1/31/2021

For this morning comes from Luke Chapter 2. Verses 22 through 40 and of course, I grabbed the smallest print Bible. Okay, here we go.

When the time came for the ritual cleansing in accordance with the law from Moses, they brought Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the lord. It's written in the law of the Lord every first born male will be dedicated to the Lord they offered as sacrifice in keeping with what stated in the law of the Lord a pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons. A man named Simeon was in Jerusalem. He was righteous and devout. He eagerly anticipated the restoration of Israel and the Holy Spirit rested on him the Holy Spirit revealed to him that he wouldn't die before he had seen the Lord's Christ led by the spirit. He went into the temple area. Meanwhile Jesus's parents brought the child to the temple so that they could do what was customary under the law standing in took Jesus in his arms and praise God. He said now Master let your servant go in peace according to your word because my eyes have seen your salvation you prepared this salvation in the presence of all people. It's a light for Revelation to the Gentiles and the glory for you for your people hurt people Israel his father and mother were Amazed by what was said about him Simeon bless them and said to Mary his mother this boy is assigned to be the cause of the falling and rising of many in Israel and to be a sign that generates opposition so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed and a sword will pierce your innermost being too. There was also a prophet Anna for the daughter of phanuel who belong to the tribe of Asher. She was very old after she married. She lived with her husband for 7 years. She was now an 84 year old widow. She never left the temple area but worship god with fasting and prayer night and day she approached at that very moment and began to praise God and to speak about Jesus to everyone who was looking forward to the Redemption of Israel. When Mary and Joseph it completed everything required by the law of the Lord. They return to their Hometown Nazareth in Galilee. The child grew up and became strong. He was filled with wisdom and God's favor was upon him.

The word of God to the people of God. Thanks be to God.

It doesn't seem right to start a sermon without prayers to we're going to pray again. Forward me the meditations of our hearts in the words of my lips be pleasing in your sight our Rock and Our Redeemer. Amen.

when Jesus was dedicated we know that he would have been around 40 days old. Are Mary and Joseph were 2% Jesus in Jerusalem?

Just a year before this presentation. Mary probably had other plans. She would have been a young girl. She might have had friends that that she had sleepovers with she might have played on some some sports teams. She probably had two visions of what her life would look like visions of what her marriage would look like. She was engaged. Maybe they were planning a little honeymoon to the islands, right? They had plans of what was the be maybe they were going to have that two-year Gap where they wouldn't have any kids. It just be the perfect amount of time for them just to be together before they added to their family.

and then

her life was completely interrupted. everything changed

maybe you feel like everything has changed.

Some of you all probably had deposits on cruises for 20 year 21. Add plans for anniversary trips or family gatherings moving or or purchasing property plans for the future. That didn't involve a pandemic. And here we are. a year later with everything interrupted

early in Ministry I was meeting with a woman who was over a hundred years old. And she told me she grew up in Lebanon, Illinois, and that's where I went to school at McKendree. So we were sharing some things and and her memory was really sharp. She was very sharp, and she was telling me how she went to typing school and she learn shorthand. And she was really excited cuz she started her work as a secretary and she had a good job with the county evidently. She had political connections. So the County job was good. She was excited about her future. And then she said and then the Great Depression happened.

She said her family lived in town didn't have any experience with farming. But everyone was out of a job except for her dad so they found themselves raising chickens for the eggs and for the meat. She said all of her life expectations it changed. And for almost a 10-year. There was a complete Gap. Or she felt lost.

We can relate to that Gap. We can relate to the feeling of feeling lost. Uncertain of which way is forward more importantly sometimes in certain of what the future looks like. from where we are

I attended the leadership conference this week at covenant Keepers talks about leadership during this time. Essentially was good luck. Good luck.

We usually want from leaders certain firm found foundations of they know which way to go and they know what the future looks like and they can cats vision for exactly what that future looks like and they they seem to know.

We don't necessarily know exactly what the future will look like, but Mary didn't either.

Mary that was gathered there at the dedication. Guess what? It doesn't say. Doesn't say your family was there. It doesn't say they went with them to the temple. They stopped by and picked up Grandma and Grandpa on the way. They were there the couple that left town in the middle of the night to get on a bus and go away to a different town to be closer to other relatives. So they can have their baby in quiet.

They were there. Probably looked upon it on the return with Jesus with Shane.

and guilt

But Mary was there doing what was asked of her by God raising her child in the face fully aware that Jesus would bring about. the suffering of people raising of people even a sword suicide

Mary cleaned to the Holy Spirit to lead her forward. Mary relied on God being faithful to God's word as a way forward.

we take

These baptismal vows very seriously. many of you do

when are you as a congregation say you will help raise a child you are not kidding. You pray for them? You help them you try to look out for them.

Dean Carden was a farmer in duncombe, Iowa and And he had Chiclet gum. Little Chiclet gum that he kept in his pocket next to his pen blue Notepad. And every Sunday after church if Robbie was quiet could get a little bit of Chiclet gum.

I don't know. What Dean card and thought of giving that little boy gum? But I felt like I was welcome at church.

because of some gum

It was not a big testimony of faith. It was week upon week upon week. I'm just being there. I mean present. And loving and caring for one another. And sometimes people can say things to our our kids that we can't say ourselves and they'll listen better anybody ever run into this. this is a new thing having kids back in church after 10 once I got to find you examples so so

I'm going to buy Charlie dinner. All right, so

Charlie's four wheeler he wanted a a charger for it a trickle charger for it. And then I tried to share with Charlie that that that wasn't the kind of charger that we needed. Right? But sometimes this guy that didn't grow up with these things. He clearly doesn't know right I got on now. My buddy Craig was over on Friday for my birthday. He's a farmer a trucker. And in Charlie just looked up to him. It took him two seconds to say will you need a better charger than that before Charlie was saying hey Rob. Can we go get a better charger? Sometimes people can say things you exact same thing. Just coming from a different perspective doesn't come with as much weight or maybe comes from a safer place. more trusted place That's the way we are when we do church together.

One of the questions that people ask is what are the church look like? What are the church look like? Here we had web with 10 months. Some people haven't come back. Some people won't come back for a while that will the church continue will the church survive? What does it look like?

It look like faithful people gathering together to worship.

Are are numerical decline started a long time before the pandemic. But it's also a time when people are really looking for genuine faith. genuine face What is what is genuine Faith look like?

They tried to instill in you and Seminary.

That becoming a pastor is not becoming a Super Christian.

The cape that you get when you graduate isn't a super Christian cape.

We are gathered together as people of faith. We live in the priesthood of all believers, right we do this together.

We do this together to the living out of our daily lives.

So whatever it is that you do. You do. with the love of Christ

people arguing about whether you can have prayer in school. I've been not known a teacher and administrator. Who you think prayers for those kids even long after they're gone in a long time before they got there. our faith Live down

it's through. Seeking out those opportunities to share God's love. ingenuine ways relationship

the genuine friendship and love and care. Not having the answers. But willing to offer a shoulder to lean in order to cry on. being people of Faith together

You know a Christian faith isn't just about our actions. It's also about the practices of our faith.

I'm sad to say. the youth pastor taught me this little prayer. We are sitting at dinner at Jade Garden a wonderful restaurant Ankeny, Iowa and having lunch there. I was probably a Junior High kid the meal came in the questions always when the mail comes do you pray right? Do you pray? And he said let me show you a prayer. Oh, I dropped my napkin. Thank you God for this food and for thy mercies, amen.

Hey, that's a pretty good prayer.

Eventually, I just skip that. Another just say to my head.

Turn about the outward symbol, but also the outward symbol can be encouraging to others. Have you ever seen a couple praying before they eat in a restaurant? That is like a super Christian thing to do right like they have their cape on. They're really good. I wish I could be that good, right? We are. Just in different ways.

You know Mary gathered there. And other people expected her to feel shame and guilt. in all of those things of Brokenness

and sometimes

we

feel that way about ourselves.

And so we don't necessarily know how to share that love with others. sometimes we put that expectation on other people.

As if we want people to come to church because we know how much grace they need, right?

We come to church cuz we know how much grease we need. not somebody else

question

this morning is how what will you offer?

to follow Jesus

What will you offer? to follow Jesus Mary offered her whole self She gave up all of those hopes and dreams that she had about a perfect life.

Apollo God all that she had she put on the line.

What is it? That's all that you have that Christ is calling you.

to show others God's love for many of us at our status

It's what we expect others to think about us. Brothers of us. It's our finances.

We had a great and wonderful example, though painful and horrific of what greed does this last week?

One of the realities is the Christ calls us to give up something. The following to follow the Holy Spirit we have to put some skin in the game. We have to risk some in relationship.

Mary gathered there with all of her wounds and all of her hurts and trusted in the Holy Spirit. And we all have our own wounds and hurts and disappointments. But here we are a people if they've gathered together to praise God the best that we can remaining true to the principles that we've agreed on.

That's what we offer. Not also offer it but God through us. Living this life of Faith isn't about being a super Christian. About living day-in-and-day-out seeking to follow by living out the practices of our faith. scripture prayer fasting almsgiving the day today caring for others.

Invite you this week?

Except let us in a moment of silence a whole minute, right that's hard to do. That's hard to do. Even if you just by yourself, it's hard to just clear your mind and be.

Encourage you to do that.

Sometime this week maybe every day. Just take a minute before you start your day sit down and it's share and just be in the presence of God

just be don't try to think don't try to guess. just be

there is going to come a day. We're going to get to do this again. And as soon as we can we will we need to bust out some squirt guns. That's the way we'll do it. The reality is our practice of Christian faith matters because it informs the way that we live out the rest of our daily life.

butter spray

Lord

Help us. To dedicate all that we are.

all of our expectations

all of our hopes all of our deepest desires

Help us to lay them down for you.

Help us to lay down how

important we may feel

What is lay down?

How much we know in knowledge?

Let us lay down our very existence.

All that we have clung to in this pandemic.

Opus lay them down. To cling to you.

amen