Covenant: Let’s Work Together by Cheri Holdridge (with an assist by Kurt Young)

    When we talk about God and God’s people, it does not get much more basic than the word “covenant.” This ancient theological word used to describe our connection to God goes all the way back to the first book of the bible, all the way back to Genesis and it just keeps popping up over and over again.

    The Hebrew Testament is filled with covenants between God and God’s people. You probably remember the difference between a contract and a covenant, but in case you did not grow up in Sunday School, here is the difference: Contract – between two people, and either person can break it if they can’t get the other person to do their part.   Covenant is between God and us- and even if we break it, God does not break it.

    And so in our Psalm for this week, Psalm 105:1-15, 43-45 (from The Message) for those following along on the web, we have some praise for God and we have the psalmist giving thanks for this covenant relationship with God.

Our God, is
      in charge of the whole earth.
   And remembers the Covenant—
      for a thousand generations God has been as good as God’s word.
   It's the Covenant God made with Abraham,
      the same oath sworn to Isaac,
   The very statute established with Jacob,
      the eternal Covenant with Israel,
   Namely, "I give you the land.
      Canaan is your hill-country inheritance."
And then later:

 43-45 Remember this! God led the people out singing for joy;
      God’s chosen people marched, singing their hearts out!
  God made them a gift of the country they entered,. . .
Hallelujah!

This covenant is good stuff. This is powerful. This is DEEP relationship that keeps us going through HARD times. We need some of that in times like these.

    So, in the church, we also use language of covenant to talk about our relationships with one another as a covenant body. In the church, that is as individual churches bound together in larger denominations and ultimately all together into one big Christian church. There is, after all, only one church. That is the church of Jesus Christ. One of the things I really like about the United Church of Christ is that we are founded on that premise. The UCC is called a united and a uniting church.  It was founded back in 1957.  We are a denomination, founded with a union of two denominations, who were each previously formed by the union of two earlier traditions. It’s all about coming together and focusing on our unity in Jesus.  Each individual congregation has autonomy to have their own by-laws but we are also connected through a convenant relationship.

    As you know here at The Village, we are connected to two denominations, both the UCC and the United Methodist Church. The UMC uses the language of connectionalism to talk about the covenant. We talk about the connectional church when we show that every local church is connected to the ministry of other churches in a geographical districts and conferences. We believe that in these covenant relationships, when we come together in Holy Conferencing the body of Christ grows stronger. There is a sense of spiritual accountability. We can also do more to affect positive change in the world when we pool our resources together.

    Remember that airplane we told you about last week?  If not, Gaston Ntambo operates a ministry in Africa that flies supplies to the people of Africa and shuttles the sick to places of relief and care.  However, his current plane uses fuel unavailable in his country.  So, from time to time he has to fly to another country to get fuel, with scary individual gas cans turning his plane into a flying bomb from time to time.  But we want to get him a plane that will last longer and run on the fuel in his country. 

    Our goal was $500,000 from the West Ohio Conference. We raised  $986,754.00 in cash, plus $37, 500 in pledges at Annual Conference for a total of $1,024,254.   It was an amazing moment when we did this. 

    Gaston Ntambo writes: We will honor all your sacrifices by using this airplane effectively as a tool in North Katanga, Tanganyika and Tanzania Annual Conferences, to reach out and spread the good news and the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.  

    Now we have a perfect tool that we can use to reduce malaria victims.  A child does not have to die every 60 seconds from malaria.  We are happy and encouraged to partner with the program Imagine No Malaria all because of your support and because we now have the necessary equipment.

    In conclusion, you touched and changed my life with your mission work when you sent me my very first pair of shoes at 9 years of age, Today you are sending me home with a perfect  airplane to go and make a difference for our people. Thank you for believing in us and for saving North Katanga Wings of the Morning flight ministry.

    I am proud of my United Methodist Church and our God is an awesome God and he is on the throne because I never thought in all my life that I could ever say that I am going shopping for an airplane, but here we go!
Gaston Ntambo  Wings of the Morning Pilot

We at the Village got to be a part of that.  It was a small part of it, we are a small, young church.  But we played a part in that. 

    I want to tell you what this idea of covenant and connection has meant for The Village.  Both of these denominations have also been funding us since 2008.
Grants from UMC and UCC
2008    $30,000   
2009    $91,500   
2010    $86,666   
2011    $73,332   
2012    $37,832   
2013    $6,667   
TOTAL    $325,997   
You are hearing this because of their investment into the Village. 

    Now I just spent most of the past week at denominational conferences of the UMC and the UCC. Part of the time was spent hearing about how these two denominations, like every other mainline denomination out there, are struggling right now. Both are trying to restructure because our huge organizational systems are not working. The reports from the United Methodist General Conference in Tampa a few weeks back were dismal and the work at re-structuring were terribly discouraging. Countless hours and dollars were spent and we came out of the meeting with no plan for a new structure. At the UCC Ohio Conference yesterday we heard some fairly concerned reports about deficit spending.  If we don’t figure out a way to do it differently, we would be out of money in a year or two.

    However, in the midst of this both of these entities have set aside money for missions and for planting new churches, like The Village.  Our church, and others like us, are a sign of new life. WE ARE A BEACON OF HOPE.  Sometimes I get discouraged about our progress at times.  But we are a place of hope for these denominations.  Because, in times like these, we are growing and doing risky things. 

    Everywhere I went, people asked how we are doing and they wanted to hear stories of our ministry. Two seasoned pastors who have become regular supporters of The Village each handed me checks for $250 each.

    At the UCC meeting yesterday, the keynote speaker was encouraging folks to take some risks with worship and especially with music. He was really pushing folks to get outside their comfort zones. Kristen and I sat there smiling because most of what he was talking about are business as usual around here. We were feeling really good.  We really are making a difference and we really are becoming a model church in Ohio and others want to hear about what we are doing. They have invested time and money in us, and now we can help them learn to reach generations, and segments of the population that many of our churches have long neglected by both of our denominations.

    This is what it means to be part of the covenant community, my friends. They have invested in us. We all invest in mission work together in Africa, and right here in our own community. And together, we are changing the world. And so, we grow stronger our financial feet, we will be asked to contribute more to our two denominations. There are funds that both the UCC and the UMC have. These are called covenant funds. The UCC calls it “Our Church’s Wider Mission.” The UMC apportionment fund is broken up into several funds including “Church World Service” and a few others. We contributed a token amount to those last year, but as we grow into self sufficiency we want to move to putting a tithe of our own giving back into those covenant funds. This is part of the covenant.

    You see, we all work together because we all belong to God. God gave our ancestors the land and promised to be their God. They had a covenant. And we are the inheritors of that covenant. Our part of the covenant is to be God’s people, and to care for the land and for all the people who live on it. That’s why we buy airplanes to deliver medical supplies and to transport sick people in Africa to health clinics. And that’s why existing churches have given money to plant The Village Church. We are all connected to one another.

    There are hundreds of United Methodist and United Churches of Christ that we are connected to in covenant in Ohio, and even more across the world. All those churches are a sign of the strength of the covenant. 

    God is blessing us. God never backs out on God’s part of the covenant.  That’s the most important part of the message of today.  We may fall away. Our human institutions and systems may strain under the weight of irrelevancy. But the strength of our relationship with God is never broken because God holds on to us. We can always return to our covenant to be God’s people. This church, everyone of you, this community,  is a beautiful sign of that covenant. Thanks be to God.

It Takes A Village To Change The World: We Are Blessed by Cheri Holdridge (with an assist by Kurt Young)

    An accomplished academic theologian, a German named Meister Eckhart, wrote in the fields of theology, psychology and philosophy in the 14th century. His writings influence leading theologians still today in the 21st century. He was also much appreciated for his practical sermons which he preached in the common language of the day. It’s a bit hard to believe, isn’t it? I am not an expert in the teachings of Meister Eckhart by any means but I know a well known quote attributed to him which I love. He once said: ”If the only prayer you ever say in your whole life is "thank you," that would suffice.”

    The words “Thank You” are powerful.

    Perhaps you have been praying the Psalms since I invited you to do that a few weeks ago during my message about “Opening Ourselves to God.” I can post the link again on our website, with the daily plan for praying the psalms. Just reading one Psalm each morning or one Psalm at night, it is a great way to kick start your prayer life. There are many, many psalms written with the theme of saying “thank you” to God. And I think this is why, the writers of the Psalms were people deeply connected to God, and they knew what Meister Eckhart knew: “Thank you” is a powerful prayer.

    Let’s look more closely at today’s Psalm, number 67:
           God, mark us with grace and blessing! Smile!
           The whole country will see how you work,
            all the godless nations see how you save.
  
            God! Let people thank and enjoy you. 
            The people ask God for permission to give thanks
             and to enjoy God.
             Let all people thank and enjoy you.
             Let all far-flung people become happy 
            Then they ask, can’t the people who are far flung be happy
            and give thanks?
            and shout their happiness because
            You judge them fair and square,
          you tend the far-flung peoples.  You tend the far flung people.
         That is the best part of this whole psalm. This is about US; we are
          the people living on the edges. God tends to us and we have the privilege of saying
         “thank you  ” God.
           God! Let people thank and enjoy you.
           Let all people thank and enjoy you.
           Earth, display your exuberance!
           You mark us with blessing, O God, our God.  We are blessed!
           You mark us with blessing, O God.
            Earth's four corners—honor God!

God even tends to us, the far flung people, those of us living on the edge, also known as the members of the Village Church community.

    Do you feel blessed? Do you wake up every day feeling blessed? Do you go to sleep every night counting your blessings? It seems really old fashioned to say “count your blessings.” But a few years ago some woman made all kinds of money with books on the best sellers list just telling us to live with gratitude. “Keep a gratitude journal,” she said. “Before you go to bed each night,” she said, “Get out a blank journal and list five good things that happened that day, or five things in your life for which you have to be thankful.” She even sold her own blank books called “Gratitude Journals” and made more money! What a deal!

    She could have just told us to read the Psalms! She struck a chord with us. She understood that being grateful and saying “thank you” to ourselves, or to God, for our blessings will help keep us centered.

    She could have just reminded us to do what our parents did with us when we were little children. Say your bed time prayers and say thank you God. I do this with Jamie every night. He says thank you for the same things: “Thank you God for mom, dad, Becca, Jamie.” (Yes for some reason, he thanks God for himself. I guess it’s good to have good self esteem.) Then somehow because he’s a practical child and he learned how to stream line his prayers he usually just says this: “Thank you for food, water, shelter, air and everything good, give us a good night’s sleep and a good day tomorrow.” That pretty much sums it up. He has been saying that same prayer every night for years. If, God forbid, Jamie were taken away from us, kidnapped or something awful like that, I believe he would feel the presence of God with him, and somehow he would find a way to be thankful for something, and to know that God is with him. He’s been praying that prayer for as long as he can remember.  He knows what it means to be thankful. 

    Being thankful is a learned behavior. We can choose to be thankful. It’s a practice we can nurture within ourselves. I know this because people can learn to write thank you notes. Some people take the time, still, to write hand written thank you notes for things like graduation gifts and wedding gifts, and just when you do something that really makes a difference to them. And those notes of thanks mean something to the recipient.

    My first year in ministry, a wise pastor friend told me to do this.   I have saved in my office a file folder of thank you notes I have received over 22 years as a pastor. And when I get discouraged I pull out that file, to remind me of why I am doing this work.  Here it is, 22 years worth.  And every so often I pull it and remind myself on why I do this. 

    We can never say thank you enough.  Today, I am inviting us to give thanks to God for our blessings. God is the source of every good gift in our lives, because God is the creator of the universe. God gives life to everyone of us. God is the source of all wisdom and creativity. God is the source of all love. God is the source of our giftedness and of our wealth. God blesses us, so that we can bless one another.

    The psalmist says: God, let all the people thank you and enjoy you. So let’s do that. Say thank you to God today. Right now, take a piece of paper out, and write down five reasons why you are thankful, and then carry that piece of paper with you. And the next time you get discouraged take that paper out, and read it, and add five more things to the list.

    Let us be thankful.
“God! Let people thank and enjoy you.
      Let all people thank and enjoy you.
 
 Earth, display your exuberance!
      You mark us with blessing, O God, our God.” 

Setting Priorities: Put First Things First by Cheri Holdridge (with an assist by Kurt Young)

    Our blog is going to start a little differently this week.  Normally we don’t start with a description of something unique we did in worship, a little demonstration, but we’ll start it this way this week.

    A twelfth grade science teacher was trying to teach her graduating seniors a life lesson.  So she pulled out a large jar and seemed to fill it with large rocks.  Then she had her students try to put a large container of pebbles in.  They shook the container and worked them in slowly and sure enough the full container held another large container of pebbles.  Then she challenged them to add a large container of sand, and sure enough it fit in as well with some effort.  Finally, a large pitcher of water was added and slowly it fit as well.

    The students were amazed, but the teacher assured them that it was sound science and a life lesson.  She asked them what was the Lesson to be learned?  “You can always squeeze more into your life” was what one student said.   The teacher said  NO.

    The teacher’s response was you must always put the big, important things in first. Because then the other things will fit in around it. But if I put the same amount of sand and pebbles and water in first, I would never have been able to get those big rocks to fit in.

    If you have ever taken a time management course, this is what they will tell you. Block out on your calendar what it most important to you, and THEN stick with your calendar.

    If we were to each take out our calendars and show them, we would see what is important to us.  It show alot about each one of us. Most of us, a few times a day say: “I don’t have enough time.” “I wish I had an extra day in the week.” But here is the truth: we all have the same 525,600 minutes.

    We know it because of that great song from “Rent.” And if someone came along and said: I’ll give you a 7 day all expenses paid vacation to the place of your dreams, I imagine most of us would somehow be able to open up 7 days in our schedule just like that! We all have stuff that we want to do that we know would be good for us, it would bring us joy, but we just don’t have the discipline to carve out the time.

    That thing is the big rock that is left sitting out on the table. What is that thing for you? What is the thing that is important to you, but not urgent, so it just keeps getting put off until next week or next year? Taking a class? Giving some time in service for something that is your passion?

    I would like to write a book. One of the steps I need to take to work toward writing a book, is to write a blog. I was actually a writing major in college. I like to write. I would like to write about some of our experiences here at The Village so that people in other cities and in towns even smaller than Toledo could benefit from what we have learned. But I don’t have time. I am a busy pastor and mother of two children.

     I think God wants me to write. I have been given a gift. And so this year in order to live my dream and to live the calling that God has for me, I have to take this big rock and put it in my jar first. Somehow the laundry and the bill paying and cooking will get done. No one is going to starve at our house. The important work for The Village will get done too. I just have to set my priorities and put first things first. And, I have to trust God. I have to start each day with prayer, or the wheels will come off the whole thing. You can count on that!

    Now, in addition to our time, and feeling like we don’t have enough of that, a few of us, well most of us, say these words once or twice a day: “I don’t have enough money!”  If I had X amount of money I’d be happy.

    I have felt that one this week. I have some friends who are taking MY dream vacation this week. I am ENVIOUS of my friends, because they are taking the vacation that I have been dreaming for years of taking with Kurt. We wanted to take it for our 10th anniversary which is now long past. Now we are just hoping to take it after the kids get through college. I don’t like to feel envious of my friends. I just want to be happy for them. They don’t have kids at home. They are in a different life situation. I want to enjoy the photos of their trip on FB without being jealous.

    So, I was thinking this week, about money and budgets, because Kurt and I were discussing what we will give to The Village for the next year. This week we are going to send out Commitment Cards and invite those of us who attend here regularly to make our annual commitments of our time and our money to support The Village. And I realized that for the amount we give to The Village every year, we could easily take that dream vacation.

    But we would not dream of taking this year’s money away from our church in order to take that trip. The Village is our priority.  We have our big rocks just like you have yours. We have to pay our utilities and mortgage. We pay to send Jamie to private school because we live in a neighborhood that has a public school that has one of the lowest ratings the in the city. Those are all big rocks and so is our giving to The Village. All the other things just have to fit in around those.

    So we will take a vacation this summer, but we will visit friends for most of it. And if you come to our house, you will see that it still needs painting. I think I mentioned that last year in this message. It doesn’t look that bad. We listened to Kristen’s challenge to “step up” our giving to The Village last week. We believe in what this church is about and so we have decided to give an extra $40 a month over what we gave last year. It’s not a huge amount, but every little bit helps The Village live out our mission. And, as always, we will give FIRST to The Village.

    That takes me to today’s scripture.  Perhaps you were wondering when I might get to The Bible. First fruits.   We heard four short scriptures today. I could have chosen many more, because the Bible is full of these references to this idea of “first fruits.” Now, of course, the Bible was written during a time when many of the people were farmers who lived off the land. I don’t think we have a single farmer who attends The Village. But maybe some of you have a vegetable garden in your backyard in the summer. Or maybe you grew up with grandparents who had a farm. I don’t know much about farming. But I’m told this is how it goes. At harvest time, there is a day when the first crop is harvested.

    You have worked REALLY hard to get to this day. REALLY HARD! And especially if it’s something good to eat, it’s a great day to enjoy the first fruit of that harvest.  These are the best of the best of the food in harvest.

    Well, people who love God, that’s us, and that’s the people we heard about today, from the books of Deuteronomy, Exodus, and 2 Chronicles, take the first fruits to their place of worship, and give them as an offering to God. So they would take their first baskets of wheat, or corn, or figs or whatever and give them up. It’s like giving up the first tomatoes off the vine and trusting that there will be more. You know, like you hope there won’t be a big hail storm that will destroy the rest of the crop.  That’s pretty trusting.

    The reason they did this, is because they understood that they were connected to the land. They understood that they would not have the crops if it were not for God. You see, all of creation belongs to God. We are just tenants. We are just caretakers of God’s creation. Remember? God gave us this Earth to take care of. It does not belong to us. We may THINK that we hold deeds to property, but God created the whole thing. Our legal deeds really don’t mean anything. It all belongs to God and God just blesses us by letting us use it.

    So when we get something, like the miracle of crops coming right out of the ground, it seems like magic to me, we are so grateful, that we thank God by giving some of us right back to God. In practical terms, they took it to the temple so it could be used for God’s work.

    In the 21st century it works like this. Most of us earn money, in one way or another. Again, we have jobs, or we get some sort of financial benefit, because we are children of God. We are blessed. But the money does not belong to us. Everything we have is a gift from God. We can keep it all. God gives us free will. God does not come take it from us. Or as Christians, we can choose to give our first fruits to God, because this has been our way for thousands of years.

    Now that we have electronic banking systems, it’s even easier, just as I pay my mortgage and my car payment on the first day of the month when I know my paycheck is going to be deposited into my bank account, Kurt and I choose to transfer money to The Village Church every time we get paid. Because It is a priority to us. It’s actually more important to us than a new car having the premium cable package. It’s definitely more important than going shopping for new clothes or going out to eat. So we send money to The Village first. And we only go out to eat if there is money left over.

    Remember how I said we can look at our calendars and see where our values are? Well we can look at our checkbook registers and see where our values are too. Now I am not talking about this to make anyone feel guilty.

    I just saw a study on CNN this week.  We live in America. We live in a consumer society. Until recently, statistics showed that most Americans spent 10% more each year than we earned. That is why we all had so much credit card debt.  So, if you feel like you don’t have money to give, you are in good company. You are part of our unhealthy consumer driven culture in the U.S.

    Here is the good news: it does not have to be that way. I heard a study on CNN this week that said for the first time in years, Americans are SAVING money. We are no longer spending more than we are making. If you need help getting out of debt and learning how to live within a budget, there are tools out there to help you.

    Last year, the Village offered Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University course last year in order to help us learn how to get out of debt. We can offer that sort of help again. Kurt and I took the class and it helped us.  It’s hard.  We live in a culture where buying and spending are the norm.  Saving and giving are counter cultural.

    We want to be a church of generous givers. We are giving you an opportunity in this next week to consider making a Commitment of your time and your money to The Village for the next 12 months. We are not a church that wants you to give because you feel guilty or because you feel pressured to give.

    We want you to give only if you feel can feel good about it. This church has already been a blessing to many. We have come this far because of the generous gifts of people who have believed in what we are doing, and people who have freely given their time and money to make this church a reality for you.

    Those of you who are attending regularly will receive a Commitment Card in the mail early this week. I invite you to pray about it and to consider making a commitment of your first fruits to The Village church. Come to church next week either way, because we want you all to come enjoy lunch with us next week. If you feel ready to make a Commitment of your time and/or your money, bring the card with you and turn it in next week. If you don’t feel ready to commit, there is simply a place where you can say you want to pray for the Village, fill that out and put it in the basket.

    Now, again, we’re not a faith community where we are going to check your financial statements versus your giving.  We give our time, our talents, our money and our service because we believe in what the Village and the wider Methodist and UCC churches are doing.  We ask that you consider doing the same.

    If you’re not a part of a faith community like ours, consider joining one.  Together we can do much more than separately.  If you’re near where the Anthony Wayne Trail and Conant Street come together in Maumee, come join us some Sunday @ 10:30 AM.  We are following Jesus and we will change the world.

HOPE: EVERYONE IS INCLUDED by Cheri Holdridge (with an assist by Kurt Young)

    Well, it has been an interesting couple of weeks if you pay attention to the news. Do you watch the news on TV? Or read the paper? (I know that’s really old school but I still like to do it.) Or do you get your news on line? (I know some of you are really tech savvy and probably do that.)

    Let’s see:

·    President Obama finally came out in favor of gay marriage.

·    NC passed one of the most restrictive laws against gay marriage we have ever seen; people are really up in arms about that one.

·    The John Edwards trial over his affair and all that continues to make news (someone in my family was a BIG fan of Edwards at one time).

·    A woman in Toledo was charged with killing her baby, after the baby was found in the freezer.

·    There was that man who killed a mother and one daughter, and then they finally found the other two little girls and the man shot himself when the police arrived.

·    Oh yes, the United Methodist every-four-year General Conference (an international meeting of our denomination) met down in Tampa. They talked about some big restructuring proposals and could not agree on one. They ended guaranteed jobs for clergy which was a HUGE deal (so I don’t have a job guaranteed anymore) . And they debated once again about whether or not it’s ok to be gay. We still came down 60-40 on that one. More later on that.

·    Lots of big news.

Some of it tragic.  Some of it just causing people to draw lines; I’m on one side and you are on the other.   Some are fuzzy or in the middle in the discussions. 

    I want you to keep all of these headlines in your mind as I introduce today’s theme. Remember we have been talking about our emphasis for this year at The Village: HOPE.  Hope grows in our Village community. We are using the four letters in the word HOPE to talk about what it means to live our live together as The Village.

                    Healing for our brokenness.
                    Openness to God.
                    Purpose for our Lives.
And today – Everyone is included.

When I ask you what is unique about The Village, one of the things that you would probably mention is that EVERYONE is welcome here.

    I have been thinking a lot about how to say that this week and what that means. Because you see, all churches say they are friendly. Just about every church at one time or another puts out on their sign: Everyone is welcome. And they sincerely mean it. But every church has a culture, and when you walk in, you know if you are part of that culture or not. Another way to think about it is the tribe.

    The tribe might be race, age, economic status, but most churches are pretty narrow in who is a part of that church.   You pull in the parking lot and the entire parking lot is filled with mini-vans with soccer stickers on them.  And when you walk in, and you are not part of that tribe, you know it and they know it right away.

    We try a little harder here at the Village to be broad in our welcome.   I think one way to put it is to say: “We DARE to welcome everyone.”  Or “We are BOLD in our welcome.”

    Sometimes I like to sit and think about who might want into our church and STRETCH our ability to be welcoming.  For example I wonder, if some of these people from the news this week walked in, would welcome them:

·    The people who supported the amendment in NC that prohibits gay marriage

·    How about the people who are unhappy that Obama came out in favor of marriage

·    How about that young woman who is accused of killing her baby? Could we be compassionate toward her, and hear her side of the story.

·    Would we welcome the people who love that man who killed those two little girls and offer them comfort?

·    Would we welcome people from United Methodist Church who voted against the church being accepting of gay marriage and the ordination of gay pastors? Could we sit down with them and try to help them understand our point of view? And listen respectfully to them?

·    If John Edwards and his girlfriend showed up here, or someone else who was cheating on their partner, would we welcome them?

    Hmmmm. So we say everyone is welcome. But do we really mean that?
Well, I don’t want to be too hard on us. We ARE BOLD in our welcome.

·    We do welcome LGBT folks who are not welcome in many other churches. This is an important ministry for us to provide in NW Ohio.

·    We have provided a safe place for folks who are in alcohol and drug recovery.

·    This is one of my favs: One Sunday, we probably had fifty people in worship and two of them had orange hair. One of them were 17 and the other was 70.  I love to tell that story because I wonder, what other church in Ohio had 4% of the congregation with orange hair AND nobody blinked!!

·    We have had women with us, who are pregnant and are not married, and we did not judge them, we simply welcome them and care for them.

·    Today we are hosting a Mother’s day luncheon and inviting women and children who have been affected by domestic violence. So, we do pretty well when it comes to boldness in our welcome. BUT there are always people who will stretch us. So when we say that we DARE to welcome everyone, we need to remember that God WILL challenge us. We do some incredible things, but God is going to send some folks to challenge.  And we need to be ready.

    Which brings me to today’s scripture.  The apostle Paul wrote this in a letter to the church at Rome. The book of Romans is an amazing book. It is chock full of great theology. (Don’t be intimidated by that word – theology – it just means – thoughts and words about God.)

    Listen again to some of the highlights of this scripture:
Romans 8:31-39
31-39So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ's love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture.

This is from the Message Translation, a paraphrase so the language won’t be exactly the same in other versions.  It’s more modern, more relevant.

    Now, of course, there are times when we feel like experiences in the world are trying to separate us from the fullness of life that God created for us. But God sent Jesus to create a connection between us and God.

None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. 
Paul writes: 
I'm absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.
This is some good theology.  Don’t LET ANYONE TELL YOU ANYTHING CAN SEPARATE YOU FROM GOD’S LOVE.  It’s right there.  

    John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement called it prevenient grace – the grace that goes before us. It’s the love that is at work in our lives even before we say “yes” to God. Of course it’s important for us to say “yes.” Even when we are children, and for some of us, long into adulthood, before we say “yes” to God’s love, God has already said “yes” to us. God is in love with us and God is at work in our lives trying to get our attention, even before we are paying attention. And nothing can separate us from God’s love. It’s just that we are choosing not to pay attention.

    This is why we believe so firmly here at the Village that everyone needs to feel welcome and “at home” when they walk through these doors. We do everything we can to make this place non-threatening. We give people some coffee and treats. We have music, and some flowers and candles on the table to make it feel like you’ve come to a party in our home. We don’t dress up, so if you don’t have nice clothes or you don’t like to dress up you don’t feel out of place (Kurt wears t-shirts and sweats all the time for this reason, ask him about why sometime and it’s not because the lawyer doesn’t have suits and ties). We want to make God’s love accessible.

    Well, United Methodist General Conference met week before last in Tampa for 10 days. Some things happened there that were kind of disturbing. I need to tell you about it, because we are family, and I want to be honest with family. As most of you know, we are a mission church of both the UMC and the United Church of Christ. We are connected to the UMC, because I am a UMC pastor. I grew up in this church. The UMC has some good theology. John Wesley was a rebel in his own day that got out there with the people on the edges and took the gospel message out into the world to some of the people that the established church was neglecting (for instance he preached in bars (never heard of such a thing) and on tree stumps outside of coal mines). That was what the Methodist movement was all about when it started.  That is one of many things I love that about Wesley.

    I’m not happy that the UMC still has not joined the United Church of Christ in being fully accepting of lgbt folks but we keep hoping that those 60-40% votes will turn, because 40% of the church is voting with us.

    Last week at the General Conf, there was a piece of legislation put forth to add to our Book of Discipline, which is our UM rule book. It was in the preamble to the “Social Principles” which includes our stance on a variety of social issues. They voted to add these words: “We affirm our unity in Jesus Christ while acknowledging differences in applying our faith in different cultural contexts as we live out the Gospel.  We stand united in declaring our faith that God’s love is available to all, that nothing can separate us from the love of God.”

    The first part of the statement was, I believe, meant to acknowledge that we are a diverse church. We are not of one mind. There have been many attempts to put something in the Book of Discipline,  stating that we are not of one mind around belief about homosexuality and other things. Those have all been defeated. We can’t seem to agree to disagree because that would give some weight to the position that you can be gay and Christian and those who believe that being anything other than heterosexual is a sin, cannot abide giving any room for any other position. 

    You may recognize that last phrase in the final sentence: “We stand united in declaring our faith that God’s love is available to all, that nothing can separate us from the love of God.” It’s a direct quote from Paul’s letter to the Romans, chapter 8.

    The motion passed at the General Conference and will be in our Book of Discipline. But this is the sad part. It barely passed and there was actual debate about whether or not to add it. And there was significant debate about whether to include those key words right out of scripture; “nothing can separate us from the love of God.”

    This message of God’s love and grace drawing us to God is pure Wesleyan theology. But, you see, one of the delegates stated that our belief and our practice can separate us from God and bring us to judgment. That seemed to be the crux of the matter (for that delegate at least), whether or not we are going to be a church that draws people to God with a message of grace or a message of judgment (Daily Christian Advocate, Vol. 4, No. 8, p 2448, May 2, 2012).  In that person and others minds, our beliefs and actions can separate us from the love of God.

    The amendment passed 56% to 44% which means that 44% of those voting at our General Conference, for whatever reason did not want to include these words in our UM rule book: “We affirm our unity in Jesus Christ while acknowledging differences in applying our faith in different cultural contexts as we live out the Gospel.  We stand united in declaring our faith that God’s love is available to all, that nothing can separate us from the love of God.”

    Now 56% voted for it, so thankfully, here at The Village we are still in the majority on that one. We can give thanks for that. And by the way, on the votes about making the church fully inclusive of LGBT folks, 40% voted with us, so we are not alone in that, we are just not the majority yet.

    What does all this mean for us? It means we keep doing what we are doing. We keep following Jesus. We keep being faithful. We dare to welcome everyone. But let’s don’t pretend that is easy, because we have our close knit tribe too. Someone could show up here in a suit and tie and feel really out of place. We need to welcome that person just as much as we welcome the person with ratty jeans and arms covered in tattoos. Everyone who dares to walk in that door is seeking the love of God, and nothing can separate us from the love of God. As the community called The Village we are called to welcome all and to be the love of God for everyone who comes here (and who can find out there in the community). So there can be NO EXCEPTIONS. God does not exclude us. So let us go and do likewise. Amen.

Purpose for our Lives by Cheri Holdridge (with an assist by Kurt Young)

    I wish I had time to sit down with each of you personally, but I don’t.  But , let me ask, do you know why God put you on this earth? Truly?  That’s what we’re going to look at as a part of our HOPE series, Purpose.  

    I think I know why God put me here. I have a personal mission statement. It gets tweaked a bit now and then but it goes something like this. My purpose in life is to lead others to know they are loved by God, and to help you claim your gifts and use them to live out your purpose for being on this earth. That’s why God put me here. And a few years back that led to me planting The Village Church as a vehicle for doing that.  We help people find God’s love and then live it out in the world.

    Well this is graduation season and I’ve been reflecting on purpose in life during this season. I’m willing to bet that there have been lots of commencement addresses about purpose – finding your purpose. Lots of smart people out there are telling lots of hopeful graduates – here’s what it takes to have a good life and be successful. I’m sure there are some great speeches being given and more will be given this month.

    This is what I would say.  Do you know what makes me most happy for someone? When they find their own purpose! I love it when I meet a person who has found their bliss, their calling, their place in this world.  They are so excited and certain.   There is no stopping that person. I am convinced that God wants each one of us to be that person. God wants each one of us to discover God’s purpose for our lives.

    A few days ago Becca and I went to go visit baby Avi and her mom Jessica. Jess was the first Village kids leader when we opened back in 2009. Jess is very special to my kids and to our family. She moved here with her husband from out west to do a doctorate at Wayne State. This week she will graduate with her PhD, and on Tuesday they will load up a moving truck and move to Logan Utah where she will teach at Utah State. When Becca and I hugged Avi good-bye yesterday I found myself silently giving Avi a little blessing. She is a happy little girl. Her parents love her very much. I want her to grow up knowing that she is a beloved child of God. As Becca played with Avi, I just found myself thinking about Becca and baby Avi.

    My daughter is turning 13 this week, which is a pretty big milestone. As I look at these two girls what I want for both of them, is for them to find their purpose in life. I want them to find their bliss.  Isn’t that what we all want? To know why God put us on this earth.

    I believe, without a doubt, that we all have a purpose. Maybe the way we live out that purpose gets tweaked a bit in different seasons, but I think we each have pretty much one clear God-given purpose. And I pray that little baby Avi, and that my daughter Becca, and my son Jamie will find their purpose. I pray that each of you will find your purpose. As I told you, I’m blessed to feel confident that my own purpose in life is tied to helping others claim their gifts from God and use them in the world to live out their purpose.

    Today’s scripture (Exodus 3 & 4 for those reading along on the net)  is just such a story of finding one’s purpose. Are you familiar with this story from the Old Testament? You may have heard about the part with the burning bush. God speaks to Moses in a bush that burns, but is not consumed. That is to say, the bush is on fire, but it does not burn up.

     If you don’t know that Bible background, let me give you a quick re-cap. Moses was born a Hebrew baby during a time when they were killing all the Hebrew babies. His mother hides him by sending him down the river in a basket and Pharaoh’s daughter finds him and saves him. Moses is then raised as an Egyptian in Pharaoh’s house as a child of privilege.

    One day Moses has had enough of how the Egyptians are treating the slaves, who are the Hebrews, his people. He gets into a fight and kills one of the Egyptian over-seers. He knows he’s in trouble so he flees. He goes to Midian, where he meets Jethro and marries one of his daughters. He works there for awhile. This is where we find our story for today. Moses is tending the sheep, and God comes to Moses and gets his attention with this bush. God says to Moses: “I have seen the affliction of my people. They are suffering. I need you to go down to Pharaoh and tell him to let my people go. In essence, God says to Moses: “This is it. I have put you on earth for something much more important that tending sheep. It’s time to do something important. Moses replies with a list of excuses.

    Do you know anyone who has ever done that? An opportunity comes along to do something great, and you just say: “Um, no, I don’t really think I am up to that. I’m not smart enough. I don’t think my parents, or my girlfriend or boyfriend would want me to do that. I don’t have the training, or the money to do that.” What other reasons might we give? Moses gave a whole bunch of answers
God just kept countering. God gave Moses a staff that would turn into a snake and then back into a staff. God told Moses what to call God.

When Moses said, “But God I can’t speak eloquently, I stutter,” God said, “You have a brother, Aaron, who can speak.”

    You see, when God gives us a big task,  we don’t even have to have all the skills. That’s why we have teams and why we have community. God gave Moses Aaron to be on his team. Aaron was part of the team and he had a purpose too.

    Finally Moses wore down, and accepted his calling. He chose to accept the purpose God laid out for him. And he became the leader that the people needed. He went to Pharaoh. He led the people out of slavery and into the promised land. But only because he was willing to listen to God and to submit to the idea that God had a purpose for him.

    So how does this play out in our own lives?   Do you know what your purpose is?  Maybe you have a hint, but maybe you’re trying to finalize the details. Well part of the Christian life is paying attention along the way to the markers God give us.

    Do you see that pile of stones in the picture? Some of you have been wondering what that picture is about. These man-made piles or stacks of stones have been used since ancient times as trail markers, also called cairns. Sometimes they are “placed at junctions or in places where the trail direction is not obvious, and may also be used to indicate an obscured danger, such as a sudden drop, or a noteworthy point such as the summit of a mountain. Most trail cairns are small, a foot or less in height, but may be built taller so as to protrude through a layer of snow. Hikers passing by often add a stone, as a small bit of maintenance to counteract the erosive effects of severe weather.”  ( Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cairn)

    I like to think of these markers as similar to the signs or signals God gives us along the way in our lives. God uses people and experiences to show us the direction God wants us to go. When an experience is positive, or when we learn something, or people seem to grow or benefit in some way from our presence, then this might be pointing us toward our purpose in life. This is a marker for us.

    If something just doesn’t seem right, then it’s a marker trying to guide away, and get us to head in another direction.  These trail markers are the experiences that point us in the direction toward or away from God’s purpose for our lives. Spiritual discernment is the messy process of learning to pay attention to these markers.

    You see a few years ago, it became clear to me, that I was put on this earth to plant The Village Church. It took at little while for me to be sure, but eventually the markers were all there and I began to see that everything in my life had brought me to this moment. I could look back and see experiences and situations since I was a teen-ager that had all come together to leave my job, take a step where there was no promise of having the money to pay my own salary, to be ready to take this leap.

    They had all formed me, and prepared me to be a church planter in the right place at the right time plant this kind of church in this setting. No one else was in a position to do it, and nothing could stop me from doing it. It was a God given calling. As I said, I had previously written a personal mission statement: to lead others to claim that they are beloved children of God and to use their gifts in the world. You can see how that purpose ties into planting a church can’t you?

    Well, let me tell you, it sounds clear now, but it was not so clear at the time. It came together in God’s time. But it was not easy when I was in the midst of discernment.  And it will not be so clear and easy for Avi and Becca. How many young adults do you know right now who are drifting from one thing to another, trying to find their focus? They don’t know what they want to do with their lives and you wish they would figure it out. Maybe you don’t know what you want to do with your life! And maybe you are not so young! It happens all the time. It’s hard to discover our purpose. So many other factors can get in the way. So many other people will try to tell us what we should do or be. So many extenuating circumstances can throw us off course at any age.

    The priest and prolific spiritual writer, Henri Nouwen, spent the last years of his life, working as a care-giver in the L’arche Community. He was the daily companion for a man with mental and physical disabilities named Adam Arnett. Now before he took this position, Nouwen had spent some time on Bolivia and Peru and contemplated living with the poor. Nouwen had been a university professor. He was sought after as a speaker and teacher. He could have had any number of jobs at prestigious universities. In the last years of his life he chose basically to be a direct care worker in a home for people with disabilities. He said Adam became his unlikely spiritual guide. Henri Nouwen often wrote about the spiritual state of brokenness and our need for God’s healing. He said that working in this community with Adam and others helped him look at his own brokenness and how we can find our way toward healing.

    Henri Nouwen found the purpose that God laid out for him. His work has made an impact on the spiritual lives of countless people across the world. More than 2 million of his books have been sold in more than 22 languages. I am sure there are people who thought Henri Nouwen was crazy for choosing that job and that life. But he knew this was God’s purpose for his life, and it was the most meaningful thing he could do.

    So how about you? Where are you in your discernment these days? Do you know your purpose and are you living it? Are you restless? Is God trying to speak to you and are you making excuses like Moses?  We’ve all been there, there is no shame.  Has it been a long time since you hear God speak, and it is time to try to re-open communications? There are probably people in this room at all of those stages, and others. That’s ok.  We are all on a journey and God just wants to be on the journey with us. But if you don’t feel you are living God’s purpose for you, then I encourage you to look a little harder for those trail markers, and seek out some companions who might help you pay attention to the signs.   There are people in our community here who will help you walk the trail with them, help lead you along the way. 

    We’re going to listen to the band play a song and then we’re going to take a few minutes to talk to the folks around us (come to the Village Facebook Page or this thread if you want for those following along at home)  about today’s message. I want to ask you to consider this question, if God sent you a trail marker today pointing you toward your purpose in life, and it had a big sign on it, what would be written on that sign?

    If you need some help finding a trailhead for this journey, think about stopping by the corner of Conant Street & the Anthony Wayne Trail at the Maumee Indoor Theater Sundays at 10:30 AM.  There are many folks here, on various trails, walking at many speeds, to walk with you.  Come join us. 

HOPE: OPENING OURSELVES TO GOD by Cheri Holdridge (with an assist by Kurt Young)

    Can you remember the first time you prayed?  I can remember saying the Lord’s Prayer in Sunday worship, and saying family prayers at the dinner table and bedtime prayers as a kid with my parents. But the first memories I have of some of my own more unique prayers of the heart were at church camp. I would usually be sitting in worship. There would be a time when the preacher would invite us to listen to God and what God had to say to us.

    I did not go to those sorts of camps where the preacher told us what God was saying and then had us repeat a one-size-fits-all-prayer of salvation so that we would be saved from going to Hell when we die. I’m not saying that a Prayer of Salvation is a bad thing. There are times when we need to turn away from bad decisions in our lives, and make a clear turn toward God.  I am all for that.

    But church camp was different for me. I grew up in a good home with parents and older sisters with values of compassion, justice and peace-making. The spirit of Jesus just seemed to hang out with us so I never felt I had to make a big turn away from my sin and toward God.   I am was a little confused as I didn’t fell like I had to turn away from any horrible things.

    And yet, these worship services at church camp, when the preacher would somehow lead us to a point of being in the presence of God, in a time of prayer, are times I can still remember, with feelings of great awe.  I can remember sitting in an open air tabernacle in Ceta Canyon, Texas, and beginning to hear my call to ministry at around age 17, and being overcome with emotion. There were not a lot of people in Ceta Canyon, Texas who thought a woman should be a minister.  But, there were a few though.  And I prayed and asked God to help me.

    I can remember being at another youth leadership camp in the Ozarks in Arkansas, sitting in the sanctuary and as we sang some songs, and took communion, and had time to pray in silence, I knew that I belonged to God and that God would see me through the perils of high school and all that drama.  That awkward time when you don’t fit in anywhere.

    Can you remember some of  your earliest memories of prayer? As a child, a teen, a young adult, or an older adult? How do you pray?

    In several periods of my life, I have returned to the Psalms, when I need to reconnect with God. Sometimes, I lose touch with God. I can’t really explain how it happens. I go in and out of seasons when my spiritual life has a rich harvest, and time when I am in a drought.  Gasp, say it isn’t so that the Pastor has those same down times.  I guess I just started a scandal in the church.

    Sometimes I am in a good rhythm; I get up every morning and get the kids off to school, and then I sit in my rocking chair with my cup of coffee. I light my candle to remind me of the presence of God, and I take my bible or some other inspirational reading, I take a journal to write in. Sometimes I start by sitting on the floor and doing some yoga stretches and meditative breathing just to clear my mind and be open to God. Then I read and write; I listen and pray. The LISTENING is the most important part, OPENING to God.   You see, I believe this OPENING to God is the source of our HOPE.

    Our theme for the year, and maybe beyond as this is something we need much more of,  is “Hope grows.” We want to see HOPE grow through The Village Church. Last week we started this series with H, healing for our brokenness; This week we are going to look at O, Opening ourselves to God;   Next week P, Purpose for our lives; and then  E- Everyone is included.

    So, today, we focus on “Opening ourselves to God” through the practice of daily prayer.  At various times in my life I have found the practice of praying the psalms to be a wonderful daily ritual. There are psalms that call me to count my blessings. There are psalms of deep lament that remind me that people throughout all generations have suffered, but have still put our trust in God. Those are some of my favorites.

    If you think you don’t really know how to start praying, then using the psalms for your daily prayers is a great place to start.  Consider this psalm for today.  It was the one we used in worship. Psalm 46:

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult.

This Psalm is written by someone with some hard stuff going on in life. The world is changing, it feels like mountains shaking and it sounds like the sea water roaring. This person is crying out to God for help.  Anyone having things like these in their lives?

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High.
But there is the comforting river where God lives and where we can rest in God.

God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved; God will help it when the morning dawns.

The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter;  God utters God’s voice, the earth melts.

The Lord of hosts is with us;

the God of Jacob is our refuge.

Come, behold the works of the Lord; see what desolations God has brought on the earth.

God makes wars cease to the end of the earth; God breaks the bow, and shatters the spear; God burns the shields with fire.

Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.”

    This phrase is a powerful call to us. Be still in the presence of God.  When pastors get ordained in the West Ohio conference we’re asked to have a banner made for us by our home congregation.   We process, parade, into a huge auditorium together.  My kids love to watch them go in every year.   Most candidates put some significant scripture on it. It has those words: “Be still and know that I am God.”

    I chose those words 22 years ago, because I knew that it was important for me to remember then, and it’s still important for me to remember now, to take time and to find space to open myself up to the presence of God, and to listen.

    To Be still is very counter cultural.  Can you imagine your boss telling you, go away, be still, and center?  It just doesn’t happen.  But this is the way of Jesus – he was always finding ways to be still.  He would speak to thousands, heal dozen, but he would always go away and pray.
    Why don’t we do this? What blocks us?  The answers from our worship service were the same ones we came up with in our home:
-    Don’t have time
-    Don’t know how
-    Never done it before

    Why would we even try to do this?  We hopefully take the time to take care of our bodies.  We eat, we sleep, we bathe, we change our clothes, maybe we exercise.  Because when we open ourselves to God, on a daily basis, we grow closer to God. It’s just that simple. We know this. We know that you can’t have a connection to anyone or anything without intentional time and attention. God is no different from your mother, or your child, or some goal in life, in that respect. The relationship that gets our attention grows stronger.

    Why wouldn’t we want to get strength from God, who made us, who created the world, and who is the source of all love and strength and goodness in the world? We would be crazy NOT to give a chunk of time to listening to God every day.

    How can we do this?  This isn’t rocket science.  You know this, as you took the time to come to worship or read this.  It’s about making it a priority and you are right now.  You have to make it a priority. That’s the first step.  The next step is to get others in our life who affect our scheduling have to respect this priority; my children and my husband understand that I need my quiet time. Then need theirs too.

    I  put it on my daily schedule; so that I will try to remember not to schedule over it. Be flexible about the time of day. You don’t have to pray first thing in the morning. One summer I had a rich season of prayer, sitting on my front porch every evening around 10 p.m. You could pray on your lunch hour if you can find a quiet spot and you will protect that time.

    Find others who are able to help you and make you accountable.  How can we help one another do this? It never hurts to have an accountability partner. I go see our Spiritual Director, Sr. Breta, once a month. She keeps me accountable. There was a time in my life when I had a prayer partner. We met for lunch once a week, and checked in to see how we were both doing with our prayer life. We had both been on a spiritual retreat together and part of the follow up commitment was that we would have this accountability with someone, to help us keep the commitments that we really wanted to keep.

    Then the question becomes how will we do it?  Well, if you are completely satisfied with your daily practice of prayer, and you feel really centered and connected to God all the time, that’s great. In fact, if you are that person, let me know because I would like to learn from you.  Let’s schedule lunch and we’ll talk about how you can teach me.

    But they call it a daily practice of prayer, but we never “get it right.” We are always growing and deepening our connection to God. And prayer is an essential entry point for doing that.  You were here or reading this later because you want a relationship with God.

    Opening ourselves to God is where this all starts: finding time and space, to set aside everything else in the world, and listen and watch for God. You see God wants to speak to us; God wants to gently guide our lives in a small voice.  Sometimes God wants to give us a big kick in the pants. But we have to open ourselves to God.  What usually works best for me is to take some time each morning, in the quiet. I do some simple ritual to remind me that this is my time with God. I’m not just “praying on the run” as I drive down the street. Yes, sometimes I do that, but it’s really not giving God my full attention.

    So my ritual is usually lighting a candle. Then I take some deep breaths, and clear my head of the to-do lists for the day, and just listen for God. Eventually I may take out my journal and write my worries to God – and try to let go of them.

    Also, I write my dreams – so that God can help me make them come true.

When I go through seasons of doing this faithfully every day, you’ll be able to tell. I will be more centered, and calm. You will be able to tell.

    I must confess to you that I have not been in my best season of prayer in recent weeks. I have let the overwhelming tasks of launching in this new location get the best of me. Some of you may have noticed I’m a bit frazzled. But I saw my spiritual director, Sr. Breta, on Friday and I told her I’m preaching this sermon today. She really let me have it.

    She said, “So you’re going to preach a lie.” You’re going to tell them that praying every day, to stay centered, is essential to the life of a Jesus follower, and yet you are not making time and space for that. “Well,” I said, “There HAVE been seasons in my life when I have prayed well. So it’s not exactly a lie.” Let me tell you that such arguments do not get you far with a spiritual director who has known you for almost 20 years.

    She’s right of course.  So today I prayed. And tomorrow I am going to start praying the Pslams, using this plan that we will be giving you on the Village website. If you’ll do it too, then you can hold me accountable. You can e mail me or chat with me on FB about the psalm for the day.

    We are growing HOPE here at The Village. And the more we open ourselves to God, with intentional time and space for prayer, the more our hope will grow and spread over this whole city. So I urge you to find that time and space. And let me know how it goes. I want to hear about it.

    I believe this is true: HOPE really does grow, when we open ourselves to God. If you want to be part of a Community where Hope Grows, come join us at the Village Church.  We’re at the Maumee Indoor Theater on Sundays at 10:30 AM, at the corner of the Anthony Wayne Trail and Conant Street in Maumee and in the world the rest of the week.  

Hope: Healing for Our Brokenness by Cheri Holdridge (with an assist by Kurt Young)

   So here we are: a new church. And when you are something new, everyone wants to know who are you are. What are you about?  What is your message?

     We have spent a great deal of time trying to hone in on what our message is. Because you see there are plenty of churches out there. And people ask me: why start a new one when there are already so many? But to be honest, my husband and I wanted to start a new church, because there was not a church in NW Ohio that really met the needs of our family.   There wasn’t yet the church that wasn’t quite right for our children, our family, our beliefs.

    And we knew lots of other people that were not connecting with the existing churches. So we prayed, and listened to God. And God led us to plant this church. To create the Village Church a few years ago.

    You see, this is what we discovered.   We need HOPE.   Other people are looking for HOPE too. Everywhere we turn, people are searching for HOPE.  All over, people are trying to fill ourselves up with all sorts of things, because we feel empty inside. What we need is HOPE.

    All over the place, people are trying to find a way out of emptiness.  We are trying to shop our way out of the emptiness, eat our way out, use drugs, alcohol, or sex; we try to work ourselves out, to find success as a way out of the emptiness but it is still there.  The Beatles even sang a song about it: HELP!  “Won’t you please help me?”

    What we are all searching for is a sense of contentment. We want wholeness. We want to know we are OK, just the way we are. We want healing from the things that ails us. You see we all have some basic sense of discontent. It just seems to be human nature. I don’t know why we don’t feel good enough, or smart enough or rich enough. We always want to be more of something.

    Some of us feel this way because something has happened to us and we are hurting. We need to let go. Some of us feel this way because we are just naturally driven. But we all seem to be longing for something we don’t have.

    Jesus came into this world to show us, that we can be content, we can be content when we invite God to take the lead in our lives. We can rest easy when we accept the premise that God made us and God loves us just the way we are. God loves us.  We don’t have to prove anything. And whatever we have done, or whatever has happened to us, it’s ok. God can make us whole again. God can heal us. Our hope comes, when we accept this healing from God, when we accept God’s love.

    The Village is a community where we come together week after week, to find healing, and then to grow HOPE in our world, not just among ourselves, but among other people in our community and world.

    We come together to hear the ancient stories and connect them to our lives. Today, we have a great story from scripture about hope and healing (Acts 3:1-11 from The Message for those following along on the Internet). This is actually the first account of some of Jesus’ disciples doing an act of healing, after Jesus was gone, and had left them in charge of the ministry.
    Peter and John were going to the temple in to pray. There was a man, who had been crippled from birth. It was customary that men like this would sit by the temple gates to beg for money or food. This man was there every day. I imagine Peter and John had walked by him many times before. But on this day, they stopped.

    I think about myself when I read this story, and how I am often so focused on one thing, that I do not stop to see a need that God puts right in front of me. How ironic that they might have been so focussed on going to PRAY, that they could have walked right past one of God’s children in need. (How often does that happen to us?) But the man asked them for money, and they stopped.

    Then, the story says, Peter looked the man “straight in the eye.” That’s important. There was a connection.  Some how the man got Peter’s attention.  The man was hoping for a few coins, so he could buy a little food, and get through another day. This was his routine. This was his life, just getting by, one day at a time.

    But Peter was being used as an instrument of God. He had something much more in mind that day.  Peter looked at the man and said, ‘I don’t have a nickel to my name, but I’ll give you something better. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.” And he took the man’s hand and lifted him up and the man who had never walked a day in his life stood up and walked. Not only that but so the story goes, we’re told the man started dancing and praising God! And he went into the Temple telling the story.

    Now that is a story of HOPE! That is a story of life restored!   Now here is what I LOVE about this story. The man was asking for a few coins.  It shows us, that so often, we have learned to settle for so little, but God wants to give us so much more!

    Maybe long ago the man had prayed for healing and the ability to walk, but he had given up on that, so he had resigned himself to sit at the Temple gate every day and just beg for a few coins so he could just get some bread to eat, and get enough nourishment to get there the next day and do the whole thing over again.

    But Peter and John broke that cycle by using the power of God to give the man so much more. I wonder how many other lives were touched by that one man as he went and told his story to his friends, and witnessed to the healing power of God.     This story reminds me of so many people whose lives are touched by God, and because they do not limit the power of God, God uses them to work wonders.

    Perhaps you know the story of the young girl named Agnes, born in Albania in 1910. She knew by the time she was 12 years old that she wanted to give herself to a religious life, as a Roman Catholic nun. When she got her calling to serve the poorest of the poor in Calcutta, she faced huge obstacles from the church hierarchy. They did not want her to answer her call. They did not think she could do it. But she persevered. At the time of her death in 1997, Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity had grown to include 4000 sisters, operating 610 missions in 123 countries, giving HOPE and comfort to countless people across the world. When she faced obstacles to living out her call, she could have given up, but she did not. She gathered her strength, and got back in there and trusted God to show her the way. She did not give up hope. And God gave her the resources she needed.

    When I think of people who overcame great personal tragedy to bring HOPE to others, I also think of Candace Lightner. Her 13 year old daughter, Cari, was killed by a drunk driver in 1980. Candace could have stayed at home, broken and grieving for the rest of her life. And who would have blamed her? But instead, Candace founded the organization Mothers Against Drunk Driving to advocate for tougher laws for those who drink and then get behind the wheel. She turned her tragedy into healing and HOPE for other families; to make the world a safer place for others. Somewhere along the way, I imagine that God must have used a servant, like God used Peter and John, to reach into Candace Lightner’s sorrow, and to say to her, “Don’t settle into your sorrow. Do SOMETHING to bring HOPE to others.”

    Both of these women could have given up. But they did not. They dug deep inside, and found the strength and choose HOPE.

    So how about you? Now, we may not all have something from which we need to be healed that is extreme as the man who was crippled from birth, or the woman whose daughter was killed by a drunk driver. We may not all have to stand up to a powerful institution in order to live out our calling.

    But I would venture to say that we all need help or healing from something. Because, as we know, there are no perfect people. We are all flawed, injured, or challenged in some way. We all have something to get beyond, so that we can live into the joyful, whole life God wants for us.   God wants joy for us.

    We find our HOPE, when we can find healing, or acceptance, or come to terms with these flaws or set-backs in our lives, and move on.

    We all have some sort of brokenness: whether it is an injury, or some sort of self doubt, a loss, or regret. We might not even be able to name our deepest need, like the man in the Bible story for today. We might be asking for a hand out to get by today, when God is ready to help us stand up on our own two feet and dance. We may have forgotten what our real hope is – because it has been so long! That’s ok too. God knows our hearts. God can set us free.

    So Today, in response to this story, I want to invite each of us to respond to this story today, by asking for prayer for healing. I want to challenge you to take a step forward into the life God has laid out for you. We’re going to do this in a simple and concrete way.

    In worship some of your Village friends, who are comfortable praying for you have volunteered to be around the worship space. I invited people to go walk up to them, and ask for prayer. It did not have to be complicated.

    For those following along at home or on the road, you can do this by commenting on this blog or emailing Cheri (or Kurt).   You can just say: “I want prayer for healing, or for strength.”  Or you can name the thing you want healing for. And we are going to pray for you. We will ask God to bring hope and healing to your life situation.

    Because here is the thing: there is power in praying together in community. We bring hope to one another. When we name our brokenness out loud, and ask God to heal us, God will heal us, in some way. It may not always be in the way we expect, but I do believe God will bring us healing in some way.

    You see, God is our HOPE. And God wants to bring hope to our broken lives. So take some time now to listen to your own heart. Ask yourself “what do I truly need to let go of? From what do I need to be healed?” If you want to do this face to face, we’re here every Sunday at 10:30 at the Maumee Indoor Theater (the corner of Conant Street and the Anthony Wayne Trail).  We’re imperfect, broken people, but together we have Hope and we can change the world.