Rooted and Grounded in Love

Sunday Worship 11am, February 14, 2021 Online at Zoom & https://www.facebook.com/centrechurchpa/ “Christ Centered Community Focused Growing as We Serve” 83 New Park Road, New Park, PA 17352 https://centrechurchpa.org 1 Transfiguration of the Lord – Pastor Don This is the Sunday we remember the event where Jesus revealed to some of his closest disciples, his true nature as the Son of God. Up on a mountain top, the veil was pulled back and Jesus was seen in his full radiance and glory. He talked with Moses and Elijah about his coming death and resurrection, and the God the Father spoke, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” (Luke 9:35). Like those early disciples, we come to worship the God revealed in Creator, Son, and Spirit and to listen to the Word of God speaking to us. May the light, love, and life of Jesus Christ shine into our hearts today. Announcements – Don Wilson Prelude Hymn # 193 Holy, Holy, Holy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwuDSw-9cUQ Call to Worship (Ephesians 3:14-18, the Message) When we remember how God offers us all new life in Christ Our response is to get down on our knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. We ask him to strengthen us by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength— that Christ will live in us as we open the door and invite him in. And we ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, we will be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Show us your love, O God, in Christ today. Prayer of Confession & the Lord’s Prayer To live in God’s love, we need to make room for God’s love. Confession enables us to do just that. As we surrender to Christ all our failings and faults, the love of God rushes in to fill us with forgiveness and cleansing. 2 Let us pray, first in silence. (Time for silent reflection and confession). Radiant God, source of light, as you surrounded Jesus with your glory, so you come to us in penetrating brightness. You catch us off guard and expose our weakness. We choose the limelight while you call us to explore the shadows and brighten the darkness. We seek the spectacular while you bind up the broken in countless acts of mercy. We seek to stay on the mountain or in a comfortable pew while you walk to the valleys of need. Radiant God, fill us with light and courage to carry good news into all the corners of the world and to bring back the joy of your presence. Amen By Reconciling Congregation Program From Shaping Sanctuary: Proclaiming God’s Grace in an Inclusive Church, Copyright 2000. Reprinted by permission. We pray this humbly in Christ's name, who taught us to pray: 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 debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. Hymn #431 He Leadth Me, O Blessed Thought https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOsCEpHSCoE Sharing of Prayer Requests Prayers of the People The Offering (online donations at https://centrechurchpa.org/) Offertory 3 Scripture - Ephesians 3:17b-21 (New International Version) And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Sermon “Rooted and Grounded in Love” Rev. Don Hackett Bishop Valentine Happy Valentine’s Day! Where did this day come from? Was it invested by Cadbury and their heart-shaped boxes of chocolates that first appeared in the 1860s? Does the honor go to Hershey’s Kisses that came out in 1907 that launched this day? Or surely it was Hallmark Valentine’s Day cards in 1913 that set us all thinking about love? There are many influences that flow into this Valentine’s Day. I want to highlight the story of Bishop Valentine, who performed weddings when they were outlawed in the third century in the Roman Empire. Here is what one legend says: Valentine was a bishop in Terni, Italy, who healed the sick, including the blind daughter of a prison guard whom he met while in jail for practicing Christianity in a pagan world. Some say he was sentenced to death because he tried to convert Emperor Claudius to Christianity. Others say the sentence came because he was caught secretly performing weddings, defying a ban on marriage that had been imposed by the Emperor as a solution to a military recruitment crunch. https://time.com/5143563/real-st-valentine-valentines-dayhistory/ In favor this account of Valentine because it captures the heart of what love is all about. Love is an action to help another. Love gives so another can possess. Love takes risks to work for the best interests of others. Bishop Valentine is said to have loved well. He prayed for others. He cared for those who God brought across his path, even a jailer and his blind daughter. He secretly performed weddings so couples could make life-long commitments of love to each other. You got to appreciate this man. He reminded us of what is important. 4 Love gives This same theme is in the letter the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus. In the first three chapters, Paul reminded us that we are a part of God’s plan! God did not forget us or cast us aside. Even though we did not know God, God kept coming after us so we could be a part of his family. The wonderful work of Jesus the Christ was to make it possible for all people and all creation to be reconnected, at-one-ment with God. On the cross God demonstrated his deep love for us. You see, God would rather die than live without us. Jesus’ death on the cross revealed how precious we are to God. That is what love does. Love dies into order for others to live. Paul knew this love. Paul experienced it in his life as the Risen Christ confronts him on the road to Damascus. Paul was headed for trouble. Jesus stops him and has better plans for him. Love intervened in Paul’s life. Paul had to rethink what serving meant. He had been throwing people in jail for God. This is not what God wanted. Jesus showed Paul that his mission was to proclaim that God’s kingdom was for all people. It did not matter who they were or where they lived. Jesus sent Paul to go tell them about this love. This mission was Paul’s way of loving. It would cost him dearly. That is what love does. Love gives and even dies so others can live. Our prayers You can tell a lot about a person by his or her prayer. • When our prayers contain a list of selfish requests, like a Santa list, then we either have many needs or still have much to learn about God. • When our prayers shift from formal language to a more intimate conversation with God, then we are beginning to see that God wants us to be relaxed and honest. • When our prayers are mostly silent or groaning, then we are entering a depth of connection with God that is beyond words. • When our prayers lift up the people and needs around us, we join God in caring for the world. Prayer insights How is your prayer life? I came across some insightful quotes on prayer https://www.azquotes.com/quotes/topics/prayer.html: • Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire? Corrie Ten Boom • The value of consistent prayer is not that He will hear us, but that we will hear Him. Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at His disposition, and listening to His voice in the depth of our hearts. Mother Teresa 5 • Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you. Saint Augustine Paul’s prayer When we look at the prayers of Paul, we see his heart. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God. Prayer opens doors Two things I take away from this prayer. First, prayer is the door to allow God’s Spirit to come in and help us. When we invite Christ daily to join us in our journey, God is there to help us. The energy, strength, and wisdom we need is readily at hand. Prayer opens the door. Some people say that, “God will not give you more than you can handle.” I do not think this saying is completely is true. The world is such a mess and life can be awfully hard. Some of things that come on people are very destructive and are not from God. Violence, disasters, accidents damage and kill people. They are more than some could handle in this life. What is true is that God will be with you and me in every situation we find ourselves. God is committed to help us in this life and to prepare us for life with God in Heaven. We all know people who have been overcome with hard issues. God was still with them. If they suffered, or even died, God was there with them. They were not alone. God continues with us into the next life. Jesus has opened the door to Heaven to all who want God in their lives. No exceptions. All are welcomed. Exploring God’s love The second point to ponder in Paul’s prayer is love. It is all about love. Paul prays that we will be rooted and established in love. Like towering trees, our stability and strength will come when our roots go deep into God’s love. Paul invites us to explore this love…dive deep, fly high, go the horizon of God’s love 6 and you will discover there is more and more. Ask God to show you his love today. “Show me, God, how much you love me?” When we pray a prayer like that the Holy Spirit will gently come alongside of us. The Spirit will remind us of the ways God has been with us…in good times and bad. When I have asked God to show me his love: • My parents and brothers come to mind. • My wife and family came to mind. • I recalled how God opened doors of opportunity for me. • I remembered how God was with me in difficult seasons. • Scripture comes to mind on how much God loves me. “O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.” 1 Chronicles 16:34 • “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. John 3:16 • Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Romans 8:35 • This Valentine’s Day take some time to remember how much God loves you. At the dinner table, talk about the ways each person knows they are loved by God. Make a list and pull it out at each mealtime and thank God for those expressions of love. Use this week as a time to let God love through you. Getting grounded in God’s love occurs when we offer it others. • Think about someone you want to help and show care to them this week. • Pray for someone you need to forgive. • Go to a person you have harmed and ask for forgiveness. • Write a note of appreciation to a friend, neighbor, or someone you value. This is Paul’s prayer for us: And I ask God that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God. Let us pray: Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20,21 7 Confession of Faith (The Apostles’ Creed, AD390) I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He arose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen. Hymn #558 Gloria Patri https://youtu.be/QUBxpypSblw Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, Amen. Benediction Let the majesty of the Father be the light by which we walk, the compassion of the Son be the love by which we live, the presence of the Spirit be the power by which we serve. Amen. 8