Thursday, November 02, 2017

sermon, T is for Teach, by Pastor Ruth Foss, Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church, Patten, ME



October 29, 2017
Stetson Memorial UMC
Sermon Series “P.A.T.T.E.N.”
(T is for “Teach Our Children”)
Psalm 1(The Voice)
Matthew 19:3-15(The Voice)
Proverbs 22:6(The Voice)
Psalm 78:2-4The Voice (VOICE)
Deuteronomy 4:9-10The Voice (VOICE)
Deuteronomy 6:5-9The Voice (VOICE)

“T Is For…Teach "

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 John, chapter 14, verses 1 through 3. Listen to the Word of God …His Love Letter…to His people…
Matthew 19:13-15 The Voice
13 At this, some of Jesus’ followers brought their children before Jesus; they wanted Him to place His hands on the children and pray for them. Some of the disciples, mistakenly thinking that Jesus wouldn’t want to be bothered with the likes of children, began to rebuke the crowd.
Jesus: 14 Let the little children come to Me; do not get in their way. For the kingdom of heaven belongs to children like these.
15 He laid His hands on them, He prayed with them, and then He left that spot and went elsewhere.

Hope felt that she couldn’t trust anyone but herself. When she found Jesus, she felt that she would be able to believe in and trust all the people who say they are Christian. But she soon found out that they were just as flawed as she was and that they too would let her down from time to time. She vowed never to believe in anyone or anything again. Why should she? She was always let down…

She often wondered what happened to the little girl that trusted and believed? Then she would remember what she had been through and only thought of how naive and foolish she was to believe that any of this were true. If it were true, why was her life so hard? Why did she go through all the pain and suffering? What kind of God let’s that happen to little girls who love Him?

Hope thought back to her younger years. She remembered growing up in a house that was dysfunctional at best. But there were people in her community who cared about her. They would come and take her to the park or to church with them. They shared the stories of the bible with her. She Loved the story of Esther best…how a poor girl became a queen and saved all her people. Wow to be a person who saved a whole nation… She remembered how loved she felt as she heard the stories of Jesus and how much He loved her. If it were not for these people, she doesn’t know how she would have made it. Life was so much easier then…


Teach:
verb  \ ˈtēch \
transitive verb
1        a :to cause to know something 
b :to cause to know how 
c :to accustom to some action or attitude 
d :to cause to know the disagreeable consequences of some action 
2:to guide the studies of
3:to impart the knowledge of 
4       a :to instruct by precept, example, or experience
b :to make known and accepted 
5:to conduct instruction regularly in
to provide instruction :act as a teacher

Where do you get your knowledge? Now there is knowledge of the world but to be more precise, where did you learn about God? Or, who taught you about God…right from wrong…to have or not to have morals? Give time to answer.  How important was that on your life? What significance did, and does it have in your life? Give time to answer.  

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”. And I asked how are you and I doing with that? Do you think that there needs to be a renewed indwelling of the Spirit in our lives and the life of our church? Are we becoming the engine of the church? 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. Do we not? And, if we believe it for our lives…it is true for others. As we Go out we need to trust God for the victory…that we may never see but believe…have faith…it will happen.

The next letter is more about the legacy we leave for the future…the letter “T” … teach our children. There is nothing more important than that. Without being taught, children will not have any moral compass at all. You see the world around us now. Do you think there has been a disconnect in this truth? Give time to answer. “Children are great imitators. So, give them something to imitate.”-Anonymous

The scripture I read from Matthew this morning, we hear about how important the children were to Jesus. He was a busy man. He went about towns healing and teaching, and yet He had time for the least of these. I can just see the scene now...Jesus is sitting there trying to get a little rest and the sound of children’s laughter filled the air. IT must have brought a smile to His face as He thought of the joy in their tiny voices. Then the parents wanted to have them blessed by Jesus. They must have had great faith in Jesus and that whatever He prayed would be answered. They had seen and heard about the healings. Now that the Physician was in their midst they wanted their children protected…just as you and I would want.

We live in a world that is full of chaos and confusion. Just watch the News. There is so much pain and suffering and people are trying to find a way to alleviate the pain and suffering so they seek knowledge. You hear about all these “Self-help” gadgets and gizmos, books and tapes. You can find the knowledge of the world in any book from the bestselling authors but…but…it is only the knowledge of God that will alleviate the pain. But there can be no knowledge unless someone steps up to teach.

You all know I have a heart for this community. I have a passion for the least of these and how I long for them to know the Jesus I know…heck I want everyone to know the Jesus I know. It seems to me that not just in our community but humanity in general has forgotten the words of Deuteronomy 4:9-1 and 6:5-9:
Deuteronomy 4:9-10The Voice (VOICE)
Moses: So watch what you do! Be careful with your very life! Don’t forget the things you saw with your own eyes, and don’t let them fade from your memory. Remember them your whole life; teach them to your children and your grandchildren. 10 Remember the day you stood before the Eternal, your True God, at Horeb when He called you to come close. He told me, “Bring all the people to Me. I want them to hear My words, so that they will learn to fear Me as long as they live on this earth and will teach their children to do the same.”
Deuteronomy 6:5-9The Voice (VOICE)
You should love Him, your True God, with all your heart and soul, with every ounce of your strength. Make the things I’m commanding you today part of who you are. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you’re sitting together in your home and when you’re walking together down the road. Make them the last thing you talk about before you go to bed and the first thing you talk about the next morning. Do whatever it takes to remember them: tie a reminder on your hand and bind a reminder on your forehead where you’ll see it all the time, such as on the doorpost where you cross the threshold or on the city gate.
How sad it makes me…how it grieves my heart…to see the way the children of today are acting…the morals many of them lack…

But guess what…it is not a hopeless situation. You see, the responsibility doesn’t fall just on the parent. It falls on you and me as well. Scripture is clear on this point. Psalm 78:2-4 tells us:
I will open my mouth in parables;
    I will speak of ancient mysteries—
Things that we have heard about, things that we have known,
    things which our ancestors declared to us again and again.
We will not keep these things secret from their children;
    rather, we will tell the coming generation
All about the praise that is due to the Eternal One.
    We will tell them all about His strength, power, and wonders
How can we watch a child who needs the Savior and do nothing? How can we say I don’t want to get involved and say we follow Christ who got into everyone’s business…even the learned? (Proverbs 22:6The Voice (VOICE)Teach a child how to follow the right way; even when he is old, he will stay on course.)

We have talked many times about how we need to serve the children of this community. We used to have the Kids Life program in which we were able to reach the children with the gospel of grace. But as time has gone by and we have gotten older and it is difficult to keep up with these energetic kids. Well…I have been convicted that I have only been using excuses and not let God be God in my life. Especially because what has been happening at the elementary school…the very school we served with the kid’s life program. There is a child there writing bomb threats on the walls. So, with that being said…I have talked with the Katahdin High School and the students need to have Community Service to graduate. We are going to be able to collaborate with them and give them the hours as they help us with our new children’s program.

Why am I telling you this? Because it takes a village to raise a child. Because even though we are going to have the High Schoolers to help, I still need…the children still need…all of you. I need us to be the mentors…this congregation to help with a meal or two. Because Matthew 18:5-6 tells us:
Matthew 18:5-6New International Version (NIV)
And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.
Causing to Stumble
“If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.
Are we that stumbling block, that obstacle, for these children when we don’t serve them, if we don’t think out of the box to implement a way of reaching them? You will be hearing more about the new program and for now I would like for you to:
1.      Pray about the program
2.    Pay about what your part in this is…

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 or do we try to write our own stories end? Are we trying to be the playwright in our lives or are we willing to be the understudy of the One who knows all the lines? Are we trusting His victory in our lives and the lives of others or are we just saying we do because that is what we are supposed to do? Are we teaching the next generation the precepts of God and leading them to a relationship with Jesus?  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 …?

Amen




=====================
November 2, 2017


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 45,290 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, sermon,

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