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Monday, January 22, 2018

sermon, Abba's Kingdom, by Pastor Ruth Foss, Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church, Patten, ME, January 21, 2018



January 21, 2018
Stetson Memorial UMC
Sermon Series:
Lord…Teach Us To Pray
What are we really asking and praying for…?
Psalm 62:1-2, 5-8 (Complete Jewish Bible)
 Matthew 6:9-10 (11-13) (CJB)


Abba’s Kingdom

The Lord be with you…
And also with you…
Let us pray…
Pray that the words spoken are not my own but God’s Words…

Please stand for the reading of the Gospel according to Matthew, chapter 6, verses 9-10. Listen to and for the Word of God for the people of God…Jesus’ disciples…

Good morning. Last week I asked how many of you remembered the first prayer you ever learned. There were many different answers but we all had one we remembered. Learning prayers is a great way for us to remember who God is and what God has done and is doing in our lives.

We also talked about the fact that sometimes…prayer can be so mindless and automatic that it loses all its true meaning. Prayer can become so repetitive that it becomes what we do instead of what we feel.  Because of this, our relationship with God can become very distant. There is no real intimacy with God…no closeness and warmth with Him.

We also talked about some of the prayers within the bible but decided that one of the most memorized, the most prayed, is “The Lord’s Prayer”, the one He taught His First Disciples. But have you ever really thought about what you are praying? Have you ever really thought about what you and I are truly asking from God?

Each part of the prayer has meaning. It is not a prayer of recitation but a prayer with and of purpose. I proposed that we take the next 4 weeks before the beginning of Lent and break down the prayer together. My prayer is that we will maybe recapture, maybe for the first time, the meaning behind the words we pray.

I don’t want to be a mindless drone just reciting the words. I want to be an intimate disciple praying, pleading, feeling every, single, word I speak to God. I think it would be a spiritual and spirit filled way to prepare for the Lenten Season of contemplation of the high, wide, and never-ending love of God for His creation as God hung on a cross in the form of His Son…the babe in the manger we just celebrated.

So, let’s begin:
Our Father Who art in Heaven,
In the Hebrew text, God is referred to as Abba…Father. When they prayed…when we pray to Abba, Father, we are using one of the most intimate names for God. We are using the name “Daddy” as we are calling out to the Maker of Heaven and earth. Think about it, we are using a name that gives us the right to have that intimate relationship with Him…so intimate we are climbing up in His lap and being so close that not only can we feel, His heartbeat…we can hear it…that is the intimacy Jesus had with the Father…with Abba…that He taught His Disciples to have…

Our Earthly parents birthed out bodies, but our Heavenly father birthed our souls…We may or may not have a relationship with our earthly father. There may have been situations that have caused us to be distant from them. But this is our perfect Heavenly Father we are talking to. He can’t do us harm…that’s not His nature. This is the One who gave us the breath of life. He is the One and Only Father that will never leave or forsake you. He has promised, and He cannot tell a lie or go back on His promises…

Hallowed be Thy Name:
Hallowed:
©     Honor as Holy
©     Make holy, consecrate
©     Greatly revered, respected
As I have said…this is not our earthly father…this is the Maker of Heaven and earth. His Name shall be Holy. When we pray this…we are saying…we are vowing…that we will respect the Name of God. We are vowing that we will not use His name casually or in a vulgar way. The Name of God…Yahweh…was set apart from all the other names used for god’s in biblical times. How often have we as Christians used the Lord’s Name in vain and then went right into praying this prayer or even right after praying it. We are just going through the motions and not honoring what we are saying. I wonder if God ever thinks “You talk the talk but are not honoring me with your walk…which includes your words”?

Thy Kingdom come:
OK…so all together…we are praying for Thy Kingdom…not My kingdom. Now we are going along in our life. Everything is going prefect for us. We are building our little kingdom and all the sudden we are not doing so well. We begin to lose what we have. We are calling out…yelling out to God to help us. “I have built all this stuff and now I am losing it. How can You do this to me? How can You just yank away all that I have done?” What is wrong with this pray…this statement to God? Give time to answer. But we do this don’t we? We confuse our little kingdoms with God’s big Kingdom. We forget we are here for God’s Kingdom not our own. We say we want His Kingdom but do we really?

Thy Will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven:
Again…all together…Thy Will be done…not My will be done. When we do His will here on earth, we are bringing down His Kingdom to earth from Heaven. By stating this we are also saying that we BELIVE that one day His will shall manifest itself on earth as it is in Heaven. We are agreeing that His will should be done so we are vowing to do His will in our lives and by doing so, we bring His will on earth as it is in Heaven. And this happens not only n our lives but in the lives around us as we affect the world around us with the presence of God. We want Abba, Yahweh¸ to bring will to earth so that we share in the heavenly experience here where we are…We can get a foretaste of Heaven right here…where we stand…where we live…where we gather…where we are praying…right now. How AWESOME is that!

I believe in thinking before speaking. My question is, are you and I thinking as we pray or are we being just mindless drones with no feeling or heart? Do we believe that God is our “Daddy” or and aloof Deity that watches from afar? Are you and I building our own kingdoms, or do we believe there is something greater than ourselves? Are you and I willing to let go of our ambitions and lives and take up the promises and life we are promised by Abba? Choice is yours and mine. I know what I choose…how about you?

Let us pray…pray about Abba Father and His Kingdom.

Amen, amen, and AMEN!


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edited January 25, 2018
whispering the Lord’s Prayer – v2
edited January 25, 2018
breathing the Lord’s Prayer – v2
edited/new name January 25, 2018
breathing the Lord’s Prayer
edited/new name January 25, 2018
whispering the Lord’s Prayer
edited/merged January 25, 2018
whispering to our Abba Father – v2
two instances of poems
with the same title
January 25, 2018
whispering to our Abba Father - 2
#whispering the #LordsPrayer to our #Abba #Father #God http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2018/01/whispering-to-our-abba-father-2.html
#Christ #Spirit #Faith #grace #poem #prayer #prayerlife #pray #journey #hope #love #joy #Matthew6 #Psalm62 #prayerwarrior #worship #glory #peace #relationship #believe  #mercy #bread #hallowed #kingdom
edited January 25, 2018
seated in the lap of God – v2
January 24, 2018
talking with God - 2
January 24, 2018
these words we pray
January 24, 2018
spreading God’s ripples
January 23, 2018
we can hear God’s heartbeat
January 23, 2018
our breath of life
extract January 23, 2018
God is our Father – 2
January 23, 2018
God’s breath birthed us
stanza 1
stanza 2
stanza 3
edited January 22, 2018
the intimacy of Christ’s prayer – v2
edited/ new name January 22, 2018
climbing up into our Daddy’s lap
edited January 22, 2018
whispering to our Daddy – v2
edited January 22, 2018
hearing these words – 2 – v2
January 22, 2018
hearing these words - 2
January 22, 2018
within the prayer of Jesus
edited January 22, 2018
whispering our prayers to Daddy – v2
January 22, 2018
whispering our prayers to Daddy
edited/ new name January 22, 2018
climbing up into God’s lap
January 22, 2018
climbing up into His lap
January 21, 2018
teaching us His prayer
January 21, 2018
seated in the lap of God
January 21, 2018
the intimacy of Christ’s prayer
edited/ new name/ reworked January 21, 2018
whispering to our Abba Father
January 21, 2018
whispering to our Daddy
January 21, 2018
praying from the lap of God
edited January 21, 2018
feeling every single word – v2
January 21, 2018
listening to the prayer we offer
January 21, 2018
feeling every single word
January 21, 2018
not my own words but God’s words
January 21, 2018
needing to feel our prayers
January 21, 2018
our prayers become meaningless
January 21, 2018
pray like this
January 21, 2018
meaning in these words
edited January 21, 2018
enter the Father - v2
January 21, 2018
enter in with God
January 21, 2018
Come to Abba
January 21, 2018
enter the Father
January 21, 2018
Stetson Memorial UMC
Week 2
Sermon Series:
Lord…Teach Us To Pray
What are we really asking and praying for…?
Psalm 62:1-2, 5-8 (Complete Jewish Bible)
Matthew 6:9-10 (Complete Jewish Bible)
Matthew 6:9-13 (Complete Jewish Bible)
“The Lord’s Prayer”
and sermon “Abba’s Kingdom…”
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
January 21, 2018
&
January 15, 2018
the words familiar
January 15, 2018
each word a prayer
edited/ new name January 15, 2018
dripping with meaning
January 15, 2018
every word - 2
January 15, 2018
the words we pray
January 15, 2018
This is how you should pray
January 15, 2018
The reddest of letters
the idea of a “Red-Letter Bible”,
with the words of Jesus in red
January 14, 2018
praying with these words
January 14, 2018
just mouthing these words
January 14, 2018
Save us from the Devil
January 14, 2018
protect us from evil
Luke 11:4c
(John) Wesley’s Notes on the Bible
Luke 11
11:1 Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples - The Jewish masters used to give their followers some short form of prayer, as a peculiar badge of their relation to them. This it is probable John the Baptist had done. And in this sense it seems to be that the disciples now asked Jesus, to teach them to pray. Accordingly he here repeats that form, which he had before given them in his sermon on the mount, and likewise enlarges on the same head, though still speaking the same things in substance. And this prayer uttered from the heart, and in its true and full meaning, is indeed the badge of a real Christian: for is not he such whose first and most ardent desire is the glory of God, and the happiness of man by the coming of his kingdom? Who asks for no more of this world than his daily bread, longing meantime for the bread that came down from heaven? And whose only desires for himself is forgiveness of sins, (as he heartily forgives others,) and sanctification.
11:2 When ye pray, say - And what he said to them is undoubtedly said to us also. We are therefore here directed, not only to imitate this in all our prayers, but to use this very form of prayer. Matthew 6:9-13.
11:4 Forgive us; for we forgive them - Not once, but continually. This does not denote the meritorious cause of our pardon; but the removal of that hindrance which otherwise would render it impossible.
&
January 14, 2018
starting with God
Luke 11:2b
“Father, hallowed be your name.” (NRSV)
edited January 14, 2018
praying daily – v2
January 14, 2018
praying daily
January 13, 2018
we breathe in His prayers
January 13, 2018
teach us, Lord Jesus
January 13, 2018
submit to Christ’s teaching
January 13, 2018
do you just mouth the words
January 13, 2018
in prayer, in trust, in submission
January 13, 2018
modeling prayer
January 14, 2018
Stetson Memorial UMC
Sermon Series:
Lord…Teach Us To Pray
What are we really asking and praying for…?
Luke 11:1-4 (The Voice)
“The Lord’s Prayer”
 Matthew 6:9-13 (King James Version)
“The Lord’s Prayer”
Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18 (Complete Jewish Bible)
1 Chronicles 4:10
“Prayer of Jabez”
Number 6:24-26
“Nate’s Theology Quiz”

and sermon “Lord Teach Us to Pray…”
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
January 14, 2018

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 46,090 of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Christ, Spirit, God, Faith, love, grace, Pastor Ruth Foss, Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church, bread, hope, journey, Psalm 139, Luke 11, pray, prayer, prayer warrior, Lord’s Prayer,

#Christ #God #Spirit #Faith #grace #poem #prayer #prayerlife #pray #journey #hope #love #joy #Luke11 #Psalm139 #prayerwarrior #LordsPrayer #worship #glory #peace #communion #relationship #believe #petitions #compassion #mercy #bread #hallowed #kingdom

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Christ, Spirit, God, Faith, love, grace, Pastor Ruth Foss, Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church, bread, hope, journey, Psalm 62, Matthew 6, pray, prayer, prayer warrior, Lord’s Prayer, Abba, Father

#Christ #God #Spirit #Faith #grace #poem #prayer #prayerlife #pray #journey #hope #love #joy #Matthew6 #Psalm62 #prayerwarrior #LordsPrayer #worship #glory #peace #relationship #believe #compassion #mercy #bread #hallowed #kingdom #Abba #Father

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