Seventeenth Sunday of Kingdomtide
Worship Theme: Love
1 Corinthians 12 Gods Word Bible
Genesis 2:21-24 ESV Bible
Matthew 5:1-10 ESV Bible
I Can Just Feel The Love!
Good Morning! This is a special Sunday in our church today. It is a day all about Love! It is a day that we will be celebrating the love of Al and Diane. It is a day when we can think about the vows we may have said to another. It is a day when we can think about what love really means.
There are so many definitions of love that it can be very confusing. People over use the word so it has lost it’s true meaning, it’s essence. We love our homes. . . our cars. . . TV show and the like but what is true love. . . what does it look like?
I think the true example of love is the love our Lord and God have for us. Scripture tells us that God is love and in what He has done for creation and humanity down through the ages shows us that. John 3:16 tells us that “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son.” His only Son. . . how many of us love someone so much that we would give up our child for them?
God has loved His human creation since the beginning of time. He loved them so much that He walked in the cool of the evening with them. God even loved them so much that when they disobeyed Him He didn’t destroy them but instead made clothing for them to wear. When humanity had made God sorry for creating them and He decided to destroy what He had made, He saved a whole family of them. . . Noah and his family. . . so that they could begin a new life after the flood. . . a new beginning. And when He realized that humanity could not, on their own, redeem themselves from sin, He sent His son so that Humanity could have a renewed and forgiven relationship With Him. Now that’s what I call LOVE.
There is a very beautiful passage of Scripture that I believe provides great advice for those who are entering a marriage covenant as well as a relationship with another person. Be it friendship, working relationship, parenthood or even dealing with others we may not like. Indeed, it contains sound advice for all of us to follow in our daily walk of life.
It is the Scripture I just read from 1 Corinthians, in what is often called “The Love Chapter of the Bible.” But as beautiful as it is, it is not about romantic love. The love of which Paul speaks is of a behavior we exercise even when we do not feel loving or lovable.
Listen to Paul’s words. In vs. 4 he says, “Love is patient, love is kind.” Sometimes you will be stressed out. Sometimes you will be frustrated. “Love is patient & kind.” Sometimes you might want to give harsh criticism when others do something foolish or hurtful. “Love is patient & kind.”
Second, Paul tells us that “Love is not jealous or boastful.” Sometimes we try to make ourselves look better than we really are. We may even criticize others to make us feel better about ourselves. Our competitive spirit may get the best of us, & we try to prove that we are better, smarter, more professional, even more talented than those around us. Such selfish behavior in a relationship will prove to be unproductive, even destructive. Instead, we need to be proud of those around us, build them up, learn to praise them for their unique gifts.
Paul’s next advice is to avoid arrogance & rudeness. Paul knows that sometimes we treat those we love with less courtesy even than a stranger. We may take others for granted. Occasionally we may be rude to them in private. Even worse, we may be rude to them in public. Paul would urge that we strive to treat others with reverence & respect just like we would want them to treat us.
Of all the ideals that Paul holds up before us, this next one may be the hardest. “Love does not insist upon its own way.” Such behavior is present in most relationships. But it is not helpful. Relationships are intended to be a journey filled with compromises. If we are willing to compromise; if we are willing to respond to the wants & needs of the others, & not just our own, then the world. . . our relationships will be much more peaceful & productive. . . “Me” & “My” need to give way to “We” & “Ours.”
Paul goes on to say that love “does not rejoice in wrong but rejoices in right.” This means that we should have strong principles & a sense of justice. We should care about the welfare of those around us who are vulnerable. We should celebrate when life is victorious, when love wins out over hate, & when forgiveness wins over resentment.
Paul sums up his beautiful description of love with these words, “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.” In other words, love never gives up. It hangs in. It holds on. You and I can count on it. This is the type of love we are to have for one another - love that can be trusted.
My prayer for you and me, for humanity, is that we all will continue to grow in love - love for one another, love for God, & love for our neighbor. If we do this, we will not only have blessed marriages and relationships, we will have a blessed life.
Amen
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September 23, 2012
Worship Theme: Love
1 Corinthians 13 (GOD’S WORD Translation Bible)
Genesis 2:21-24 (English Standard Version Bible)
Matthew 5:1-10 (English Standard Version Bible)
Call to Worship (Song of Solomon 1:14-17 and 2:1 (Common English Bible))
Unison Prayer
Pastoral Prayer by Pastor Ruth Foss
Prayer of Dedication
Message for children
by Pastor Ruth Foss
and sermon – “I Can Just Feel The Love!”
by Pastor Ruth Foss
https://twitter.com/PastorRuthFoss
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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
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Suncook, NH
September 23, 2012
Sixteenth Sunday of Kingdomtide
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