March 22, 2015
Stetson Memorial United
Methodist Church
5th Sunday of
Lent
Final
Words Sermon Series
“My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?”
Mark
15:21-36 The Message Bible
Adapted
from Adam Hamilton’s book “Final Words From the Cross”
“You Are Never Alone. . . ”
Let us pray. . . Pray
for God’s word to be heard through me or in spite of me. . .
Feeling abandoned and alone. . . have you
ever felt or even are feeling lost and alone? You feel as if no one understands
your pain or suffering. You may feel as if no one could ever understand what
you are going through. You may even feel that even God has abandoned you. There
seems to be no end to your loneliness. Who could ever know what you are going
through? Who could ever know the pain. . . ?
We have been journeying our way to the Cross
of Calvary. . . stopping here and there to hear what Jesus said in His last
words from the cross, His last words of ministry so to speak. These were the
last words of His ministry here on earth. Even from the cross, Jesus was still
doing ministry. His anguish on the cross was leading up of the climax of His
ministry and the reason He was sent from above. It is to this place that we have
stopped and pondered as we await the celebration of His victory.
We have talked about His words “Father
forgive them for they know not what they are doing. . . ” and realized that we
are part of the “them” that Jesus was praying for and about. We heard His words
“Truly I tell you, today you will be with
me in paradise.” which are words of hope for us knowing that we will one
day be with Him where He is. . . We know
there was an “adoption” at the cross when he proclaimed “Woman here is your son.
. . here is your mother.”
Jesus’ next words are ones
that give me hope when I feel all alone. . . those times when I feel no one is
there for me or understands what I am going through. “My God, My God, why have
you forsaken me?”. . . Now scholars say
that Jesus was reciting the psalms as He was dying on the cross. . . and indeed
He was. But these words give me hope in knowing that even though He was reciting
the psalms, He may have still felt alone I n His darkest hours, just before He
breathed His last breathe. . .
Jesus knows what we
feel when we are at our darkest, lowest, most despair-filled moments in our
life.
Jesus spent His life healing
the sick, giving sight to the blind, doing nothing but good in His life. He
showed those around Him a better way to live their life. He had friends that
walked with Him and saw all the marvelous things He did. And now, here He is,
abandoned and alone. In His darkest hour even His best friends were nowhere to
be found. . . except for a few women who
stayed by His side to the end...but where were His disciples. . . those who
told Him they would never leave His side?
You have spent your whole life trying to do good, helping all those around you and when you need your friends and family
around you the most. . . where are they?
Jesus knows what we
feel when we are at our darkest, lowest, most despair-filled moments in our
life.
To top it all off, He felt a
disconnection. . . a separation from God, His Father...He felt the pain of not
feeling God with Him for the first time in his life. He truly was a man of
sorrows. You have always felt that there
was always someone there who had your back. But now, when you need them most,
they seem to be shutting you out, turning their backs on you.
Jesus knows what we
feel when we are at our darkest, lowest, most despair-filled moments in our
life.
What did Jesus do when He
felt this abandonment, this loneliness, as He hung on the cross alone? Jesus
prayed. Even though He was questioning God in saying “My God, My Go, why have you abandoned me?” He was still praying.
As I mentioned earlier He was praying the Psalms. . . Psalm 22 to be exact.
Questioning God in prayer is an act of faith even when there is confusion about
what is happening. Why is this happening
to me God? I don’t understand why this is happening God. Why are you allowing
this to happen? Our response to bad things happening to us often is to turn
away from God and refusing to pray. But Jesus did just the opposite. He
continually prayed while He was on the cross the only prayers that would come
to mind. Those prayers found in the Psalms that He knew from a child growing up.
. .
Jesus knows what we
feel when we are at our darkest, lowest, most despair-filled moments in our
life.
Adam Hamilton states in His
book “Final Words From The Cross”, “When We feel abandoned by God, we, too,
must trust that God has not really forsaken us. We must trust that God will not
hide His face from us, and that God hears us when we pray. And that leads to
confidence in a future unseen.”
Jesus knows what we
feel when we are at our darkest, lowest, most despair-filled moments in our
life.
Beloved, you and I are never
alone. Even in our darkest hour, God is right there with us walking with us and
sometimes carrying us through the desert of our souls. Even when we can’t feel
Him, even when we feel alone because all our friends and family have “run away
from us”, even when we can’t see the light of day, God is there loving us
through to the other side. Even as we cry out “My God, My God, why have you
forsaken me?” we will hear Love’s resounding answer “I am here with you and we
will get through this together.” We have hope because we know that the one to
whom we pray in our darkest hour knows firsthand the feelings of hopelessness
doubt and despair. And that One is our Risen Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus knows what you
feel when you are at your darkest, lowest, most despair-filled moments in your
life.
Amen
====
March 22, 2015
Mark 15:21-36a
(The Message)
Psalm 22:1
Psalm 22:1
sermon, “You
Are Never Alone”
video:
text:
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
sermon blog
meditation
blog
“God’s
Whisper” blog
Children’s Message – “The
Protection of the Trinity”
-
Mystery
box – jackknife (from Ted)
video:
text:
praise
hymn, “I Will Call Upon the Lord”
praise
hymn, “Standing In The Need of Prayer”
praise
hymn, “It’s Amazing”
praise
hymn, “For Those Tears I Died”
offertory
hymn, “ At The Cross”
Communion
and Communion hymns, “Ain’t Jesus Good” and “I Will Bless The Lord”
closing hymn,
“Let Everything That Has Breath”
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
5th Sunday in
Lent
March 22, 2015
&
John 19:25-27
Ephesians 1:3-14
Romans 8:15
sermon, “You
Are Chosen”
video:
text:
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
Children’s Message – “God's
Love Letter; God is writing your story”
-
Mystery
box – a pencil
video:
text:
praise
hymn, “Step By Step”
praise
hymn, “Lord, I Lift Your Name On High”
praise
hymn, “Jesus, Messiah”
praise
hymn, “I Stand Amazed”
offertory
hymn, “May Jesus Christ Be Praised” (“When Morning Gilds the Skies”)
Communion
and Communion hymn, “There Is A River”
closing hymn,
“Shout To the Lord”
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
2nd Sunday in
Lent
March 8, 2015
&
Luke 23:32, 39-43
sermon, “So
This Is Paradise”
video:
text:
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
Children’s
Message – “Thirsting for God”
-
Mystery
box – bottle of grape juice
video:
text:
centering
hymn, “Surely the Presence”, Greeting and Announcements, Opening Prayer
praise
hymn, “Forever”
praise
hymn, “Everlasting”
praise
hymn, “To God Be the Glory”
praise
hymn, “I Worship You Almighty God”
offertory
hymn, “The Love Of God Goes On”
Communion
hymn, “10,000 Reasons”
closing hymn,
“Better Is One Day”
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=648698805236478&set=vb.174161846023512&type=2&theater
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=648698805236478&set=vb.174161846023512&type=2&theater
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
2nd Sunday in
Lent
March 1, 2015
&
Luke 23:23, 33-34
sermon, “You
Are Forgiven”
video:
text:
http://pstruthsermons.blogspot.com/2015/02/you-are-forgiven.html
https://pstrfoss.wordpress.com/2015/02/24/you-are-forgiven/
https://pstrfoss.wordpress.com/2015/02/24/you-are-forgiven/
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
Children’s
Message – “Jesus is our superhero”
-
Mystery
box – Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Captain America, Scooby Doo
-
and a
candy cane
video:
image:
text:
centering,
“Surely the Presence”
praise
hymn, “I Sing the Mighty Power of God”
offertory
hymn, “Make My Life A Prayer to You”
Communion
hymn, “Praise the Lord! Ye Heavens, Adore Him”
closing hymn,
“Our God Reigns”
Stetson Memorial
United Methodist Church
1st
Sunday in Lent
February 22,
2015
All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000,
2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013,
2014, 2015. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage.
See all 39,560+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com
Poetry Where You Live.
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