08/22/2023
Thankfulness is the Mother of Nearly All Good Things
Of all places, I came across a quote from the Roman Senator, Cicero, on the business website, Forbes.com. He said, back in Julius Caesar’s time, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.” That was the gist of what Bishop Trimble said to us from the pulpit. ‘Thank you’ is not only a beautiful prayer, it is the well spring from which love, grace, and Christian living flow. When it becomes clear that God has accepted me for who I am, forgiven my dumb and hurt decisions, loved me in spite of my unloveliness I am so filled with gratitude and joy that I want to pay it forward. I am motivated to accept, forgive, and love others for Christ’s sake.
I hope you joined us in worship on Sunday. What a day of celebration. We had Bishop Trimble, our Conference Superintendent, Saneta Maiko; the President of United Theological Seminary, Dr. Kent Millard; former pastor Patti Napier, and a variety of other distinguished guests. We all had special pride in the graduation ceremony we held for Pastor Daisy, as she prepares to return to Sierra Leone. And our Bishop’s preaching was outstanding. (And don’t forget my role…standing up there looking as dignified as I could muster at various points.) I thought my wife Sue, who coordinates worship for us, was going to collapse Sunday afternoon. So many pieces in play, especially when you realize that Pastor Jessica both preached and served communion at a significantly different 10:30 service.
Kick Off Sunday was such a thrill under the big top out in the parking lot, and Daisy’s graduation and hosting the Bishop was such an honor and pleasure, I’m afraid that you all are going to get bored with plain old Tim for the next several weeks.
Pastor Daisy will go on to do great things for God and you should find satisfaction that you made her education and credentialing possible through your generosity to our church budget as well as its missions ministries. The number of volunteers who played important roles in transporting Daisy, helping her adjust to life in the U.S., and being there for her when she needed a helping hand—they are just too many to list. As we say goodbye to Daisy, she will leave a hole in our staff and in our hearts, but at the same time it fills me with great gratitude to be the pastor of Carmel UMC.
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Sunday, we considered Jesus’ disruptive actions in the Temple in light of his frustration with keeping gentiles from worshipping in their designated courtyard. We then reflected on how we still tend to throw up roadblocks to those who don’t normally attend church. I found the following, but didn’t have space for it in the sermon. It’s provocative and worth chewing on for a while.
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I came across this list which feels a little like a "Greatest Hits of Jesus' Ministry". I share it with you today for your inspiration and edification. Enjoy!
The Best Kind of Trouble-maker
While working on this last week’s sermon I was looking through Phillip Yancey’s excellent book—The Jesus I Never Knew—when I came across a section that I found profound. It didn’t quite fit my sermon, but it caught my eye enough that I copied it down.
Practical Tips To Avoid Judging Others
When I research a sermon, such as Sunday’s message on judgmentalism, I always try to think through some practical steps or tips in how to implement God’s desire for our lives. I rustled together a herd of ideas this week and I offer them to you.
The Shepherd, the King, and the Rescuer
God has got a long list of names, but some of those names are better than others. There is a small child who thought God’s name was Harold since the Lord’s Prayer includes the phrase “Hallowed be thy name.” When you think of all the scriptures that are most likely to be memorized you would have to include Psalm 23, The Lord’s Prayer, and John 3:16. The danger for us is our tendency to focus on the wrong thing.
Old Jokes Are The Best Jokes
Sunday morning, we took a look at Jesus’ command to make our enemies into neighbors and loving our neighbors as ourselves. One of the obstacles to doing this is our growing sense of tribalism—whether it’s a political, socio-economic, or even theological tribe.