Sicamous United Church

Lakai

With reference to 1^st Samuel 16:1-13, and Mark 4:26- 32

Dear Lakai,

The first thing I want to say is, Thank You!  Thank you for the honour of asking me to baptize you today, just before I retire from a ministry that has been such a huge part of my life for the past 31 years.  The thing is, the seeds of this ministry go back much further… but I’ll tell you more about that a little later.

The seeds of your baptism go back a way too.  You have wanted to take this step in your life since before I met you – about four years ago.  Somehow, the timing was never just right, but you did not lose the feeling, and for that I am grateful, and I am also assured that God’s spirit is at work in you, in ways both you and the world shall yet discover.

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based on John 3:1-17

 This passage from John Chapter 3 is so familiar, that we must wonder if there is anything more to discover.  “For God so loved the world…”  But does anyone remember that happened in Chapter 2?

A quick recap – Jesus goes to a wedding and turns water into wine in Cana, then goes on to Capernaum with his mother, brothers and disciples and stays for a few days.  From there he travels to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast, arrives at the temple and immediately causes a ruckus by chasing out of the money-changers in the Temple courtyard.  Now, the other gospels put this event near the end of his ministry – and you can be pretty sure he only did it once!  So, what’s going on here?  Why is John’s gospel so different?

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Based on John 15:9-17  & Acts 10:44-48

 Although I am one of the few Canadians that does not have a smartphone, I am a tiny bit tech savvy – posting on the church website and using Facebook, mostly to keep up with what my adult children are doing, and now to see little videos of my adorable grand-baby.  Some time ago, on the Facebook wall, there was a post, featuring a picture of the lovely Johnny Depp.  And, while I am truly in love with my dear Jim, I confess that Johnny does have a certain… `hotness’ factor. So I appreciated the picture and read the poster. It said:

There are four questions of value in life…

What is sacred?

Of what is the spirit made?

What is worth living for, and what is worth dying for?

The answer to each is the same. 

Only Love. Johnny Depp. 

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Reflecting on Luke 24:36b-49 After meeting disciples on the road to Emmaus, Jesus appears with them in Jerusalem.

We rolled the Word for All Ages, the scriptures and the sermon into one today, doing `church in the round’ reflection on the gospel.  We started with some brain-teasers.  I asked Jim to make a fist, and asked if anyone could get him to open his fist in 30 seconds.  (I had imagined a child doing this, but our usual children were at home with daddy today).  Someone tried to pry his hand open, then another come forward to shake his hand.  Then someone asked him to please open his hand.  He did.  The first response though was to pry it open.  (Sometimes it is as hard to open our minds and hearts as it is to open a fist.)

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(based on Jeremiah 31:31-34, John 12:20-26 & Psalm 51:1-12)

On Friday evening and most of yesterday I was at First United Church in Kelowna, listening to Amir Hussain, author of `Oil & Water: two faiths, one God,’ talk about Islam.   He answered our many questions thoughtfully and graciously, and without consulting notes.  It made me wonder how we would do, with the same flow of questions about Christianity and what our faith means to us.

Imagine with me…If you were without a Bible, a hymn book, the internet; if you were living in a post- apocalyptic world, or in a land or culture that seemed completely foreign to you.  Do you have a prayer, a scripture, an image, a parable that would sustain your spirit when all the usual supports are gone?  What is the word/ what is the covenant written on your heart?

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