3/8/2020

I would like to do something a little bit different this morning. Usually when we do the reading of the scripture we have it on the screen behind us. I would like this morning to invite you to close your eyes unless you're next to someone that you don't trust. Does Sprint Force back to the room or whatever but to 2 to hear the scripture read aloud? The scripture for this morning is John chapter 3 verses 1 through 17. Now there was a Pharisee a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling Council. He came to Jesus at night and said Rabbi. We know that you are a teacher who has come from God for no one could perform the signs you were doing if God were not with him. Jesus replied very truly I tell you no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again. How can someone be born when they are old Nicodemus asked surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother's womb to be born. Jesus answered Very truly I tell you no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the spirit flash gives birth to flesh, but the spirit gives birth to Spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying You must be born again the wind blows wherever it pleases you hear it sound but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the spirit. How can this be Nicodemus asked? You were Israel's teacher said Jesus. And do you not understand these things? Very truly I tell you we speak of what we know and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I spoken to you of Earthly things and you do not believe. How then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from Heaven the son of man just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness. So the son of man must be lifted up, but everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through him. the word of God to the people of God

this morning

We are going to talk. about worry

Aya have a habit of waking up pretty early on Sunday morning. A non daylight savings time the worry on top of that is sleeping past when you're supposed to get up. So this morning?

I got up about 1 a.m. And tried to go to sleep until 2 a.m. Which was really immediately 3 a.m. Which is only about an hour and a half before sometimes I wake up.

And so I got up really early. I couldn't sleep because I was worried. Isn't it funny how your mind can just go from thing to thing to thing to thing to thing when you're trying to sleep?

That's the way we're wired though. Some things just keep us up at night. in worried this passage Nicodemus goes to Jesus in the night. When everyone else is already home possibly even in bed.

I like to think that it's some worries that kept Nicodemus up. And eventually the spirit lead him down whatever road across whatever alley to Jesus's door. And I'm really somewhat a little frustrated because if you noticed in this beginning of the exchange with Nicodemus. There's no question. from Nicodemus It starts off just with this idea that Rabbi we know that you are a teacher who is come from God. For no one could perform the signs you were doing if God were not with him. immediately confesses belief in Jesus not exactly for sure what that belief means.

Maybe we're not so different than Nicodemus.

You know we talked about belief. Like we talked about believe sometimes with this concrete examples of our faith and when when were pushed and pushed and pushed and pushed and pushed sometimes we just give the gospel summed up. And for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. The whoever shall believeth in him shall not perish but shall have eternal life.

That's a pretty good summation of the Gospel rain.

But what does that mean?

This morning. We're going to talk about what to do with our worried some of you this last week. I have seen your 401k. nosedive

And you worry.

some of you have children no matter their age that you worried about. constantly it's tax season and some of you are worried about taxes.

Some of us are worried about health. and Wellness Some of us are at the same time worrying about both our children and our parents. Amen.

And sometimes some of us are so worried that were worried. We're not worried enough.

There are times. In my life when I've been worried.

None of them or so.

Probably for for fear of life and limb than when I was on the farana fire department. To be a firefighter you have to go through certain training. You don't just get a

put on gear and go into a fire. they have this training that that you can do that is a it is like a house burn. Okay, and they put Barrels in rooms and they fill those barrels with hay and then they get people that have never been in the situation and they sit you on the wall around the fire and then they tell you that they're going to start this fire and it's going to fill with smoke and you're going to have this mask on and that you shouldn't freak out.

I am not the kind of person in that situation where I'm going to freak out. Because I'm going to trust the training of everyone else. It's in the room. But that's a blessing that not everybody else has there were people who were much braver than me that were in that room that didn't last. And they didn't go. And after you do that, then you start doing the room-to-room searches after you get a good break. And then eventually you have a house fire in you you learn about what it looks like in the you go in in those situations. That's like training. But it's safe. That wasn't when I was worried. That was probably when other people were worried for me. When I was worried was when we were on the engine go into the first house fire. And the chief turns around and says ok, everybody pack up your going in.

I was worried. I was scared. but in that situation you an immediate situation so you have no choice to put one foot in front of the other and the experience There's no response other than a call to action. in response to the worry

What is God call to action for you? in response Do you worry?

Ori and sometimes lead the thoughts of doubt

doubt is one of those things that like getting a little Pebble in your shoe can just bother you after a while and can even kind of grow. but you eventually Maybe have to address it. nor Christian experience

I don't imagine that we are all in this room at the same place on our Christian Journey. We're not. Some of us are here. Because our children expect us to be here. Some of us are here because our parents expect us to be here. Some of us are here because our parents that are long dead and gone would be mortified if we weren't here. And some of us are here because we have nowhere else to be. And some of us are here because there's nowhere else we could be.

We gather together to worship God even though we have worried and even though we have doubt. Because we serve a wonderful God. The kind of gone to that can handle our doubt. And are worried.

We aren't Christians because we don't have questions. Nicodemus had all kinds of questions including questions that made no sense even for his day in age.

We have this writing in the United Methodist Church on baptism of the water in the spirit. This scripture talks about the water and the spirit. It's not just the water but it's the Holy Spirit at work.

The holy spirit moves Us in ways to worship God and to love God together as community.

That's how the Holy Spirit works.

Maybe you felt loved here. And you didn't feel like you were Worthy. Maybe you've come and you have more questions about what God's love looks like. in a world of worry

It's not always comforting to share with people. That you just have to trust God.

How do you tell if parents with three year old? trust God

How do we share God's love with one another in ways that makes sense and make others feel that love in response to their worry.

We're doing an adult mission trip this fall.

and it wasn't necessarily. by the pastor's Divine insight We had a mission mean we're talking about where we want to go. And I don't know. I'm sure something will come up. Well, that's something we can respond to.

I think we could probably put money on going to Nashville right now.

We have a lot of people in need there.

Who really feel the love of God by some water? And some buckets full of probably gloves and masks. But it's one of the ways that we can share God's love. but the Holy Spirit can lead us to

we don't have to be worried like Nicodemus. As a teacher having all of the answers.

We have to be willing to sit with one another.

While we go through the questions of life.

That's what we do as a church. We go through seasons of life together learning more about God in our own discipleship while also helping others along the journey. Maybe you're here this morning and you've long given up worrying.

You know, I'm pretty sure my mother. Several years ago did what some of you all have heard of witches giving them up to God. Maybe you won't know some people like that. We're eventually worried just runs out and just say well I just giving them up to God.

You know if we're going to summarize the gospel.

John 3:16 pretty good place to start.

Because it tells people answers to the questions that they're asking. questions about God by telling us that for God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

and also 370 for God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world. But to save the world. through him

God's love can spread through you to others.

The church bests reach out to the community around it. This is a great. This is only our third week in this setup. Oh today's the sermon on worry, right? K Charles & Runner is my district superintendent the boss and and Lynn's here. And so I come in and I'm like, okay, I got this i got this feeling like you was Rhonda or someone was like just a heads up o no worry there. But you know what? The way that we reach people in the world around us is through our engagement with one another. No matter where we are. Like the church reaches out to the community imagine this if the people that are most engaged in the church were in the center row here, right? With a lot of the people that named know are already going to be church people, right and the next row out has people that are like sometimes church people. So they're going to know more people out in the community right by the time we get to the farthest throw out in darlinghurst and not just you all are sitting but in our understanding of the church, that's the best place to engage community. And that's the community that's hurting. And seeking answers. in a world of questions Does God love them?

How how do you share the love of God With Children? In a world that tells us the most important thing is being busy and the most important thing is investing in our careers where we live in the state with less and less opportunity for career advancement.

How we love others? Cher's what we believe in Jesus Christ and when we share the love of others with of Jesus with others. We sure that they are loved by God. as children of God

May our ministry reach out and share the love of Jesus. Do the Holy Spirit? That drove Nicodemus to walk down the road to knock on Jesus's door. because he had questions to

just like you but a prank

Lord

guide us

as we seek to grow was disciples. Teach us.

No matter how many times we failed to get it.

And love through us.

Even when we're not sure how to go about it.

In Jesus name we pray. amen

are there are a couple of announcements this morning. One of them is that we are going to have our Wednesday Bible study through ART here at the church, but we will not have it on Thursday, So we'll have it on Wednesday and I will catch us up to the other weeks and are there any other announcements?

Thank you so much for doing the offering.

And did any of the Girl Scouts who have been Girl Scouts are currently are Girl Scouts in the room stand up so we can honor you.

Thank you.

What is stand in join together in our closing hymn?