ACTUAL TRANSFORMATION (ROM 12:1-2) Fr. Phil Eberhart

 Fr. Phil Eberhart 

13th Sunday of Pentecost

Aug 30, 2020

Actual Transformation 

I want to begin by reading our two key verses from a couple different translations.  First Romans 12:1-2 from the pen of JB Phillips...

With eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers, as an act of intelligent worship, to give him your bodies, as a living sacrifice, consecrated to him and acceptable by him. Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity.

And now from the pen of Eugene Peterson...

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

One of my chief joys in life right now is watching and bragging on my children.   It's not lost on me or Val how filled with God's grace and mercy our life together has been,  and we lay that at the feet of those who regularly pray for us and our girls.  We're not lucky,  as Oakley would have told us,  we're blessed! 

We're blessed by Him because we're being blessed by so many of you. 

I want to consider the subject of transformation this morning and it occurs to me from the two renderings of these verses that the end goal of transformation is maturity!  Simply put, God intends for us to grow up! 

That is probably captured best in Ephesians 4 by Paul. Listen...

until all of us come to ... maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. 14 We must no longer be children, ...15 But ... we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ!

The measure of the full stature of Christ!!  

There is the standard for our transformation! Earlier in Ephesians Paul calls the Church "the Fullness of Him who fills all in all. (Eph 1:23)  Think of that - The Body of Christ is the physical manifestation of the God of the Universe, the FULLNESS OF HIM WHO FILLS ALL IN ALL.  And that is the goal of our transformation process here, maturity in the faith and in our knowledge of God.

So let's look at Ro 12:1-2 in that light, in light of the goal:

A few weeks ago Sharon gave me a prayer shawl and it was accompanied by a scripture that she felt exemplified my work here on this planet...  a very humbling scripture I might add:  I want to read it from the Amplified Bible: 2 Cor 3:18

 And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit.  

This rendering captures the continually "progressing" nature of the work of transformation.  Over the past years I've talked about the process of METAMORPHOSIS that a pupa caterpillar goes through on its way to being a butterfly!  That is the kind of work, the kind of miracle, that is in view here.  It's fraught with struggle; it's hard to grow up; and once you're beginning to be grown up, it hard to - what do the kids call it today - it's hard to "adult!"  Now it's a verb!!  ADULTING! Moving away from your parents covering and protection, risking failure, trying again and again - all the things that make for coming to a greater and greater maturity.  How do we say it?   YOU LIVE AND LEARN!!  Usually when we say that it means we've learned something from a bad thing that has happened to us!

Turn back to Romans 12

1.  It's "IN VIEW OF GOD'S MERCY"  - WITH OUR EYES WIDE OPEN TO HIS MERCIES

     What mercies?  Just a few verses ahead of this one...

Ro 11:30   Just as you once were disobedient and failed to listen to God, but have now obtained mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now become disobedient so that they too may one day receive mercy because of the mercy shown to you.  

We heard this last week!!

God's unsearchable wisdom has bound us in our disobedience together so that He may have mercy on us all together.  

So what is our response to this?

2.  Make your life a sacrificial offering to Him - every day - a "living" sacrifice.  I've joked before that the problem with Living Sacrifices is that they always crawl off the Altar!!  But it occurred to me as I wrote this that that is what God intends!  A LIVING Sacrifice is a sacrifice that comes off the Altar and lives sacrificially!  Remembering that you have been sacrificed already, and live your life in that reality!!

How does Gene Peterson put it ... Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering.
 

Your life is to be lived as a sacrifice.  An offering to God -- your whole life.

3.  This is your "reasonable" worship.  It is the intelligent response to all that God has done!  It's just what any sane person would do!

4.  Don't let the world "press you into its mold."  Anyone here ever feel pressed into a mold lately?  Only every day~~

     We're peculiar if we don't conform.  We're seen to be defective of late.  Not quite clear thinkers!  We need to be told what to do and how to do it, like little children.  But it is our breaking out of the mold that is exactly what is called for here.  We have a different mold!!  the Imago Dei - the Image of God through Christ Jesus.  The world wants us to stay caterpillars, God designed us to be butterfly's!!

4.  TRANSFORMED ,  changed in nature and changed in form -  METAMORPHOSIS  - from the inside Out!

    The caterpillar enters into its chamber ~ its CHRYSALLIS.  

    How many have watched the movie WAR ROOM?   The prayer chamber, the prayer closet - the place of prayer and meditation

The Psalmist asks, "How shall a young person make His/Her way pure?"  The answer?  "By taking HEED THERETO ACCORDING TO THY WORD."  He goes on to say "Thy Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee!"  [Ps 119:9,11]

5.     BY THE TRANSFORMATION OF YOUR MIND. 

our whole world is steady or shaken by what we allow into our minds!    GARBAGE IN --> GARBAGE OUT - the old programmer's addage.

In Romans 8, Paul compares and contrasts the MINDSET that we can display -  Kata Sarkos (according to the flesh) or Kata Pneumatos (according to the Spirit) - one set on death  - the other on life!  Our MIND SET is what makes the difference.  Focused attention - "Fixing our eyes on Jesus," the writer of Hebrews says, "the Author and Perfecter of our Faith."

6.  THEN...  God's will becomes plain to us.  GOOD, PLEASING AND PERFECT WILL.  Wow!  What a place to live!!  Sounds like Heaven...

Hmmm.   Heaven... ON Earth ~   ON EARTH AS IN HEAVEN.  

This is ACTUAL TRANSFORMATION - WHAT JESUS TAUGHT US TO PRAY FOR DAILY!  "THY KINGDOM COME, THY WILL BE DONE, ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN."  

This is the work that we are called to - this is the means to reach the end goal of maturity in Him - ACTUAL TRANSFORMATION happens as we, day by day, live lives of sacrifice, letting our worship of God infuse every moment of every day - our attention captured by His Word and His Spirit, the means of Grace and the Hope of Glory.  Thy Kingdom come (in me) and Thy will be done (in me) as it is in Heaven!

Let's close by saying that a few time together again.  Just that line from the Lord's Prayer:

 

 "THY KINGDOM COME, THY WILL BE DONE, ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN."   

"THY KINGDOM COME, THY WILL BE DONE, ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN."   

"THY KINGDOM COME, THY WILL BE DONE, ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN."   

Let it be so, both inside us and among us, Lord Jesus, for the fame of Your Name and the Glory of Your kingdom.

Amen   

Jesus, a Racist? On Identity & Call

Aug 16, 2020

Pentecost 11th Sunday

Fr.  Phil Eberhart 

The Racist Jesus & Our  Identity

Have you ever been completely misunderstood because you used a certain word or phrase in a sentence?   People or an individual just couldn't get past that word to a different interpretation of what you said?  I think that happens a lot actually.   It's endemic to the nature of communication itself,  and so we constantly have to go beyond the words to context and intention before we judge one another for what we say. 

Jesus gets into that pickle here in our gospel this morning.  It's one of the "sticky wickets" among the sayings of Jesus in all the gospels.   On the face of it,  calling another human a "dog" is racist.  Right? 

That's most people's conclusions here. What a horrible thing to say,  we judge!  And we completely miss the potential of this encounter to teach us about the nature of identity and of calling.

IDENTITY

Identity is made of many different things:  physical characteristics of your person,  your sex,  your skin color,  your... race.  Basics.  To that we add your place in a cultural hierarchy, your belief or faith,  your wealth or lack,  your education, jobs and work,  e.t.c.   The list is long and distinguished! 

To say that these factors were at play in our gospel reading is to state the obvious,  but what we're missing is the fact that while the disciples wanted to chase the woman off, Jesus engages her need and her person,  speaking with her at all - which was outside the boundaries.  She knew it! 

Her importunity, her persistence turns immediately to humility when Jesus engages her in conversation! 

Much to her surprise and, I would add the disciples... again... Jesus turns and has a conversation with a Gentile... ANATHEMA... and a woman to boot. GASP!!

Jesus's reason given to her is his own life call and identity!   "To the children of the house of Israel!"  Jesus and His calling is crystal clear.  BUT...

God is moved by prevailing prayer and persistent, overcoming faith!

Jesus is actually amazed at the faith of the woman and her prayer is answered.   It may be time for us to take note of the persistence and desperation of a Gentile woman and come and do likewise! 

ONE LAST WORD... OUR IDENTITY

Just as Jesus was clear on his personhood,  his identity and his calling from God,  it's of paramount importance that we also understand who we are and Whose we are! 

I just want to read a verse from our Psalm this morning...

7 these I will bring to my holy mountain,
and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar;
for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.

Just as surely as Jesus had an identity,  we have an identity and a calling!   We've heard for years about the effect of our devotion to God's Word,  to a Shared life,  to our Eucharistic Hospitality and to Prayer, but this is even more basic,  more core IDENTITY FOR US TODAY AT REZ! 

1.  This is A Holy Place... a Holy Hill. We've felt it and its been affirmed by almost all who come to this spot to worship , to read or to pray and intercede! 

2.   God's presence... his Joy is here.  We need to let his joy become a hallmark of our life together. 

3.  We are to offer acceptable sacrifices and offerings in this place.   It is the re-establishment of an Altar in the city.  As we worship in Spirit and in Truth, in both Word and Sacrament here on this Altar... we're releasing more and more of the Kingdom of heaven into the kingdoms of this world... of this present darkness. 

4.  God Himself is bringing this verse to full fruition among us in this place.  It is our IDENTITY!  A HOUSE OF PRAYER FOR ALL NATIONS.  More and more I pray for this to become a living reality in our midst and in this place,  for the glory of the Lamb and the furthering of the Kingdom of God to flow from this hilltop. 

Won't you pray with me? 

11.  for  the  local  congregation 

O God the Holy Spirit,  Sanctifier of the faithful:  Sanctify this  Congregation  by your abiding presence.  Bless those who minister in holy things.  Enlighten the minds of your people more and more with the light of the everlasting Gospel.  Bring erring souls to the knowledge of our Savior Jesus Christ;  and those who are walking in the way of life,  keep steadfast to the end.  Give patience to the sick and afflicted,  and renew them in body and soul.  Guard those who are strong and prosperous from forgetting you.  Increase in us your many gifts of grace,  and make us all fruitful in good works. This we ask,  O blessed Spirit, whom with the Father and the Son we worship and glorify,  one God, world without end.    Amen.

July 19 - Groaning or Glory?

We live in a time of extraordinary upheaval, unrest ... even fearful isolation. And finding God's peace can be more than challenging. 

I've spoken of the times we live in in terms of RESET and REALIGNMENT. 

We are being called to embrace and enter into God's RESET- his call to the Church to RETURN through a thorough truthfulness about ourselves and our church life. 

Our scriptures this morning are pretty clear as to the state we find ourselves in and God is not caught by surprise by all this! The human state is a fallen one - a fall that took the whole creation down with it! Paul describes the creation as GROANING under the weight of sin; groaning as in childbirth; desperately crying out for the birthing of the new creation; for the Kingdom of Heaven to come on earth... for the Sons of a God to finally come into the fullness of the reality of their redemption! 

We pray it as a matter of course in the liturgy of the Our Father but do we cry out? Do we cry out with eager longing, as if we're waiting on Tiptoe, straining to see it coming on the horizon ? Thy Kingdom come... Thy will be done, on EARTH as it is in heaven. 

I used to think that groaning meant that we Go Right On Achieving Nothing! And that has been the lot of the Church for decades in America where the only fruit we see are more and more divisions and competition, more and more appeasing the culture and bent theology - bent away from the plumbline of the Word of God. Called to "shine as lights" we have increasingly hid our light or allowed it to almost be snuffed out. Jesus issued the warning that our times would be just like the days of Noah, before God judged the whole earth by water. 

We can still go right on Achieving nothing today or we can enter into the kind of groaning that Paul calls us to here in Roman's 8. This kind of groaning has a different outcome... it's God's Revelation Of A New... 

Glory!

This groaning is a deep intercession and repentance based on thorough truthfulness before the Word of God; 

This groaning is the labor pains of the coming Kingdom of Heaven; 

This groaning is the return to holiness, righteousness and peace with humility in the Body of Christ;

This groaning is the only kind that eventually leads to GLORY... GOD'S LIFE OPERATING & REVEALED in YOU! GOD'S LOVING OPERATIONAL REVELATION through YOU! 

Whatever acronym you use the point is this groaning is now different...

It's groaning unto redemption and revelation... and it's why we are here now! We are the agents of the coming Kingdom of God... forward agents to pray and act for God's Revelation Of A New Glory... His Glory

Thy Kingdom Come, THY will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 

Pray it with me... 

Thy Kingdom Come, THY will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 

Again...

Thy Kingdom Come, THY will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 

Doesn't that sound like both a petition and a declaration? 

Let's make it the latter! 

Again...

Thy Kingdom Come! 

THY will be done!

on earth as it is in heaven!

Thy Kingdom Come! 

THY will be done!

on earth as it is in heaven!

Last time... loudly... let the city and the mountains hear you!!

Thy Kingdom Come! 

THY will be done!

on earth as it is in heaven!

Amen and amen. 

Father's Day - Hope in the Midst

Today... Father's Day 2020... has been called by some prophetic voices a day like unto the Battle of Gettysburg.

Many of you - I hope all - are aware that we have been and are engaged in a spiritual battle for the soul of our nation and our world. Forces are lined up on either side, arrayed in the garments of battle, and standing ready to engage. I hope you understand the call that we have as believers in Jesus in this hour! Paul warns us to dress for the battle and to be ready and willing to stand -- to stand together, to fight side by side and back to back. No provision is made for retreat in our calling to this day! Our ACNA motto seems eerily prophetic and ultimately hopeful: FORWARD! ALWAYS FORWARD! EVERYWHERE FORWARD!!

I want to be clear that our weapons are not physical but spiritual! Politics and politicians are a vain hope, as we discovered this week from our Supreme Court! We cannot trust in flesh or fleshly answers to problems that are spiritual in nature. Posting the latest meme or political statement on Facebook is not the answer. We are in a spiritual war, and the quicker we settle in our hearts and minds that we're IN, the quicker the victory will come!

Victory is coming! Jesus wins! But we are the ground game in the day to day battles of this war!

Our scriptures this morning are depressing, almost as depressing as the news these days!

Jeremiah laments his call as a prophet;

David laments his call as a king, still without a throne, and living in caves! Up to his eyeballs in the flood.

Oh, and the Gospel's promise of persecution! Oh boy... I can hardly wait! This isn't what I signed up for! Is it?

Have you felt like that this week?
I have! If it's not one thing it's another!
COVID:
Race Riots and division in our nation:
Betrayal by appointed judges!
An actual real flood of our own to deal with!
Heath challenges; mounting bills;
no end in sight!

Are you still with me?

So is there hope in the fray? It's Father's Day... I need some Good News!

Listen to these rays of light we've already also heard today...

From Jeremiah 20:11
But the LORD is with me like a dread warrior; Therefore my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. They will be utterly ashamed, because they have failed, with an everlasting disgrace that will not be forgotten.

From David
Psalm 69:13
But as for me, my prayer is to You, O LORD, at an acceptable time; O God, in the greatness of Your lovingkindness, Answer me with Your saving truth.

V.15
May the flood of water not overflow me nor the deep swallow me up,
Nor the pit shut its mouth on me.

V. 16. Answer me, O LORD, for Your lovingkindness is good; According to the greatness of Your compassion, turn to me,

V.17And do not hide Your face from Your servant, For I am in distress; answer me quickly.

And Paul's hope-filled declaration in Romans 5:17

"For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

V. 20 b... where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

And from our Master and Commander, Jesus Christ:

Matthew 10:20
“For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.

26
“Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.
27 “What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops.

Do Not Fear... Jesus says it three times in this passage!
Do not Fear....
DO ... NOT... FEAR!!
Any questions?

Friends... Fellow warriors in the Lord's Army, here are the marching orders for these days!

1. This is the Lord's battle! HE IS THE DREAD WARRIOR, THE MASTER AND COMMANDER OF ALL HEAVEN'S ARMIES.

2. Though waters rise and rise and rise, we're not going to be overwhelmed! Why? Because of the GREATNESS OF HIS OVERFLOWING, ABUNDANT... NO... SUPER-ABUNDANT COMPASSION AND UNFAILING LOVE TOWARDS US, HIS CHILDREN!

3. His Kingdom and We in His Kingdom will REIGN -- we're destined to be the ones who bring the Kingdom in its fullness! We're the ones who get to be the answer to the Lord's Prayer: THY KINGDOM COME, THY WILL BE DONE, ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN!

This is a battle of the Kingdoms! Now, hear me...

IT IS YOUR FATHER WHO SPEAKS IN AND THROUGH YOU TO EXECUTE THE LEGISLATIVE DECREES OF GRACE AND RIGHTEOUSNESS, OF PEACE AND JOY IN THE HOLY SPIRIT.

OF OVERFLOWING GRACE, A FLOOD OF A DIFFERENT KIND!

OF SUPER-ABUNDANT GRACE- MORE THAN WE CAN ASK OR IMAGINE, IT WILL FLOW INTO AND OUT FROM US INTO THE WORLD AND THE CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING US.

As we open our mouths, let the Lord God of Heaven fill them with His Truth by His Spirit. Let Him give you words, verses, language to speak out. To SHOUT IT FROM THE HOUSETOPS! Do not be silent! But wait on Him for His Word, not yours! Now more than ever we need to heed the admonition of St. Peter in his 1st letter... chapter 4...

V.10 As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11 Whoever speaks, is to do so  as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving  by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

It is the glory of God's People to execute His Word in our world, in our work, in our neighborhood, in our homes and families. Speak it out! Speak His Word -- Out Loud! Make the air move, by the Power of His Spirit, His Ruach ha Kodesh! It will change things!

Let's pray ... please repeat aloud after me this prayer from Acts 4:

Lord our God, Sovereign King of the Universe;

It is You who MADE THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH...

AND THE SEA, AND ALL THAT IS IN THEM,

By the Holy Spirit,  through David Your servant, You said,

‘WHY DO THE NATIONS RAGE,

AND THE PEOPLES DEVISE FUTILE THINGS?

‘THE KINGS OF THE EARTH TAKE THEIR STAND,

AND THE RULERS ARE GATHERED TOGETHER

AGAINST THE LORD AND AGAINST HIS CHRIST.’

Now, Lord, take note of their threats,

and grant that Your bond-servants

may speak Your Word with all boldness,

while You extend Your hand to heal,

and signs and wonders take place

through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.”

Amen.

Trinity Sunday - America at The Brink

America @ The Brink !
Fr Phil Eberhart 

June 7, 2020

For about the last 10 days we've been watching the unraveling of American society and the takeover by an uncovered spirit of lawlessness. This morning I want to talk about how we can pray and act in this time, to allow light to be shed on our community, our state and nation and around the world.

This is Trinity Sunday, a week after Pentecost. The period between Easter and Pentecost was a time of great shaking for the disciples. Trying to come to terms with the crucifixion and then the resurrection of their master, Jesus. His death and three days in the tomb. His resurrection and his appearances with them, in the Upper Room, on the road to Emmaus, again and again in various places and times all the way back to Galilee. Then the second miraculous catch of fish. The Ascension of Jesus and 10 days of waiting. Then the rushing, mighty wind and fire of Pentecost.

God was shaking them up. Shaking them out of their roots and traditions, out of their stubborn misunderstanding of God's mission in Christ. Shaking them out of their self-preoccupation and raising their eyes to a bigger view of their calling and what God wanted to accomplish through them.

Today we're being shaken, we've said this over and over for months and now it's actually taking shape. Is God the author of this confusion? No, but God certainly will use it in our personal and national lives, to move us individually and corporately, to a place where we are attentive to Him and responsive to Him!

Over and over throughout history God has allowed hardship, national trial, and personal pain to cause us to come back to a fuller reliance on Him, a fuller knowledge of His ways, and a fuller engagement with His mission in the World. Today it's no different!

The shaking has a designated purpose... to discipline God's People, (judgement begins with the House of God) to produce in us the fruit of repentance and to turn us, and thus our nation and world, back to Him and Him alone. All the disciples experienced all of these things personally and wrote to give us a clue about God's purpose in this time...

In Hebrews...
For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Hebrews 12:11‭ ESV

https://bible.com/bible/59/heb.12.11.ESV

In James:
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
James 3:17‭-‬18 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/jas.3.17-18.ESV

Friends, God is working here. Among us and across our nation. It's time for us, the Church, to pay attention. It's time for us to get on our knees - in prayer, where it all starts but cannot properly stay there; in acts, the fruit of Repentance: changing our own ways in response to God's word and His Spirit working in and through and among us. Staying on our knees, in servant ministry, washing feet, healing hurts, supplying His love and grace to our world.

This morning we've moved from creation to commission in our readings. And that is the pathway we are constantly called to: turning and returning to God as our source and supply, then taking all we've recieved and giving it to others. Just as the Father has sent me, so now I am sending you! GO. 1500 times in the bible... GO. The message is clear.

The world is crying out for the church to be the church! God himself has taken us in hand and through this time will lead us if we will but pray, listen and do what He tells us. It still comes down to our own willingness, our availability and ultimately to our OBEDIENCE.

LET'S PRAY.

Our God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit: We come to your throne today seeking your face - lift up Your face towards us and grant us Your SHALOM. Help us, Lord, to return to You and Your ways. Our world depends on it. Send us out today to serve others, to live and love in your Name. Open our eyes... awaken us to see your hand working around us, and direct our steps to bring your peace into our world.

In Jesus Name and for His Kingdom's sake, we pray.

Amen

Pentecost Sermon

We need to ask the right question!

I've talked a lot about our need for willingness over the years, but it seems that, I need to be convinced of God's willingness. The scripture that BP Bill shared from Lu 11 is about prayer. Ask... Seek... Knock... and keep on doing those things, and the answer will come from God's hand.

The illustration of a loving father is just the one that we need to have in mind all the time. If you, evil as you are, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more our Father in Heaven?

I know I have always struggled with the Imago Dei, the image of God that I have from my upbringing. I think many of us have faulty images of God and His nature.

It's interesting to me that the last thought, the last verses of the Old Convent in Malachi are on this very issue. The relationship between children and fathers, and the promise of having hearts that are turned towards each other. Seems like maybe it's a prerequisite for what is going to happen in the New Covenant!

And the model for prayer that Jesus taught starts with the words. OUR FATHER! Jesus came to reveal the heart of the Father and to restore the relationship we can have with OUR FATHER. God himself was "in Christ reconciling the world to himself". For God SO LOVED the world that He gave His One and Only Son! That's love, beyond our wildest imaginings!

Paul goes on later in Romans 8 and asks us to think it through with him:

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

Romans 8:31‭-‬32 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.8.31-32.ESV

Friends, the point this morning is God loves us... God loves you and wants you to have Every Good Gift that He has. So often the problem isn't on His side of the equation, but on ours - on the receiving end!

So we're back at Lu 11. Prayer... persistent prayer... Jesus tells us, is a key to receiving all that God has for us. And let me tell you ALL is a lot!
And It's all ours if we just ask Him.
Isn't it funny that when you break down the letters they spell A - S - K Ask...Seek...Knock.

Just Ask! And the tense of those verbs Jesus used indicate an ... here's a great word... IMPORTUNITY!
Webster says that that is TROUBLESOMELY URGENT!

Ask and keep on asking...
Seek and keep on seeking...
Knock and keep on knocking!

TROUBLESOMELY URGENT

Have you asked like that?

There is a hint of... well, more than a hint... of desperation. Perhaps desperate prayer is in order in these days. Our days are suddenly seeming TROUBLESOMELY URGENT!

I'd like to spend a minute or two just asking.

Will you join me?

Lord Jesus, you are the baptiser in the Holy Spirit. Now we're looking to you, Lord, as our baptiser! I pray, Jesus, for the outpouring that we have been asking, seeking and knocking for in each of our own lives and in the life of our church, our city, our state and especially now, our nation. Send your Spirit like a mighty wind, the Ruach ha Kodesh, and blow on us Jesus.

You have told us to return to You, our God. In humility and brokenness we come and we turn from wickedness on behalf of our nation. We bind the twisting of truth, the lies of the enemy of our souls. We pray for eyes to open suddenly, to see You Jesus, High and lifted up. Let your train fill the Temple this morning, come fill and cleanse us Fire of God and send us as your agents of reconciliation into the world.

We're asking Lord
We're seeking
We're knocking.

In the name of Jesus the Messiah.
For the sake of His Kingdom.

Amen. Amen!

May 10 Mothers Day - FIVE MOVEMENTS OF GOD IN OUR DAY

Today happens to be one of the few years where my birthday has actually fallen on Mother's Day. It's my double blessing.

I want to begin with greetings to all our ladies at Rez. Just so you know, I want to tell you that mom's are a close second to the ultimate force in the universe! If you don't believe me you deserve The Look! So can all the ladies give us The Look. Right now. Yeah... that one! Get up to the camera and give it your very best! ....
And there you have it...
Ultimate power... almost.

So... Happy Mothers Day. And Blessings from all that your lives have touched and continue to touch.

There are many themes in our scripture readings this morning... verses that jump out:

From Acts...
Paul was referred to as one of the "people who have turned the world upside down..." Would that God would bless US with that designation!

The synagogue in Berea was one that pored over scripture to test and prove what Paul was saying to them. He said later that they were "more noble."

From 1st Peter...
like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house,
And...
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

And from John's Gospel...
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

Just look at your screen. We look like a wall of stones with faces on them!

God is doing something extraordinary in these days.
He is knitting us together in His Body, even through social distancing, God is at work around the world, preparing the Bride for a wedding day. I want to share 5 movements in this symphony that's happening now:

1. RESET

God has pressed a kind of 'reset button.' He's gotten our attention; he's pulled us out of our routine, out of our busyness. He's stripped away the idols of our culture here in America: noise... speed... entertainment... celebrity worship... sports... distraction. Finances are uncertain for many. We've had to return to God and to the basics.
What's important?
Who's important?
Our gods in America are being shaken, as we were promised in Hab 2, in Amos 9 and Heb 12.
All our reliance on what is not God is being stripped away.

2. REALIGNMENT

This is a time for us to "consider our ways" (Hab 1)
... for us to bend our knees and bow our heads and hearts in prayer... in repentance that bears fruit... that's not just words on a page, but leads to a REALIGNMENT of values and lifestyles, with the two tracks that we are to roll on: The Truth of God's Word and the presence of the Spirit of God in and among us. Those are the twin tracks this glory train run on. Through repentance we are to realign our hearts, our minds, our lives with His Word and His Spirit. God's seeks those who worship in Spirit and in Truth!

3. REFRESHING

Ancient wells are about to break forth; wells of revival will spring up, both from outside - around us, and inside - the wells of salvation are going to burst forth. These will refresh and strengthen God's people for what's ahead of us. Both suffering and glory are coming. Renewed authority and power for the Church. A renewed voice in our culture and extended grace for the days ahead.

4. RELEASE

"Pray ye therefore, the Lord of the harvest to send forth workers into His Harvest" Luke 10. God's about to fulfill that prayer!

He's calling us out... into the deep... let down your nets for a catch! 'But we've never done it this way before! "Indeed," He says!!

The GREAT I AM is about to do a work in our day that will make the ears of history tingle! We've been talking about it now for 13 years, since 2007. We simply call it A net-breaking, boat-sinking load of fish! The promised end- times revival is coming. We're used to the prophetic word about "the Wave coming across the land." We've been waiting in anticipation for almost 20 years for fulfillment of that vision. The wave is about to hit the shore! Judgement and revival.
We are to stand, to watch, to pray, and to go!

God is releasing the Church... the Church has left the building! And God's going to release the Catch... the Harvest!

And finally...

6. REJOICING

We are coming to Season of Joy... unspeakable and full of glory. The Joy of the Lord (Ne 8:10) is our strength!
Let me remind you what God's joy is...
In Luke 15, we are reminded by Jesus how God loves finding lost things! Jesus was sent expressly for that purpose! To seek and to save what was lost (Jn 3:17) There is more JOY IN HEAVEN over one sheep found than over 99 who never strayed!
This is the Joy of the Lord. There is no joy like the joy of introducing someone to Jesus and watching a son or daughter be born anew!

These are the movements we are going to see and hear in the days to come. Open your eyes and ears. Listen for him and look for His direction, we are each part of His Symphony, each an important part as we agree with and partner with all God is doing in our day. Arise, Shine, for your light has come!

May we pray...

Father, it's in the midst of darkness that your light shines brightest. Let us bring and be the light of Your glory into the darkness around us. Give us the hope of eternal life, the light of your countenance, the peace that passes understanding, the joy of finding that which is lost, all gathered together in the "overwhelming, never- ending, reckless love of God!"
For the sake of a your Kingdom we pray and the Fame of your Name, Jesus!

Amen