Your Faith Journey - Finding God Through Words, Song and Praise

The Baptism of our Lord – 01/07/2024

We make decisions every day of how close we want to get to someone, physically and emotionally. How much do we want to know about another person's business? What will be expected with having this information?

There are times that we are drawn in and find ourselves entangled and wonder how we got there. There are other times, especially if we can learn from those entanglements that we then draw boundary lines and filter or maybe even choose not to associate with a person.

It is about taking care of ourselves. Caretakers often have a problem with getting taken advantage of. We can easily forget that God did not say that we are responsible to take care of everyone's needs. Healthy relationships involve people who are able to have a give and take which involves constant communication.

Today we are challenged to look at our relationship with God. As Lutherans we believe that this can happen at infant baptism. Although we also believe that one can have a relationship with God without being baptized. Baptism is a public recognition that we are God's child and we are saying out loud.

As infants, we rely on others to teach us what it means to be a child of God. As adults, if we have not been baptized as infants, we come to a place where we are ready to publicly affirm that we are a child of God and to state this out loud. Baptism is about relationships with God in Jesus Christ and each other.

God created us to be in relationships with God and each other. Baptism states this publicly. Everyone is a child of God, but baptism says it out loud. It is a means of grace. God claims us as God's own and baptism affirms this claim.

Through baptism God offers us forgiveness, salvation and new life as gifts. It is how God says I love you, even though we don't deserve it. This is where grace comes in. Through baptism we receive God's grace, God's love.

If we are saying out loud that we are God's child and we are still infants, it is done for us. At confirmation and hopefully many other times, we affirm that we are God's child. But what does that mean?

One thing it means is that we are in a relationship with God in Jesus Christ and God has a lot to say about how we live our lives. At times it is hard to hear God's voice because we get in the way with what we want. Also, we allow ourselves to get caught up with people and things that block out our hearing of God's voice.

I am here to remind us that God will not stay away from us. God will continue to speak to us even when we are choosing not to hear. In our Gospel lesson for today we hear that the heavens were torn apart symbolizing that God had, and was coming to earth. The Spirit descended like a dove on Jesus and God said, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."

I added the first four verses of the Gospel of Mark to our Gospel lesson to remind us that this is the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. This good news is what we are called to share with others as children of God, that we are God's child and so are they. John the Baptist prepared the people for Jesus' baptism. First of all, to help them understand that his baptism was one of repentance for the forgiveness of sins and that Jesus would be baptizing with the Holy Spirit. Second that once they were baptized by Jesus that they would be believers in Jesus and saying this out loud.

It is quite interesting that Mark says that the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to John the Baptist. They were going out to be baptized in the River Jordan, confessing their sins. This sounds like a lot of people. John was telling them what they were doing, but there was no way that they could fully understand it at that time.

John the Baptist says to the people that he had baptized them with water for the forgiveness of sins, but Jesus will baptize them with the Holy Spirit. John doesn't say maybe, but will. I wonder if the people may have sensed that Jesus was the Messiah and they were ready to say out loud that they were God's children, followers of Jesus Christ.

This is the beginning of the Good News, but we know as we continue to hear about Jesus encounter's with people and church and governmental leaders, that it did not all seem like good news. There may have been times that the people did not want to hear what Jesus had to say. It may have gone against their culture, against what many were doing. They may have wanted to distance themselves from Jesus, from God's voice. Times where they didn't want to say out loud that they were God's child, followers of Jesus.

I do not believe that we are any different from the followers of Jesus day. Saying out loud that we are God's child, followers of Jesus sometimes goes against the grain of our society, even other denominations. The more that we allow God's voice to be heard in our lives, the more changes that we will be called to make. We make decisions of how close we choose to get to God in Jesus Christ, just as we do with others.

Thus, I wonder if there are times we would like God to stay away or at least be quiet. That may sound harsh, but is it any different with fellow human beings at times. Sometimes there are things that we need to do and or say that are not easy.

I believe all of us know how to be deaf and blind when we come upon things that we do not want to deal with. The loving thing about God is that God in Jesus Christ walks with us and sometimes carries us through the tough times. Could it be that when we realize this that we are ready to say out loud again that we are God's child?

As children of God sometimes we are called to engage with people, other children of God. Sometimes it gets messy. As we move forward in our transition, there will be changes that are made.

God says to us, I'm here to walk with you, are you willing to hear my voice and follow my direction? God's voice will come through different people and occurrences. I will be the one asking the questions and will encourage you to ask questions also.

God calls and invites us into God's beloved community, and the world has changed around us. Many churches are struggling to make ends meet and lack volunteers. Does that sound a little familiar? God is calling us to something new.

Are we willing to trust God? Are we willing to listen for, and to God's voice?

Are we willing to say out loud that we are Children of God?

This is a special musical presentation of When the Angels' Song is Silent, performed today by the Faith Lutheran Singing Sinners Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

This is a special musical presentation of Mary Did You Know, performed today by the Faith Lutheran Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Christmas Eve 2023

Throughout this past year, we all have had our joys and struggles. Some of our experiences we have considered good news and blessings and others not. Tonight, we gather together to hear the story, maybe a few for the first time and for others, we may have lost count. What might the good news or blessings be in this old story?

This old story is about the birth of Jesus, the Messiah, our Messiah, God coming to earth to save us, God's people. It is easy to glamorize this story, but when we do that, we may miss the good news of the story. The time period that Jesus was born into was not an easy time. Transportation had not been developed and there were many laws or customs that were expected to adhere to.

When we begin to look at how Jesus' birth came to be, it rocked many boats. Mary was a teenager who had not had sex with Joseph, and they were not married. Mary's family could have disowned her, and Joseph could have told people that he was not the father. Was this conception good news and a blessing or was it a curse?

When the angel Gabriel came to tell Mary, of course Mary was asking, 'how could this be?'. I am a teenager and have not even been with a man. It seemed that when Gabriel told Mary that her aunt Elizabeth was also pregnant and she was quite old, Mary felt that she could affirm this conception as she would not be alone.

Since some of Mary's fears were allayed, she was able to reframe it. Mary was able to see this conception as a way to serve God. She really did not know what she was in for, but she was honored to be a servant for God. Mary looked at this as good news and a blessing. She sang a song of praise to let God know that she was joyful to be able to serve. Something that could have caused her to be stoned she reframed into a blessing, good news.

Then there is the census that caused them to have to travel. Could the census have been good news and a blessing? Our first thought could be that it caused a hardship for Mary and Joseph. As the census required them to go from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Remember Mary is pregnant. The distance is ninety miles and there were no cars. The story tells us that she rode on a donkey. Have many of us have walked ninety miles, let alone with someone who is pregnant?

Does this sound like good news, let alone a blessing? For us this would be like walking from Okemos to Holland or Grand Haven. The census was actually bringing them back to where Joseph grew up. This established Joseph as being in the line of David, which was foretold in the Old Testament to be where the Messiah was coming from. When we can reframe the census, it can become good news and a blessing.

It gave Mary and Jospeh a sense of belonging and status, which they may have been struggling with. It became good news and a blessing when this information came together. If they were going back to where Joseph grew up, they probably had family and friends around to support them. Thus, the census could them be viewed as good news and a blessing.

So often we have heard of the angry motel keeper who wouldn't let Mary and Joseph into his motel. Jesus was place in a manger, possibly then in a family room of a family member. What if placing Jesus in a manger was a provision for safety and security? Could this be looked at as good news and a blessing as God provided what they needed at the time? Again, reframing a situation that seemed to be of lack, but could also be seen as abundance.

As we can reframe these different parts of this familiar story, can we begin to see that even in what may seem like the darkest moments in our lives, that when we can reframe them, they may become good news and a blessing? In each situation in our Christmas story God provided what was needed. In each situation in our lives, can we see where God has provided what we needed at that time? This is good news and a blessing for us to share with others.

It also reminds us that God is always with God's people. Even in what may seem like our darkest moments in life, we can see God's love shown for us. God loves us enough to come to our messed up world and continues to show up and be with us and our stories into good news and blessings.

God provided for Mary, Joseph and Jesus throughout this old story. As our stories continue to unfold, God continues to provide for us. At times we may need to do some reframing in order to see God's presence in our stories. The good news and blessing is that God came to earth out of love and continues to love us by providing for us what we need, when we need it.

We have gathered to hear this old story again to be reminded that God walks with us in our stories continuing to love and provide for us. God continues to turn our dark moments into good news and blessings. This is the good news for us and the good news that we have to share with others.

Let us pray: Loving God, we have looked anew at the story of your Son's birth. The story tells of many challenges that Mary and Joseph had. A story that also shows your presence with them in many ways and providing what they needed when they needed it. A story that shows how your love for them allowed them to reframe challenges into good news and blessings. Help us tonight to be able to see the good news and blessings in our lives that you have given to us out of love. Help us to share the good news of your love and blessings with all people. Amen

Today was the 2023 Christmas Pageant . Come and celebrate the Christmas season with youth from Faith Lutheran.

Endings have beginnings and beginnings have endings. So often we dread endings. The endings of a life, sometimes the endings of a school year, a graduation or position. As emotionally difficult as they can be, there can also be a sense of celebration in each one.

Normally when there is an ending, there will be something or someone that we will be missing. This is when we come more to the realization that hopefully we can be thankful for these people and times. At 63, I have been through a number of seasons in life as many of you also have been. We learn to savor moments with people and things.

Beginnings can be difficult also, but it is what keeps us going and moving on to new moments to savor. In our gospel lesson today, we hear the beginning of our first Gospel ever written. In Mark we hear, The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Context is always important. This Gospel was believed to have been written in AD 70. This is when the Roman Empire destroyed and looted the temple and Jerusalem itself. This event ended the revolt and huge numbers of Jews left Judaea to make a home elsewhere.

Mark's Gospel is the shortest. He doesn't start out with a Christmas story as Mathhew and Luke do. I'm wondering if he felt he needed to get some good news out as soon as possible. He begins by announcing that this is the beginning of an account of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of Man. Mark was putting down Jesus' story.

Mark immediately moves on to John the Baptist by using the prophet Isaiah who prophesied John the Baptist many years before. In our Old Testament lesson, we hear the prophet Isaiah reminding people that Jerusalem needs comfort. They have just returned from exile. This time it was the Babylonians who had destroyed Jerusalem and the temple.

The prophet Isaiah in this section of the book is trying to give the Hebrew people comfort, hope and joy. Even though it was their behavior that led them into exile, God was still there for them. We hear those familiar words of comfort hope, and joy, "Comfort, O Comfort my people, says your God. Isaiah also says, In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. This was first prophesying John the Baptist and then Jesus, God coming to earth.

Now in Mark, history is repeating itself and the people are looking again for God to come and comfort them and walk with them. Mark is reminding them of Jesus by retelling Jesus' story from his point of view. God had come to earth in Jesus in order to prepare God's people for the restoration of their lives, land and temple.

God has promised to be with God's people and has never given up on this promise. God's people then, in Isaiah's time, Mark's time, and now us, need constant reminders of God's expectations and promise of comfort, hope, and joy. Might John the Baptist be giving us the stance or posture that we need to constantly be in the process of restoration?

First of all, John the Baptist was out in the wilderness. He was not in a town, nor in the temple. One could say he was different, dressed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He was preaching a baptism of repentance, but yet there was someone coming who was greater than he. John said he was not even worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of this person's sandals.

The statement about his sandals must have been important as all four Gospel writers have used it. John was making the point that the focus should not be on him. He was the messenger. Jesus was the savior that the people were looking for. He was the one to bring comfort and joy.

Even though John the Baptist was baptizing, he said it wasn't the full baptism. The one coming would be baptizing with the Holy Spirit. We are in the first chapter of Mark, in the first eight verses and we are already hearing about the Holy Spirit. Did they even know who the Holy Spirit was?

John the Baptist was out in the wilderness telling people to get ready for this one who is greater than he. Mark identifies this person who is coming as Jesus Christ, the Son of Man and that he is bringing good news. This is what the people needed to hear as Jerusalem had been demolished and they wanted to restore what had been broken. John's posture or stance was one of repentance and being vulnerable in order to recognize Jesus in the unexpected places.

Good News came to the Hebrew people in Isaiah's time, came to the people in Mark's time and continues to come to us today. God fulfills God's promises to bring comfort, hope, joy and walk alongside God's people to restore what has been broken. Sometimes the brokenness comes from decisions that have been made and sometimes it just happens.

Each one of us makes decisions and will continue to make decisions that cause brokenness in our lives and other's lives. There will be things that happen to us and the ones we love that we do not have any control over that cause brokenness. I am sure that every one of us here and online can think of someone and maybe ourselves who are experiencing brokenness right now.

The good news is that regardless if it was because of decisions that we made or someone else has made or just because it happened, that God in Jesus Christ comes to comfort us and walk beside us. Many of us have received comfort, hope and joy in our times of brokenness and we have offered words of comfort to others in their brokenness.

The prophet Isaiah reminded the people that regardless of Jerusalem's choices that may have gotten them into exile originally, God still loved them and wanted to help them be restored to wholeness. When we read Jesus' story, he never turned anyone away, especially if they were seeking restoration, wholeness.

This is the good news for us and good news that we are called to offer to others. This Advent season is about remembering the comfort, hope and joy that we can have in Jesus. People seem to repeat history. God in Jesus Christ remains constant in comforting us, giving us hope and joy and walking beside us through our brokenness into wholeness which brings us joy.

It is when we receive the words of good news, of comfort, hope, and joy, a reminder of God's constant love that we can move from endings into beginnings.

This is a special musical presentation of Climb to the Highest Mountain, performed today by the Singing Sinners at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

This is a special musical presentation of Waiting for Bethlehem's Light, performed today by the Chancel Choir with Gwynne Kadrofske on flute at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Happy New Year!! We had our New Year's Eve gathering at the Williamston Theater last night. We usually don't stay up until midnight to welcome the new church year in. Part of what the church year has done is to try and offset the regular calendar. This is how we got December 25 for Christmas, as it used to be a pagan holiday.

So, what do we do differently in Advent? In some sense it is a penitential time, similar to Lent. We always talk about slowing down, but how often do we really slow down. It often gets busier. Even though we hear the words in our Gospel lesson this morning to stay awake, be alert, do we? The busier we are the less that we see and are able to experience.

Jesus paints quite a picture in our Gospel lesson today of what his second coming may look like. Quite stark language, During the days after this trouble comes, the sun will grow dark, and the moon will not give its light. The stars will fall from the sky. And the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

Jesus had just told his disciples prior to our Gospel lesson, that the temple would be destroyed, not one stone would be left. Up until this time the presence of God was thought to have been in the temple, thus this was a radical departure from what they grew up with. Can you imagine the anxiety that this must have created? Then Jesus paints this picture of the Son of Man returning. I am not sure the disciples fully understood what Jesus was talking about.

How and when all of this would take place, Jesus says no one knows except God. In the meantime, stay awake, keep alert. We could read this as don't go to sleep, but we know that is not the way God made us.

There are some people who will focus on, "you will see these things taking place" and then you will know the time and the hour. Many people have waited at a certain place at a certain time, but Jesus did not return at that time. Thus, I don't believe waiting and keeping alert means that we stand still.

In Mark, Jesus is changing the focus of where we will find God's presence. God's presence is not only found in the temple, but out in the wilderness, outside the doors of the temple. In the next few weeks, we will encounter John the Baptist who was out in the in wilderness. People left their cities and towns as they were seeking something more than what they were finding from the church leaders in the temple.

Since Jesus has not come back yet, we can easily become complacent. We only talk about Jesus' second coming at the beginning and the end of the church year. When we talk about it, I would like to suggest that it can encourage us not to be fearful or complacent, but to continue seeking God's presence in our lives. For me, this is what it means to be awake and alert.

Our Old Testament lesson from the prophet Isaiah, may help us be in a posture to do this. Some of the people have returned from their exile. They returned to a demolished temple and plundered land. At least now they were home, and not under the Babylonian authority.

The prophet Isaiah is not happy with God and kind of feels that God has abandoned them. Isaiah says tear open the heavens and come down to us and help us get back on our feet. Although, he recognized that God had done awesome deeds that they didn't expect. He recognized that God intervened for those who waited for God.

At the same time, Isaiah was blaming God for their sin as God hid God's face from them. This may seem quite bold to blame God, but if we are honest, there are times we blame God for things also. Isaiah was asking God, since you are angry with us, where does that leave us?

Yet, says Isaiah, since you are our parent, we are your clay, and you are the potter. This can be good news, but what does it mean for us to be clay. Clay is a lump of wet gooey stuff. Is this what we want to be? Is this what we are called to be?

For us to be clay means that we are vulnerable and flexible. It means that we will continually be reshaped until the day we are made perfect and go home to God in Jesus Christ.

The Potter's Hand

Verse 1

Beautiful Lord wonderful Saviour I know for sure all of my days are

Held in Your hand crafted into our perfect plan

Verse 2

You gently call me into Your presence, guiding me by Your Holy Spirit

Teach me dear Lord to live all of my life Through Your eyes

Pre-Chorus

I'm captured by Your holy calling, set me apart I know You're drawing

Me to Yourself Lead me Lord I pray

Chorus

Take me mold me, Use me fill me, I give my life to the Potter's hand.

Call me guide me, lead me, walk beside me, I give my life to the Potter's hand

CCLI Song # 2449771

Darlene Zschech

© 1997 Wondrous Worship

For use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.com

CCLI License # 720217

When we allow ourselves to be molded by God's hands, the potter, we will be awake and alert. It also means that we may need to slow down in order to see people and situations through Jesus' eyes. In order to be molded, we are called to be vulnerable and flexible.

During this Advent season, there may be things that we need to let go of, that are holding us back from more fully experiencing God's presence. Where are we looking for God. We often find God in the unexpected places. This will mean changing our hearts and minds being clay and allowing God the potter to be remolding us.

May we pray the prayer together printed in your bulletin:

Change My Heart, O God

Change my heart, O God; make it ever true.

Change my heart, O God; may I be like you.

You are the potter; I am the clay.

Mold me and make me; this is what I pray.

Change my heart, O God; make it ever true.

Change my heart, O God; may I be like you. Amen

In some churches when I say that we have come to end of our stewardship campaign, people often breathe a sigh of relief. The thought may be that we don't have to hear money talk again for another year. If you have noticed here at Faith, the past two Sundays have not been about money. It has been about how Faith has embraced people and how we use the resources that we have been given to take care of and are shared with our neighbors.

Over the years, stewardship has gotten a bad rap. It is all how we define stewardship. I have said once or twice that the word comes from the old English and means keeper of the pig sty. To be a steward means that we take care of what has been entrusted to us.

What has been entrusted to us is time, talent and treasure. This really does include our relationships, with ourselves and others. So, stewardship is about how we take care of all of these things and people. The bottom line is that we as Christians believe that we do not own anything, God owns everything.

This way of thinking does not fly too well in our society. We all work hard to get what we have. As Christians, we are called to think about we and not I. We were created to live in community. This is what God in Jesus Christ has been trying to teach us how to do since God put human beings on this earth.

Somehow when we can focus on what we are thankful for, it is easier to have the we way of thinking. Thus, it is more than appropriate to celebrate Stewardship/Thanksgiving Sunday together. Stewardship is about living our lives in thankfulness.

I would like us to think about how often we have talked about giving back what we own, where in reality, we don't own anything. I would like us rather to think about, how we use what we have been given to manage. Nothing is permanent, in reality everything is temporary. We are challenged to use our time, talent and treasure to the best of our ability to glorify God in thanksgiving and in consultation with God in Jesus Christ.

Worshipping here together is one way in which to express our thankfulness. When we gather in thankfulness it can refocus our way of thinking in order to navigate the week ahead. It can put our hearts in a place to think of we and not I.

Psalm 100 offers some suggestions on how we can worship together. I believe when we gather that there is a combination of individual and corporate worship. When we all focus our hearts and minds on thankfulness to God, there creates a connection that brings us to a place of peace and openness to experience Jesus together.

Psalm 100 was used as a processional by the Hebrew people into the temple. I would like to read you a different paraphrased version.

1-2 On your feet now—applaud God! Bring a gift of laughter, sing yourselves into God's presence.

3 Know this: God is God. God made us, and we belong to the creator. We are God's people and God's well-tended sheep.

4 Enter with the password: "Thank you!" Make yourselves at home, talking praise. Give thanks to God. Bless God's name.

5 For God is sheer beauty, all-generous in love, loyal always and ever.

I've asked in a few groups that I read this in, what would happen if I asked the congregation to applaud God and they looked at me like I was crazy. We applaud human beings, but what about God. Our applause normally comes when we are overwhelmed by a performance or a talk or sometimes just showing our thankfulness.

Worship can be a place where we let it all hang out, but we usually don't. Some of you have clapped on some songs with the beat. We applaud at the end of the postlude and sometimes after other musical pieces. Why not for God?

Then there is laughter. So, what about bringing a gift of laughter? What does laughter do, but to relax us and open us up and allow us to be freer. Laughter is a release. It is acceptable to laugh in a worship service. Most likely God laughs at some of the things that we do.

The Psalm goes on, Know this: God is God. God made us, and we belong to the creator. We are God's people and God's well-tended sheep. God knows us as God has created us. God desires us to be in relationship. This knowing is an intimate knowing. Have you ever been overwhelmed by God that you were brought to tears, that you wanted to raise your hand, wanted to express your thankfulness in some way, but then felt what would people say?

When we intimately love someone with our whole heart, we often do things out of our character. I often think of parents doing things with their kids that they would not normally do. There may be something that we do for our partners in life that is out of our character. Why not for God?

One of the reasons that we gather to worship is to say thank you to God with our time, talent and treasure. God invites us to worship, to be at home, talking praise, giving thanks and blessing God's name. Thus, the password, thank you, can flow out of our hearts. It is not a password that is easily forgotten.

I would challenge us to express our thanks, maybe in ways that we have not tried and may feel a little uncomfortable. Maybe a better way to say it is that I give you permission, or better yet that God gives you permission. I've never turned down an amen either.

We can be healthy stewards in showing our thankfulness through our time, talent, and treasure in worship as well as in every area of our lives. When we come with an attitude and realization that everything including ourselves and relationships are given to us to care for, our approach to life is different. We are better able to think more about we than I. The good news is that even though we will always struggle with this, God's lover never leaves us.

When we bring our pledge cards up today or return them at some time, remember that it is really a commitment of how we are going to use one part of what God has entrusted us with, to take care of. This commitment is between you and God.

The time and talent sheet will be coming out soon. In the closing prayer of the sermon, I am going to ask God for us how to use what God has entrusted to us. God can tell us how to use our time, talent and treasure that will help us to think more about we than I. It will also be then what is best for the community.

Stewardship is about thanking God for what God has entrusted to us to take care of for God. It is how we are called to live our lives as Christians.

Let us pray. Gracious God, you have given us everything that we need to live our lives for you. We have often forgotten that we are stewards and not owners. Today we ask you how you want us to use what you have given to us to take care of, our time, talent and treasure. You have blessed us as individuals in so many ways as well as us as Faith Lutheran Church. May your Holy Spirit speak to us now and every day as how to use what you have entrusted to us to take care of.

In Jesus name, Amen.