November 5, 2017
Stetson Memorial UMC
Sermon Series “P.A.T.T.E.N.”
(E is for… “Enlarge Our Vision”)
Psalm 34:1-10 (MSG)
Luke 12:22-24 (The Voice)
John 17:20-23The Message (MSG)
1 Samuel 16:5-13The Voice (VOICE)
“The Bigger Picture "
Becky’s testimony…
The Lord be with you…let us pray… (prayer for the Spirit’s
indwelling as bring God’s words of hope this morning…)
Please stand for the reading of the Gospel according to
Luke, chapter 12, verses 22-34. Listen to the Word of God …His Love Letter…to
His people…
Hope thought back to her younger years. Life was so much
easier then… Hope began to remember the people in her life that were pivotal in
her life. She remembered a time that she had hope for her life and not all the
chaos and disappointment. She remembered those who helped her and introduced
her to Jesus. And she thought she had the perfect life…that is until it all
went wrong, and she ended up broken, feeling un-mendable.
There was a Sunday school teacher, Ms. Esther, that she
always thought fondly of. She was always smiling, and she never had a bad word
to say. She always saw the good in people and never let anyone try and change
her view of people.
She remembered one time there was this boy…what was his name…
Jeremiah…that was his name…he would talk with people and
tell them just what he thought. He didn’t hold anything back. He wanted people
to know the truth and was very blunt about it. Everyone avoided him because
they hated his honesty…everyone that is except Ms. Esther. She commended him
for his honesty. He was not going to say things just to make people happy. It
was through her accepting Jeremiah that Hope began to look at others
differently…through loving not critical eyes.
She fondly remembered those who took her to church and those
who took care of her when her parents couldn’t. She remembered how they didn’t
treat her differently because she was poor. She wanted to have their same
vision…their eyesight. But in the real world…she just didn’t think it would be
possible. You would be setting yourself up for a big letdown. You needed to
concentrate on today and not care anything about tomorrow. Leaving a legacy of
hope was hopeless in this world of chaos…ore was she being too near sighted for
her own good…
Saint:
noun
1. any of certain persons of exceptional holiness of life,
formallyrecognized as
such by the Christian Church, especially by canonization.
2. a person of great holiness, virtue, or benevolence.
3. a founder, sponsor, or patron, as of a movement or
organization.
4. (in certain religious groups) a designation applied by
the members tothemselves.
Good morning. Today is the day in the Christian Calendar
that we celebrate the Saints among us. Those who have gone ahead and those who
are still within our midst. The candles are lit in memory of them. So, who are
the saints in your lives? Give time to answer. What did they embody to be
considered a Saint…what makes you call them a saint? Give time to answer.
I believe that saints or people with saintly character have
vision. They see beyond where they are into the bigger picture…the bigger
scheme of things. Why do you think they would look at the bigger picture
instead of only what’s before them? Give time to answer. I believe, in most
things, it is vital to look at the bigger picture because what is before us can
sometimes be overwhelming and causes us to freeze, to become stagnant, where we
are.
We have been talking about the banners we have on the walls
on either side of the chancel. Each letter in Patten it tells about how we live
out that letter in community and in the world. But do you and I truly live what
we say? It is easy to put statements on a banner but a whole different thing to
live it out.
I have sent us out into the word with the gospel of grace,
peace, and love. To be who we say we
are. But we must act upon the statements we make…those statements on our wall.
They look good and all, but actions speak volumes about who and whose we are.
So…the first letter in the P.A.T.T.E.N. Banner is “P”. P is
for “Pray Every Day”. How are you and I doing with that? I believe that there
needs to be a renewed indwelling of the Spirit in our lives and the life of our
church so that we can move forward for the kingdom of God. Prayer is the engine
of the church. Without it…it runs out of steam. A is for “Acknowledge the life
changing Words of the Bible.” As I have said, if we don’t believe that the word
of God can change people there is no sense of going into the world…into our
community…with the love and peace of Christ. There is no real sense to our
faith because we base our faith on God’s Word. Also, if we believe it for our
lives…it is true for others. As we Go out we need to, first T, “trust God for
the victory” … we may never see it but believe…have faith…it will happen. The
second T has to do with the legacy we leave as we Teach our children…all
children, even each other…for we are all children of God.
The next letter is about getting a new set of eyes…the
letter “E” … Enlarge Our Vision. How do you think the church does with
that…having and vision outside itself? Give time to answer. With the way the
world is, you would think that the church of Jesus Christ would reach out more.
Why do you think it would be difficult? Give time to answer.
It seems as if Christ’s church has had a problem with their
eyesight. Don’t get me wrong, the church stills does many things for the
kingdom. But more times than not, it needs to have their eyes checked…by the
One who sees the whole picture. The church has gotten caught up in the world
round them, sort of like the Luke I read this morning. Worrying about the …fill
in the blank…unable to move forward out of fear of tomorrow. But if we read to
the end of the section…if we take off the blinders…we can see the promise of
verses 32-34:
32 My little flock, don’t be afraid. God is your Father, and
your Father’s great joy is to give you His kingdom.
33 That means you can sell your possessions and give
generously to the poor. You can have a different kind of savings plan: one that
never depreciates, one that never defaults, one that can’t be plundered by
crooks or destroyed by natural calamities. 34 Your treasure will be stored in
the heavens, and since your treasure is there, your heart will be lodged there
as well.
God gives us everything we need for each new day. He can see
the end as we are journeying through the middle and knows what we need before
we do. He is the Great Visionary and has our best interest in mind…
As a matter of fact, Jesus was a visionary, knowing what we
need or will ask for before we do. Listen to what He prayed as He was praying
for His disciples in John 17:20-23:
John 17:20-23The Message (MSG)
20-23 I’m praying not only for them
But also for those who will believe in me
Because of them and their witness about me.
The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind—
Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
So they might be one heart and mind with us.
Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me.
The same glory you gave me, I gave them,
So they’ll be as unified and together as we are—
I in them and you in me.
Then they’ll be mature in this oneness,
And give the godless world evidence
That you’ve sent me and loved them
In the same way you’ve loved me.
Jesus saw the whole picture. And as He saw the whole picture
He knew what we would need even before we had taken our first breath…now that’s
visionary…
Here is another piece of good news. What God sees…what He
looks at verses what we as humanity sees…is so counter to each other. We see
the outside forgetting what counts is what is within… OK…backing up what I am
saying here…in 1 Samuel 16:5-13, God is having Samuel anoint the next king of
Israel. Now Samuel went to Jesse because God’s next king would be found within
his sons. Well Jesse paraded his sons before Samuel. Listen to the dialog here
and take it to heart.
Eternal One (to Samuel):7 Take no notice of his looks or his
height. He is not the one, for the Eternal One does not pay attention to what
human’s value. Human’s only care about the external appearance, but the Eternal
considers the inner character.
8 Jesse called his son Abinadab and brought him to Samuel.
Samuel looked at him.
Samuel: The Eternal has not chosen him either.
9 Then Jesse brought his son Shammah in front of Samuel.
Samuel: The Eternal has not chosen him either.
10 Jesse walked seven of his sons in front of Samuel, and
each time, Samuel refused them because the Eternal One had chosen none of them.
Samuel (to Jesse): 11 Are all your sons here?
Jesse: All but the youngest. He is off keeping the sheep.
Samuel: Send for him, and bring him here. We will not sit
down until he arrives.
12 Jesse sent for the youngest son, David, and he came in
front of Samuel. He was a handsome boy, with a healthy complexion and bright
eyes.
Eternal One: Rise and anoint him, because this is the one.
13 Then Samuel took the horn filled with olive oil and anointed
him in the presence of his brothers, and the Spirit of the Eternal fell
strongly on David and remained from that day on. Samuel then left for Ramah.
It wasn’t about what was on the outside…It had everything to
do about the inside. Unfortunately, we seem to have taken on the eyes of
Samuel…only seeing what is on the outside therefore our vision is very
shortsighted…so to speak. WE can’t see the promise because we only see the
problem. WE don’t see the potential because we only see the “outer shell”. WE need
to enlarge our vision so that we can enlarge he kingdom. If we don’t enlarge
our vision the kingdom will dwindle down until it does not exist anymore.
Are we enlarging our vision or are you and I looking only at
the task before us? Are you and I seeing through the eyes of God at the
potential and promise or are we happy with our blinder’s, so we don’t have to
look at the larger picture? What would happen if we allowed the Great
Optometrist to realign our vision so that it is perfectly aligned with His?
It’s sort of like a microscope. When we first consider it on
“normal power” it is not that much. Nothing special. But then as you increase
the power…as we increase…get closer…there begins a transformation before our
eyes. We see the beauty and intricacy of the object. As we draw near to
others…as we get closer to the situation…we see a whole different thing.
Something of promise and worth. Something that is precious and sacred. That is
when we begin to see with the eyes of the Creator. We see with eternal vision
not temporal eyes sight… Only then can our vison enlarge.
With all the evidence in our faith walks…yours and mine…do
you and I believe in the power of the Word of God? Do we trust in His good and
perfect plan? Are we willing to be the
understudy of the One who knows all the lines and is the Author of the play?
Are we trusting for God’s victory in our lives and the lives of others? Are we
teaching the next generation the precepts of God and leading them to a
relationship with Jesus? Are we expanding
our vision to include the Hope’s of the world? There is victory in Jesus. Are
you and I willing to lay down our agenda for the victorious life found in Jesus
Christ, our Risen Lord …? Hope needs us to have an eye exam. Are you and I
willing to let the Eternal look through our internal into the external around
us?
Amen
=====================
November 5,
2017
Can we see the
path
November 5,
2017
All Saints Day
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
Sermon Series
“P.A.T.T.E.N.”
(week 5 of 6)
(E is for… “Enlarge
Our Vision”)
Psalm 34:1-10
(MSG)
Praise for
Deliverance from Trouble
Luke 12:22-24
(The Voice)
Do Not Worry
John 17:20-23 The
Message (MSG)
1 Samuel
16:5-13 The Voice (VOICE)
The anointing
of David (not his older brothers)
and sermon, “The
Bigger Picture”
text
original draft
video:
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
sermon blog
meditation
blog
“God’s
Whisper” blog
Children’s
Message
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
November 5,
2017
All Saints Day
&
October 29,
2017
just as flawed
as she was
October 29, 2017
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
Sermon Series “P.A.T.T.E.N.”
(Part 4 of 6)
(T is for “Teach Our Children”)
Psalm 1 (The Voice)
Matthew 19:3-15 (The Voice)
Proverbs 22:6 (The Voice)
Psalm 78:2-4 (The Voice)
Deuteronomy 4:9-10 (The Voice)
Deuteronomy 6:5-9 (The Voice)
and
sermon, “T is for … Teach”
text
video:
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
sermon blog
meditation
blog
“God’s
Whisper” blog
Children’s
Message
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
October 29,
2017
&
October 23,
2017
Trust in His
Victory
October 22, 2017
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
Sermon Series “P.A.T.T.E.N.”
(Part 3 of 6)
(T is for “Trust in His Victory”)
Psalm 99 (MSG)
John 3:16-17(NLT)
Proverbs 3:5-6 (MSG)
Revelation 21:1-7 (CEB)
Romans 15:13; Psalm 9:10; Psalm 13:5 (NIV)
Psalm 20:7; Psalm 31:14; Psalm 56:3; Psalm 84:12 (NIV)
and
sermon, “T is for … Trust”
text:
video:
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
sermon blog
meditation
blog
“God’s
Whisper” blog
Children’s
Message
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
Stetson Memorial
United Methodist Church
October 22,
2017
&
October 16,
2017
we proclaim
the truth
edited October
16, 2017
we stand on
the word – v2
October 16,
2017
we stand on
the word
October 16,
2017
we rely on
holy scripture
October 16,
2017
speaking out
loud the power
October 15,
2017
if we don’t
believe
October 15,
2017
the word can
change lives
October 15,
2017
at the core of
our faith
edited October
15, 2017
we count on
the word – v3
edited October
15, 2017
we count on
the word – v2
October 15,
2017
we count on
the word
edited October
15, 2017
nothing of us
– v2
October 15,
2017
nothing of us
October 15, 2017
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
Sermon Series “P.A.T.T.E.N.”
(Part 2 of 6)
(A is for
“Acknowledge the Life Changing Words of the Bible”)
Psalm 23 (The Voice)
John 3:16-17 (NLT)
2 Timothy 3:16-17 New Living Translation (NLT)
Mark 12:30-31 New Living Translation (NLT)
Romans 8:28-30 The Voice (VOICE)
Galatians 2:20 Common English Bible (CEB)
Philippians 4:13 Common English Bible (CEB)
James 1:2-4 The Voice (VOICE)
and
sermon, “A Is for Acknowledge the life changing Word of God”
text:
video:
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
sermon blog
meditation
blog
“God’s
Whisper” blog
Children’s
Message
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
and closing
song, testimony of Becky Phillips,
and departing
blessing
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
October 15, 2017
&
October 15,
2017
we must pray
daily
October 15,
2017
our prayers
must be real
October 14,
2017
we must be
honest, authentic – v2
October 14,
2017
we need to be
deliberate
edited October
14, 2017
are we honest,
authentic – v3
(changing the
order of the stanzas)
merged October
14, 2017
are we honest,
authentic – v2
edited/ new
title October 14, 2017
we must be
honest, authentic
October 14,
2017
are we honest,
authentic
edited October
14, 2017
do we pray
without ceasing – v3
(editing
original)
edited October
13, 2017
pray for each
other – v2
October
13, 2017
pray
for each other
edited
October 13, 2017
advocating,
petitioning God – v2
October
13, 2017
advocating,
petitioning God
October
13, 2017
praying
for them - 3
October
13, 2017
by
faith and grace
Psalm
106:19-23
Psalm
106:1-6, 19-23
Exodus
32:1-6
Exodus
32:1-14
The
Golden Calf
The
Upper Room Disciplines for 2017
“Supplicate,
Sing, See”
October
9, 2017 to October 15, 2017
by
Wen-Ling Lai
devotion
for October 13, 2017
read
October 13, 2017
&
edited
October 12, 2017
yet
I still receive grace – v2
October
12, 2017
yet
I still receive grace
October
12, 2017
confessing
our sins
Psalm
106:1-6
Psalm
106:1-6, 19-23
Philippians
4:7-9
Philippians
4:1-9
The
Upper Room Disciplines for 2017
“Supplicate,
Sing, See”
October
9, 2017 to October 15, 2017
by
Wen-Ling Lai
devotion
for October 12, 2017
read
October 12, 2017
&
edited October
11, 2017
God remembered
His promise – v2
edited October
11, 2017
Moses saved
the Israeli people
edited
October 11, 2017
he
saved his people – v2
October
11, 2017
he
saved his people
October
11, 2017
His
prayer was effective – v2
edited/merged
October 11, 2017
He
prayed for his people – v2
October
11, 2017
His
prayer was effective
October
11,2017
He
prayed for his people
October
11, 2017
God
remembered His promise
Exodus
32:11-14
Exodus
32:1-14
The
Golden Calf
Philippians
4:6
Philippians
4:1-9
The
Upper Room Disciplines for 2017
“Supplicate,
Sing, See”
October
9, 2017 to October 15, 2017
by
Wen-Ling Lai
devotion
for October 11, 2017
read
October 11, 2017
&
October 13,
2017
as we pray together
October 13,
2017
come together
in prayer
October 13,
2017
we manifest
prayer
October 13,
2017
as we gather
together
October 13,
2017
Christ
withdrew
October 12,
2017
All about
prayer
October 12,
2017
Do we gather
in prayer
edited October
12, 2017
make of me a
house of prayer – v2
edited/ new
name October 12, 2017
make of me a
house of prayer
October 12,
2017
make me a
house of prayer
edited October
12, 2017
we promise to
pray – v2
October 12,
2017
I lift up my
prayers
edited October
12, 2017
do we pray
without ceasing – v2
October 11, 2017
do we pray
without ceasing
October 10,
2017
we promise to
pray
October
10, 2017
called
to be a house
October
10, 2017
I’ll
be there
October 9,
2017
praying every
day
October 9,
2017
praying
without ceasing
edited October
9, 2017
Christ sat
down beside me
(my testimony
10/8/17)
October 9,
2017
He sat down
beside me
(my testimony
10/8/17)
October 9,
2017
you answered
my prayer
(my testimony
10/8/17)
October 9,
2017
you forgave me
(my testimony
10/8/17)
October 9,
2017
I was active
in church
(my testimony
10/8/17)
edited October
8, 2017
our temple a
house – v2
October 8,
2017
our temple a
house
October 8,
2017
Giving God Our
Hopes
October 8,
2017
standing on
prayer
October 8,
2017
walking in
prayer
October 8, 2017
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
Sermon Series: “P.A.T.T.E.N.”
(“P is for “Pray Every Day”)
(P.A.T.T.E.N. banner in the church)
Psalm 25:1-9
Matthew 18:18-20
Isaiah 56:6-8
Hebrews 10:19-25
Revelations 5:8-10
Acts 1:12-14
Acts 2
and
sermon, “P Is for Prayer”
text:
video:
(including testimony of Raymond A. Foss)
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
sermon blog
meditation
blog
“God’s
Whisper” blog
Children’s
Message
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
October 8,
2017
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, and 2017. All rights are reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com) for usage. See
all 45,350 of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com
Poetry Where You Live.
Christ,
Spirit, God, Faith, love, grace, hope, prayer, Pastor Ruth Foss, Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church, poem, PATTEN, ME, scripture, promise, trust,
victory, children, teach,vision, sermon,
#sermon #Christ #God #Spirit #Faith #love #grace #poem #Patten #prayer
#scripture #promise #trust #victory #children #teach #vision
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