Friday, September 30, 2016

sermon, "God can use us (in every season)", by Raymond A. Foss, Mountain Heights Healthcare, Patten, ME, September 30, 2016



God can use us (in every season)

Let us pray:

Dear God, we thank you for the change in the seasons, for the harvest, for the beautiful fall colors. We thank you for the beauty you put all around us, for your perfect plan. We pray that this time of fellowship would be pleasing in your sight, oh God. May the meditations of my heart and the words I share today be your words, may they be a message for each heart listening here today. And we pray these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Do you like fall?

What is your favorite season?

How many like winter?

What about mud season?

What about black fly season?

I guess we have a couple extra seasons here in northern Maine. I know some of the schools have harvest break right now. I know some of you probably participated in the potato harvest.

When Terry Pettengill asked if I could offer the message today, it makes me think of a sermon my wife Pastor Ruth gave a long time ago, October 13, 2013, our first autumn here in Patten.

It was entitled, “Show Your Colors”, and spoke passionately about being true to our inner selves to the callings of God, to shine through the true colors of our gifts from God, like the colors of the fall leaves, revealing who we are before God, like the leaves being authentic, who we really are.

It began with a reading about time, God’s time, for everything.

Ecclesiastes 3 King James Version (KJV)

3 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

But the writer of this book of wisdom, Ecclesiates, King Solomon goes on further…

9 What gain has the worker from his toil?

10 I have seen the business that God has given to the sons of men to be busy with. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time; also he has put eternity into man’s mind, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for them than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live; 13 also that it is God’s gift to man that every one should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil. 14 I know that whatever God does endures for ever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it; God has made it so, in order that men should fear before him. 15 That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God seeks what has been driven away.

16 Moreover I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness. 17 I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for he has appointed a time for every matter, and for every work. 18 I said in my heart with regard to the sons of men that God is testing them to show them that they are but beasts. 19 For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts; for all is vanity. 20 All go to one place; all are from the dust, and all turn to dust again. 21 Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down to the earth? 22 So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should enjoy his work, for that is his lot; who can bring him to see what will be after him?

These are words here of God’s perfect plan, of a time for everything, for us to labor and for us to rest, for us to see what we have accomplished, and for us to trust in God for the future which we cannot see.

Other words of scripture come to mind, of God’s promise and of our calling, within our seasons here on earth

Jeremiah 29:11 reads,

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

And I think of the Great Commission, in Matthew 28:18-20, our calling.

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

But what about us. How do we make disciples? How do we know what God wants us to do? Where does God want us to serve? God can use us, each one of us.

God can use us in each season of our lives. God gifts us, the Spirit that beats within us, giving us the tools, the gifts, the words we need to lift up the body, to offer God to others, to be witnesses, faithful to what God has done for us, for what God is still doing in our lives.

This is our continuing calling, to be faithful, as Abraham was faithful. He didn’t know what God was going to do but he believed God. He waited years and years for his son to be born and it wasn’t for hundreds of years for the full legacy of his faithfulness was realized with the Israelites arriving in the Promised Land. We don’t know how or when what we do will bear fruit. It could be seen by us as in the Ecclesiastes scripture or it could be a long time in the future.

God speaks to that in powerful ways in several pieces of scripture, how we have to be faithful, how we have to do our parts, how we won’t know the legacy we may be leaving, just that we have to be faithful.

Some are called to plant, some are called to water, and some are called to reap. And I believe some are called to pray, like for water or for sun. It can be the tilling of the land.

In 1 Corinthians 3:6- 9, the Apostle Paul writes:

6I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 9For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.

Jesus himself says others may reap the harvest of what you do. You won’t know your legacy. Speaking to his disciples Jesus said,

John 4:34-38 (focus on 37)

“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”

And in Galatians 6:1-10, we hear words reminiscent of the language of Ecclesiastes, on how we should be working in the fields, within our lives.

4 Do your own work well, and then you will have something to be proud of. But don’t compare yourself with others. 5 We each must carry our own load.
6 Share every good thing you have with anyone who teaches you what God has said.
7 You cannot fool God, so don’t make a fool of yourself! You will harvest what you plant. 8 If you follow your selfish desires, you will harvest destruction, but if you follow the Spirit, you will harvest eternal life. 9 Don’t get tired of helping others. You will be rewarded when the time is right, if you don’t give up. 10 We should help people whenever we can, especially if they are followers of the Lord.
           
We may think we can’t do it, that it isn’t our season, that our gifts won’t make a different, that we aren’t qualified. Well…

… Jacob was a cheater, Peter had a temper, David had an affair, Noah got drunk, Jonah ran from God, Paul was a murderer, Gideon was insecure, Miriam was a gossiper, Martha was a worrier, Thomas was a doubter, Sara was impatient, Elijah was moody, Moses stuttered, Zacchaeus was short, Abraham was old, and Lazarus was dead....

Now, what's YOUR excuse? Can God use you or not? - ~~~ and as Pastor Ruth would testify, “God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the CALLED!”

In our lives, in each season, God gifts us to be His servants, His witnesses, His light bearers, to go and make disciples, to offer hope to a world full of darkness. Some plant the seeds, some care for the soil, some water, some harvest.

And, If you can’t do anything else, pray. Maybe that is the tilling of the soil, or the prayers for sunlight and rain, for the hidden growing by God. We all have a part to play in building the kingdom, in lifting up the body.

We may see some of the fruits of our labors but we won’t see the legacy of the good works we do, at least not in this life. But God calls us to the work and we must go and do it.

God can use us in powerful ways if we only are open
to be willing to serve, to submit to God’s will

God can use us if only we will follow, our cracked vessels ready
emptied of our choices, given over to God’s will

God can use us if we are emptied, ready that others may be filled to be a blessing, poured to lift up our neighbors, our community

God can use us to be God’s presence to walk beside them
in times of struggle giving to them some measure of comfort

God can use us in every season.

Amen



God can use us in each season – v3

God can use us in each season
in each season, each moment, of our lives;
God gifts us, the Spirit within us
giving us tools, gifts, words
to lift up the body,  to heal the nations
to shine the light, the message of Christ

God can use us in each season
when we are tired, worn out, broken,
when we are old, infirm, when we can only pray;
God gifts us, the Spirit within us
giving us what we need, the tools, the words,
in each season, each moment, of our lives

====
edited September 30, 2016
God can use us in each season – v3
edited September 29, 2016
God can use us in each season – v2
September 27, 2016
pray all the harder
September 27, 2016
make friends
September 27, 2016
share tears
September 27, 2016
God can use us in each season
September 27, 2016
come along beside them
September 25, 2016
God can use us too

Matthew 25:31-46
the sheep and the goats
Matthew 28:18-20
the great commission
Jeremiah 29:11
plans for a future
Galatians 6:1-10
Ecclesiastes 3:1-11
a time for everything
1 Corinthians 3:6-9
plant, water, harvest
John 4:37-38
one plants and another harvests
message – God can use us (in every season)

by Raymond Foss
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
Fourth Friday of the month service at Mt. Heights Health Care Facility
Patten, ME
September 30, 2016
&
August 9, 2015
Worship in the Park
Scripture:
1 Corinthians 13:1-3
John 13:34-35
John 15:1-17
Lord’s Prayer
message: “Community”
by Raymond A. Foss
&
October 14, 2013
Worship Theme: “Shine for God”
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (The Message)
Exodus 34:29-30 (The Message)
Matthew 17:1-2 (GODS WORD Translation)
children’s message
We all are unique
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Meditation on fall colors by Julia Bettencourt
“The Inviting Colors of Fall”
Prayer by Joyce Rupp
“Prayer for Autumn Days”
and sermon “Show Your Colors. . . ”

& pictures of Mt. Katahdin
by Pastor Ruth Foss
sermon blog
meditation blog
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
Patten, ME
October 13, 2013


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 41,920+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Christ, Faith, God, grace, love, Poetry Where You Live, Sermon, Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church, UMC, Mountain Heights, prayer, planting, watering, harvest, work, autumn, fall, seasons,

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