No, the word is very near to you; it is in mouth and in your heart for you to observe.
Have you ever wanted to get the winning formula for life? The winning cake recipe? The map to the treasure... that's hidden in a field?
I feel this morning like we've been running a race, like it says in Hebrews 12, and last Friday afternoon we hit the tape and the video went to a slow motion, frame-by-frame view. The tape is stretching but we're going to actually break it ...
We're going to actually BREAK THROUGH ...
this coming Friday when the second lot closes.
We stand, friends, at a threshold. The transition from one place to the next... a next room in the house... a peak on the trail... a mile marker on the journey of "A Long Obedience in the Same Direction."
No one here will ever claim the all this has happened in the least measure because of our own power... because of our own wisdom... or because of our own abilities nor ambitions.
This has been God's deal from beginning to end. No one will claim otherwise! It's not too our credit but to His glory that all this has happened. The three blue pages are completely inadequate to convey the story... it's awesomeness... it's sheer magnificence. When I think of all God has done here in the last two years I am almost literally, dumb-struck!
But I probably won't be speechless for long. As we cross this threshold we're entering a new place. And my concern is what now? What next? What is God calling us to be and do...
NOW?
The rest of this summer is going to be dedicated to this question ... from the Bible study on Ephesians, beginning this Wed evening, to the class beginning next Sunday; from the coffee hour to the pub over at Darcy's, our conversations are going to be about what we can see of the way forward into a new reality.
I already have some inklings... some... I call them "Kingdom Bread crumbs! "
Next week Mtr Barb is going to reprise for us the results of our Discerning Rez Sunday retreat (two years ago next Sunday! ). We're going to look again at all we said then and bring it forward - we're going to hit the "refresh" button beginning next Sunday.
Our Adult Koinonia study beginning next Sunday morning (0845) is also a repeat. So many were so impacted by the video series called "Godspeed," while we were in an earlier transition at "Prepare the Way." We want to come and hear again the message of God's call, the testimony of His ways and means, and recapture the vision of all we are called to be and to do.
I urge you to pray this week as we're crossing this 'finish' line ...
in SLOW MO...
Pray for God's continued favor and supply...
Pray for His hand in the final closing on Friday...
Pray for protection and God's gracious presence to go with us always...
Pray,,, pray,,, pray.
We still need it, perhaps now more than ever!
Bow with me...
Go before us, O Lord, in all our doings with your most gracious favor, and further us with your continual help; that in all our works begun, continued, and ended in you, we may glorify your holy Name, and fnally, through your mercy, obtain everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
O God of unchangeable power and eternal light: Look favorably on your whole Church, that wonderful and sacred mystery; by the efectual working of your providence, carry out in tranquility the plan of salvation; let the whole world see and know that things which were cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new, and that all things are being brought to their perfection by him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Sermons from Father Phil Eberhart Resurrection Anglican Fellowship Greenwood Village, Colorado, USA
About Me
- Fr. Phil+
- Pastor at Resurrection Anglican Fellowship in Greenwood Village, CO
Monday, November 4, 2019
Lent 1 - Whosoever!
Lent 1
March 10, 2019
Fr Phil Eberhart
Deut 26:(1-4),5-11
Ps 91 or 91:9-16
Rom 10:4-13
Lk 4:1-13
Whosoever !!
Good morning! Welcome back so soon. Many were here for a grand occasion last night for the double ordination and confirmations we had here. What a beautiful night! What a short night!
I think i got about 4 hours sleep. Speaking of temptation! Almost rolled over and went back to sleep. Then i remembered... oh yes... you're preaching this morning!
I want to talk about a word this morning.
It's a word that comes up in our epistle reading. The letter from Paul to the Roman church. Chapter 10 is in the middle of a section about Paul's heart's desire!
The word is WHOSOEVER. It's a great King James word. Others translate it who ever or whom ever.
Whosoever occurs 163 times in the OT and NT. What I discovered is that the word mostly means "all." And as we all know "all means all!"
So in Romans Paul is quoting the prophets when he says " whosoever calls on the Name of the Lord shall be saved."
It's interesting that this is in the middle of his letter to the gentile church in Rome! He returns for a moment to remind both his gentile readers and the eventual Jewish readers that the Jews are included in his whosoever!
In fact he goes so far as to say that the salvation of the Gentiles is tied to the salvation of the Jews and vice versa
"A partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved."
Whosoever is a very inclusive word! We hear a lot today about inclusion ! Everyone wants to be a part of something big. And we have the biggest deal going!
God so loved the world ... that whosoever could come, Jews, Gentiles, slave, free, Male, female, ...
black, white, brown, yellow, red, green or blue!
There's no more need for discussion! It's time to simply GO ... do it. Go in any way you can, at all times, to every place. Go tell the story, your story, His story! And how they come together!
8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim);
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
11For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”
12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
And Paul goes on to commission each of us...
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?
15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
Let me repeat myself...
It's time to simply GO ... do it. Go in any way you can, at all times, to every place. Go tell the story, your story, His story! And how they come together!
People are dying to hear! The WHOSOEVERs of this world are empty and restless, "looking for love in all the wrong places." And ours is the ultimate message of God's love, for all the world, all the who - so - evers that we run into every day - and never say a word to.
Bishop Bill talked last night about the power of the gospel coming through relationships. Through connections.
Do you know that is our written mission.
Www.rezanglican.org
"Connecting people to Jesus Christ and His Kingdom!"
Let's just go and do it.
Let's pray...
Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross, that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace!
So clothe us in your Spirit, that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you,
March 10, 2019
Fr Phil Eberhart
Deut 26:(1-4),5-11
Ps 91 or 91:9-16
Rom 10:4-13
Lk 4:1-13
Whosoever !!
Good morning! Welcome back so soon. Many were here for a grand occasion last night for the double ordination and confirmations we had here. What a beautiful night! What a short night!
I think i got about 4 hours sleep. Speaking of temptation! Almost rolled over and went back to sleep. Then i remembered... oh yes... you're preaching this morning!
I want to talk about a word this morning.
It's a word that comes up in our epistle reading. The letter from Paul to the Roman church. Chapter 10 is in the middle of a section about Paul's heart's desire!
The word is WHOSOEVER. It's a great King James word. Others translate it who ever or whom ever.
Whosoever occurs 163 times in the OT and NT. What I discovered is that the word mostly means "all." And as we all know "all means all!"
So in Romans Paul is quoting the prophets when he says " whosoever calls on the Name of the Lord shall be saved."
It's interesting that this is in the middle of his letter to the gentile church in Rome! He returns for a moment to remind both his gentile readers and the eventual Jewish readers that the Jews are included in his whosoever!
In fact he goes so far as to say that the salvation of the Gentiles is tied to the salvation of the Jews and vice versa
"A partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved."
Whosoever is a very inclusive word! We hear a lot today about inclusion ! Everyone wants to be a part of something big. And we have the biggest deal going!
God so loved the world ... that whosoever could come, Jews, Gentiles, slave, free, Male, female, ...
black, white, brown, yellow, red, green or blue!
There's no more need for discussion! It's time to simply GO ... do it. Go in any way you can, at all times, to every place. Go tell the story, your story, His story! And how they come together!
8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim);
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
11For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”
12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
And Paul goes on to commission each of us...
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?
15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
Let me repeat myself...
It's time to simply GO ... do it. Go in any way you can, at all times, to every place. Go tell the story, your story, His story! And how they come together!
People are dying to hear! The WHOSOEVERs of this world are empty and restless, "looking for love in all the wrong places." And ours is the ultimate message of God's love, for all the world, all the who - so - evers that we run into every day - and never say a word to.
Bishop Bill talked last night about the power of the gospel coming through relationships. Through connections.
Do you know that is our written mission.
Www.rezanglican.org
"Connecting people to Jesus Christ and His Kingdom!"
Let's just go and do it.
Let's pray...
Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross, that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace!
So clothe us in your Spirit, that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you,
Sept 23 - Quick - Slow - Slow
September 23, 2018
Fr. Phil Eberhart
James 3
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.
I've entitled this "Quick, Slow, Slow 2"
Our epistle reading this morning takes up where I left off two weeks ago...
If you recall:
So here's the checklist: (before you open your mouth to speak!)
[ ] Purity... check your motive for saying anything at all! Why do I need to speak?
[ ] Peace... is Peace from Christ going to be conveyed in what I say?
[ ] Consideration... Who's first here? Is it about me, or about the person who is hearing?
[ ] Humility ... If I am teachable, I am coming humbly, willing to hear correction to my thinking and speaking.
[ ] LOVE... over and over and over and over again, we cannot emphasize this enough!
[ ] Without Prejudice ...
[ ] Without hypocrisy ... probably the two chief accusations made by people against Christians who open their mouths!!
So if we check the checklist before we open our mouths, perhaps we will see...
A BEAUTIFUL HARVEST OF RIGHTEOUSNESS!! Just a final word from James...
Good seeds of wisdom’s fruit will be planted with peaceful acts by those who cherish making peace. (TPT)
I wanted to start with the checklist this morning by way of a reminder of our QUICK- SLOW- SLOW dance steps and the further outcome of this kind of life style!
But James doesn't stop there... he goes from preaching to meddling!
As we move into chapter 4 we find him digging a little deeper into our motives... as Heb 4:12 says: into "the thoughts and intentions of the heart."
Let's re-read the first few verses of chap 4 from the Passion Translation :
What is the cause of your conflicts and quarrels with each other? Doesn’t the battle begin inside of you as you fight to have your own way and fulfill your own desires? You jealously want what others have so you begin to see yourself as better than others. You scheme with envy and harm others to selfishly obtain what you crave—that’s why you quarrel and fight. And all the time you don’t obtain what you want because you won’t ask God for it! And if you ask, you won’t receive it for you’re asking with corrupt motives, seeking only to fulfill your own selfish desires. You have become spiritual adulterers who are having an affair, an unholy relationship with the world. Don’t you know that flirting with the world’s values places you at odds with God? Whoever chooses to be the world’s friend makes himself God’s enemy!
James (Jacob) 4:1-4 TPT
https://bible.com/bible/1849jas4.1-4.TPT
What is the cause?
We're told to always look inside first! The problem is the heart- Jeremiah says it is : deceitfullly wicked! And James has already told us in the previous chapter about the danger of the tongue! Thus our dance steps... Quick to listen... Slow to speak, and Slow to anger!
Proverbs tells us that it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks!
So the problem is here... inside of us!
The heart - the mind and the tongue are our most important battlegrounds when it comes to faith and our living lives that are worthy as Paul urges us - lives that are faithful to the gospel and to the Name of Jesus.
The selection this morning from the apocrypha reads like the morning paper!
Let us lie in wait for the righteous man,
because he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions; he reproaches us for sins against the law, and accuses us of sins against our training.
He professes to have knowledge of God,
and calls himself a child of the Lord.
He became to us a reproof of our thoughts; the very sight of him is a burden to us, because his manner of life is unlike that of others, and his ways are strange.
Several times this past week I've heard commentaries on the politics of our day likening them to the days just before the Civil War (interesting name don't you think for the most uncivil thing we've ever seen in our history! ).
We live in days where civility has died. Discourse across lines has died a horrible death. And like Rome under Nero, Christians are seen to be to blame.
We are and have been for decades in a "War of the World-views!" Biblical vs. Secular Humanist.
This morning I received a communique from a Christian organization in Washington DC urging me to PRAY - VOTE - STAND. On the subject I will just go on record to say that I believe that a biblically - informed vote is the most powerful form of citizenship that we can exercise today... Along with committed prayer and the internal fortitude to stand up for our beliefs in the marketplace and the halls of government.
We're in an epic conflict, that is not new!
It's as old as the world is... almost.
The conflict begins in the human heart. And it is finally won in the human heart. Turn back to James with me for just a moment more.
What is the antidote? The antidote to pride and avarice, selfish ambition, James calls it.
The antidote is humility! Jesus gave the disciples a healthy dose of humility when he turned on his heel and asked "What are you guys arguing about? " Jesus knew perfectly well the hearts of these ordinary men and what they were discussing!
Who's on first! No not the radio skit.
Who has the first place in the coming restored kingdom that Jesus will bring? That was their main concern. Each vying and competing with the others for Jesus' attention. Some even went so far as to ask him straight out : can we sit at your right and left?
They were being childish, when Jesus wanted them to be childlike. And so comes the object lesson. A child on his lap. Simply enjoy him! Be in his presence! Draw near to him and he will draw near to you! Humble your self.
James puts it this way...
Does the Scripture mean nothing to you that says, “The Spirit that God breathed into our hearts is a jealous Lover who intensely desires to have more and more of us”? But he continues to pour out more and more grace upon us. For it says, God resists you when you are proud but continually pours out grace when you are humble.” So then, surrender to God. Stand up to the devil and resist him and he will turn and run away from you. Move your heart closer and closer to God, and he will come even closer to you. But make sure you cleanse your life, you sinners, and keep your heart pure and stop doubting.
James (Jacob) 4:5-8 TPT
https://bible.com/bible/1849/jas.4.5-8.TPT
Jesus said it best...
He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”
Jesus' way is the way of the dance...
QUICK SLOW SLOW
QUICK SLOW SLOW
QUICK SLOW SLOW
Have you ever picked up a son or daughter and danced with them in your arms. That's what Jesus wants to do with us! I still have a picture of one of those moments with Kiri on my fridge!
And just a few weeks ago I did a last dance with her at her wedding. To the song My Girl!
The Lord God of the universe desires you as a dance partner! He wants to pick you up and hold you close and swing you around in the dance of life...
QUICK SLOW SLOW
QUICK SLOW SLOW
QUICK SLOW SLOW
LET'S PRAY...
Our dearest Father and our God.
Take our hands... we reach up to you now.
Pull us up on your lap, Papa! Take us in your arms and dance with us. Give us humble, receiving hearts; give us willing and available minds and help us to walk, to dance, finally, in your steps.
Have mercy on us Lord. Have mercy. Draw near to us as we draw near to you. Pour out your Grace as we come humbly to your throne this morning. Give us all of yourself as we humbly give you all of ourselves.
For the sake of Jesus Name and your kingdom's fame.
Amen and amen.
Fr. Phil Eberhart
James 3
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.
I've entitled this "Quick, Slow, Slow 2"
Our epistle reading this morning takes up where I left off two weeks ago...
If you recall:
So here's the checklist: (before you open your mouth to speak!)
[ ] Purity... check your motive for saying anything at all! Why do I need to speak?
[ ] Peace... is Peace from Christ going to be conveyed in what I say?
[ ] Consideration... Who's first here? Is it about me, or about the person who is hearing?
[ ] Humility ... If I am teachable, I am coming humbly, willing to hear correction to my thinking and speaking.
[ ] LOVE... over and over and over and over again, we cannot emphasize this enough!
[ ] Without Prejudice ...
[ ] Without hypocrisy ... probably the two chief accusations made by people against Christians who open their mouths!!
So if we check the checklist before we open our mouths, perhaps we will see...
A BEAUTIFUL HARVEST OF RIGHTEOUSNESS!! Just a final word from James...
Good seeds of wisdom’s fruit will be planted with peaceful acts by those who cherish making peace. (TPT)
I wanted to start with the checklist this morning by way of a reminder of our QUICK- SLOW- SLOW dance steps and the further outcome of this kind of life style!
But James doesn't stop there... he goes from preaching to meddling!
As we move into chapter 4 we find him digging a little deeper into our motives... as Heb 4:12 says: into "the thoughts and intentions of the heart."
Let's re-read the first few verses of chap 4 from the Passion Translation :
What is the cause of your conflicts and quarrels with each other? Doesn’t the battle begin inside of you as you fight to have your own way and fulfill your own desires? You jealously want what others have so you begin to see yourself as better than others. You scheme with envy and harm others to selfishly obtain what you crave—that’s why you quarrel and fight. And all the time you don’t obtain what you want because you won’t ask God for it! And if you ask, you won’t receive it for you’re asking with corrupt motives, seeking only to fulfill your own selfish desires. You have become spiritual adulterers who are having an affair, an unholy relationship with the world. Don’t you know that flirting with the world’s values places you at odds with God? Whoever chooses to be the world’s friend makes himself God’s enemy!
James (Jacob) 4:1-4 TPT
https://bible.com/bible/1849jas4.1-4.TPT
What is the cause?
We're told to always look inside first! The problem is the heart- Jeremiah says it is : deceitfullly wicked! And James has already told us in the previous chapter about the danger of the tongue! Thus our dance steps... Quick to listen... Slow to speak, and Slow to anger!
Proverbs tells us that it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks!
So the problem is here... inside of us!
The heart - the mind and the tongue are our most important battlegrounds when it comes to faith and our living lives that are worthy as Paul urges us - lives that are faithful to the gospel and to the Name of Jesus.
The selection this morning from the apocrypha reads like the morning paper!
Let us lie in wait for the righteous man,
because he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions; he reproaches us for sins against the law, and accuses us of sins against our training.
He professes to have knowledge of God,
and calls himself a child of the Lord.
He became to us a reproof of our thoughts; the very sight of him is a burden to us, because his manner of life is unlike that of others, and his ways are strange.
Several times this past week I've heard commentaries on the politics of our day likening them to the days just before the Civil War (interesting name don't you think for the most uncivil thing we've ever seen in our history! ).
We live in days where civility has died. Discourse across lines has died a horrible death. And like Rome under Nero, Christians are seen to be to blame.
We are and have been for decades in a "War of the World-views!" Biblical vs. Secular Humanist.
This morning I received a communique from a Christian organization in Washington DC urging me to PRAY - VOTE - STAND. On the subject I will just go on record to say that I believe that a biblically - informed vote is the most powerful form of citizenship that we can exercise today... Along with committed prayer and the internal fortitude to stand up for our beliefs in the marketplace and the halls of government.
We're in an epic conflict, that is not new!
It's as old as the world is... almost.
The conflict begins in the human heart. And it is finally won in the human heart. Turn back to James with me for just a moment more.
What is the antidote? The antidote to pride and avarice, selfish ambition, James calls it.
The antidote is humility! Jesus gave the disciples a healthy dose of humility when he turned on his heel and asked "What are you guys arguing about? " Jesus knew perfectly well the hearts of these ordinary men and what they were discussing!
Who's on first! No not the radio skit.
Who has the first place in the coming restored kingdom that Jesus will bring? That was their main concern. Each vying and competing with the others for Jesus' attention. Some even went so far as to ask him straight out : can we sit at your right and left?
They were being childish, when Jesus wanted them to be childlike. And so comes the object lesson. A child on his lap. Simply enjoy him! Be in his presence! Draw near to him and he will draw near to you! Humble your self.
James puts it this way...
Does the Scripture mean nothing to you that says, “The Spirit that God breathed into our hearts is a jealous Lover who intensely desires to have more and more of us”? But he continues to pour out more and more grace upon us. For it says, God resists you when you are proud but continually pours out grace when you are humble.” So then, surrender to God. Stand up to the devil and resist him and he will turn and run away from you. Move your heart closer and closer to God, and he will come even closer to you. But make sure you cleanse your life, you sinners, and keep your heart pure and stop doubting.
James (Jacob) 4:5-8 TPT
https://bible.com/bible/1849/jas.4.5-8.TPT
Jesus said it best...
He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”
Jesus' way is the way of the dance...
QUICK SLOW SLOW
QUICK SLOW SLOW
QUICK SLOW SLOW
Have you ever picked up a son or daughter and danced with them in your arms. That's what Jesus wants to do with us! I still have a picture of one of those moments with Kiri on my fridge!
And just a few weeks ago I did a last dance with her at her wedding. To the song My Girl!
The Lord God of the universe desires you as a dance partner! He wants to pick you up and hold you close and swing you around in the dance of life...
QUICK SLOW SLOW
QUICK SLOW SLOW
QUICK SLOW SLOW
LET'S PRAY...
Our dearest Father and our God.
Take our hands... we reach up to you now.
Pull us up on your lap, Papa! Take us in your arms and dance with us. Give us humble, receiving hearts; give us willing and available minds and help us to walk, to dance, finally, in your steps.
Have mercy on us Lord. Have mercy. Draw near to us as we draw near to you. Pour out your Grace as we come humbly to your throne this morning. Give us all of yourself as we humbly give you all of ourselves.
For the sake of Jesus Name and your kingdom's fame.
Amen and amen.
September 22 - INCOMPARABLE RICHES
Sermon - Incomparable Riches!
Sept 22, 2019
Fr Phil Eberhart
RezAnglican.org
We're in a time here at Rez when we're hearing about the needs, especially for our finances as we run and finish the race to complete our building project, or as we encounter various needs in our community through the discretionary funds.
These needs are real and pressing! You see parking lot going in out front of the church this morning. We're making room for what we believe God is doing in and through us here at Rez.
All of this giving is towards an end! And the end isn't the church's land and building being finished...
It isn't putting stone on the outside of the church...
It isn't finishing our parking lot and moving our driveway up the street...
It isn't putting in new lawn and trees on the berm...
All those things are going to happen, and they all cost money, but they're not the end... they're not even the point!
They all point to a single goal... Are we ready to recieve all that God has on His heart for Rez and our neighbors?
Sure we're going to continue talking about monetary needs as we continue to build -- as we finish our race. But the question on my mind and heart is why?
Why are we doing all this? What is God up to with Rez?
I want to point to some signs I can see from here.
1. The sign of FAVOR Favor is God's grace made visible in a relationship. It's one of the constant prayers of Rez for the past two years in this project. And God has been faithful to give us favor! It comes in many ways, as varied as the "multi-faceted, many colored grace of God, " Peter, in his first letter writes to the church these words...
The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 4:7-11 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/1pe.4.7-11.ESV
"Good stewards of God's varied grace " We're stewards of God's grace... His favor... His light shining in the dark! Jesus said it this way... "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/mat.5.14-16.ESV
We are all stewards of the light... we reflect what we're looking at! God's set us here on this Holy hill for a purpose. The very ground that we're moving is Holy! Consecrated to the Lord and His purposes,... Including the home sites that will be delivered to the new owners in the next week or two! As we closed two months ago, one owner did to me, "I think we have something in common! " "What's that? " I asked. "Neither of us believe in coincidence! "
We live in view of a Sovereign God! There are no coincidences... none... not one. And so we know... Know...know... know That God has favor towards us. He has a plan and is always at work on it. ALWAYS.
2. Following from God's favor is God's Supply! Anyone here have a sense of how much of this we get to take credit for? Yet, God has done it THROUGH US! THROUGH each of us... all! No matter how large or small your contribution ALL together its been made possible! One gift here, another there, finding savings in unexpected ways, creatively financing parts and for the grace of interest on loans that has been forgiven! Can you see the Favor of God? Can you see the Supply of God?
A couple months ago Val had a word at end of a service... You know that I have plans for you here at Rez. I know that many of you are weary... I AM NOT !! And once again we are reminded that God is not tired ... God never gets tired.
Psalm 121 says it this way... I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord , who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. Psalms 121:1-4 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.121.1-4.ESV
HINEY, LO YANUM V' LO YISHON , SHOIMEI YISRAEL !! BEHOLD! NO SLUMBER AND NO SLEEP (FOR) THE WATCHER OF ISRAEL !!
Friends, this is what we are stewards of here on this hill... the very watch care of the Father, the God of the Universe, over His people Israel!
Some of us attended WE LOVE COLORADO last Fri night and on Sat. Others I found at Red Rocks on Monday night at Worship on the Rocks. Both events lead me to hope ... to believe...that God has something 'up His sleeve! '
God is preparing for a move of His Spirit that will make the 3000 on Pentecost look like what it was... just the beginning! And I for one believe that Denver and Colorado, and I pray, Greenwood Village is going to be "ground zero! "
We are stewards of the Favour of God ! We're co-workers with Him of the message of His HESED - His UNFAILING LOVE towards His people! We are stewards of the riches of God. Spiritual and physical... all he provides... All things come of You O Lord and of thine own have we given thee!
God's favor and His supply are ours. It is now our turn to give! And it's all of us together. Large and small, visible and invisible - every gift counts here, for the glory of the kingdom of God and the Fame of the Name of Jesus!
Amen
Sept 22, 2019
Fr Phil Eberhart
RezAnglican.org
We're in a time here at Rez when we're hearing about the needs, especially for our finances as we run and finish the race to complete our building project, or as we encounter various needs in our community through the discretionary funds.
These needs are real and pressing! You see parking lot going in out front of the church this morning. We're making room for what we believe God is doing in and through us here at Rez.
All of this giving is towards an end! And the end isn't the church's land and building being finished...
It isn't putting stone on the outside of the church...
It isn't finishing our parking lot and moving our driveway up the street...
It isn't putting in new lawn and trees on the berm...
All those things are going to happen, and they all cost money, but they're not the end... they're not even the point!
They all point to a single goal... Are we ready to recieve all that God has on His heart for Rez and our neighbors?
Sure we're going to continue talking about monetary needs as we continue to build -- as we finish our race. But the question on my mind and heart is why?
Why are we doing all this? What is God up to with Rez?
I want to point to some signs I can see from here.
1. The sign of FAVOR Favor is God's grace made visible in a relationship. It's one of the constant prayers of Rez for the past two years in this project. And God has been faithful to give us favor! It comes in many ways, as varied as the "multi-faceted, many colored grace of God, " Peter, in his first letter writes to the church these words...
The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 4:7-11 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/1pe.4.7-11.ESV
"Good stewards of God's varied grace " We're stewards of God's grace... His favor... His light shining in the dark! Jesus said it this way... "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/mat.5.14-16.ESV
We are all stewards of the light... we reflect what we're looking at! God's set us here on this Holy hill for a purpose. The very ground that we're moving is Holy! Consecrated to the Lord and His purposes,... Including the home sites that will be delivered to the new owners in the next week or two! As we closed two months ago, one owner did to me, "I think we have something in common! " "What's that? " I asked. "Neither of us believe in coincidence! "
We live in view of a Sovereign God! There are no coincidences... none... not one. And so we know... Know...know... know That God has favor towards us. He has a plan and is always at work on it. ALWAYS.
2. Following from God's favor is God's Supply! Anyone here have a sense of how much of this we get to take credit for? Yet, God has done it THROUGH US! THROUGH each of us... all! No matter how large or small your contribution ALL together its been made possible! One gift here, another there, finding savings in unexpected ways, creatively financing parts and for the grace of interest on loans that has been forgiven! Can you see the Favor of God? Can you see the Supply of God?
A couple months ago Val had a word at end of a service... You know that I have plans for you here at Rez. I know that many of you are weary... I AM NOT !! And once again we are reminded that God is not tired ... God never gets tired.
Psalm 121 says it this way... I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord , who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. Psalms 121:1-4 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.121.1-4.ESV
HINEY, LO YANUM V' LO YISHON , SHOIMEI YISRAEL !! BEHOLD! NO SLUMBER AND NO SLEEP (FOR) THE WATCHER OF ISRAEL !!
Friends, this is what we are stewards of here on this hill... the very watch care of the Father, the God of the Universe, over His people Israel!
Some of us attended WE LOVE COLORADO last Fri night and on Sat. Others I found at Red Rocks on Monday night at Worship on the Rocks. Both events lead me to hope ... to believe...that God has something 'up His sleeve! '
God is preparing for a move of His Spirit that will make the 3000 on Pentecost look like what it was... just the beginning! And I for one believe that Denver and Colorado, and I pray, Greenwood Village is going to be "ground zero! "
We are stewards of the Favour of God ! We're co-workers with Him of the message of His HESED - His UNFAILING LOVE towards His people! We are stewards of the riches of God. Spiritual and physical... all he provides... All things come of You O Lord and of thine own have we given thee!
God's favor and His supply are ours. It is now our turn to give! And it's all of us together. Large and small, visible and invisible - every gift counts here, for the glory of the kingdom of God and the Fame of the Name of Jesus!
Amen
September 8 - Fr. Phil on "The Primacy of the Word"
FR. PHIL EBERHART
SEPT 8, 2019
THE PRIMACY OF THE WORD
This morning our scriptures have shown us a key to the safe passage through this world and into the life that is eternal with the Father of Lights! WOW, somehow I missed that! HA,... that's why I'm here!
God said to Moses on his last day and Joshua on his first day: Choose you this day, whom you will serve!
Every chance I get it seems I'm always saying something about Willingness, Availability and Obedience. Here we go again!
Choose You This Day!
What part of our make up do we call our "chooser?" Our will, right?
Every morning God's mercies are new and we are put the question again: Are you willing?
When we say, Yes, Lord (vs. No, Lord, the opposite --- the oxymoron) we enter into a new daily adventure with God! We probably need to stop right after that conversation and get quiet and listen. Just practice listening - be quiet, until you can hear His whisper.
Elijah was in the cave and he thought God would come to him in the storm, the lightning, the wind,... but no.
God came to him in the silence - The sound of silence - Be Still and KNOW that I am God.
That's where we start.
Ever been in a one-sided conversation? Where you have to listen to someone talk - on and on and on and on?
Did you know that there's a 12-step program for preachers? It's called On And On Anon!
No comments! Please.
God often has to be in a one-sided conversation with us - we do all the talking - prayers that go on and on and on!
Rarely do we stop talking and listen.
People say to me, how do I hear God?
I just look at them and say, "Shut up!"
It's really the very first requirement for hearing God. You cannot train yourself to hear His Voice while your're talking!
And talking isn't the only noise we have in our life, right? Do you ever stop and listen to all the noise around us? We are probably the most distracted people in the world, here in the good ol' US of A!!
Which leads me to the next point:
Ps 1 - Blessed is the person who makes their delight the law of the Lord , and on his law they meditate day and night.
We in the United States have the most Bibles available on the planet, and are less engaged with it than nearly anywhere on the planet. Not because it's restricted but because it's so taken for granted.
Friends, if you're going to hear God speaking you must... let me say it again... you MUST, be in his Word! It's our first AVAILABILITY!
Availability to God is first availability to His Word. Oh and that's not the verse if the day! Nor the Promise Button! We're a "sound bite" culture in search of a Good who wants us to marinate in His Word!
Hold up your hand...
Little finger to thumb in order...
Hear
Read
Mark
Learn
Inwardly Digest
God spoke to Joshua about this at the very beginning of his assignment as the replacement for Moses:
Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
Joshua 1:6-8 ESV
God knows the value of His Word in our lives. We sing about it...
More to be desired are they than gold, yea than much fine gold; sweeter also than the honey in the honeycomb.
What Psalm is that? Ps 19.
Someone read it aloud from verse 7 to 10.
"The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb."
Psalms 19:7-10 ESV
Friends, willingness and availability mean nothing if we're not available to the Word! But if we're available to God and God's Word, eventually we're going to run up against something that takes us out of our comfort zone! Some word, some direction, some issue where our natural desire runs in an opposite direction from God's "BASIC INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE LEAVING EARTH." B.I.B.L E.
When that happens we have to choose again... choose to OBEY GOD.
Jesus was pretty big on this one thing.
He said it this way at the close of his sermon on the mount:
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'
"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.
And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it."
Matthew 7:21-27
Any questions?
Willingness
Availability
Obedience
All are indispensable ingredients in the life of faith we are called to by God. Jesus died to give us access to this grace in which we stand and the Holy Spirit is the One "called alongside to help", to coach us and cheer us on in our 'long Obedience in the same direction.' "
The Word is our fuel, our food, our "daily bread" - the air we're breathing!
Without it we're desperate. Starving children.
One last story.
A widow and her children in the old country, were given one way tickets to the new world on a large passenger ship. After booking passage the widow scrimped and saved to get a few morsels of bread, crackers. Some cheese and dried meats. She wrapped them in the folds of her clothing in her luggage. Each day on the three month long journey she would take a few morsels out for herself and her children. But as they would go and sit on deck, they saw heaping trays of food carried by the porters every day. As the trip went on her meager fare ran out and one day she stopped a waiter to ask for some of the food, explaining that she had run out of her own provisions.
She and her children were immediately taken to the captain's quarters, where she learned that the tickets that she had been given were full fare tickets, first class tickets.
The captain escorted her to the dining room and showed her the chairs that were prepared for her and her children at the captain's table! The table filled with delicious foods! And he said to her simply, "All this comes with your ticket!"
We are starving my dear friends, while surrounded by the richest of fare! So let us avail ourselves ... make ourselves available to all that God has given us
And let us then make ourselves willingly available and obedient to God's directions and leading in our day to day!
And let us pray...
Lord Jesus, let us be a people who know You and who are known by You.
Let us commit our will and our way to You as Lord. The Captain of our ship!
Grant us to come sit at your table, to feast on Your Word and to be empowered and equipped for all you call us to do in your Kingdom. And strengthen us to be obedient to listen and do all you ask of us, for the fame of your Name and for the sake of your Kingdom. Amen.
August 11 - A COUNTRY SUNDAY ... SIMPLE, NOT EASY!
AUGUST 11, 2019
FR. PHIL EBERHART
COUNTRY GOSPEL SUNDAY
SIMPLE, NOT EASY!
Well, you can probably tell that I enjoy this country, cowboy stuff a lot. Takes me back to my roots in Eastern Colorado and life on the farm - in touch with the land and the crops - and the people of simple faith.
That's what I want to talk about a bit this morning.
Our scriptures this morning couldn't have been chosen better for this theme! Amazing how that works, every time it seems.
"Abraham BELIEVED GOD, and it was credited to him as RIGHTEOUSNESS"
18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear
him,*
on those who hope in his steadfast love,
19 that he may deliver their soul from death*
and keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waits for the LORD;*
he is our help and our shield.
21 For our heart is glad in him,*
because we trust in his holy name.
him,*
on those who hope in his steadfast love,
19 that he may deliver their soul from death*
and keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waits for the LORD;*
he is our help and our shield.
21 For our heart is glad in him,*
because we trust in his holy name.
"FAITH is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen... you must believe that He IS and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him!"
and finally,
Put your treasure in places that don't rust and wear out - for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also!
A theme of the music that we hear in the Gospel music genre is faith, the hope of heaven, the joy of living, and the blessings of the Lord and life in His sight.
I just want to talk this morning about having a simple faith in God, the faith my father and mother have, that my grandmother had and passed on to me.
Abraham was a Bedouin, a migrant shepherd and herder. The words that passed between him and God are direct - he shows his doubt clearly in his conversations, --- he's a real person in the face of God and the destiny that God lays out in front of him.
It wasn't something that was easy for Abraham to do.
He had a lot of evidence to the contrary: He was old as was Sarah - yet God said he was to "Father Nations." God said he had a destiny that was not limited by his age, or station in life, but only by his faith!
Faith is kind of a difficult thing for us to lay hold on sometimes. Abraham, it says, simply "believed God".
There is a lot packed into those two words!
He took what God said, in spite of the evidence that his eyes could see, grey hair and wrinkles, needing to walk with a staff, a wife who laughed at the very idea!
Faith is the substance, the writer of Hebrews tells us.
The SUBSTANCE of what is hoped for. We believe something so strongly that it's like we already have it. We're sure of it. We know that we know that we know!
Faith is the EVIDENCE of things unseen! It's like the shadow of a tree in the evening sun, seen from around the corner of a building as you come to the corner. You know it's there but you can't yet see it.
Faith is a record like our blue sheets over on the wall. Like the stone out on our berm - the Ebenezer stone - "Thus far, the Lord has been our help!" And if "thus far" - how much farther!
Paul tells us, "He who began a good work in you, will bring it to completion!"
I've wanted to write a book for some time called "Out of the Blue" - Stories of the Faithfulness of God in the Every day Coincidences.
This is why, like a broken record, I keep harping on the three steps of our life as missionaries to the world around us: Willingness, Availability and Obedience. It's pretty simple, not very easy.
Faith is the substance - its the evidence.
But faith alone is not enough. Abraham believed but there is another ingredient.
He believed... GOD!
What is your faith IN?
We all have faith, we use it every day - when we drive, when we fly, when we get in an elevator, when we go to Walmart. When we sit down on a chair! Faith is everywhere man!
What is your faith in? or rather Whom? Abraham believed GOD. Abraham was called a "friend of God."
This is faith that is born of and fostered in relationship! Abraham spoke with the Lord, and the Lord spoke with him.
Why is it that we put so much emphasis on Prayer here? Don't you wonder? It's our vehicle of access. One of my favorite words in the NT. We have access to God, Paul tells us in Rom 5.
[Rom 5:1-2 ESV] 1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
ACCESS TO GOD! PEACE WITH GOD!
RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD!!!
Have you read the last chapters of the book of Job recently? Let me refresh your memory - God confronts Job and gives him what we call an "attitude adjustment" with some simple questions... right?
[Job 38:4, 8, 12, 19, 22 ESV]
4 "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. ...
8 "Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb, ...
12 "Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place, ...
19 "Where is the way to the dwelling of light, and where is the place of darkness, ...
22 "Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, or have you seen the storehouses of the hail,
I think it was Malcolm Muggeridge who said that "the chief difficulty we have in prayer, is comprehending WHO it is we are praying to."
Abraham believed... GOD!
And God credited that belief (which was followed by action: Sarah got pregnant - need I say more?)
as RIGHTEOUSNESS.
I just wanted to encourage you to lay hold of FAITH this morning. We have all kinds of EVIDENCE around us - all kinds of SUBSTANCE that is already being seen. GOD is doing it, friends - and we are part of it. Not just a little part, but a CITY SET ON A HILL, WHOSE LIGHT WILL NOT BE HIDDEN.
This is the Faith we talk about and the GOD that we point to in our telling the story - all the coincidences, kind of amazing, its all OUT OF THE BLUE!
Let's pray...
from our beginning collect this morning, all together again...
ALL: Almighty God, give us the increase of faith,
hope, and love; and, so that we may obtain what
you have promised, make us love what you
command; through Jesus Christ our Lord who
lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one
God, for ever and ever. Amen.
hope, and love; and, so that we may obtain what
you have promised, make us love what you
command; through Jesus Christ our Lord who
lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one
God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Saturday, June 1, 2019
Fr. Phil in Loveland: "Figuring out what "as" is
May 19, 2019
St Peter's, Loveland CO
Fr. Phil Eberhart
Figuring out what "as" is!
Jn 13:34-35
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another as I have loved you, that you love each other in that way. If you love each other that way everyone will know that you are my disciples!"
Good morning and greetings from REZ in Greenwood Village CO. Today we're playing musical priests! Fr Michael from Cheyenne is attending his daughter's college graduation in Grand Junction so Fr. Edward is preaching for him. I heard of the arrangement a couple weeks back and asked for the opportunity to supply here. I'm afraid we'll have to still do another pulpit exchange sometime because our folks at Rez are needing a Fr Ed sermon fix pretty badly! So we'll plan another time after all the summer trips and Provincial falderal!
Happily, this morning's gospel is one of those nutshell gospel readings that takes a lifetime to really do.
I've called this sermon, "Figuring out what "as" is."
Jesus said this is a new commandment.
But we all know the old one... "Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength... and your neighbor as yourself. " in fact we call it The GREAT Commandment!
Here, once again, Jesus ups the ante!
He takes an Old Testament law and brings it into our lives with even more potency and vigor. It's no longer adequate to just love your neighbor in any ol' way, but now AS I have loved you.
So now we need to figure out was AS is, what it means to love AS Jesus loves. Seems like a pretty tall order!
There's a prayer that we at Rez memorized some years back from the prayerbook...
"Lord Jesus Christ, You stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of Your saving embrace; So clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love may bring those who do not know You to the knowledge and love of you, for the honor of your Name. Amen"
Seems to capture the essence of this new commandment! Jesus outstretched arms, a symbol of God's unfailing, everlasting love. That there is a "saving embrace" for each and every one of us... and for all who will receive such an embrace!
If you love each other in the same way I love you... the whole world will know... they'll sit up and take notice! Love is God's program of evangelism! It's plan A and there is no plan B!
The Apostle John is renowned for his insistence that we love one another! Outside of the writings of John there are only three other references that use that phrase in the New Testament. John uses those exact words 9 times! Do you think there may be a point coming here?
Our gospel this morning is the New Command and Jesus says it twice more just in the discourse of that last night!
And John picks it up in his letters and reiterates it 6 more times! Kind of like a broken record, huh? Why, because we need to hear it that often in order to get it!
It's said that the Apostle in his old age would sit in the midst of the churches and say, "Little Children, Love one Another! " when asked why that was what he said so often he replied, "Because if you DO it, it's enough!"
If you do it, it's enough!
I want to wrap up with two observations...
First, in the midst of Jesus agony on the cross there is a moment where he released the unfailing love of the Father over us who crucified Him. Any one know when that was?
"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. "
In those words Jesus pronounced the Love of God over all of us, over all who had gone before and over all who will come after us! Henri Nouwen was once heard to comment that "Forgiveness is the name of love among those of us who love poorly!"
Jesus loved profoundly and lived that love out to the death. He said, "Greater love hath no man than this, to lay down his life for his friends." We laid to rest this week in Denver a young man who exemplified this kind of self-sacrificing love for friends... a young man named Kenrick. The only son of his parents laid down his life to save the lives of his friends.
Lord, let us live such lives! Because if we do, all around us will know by experience the love of God the Father!
We don't have to die physically, but we have to die to self!
I got to preach my daughter's wedding a couple weeks ago. From 1 Cor 13, verses we're all familiar with bear well on this subject. The love of Jesus was a perfect love. I challenged the bride and groom to use those verses like a recipe for life. I challenge us today to live a life of love in this way, in the Jesus Way...
Love is large and incredibly patient. Love is gentle and consistently kind to all. It refuses to be jealous when blessing comes to someone else . Love does not brag about one’s achievements nor inflate its own importance. Love does not traffic in shame and disrespect, nor selfishly seek its own honor. Love is not easily irritated or quick to take offense. Love joyfully celebrates honesty and finds no delight in what is wrong. Love is a safe place of shelter, for it never stops believing the best for others. Love never takes failure as defeat, for it never gives up.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 TPT
I told Aly and Jenny to consider the words we just heard as their recipe for a long and happy married life. There's a good mix of real character, of long-suffering generosity... of never-flagging hope... and some gracious bull-headed-ness will make something that is both sweet to the taste and good for you and for the world around you.
The same is true of each of us, in our homes, our relationships, our business acquaintances, our day to day contacts in the course of every day life!
Make sure you have all the ingredients!
> Patience with each other...
> Kindness in your voice and
> Gentleness in your manner...
> No jealousy or puffed-up pride or self- aggrandizement. Never "me first!"
> Trash the shame and disrespect we so often use as weapons.
> Put your spouse first, ... always. Period.
> No irritability or taking offense now, you're giving up those rights!
> No delight when someone else "gets what's coming to them"
> instead, celebrate honesty... be someone else's safe place... believe the best not the worst...
> if the other falls, pick them up... falling is a part of life, but failure need not be.
This is what the AS is! Love never fails because love never quits!
Let's pray...
"Lord Jesus Christ, You stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of Your saving embrace; So clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love may bring those who do not know You to the knowledge and love of you, for the honor of your Name. Amen"
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