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Meditation Delivered By Rev. Dick Stetler – February 3, 2019
Centenary United Methodist Church Jeremiah
1:4-10; Luke 2:25-33 This morning we are going to consider the importance of what we
say to each other. Whether
or not we believe it, all of us play a serious role in helping one
another to refine our identities.
Our words matter.
But, even more importantly, the spirit that causes those words to
be spoken has an even greater impact on people. Can you imagine yourself engaged in the process of
deciding what you wanted to do with your life as
a former prince in
Egypt when you heard these words?
"I am sending you to Pharaoh so that you can lead my people out
of Egypt." Moses had to be
scared to death. He was
repelled by what he heard. (Exodus 3:10f) In our first lesson this morning, Jeremiah heard
these words that he recorded in the book that bears his name.
"I chose you before I gave you
life. Before your mother
bore you, I selected you to be a prophet to all the nations in the
world." (Jeremiah 1:5) How would any of us process hearing such
words? Our second lesson describes an event that took
place when Jesus' parents took him to the Temple in Jerusalem where they
dedicated their infant son to God forty days after his birth. A
man was there whose name was Simeon.
He took the child into his arms and said, "Your son has been
chosen by God to be a light
that will reveal God's will to all the people in the world and bring
glory to the people of Israel."
(Luke 2:32f) Simeon gave Mary more thoughts to ponder as she and
Joseph reared Jesus. Think of Jesus, at the age of thirty, listening to
his cousin John preaching along the banks of the Jordan River.
Jesus felt the urge to become baptized.
As he surfaced in the water following his baptism, Jesus heard
words that shook him to his core, "You are my son." (Luke 3:21f) Jesus was so disturbed after hearing these words
that he went into the wilderness for forty days of fasting. The result
of his wilderness experience was so profound that he left his profession
and his family to become an itinerate teacher. When we think of Saul of Tarsus, who had become
a vigilante literally hunting
and arresting Jesus' followers, he was also shaken to the core by words
that he heard while on his way to Damascus.
The words were so beyond anything that he had encountered in his
life that they literally transformed his life.
(Acts 9:3f) All of these teachers of humanity had been
transformed by words that they felt had come from God. Later in his
ministry, Jesus brought a different meaning to the source of these
experiences.
When people were ready to
receive, they became the new
vehicles for communicating what had transformed them.
"Jesus said, 'Peace be with you.
As the Father sent me, so now I send you.'
Then he breathed on them and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.'"
(John 20:21-22) What was happening here?
What does it mean to receive
the Holy Spirit? A lot of
speculation developed among Christians of later years about what happens
when people receive the Holy Spirit.
Thinking about the Holy Spirit grew largely from the Pentecost
experience.
Definitions were given that went beyond anything that Jesus was teaching
when he was with his disciples.
Today, we are learning more about the power of
words. Social media has
greatly added to our understanding.
As with any other creations that come from people for the good of
everyone, what has been created can also be used for reckless and
callous purposes. For instance, young teenagers can commit suicide by
reading words that appear on Facebook that belittle them, make fun of
them, and undermine the fragile, budding self-esteem of some of their
classmates. Lately, there
has been a considerable public outcry about
bullying coming from
fellow-students. The need
for acceptance and popularity at this young age creates tremendous
competition among peers that can become fierce. However, words can also provide acceptance,
encouragement and support through expressions of kindness, compassion,
mercy, and forgiveness.
Such words become instruments of transformation.
What makes these words
Holy to some people does not come from a special power or authority.
What makes them holy
is that such words are communicating loving energy, an energy that we
have made sacred. Thus,
people can be a conduit for the Holy Spirit to come into the lives of
others. Think about the thoughts of Mary and Joseph after
hearing the words, "Your son has been chosen by God to be
a light that will reveal
God's will to all the people in the world and bring glory to the people
of Israel." The likelihood
is great that they would become instant
cheerleaders all during their
son's early life preparing him for whatever role awaits in his future. All of us need to pause before we speak and think,
"How will someone use what I am about to tell them?"
The words we speak also
reveal the nature and quality of our inner world.
What image are we creating that we want to leave with others
when we are finished talking to them?
When we decide to become a creative presence in our world, we have the
ability to reflect the spirit of the Being that created the world.
We need to understand that all of us
have been wired to do this.
Often, we do not feel like using
those circuits and an opportunity to make a difference is missed.
The world will become a much brighter place when we allow our
spirits to show up expressing loving energy in all circumstances during
the course of our lives. God
will do the rest. Amen.
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER
There are no words, O
God, that can describe our peace when we experience your presence. Even
during life's more fragile moments, our awareness of you restores our
confidence. We want to hold such moments of wholeness forever but we
cannot. The frustrations of life, of work, and of our families can
easily affect our attitudes.
Our priorities are always changing.
Help us to convert our distractions and disappointments into
opportunities to represent your presence. Nurture our spirits today with
the resolve to find you everywhere and in everyone. Amen.
THE
PASTORAL PRAYER
With humble
and grateful hearts, O God, we have come into your presence to celebrate
life and the vast number of possibilities you have given to us to
reach for the stars. We have
learned that we can make such a reach through our vocational pursuits,
our choices, and our willingness to take risks.
Thank you for our confidence to step
into the uncertainties that
many unknowns represent, knowing that we no longer need to fear the
"what-ifs" that our imaginations can easily create. Thank you for
teaching us how to release to you the outcome of our next surgical
procedure, our business decisions, the passing of those who were once an
intimate part of our world, and the choices we make that create life's
next adventure.
Help us to think of our futures in terms
of how best to serve, how best to make a positive difference, and how
best to redefine what it means to be inspired by loving energy, so that
our lives represent your presence in what we do.
Please help us to develop the vision
to play big, to wear more
smiles, to bring more laughter, and to spread our support to more people
with qualities that will brighten
the corner of the world where we live.
Thank you, God, for enabling us to
sing our song. Together, with
others like us, we can produce harmony that becomes an invitation for
others to sing their songs. We pray these thoughts of thanksgiving
through the spirit of Jesus, the Christ, who taught us to say when we
pray . . . *Meditation dedicated to Piper Marion Mackay's family on the occasion of the nine-month old's baptism. |