Saturday, July 19, 2008
what a summer
Hey out there in cyberspace. Guess I am not getting too many responses since I have not updated the blog. It is a sometimes weird and wonderful relationship I have with the Internet, at times I can't live without it, and other times I want nothing to do with it. I guess this is reflected in my posts this summer, none! I hope to post more, but if you have any suggestions as far as what would get you to participate in this blog, let me know by responding here. thanks, Steve
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Mother's Day Sermon 2008
There is not a topic more dangerous, or diverse as motherhood! There are those who defend motherhood as the most sacred of all purposes in life, on the other hand, there are those who would not even consider raising children, for any number of reasons! Added to the preacher’s burden of reflecting intelligently, and faithfully is the added twist, Pentecost falls on the same day!
On the one hand you have a national holiday, an international day, on which we honor mothers and on the other the sacred celebration of Pentecost, the birthday of the church, a time to honor the Spirit of God which fuels our faith.
On the one hand I want to read letters like: (Slide)
My mom is pretty she clensth hosus and sweeps the floor she cooks dinner and she takes me to peano class. And she does the londeries and washis the dishes. My Mom has short brown hair and she works in her iciss. Happy Mother’s Day. I love you
or (slide )My Mommy is nice, She has long hair it is redish black. She takes care of derek and me. She brush my hair and makes my yummy lunch. She tucks me in to bed. She is the boss of my Daddy. She takes me to ballet class and Jimmasticks. I love her!
On the other hand I want to emphasize the third person of the trinity, and how we are given gifts of spirit and how important it is for each of us to acknowledge this gift.
So, after much research and careful thought, I would point us to the
The "Mother's Day Proclamation" by Julia Ward Howe (slide) which was one of the early calls to celebrate Mother's Day in the United States. Written in 1870, Howe's Mother's Day Proclamation was a pacifist reaction to the carnage of the American Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War. The Proclamation was tied to Howe's feminist belief that women had a responsibility to shape their societies at the political level.
Mother's Day Proclamation
Arise, then, women of this day! Arise, all women who have hearts, Whether our baptism be of water or of tears!
Say firmly: "We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies, Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage, for caresses and applause. Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience. We, the women of one country, will be too tender of those of another country To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."
From the bosom of the devastated Earth a voice goes up with our own. It says: "Disarm! Disarm! The sword of murder is not the balance of justice." Blood does not wipe out dishonor, nor violence indicate possession. As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil at the summons of war, Let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest day of counsel.
Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead. Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means Whereby the great human family can live in peace, Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar, But of God.
In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask That a general congress of women without limit of nationality May be appointed and held at someplace deemed most convenient And at the earliest period consistent with its objects, To promote the alliance of the different nationalities, The amicable settlement of international questions, The great and general interests of peace.
As I read that I reflected on how many mothers this day are mourning their sons, daughters spouses and even parents who were lost to war. There are those who have lost their mothers to mental illness, or any number of diseases. So observance of mother’s day is often a memorial day, a trip to the cemetery or to take part in events such as the Revlon Breast Cancer walk, that several of our members took place in yesterday at the L.A. Coliseum. (slide)
What is good about these observances is the hope that fuels the desire to remember. The hope is that peace will settle in around the earth, that cures for disease, both physical and mental will be found, and mothers everywhere both two legged and four legged, webbed and winged will be able to raise their children in peace.
This tradition is continuing today:
The San Luis Obisbo Mothers for Peace came together in 1969. A young mother had written a letter to the editor of the local newspaper asking that people who shared her sadness and frustration at the needless loss of life in the Vietnam War join her in searching out ways to act effectively as a group. The shared values and compelling need to act that originally brought the group together have continued to characterize the Mothers for Peace.
(slide)The Peace Alliance is a nonpartisan citizen action organization representing a growing constituency for peace. Peace is not a utopian ideal; it is an issue critical to our national and human security. Either we continue reactively addressing ever-increasing levels of violence and the consequent human and economic costs, or we take a fresh approach. This isn’t about the politics of left or right; it is about what is practical and effective. We must create the possibility for applied peace-building to identify and resolve conflict before it erupts into violence.
The possibility of peace is not a false hope, a insignificant hope or a naiver hope. Rather by remembering our mothers, we remember how tough the battle is sometimes, we pray for peace, knowing much work has to be done.
We live in a world where the health and welfare of all is too often ignored, instead we suffer from “Get all I can, as long as I can” syndrome. Remember how mothers remind us to share?
As we turn to the Corinthians text, the varieties of the spirit all point to peace:
“To each is given the manifestation of the spirit for the common good”
Those manifestations of wisdom, knowledge, healing, faith miracles, prophecy, discernment, are all born of one spirit that seeks to unite us in the Kingdom of God.
Yes the spiritual gifts are for others, to unite us together in peace. This is the hope of God unrevealed in the Acts passage. The spirit is revealed to a diverse and sometimes warring group.
Very often our cultural differences keep us at war, language differences often lead to misunderstanding, conflict, political differences lead to power struggle, and in recent history the withholding of aid to those who suffer.
It has been amazing to me that the military government in Burma will not allow aid into their country after the devastating natural disaster. On the other hand I have been comforted by the outpouring of the offer of aid even before the government has requested it. The wonderful generous spirit of others reveal a deep connection with those who are suffering.
The hopeful message of Pentecost is that barriers can be overcome. The same spirit infects and affects us all, young and old, male and female. Regardless of any differences on the surface, we are all of one spirit.
If my childhood is any indication Mothers are good at keeping the peace. When I would get into arguments with my brother and sister back in chicopee, massachusetts, it was my mother who found a way to bring us together. In the extended family it was my grandmother Marshall who kept us united even as our family grew and spread out across the United States. It is only when I grew up and became a parent myself did I appreciate the way she held us together.
Now what does all this have to do with Pentecost? As I was reading the scripture three themes stuck out, first the image of a variety of gifts, and second, that this variety of gifts came from the same spirit, and finally this unifying spirit caused men and women, boys and girls to have visions and dreams.
Pentecost is also about the birthday of the church, as a response to the spirit working in us. This church celebrates a birthday, but the greater church, the worldwide church also celebrates a birthday, and in this moment we are connected both to the past and the present work of the Spirit, and the work of the churches around our world.
We celebrate the variety of gifts.
As I look around today, I see a variety of people, each of you who is unique and have particular talents.(Name a few). We have a number of people who speak a variety of languages (point to a few). I am grateful for this variety, it is a living example of what Paul was trying to say in I Corinthians. But in his view, it was important to note that all these gifts came from the same spirit. There was no hierarchy of gifts, they are all given freely by God, and we celebrate all of these today.
Some are more visible and some are in the background, but we celebrate the richness and the blessing of these gifts to the world. To continue the theme of peace, the way to true peace is for each gift to find expression in our world.
Recently, I was talking to one of our younger clergy about what his experience with working with youth. He was successful in building up the youth group in his church because he said, he did not tell them what they needed to do, but rather was more like a coach, finding ways they could each contribute to the life of the group using their unique skills and talents. The youth led youth group gave a place for them to try new things, to make their visions for what the group could be a reality.
Each of us is given a unique DNA for what we are able to contribute to the world to make it a more peaceful place, a place where all of God’s creation can live and thrive. The same is true for each congregation, as a group we have a DNA, and have a way to contribute to the world. This variety of gifts makes life more interesting, more dramatic, and more of a challenge.
For us on this mother’s day, this day of Pentecost we celebrate the one spirit that unites us all, of different cultures, backgrounds, languages, but one spirit. We celebrate the witness of mothers everywhere who work for peace so their sons and daughters do not have to go to war. We celebrate the spirit in each person we meet.
On the one hand you have a national holiday, an international day, on which we honor mothers and on the other the sacred celebration of Pentecost, the birthday of the church, a time to honor the Spirit of God which fuels our faith.
On the one hand I want to read letters like: (Slide)
My mom is pretty she clensth hosus and sweeps the floor she cooks dinner and she takes me to peano class. And she does the londeries and washis the dishes. My Mom has short brown hair and she works in her iciss. Happy Mother’s Day. I love you
or (slide )My Mommy is nice, She has long hair it is redish black. She takes care of derek and me. She brush my hair and makes my yummy lunch. She tucks me in to bed. She is the boss of my Daddy. She takes me to ballet class and Jimmasticks. I love her!
On the other hand I want to emphasize the third person of the trinity, and how we are given gifts of spirit and how important it is for each of us to acknowledge this gift.
So, after much research and careful thought, I would point us to the
The "Mother's Day Proclamation" by Julia Ward Howe (slide) which was one of the early calls to celebrate Mother's Day in the United States. Written in 1870, Howe's Mother's Day Proclamation was a pacifist reaction to the carnage of the American Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War. The Proclamation was tied to Howe's feminist belief that women had a responsibility to shape their societies at the political level.
Mother's Day Proclamation
Arise, then, women of this day! Arise, all women who have hearts, Whether our baptism be of water or of tears!
Say firmly: "We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies, Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage, for caresses and applause. Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience. We, the women of one country, will be too tender of those of another country To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."
From the bosom of the devastated Earth a voice goes up with our own. It says: "Disarm! Disarm! The sword of murder is not the balance of justice." Blood does not wipe out dishonor, nor violence indicate possession. As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil at the summons of war, Let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest day of counsel.
Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead. Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means Whereby the great human family can live in peace, Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar, But of God.
In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask That a general congress of women without limit of nationality May be appointed and held at someplace deemed most convenient And at the earliest period consistent with its objects, To promote the alliance of the different nationalities, The amicable settlement of international questions, The great and general interests of peace.
As I read that I reflected on how many mothers this day are mourning their sons, daughters spouses and even parents who were lost to war. There are those who have lost their mothers to mental illness, or any number of diseases. So observance of mother’s day is often a memorial day, a trip to the cemetery or to take part in events such as the Revlon Breast Cancer walk, that several of our members took place in yesterday at the L.A. Coliseum. (slide)
What is good about these observances is the hope that fuels the desire to remember. The hope is that peace will settle in around the earth, that cures for disease, both physical and mental will be found, and mothers everywhere both two legged and four legged, webbed and winged will be able to raise their children in peace.
This tradition is continuing today:
The San Luis Obisbo Mothers for Peace came together in 1969. A young mother had written a letter to the editor of the local newspaper asking that people who shared her sadness and frustration at the needless loss of life in the Vietnam War join her in searching out ways to act effectively as a group. The shared values and compelling need to act that originally brought the group together have continued to characterize the Mothers for Peace.
(slide)The Peace Alliance is a nonpartisan citizen action organization representing a growing constituency for peace. Peace is not a utopian ideal; it is an issue critical to our national and human security. Either we continue reactively addressing ever-increasing levels of violence and the consequent human and economic costs, or we take a fresh approach. This isn’t about the politics of left or right; it is about what is practical and effective. We must create the possibility for applied peace-building to identify and resolve conflict before it erupts into violence.
The possibility of peace is not a false hope, a insignificant hope or a naiver hope. Rather by remembering our mothers, we remember how tough the battle is sometimes, we pray for peace, knowing much work has to be done.
We live in a world where the health and welfare of all is too often ignored, instead we suffer from “Get all I can, as long as I can” syndrome. Remember how mothers remind us to share?
As we turn to the Corinthians text, the varieties of the spirit all point to peace:
“To each is given the manifestation of the spirit for the common good”
Those manifestations of wisdom, knowledge, healing, faith miracles, prophecy, discernment, are all born of one spirit that seeks to unite us in the Kingdom of God.
Yes the spiritual gifts are for others, to unite us together in peace. This is the hope of God unrevealed in the Acts passage. The spirit is revealed to a diverse and sometimes warring group.
Very often our cultural differences keep us at war, language differences often lead to misunderstanding, conflict, political differences lead to power struggle, and in recent history the withholding of aid to those who suffer.
It has been amazing to me that the military government in Burma will not allow aid into their country after the devastating natural disaster. On the other hand I have been comforted by the outpouring of the offer of aid even before the government has requested it. The wonderful generous spirit of others reveal a deep connection with those who are suffering.
The hopeful message of Pentecost is that barriers can be overcome. The same spirit infects and affects us all, young and old, male and female. Regardless of any differences on the surface, we are all of one spirit.
If my childhood is any indication Mothers are good at keeping the peace. When I would get into arguments with my brother and sister back in chicopee, massachusetts, it was my mother who found a way to bring us together. In the extended family it was my grandmother Marshall who kept us united even as our family grew and spread out across the United States. It is only when I grew up and became a parent myself did I appreciate the way she held us together.
Now what does all this have to do with Pentecost? As I was reading the scripture three themes stuck out, first the image of a variety of gifts, and second, that this variety of gifts came from the same spirit, and finally this unifying spirit caused men and women, boys and girls to have visions and dreams.
Pentecost is also about the birthday of the church, as a response to the spirit working in us. This church celebrates a birthday, but the greater church, the worldwide church also celebrates a birthday, and in this moment we are connected both to the past and the present work of the Spirit, and the work of the churches around our world.
We celebrate the variety of gifts.
As I look around today, I see a variety of people, each of you who is unique and have particular talents.(Name a few). We have a number of people who speak a variety of languages (point to a few). I am grateful for this variety, it is a living example of what Paul was trying to say in I Corinthians. But in his view, it was important to note that all these gifts came from the same spirit. There was no hierarchy of gifts, they are all given freely by God, and we celebrate all of these today.
Some are more visible and some are in the background, but we celebrate the richness and the blessing of these gifts to the world. To continue the theme of peace, the way to true peace is for each gift to find expression in our world.
Recently, I was talking to one of our younger clergy about what his experience with working with youth. He was successful in building up the youth group in his church because he said, he did not tell them what they needed to do, but rather was more like a coach, finding ways they could each contribute to the life of the group using their unique skills and talents. The youth led youth group gave a place for them to try new things, to make their visions for what the group could be a reality.
Each of us is given a unique DNA for what we are able to contribute to the world to make it a more peaceful place, a place where all of God’s creation can live and thrive. The same is true for each congregation, as a group we have a DNA, and have a way to contribute to the world. This variety of gifts makes life more interesting, more dramatic, and more of a challenge.
For us on this mother’s day, this day of Pentecost we celebrate the one spirit that unites us all, of different cultures, backgrounds, languages, but one spirit. We celebrate the witness of mothers everywhere who work for peace so their sons and daughters do not have to go to war. We celebrate the spirit in each person we meet.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Sermon 4-27-08
This week in preparation for this service, I meditated on the word Heritage. This led me to go into the notebooks I have that once belonged to my Grandparents Marshall. My grandfather was a lay speaker and often would fill in for pastors on vacation, or away on retreat. In the notebooks I have I find sermons, quotes, notes about upcoming meetings, and even the meaning of words. For example:
One Book and only one,
The Book my Father gave;
One Book, with power to serve.
One Book and only one,
that points the pilgrim’s way;
One Book, and only one,
To keep me, lest I stray
-J.R. Clements
Or this one
“God will not change; the restless years may bring
Sunlight and shade; the glories of the spring.
And silent gloom of sunless winter hours,
Joy mixed with grief-sharp thorns with fragrant flowers;
Earth lights may shine awhile, and they grow dim,
But God is true; there is no change in Him. -unknown
My grandfather died when I was too young to appreciate his passion to serve the church, and to serve God. But I had a sense ever since that He and I would have a lot to talk about and so I pray to him from time to time, to connect me to him, and his eternal spirit. Reading these words in the notebooks connects me to him and to my heritage. More than that as I read the words he preached, it helps me to see what he believed, and helps me connect to God.
Our Heritage
Why Did God create only one man? So that thereafter no one could say, “My ancestors were nobler than yours,” or that virtue and vice are inherited, or that some races are better than others.. And to teach us that whoever destroys a single life is as guilty as though he had destroyed the entire world; and that whoever saves one life earns as much merit as if he had saved the whole world.
I find throughout his writings, my grandfather’s perspective to see our ancestry, not just with those we can trace on our family tree, but to Adam, to Moses, and Jacob, to Jeremiah, and Isaiah. This theme has also been a part of my understanding of our place in the universe. Our ancestry extends to the beginning of time, before what we can remember or understand.
In a sermon he preached in 1930 to Orange Methodist and Athol Methodist
on the subject of government he advocates that we become christian nationalists: this nationalism is a “nationalism for peace, for disarmament, and devotion to the common welfare, and the common good of all people. Let us sing America the Beautiful, and the Star Spangled Banner, and my country ‘tis of thee, but first of all give God a chance, a share, a place”.
There are two key words in the scriptures today that I would like to highlight that bring this ancestry into clearer focus: offspring and orphans.
There has been much written about orphans, movies and plays, little orphan Annie, being one of those enduring tales that seems to get remade every generation. But the issue of having a family, a place to belong is an important theme throughout all of history. Long before Orphan Annie, children have struggled with growing up without parents. And this issue is more than just an emotional one, when I visited South Africa one of the activities I participated in was to give food and school supplies to children who had become orphans because both their parents had died due to HIV/AIDS. The children had very little, and deepened on the kindness of others just to get through another day. The worker who was responsible for the orphans in an area the roughly equivalent to the state of Texas, told us that many children simple die because their is not enough food, or water to sustain them. It was only the churches who could provide hope through donations they had collected from those who did not have much themselves. Yet even in these most trying of circumstances the Methodist church of South Africa is making a difference in the lives of those orphans, in cooperation with Catholic Relief services so fewer children die, and have a second chance at life.
Our heritage is much more than those we are related to, we are made with the same stuff of all of God’s creation which means all have the same spiritual parent, we are made with the same vision for the world.
John records Jesus’ promised that we will not be left orphaned, that the Holy Spirit will live in us and us in the spirit. We belong to God and with God, and on that promise we can rely throughout our whole life, even when we lose those closest to us. Our ancestry reveals that at the roots of our heritage God is there.
These days we have many resources at our disposal to trace our family roots, there are numerous websites you can go to, research that in days past took years, can be accomplished sooner. Recently, Linda’s aunt Lil who does some of this research on line discovered a whole line of relatives that were assumed lost. Now it turns out that my daughters are decedents of the daughters of the American Revolution! Which is an organization that has its headquarters in Washington D.C.
As one of the most inclusive genealogical societies in the country, DAR boasts 165,000 members in 3,000 chapters across the United States and internationally. Any woman 18 years or older-regardless of race, religion, or ethnic background-who can prove lineal descent from a patriot of the American Revolution, is eligible for membership.
today we know the source of our Christian family tree: the bible is our source that connects us to our ancestors, those from whom we descend, the membership is open to all races, genders, and national origin, I know you have that same conversation that I have had, what are you? My ancestors come from England, but Linda’s are polish, french with a bit of cherokee Indian. In God’s eyes we are full blooded sons and daughters in the Kingdom of heaven. This will never change, God is always there, no matter where life takes us, God is there and will always be there because as Jesus told us that God is in us, and we in God.
Once we accept this ancestry, once we fully embody the notion that we are God’s, there is a desire to love God with all our heart and mind and strength, once we find out who we are, and whose we are, we want feel a desire to bring others into the family and experience the same joy we have.
To really be a part of the kingdom is never to stop inviting others to be a part of the goodness of God. Jesus wanted his disciples and followers to know they would not be alone because they were the ones who would now do the work of building the kingdom on earth as it is in heaven, they were the ones who would put their lives on the line to preach the gospel, to teach others about Jesus. Our Lord knew this would not always be easy work, but he also knew it would be the best work his followers would ever do.
Today, we are called to find more of our brothers and sisters who are in the world but have forgotten who they are and whose they are. There are many who feel orphaned, alone, without love, without hope wanting so desperately to belong. They are people who want to connect to others in a meaningful way.
But it is hard in our society to find that connection, life can be frantic at times and when you are alone it seems like all you can think about is what you do not have, not what you do have. And you feel disconnected, and do not know how to plug in, to reach out.They are waiting for the invitation that will make the difference in their lives, to find a family, to connect to their heritage, to find they are a beloved child of God.
So what can we do?
First, take the time to connect to God! Deepen your connection to your spiritual heritage
2. Connect to family and friends. Loved ones provide support and encouragement. Talk to them when you need guidance, and be prepared to help them in their times of need.
3. Connect to coworkers. Given the amount of time we dedicate to work, it's important to foster healthy relationships there. Spend lunch with your coworkers or take a walk with a colleague you haven't talked with in awhile.
4.Connect to community. Shifting from our own issues to others' concerns can be healthy. In church we work to serve others, and often it is the passion of one person that turns into a project the whole church can get around.
5. Connect to yourself. Take time out for a hobby, a book, meditation, or exercise. This is your time, so choose something you enjoy.
Connect to professional help. If you feel overwhelmed or unable to cope, reach out to a mental health professional.
When we take the time to connect, we will find ourselves busy being the family of God,we will be doing the good work of listening for the concerns and celebrations of those in our communities and we will find ourselves drawn to help.
Connection to God connects us to the world in a whole new way, and we take our place in the family. Who knows some day, your grandchildren or someone’s grandchildren might be reading something you wrote or did and finding inspiration for their lives!
One Book and only one,
The Book my Father gave;
One Book, with power to serve.
One Book and only one,
that points the pilgrim’s way;
One Book, and only one,
To keep me, lest I stray
-J.R. Clements
Or this one
“God will not change; the restless years may bring
Sunlight and shade; the glories of the spring.
And silent gloom of sunless winter hours,
Joy mixed with grief-sharp thorns with fragrant flowers;
Earth lights may shine awhile, and they grow dim,
But God is true; there is no change in Him. -unknown
My grandfather died when I was too young to appreciate his passion to serve the church, and to serve God. But I had a sense ever since that He and I would have a lot to talk about and so I pray to him from time to time, to connect me to him, and his eternal spirit. Reading these words in the notebooks connects me to him and to my heritage. More than that as I read the words he preached, it helps me to see what he believed, and helps me connect to God.
Our Heritage
Why Did God create only one man? So that thereafter no one could say, “My ancestors were nobler than yours,” or that virtue and vice are inherited, or that some races are better than others.. And to teach us that whoever destroys a single life is as guilty as though he had destroyed the entire world; and that whoever saves one life earns as much merit as if he had saved the whole world.
I find throughout his writings, my grandfather’s perspective to see our ancestry, not just with those we can trace on our family tree, but to Adam, to Moses, and Jacob, to Jeremiah, and Isaiah. This theme has also been a part of my understanding of our place in the universe. Our ancestry extends to the beginning of time, before what we can remember or understand.
In a sermon he preached in 1930 to Orange Methodist and Athol Methodist
on the subject of government he advocates that we become christian nationalists: this nationalism is a “nationalism for peace, for disarmament, and devotion to the common welfare, and the common good of all people. Let us sing America the Beautiful, and the Star Spangled Banner, and my country ‘tis of thee, but first of all give God a chance, a share, a place”.
There are two key words in the scriptures today that I would like to highlight that bring this ancestry into clearer focus: offspring and orphans.
There has been much written about orphans, movies and plays, little orphan Annie, being one of those enduring tales that seems to get remade every generation. But the issue of having a family, a place to belong is an important theme throughout all of history. Long before Orphan Annie, children have struggled with growing up without parents. And this issue is more than just an emotional one, when I visited South Africa one of the activities I participated in was to give food and school supplies to children who had become orphans because both their parents had died due to HIV/AIDS. The children had very little, and deepened on the kindness of others just to get through another day. The worker who was responsible for the orphans in an area the roughly equivalent to the state of Texas, told us that many children simple die because their is not enough food, or water to sustain them. It was only the churches who could provide hope through donations they had collected from those who did not have much themselves. Yet even in these most trying of circumstances the Methodist church of South Africa is making a difference in the lives of those orphans, in cooperation with Catholic Relief services so fewer children die, and have a second chance at life.
Our heritage is much more than those we are related to, we are made with the same stuff of all of God’s creation which means all have the same spiritual parent, we are made with the same vision for the world.
John records Jesus’ promised that we will not be left orphaned, that the Holy Spirit will live in us and us in the spirit. We belong to God and with God, and on that promise we can rely throughout our whole life, even when we lose those closest to us. Our ancestry reveals that at the roots of our heritage God is there.
These days we have many resources at our disposal to trace our family roots, there are numerous websites you can go to, research that in days past took years, can be accomplished sooner. Recently, Linda’s aunt Lil who does some of this research on line discovered a whole line of relatives that were assumed lost. Now it turns out that my daughters are decedents of the daughters of the American Revolution! Which is an organization that has its headquarters in Washington D.C.
As one of the most inclusive genealogical societies in the country, DAR boasts 165,000 members in 3,000 chapters across the United States and internationally. Any woman 18 years or older-regardless of race, religion, or ethnic background-who can prove lineal descent from a patriot of the American Revolution, is eligible for membership.
today we know the source of our Christian family tree: the bible is our source that connects us to our ancestors, those from whom we descend, the membership is open to all races, genders, and national origin, I know you have that same conversation that I have had, what are you? My ancestors come from England, but Linda’s are polish, french with a bit of cherokee Indian. In God’s eyes we are full blooded sons and daughters in the Kingdom of heaven. This will never change, God is always there, no matter where life takes us, God is there and will always be there because as Jesus told us that God is in us, and we in God.
Once we accept this ancestry, once we fully embody the notion that we are God’s, there is a desire to love God with all our heart and mind and strength, once we find out who we are, and whose we are, we want feel a desire to bring others into the family and experience the same joy we have.
To really be a part of the kingdom is never to stop inviting others to be a part of the goodness of God. Jesus wanted his disciples and followers to know they would not be alone because they were the ones who would now do the work of building the kingdom on earth as it is in heaven, they were the ones who would put their lives on the line to preach the gospel, to teach others about Jesus. Our Lord knew this would not always be easy work, but he also knew it would be the best work his followers would ever do.
Today, we are called to find more of our brothers and sisters who are in the world but have forgotten who they are and whose they are. There are many who feel orphaned, alone, without love, without hope wanting so desperately to belong. They are people who want to connect to others in a meaningful way.
But it is hard in our society to find that connection, life can be frantic at times and when you are alone it seems like all you can think about is what you do not have, not what you do have. And you feel disconnected, and do not know how to plug in, to reach out.They are waiting for the invitation that will make the difference in their lives, to find a family, to connect to their heritage, to find they are a beloved child of God.
So what can we do?
First, take the time to connect to God! Deepen your connection to your spiritual heritage
2. Connect to family and friends. Loved ones provide support and encouragement. Talk to them when you need guidance, and be prepared to help them in their times of need.
3. Connect to coworkers. Given the amount of time we dedicate to work, it's important to foster healthy relationships there. Spend lunch with your coworkers or take a walk with a colleague you haven't talked with in awhile.
4.Connect to community. Shifting from our own issues to others' concerns can be healthy. In church we work to serve others, and often it is the passion of one person that turns into a project the whole church can get around.
5. Connect to yourself. Take time out for a hobby, a book, meditation, or exercise. This is your time, so choose something you enjoy.
Connect to professional help. If you feel overwhelmed or unable to cope, reach out to a mental health professional.
When we take the time to connect, we will find ourselves busy being the family of God,we will be doing the good work of listening for the concerns and celebrations of those in our communities and we will find ourselves drawn to help.
Connection to God connects us to the world in a whole new way, and we take our place in the family. Who knows some day, your grandchildren or someone’s grandchildren might be reading something you wrote or did and finding inspiration for their lives!
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