Lord for the way He grants us victories and triumphs along the way.

The Lord blessed us with a wonderful Wednesday Evening gathering. The dinner was prepared with much love, served with much joy, and received with much gratitude. The study was provoking and challenging. We are doing the study "40 Days of Love" by Rick Warren. One of the references on love in action was the parable of the Good Samaritan as it is recorded in Luke 10.

We live in world full of beauty and splendor. We live in world where we see the sign posts along the way, pointing out our Lord's grandeur and majesty. We also recognize that we also live in a suffering world. There are people everywhere who are wounded and hurting. Many are abandoned and desolate. Jesus used a master stroke when he selected a Samaritan as the hero of His story.

The Samaritan was walking the road from Jerusalem to Jericho, a location notorious for violence, and known as "the way of blood". It is, in many ways, so like the world we live in, and we cannot isolate ourselves from contact with its casualties. Even though the priest and the Levite ignored their responsibilities, the Samaritan did not ignore his. Jesus made the point that his "legs of mercy" took him to "where the wounded man was" (33). The Good Samaritan immediately saw the need. He didn’t need any prodding, visions, or voices. As Jesus put it, "when he saw the wounded man" (33), he recognized the need. Our task is to look to God for guidance, to see genuine need, and to have spiritual discernment, so that when we find ourselves alongside someone in need we can minister Christ to that person. Jesus said that the Samaritan "took pity on him" (33). The Authorized Version uses the word "compassion", which is even more descriptive. There was such a compelling power in the Samaritan’s heart that he couldn’t stand still and do nothing. He had to do something.

A heart full of compassion is always moved to action. It might result in moving into situations which, humanly speaking, could be avoided. The love of Christ, however, breaks down barriers. The Good Samaritan broke through the racial barrier, putting the priest and the Levite to shame. A heart of love always results in some positive action.

Jesus detailed in a series of six verbs just how active this man’s compassion was, as the Samaritan went to the wounded man, bandaged his wounds, poured oil and wine on his wounds, put him on his own donkey, brought him to an inn, and took care of him there. In every one of his acts he demonstrated compassion as he responded in a practical, timely, and unselfish way. When he put him on his own donkey it meant that he, the Samaritan, walked. It is important to recognize that he took the time to take care of him. We may not be able to help out everywhere, or help everyone, but we can help somewhere and try to do a meaningful work of service.
Caring is costly. It took time to stop by the beaten-up man to give him first aid. The priest and Levite were both busy men, but they were too busy if they couldn’t spare the time to help a fellow traveler in need. Orderly lives are good and proper, but sometimes they have to give way to a priority call if the Spirit of God urges in this way.
Caring can cost money. The Samaritan gave freely of his own resources: "he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him" (34), promising the innkeeper that he would pay the bill. Caring requires commitment, as the ancient prayer says, "to give and not to count the cost; to fight and not to heed the wound; to toil and not to seek for rest; to labor and not to ask for any reward save that of knowing we do your will". We can be sure that our Lord won’t ask of us more than we can give, for he knows all our circumstances.
After seeing this portrait of the Good Samaritan, I wonder if any of us can think of a person who fully fits the picture. The only one who matches it completely must be the Lord Jesus Christ himself. It’s rather striking that the previous chapter in the Gospel records that "Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem" (9:51). It was a journey which ended on the Cross. Here is the ultimate model of love. He cared when caring was expensive. Our guilt was enormous, but on the Cross he took on himself all our liabilities and, on the Cross, paid for us in full.
We cannot hope to keep the great commandments, "To love God ... and our neighbor", but having trusted in Jesus as our Savior and Lord, our calling as Christians is to hear the words of Jesus to the lawyer who heard the Parable of the Good Samaritan, "Go and do likewise" (37). In 1 John 3:16-18, in surely one of the most convicting passages in the Bible we read, “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. (17) But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? (18) My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.”
James in his practical principles for living the Christian life says in (James 1:15-17), “If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, (16) and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? (17) Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” Compassion demonstrates whether we have a relationship with Jesus Christ,"
It’s not always popular, convenient, or cheap to follow the example of the Good Samaritan, but it is the right way. His is the way of joy. "Go and do likewise."

In Christ,

Brown

Brown's Daily Word 1-16-13

Praise the Lord or this new day. We have had some fresh and friendly snow this morning. Our youngest grand daughter Ada turns two years today. Our grandson Simeon called the other day. He always smiles and laughs as he talks. He and his family are coming home this weekend. Because of some unavoidable circumstances we could not get together for Christmas or Thanksgiving with Janice and her family Boston. Simeon asked about his Christmas gifts. I told him they are intact and all wrapped for him to open when gets here. He asked whether the Christmas tree is still up. I said yes. There are a few trees are still waiting for Simeon and his sisters. He further reminded me that when he comes to grandpa's house "there no shoes , no rules, no nothing" and "I will eat ice creme million times a day ... ninety nine thousand million times a day".

Praise the Lord for the way He orchestrated Christmas. He put people of diverse back grounds and ages in the wonderful drama of Christmas. One of the fantastic and fascinating personal ties of the Christmas drama is Simeon, whom we read about in Luke 2:25-28. "Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel.”
We don’t know where Simeon was born. We don’t know who Simeon’s relatives were. We don’t know what Simeon did for a living. We don’t know what Simeon’s house looked like. We don’t know if Simeon was rich or poor. We don’t know what other people thought of Simeon, though it really does not matter what other people think of us; what matters is what God thinks of us. We are told that Simeon was “righteous and devout,” and that he was “waiting for the consolation of Israel” (2:25). More than that, we are told that “the Holy Spirit was upon him” (2:25) and that “it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.” Pastor and author James Montgomery Boice says “that means that [Simeon] was somewhat of a sentinel, for he had been placed in Israel to point out the Christ when he came.”
One day as Simeon walked into the temple he saw a poor couple. He told them that God had revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. I imagine that Mary and Joseph were a little taken aback, but then they would have recalled the unexpected visit of the shepherds several weeks earlier on the day of Jesus’ birth. The shepherds said that an angel had told them about the birth of Jesus, and that they had come to see the baby for themselves. Because of this, Simeon’s explanation for meeting with them was not so unexpected. Simeon then asked if he could hold the baby. He took Jesus up in his arms and blessed God, and then he began to speak the words of his inspired song (in Luke 2:29-32). Simeon’s Song is short. Jesus Is God’s Salvation (2:30-31)
Luke said in Luke 2:30–31: “For my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples.” Simeon recognized that he was looking at the salvation that God had prepared in the presence of all peoples.
Jesus was able to save because he is God. So, when Simeon held Jesus in his arms and said, “For my eyes have seen your salvation,” he was saying, “Here is the one, the only one, who is able to save in a way that no one else could or can.” Jesus is God. He is sinless. Jesus Is a Light for Revelation to the Gentiles (2:32a)
The Lord revealed all of this to Simeon., that Jesus is a light for revelation to the Gentiles.
The Lord revealed to Simeon that Jesus is God’s salvation, Jesus is a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and Jesus Is Glory to God’s People. The word glory relates to the Old Testament “Shekinah glory.” That is the visible presence of God himself. Simeon knew that God himself had come to the people of Israel in the visible person of Jesus. Jesus had come to bring joy and peace to a people who were dwelling in a land of darkness.
Leigh C. Bishop, a psychiatrist and military reservist, was stationed at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan on Christmas Eve 2008. In the dim light of dusk, he watched as a procession of military vehicles approached the airfield, came to a stop, and carefully unloaded a flag-draped steel casket. He knew that somewhere in the U.S., a family was going to suffer a Christmas homecoming that no one wanted. It was a heartbreaking scene for Bishop to take in—and one all-too-familiar in war.
After watching the casket be unloaded from the military vehicle], I find myself walking along . . . the main avenue of Bagram Airfield. All is different. . . . Soldiers holding candles are belting out Christmas carols with gusto. Down the street, luminaries brighten the walkway into the clamshell-shaped auditorium, where cheerful groups of uniformed men and women enter for a Christmas concert. Two blocks away, the chapel is filling for the six o’clock Christmas Eve service.
According to C.S. Lewis in the essay “Learning in War-Time,” war reveals a hunger in human beings for joy and meaning that will not be set aside for even the most difficult of circumstances.
Jesus did not come just to provide an occasion to sing carols, feast, and exchange gifts. Yet we are right to do these things, even as soldiers die and families grieve, because He came. In His coming, He brought joy and peace—the joy that overcomes our sorrows, and the only kind of peace that ultimately matters. It’s the peace of which the end of all wars, terrible as they are, is merely one token. It’s the peace that means the long war between the heart and its Maker is over. It’s a peace treaty offered in Bethlehem and signed, in blood, on Calvary.
Bishop concludes: “So joy to the world, and to every celebrating or grieving or hurting soul in it. The Lord has come. Let heaven and nature—and even those who stand watch with lighted candles in the land of the shadow of death—sing.”
Jesus is God’s salvation. Jesus is a light for revelation to the Gentiles. Jesus is glory to God’s people. Joy to the World!
In Christ,

Brown
http://youtu.be/sR8rlTIU8_Y

Brown's Daily Word 1-15-13

Praise the Lord for this new day the Lord has given us as His gift, that we might live, love, and serve. This is the day He has made. We will rejoice and celebrate and glorify His Name. When life becomes burdensome and overwhelming may we be reminded of the promise and the claim of Jesus, "My yoke is easy and my burden is light." In the Gospel according to Mark ,Jesus our Lord is the Master who is on the move. He came to Galilee proclaiming, "The Time is fulfilled. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the Gospel". The Kingdom of God had come in the person of Jesus Christ. He is in control. In Mark 1 Jesus went to the synagogue where he cast out demons from a man. He touched a leper and makes him whole. He announced forgiveness of sins to the man who was paralyzed. The man was made whole. Jesus' authority equips us to live in this world with boldness and zeal. Filled with compassion, Jesus touched the untouchable and cured the incurable. The Lord has also drafted us to be in His mission to offer and proclaim His forgiveness and His grace

Tim Brown, a pastor in Clovis, California, talks about his life experience in Jesus and because of Jesus. He was having lunch in McDonald’s with his daughter and mother-in-law, enjoying a pleasant conversation, when a man, along with his wife and children, plopped down at a nearby table. The man had, in the past, hurt Pastor Tim, wounding him badly. They faked pleasantries and exchanged hellos, but Tim could feel his blood begin to boil at the thought of what that man had done to him. He was surprised that he still felt so much hurt. Pastor Tim and his family gobbled down their food and, on the way out of the restaurant, Tim overheard his “enemy” and his wife arguing because neither had any money to purchase the food they had ordered. Their three kids were screaming for their Happy Meals. The couple was embarrassed. Pastor Tim’s first thought was, “Praise God, there is justice in this world. He deserves every bit of embarrassment he's feeling, and I'm so glad I got to see this.”

Then God spoke to Tim about the text he had read that morning. “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord. On the contrary: If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink” (Romans 12:17-20).

Tim knew he had a choice to make. He could either obey God or bask in his bitterness. Somewhat reluctantly, Tim chose to obey. He reached into his wallet, pulled out $20, and gave it to this man who had been his enemy. “Have lunch on me,” Tim said with tears in his eyes, as God healed him from years of pain. (Tim Brown, Clovis, California; www.PreachingToday.com)

There are people who deserve what they have coming to them. They are suffering because of their own poor choices. Even so, Jesus wants to reach out to them through us. He wants to forgive their sin and heal their pain.

Jesus the Risen One offers us release from our sin and its pain. "Come to Jesus and live".
In Christ,

Brownhttp://youtu.be/pOzYcXaZY8k

Brown's Daily Word 1-14-13

Praise the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. It has been a very mild weekend here in New York. The crocuses by the parsonage are popping up (more than a tad early). The Lord is going to grant us two Spring seasons this year . The one in January and the the other one in March. Our Lord is majestic and merciful and always gracious. He blessed us with His very presence during Worship, Sunday School, and Fellowship gatherings yesterday. I preached from the Ephesians Chapter 1. We are blessed beyond belief . The Lord pours upon us His grace and peace continuously. We are saved by faith, by placing our trust in what Jesus did for us on the cross. The only forgiveness available to us is the forgiveness received because of what Christ did. Because only Christ’s death deals with the problem of the human heart.

The movie "Les Misérables" has been described as one of the most redeeming movies of lat year. The central theme of the Book deals with the story of a criminal named Jean Valjean, a tough, bitter man who has spent nineteen years in prison. When he is finally released, he finds it impossible to find work or shelter because no-one wants anything to do with him. Finally he is taken in by a kindly bishop, who gives him food and a place to stay. However, in the middle of the night, Valjean creeps downstairs and steals the bishop’s silver. He is quickly caught by three constables and brought back to the bishop’s house.

Things look desperate for Valjean. The bishop has the opportunity to incriminate him for his act of betrayal and have him imprisoned for the rest of his life. Instead, the bishop says to Valjean, “So here you are! I’m delighted to see you. Had you forgotten that I gave you the candlesticks as well? They’re silver like the rest, and worth a good 200 francs. Did you forget to take them?” In this way, at considerable cost to himself, the bishop asks the constables let Valjean go.

After the authorities leave, the bishop insists that Valjean keep the silver and the candlesticks. Basically, the bishop absorbs the cost of the silver, and tells Valjean, “Do not forget, do not ever forget that you have promised me to use the money to make yourself an honest man.” The stunned Valjean is thus released and given the silver candlesticks as well. Valjean stutters, “Why? Why are you doing this?”
The bishop replies, “Jean Valjean, my brother, you no longer belong to evil. With this silver I have bought your soul and now I am giving you back to God.”

The bishop could have treated Valjean in one of three ways.
First, he could have treated Valjean with justice, giving him exactly what his deeds deserved. He could have said, “Give me back my silver,” got the constables to arrest him, and have him packed off back to prison. That would be justice, simply giving him what he deserves—no more, no less. Second, he could have treated Valjean with leniency. He could have said, “I want my silver back, but I won’t press charges.” The last option open to the bishop is the option he actually takes as he treats Valjean with grace. By his actions he says, “I know what you’ve done, how you’ve abused my generosity. But look, keep the silver and take these candlesticks as well. You can go free. The only thing I ask is that you use the money to change your life for the better.” He gives the criminal standing before him a very expensive gift—one that is totally undeserved. That is grace!

We will never understand Christianity until we see ourselves in exactly the same position as Valjean. All of us stand before God as Valjean stood before the bishop: utterly guilty, deserving judgment for the way we’ve abused his love for us, and with no way of putting the situation right. Rather than treating us as we deserve, God, in his amazing grace and generosity, offers us forgiveness that is only made possible by Jesus’ death on the cross. This forgiveness is “the gift of God.” There’s nothing any of us can do to earn it. We turn to the Lord in utter dependence and weakness, realizing that nothing we do will be enough to cure the problem of the human heart.

Not surprisingly, some people find this very hard to do. It is difficult not only to admit how weak and dependent they are, but also to accept that anything so costly could be given to them for free. It is hard to accept this gift from the Lord when all our lives we’ve been taught that we have to earn our supper, earn our praise, earn our salary. The truth is that the Christian life is not about duty or "just desserts". It is about receiving a gift I don’t deserve, and then living a life of thanks for that gift. In fact “charis,” the Greek word for grace, also means “rejoice.”

Victor Hugo wrote, “Life’s greatest happiness is to be convinced we are loved.” In his great work, Les Misérables we see that the undeserved forgiveness and generosity that Valjean receives from the bishop changes his life. It unlocks his heart and unleashes his potential. He is ransomed from fear and hatred and becomes a human being of remarkable generosity and mercy, touching numerous lives. It all stems from the new identity he found when the bishop treated him with grace.

In the same way, God’s grace allows us to find our identity, our ultimate worth and our ultimate purpose and mission.

In Christ,

Brown

http://youtu.be/g9wIP9Ahykc