Sermon - What It Takes To Be Saved, by Pastor Ruth Foss, Suncook United Methodist Church, March 18, 2012

March 18, 2012
Fourth Sunday of Lent
Worship Theme: Amazing Grace!
Psalm 107:1-3
2 Chronicles 36:22-23
Ephesians 2:4-10
John 3:14-21
(All Scripture is from the NRSV Bible)

“What It Takes To Be Saved”

The Lord be with you
And also with you
Let us pray. . .

Eternal God, giver of sight to the blind, we thank you for Your ancient words that have stood the test of time. We thank you that You give us a guide for our lives, a road map on this journey of faith and trust. Open Your scriptures to us so that we may understand eternal things. Help us to see the places where we are blind and illuminate our path so that we may follow Your will for our lives. Dispel the darkness around us so that we may see the light of Your truth. Speak Lord; Your children are listening. . .

What it takes to be saved. . . this statement makes me think about a time when I was about 10 or 11. I grew up across the street from a YWCA and they had an indoor pool. My brother and I used to go there a lot. It was great having this pool right across the street and you would think that I would have been like a Mark Spits swimmer by the age of 10 but I wasn’t. Water always sort of frightened me. I liked the fact of having the feel of the bottom on my feet.

One day while my brother and I were at the pool he thought it would be fun if he threw me into the “deep end”. Well it wasn’t too much fun for me. . . remember, I couldn’t swim. I remember somersaulting down towards the bottom thinking to myself “what am I going to do, I can’t swim?” The next thing I remember is the life-guard pulling me up to the top. I was so happy that he was there, close enough to grab me as I sunk to the bottom. He took his job seriously and made sure all the people that swam in this pool would be saved. If that life-guard wasn’t there. . . I don’t know what would have happened. I am so thankful that he saved me.

Our God too is in the practice of saving people and He too takes “His job”. . . no His desire seriously. God has always wanted to protect His creation called humanity. We hear about it throughout the bible. Stories about God coming to the rescue are read throughout the Old and New Testaments.

For instances. . . in the 2 Chronicles Scripture from this morning , we hear about how the God of compassion saved His people through King Cyrus from their bondage. It was the Lord who stirred Cyrus’s spirit to let His people go. King Cyrus even was charged to build Him a house in Jerusalem for God’s people to “go up” to. God uses many amazing ways to show His compassion. He even uses you and me to show His love. . . to share His hope and to live by His peace. What amazing grace He has shown. . . what amazing grace we should share with one another. . .

Another such instance is in the letter to the Ephesians which part of that letter we heard read this morning. God’s grace is something that we can’t earn. It is freely given to you and to me. No amount of work. . . no amount of good deeds can be paid to receive this gift of love. The only thing that is our part in this wonderful equation is we have to have faith. God does the rest. Through this love and compassion. . . through this gift, our hearts are stirred, like Cyrus’s heart, to do the work we are called to do for the kingdom. It is not by our agenda but by God’s agenda that we do things. . . He even uses you and me, through this gift, to share this grace with others. . . this undeserved, unmerited, mind-boggling, amazing grace. What amazing grace He has shown. . . what amazing grace we should share with one another. . .

But the most amazing part of this gift is that while we wereand still are sinners, God gives this miraculous gift. How do we know this? Well. . . let’s read John chapter 3 verses 24-21 to find our proof of this claim. Remember. . . God’s word is true and it is the same yesterday as it is today and will be tomorrow. . . It can be found on page 968 in the pew bible this morning. . .

‘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. . . that’s inclusive, that’s staggering, that’s wondrous love. . . a dark world saved by 1 cross and 3 nails. . . forgiven and redeemed.

This is God’s work of reconciling us to Him. . . reconciling all of humanity. But how do we honor this gift? We are given this gift from God even though we are sinners but do we share this gift of amazing grace with those around us? Do we decide or does God decide what we want is more important that what God calls us to be? Do we do things in the name of God and the church that really is not what God would want, how Christ would have us be? Do we, as Christians, do things that are more on the dark side of life as an alternative to what is done in the light? When our “deeds” are seen will it clearly seen they are from God or our own egos and self-empowerment?

Church. . . beloved Children of God. . . we, as the church of God. . . as Christians really need to get this one right. We need to show the world around us the light of Christ. We need to be that reflection of Christ in the mirror of the world. We need to show a better way of life. . . a better way of being in relationship with others. . . We...you and I. . . need to search our hearts. We need to look deep down at why we do what we do. We need to be sure that what we do. . . our deeds. . . when seen in the light shine like the noon day sun. . . kind of like when light shines off of a diamond. The light reflects radiantly and gives a most beautiful display of colors and hues. . . we too will shine with the colors and hues of God’s amazing grace.

As I have said many time on this journey to the cross we are taking. . . this is a time of reflection and a time of change. . . this is a time that we can draw closer to God and the grace of the cross. We have a God of new beginnings. As our God’s mercies are new each day, let us begin a new today as we come nearer to our destination. . . the cross of our Risen Lord Jesus Christ.

AMEN!

March 22, 2012
John 3:16
John 3:14-21 (NRSV)
Ephesians 2:4-10 (NRSV)
2 Chronicles 36:22-23 (NRSV)
Worship Theme: Amazing Grace!
Call to Worship (Psalm 107:1-3) (NRSV)
Unison Prayer (Lectionary Worship Aides © 2002)
Prayer of Dedication (John 3:14-21 GBOD 2012)
Special Music: “Hymn of Promise”, UMH #707 (Choir/Sacred Dancers)
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Hymn: “This Is a Day of New Beginnings”, UMH #383 (Revelations 21:5)
and Message for Children
and sermon, “What It Takes To Be Saved”
by Pastor Ruth Foss
https://twitter.com/PastorRuthFoss
http://www.facebook.com/pastorruthfoss
http://www.ahandmaidenofthelord.blogspot.com
http://pastorruth.posterous.com/
A Handmaiden of the Lord
http://www.suncookumc.org
Suncook United Methodist Church
http://www.suncookumc.org
http://facebook.com/groups/136632035559/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Suncook-United-Methodist-Church/102221356487965
Suncook, NH
Fourth Sunday in Lent
March 18, 2012

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 21,130+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.