Matthew 5:1-12 – Peace with Justice Sunday

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Matthew 5:1-12 – Peace with Justice Sunday

Peace with Justice Sunday is one of the six special Sundays designated by the United Methodist Church to bring awareness to special needs in our own communities, our country, and globally. Peace with justice is a faithful expression of shalom in the Bible.

We believe that in loving both God and neighbor, we must pursue God’s command of justice, liberation, and flourishing for all people. We must work for the civil and human rights of every person. By following Jesus’ commandments, we can be His hands and feet in helping to establish Peace with Justice.

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Go! I Will Always Be With You – Matthew 28:8-10, 16-20

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Go! I Will Always Be With You – Matthew 28:8-10, 16-20

Several questions are worth pondering as we seek to be better disciples of our faith’s beliefs and values.

  • Who are we following – both religious and non-religious – and what are we learning from them?

  • Who are we leading and what are we teaching them?

  • How can we be better students and teachers of the Good News of God’s love?

Much like Jesus’ disciples, the Kingdom of God is filled with people from all backgrounds. Let’s work on inviting others to walk with us in this unique and amazing community as we all learn and grow together.

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Letting God’s Spirit Soak In – Matthew 26:26-28 and John 6:35

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Letting God’s Spirit Soak In – Matthew 26:26-28 and John 6:35

God loves us so much, in such a personal and intimate way, that His Spirit saturates us so that His presence completely merges with and nurtures our presence – not just during communion, but every day – a shared experience with our Creator. God wants the Holy Spirit and our spirit to be living, breathing, growing, exploring, and working together – as one. A shared existence.

When we realize that God’s Spirit is living inside us AND inside everyone we meet, we are more likely to be at peace with ourselves and others. We’re more likely to be able to love ourselves and love others. And in doing so, we are more likely to welcome more people into this universal community of faith we call the Kingdom of God.

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Virtue #7 – Ask Questions & Love Skeptics – 8 Short Verses

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Virtue #7 – Ask Questions & Love Skeptics – 8 Short Verses

Curiosity and skepticism are closely related. God is fine with skepticism in the sense of genuine, sincere questioning.

Here’s the great news: God is fine with skepticism in the sense of genuine, sincere questioning. When Thomas doubted Jesus was really back from the dead, Jesus neither rejected nor berated Thomas. Instead, Jesus said intimately welcomed him, “Thomas, I understand why you have doubts. Put your hands in my wounds (wow!) so your experience with Me will transform your relationship with Me in a way that you can never doubt.” God welcomes our wonders and our worries and invites us into life-changing, faith-changing experiences.

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Virtue #5 – Giving Generously – 10 Short Scripture Readings

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Virtue #5 – Giving Generously – 10 Short Scripture Readings

As Christians, we commit to “faithfully participate in the ministries of the Church by our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness, that in everything God may be glorified” (Methodist membership vows).

Elevating the practice of giving means we live into the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1–12): We will give our time, our talents, and our treasures so that the hungry will have food, the naked will have clothes, the homeless will have shelter, the lonely will have friends, the sick will have care, and so on.

As we co-labor with God to love and serve others, let’s keep asking, “How can we elevate our giving – in all its many forms – so that more people can experience the joy, the peace, and the excitement of God’s Kingdom?”

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Virtue #4 – Reaching Out to Others – 4 Scripture Readings

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Virtue #4 – Reaching Out to Others – 4 Scripture Readings

The fourth virtue is that flourishing churches relentlessly work to connect with and welcome others into their church families. They do this, not to benefit themselves, but as an effort to love God by loving others. Flourishing churches have rediscovered what’s great about the Good News of God’s love. Their personal experiences of that Good News in their own lives drives them, compels them to share their faith, hope, and love with others and invite others to experience God’s love for themselves.

When we reach out to others with sympathy rather than lectures... with empathy rather than judgement... with compassion rather than referrals... that’s when hearts and conversational doors open, and we can most effectively share the joy of having a personal, loving relationship with God. When we share the Good News, the GREAT News of God’s love in such a compassionate, personal way, people will feel genuinely welcomed into the Kingdom of God, a place of rest, healing, growth, and peace... a place of shalom.

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Virtue #2: Flourishing Churches Integrate New People – Ruth 1:16–17 and Matt. 4:18–22, 25:31-40

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Virtue #2: Flourishing Churches Integrate New People – Ruth 1:16–17 and Matt. 4:18–22, 25:31-40

Virtue #2 is integration. Flourishing churches quickly integrate new people into the life of the church. Churches flourish when they are personal – when they have a genuine interest in and compassion for each other.

Integrating people into the LIFE of our church family means welcoming them into our family, ensuring they feel welcomed, and finding places where their talents and interests become interwoven with our church life. Integrating people means we flourish together. We include others by loving them. We include others as an expression of how each of us feels loved by God. And we include others as an act of worship by letting God’s love, grace, and mercy for them flow through us.

The Good News of God’s love for us is that all of us – with our great diversity of talents, interests, and wisdom – we are ALL welcomed into and needed in the Kingdom of God. THAT is Good News the world needs to hear.

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4 Readings – Mary Magdalene’s Call Story

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4 Readings – Mary Magdalene’s Call Story

If you read the stories surrounding the 13 verses that include Mary Magdalene’s name, you will find that...

  • She’s the last to stay with Jesus at His execution.

  • She’s the first to discover the empty tomb.

  • She’s the first to hear about His resurrection.

  • She’s the first to see, talk with, and touch the resurrected Jesus.

  • She’s the first to be called and sent to tell others about the Good News of His resurrection – thus making her the first apostle to the disciples who would become apostles. She has often been called “the apostle to the apostles” and even been described as the 13th disciple.

As one of our greatest role models, Mary Magdalene’s life presses us to ask several good questions about our own commitment to our faith.

  • How have we experienced God’s transformative presence in our lives?

  • How are we staying close to God?

  • How are we serving God?

  • How are we searching for Jesus?

What better way to live our faith than listening and looking for God’s call so that when God say GO, we can quickly respond with joyful commitment?

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The Advent of HOPE – Matthew 1:18-2:2

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The Advent of HOPE – Matthew 1:18-2:2

Today’s story shares the advent of a new era, a new way of understanding the Good News that God’s love, peace, and hope is for everyone. Matthew’s story reminds us that, like Jesus, we can expand the Kingdom of God when we share this gift with ourselves and others, especially people who may be feeling a bit Scroogish or Grinchish this time of year.

Matthew’s story reminds us that we are all God’s children, all God’s family and thus, no matter what we have or have not done with our lives, we are all accepted and loved by the Creator of the Universe.

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Generosity as Thanksgiving – Matthew 25:31-46

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Generosity as Thanksgiving – Matthew 25:31-46

According to this story, God’s only qualification for being “righteous” is quite simple: Did you actively try to alleviate the suffering of your neighbor? Recall the lesson from the story of the Good Samaritan, everyone is your neighbor, no exceptions.

As you give thanks to God this week for your many blessings, I encourage you to ask God to give you wisdom, direction, opportunities, and the courage to combine all of those into action. If we continually ask God for that package of blessings, we will certainly make God’s loving presence known to ourselves and to the people around us.

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Using our God-Given Talents – Matthew 25:14-30

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Using our God-Given Talents – Matthew 25:14-30

God created us out of love and holds us in love, which means… we never have to earn God’s love. Also, we never have to wonder if God loves us. God always loves us. Always.

When we, individually and collectively as a faith community, understand the gifts and talents God has given us and use them to welcome, include, and encourage those who are fearful, rejected, and suffering… THEN we will truly fulfill our role as the bearers of the Good News of God’s love.

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Waiting for God – Matthew 25:1-13

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Waiting for God – Matthew 25:1-13

The Kingdom of God involves waiting… in a good way. While you wait for God’s promises to you to be fulfilled, are you willing to find and wait with people who care about you, who will support you, and who will wait with you?

As much as we must trust God when we’re called into action, we must also trust God when we are called into alert waiting as we prepare for what’s next. Let us all actively wait in prayer and fellowship so that we’ll be attentive and prepare for God to speak to us and lead us into the next chapter of our lives, individually and as a congregation.

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Sharing God’s Presence – Matthew 26:17-30

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Sharing God’s Presence – Matthew 26:17-30

In Luke’s version of the Passover meal, the Last Supper, Rabbi Jesus says, “Do this in remembrance of me.” Do this… Do what? Last week we talked about the Great Commandments (Matthew 22:34-40) Jesus shared with His disciples: Love God, love yourself, and love others. Our answer lies in those precious instructions.

We can start “remembering Jesus” by following Jesus’ example. In response to God’s love for each of us… In response to your relationship with God, love others to the point of sacrificing your own comfort and security so that others may come to know God and enjoy a loving relationship with Him. Jesus did that repeatedly.

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The Meaning of Life – Matthew 22:34-46

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The Meaning of Life – Matthew 22:34-46

The Great Commandments Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy and Leviticus serve as perhaps the ultimate litmus test for our own lives and communities.
· How well are we loving God?
· How well are we loving ourselves?
· How well are we loving others?

These are not rhetorical questions. In fact, I often think we would do well starting and ending each day reminding ourselves of these three loves as an encouragement, a compass, and a litmus test – a way of determining where we are and what adjustments we need to make to keep everything balanced and healthy.

Here’s the Good News that Jesus proclaimed: The Lord, our God, our Creator is indeed with us and loves us more than we can imagine! God’s “plan,” the meaning of our lives, is to embrace that Divine love, share it with ourselves, and let it flow through us to others. That is how we create the Kingdom of God here on Earth.

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There is Life After Death – Matthew 22:23-33

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There is Life After Death – Matthew 22:23-33

Jesus says the patriarchs of Israel (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) are “living” with God. This gives us great hope for our own ongoing relationships with God. This is the Good News that Jesus was sharing with anyone who would listen: God made you; God loves you; God wants to be in a close, loving relationship with you for forever. That’s not just Good News, it’s GREAT News! And its news worth sharing with people carrying the burdens of guilt, of insecurity, of hate, of neglect, abuse, and suffering of all forms! Our living God offers them and us relief and release!

No matter what is happening in our lives, no matter what we’ve done or imagined doing, the Good News is that we are born into a relationship with the creator of the universe, and that Creator is crazy about us!

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Give to God What is God’s – Matthew 22:15-22

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Give to God What is God’s – Matthew 22:15-22

Everything about Jesus’ ministry challenged the status quo. Jesus urged the people of his day, as well as us today, to use our God-given hearts and brains to decide, in light of our faith, what is the appropriate way for each of us to live. The crucial question is how we integrate our faith into each day. How can you integrate the values of your Christian faith into your workplace? We can do this every day when we vote.

Look at how you’re voting with your time and money. You have these precious resources at your fingertips. Each day is an opportunity to put your faith into action as we all try to live into the Great Commandments of loving God, loving ourselves, and loving others. Consider the issues and vote each day for a better you, a better family, a better community, and a better church. Led by our faith, we really can vote our way toward making the Kingdom of Heaven a reality around us.

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A House of Prayer – Matthew 21:12-17

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A House of Prayer – Matthew 21:12-17

If we focus on prayer, if we build our individual and collective prayer muscles, I am convinced that God will use our greater strengths to accomplish great works of healing in us and through us.

Let Susanville UMC be called a house of prayer! Let the blind and lame come to us! And let God’s mighty Spirit flow through us as we seek to be the hands and feet of Jesus in our community!

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Leadership Jesus’ Way – Matthew 20:17-28

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Leadership Jesus’ Way – Matthew 20:17-28

Jesus tells his disciples then, and us today, “Here’s how you lead: by serving others.” When we tackle a situation by asking, “What would Jesus do?” we open ourselves to following the leadership examples of God in the flesh. We have to work at understanding the concepts of Jesus’ words and actions and determine how we can apply those concepts to our own modern situations.

Jesus looked for God’s leading and followed it. God continues inviting us, drawing us, luring us into opportunities for us to lead our families and our community. By following God’s lead, we can truly be the light of God’s love, piercing the darkness, shining for all to see. The best question we can ask each day is, “Lord, what can I do for you?” and then respond with faith, hope, and love.

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That’s Not Fair!… Or is it? – Matthew 20:1-16

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That’s Not Fair!… Or is it? – Matthew 20:1-16

Today’s parable lets us know that everyone, no matter when they come to embrace God’s love, is welcome in the Kingdom of Heaven. They come not by their works or how long they have believed, but by God’s Grace.
Do we rejoice or are we envious of new members? Many people we don’t expect to see in the Kingdom will be there. The criminal who repented as he was dying (Luke 23:40-43) will be there along with people who have believed and served God for many years.
We need to focus on God’s gracious blessings to us and be thankful for what we have. When we look at God’s generosity to others, we can see His love at work. We can spread the love by being His hands and feet in the world.

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For God, All Things Are Possible – Matthew 19:13-26

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For God, All Things Are Possible – Matthew 19:13-26

God’s primary desire for us is to be in relationship with us. Think about that. Yes, as His precious, beloved children, God wants us to be happy and healthy. And, even more than that, God wants us to be in close relationship with Him. And to get us there, God does not ask us to do anything that we cannot do. Following God’s leading may be difficult, but there’s a world of difference between difficult and impossible.

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