"Renewed Commitment;" Sermon for October 4th, 2015 by Reverend Nicole A.M. Collins

Relationships as we have come to know can and will become quite complex.  They are in a sense, our Pandora’s boxes of sharing reality beyond ourselves.  Beyond ourselves is and will always be a significant aspect of what Christ has called us to be.  Unfortunately once the individual gets added into the mix we battle between the self and the other, always.

 

If we can’t strive for the other, how can relationships even work?  How can “family” work for that matter? We were created by God’s marvelous hands not just as male and female but for a greater purpose, greater unity—harmony in the world that would shine the light of the Kingdom of God; once we have realized our commitment to respond to Grace active in our lives.

 

Relationships take work but in turn produce fruit that is the beautiful aspect of truly realizing that we are children of Grace and promise dedicated to the Kingdom of God.  Our relationship to God is both a personal relationship as well as is to be familial.  All in the family accounted for and accountable to one another.  When families are torn apart, what is the true root cause? There is some form of divide, a disconnection made against the other and most likely made for or on behalf of the self.

 

Living for the self alone is a lonely existence but our current culture caters to it over and above family, over and above unity.  Unity does not accommodate for the self and its agendas, needs, etc. How can we truly know joy, harmony, peace and love if we cannot hold any commitment, truly to any one beyond ourselves?

 

In regards to marriage, remembering mine still only six years fresh; I made a commitment to love, care and honor my wonderful husband Phil. Our wedding even included Holy Communion, which in retrospect speaks even clearer to what sharing, sacrifice and commitment mean—living in, with and through GRACE.

 

Both my husband and I are devout Christians. I do believe that we follow the motto—the family that prays together stays together. We open our mornings in prayer as a couple with our two furry children sitting on top of us in bed.  Every meal we have shared together not only begins in prayer but we are thankful to one another for being, for each other.

 

The unity and harmony we feel as a couple joined under the Words of God, Words of Grace is that we are a team. Being a team is very important because we are human creatures who are individuals as well as are now together. “We’re all in it together,” is a lovely sentiment that actually comes from the dark comedy of the early ‘80’s—Brazil.

 

In the movie, “We’re all in it together,” was a poster billboard smattered across the miles and miles of fencing masking the barren wasteland created by the evils of socialized/ controlled capitalism.  The film was in many ways a Monty Python masterpiece prophetically speaking against the evils of consumerism, political oppression and “desire.”

 

The main character or hero of the film tried to forsake his job and pursue a mate he met while working for the ministry of information retrieval…  Basically the entire film shows him scheming and maneuvering against the government to pursue this woman he fell in love with online.  It was a journey of the self to a certain extent as well as a cynical comment on how relationships become complex in the first place.

 

The end of the film is steeped in ironic tragedy for the woman in pursuit is killed as well as he is left essentially in a vegetative state. Commitment and relationship were both failures here.  He was not a team player but someone working against the horrors of an oppressive political system, where care, concern and love for the neighbor did not truly exist, yet alone God.  He pursued an empty desire that would be “deleted.”

 

I hope you can hear the strong metaphors here in regards to marriage and family beyond ourselves.  Our marriage and purpose as the church of Christ in this world but not to be of it, was created for creating Grace and living faithfully renewed into promise. This is a greater commitment to love God and neighbor while working together in unity, harmony.

 

The world that the character Sam lived in, in the movie Brazil was beyond representing the fallen state of humanity...  It was in many ways as if no one there knew of redemption, knew of hope… but only knew of an illusion of these.  This is the most difficult thing our hearts have to struggle with as disciples of Jesus moving forward into being and purpose with a renewed commitment—a New-Natured commitment that as the scriptures say: “….. ⁹Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

 

Jesus was of course talking towards the institution of marriage and the problems of divorce as how it was understood back then…  But the profound TRUTH behind those Words speak towards the intentions of our hearts in living together, moving forward together as a part of the greater family of God!

 

The very last few verses Jesus imparts to the Pharisees and the crowds that have gathered reveal the profound truth of our role in creation as children of Grace and promise, Jesus says: “… Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. ¹⁵Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” ¹⁶And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.”

 

Our Old-Natured ways of living, realizing relationship cannot be in bondage to the Law but must be obedient to the Gospel which is centered through Christ in dedication to a greater purpose beyond ourselves.  We need one another to humbly realize the Gospel imperative which builds those wonderful relationships.  Which builds up the notion of family.  Which builds up and reveals the beauty of living Grace—compassion, kindness, love, mercy, concern, etc.

 

When we gather together here in this place as the Body; that notion of family is to be and become so much more!  Ministry together IS living into being the true “bride” of Christ for we are committed to one another & to Christ Jesus who gave us more than we could ever realize!

 

I’m sure there will be many a sermon today that will avoid speaking to the truth of what these texts are truly about. This is the difference between preaching the Word as a chaplain to culture or a Pastor for Christ…  This is how easily we shy away, and in essence “divorce” ourselves from the Gospel imperatives’ TRUTH of being and purpose for our lives.  We must remember our sovereign Lord is not only our Father and Redeemer but Creator—the high priestly leader of the Kingdom of God.

 

Being married to another person is a wonderful experience, speaking from experience!  Being married to the cause of Christ and His Gospel of Grace—New Natured purpose for the world; Is the greatest goal!  The moment our hearts are led and shaped obediently to the Gospel of Grace and Goodness is when we will know deeply what Joy, harmony, unity, peace and Love truly mean in divine reflection.

 

Let us Pray:

Gracious and Loving Father

May we know true commitment

May we come to realize true unity

As children of Grace, children of Promise

Help us to know our place and role

In this world for Your Gospel imperative

May we never not be grateful

For all Good gifts You have given us

For all the bondage that You have freed us from…

May we strive together to rebuild and renew under You

AMEN

 

October 4th, 2015; 19th Sunday after Pentecost; Proper 22; Year B; SOLA Lectionary

Sermon By: Reverend Nicole A.M. Collins

Psalm 128; Genesis 2:18-25; Hebrews 2:1-18; Mark 10:2-16

 

 

The link below was created on Thursday October 1st for the faithful viewers since

We will not be available this Sunday

 https://youtu.be/-w4t6i3dAdg

"A New-Natured Wisdom;" Sermon for Sunday September 27th, 2015 by Reverend Nicole A.M. Collins

At the beginning of my discipleship journey after my conversion experience I had a friend talk me into making a Cursillo weekend.  Cursillos are a wonderful taste of contemplating Christian leadership for any disciple. One of the lovely fellowship prayers said at fellowship group gatherings, borrows a verse from today’s Psalm being: “³⁰When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground.” 

The actual Cursillo prayer is the opening prayer to discussing with your fellow cursillista how your week in piety, study and action has been going.  The prayer goes like this: “Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful and kindle in us the fire of Your love. Send forth Your Spirit and we shall be created, and You shall renew the face of the earth. O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in Your consolations; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen”

What I have come to really love about this prayer is that it intentionally makes you conscientious about that spiritual formation process being remembering and living into your baptism as a daily process of Reflection, Confession, Repentance and Renewal.  This should be a patented statement since it’s not of my theological creation but from my mentoring pastor, Pastor Dawson.  What does this mean and how is this truly present in today’s lessons?

This daily process of Reflection, Confession, Repentance and Renewal is how we develop spiritually from one-on-one faith based discipleship.  We need to reflect on the things we’ve done and left undone.  Sound familiar?  This is an aspect of why we corporately confess together in worship as well as privately confess in prayer. Confession is affirming our conviction not only as what we have come to believe in, but acknowledge, own up to being faithfully accountable to God and neighbor that we are aspiring saints who definitely as well, sin.  Repentance is overcoming those stumbling blocks the world and the Evil One place in our path and the concept of renewal is acceptance of the New Nature—growing into, living it.

Accepting the New Nature is not an easy road at all for any of us.  We can’t be self-righteous or arrogant about our spiritual formation as well as we shouldn’t avoid the things that we MUST accept and CHANGE in order to live truthfully and faithfully to build and reveal the Kingdom of God!  Especially as a pastoral leader, I have been ordained not into “an office” but a vocation of gathering people to Christ in order that they are empowered, enlightened and encouraged to share and LIVE the Good News out into the world by developing and taping into that New Natured wisdom growing from Grace inside that 1^st church—the Heart!

This past weekend, my husband and I travelled some 1,400 miles in total wandering across God’s beautiful landscape in Missouri, Arkansas and Illinois.  It is amazing how vast and changing the roads would meander.  There were hundreds of hills and valleys we drove upon.  There were roads literally carved out of mountain-sides that we drove through!  In many ways if you think about it enough, travelling through these various landscapes, changes of scenery apply to how our lives daily change whether we realize it or not, whether we want it or not.

My husband Phil has lead a fascinating life travel-wise in comparison to mine.  He’s lived seven states and has visited 46 states.  My travelling portfolio is not too impressive.  I’ve lived 47 years in Illinois and travelled to less than five different states so far though Phil has been helping to expand upon this greatly!  In a few months, both he and I will be taking a monumental leap forward into the great unknown; we’ll be moving to the state of Oregon where I will be embarking upon my first solo pastorate! As the saying goes, we all have to leave the nest at some point in time in our lives!

Change is scary though, we naturally fear it, and sometimes naturally try to avoid it completely!  Is this not really a point of endurance, suffering our humanity?  Just listen to the people complaining and even getting Moses to join in complaining about their sojourning, about worrying about food, sleeping, taking care of themselves.  Complaining may feel good for the moment but it’s just masking our fears.  It is the stumbling block here for not only the Israelites in the Numbers’ text but now for us as disciples of Jesus moving forward in our lives to grow in being centered in, with and through Christ.

How we transform through change is by letting that New Natured wisdom take control over the very things we fear to let go of.  But in order to truly live into the kind of “rightness” the Good Lord wants us to live for, we must excise the things that cause us to fall back into our Old Natured ways and worldly wisdom.

If we choose to dwell in false comforts and our Old Natured ways as we hear in James; we are creating our own hell.  It’s like living with your entire house for the most part, partially packed for over a year in hopes to move! The story there was an opportunity last year that fell through.  At first I lamented but wanted to keep packing in hopefulness as well as stay packed… This has been my trivial but actual hell in persevering in HOPES for something greater and brighter to happen around the corner of my discipleship journey.  What created my hell was the obstacle of impatience and pessimism.  Now my faith has greatly been restored as well as patience and determination as Phil & I prepare to be Oregon-bound fairly soon!

Life is a lot like those mountains and valleys, where your heart feels the rise and fall of each and every moment… But God gave us the capacity to seek and find and to be fire and salt for the Gospel imperative to be sown and reaped in the hearts of our neighbors! The reality of the Kingdom of God is living into Grace through repentance, hope, love, compassion, and accountability—this is New Nature wisdom.

Living into the challenge of discipleship recently reminded me of an old favorite philosophy film called “Being There.”  If you recall it was the last film that the actor/ comedian Peter Sellers made before his death.  It is the ultimate ironic, existential comedy about a gardener who lived a very simple life.  In fact, when his simple world was shattered by the death of his inn keeper…  He could only handle reality by treating everything he saw and experienced as if it was lived through a TV screen.  He made a statement alright, if we’re not ready to handle the challenge of change, we create a whole different kind of reality…

I’ll leave you with a story about a woman I cared for recently who is not dealing with change all too well at all.  Her husband died over a year ago, she still has a large mansion a couple of towns north of where she is staying in an assisted living facility.  She has very little wrong with her physically except for some neuropathy issues in her legs due to diabetes and some early Alzheimer’s complications.  For the most part, she barely qualifies to stay at this facility except that she is claiming the need to be there for a little while and this facility is frankly greedy...

Her small apartment in this home has little to no furniture or belongings at all as well as in all honesty there seems little need for me to be there for the full 9-to-5 day she has called me to stay with her.  She sleeps till about 11am and awakens to have me assist her in getting ready for her daily activities.  I am truly there for company as well as I hear her pain hidden behind her lists and her outlines as she continues to talk about her life before she came there.

Since visiting her and caring for her, I have daily been praying for her to seek extensive grief counseling.  I can’t imagine what her evenings are like, alone there in a partially occupied room while her whole life is locked up and waiting for her return a couple of towns north of where she is staying… 

They say that houses especially when lived in spiritually are intrinsic to who we are and where we need to grow and GO to carry on…  They say if you dream of that house changing or being rebuilt in your mind; it is spiritual reconstruction most likely for the better! For this woman, she has literally created a worldly hell for herself in avoiding confronting the pain and suffering her husband’s death has spiritually and emotionally caused her.  I can only continue to pray that she faces her stumbling block and moves forward to find herself again but renewed for a new beginning and a new purpose.

Being renewed and living into a new beginning and a new purpose is wonderfully exciting and scary speaking for my husband & I but I am grateful to God for all Good gifts He has given me and challenged me to grow by.  Goodbyes aren’t forever, the past is painted into the heart’s memory…  It makes the Good soil for the Holy Spirit to build us up into that rightness God is seeking for us to realize.

Let us pray—

Gracious and Loving God,

There is so much Your mediation in our lives can truly teach us

Help us to continue to face our challenges and stumbling blocks

In order for us to be and become all things through Christ who does strengthen us daily! AMEN

September 27^th, 2015; 18^th Sunday after Pentecost; Proper 21; Year B; SOLA Lectionary

Sermon by Reverend Nicole A.M. Collins

Psalm 104:27-35; Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29; James 5:1-20 & Mark 9:38-50

The link below is from the Grace Hub Discipleship Ministries' house church service 8am:
https://youtu.be/ta0xJFUZirw

"Stumbling Belief;" Sermon for Sunday September 13th, 2015 by Rev. Nicole A.M. Collins

I don’t know about you but sometimes I wonder if the Christian journey is governed by a kind of “Murphy’s law of circumstances.”  Most of us are familiar with the concept of Murphy’s Law…  The complete 1908 aphorism is: “It is an experience common to all persons to find that, on any special occasion, such as the production of a magical effect for the first time in public, everything that can go wrong will go wrong. Whether we must attribute this to the malignity of matter or to the total depravity of inanimate things, whether the exciting cause is hurry, worry, or what not, the fact remains.”  Or the more modern phrase is simply: "Anything that can possibly go wrong, does."

Down that long and winding road through the valleys and precariously sojourning upon those mountain tops… we do on various occasions of our faith journey experience stumbling blocks.  Murphy’s quote “law,” I frankly take with a grain of salt or as a sarcastic note to survival as trying to be an active disciple in the world but not of it!  I don’t know about you… but I wonder sometimes if God isn’t behind Murphy’s law in order to help us grow, mature as His children of Grace and promise. 

If patience isn’t your virtue then of course the standard goes that anything and everything in your life will try to test you to see if you can persevere! If conflict isn’t your favorite activity to be embroiled in… then it will be upon you in spades! If forgiveness, mercy and other challenging fruits to develop and bear are seemingly going to strain your capacity to the max then you best prepare with a prayerful heart and a sense of mission. On a more serious note, it is sad when we do get to that point, where we do indeed, become desperate. Desperation is that final stage in many senses where we are very vulnerable to either fall into utter despair or fall into evil with its looming consequences of death and destruction around the proverbial corner of our lives.

Just this past century with the rise of Satan working through one of his servants, Adolf Hitler; a desperate people battered by the economic plight of their country took the profound distortion of a snippet from Romans 13 made in many of his speeches to stir their desperation to the point of justifying ethnic cleansing—murder.  This is definitely grave evidence of how fine a line it is to be harboring a true belief versus one built upon crumbling doubt, fear and pride. This is also a great indication of how our words can and do become poisonous manipulation for an ultimate goal of terrible evil.

We can either harbor, build upon a faith that could truly have the capacity to move mountains or we could fester and weave a web of our doubt, fears, anxieties and every stumbling block the Evil One tries to plant in our hearts to tear down and destroy any hope, humility and accountability we have within us to bear.

In today’s Gospel, Mark has Jesus once again sounding fed up or angry with trying to reach out to people about what is the nature and nurture of true faith.  Faith like Grace can also be nebulous, abstract and challenge us unnaturally to “perfect” our spiritual selves to realize not only the Grace of God active in our lives but the Grace we are accountable to share.

It takes the desperate confession of a father to save his son to declare his natural failing: “^22b…if you are able to do anything, have pity on us and help us.” ²³Jesus said to him, “If you are able! —All things can be done for the one who believes.”²⁴Immediately the father of the child cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

I wonder if many a pastor in various churches abroad have ever wished to hear this from one their parishioners: “I (Want to) believe; help my unbelief!” I wonder how many out there whether Christian or otherwise want to shout it out, be honest and declare to the world around them: “Help my unbelief!”  Jesus had to quite literally confront the evil force ensnared within a suffering young boy since we are too often spectators of our faith than committed to persevere.

Understanding and realizing the magnitude and power of the Grace of God in, with and through your life’s journey is expanding well past the comfort zone of what we feel we can and cannot handle.  Walking upon that fine line of being both saint and sinner is hard for us but not impossible.  Never say never is the beautiful rebuttal to Murphy’s Law in that faith can trample over hopelessness, despair and all fears.

That beautiful waterfall 9/11 memorial tribute eerily built atop the ruins of the twin towers of the World Trade center is both looking back to never forget but also move forward… for a tearful, prayerful hope to restore and renew a kinder and gentler world IS, CAN BE POSSIBLE!

The 9/11 terror attacks were horrific to fathom all those who perished… We may never truly recover from that experience.  It is even more horrifying to contemplate the diabolical evil taking foot on the other side of the world with ISIS persecuting, ethnically cleansing (murdering, torturing, etc.) away Christians, Muslims and all who are opposed to their reign of evil and destruction abroad in the “name” of Allah and his voice, the Koran.  The ultimate sins, the root systemic sins of greed and indifference are raising its ugly head as death, violence and misunderstanding.

In the local news it is always sad to hear of how we often act without any prayerful contemplation or consideration to God.  How often we choose to purely act in the moment to inflict injury, hate upon our neighbor.  The other day a Sikh American citizen near the southwest Suburb of Darien, Illinois was taunted by a teenager, bent and determined on road rage to force him to pull over and off the road…  The teenage boy got out of his car and ran up to the man’s window to attempt brutally punching him while spitting up all kinds of evil misunderstandings and ignorance upon him.  The news showed the man’s eyes wrenched in tears, great tears of sadness and pain wondering why this even happened in the 1^st place.  The man suffered a broken cheek bone and is slowly recovering in a lot of pain.

Other stories abroad in the media echo the same, with policemen on trial and the looming threat of more riots on the horizon… You have to wonder were these riots really all about racism in America or more or less a chance to express despair in a more violent and lasting activity? An angry people too distraught over an indifferent economy and ethically failed system of care and concern for one another. As once said at a Bible study a while back, if you really want to see, hear and experience evil at work in your neighbor… have a food shortage.  If we are at that point of fighting for our daily bread and not being fed… How charitable would we really be or remain?

All of these examples or illustrations I have shared here have one thing in common beyond the factor of sin—that would be trust.  Trusting in the Lord not only to deliver us in so many ways than one but trusting in God that transcending the power of sin, death and the Devil take harboring a wisdom that teaches our hearts belief: Grace.

I was ministering to an elderly woman the other day who was surprised that I wanted to care for her especially since she heard I was an ordained pastor.  I was washing her feet and drying off her polio-ravaged legs when she looked upon me with tears wondering why I would be doing this for her. She realized at that moment it went beyond being a “job,” or being “paid” to care but that it was compassion—grace in action from a heart growing in obedience to God and living into being a child of Grace and promise—the fruit of creation—God’s intentions for us all—LOVE with prayerful Words and gracious actions!

Jesus’ disciples really didn’t realize it at the time but their faith was still challenged.  It was not only still truly developing as is the case for all of us as well, but that they limited their faith in not believing enough that they can develop the capacity to do all things through Christ who can and does strengthen us daily!  I love that new K-Love top 40 hit song by Hillsong United—Touch the Sky. There are some beautiful poetic words of someone realizing their belief…

Listen and contemplate this voice of faith:

“What fortune lies beyond the stars”—(Life is what we make it, having faith gives us so much more)

“Those dazzling heights too vast to climb, I got so high to fall so far”

“But I found heaven as love swept low”—(The valleys are those teachable moments as well as often those Murphy’s Law moments…)

“My heart beating, my soul breathing—I found my life when I laid it down” (This is death to the Old Nature and growing to rise into the New)

“Upward falling, spirit soaring”

“I touch the sky when my knees hit the ground” (This is truly harboring a faith that can and does MOVE more than mountains…)

“What treasure waits within Your scars”—This gift of freedom gold can't buy

“I bought the world and sold my heart—You traded heaven to have me again” (Yes Christ Jesus defeated sin, death and the Devil to save us in more ways than one!)

“Find me here at Your feet again”

“Everything I am, reaching out, I surrender” (Give your heart—trust, hope and all good gifts to love God and neighbor)

“Come sweep me up in Your love again”

‘And my soul will dance—On the wings of forever” (Here is the reality of Grace and promise lived by Faith)

Amen

Sunday September 13^th, 2015; 16^th Sunday After Pentecost; Year B; Proper 19; SOLA Lectionary

Sermon by Reverend Nicole A.M. Collins

Psalm 116:1-9; Isaiah 50:4-10; James 3:1-12 & Mark 9:14-29

Below is a link to the sermon delivered at the Grace Hub Discipleship Ministries' house church service, 8AM
https://youtu.be/J9UujNeyH20

"A New Capacity;" Sermon for September 6th, 2015 by Reverend Nicole A.M. Collins

The news headlines lately have really been challenging to hear yet alone pray about.  From within our own backyard there have been some awful crimes committed recently.  A soon to be retiring cop gunned down in far northwest suburban Fox Lake, Illinois to a young woman brutalized in her own parent’s home in the southwest suburb of Willowbrook, Illinois. In both cases there has been the question to arise between the concept of good and evil as well as the notion of justice and righteousness.

Meanwhile on the other side of the world, nearly, there is a human crisis that has made a small presence known via the popularity vote on social media but hasn’t really been talked much about at all on the local news channels or radio stations ...  This human crisis is the systemic persecution of Christians and related groups of individuals by the agents of evil known as ISIS.  A little 3 year old boy’s body was seen washed up on the shores of Turkey… Other refugees fleeing Syria and surrounding areas are packing trains and fighting with one another to get a ride out.

Turkey is the modern name for the area that St. Paul and his fellow church planters traveled to in order to bring the good news of Christ to many.  Not too recently as well, an early Christian monastery was brought to dust by these same evil people—ISIS. Not too unlike the beginnings of WWII and the Holocaust to follow.  These actions started by an evil mad man using Romans 13 to begin his speeches of extermination, and ethnic cleansing—we are seeing the diabolical fruits of people causing a mass exodus into Europe. The little boy as well as his other family members who drowned trying to escape Syria is just as they say, the tip of the iceberg of the horrors and suffering this persecution is inflicting.

What on earth is ISIS being driven by? ISIS claims to be driven to commit these acts out of a strict, fundamentalist, “faithful” adherence to quote, “Islamic law…” It is more like human laws invented by extremism and driven, motivated by partiality and hate, period.  A hardened heart driven by works righteousness really is not faith, but can only cause destruction.  Their capacity for murder, dominance and destruction is only growing and gathering momentum the more we are indifferent to responding…

All of these headline news stories of recent history question our capacity by and through faith.  Faith is reliant on inner transformation, a heart turned to God, to exercise works naturally from a heart shaped by Grace.  Luther’s “favorite author” James, (Yes, pun intended) may have been seemingly speaking to satisfaction made and created by faith that may have been too much about building that works righteousness ladder back to God.  This is our problem though, we naturally have a tendency to rebuild the ladder since we can’t get away from having a sense of self or the ego. We are all too aware of ourselves as earthly creatures and all too easily bind ourselves and our actions to that Old Nature—the Old Adam and the Old Eve.

The disciple empowered and transformed by Christ Jesus in their heart would strive for selflessness, humility and faithfully living into their natural role created by God in the greater scheme of all creation. It is a personal theology of your relationship to God and in essence embracing the cross and resurrection of Christ as your saving motivation to build Faith.  All that we do from an intentional, inner transformation burgeoned by Grace is what God is seeking as a response to living into the lifestyle of Grace for the glory of the Kingdom of God.

The relatively young police officer known as “G.I. Joe” Gliniewicz was living a life connected to faithful service in small town America. Outwardly and inwardly speaking, he was embodying gracious behavior naturally, authentically.  Joe Gliniewicz’ natural behavior in essence, was New Nature behavior purely produced by faith, not works righteousness. He was called to serve his neighbor, protect them, enforce the law and be a kind and gentle person helping to grow and keep the notion of a kinder and gentler world.

The young woman who fought off her attacker appeared on the news the other day with visually notable stab wounds to her face and a severely bruised eye to be a bold witness against the evil done to her.  In some ways you can say that her witness went beyond being about what happened to her to be voice against evil, period.  She made an intentional effort to be a voice against evil in yet another small town American village for the sake of her neighbor.

It doesn’t matter where you are and where you come from is a part of the message here today.  This is not only so with the story of this woman and this policeman but in the Gospel of Mark’s portrayal of Jesus fully human, fully divine active in this world but living, teaching and healing beyond this world.  Jesus’ calling was to the cross and for His disciples it meant living into taking up that cross and truly, faithfully, graciously following Him.

Jesus may have been exhausted, by the time the Syro-Phoenician woman beckoned Him for His help to save her daughter or maybe He was hoping for those flocking to Him to see and contemplate the nature of faithful living and gracious response? Jesus opening the ears of the deaf man is symbolic to how we hear.  Do we hear as well as adhere to the voice of God challenging our hearts to truly live into that New Nature, New Creation or not?

Do we allow ourselves to expand our capacity to spiritually grow, spiritually develop to live into the Do’s of the Gospel?  Or do we just live as St. Paul says to the Galatians to just simply recreate the wheel of the law with all its self-righteous merits and seemingly intellectually-driven progress… We may never “satisfy” the mysterious call of Grace to live and walk purely by faith but it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try. 

It’s not “trying” for the sake of pleasing God and climbing that ladder of self-righteousness/ works righteousness…  It is a matter of being and becoming by, for and through Grace for the glory of God through love, kindness, mercy, peace and all the beautiful fruits of faith naturally produced by a changed heart.

The face and actions of a heart corrupted through and through for the Evil One’s victory can only produce death, destruction, hate in action as murder, discretion and violation.  The sad and awful picture of an innocent child washing up upon the shores of the lands of the early church should be a red flag for us in just how Satan has manipulated and distorted the egos of those called ISIS to bring about this death.

The American media is not giving it enough time to air because it doesn’t sell… The European countries are experiencing their neighbors knocking, begging and crying at their doorsteps yet some are turning them away. If we can’t or won’t expand the capacity of our hearts to change for a greater purpose… Then what purpose are we really living for? Are we purely living for the world and for ourselves?  If we are not living for God and purely living for the self and the world… We are creating death.

Let us pray,

Heavenly Father,

Open the ears of our hearts

To the Truth of Your command upon us

Help us to truly become obedient

To the Hope and Promise of the Lifestyle of Grace

Help us to realize and love our neighbor as You have loved us

May we be and become what You truly need us to DO

For Your Kingdom’s glory and Grace

Amen

September 6^th, 2015; 15^th Sunday after Pentecost; Proper 18; Year B; SOLA Lectionary

Sermon by Reverend Nicole A.M. Collins

Psalm 146; Isaiah 35:4-7; James 2:1-10, 14-18 & Mark 7:24-37

Here below the youtube delivery of the sermon at the Grace Hub Discipleship Ministries House church service 9/6/2015:
https://youtu.be/-jsE1PyK0YY