Sermon at First Presbyterian
Church Lockhart
by James Greene
The title of today’s sermon is Peace at home. Now even though this is Mother’s Day, I’m not talking about the absence of children screaming
through the house playing tag.
I’m not talking about the suspension
of arguments between spouses, or the solving of conflicts between siblings. I’m not talking about the ability of Mom’s to bring order
out of Chaos (but that is a law of the universe) just like the law of physics that
says a “body in motion tends to stay in
motion”, ---- until Mom
gets a hold of you!
I am
talking about the abiding peace
that is a part of our identity as followers of the Christ.
It is the peace that allows us to be at home, with ourselves,
with our circumstances, with the knowledge
that we are God’s, and God is with us in all things. We are at peace
because we are at
home with the Lord, who is the center of our lives.
Just as we find
in Romans 14:8 “If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the
Lord. So, whether we live or die, we
belong to the Lord.”
In our reading from Acts,
we see Paul traveling into
the
In Psalm
67 is the theme of God being praised by all the peoples of the earth. God’s ways
are to be known in all
the earth, and He is to be a guide to all nations. We are to be
at home
in all the earth, because God is a personal God, who will
bless all the people who praise Him.
In the Book of Revelation, we see where the Lamb will abide in (will be at home in) the midst of the people. Also
important is that the people have the name
of the Lamb on their foreheads. To have the people called by the name of the Lamb, means that
they are the possession of the
Lamb, and they come under his authority
and his protection. They live
in Peace in the Kingdom, and they are at home with
the Lamb. This is at the end of
time, in the New Jerusalem, in
the
In the reading from John we see two key elements in the text: The element of anxiety, and the element of the message from Jesus to the Apostles and to the
church of the first century.
1
We
can all identify with the element
of anxiety. We experience that through the loss
of a life friend, or the loss of
a mentor or a parent. Two people come to
mind as personal mentors. A neighbor of ours in San Antonio, Loyd Bentley, who taught me leadership and people skills when I worked for him during two summers when I was in college. James
Curry, an elder in my church,
who taught me, what it was like
to be a part of the family of God. I was adopted
into his family, and learned from his biblical wisdom and insight
into problems. These two gentlemen passed away in the
mid ‘90’s.
I experienced an anxiety
that came with the loss of such good
people.
Things had changed, and they were never to be the same again. It was like loosing the pillars that support the reality of your world. The structure of the foundation, of what we had come to rely upon, had shifted. You didn’t have the chance to ask them for their advise or insight. You had to rely upon your memories and second-guess what would have been their answers.
There is also the anxiety of loosing a parent or a job. This kind impacts us more that the loss of friends. This shakes us to our core. In these times, God seems distant. There is something gone, that can never be replaced. There is a restless apathy. There is the emotion that comes with of the sense of scarcity. There is a feeling of being disconnected from family and from friends.
This is what the Apostles and the church of the first century were going through. It was the anxiety of the loss of their friend, their mentor, their teacher, and their redeemer. Jesus is telling them he is going away. It is something they don’t want to hear. It was like hearing from your mom as a kid, that she is going away. It was life changing and earth shaking for them.
But Jesus is leaving the Apostles, but he is leaving them with a message of hope. He reminds them that they are always connected to Him and to the Father. They were not going to be abandoned. The Holy Spirit would help them to remember His teachings, and would continue to teach them. This was to take away their anxiety. This was to give them His Peace – The Peace of Christ – . With Christ’s Peace they would have a secure foundation that their existence was based upon. Their faith in His promise secured that Hope. It is the emotion of being at home and being.
It is in the knowledge that if Christ is in us, we have that kind of peace, that outlasts everything we know in this world. We are at home, no matter what our circumstance. We are at Peace (within ourselves), even if everything goes away: our job, our mentors, or our family. If we have the Peace of Christ, in our core – in our heart, we are at home. It is not the peace of a quiet house, but the abiding Peace that comes from Christ present within us and with in our lives. It is a calmness, in knowing, that we are never beyond the reach of God’s love. It is the understanding that we are God’s treasured possession and the apple of his eye. It is the Peace of Christ. It is a Peace where we are at home with the Lord, wherever we are in life. It is Peace in knowing that we are prayed for by the fellowship and by our Savior. It is that peace at home that comes to us from The Son…..
In the Name of … the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit. Amen
Pastoral
Prayer 5/9/10
Dear
Lord, we give thanks for your Peace revealed
to us. You are the Lord who
is redeems us, to the
Father. In our to praise
you, we give thanks for the Peace you
offer your people, - turn us towards You.
We
pray for Your Spirit that moves and works within
and through us through your Word.
Bring about your Peace for
those in our lives. Help us to live like Your Son with in
attitude of grace and peace in praise
of you. Turn our hearts to you, help us to live into your will. We give thanks for your love and provision.
We
pray for those in leadership in our government that their focus is in Your Word and Your Will. We pray for our
President and those in Congress. Watch over the men and women in our armed
forces, who answer the call to serve
You and our country.
Stand with and comfort them on their duty, and in their service; be
their comfort, defender, and shield
We
continue to pray for the people and the country of
Your Son laid down his life for us, in Righteousness.
Help us to live our life in Your Righteousness as The People of God.
We pray for those who's
spirit need our comfort. For the Wilson and Hoffman families in the loss
of their mother Estelle. Let us be your helping grace.
We pray for those who are
sick, or in the hospital, or in need of your healing compassion.
name:
*George
Miller for healing, *Tom Miller for healing
*Leticia
Frausto for healing, and chemo *TheWallace family
*Betty
Burton for strength *Kimberly Preweet – for recovery chemo
*Pastor James
Lee for strength *Kay Duffield – for strength and
recovery
*Lyle
Looger -for strength and recovery *Tom Bennet – for
strength
*David
Koch - for healing and recovery.
We
pray for those we name, in our hearts, … and to
remember that all things,
including
this life, is a gift from you.
We give thanks for this Christian fellowship,
that sustains us in our trials and problems; You hold us in the comfort of your
loving care. We know Salvation is found in you alone. And help us to live our lives and trust in you alone, through
your living Word,
Jesus
the Christ, -who taught us to pray:
"The
grace of God, which passes all
understanding, TBoCP
keep your hearts
and minds in the knowledge and love
of God,
and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord:
And
the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be amongst you and remain with you always."