“What Unleashes Our Divinity” Sermon Delivered By Rev. Dick Stetler – December
31, 2017 Centenary United Methodist Church Jeremiah 29:10-14, Luke 2:22-33, 39-40 As we stand on the threshold of another New Year, what would
happen to us if we ignored turning another page in the history of time
and decided to dedicate the next 365 days to making
our
corner of the world far more
attractive and welcoming?
Why not take our cues from certain people who helped Jesus to unleash
his divinity? In our lesson today, Mary and Joseph had taken Jesus to Several experiences influenced Mary and Joseph's attitude toward
rearing their son: 1. The words to Mary from an angel prior to her
pregnancy 2, The words from the three astrologers from Persia who had
come to see a new ruler who
was born 3, The amazing words from Simeon about Jesus' identity 4, The
words that must have been expressed to Mary and Joseph by religious
leaders in Jerusalem. Jesus' parents had to return to All of these experiences helped to set the stage for Jesus to
unleash his divinity. The
realities of living, however, prevented Jesus' life from blossoming
until much later. Early traditions from the first century tell us that Jesus'
father was killed in a derrick accident while building Herod's palace in A day finally arrived decades later when Jesus no longer had to play the role of the eldest son. That day provided Jesus with the most life-changing moment of his life. Added to everything others had told his parents, Jesus heard the most remarkable designation anyone could possibly receive. At his baptism, Jesus heard, "You are my son. The cumulative effect of all of these validating experiences sent
Jesus into a wilderness to figure out what he was
being called to do.
Whatever happened to him during that period of acute aloneness in
the wilderness, he emerged a very different man.
He abandoned his trade as a
carpenter and surrendered to a new passion, i.e., teaching men
and women how to live in this world. Much later in his ministry, Jesus would tell Nicodemus that a
spiritual change of the magnitude that he experienced in the wilderness
is like being born again. (John 3:7) Jesus became what others had been
predicting throughout his life. As we give this idea more thought, did God give to Jesus
new tools that were not there
during the days when he was a carpenter?
Was he suddenly transformed by God into having a passion to
become the savior of the world?
God always works through what people offer. Some of us have had a
moment in our lives when we were
called to serve people in a particular way other than the one we had
chosen. I know a physician who abandoned her practice to become a pastor,
another medical doctor who became an acupuncture specialist, a chief
financial officer who gave up accounting to go into reflexology, a
brilliant architect who decided to become a remarkable automotive
engineer, and a woman who was studying to be a medical research analyst
suddenly deciding to express herself through painting with oils and
other genres in the arts. These are examples of people who experienced
a call that made them decide
to go in a specific new direction with their lives.
Their comfort level and passion to create in a new direction
outweighed everything else that they had been doing.
How many of these changes in life-strategy came to people as a
result of a recognition of a unique set of symbols that contained
a call?
Perhaps the motivation that a change was needed came from people
urging them, encouraging them, and inspiring them as Simeon did when he
sowed the seed in the minds of Mary and Joseph of the identity of their
son. Did Mary and Joseph treat
Jesus differently because of the words of others? One of the most amazing new break-throughs in education in the These students were freely outfitted with school uniforms and the
teaching staff was hand-picked as this well-funded social experiment
unfolded. From the first
day of school, the students were told that they were chosen to be in
this school because of their unique potential.
They were told that they were among the talented and gifted
students in the Their dress code, the way that they were inspired, and the way
they were made to feel the
promise of remarkable futures caused most of students to live up to
the expectations others had of them.
No one told them that they were children from underprivileged
families living in a public housing project built by the Department of
Human Services. Children
had no way of knowing much about themselves other than how adults were
treating them. Very few acted out due to poor modeling by their parents, or the
constant listening to derogatory labeling that societies do to welfare
children who have come from
other public housing settlements.
The children learned to mirror the labels that were being given
to them by the faculty and staff of the school. This experiment proved what children can become when adults treat
them as one-of-a-kind geniuses.
Students excelled in everything from athletics to their academic
accomplishments. The graduation rate was over 90 percent.
The results from the one school inspired authorities to build
other magnet schools. The failure of some children to perform as
expected occurred mostly due to their mistreatment by adults that
surrounded them or from developmental difficulties.
As we return to the life of Jesus, he began teaching others how
to live in their world just like the faculty in that first
magnet school.
Imagine
what happened to people when they learned from Jesus that they were
created to become like a light
to the world and the leaven
for the loaf. He was
inspiring them to unleash their
own divinity. He was teaching them that they were created to mirror
the likeness of God. (John 10:34) Jesus never once labeled anyone as
a fallen sinner.
The only place I have heard that label given to people is from
institutional religion. Not everyone has understood what Jesus was trying to accomplish
through his brief ministry. What he did was teach people how to live
in a world filled with alluring blind alleys that can easily stifle
their inner creativity.
Showing people how to live requires that his listeners assume the responsibility for their choices as opposed to having something done on their behalf as millions of people believe. If we do not take charge of developing our one-of-a-kind creative
spirit, our culture and institutional religion will mold us by teaching
us how we are expected to live. So many people in our background became
cookie-cutter Christians
because they were enticed into
saving themselves by parroting certain beliefs rather than
expressing what was within them. With Jesus' own words he said, "Go into the world and teach
everyone how to live. My spirit will be within you until the end of
time." (Matthew 28:19f) His
challenge was to convince others that the
source of their divinity was
not visible to their senses.
The petition in the Lord's Prayer that says, "Thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven," describes an opportunity
everyone has. Jesus was not suggesting in his prayer that he or God will
bring that Kingdom to us.
Finding that narrow gate is
our responsibility. (Matthew 7:13f) In the Gnostic text, the Gospel of Thomas, Jesus taught that "The
Kingdom of the Father is spread out over the earth and people cannot see
it." Jesus taught his disciples
to teach others to generate loving thoughts and feelings from within
themselves where their invisible
divinity has its origin.
The Jesus also taught others about
the unconditional loving nature
of God. This teaching was totally new to his listeners.
In fact, Jesus is the first
teacher in history to describe God as the mysterious source of all
loving energy and creativity whose deeds are only recognized by those
who have developed a high degree of spiritual awareness.
As we enter the New Year let us choose to make our mission one
that teaches others to listen to
the voice of love and compassion within them rather than
the voice of their emotions
that can be very persuasive in encouraging them to respond to hurt,
disappointment, frustration and injustice with anger, resentment and a
desire to fight fire with fire.
Listen to what Paul wrote as translated in Eugene Peterson's work
called, The Message.
These were the words I used when I opened the service: 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 God wants from you, and quickly respond to
it, unlike the culture around
you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity. God brings
out the best in you. That
is something your culture cannot do. (Romans 12:2)
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER Eternal and always faithful God, we thank you for moments of
anticipation coupled with times of reflection.
We can dream about where we are going while recalling where we
have been.
Throughout our
journey, we have slowly discovered our meaning and purpose.
The New Year always provides us with moments to change
uncertainties into opportunities.
Please give us the vision that will guide us to stretch by
letting go of what cannot serve our growth.
As we leave our guilt and regrets behind, help us to remember
that it is never too late to awaken to the reality of who we really are
as your sons and daughters.
Amen. PASTORAL PRAYER Loving God, what a year it has been!
There were times when our lives were overwhelmed because of the demands
of our schedules. There were other times when we could quiet ourselves,
curl up on our sofa with a good book and relax. We come this morning on
the last Sunday of the year asking once again for the guidance of your
Holy Spirit as our lives continue to evolve and unfold.
Teach us why complaining is the easiest response we can make and drains
the energy of others who are trying to make a difference.
Guide us to understand why resistant attitudes never motivated us
to roll up our sleeves or say, "Here am |