Sunday, November 05, 2017

sermon, "The Bigger Picture", by Pastor Ruth Foss, Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church, Patten, ME, November 5, 2017, All Saints Day



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:

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):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.
Jesse called his son Abinadab and brought him to Samuel. Samuel looked at him.
Samuel: The Eternal has not chosen him either.
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? 

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 …?

Amen


=====================
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)
Luke 12:22-24 (The Voice)
John 17:20-23 The Message (MSG)
1 Samuel 16:5-13 The Voice (VOICE)
and sermon, “The Bigger Picture”
text


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,

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