07/01/2019
People will gather in so many places around our country to recognize July 4th with celebration, good food and fireworks. In Scripture we are clearly reminded that it is important for us to have times of celebration and thankfulness. July 4th is specifically a celebration of thankfulness for USA yesterday, today and tomorrow.
I will probably ooohhhh and ahhhhhhhh on the lawn of the church with many others as a fabulous display of color is projected onto the night sky. While sitting there in the Heart of Carmel, we will be surrounded by many beautifully manmade structures which reminds me of the creative work of human hands. As we spread our blankets, or place our seats on the lawn, it is there that we may look down to our feet to be reminded of the earth and the handiwork of God’s hand of creation. I love that Carmel UMC, in the Heart of Carmel, has this large green space which is truly a reminder of God our Creator. The heart of everything is God. The heart and plan of God is to always be right in the center of who we are and what we do. That is the foundation and grounding of our past upon which God desires for us to build upon to His glory.
As we celebrate our blessings, let us also remember that God has blessed us to be a blessing to, and for, others. We may sit and enjoy the fireworks display in a community of many comforts but we are to do so with a heart and mindfulness of others who may not experience such comforts of life. So allow those beautiful lights in the sky to be a reminder that as persons and as a nation, we are to be a light unto the world.
Have a safe and blessed 4th of July wherever you will be. Blessings, Pastor Patti
Archived Posts
Patience and Trust
Sunday, in my benediction (which traditional folks did not hear) I talked about the Marshmallow Test. The original results of that test with children was that those who could delay gratification did better in life than those who could not.
Gandhi and the Sugar
I wasn’t preaching Sunday, Reverend Jackie Chandler was. And she talked about the power of influence you get when you practice what you preach. This famous illustration came to mind. It fits Jackie’s points quite well. Enjoy!
Not Just for Parents
Our current sermon series is about How To Talk Parent, but it doesn’t require any of us to be parents to appreciate the bits of wisdom OUR parents shared with us growing up.
If Not Higher
Here’s a story I wanted to use when talking about ‘what you do when no one is looking’ yesterday. It’s a wonderful illustration of what Jesus was saying in Matthew 6:1-6—do what you do because of who you want to be, not so that others will take notice and praise you.
The Perfect Church
There is an old joke about the perfect church. We talked just a little about the perfect pastor, but turnabout is fair play. It goes like this:
The Clothes You Wear
Sunday I talked about Joshua the High Priest having his filthy clothing replaced by a cleaned and beautiful garments. I also used the illustration of a boy becomes a dragon—who ‘wears’ dragon scales—and is stripped of those scales in order to be restored to a boy. In fact, I could have done the whole sermon around all the clothing imagery in scripture.
What just missed the cut for Sunday’s Sermon
Naaman’s servants may actually become one of the hidden gems of the sermon. They say, essentially: “If the prophet had told you to do something difficult, you would have done it.”