Entering into Your New Life (Sermon Sept 13, 2009)

Scripture Passages: Ephesians 2:1-13 
     http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+2&version=NIV

This weeks sermon has really stuck with me all week.  Kevin emphasized that good works do not get us into heaven. And of course, the bad things that we do, don't keep us out of heaven.  For those of us who grew up in the church and have always thought of ourselves as relatively good and therefore not in need of a savior or God's grace, then we need to think again.  We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  I remember being in a bible study years ago and having someone reply to a comment that I made saying "God does not grade on a bell curve."  I don't remember now what I said to elicit that comment, but it really struck me that I do think that way.  I think that way about many things in life.  As long as I am not going any faster than the other people on the road, I won't get a speeding ticket.  As long as I do as much or am as smart as the other people in my class, then I will get a good enough grade.  And for those of you who know me well - you will probably have heard me say that in some situations I feel like I am holding up the bottom of the bell curve for others to look better than I.  Like with my housecleaning or my lawn - I make everyone else feel like at least they are doing better than I am! Has your husband been complaining about how you keep your house?  Send him over to my house and he will appreciate you more!  (But don't send the kids over - they always appreciate not having to worry about making a mess at my house and will complain about how you always make them clean up.)

In last week's sermon blog, I talked about being a son or a daughter of the King and the inheritance and responsibility that goes along with that.  I talked about preparing for our royal position by doing spiritual disciplines.  And I do those things, at least as well as everyone else.  (There I go again!)  But this week we focused on the fact that our good works don't get us into heaven but should be a response to all that our Father in heaven has done for us.  And I understand this concept.  I am so aware of all the blessings God has given to me.  I have a very generous earthly father and it makes it easy to understand how our heavenly Father just showers blessings on us!.  In fact, I usually feel guilty that I have received so much when there is such suffering in the world.  I often think "Why Me?" - why do I get the comfortable life in the suburbs and a great family and great kids when others have so little.  And I try to pass on the blessings to others in order to balance out things.  I figure God fills my cup to overflowing so that I can pass it on.

So after the sermon, Kevin comes up to me and a friend of mine, puts his arms around us and says "Ladies you don't have to do good works to get into heaven!"  This is something I hear often from Kevin and it always bugs me.  I know he is just trying to tell me to RELAX and appreciate that God loves me no matter what I do or don't do.  But somehow I always feel like it is a judgement of my life and my motives.  Like I am not giving with the right heart or the right spirit.  And it makes me question myself.  I can see that by reading the preceding paragraph, you could conclude that I only do good works out of guilt.  And maybe there is some of that.  My brother, who tends to be very cynical, says that we all do good things just to make ourselves feel like we are good people and ultimately no matter what we do for others we are always motivated by selfishness.  I can see that there is some truth to that.  I often go and do something for someone else when I am feeling down.  It helps distract me from what I am worried about and, yes, it does give me positive feedback.  When I am working on project, whether at church or elsewhere in the world - I am kind of all or nothing.  So my pastor sees me putting in overtime at church and says go home!  And I think - I must be doing something wrong.  I am currently involved in running the Alpha class at my church (http://www.alphausa.org - for those of you who don't know what Alpha is.)   I realized over the summer that I have a need to have someone tell me "good job."  I was asked by my counselor (yes, I go to counseling!) why do you need anyone's approval?   Isn't it just human to want some positive feedback?  Do I need that more than the average person?  (There I go again with the bell curve.)   Does this just speak to insecurity and a lack of confidence?    Which I guess brings us full circle to Kevin's words to me "Relax and appreciate that God loves you no matter what!"  Well, this was a very personal, and maybe even too self centered a post.  So tell me do you all struggle with the "good works" problem?   Are you trying to earn your way into heaven?  As I write that last sentence it clarifies for me one more thought.  (I know here I go again - as if this is all about me.)  I don't doubt my salvation, I know the way to receive a "ticket" to heaven.  It is to believe and receive the gift that God has given us in Christ.  No work on my part, just an acknowledgment of the gift and that I am a sinner and need this salvation.  I think what I worry about is God's approval or how I could possible give back enough to show God my gratefulness.  To show Him and others how much I love Him back.  How can my life possibly glorify God when his glory is so ..... I don't even know what word to use  - awesome, amazing, glorious, holy, - so far beyond us that we can't possibly reach it.    Am I the only one who struggles with this?  Love to hear your comments and anything else that you heard in the sermon that really struck you.

My prayer for all of us this week (and I guess especially me) is from the 3rd Chapter of Ephesians:


¹⁶ I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.


Amen.    

The New Reality for Living (Sermon - Sept 6, 2009)

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 1

Chosen . . . Adopted . . . and “Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 1:13)

Our pastor, Kevin, started off his sermon with a clip from The Princess Diaries. Amelia who has never known her dad and lived with her Mom in San Francisco her whole life, is told that her dad, who has recently died, was really a crown prince and now she is a princess of royal blood with all the inheritance and the responsibilities that go with that position. She is overwhelmed by such a thoughts and runs away.

The book of Ephesians, written by the Apostle Paul, tells us a similar story. Just like Amelia, we too are sons and daughters of royalty – the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. What does that mean for our lives? It means that we share in a great inheritance and it also means that we have responsibilities that go along with that position in the kingdom of God. Throughout Ephesians, Paul also opens our eyes to the spiritual world and the battles that are going on in the heavens.

God has a plan and a purpose to unite everyone and everything in Christ, through Christ, and under Christ, who is the head of the Church. We all have a role to play in this uniting process. So what exactly are our responsibilities? What is our role and how are we doing with living up to what God has given us to do? Just like Amelia in the Princess Diaries - we have to prepare for this new role. Are we doing that? For me, I think this means that we need to work on our spiritual disciplines, reading the bible, praying and being in community with other Christians. I also think that we need to think about our role in the Kingdom in our everyday lives, not just on Sundays. If God has a plan and a purpose for us, that was ordained for us, then he knows who we will meet during our day and gives us opportunities to share His love. Are we taking those opportunities? Think about what you do during your day at work, or if you work at home, at home. Who do you encounter during your day? I have a good friend who likes to quote St. Francis of Assissi "Preach the Gospel, and if necessary, use words." Our lives should reflect who we are - sons and daughters of the King.

I think my greatest challenge is living and serving outside of the church. It is so easy for us to stick with other Christians and live an insulated life. For me, much of my service is done at church and not necessarily in the community. Recently, I have gone back to work as an attorney. I stayed home with my kids for 12 years and I have grown a lot as a Christian during that time. It feels so different to be back in the courtroom environment and really be committed to living for Christ. God has blessed me with a great mentor who is very respectful and supportive of my faith. (Thank you Jamie!). I also encounter other Christian attorneys - one of whom had a Bible on his desk when I stopped by to see him one day. And he sent me an email quoting a scripture after we had worked out a settlement for a case which was hard for both our clients. I appreciated God's reminder that he goes before us and prepares the way. His strength is our strength if we rely on Him and trust Him. So how is everyone else doing with serving God in your everyday life?

Thanks for reading this blog. I hope you will take the time to comment. And I thank God for all who have joined this blog group and pray for you all this week, just like the Apostle Paul prays for the church, that you be given the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know God better and that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance and his incomparable great power in us and for us who believe. You have been marked with the seal of the Holy Spirit. May God's glory shine through all of us this week! Amen.

Welcome

Hello and welcome to my blog. I am a member of a great church in Olney, Maryland called Oakdale Emory United Methodist Church. Our pastor is preaching a twelve week series on the book of Ephesians. He has asked all of us to join a small group to discuss this sermon series and to learn how to apply these biblical passages to our everyday lives. I have started this blog as an alternative to getting together in someone's home. Instead, I thought we could get together in Cyberspace to discuss these sermons and ideas when we have time to read the blog and comment. I will write comments on the sermons each week. Some of you attend our church and will hear the sermons that I am writing about each week. But for those of you who don't you can hear them online at OEUMC.org. So please write your own thoughts and comments and let's get to know each other. I look forward to hearing from you over the next 12 weeks!