November 23, 2014
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
Sermon Series:
The I Am Statements of Jesus
Sermon 8 of
Series:
“I Am the Vine”
Thanksgiving
Service
Psalm 95:1-6 CEB
Psalm 107:29-32
CEB
John 15:1-8 CEB
Matthew 7:16-20
CEB
“Just
Plain Thankful!”
Let us pray. . . Pray
for the Spirit’s leading and that God’s word would be heard. . .
Good
morning. Well here we are. . . I can’t believe that Thanksgiving is only 4 days
away. The time has passed so fast. It seems like just yesterday we were
celebrating Easter. Now here we are at the holiday that we give thanks for all
that God has done and provided for us. We are at a time when we gather with
friends and family to celebrate another year of God’s goodness and mercy.
Over
the past couple weeks I have been thinking a lot about how God has provided for
me and my family. I have been thinking about how God has been there for me
giving me strength and hope. It has been a difficult time with my mom and God
has given me so much in order to endure and be that “adult in the room” when I
thought that there was no way for me to do that. I am thankful for His mercy
and grace. I have hope because through it all Jesus has been with me as I have
drawn closer to Him. As long as I have been drawing closer to Him by spending
time with Him I have felt ever closer to Him. “For a time such as this” God has
prepared me. . . strengthened me. . . so that I can be His hands of healing. .
. His feet of purpose. . . His voice of comfort. As the Psalm that I read this
morning resounds. . . I am just plain thankful that God is the one who is in
control and I need not fear. . .
We,
as Christ followers, have a hope and can be thankful that He is always with us.
Even in the tough times. . . those desert times. . . we can identify with the
Psalmist in Psalm 107:29-32:
29 God quieted the storm
to a whisper;
the sea’s waves were hushed.
30 So they rejoiced
because the waves had calmed down;
then God led them to the harbor they were
hoping for.
31 Let them thank the
Lord for his faithful love
and his wondrous works for all people.
32 Let them exalt God
in the congregation of the people
and praise God in the assembly of the
elders.
So. . . what happens as we draw closer
to Jesus? What are the benefits of staying close to Jesus? Why would we even
want to stay close to Jesus? Well. . . I think one of the benefits of drawing
closer to Jesus can be found in His last of the I Am statements in the Gospel of John. Jesus states in John 15:1-8:
15
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vineyard keeper. 2 He removes any of
my branches that don’t produce fruit, and he trims any branch that produces
fruit so that it will produce even more fruit. 3 You are already trimmed
because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in
you. A branch can’t produce fruit by itself, but must remain in the vine.
Likewise, you can’t produce fruit unless you remain in me. 5 I am the vine; you
are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, then you will produce much
fruit. Without me, you can’t do anything. 6 If you don’t remain in me, you will
be like a branch that is thrown out and dries up. Those branches are gathered
up, thrown into a fire, and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain
in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is
glorified when you produce much fruit and in this way prove that you are my
disciples.”
We can be thankful that because of Jesus
and His words that are spoken in the assembly of God, as we draw close to Jesus
He will draw close to us. . . as we remain in Jesus He will remain in us. How awesome and faith-giving is that? If we
draw close to Jesus. . . as we turn to Him in those times of trouble He is with
us and helping us through. We can feel the presence of the Vine as we work in
the vineyard. But if we decide to not remain in Jesus. . . well, we can do
nothing. . . we dry up and wither just like the branch of a tree does if it is
cut from the strong, life giving trunk. . .
Jesus also states in Matthew 7:16-20:
16“You
will know them by their fruit. Do people get bunches of grapes from thorny weeds,
or do they get figs from thistles? 17 In the same way, every good tree produces
good fruit, and every rotten tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t
produce bad fruit. And a rotten tree can’t produce good fruit. 19 Every tree
that doesn’t produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. 20
Therefore, you will know them by their fruit.”
We are known by our fruit. . . people
know that we are disciples of Christ by what we do and say. We are given the
name Christian because we act and speak as Christ.
This reminds me of something that Rick
Hill said in our Thanksgiving letter about the Saints of this church. These
saints lived their lives on and in the vine of Jesus. They showed others who
Christ is by the lives that they lived. These are the ones who made Stetson
Memorial UMC what it is. . . a hope and
life giving church. We owe a debt of thanks to God and to them because of their
service and love.
We are all saints in Christ but these
saints stood out in the world in which they lived and still live. They have
left us a legacy to continue the good work and bear fruit that they began so
long ago. They gave their tithes and their service to Christ so that His work
could be continued. As we remain in the vine we become so thankful that we too
want to produce good fruit. . . we too want to leave a legacy to those who are
with us and those who will come after us. As the world sees us producing good
fruit they will give thanks to God for His goodness and mercy in and through
us.
But. . . there are many “disciples of
Jesus” who don’t produce that fruit that lasts. They produce worldly fruit in
their lives instead of eternal fruit that gives glory to God. They have
forgotten the legacy that was left to them from the saints in their own lives.
They have broken away from the vine and now are withering in the chaos of the
world. They may think that they are producing fruit of heaven but in reality
they are producing the rotten fruit of the world. Like all fruit. . . one bad piece can make the whole bunch go bad. That
is why when we find the bad fruit we throw it out to preserve the good that is
left. . .
We have so much to be thankful for.
We are thankful to God for all that He has done. . . is doing. . . and will do
in the future in our lives. We can be thankful to the saints that have gone
before us who have showed us how to produce that fruit that lasts. We can be
thankful that they remained in the vine. . . remained in Jesus. . . and gave of
their lives so that others may have. We can be thankful of their gift of faith
that they shared in a world full of chaos and hopelessness. And we can show our
thankfulness by taking their example in life and life it out in our own.
Life on the Vine may be hard. . . and
we may be asked to do things that may cause us fear of the unknown but as we
remain in the Vine we are provided for with abundance. How do you want to be
remembered? As one who gave or one who took? What will we do with the legacy
that was left for us? These are tough decisions but they are ones that have to
be made. Perhaps as we remember those saints in our lives we will be encouraged
to model our lives as they did. Maybe, just maybe, if we, as disciples of
Christ, begin to live more fully on the Vine we too will be remembered for our
fruit we produced in our lives and for the lives of others. Just think about
the lives we would live as we lived a fruitful life on the vine being nourished
and cared for by the Master Gardner our God and King. Let us leave a legacy for
those who come after us. . . a legacy that can only be found living on and
through the Vine of our Risen Lord, Jesus Christ. My question to you today is
this. What will you and I be remembered for? The choice is ours to make. What
will you choose?
Let
us pray. . . pray about living in and on the Vine. . .
Amen!
====
November 23,
2014
Thanksgiving
Sunday
Christ the
King Sunday
Fall Sermon
Series: The I Am Statements of Jesus
Sermon 8 of
Series: “I Am the Vine”
Psalm 95:1-6
Psalm
107:29-32 CEB
Matthew 7:16-20
CEB
John 15:5
John 15:1-8
(CEB)
children’s
message
– mystery box
–
newborn diaper
and a pacifier
sermon – “Just
Plain Thankful“
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
sermon blog
meditation
blog
“God’s
Whisper” blog
Stetson Memorial
United Methodist Church
Thanksgiving
Sunday
Christ the
King Sunday
November 23,
2014
&
laity led
worship service
Call to
Worship:
Psalm 100
Romans 12:1-8
Ephesians
2:8-10
children’s
message
– mystery box
– a set of keys and some jewelry
“the key to
the kingdom, the crown of life”
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
and
sermon – “The
One Thing”
Luke 10:38-42
story of Mary
and Martha
John 11:1-44
John 12:1-11
Luke 10:40
Luke 10:38
Proverbs 31
by Ellen
Alward Dickinson
Stetson Memorial
United Methodist Church
November 16,
2014
&
Fall Sermon
Series: The I Am Statements of Jesus
Sermon 7 of
Series: “I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life”
John 14:1-17
(NIV)
Acts 4:12
(NIV)
children’s
message
– mystery box
–
sermon – “Show
Me the Way. . . “
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
sermon blog
meditation
blog
“God’s
Whisper” blog
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
November 9,
2014
&
All Saints
Sunday
Fall Sermon
Series: The I Am Statements of Jesus
Sermon 6 of
Series: “I Am the Resurrection”
John 11:25-27
John 11:17-27
(The Message)
John 3:16b
remembrance of
the saints
communion
children’s
message
– mystery box
–
-
candle
and sunglasses
-
on
Halloween we dress up
-
But
Put on Jesus every day
sermon –“Rise
Again”
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
November 2,
2014
&
Fall Sermon
Series: The I Am Statements of Jesus
Sermon 5 of
Series: “I Am the Good Shepherd”
John 10:11-16 (The
Message Bible)
children’s
message
– mystery box
– shaker of salt
sermon
–“Goodness and Love”
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
Stetson Memorial
United Methodist Church
October 26,
2014
&
Fall Sermon
Series: The I Am Statements of Jesus
Sermon 4 of
Series: “I Am the Gate”
John 10:1-9
CEB
Matthew
7:13-14 CEB
children’s
message
– mystery box
– soccer shin guards, soccer cleats, water shoes, and a basketball
-
Pastor
Ruth talked about the protective gear God provides,
-
the
armor of God –
-
Ephesians
6:10-17
sermon –“The
Straight and Narrow”
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
October 19,
2014
&
Fall Sermon
Series: The I Am Statements of Jesus
Sermon 3 of Series: “I Am the Light of the
World”
John 8:22
(CEB)
John 12:35-36
(CEB)
Matthew
5:14-16 (CEB)
The Name Game
by Shirley Ellis
song, “Here I
Am To Worship”, by Chris Tomlin
children’s
time – mystery box – mirror
sermon, “Light
For Our Eyes”
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
October 12,
2014
&
Fall Sermon
Series: The I Am Statements of Jesus
Sermon 2 of
Series: “I Am the Bread of Life”
John 6:35
John 6:26-51
The Name Game
by Shirley Ellis
Exodus 16:15
children’s
time – mystery box – a throat drop and a candy mint
sermon, “Bread
of Heaven”
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
World
Communion Sunday
October 5,
2014
&
Fall Sermon
Series: The I Am Statements of Jesus
Sermon 1 of
Series: “I Am”
Revelation
22:13 CEB
Matthew
16:13-16 CEB
Exodus 3:12-15
CEB
The Name Game
by Shirley Ellis
Children’s
message – mystery box
-
green
maple leaf and a colored maple leaf
-
the
green color is not the true color
-
we
are fed and nurtured in the spring and summer with the word;
-
we
shine our true colors in autumn
sermon, “The
Name Game”
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
Stetson Memorial
United Methodist Church
September 28,
2014
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