April 3, 2016
Stetson Memorial UMC
Sermon Series:
“When in
doubt…read the instructions”
(What did Jesus instruct His
disciples then and now…?)
Acts
1:1-14 NKJ
Psalm
150:1-6
“Stay…Wait…Witness”
How many of you read the instructions
when you get something new? I know many times I don’t and then when there is an
issue I have to go and find the instructions then read them. I think that if I
had read the directions in the beginning I may not have had the issue I did.
Ok…how about this…how many of you have ever tried to train a puppy or dog? You
give the animal instructions on what you want them to do and you can just see
in their eyes the conflict in their head. “Ok…this nice person who loves me
wants me to (Fill in the blank). But I don’t want to follow that…I want to be
running around and having fun…ready set
go!” they are off running doing what they want… Sometimes it leads to
things they had not expected like a run in with a skunk or worse. If they only
followed the instructions they would be ok.
We sometimes go through life saying” I
wish I had an instruction manual for life. It would make it a whole lot
easier.” Well the first question is, would we read it if we had one…remember…we hate reading instruction manuals…the
second is this, what do you mean there is no manual…there is a perfect one that
we tend not to read. There is one that I like to call “everything you need to
know about life and then some.” It’s the BIBLE silly… It is full of all kinds of
information…
There is so much information in the
bible that pertains to everything from how to raise kids to how to raise your
spouse… But we just don’t pick up the book. There seems to be some kind of
taboo so to speak about looking for answers in the bible. We, as humanity, go
everywhere else but to the source of all wisdom.
We, as Christians, should know better.
We know that the bible is our love letter of instruction and hope but we don’t
seem to want to read it. As a matter of fact…we, as Christ followers, sometimes
don’t know what Jesus wants us to do. We use the phrase “what would Jesus do”
but we don’t even know the answer and don’t bother to look it up. We can be so silly at times… Jesus
taught…instructed…His disciples then and now what they needed to do.
I would like us to take a look at some
of those instructions. Now…this is what I need…ok would like….for you to do.
Over the next few weeks…OK up until after Pentecost…I would like you to bring
you bibles to church. Yes I am going to
make you read the bible. I want us each to look up the instructions…who
knows, maybe after we are done it is something we will continue to do…just
sayin.
Let’s back track for a moment. The first
instruction was on Easter Sunday to a woman called Mary Magdalene…Go, tell. Just that simple…go tell the
disciples I am alive…tell them you have seen me…tell them to Galilee and they
will see me. Go and tell…You see ministry is an action…sometimes we can get all
caught up in our programs that we forget what ministry is all about. Go…tell.
Next…”Stay, Witness”…I like to add wait in that instruction. Let
me read this account to you…it’s found in acts 1:1-14…Read the account…
Now I can see these disciples now…much
like training the dog. Mark 6:7-13 tells us they had already been sent out by
Jesus and given the authority to heal and drive out demons. They know what it
is like to “be in ministry”. But Jesus told them to stay where they were and
wait… OK wait…they knew what they were doing…they didn’t need the
instructions…they already had success. Now Jesus wants them the…and here s the
wait I put in…wait to receive the Holy Spirit. Luckily they followed the
instructions that Jesus gave them to stay and wait otherwise it could have be
disastrous for them. We too, as Christ
followers can tend to rush into things in which we “think” we know only to find
out we knew nothing and there is a disaster sitting in front of us…
If they hadn’t followed the instructions
they would not have been able to complete the other part of their instruction…Witness.
Without the Holy Spirit they could not have done so. Without following Christ’s
instruction to us through the Holy Spirit we too cannot go forward. And what
did they do when they waited? They got together in the place they met and
prayed…they prayed in one accord…they prayed in one voice. We can tend to be there like the disciples did in the beginning,
staring up looking for Jesus. But that really doesn’t get us anywhere. We are
looking intently to the sky for His return but in the meantime we are “called
to action.” Talk about the instruction I have been given to share…pray together
at our church one night a week…
We as the “hands, feet, arms…” of Christ
need to hear the instruction that God is giving us to be whom He has ordained
us and yes we all have been Ordained and
Anointed by God to do His work in the world. And the only place we are
going to find it is in His word…not from any self-help book that is on the
market. Let’s spend some time together in God’s Word and in prayer. Maybe as we
do this…we will once again hear God’s voice. Perhaps…maybe…just maybe…we will
again activate the power of Pentecost…the Power of the Holy Spirit…within our
ministries and our church’s. Just think of the possibilities as e step out in
faith and trust in our Risen Lord Jesus Christ. Just imagine…
Amen.
April 3, 2016
Stetson Memorial UMC
Sermon Series:
“When in doubt…read the
instructions”
(What did Jesus instruct
His disciples then and now…?)
Acts 1:1-14 NKJ
Psalm 150:1-6
sermon,
“Stay…Wait…Witness”
text:
video:
by
Pastor Ruth Foss
sermon blog
meditation blog
“God’s Whisper” blog
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Children’s Message from Mystery Box
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
April
3, 2016
&
March 27, 2016
Stetson
Memorial UMC
Resurrection
(Easter) Sunday
Acts
10:34-43 AMP
John
20:1-18 AMP
sermon,
“On the Third Day”
text:
video:
by
Pastor Ruth Foss
Children’s Message from Mystery Box
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
Resurrection
(Easter) Sunday
March
27, 2016
&
March 20, 2016
Stetson
Memorial UMC
Palm
Sunday
distribution
of palms
“A
New Way”
Adapted
Sermon Series
by Marcia McPhee
“The
Wandering Way”
adapted
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Luke
19:28-38
sermon,
“A New Way”
text:
video:
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Children’s Message from Mystery Box
cotton ball, tweezers, zip lock bag
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
Palm
Sunday
March
20, 2016
&
March 7, 2016
a way home
March 7, 2016
at home in our
Savior
March 6, 2016
Stetson
Memorial UMC
Fourth
Sunday of Lent
“The
Way”
Adapted
Sermon Series
by Marcia McPhee
“The
Wandering Way”
adapted
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Psalm
100
Luke
15:11-24 and
sermon,
“There’s No Place Like Home”
text:
video:
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Children’s Message from Mystery Box
-
$1 dollar bill
-
Message – “In God We Trust”
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
Fourth
Sunday in Lent
March
6, 2016
&
February
28, 2016
Stetson
Memorial UMC
Third
Sunday of Lent
“The
Way”
Adapted
Sermon Series
by Marcia McPhee
“The
Wandering Way”
adapted
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Psalm 139:1-18
Isaiah
55:1-9
Acts
10:9-16
sermon,
“A Higher Calling”
text:
video:
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Children’s Message from Mystery Box
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
3rd
Sunday in Lent
February
28, 2016
&
February
21, 2016
Stetson
Memorial UMC
Second
Sunday of Lent
“The
Way”
Adapted
Sermon Series
by Marcia McPhee
“The
Wandering Way”
adapted
by Pastor Ruth Foss
sermon blog
meditation blog
“God’s Whisper” blog
Psalm 8:1-4
Mark 1:16-20
sermon,
“The Way Around”
text:
video:
by Erica Berberena
Children’s Message from empty Mystery Box
by Raymond A. Foss
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
2nd
Sunday in Lent
February
21, 2016
&
February
14, 2016
Stetson
Memorial UMC
First
Sunday of Lent
“The
Way”
Adapted
Sermon Series
by Marcia McPhee
“The
Wandering Way”
All
Scripture is from the AMP Bible
Luke
1:46-49
Luke
4:1-2
Luke
15:11-32
sermon,
“I Am A-Maze-D…”
text:
video:
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Children’s Message from Mystery Box
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
1st
Sunday in Lent
February
14, 2016
&
Ash Wednesday service
Joel
2:12-17a
Matthew
6:1-6, 16-21
centering song,
“Surely the Presence”
Opening Words
Greeting
Lenten Prayer
Hymn, “In the
Garden”
Prayer of
Confession
Words of Assurance
Invitation to
Communion
Prayer after Communion
Invitation to
receive ashes
Distribution of
Ashes
Lenten poem: ”Journeying
to Jerusalem”
sermon,
“The Math of Lent 2.0”
text:
video:
by
Pastor Ruth Foss
and
closing hymn,
“It
Is Well with My Soul”
Closing
Prayer
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
Ash
Wednesday
February
10, 2016
All
of my poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000,
2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014,
2015, 2016. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com) for
usage. See all 41,180+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com
Poetry Where You Live.
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