Sunday, March 21, 9:00 AM Tom's Creek and Taylorsville Combo
the last message received
Good morning Toms Creek in Taylorsville. Umc's we are gathered together today? in a different way and yeah, it's very fitting for as Christians. We have gathered together in different ways throughout the centuries. There was were being persecuted in Rome put little signs on the ground to let people know where the meeting would be where they could gather together. Pows of the United States that were in war where ships by sharing a message down the line. There are still people across the world who gather together in places cowering worried that the governor might come in but they still worship. And so while it's not the normal we continue to worship we gather together announcements. Each church has their own way there to tidbits that come out each week for Taylorsville transfer those times Creek. There is a daily email almost daily email that comes out that let you know what's going on in both cases. If you know, there are people that don't get the tidbits or the email going out. I'll call your friends. Your neighbor's eye in the directory and share with them. What is going on. Keep them informed that the way that we can continue to be gathered together as the body even as we are separated apart.
When I'll invite you to join us in a call to worship.
Spirit of God is upon us. We are called to be God's people spirit of God is upon us. We are called to be the body of Christ.
Let us worship God who binds us together in love and service. Let us pray, holy God Giver of all good things and just whom the Earth and everything in it belong to keep our hearts from wanting this world's thing so much that we stopped wanting to do your well wishes to give our neighbors who are hungry homeless sick and in trouble with a mead knowing that when we care for them we care for your Our Savior Jesus Christ. A man, so now we're going to try to sing A Hymn together. It's a simple one it repeats over and over and you're invited to sing with us.
Call Teresa.
How are you?
message for the children
every look at different superheroes. One of the things I was thinking about for today was Wonder Woman has her rope of Truth. And it's important because to know what's really going on. You have to know the full story. And so this allows that to happen. and so the Rope the truth if they were around your grandparents or parents or other loved ones, they would tell you. They are a little anxious about what's going on in the world. They tried to put on a happy face for you, but they are a little worried because there are people that are experiencing top things right now. That's what the Rope of Truth would say if it was around them, but there's another part of this rope of truth that we know the truth that no matter what happens in the world. God loves us. When people are experiencing pain God is there and the Rope of Truth reminds us that no matter what happens through Jesus Christ. There is a wonderful story of love of Grace for us. So we thank God of that truth for us. butter sprayer Holy One, we thank you that you love us all of us that were all your children. And then when we're worried that when we're anxious you tell us the truth that you love us that you will always be there for us. And so we give you praise honor and Glory aa-men.
It's time now where we share our praises and prayers if we were in worship together, we would have the opportunity to ask all of you what you have to pray for. If you're on Facebook live if you're in a chat feature right now, you can share with one another what it is that's on your heart that you want to pray for. You can also contact during the week and let us know and we'll put it out in those daily or bi-weekly emails that we send out to let folks know there's a few things that we know that we're praying for. We're praying for those that are in assisted living facilities nursing homes that can't get the normal contact with their family members and loved ones that they would normally get and for their family members and loved ones that can't be in contact with them right now. They're especially on our hearts and Minds during this difficult time of social distancing. So we we pray for them this week. We also pray for all of those who are on the front lines of this cobit 19 crisis. We pray for those who work in the medical field. We have members of our congregation who are in the hospital send and in first responding to a facet ease until we pray for them and we know that they are much higher risk for Contracting mess. They're facing folks who may have this illness every day. And so we keep them in our prayers for their safety for their health and for the safety of their families when I get home. We know that there is extra anxiety and in those situations and so we pray for them as well. We pray for the world as the whole world continues to be faced with this cobit. 19 pandemic. Italy is still seeing the number of cases of deaths from this horrible virus continue to increase and so we pray especially for Italy but for all the countries in the world who are faced with this pandemic, we pray for our own country that people see the advice of Health officials of the CDC of The Who that people take this seriously and that we do all that we can social distancing washing our hands being very careful to not interact with people even if we feel healthy, there's always a chance that we could be carrying this illness. So you want to be extra vigilant sin and being careful that we're not spreading the disease. We also pray for those who have concerns other than covet 19 because the world is still going on even while we're apart. There are still people faced with other illnesses like cancer or heart disease and all those other things. We paid for those who are faced with domestic violence because if you're stuck at home during this time incidences of domestic violence increased drastically, so we pray for all those who are faced with that tragedy as well. We also looked up any prayers that you may have on your hearts that you're unable to share with us at this time.
I have a singing Bowl here. And so as we hear the prayers lifted up by Reverend, Julie. I'm going to take this and hit this bowl and the sound will reveal reverberate out like as we're sitting in our homes and the prayers that we're going to share silently right now, or I'm going to reverberate out and reach Heaven's doors. And so let us pray. Holy One. We bring before you the prayers of our heart. We lift them up to you. No words have to pass our lips. You will hear our prayers. You will hear our cries and you promise to be active in that which we bring before you we bring those prayers of our heart before you now
And even though we're not together we can still pray together. We can all pray together in the words that our savior taught us. Our Father who art in heaven Hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but Deliver Us from Evil for thine is the kingdom the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Normally this time offering plates would go out and we passed them one to another. But we are gathered in our homes. And Ministry still goes on your church. Your churches are supporting Ministries are still at work. Your staff people are still at work. And so we ask that you continue to send your pledges in your offerings either. The mail boat churches have that X Greek you can set up electronic tag and that's available to you. But also we know that there's more than that when people are hurting when people have lost their jobs that there's other ways to offer up we have hands we have mouthed we can call we can write we can send messages we can check on neighbors and we can show love and compassion that can be our offering. And so now we think about that which we're going to offer up this week.
Take a moment make a commitment right now of one thing that you are going to do with your X your gifts or talents this week offer it up.
And let your offering be lifted up to the Lord on men.
It's time now to turn to our scriptures if you have a Bible and want to follow along that's wonderful. If not, it's okay will read the scripture to you. Our first scripture comes from the gospel of Mark chapter 10 verses 17 through 31, and I'll be reading from The New International Version. A Jesus started on his way. A man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him good teacher. He asked. What must I do to inherit eternal life?
Why do you call me? Good Jesus answered. No one is good. Except God Alone.
You know the Commandments you shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false testimony you shall not. Defraud honor your father and mother.
Teacher he declared all of these I have kept since I was a boy. Jesus looked at him and loved him. One thing you lack. He said go sell everything you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven then come and follow me.
This the man say spell he went away sad because he had great wealth.
Jesus looked around and said to his disciples how hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God. The disciples were amazed at his words, but Jesus said again children how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is Rich to enter the kingdom of God.
Even more amazed and said to each other who then can be saved.
Jesus looked at them and said with man, this is impossible. But With God all things are possible with God.
Then Peter spoke up. We have left everything and followed you.
Truly I tell you Jesus replied no one who has left home and brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or shields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age homes brothers sisters Mother's children and Fields along with persecutions. And in the age to come eternal life.
But many who are first will be last. Have a laugh first.
an hour reading from Ephesians 4
As a prisoner for the Lord then I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received be completely humble and gentle be patient bearing with one another in love make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit through the bond of Peace. There is one body and one Spirit just as you were called to 100 when you were called one Lord One Faith one baptism one God and Father of all who is over all and through but to each one of us Grace has been given as Christ apportioned it this is why it says when he ascended on high took many captives and gave gifts to his people. So Christ himself gave the apostles and Prophets the Evangelist the pastors and teachers to equip his people for works of service. So that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the face and the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature. It's raining the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants tossed back and forth by ways and load here and there by every wind of teaching and by cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming instead speaking the truth in love will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head that is priced from him whole body joint held together by every supporting ligament grow and build itself up in love as each part. Does its work?
the word of God for the people of God
So we are now in the third week of our Lenten series called what makes a hero so far. We've talked about Good and Evil right and wrong what makes something wholly and where God is amongst all of that. Today we're going to focus on the categories. The world is separated into categories. We separate ourselves into whether by race religion political worldview, or do you to access or lack of resources will talk about how separating the body of Christ into Us and Them is not possible and how Haves and Have Nots don't fit into the economy of God's Kingdom. But first please pray with me.
Only one we come before you. Asking you to use us as vessels. Vessels of your word vessels of grace of love of encouragement let your words be the words that come through our mouth and speak to your world. We pray this in your name on that.
Each week we focus on our theme we talked about different superheroes. One of the heroes that we're going to talk about. This week is a very slight human being she's someone who doesn't always understand the difference between right and wrong. She's phenomenally wealthy. In fact, if you ever heard of the Forbes 500 this guy made the Forbes fictional 15
He's he's listed as number five in the Forbes fictional 15. He's Tony Stark also known as Iron Man and his estimated net worth is about 9.3 billion dollars for those of you who don't know Tony Stark / Iron Man story. Here's a brief summary. Tony is a weapons manufacturer. He made a lot of money from making all these weapons and he like to spend a lot of that money doing. Well. He has Oceanfront home like red on a cliff over the water really pretty place has a lot of fast cars and he throws these parties but one day when he's off visiting a foreign war zone. His life is changed forever. He he gets severely wounded by shrapnel. From a land mine that it turns out his own company actually made. The debris gets lodged in his body and starts working its way toward his heart and while he's taken prisoner his captors also in prison somebody named. Dr. Jensen who they hoped would build a bomb for them. But dr. Jensen instead found a way to keep the shrapnel away from Tony's hard and works with him to build the suit that would eventually become the first of many Iron Man suits. Dr. Jensen even sacrificed himself. So that Tony could use that suit to escape in the 2008 movie when Tony spanks Daughtry in sin for saving him. The doctor tells him don't waste your life Stark. No, he didn't take those words to her quite as well as our friend Peter Parker from remember when we talked about Spider-Man a couple weeks ago. members of great power and great responsibility advice that that Peter got from his Uncle Ben Tony Tony didn't learn his lesson quite as well as Peter did. He still enjoy partying and living it up a little bit, but he did make some significant changes to his life including transforming his company from a place that build all these weapons of war to the world's largest peaceful technology and green energy Innovation company. He also used his Iron Man suit to do a great deal of good both on his own and then later when he joined the team of the Avengers. She even mentored young Peter Parker for a little while.
Are sitting here or we're going to talk about today is Wonder Woman. And Wonder Woman little different. She actually is an Amazonian. They Amazonian women have their own place that they live on their own Island and she had special powers.
And what are the important things that got shared with her is as one of the people came into the island from he was a soldier. He made it somehow out of their Islands the first person to break through and he tells what's going on in the world with the war that is going on and she feels like she can do something that she could go out and she could do something to do that and her mother. Her mother says to her don't do that. She says be careful in the world of men Diana cuz that was Wonder Woman's first name Diana. Be careful in the world of men Diana. They do not deserve you. They do not deserve you. You see her mom was doing what moms and dads and loved ones do. Trying to protect her daughter, but while doing that with thing they don't matter. Even though all of them were on the same Earth. They would all be impacted by things if something happened on a global scale. I mean people couldn't find this island because they had a protection over at that didn't let people see that it was there but whatever happened on the earth, what effect sound? Wonder Woman's had a heart to say I'm still going to go. I'm still going to go into the world that man and so she does and as she goes out there to do that.
One of the things that she says is bonds of love never make the wearer weaker. They give them skater strength bonds of love never make the wearer weaker. They give them greater strength. She realized there was important and vital this connection. She had with the world of mint and trust me. She goes out there and Mankind proves her mom right in some ways while she's there trying to do good. She sees them ravage one another that they had treat each other as days on separate sides, even though they have the common Bond of humanity.
I'm still one of the things from the movie is Warriors are not always the fastest or the strongest people Warriors are those who choose to stand between their enemy and all that they love.
the heroes follow the way Christ did it before Christ came on the scene where the strongest those those were the heroes Jesus came and changed it all around. Jesus came and say no. I will protect you I will make you part of God's family. I will make you part of the body of Christ the body of God state that you can be incorporated that we don't need to be separated and price was so forward. And not being necessarily what the world would have considered the strongest or the fastest but in a way of love and grace that has proved through the centuries to be something that is transformational.
You know, Tony Stark. Is super rich fictional character makes me think of that very rich die in our gospel story today.
Tony didn't give up all of his money. He used his money to do good. Although he kept a little just for play time. He still likes his fast cars and he still like to party sometimes.
The rich man in our story today didn't want to give up all of his fortune either. He's hard to give it all up. The rich man in our story said yeah, I sent the following God's Commandments. I've been living right? I've been living a holy life. Since I was a boy.
Tony Stark
sometimes the problems that we need to solve in the world art something that money can solve. Jesus asks us. What are you willing to give up? What must I do to enter the kingdom of heaven? The price Jesus wants is more than what the young man was expecting and it's often more than what we're expecting.
He tells the young man go and sell everything that you have and follow me.
It's more than the young man was prepared to give so he leaves just made and goes back home. But what about us? What are we prepared to give up to? Follow Christ?
It may not be give up your whole Fortune. But it may be something else something else that has a hold on us.
What has a hold on you that Christ is asking you to give up.
this special time that were in is certainly a great time to analyze. What am I missing right now is I'm spending more and more time at home and away from people. What am I missing? What is the challenge for me right now? And what can I learn from this time? You know, there's a lesson in God's economy in The Sermon on the Mount. They say blessed are the poor for the kingdom of God is yours. Let's have all those glasses. the overall goal is not for everyone to live in poverty. Order lose everything that's dear to us. Sakana me. It's kind of topsy-turvy sometimes. But the point isn't just to slip the whole world so that the rich become poor in the poor become rich instead it actually about equaling things out so that everyone has a I feel like there's been a lot of conversation about that lately. No, you don't need any packages of toilet paper when that person has none, right? Let's make sure everybody has toilet paper and everybody has milk. Everybody has the essentials that they need. That's what God's economy. Is it like So when we give things up if not necessarily giving up everything. The giving up enough so that everybody has enough.
You know, Jesus told Terrible's about things like Lazarus and the rich man the point wasn't so that everybody become like become like Lazarus and before and begging. It was like the rich man who was kind of a jerk. She's been everything to himself hoarding. We don't want to hoard right now.
In the world of Haves and Have Nots we want everybody to have enough. That's for the kingdom of God is like where everyone has access to something.
Not always easy. But it's always important.
Let's talk about Anne Frank. Right now we're having some technical difficulties. So we're going to try adjusting a few things. Hopefully you haven't lost the connection.
Bear with us for a moment.
Anybody who was on the conference call looks like we may be back on the conference call.
All participants are muted. I think we're back in Frank in case you don't know the story of Anne Frank. Chili's in the middle of what was the Holocaust when she was Jewish her family was Jewish. They had left Germany and fled to Amsterdam found a place to set up shop in little did they know that the Nazis would make it there. They were scared for their life. So they tell themselves up in this side this room that was hidden from Every Other Place themselves in there so that they may not be found. There were lots of them in that one little room. Unlock Away song came and brought them food risk their lives to help them. And during the time and Frank had a diary and she would write and as we've learned this last week plus. When you can't go out when you can't do what what you normally do you find time to do other things and so she had her diary. She had a pen and she had her brain and she had her heart. So she started to write and she wanted to be a published writer and she heard that after everything was said and done that they were going to publish maybe people's Diaries after Sushi, make sure when she wrote it. She was not just writing for herself but for the world I need to know she was just a teenager. She had very powerful words in there. One of her quotes. Human greatness does not lie in well or power button character and goodness. And she could say that. She could say that even though she looked around the world. She saw what the Nazis were doing, and she was saying how there's another way to be. She wasn't bitter. She wasn't angry and we have to make sure that we're not being bitter angry with anybody in this world instead. Let us use this time to use our gifts to connect with one another don't let that entering member. It's not ask them. We're in this together. We're all made in the image of God from from China to Asia and Asia South America and Africa. Rich poor Gay straight doesn't matter if we're all made in the image of God. God breathed life into all Humanity. It is not an us them. We're in this struggle together as Christians is the body of Christ. One of our goal is to reach out to everyone not just those that we like or that we hope will be in heaven by extended to everyone not excluding anyone to hear this great message of Hope message that is needed right now. So let us not divide into the us then mentality but realize every human around you is an image of God Bearer. And can be used in the body of Christ took to make something beautiful and glorious in this world. That's what price came to do to say that superheroes don't get into the us down superheroes form together to build up the body the body of Christ.
One of the last ones I want to hear from Anne Frank. I must uphold my ideals birth per half the time will come when I shall be able to carry them out ideals of love and care of giving to neighbor what Reverend Julie already talked about that in the midst of this. We don't give in to fear and take as much toilet paper as possible in order that we wouldn't want that done to us. So we live up to those ideals. And then hopefully we have a time where we're time where we see how we can carry them out even in the midst of tests and trials. And Frank was going to do that and that's the call for us. Are other human hero was born around the same time as in Frank. She was born in Macedonia and we know her is Mother Teresa, but in 2016, she was actually Canada. So now she's st. Teresa. She's probably familiar to most of us. She spent her life is a nonliving among the poor in Calcutta, India. She felt called to serve the poorest of the poor. She actually from her initial placement in Calcutta. She went back and asked can I serve in an even worse off area? And can I can I build this Mission from scratch? And so she she really just started this whole thing among where if she found even more poverty in a city that was already poor. So she she started the missionaries of Charity. Most of us have heard of The Sisters of Charity I'll but she there's there's some men who are involved as well. So these missionaries nurse the sick cared for the needs of The Unwanted unloved and uncared-for. Within a decade after its founding her missionary group grew and expanded now, they have branches in Venezuela room Tanzania and eventually on every inhabited continent of the world. She's received the Nobel Peace Prize. She got accolades from multiple world leaders, but in all of that she remained this humble servant of Christ serving until she was no longer physically able to do so, she didn't let all those Awards and accolades go to her head. She always went back to the poorest of the poor to pray more people to serve the poorest of the poor because that was her calling to serve the least of these.
Because she was so well-known and traveled the world so much during during a time when we had all this media television newspapers where where word could spread about what she was doing quotes from her, so I want to share a couple with you. One of them is at the end of our Lives. We will not be judged by how many diplomas. How much money we have made or how many great things we have done? We will be judged by I was hungry and you gave me to eat I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless and you took me in. If you don't recognize that quote, it's from Matthew 25 where Jesus talks about being hungry and being naked and people closing him and feeding him. I was tired of her inspiration. The way that we treat the people in our society that Society treats like trash. That's how we treat Jesus. When we care for the least of these we care for Christ Among Us. We care for the body. Another quote that she had was give your hands to serve and your hearts to love.
No one saying that Pastor Houston mentioned during the offering time is that all across the United Methodist Church today? It's actually umcor Sunday. If you're familiar with umcor. They are the people that toured Nate all the volunteers in Mission around the world and all the emergency response teams for Sunday is supposed to be the one time of year that donations go directly to all the administrative. All the people who worked in the offices and help for made all those teams that go out the people who trained the teams that go out all of those things. So as part of your giving this week, if you want to give to that you can put a special note in the memo if your check or you can actually give directly online. If you go to UMC giving you can give them for directly. I'm poor still needs our money. They're working with the Tobin 19 prices the money you give to I'm for Sunday won't go to The Cove at 19 prices. It'll go to the people for for dating the people working with the cove at 19 prices. There are special events numbers. You can give to that will help with the cove at 19 prices are any other disaster going on in our world? I just wanted to mention that that it is on for Sunday because the folks that I'm for year-round are working with people who are often the least the last the lost the Forgotten in our society at any moment. Right priced oldest and reminded us that that we could be the least in the lost at any moment. And that's why we don't create these separations. We don't have Haves and Have Nots Us and Them. Because we're all in this in the same world together. and when Christ came into the world The society around said the rulers those that had the money in the power. They must be blessed by God and Jesus came to see no, that's not the way it is. That is not as a humble Carpenter walking miles upon miles getting it's dirty as everyone else shared loved cared when into the darkest places where there was lost where there was death. and brought forth life that became what a superhero is so that as we talked about the Mother Teresa's and Anne Frank's of the world. They didn't do it by having massive sums of money or really any power that was given to them and yet they're weird speak to us still today. Their actions have made an imprint upon this world. Christ said we can do that too. True. Superheroes can be anyone anywhere at anytime who's willing to put themselves out there and use their gifts and to love and to care for others. Sometimes even to sacrifice themselves to show that love cats.
So what are we to do? How do we emulate the kingdom of God as the body of Christ? Dr. Martin Luther King
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How do we emulate the kingdom of God now? I lost a quote about was John 15 12 to 13. This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you greater. Love has no one than this that someone lay down his life. or his friends So it's like my quote get knocked out the slide, so we'll just move on.
But you can tell we're lies some of the things use Macy out there today or not live where I live together. I'll give him this and that means sometimes things like this happens when your life, but we're glad you're here and we're going to continue on
I always end my sermons with a question for a challenge. So your challenge question for the week is? Are you giving enough? Is Christ asked you to give everything? What are you willing to sacrifice really gives? As Jesus asked his followers to do back. Then he's still asking us to give sacrificially today. It's a big ask Matt rawle who's the guy that wrote the books that were using for the series tells us that in any given situation. You are either a candidate for a miracle or the channel through which a miracle happens. It's a blessing to give and it is a blessing to receive in God's kingdom are thankfulness for what crisis doing reveals that all our blast when we when we invite Christ to be the center of our life. God is calling us to share more than just money. God is calling us to share our very self with one another and the world. When are new kind of hero Jesus came along the entire body of Christ, including the Haves and the Have Nots they were all invited to come together in a kingdom of abundant an everlasting love in the kingdom of God. There is no Us and Them In any difference between the Haves and Have Nots it's all buried under the weight of Christ sacrifice for us all. So our challenge this week is to share something with someone who you've always considered.
So to speak with someone who has less material good for you. Do maybe if someone you've always figured has a lot more. But in this time of social distancing sharing may not mean physically handing things over to someone. But there's plenty of other ways we can share we can pray for people we can send a card through the mail or an email we can pick up the phone call people or text if you're from that generation.
We can be creative in how we share God's love and show the world. What God's kingdom is really like men. man Now you are invited to join us in singing a song that I hope you all know. I grew up seeing this in my church. They'll know we are Christians by our love. we all want
Christian Spotlight
We will walk hand-in-hand.
3 HR The Log Cabin
Side by side we will see each other Christians.
Call Ann.
I know we are Christians by our love.
go for go forth in peace, Goforth. To show love to the world being superheroes by reaching out in whatever ways God leads you in whatever way that's safe. And and that God leads you to go forth as God's children. Amen.