Sermon for November 18th, 2018 - Revision history

Iraneal at 04:05, 18 November 2018

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Iraneal at 03:19, 18 November 2018

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Iraneal at 03:16, 18 November 2018

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Iraneal at 03:08, 18 November 2018

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Iraneal at 21:30, 17 November 2018

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Iraneal at 21:16, 17 November 2018

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Iraneal at 20:35, 17 November 2018

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Iraneal at 20:35, 17 November 2018

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Iraneal at 20:33, 17 November 2018

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Iraneal at 20:16, 17 November 2018

2018-11-17T20:16:45Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:19, 18 November 2018
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	If that's not a dream worth contributing to, worth working and sacrificing for...then I honestly don't know what is.		If that's not a dream worth contributing to, worth working and sacrificing for...then I honestly don't know what is.

−	People of First Presbyterian Church: May we give thanks this week for the simple gifts God has given us. May we give thanks for the opportunities ~~we have~~ to share them. ~~And may~~ we ~~do so~~...today, tomorrow, and every day of our lives.	+	People of First Presbyterian Church: May we give thanks this week for the simple gifts God has given us. May we give thanks for the opportunities God has given us to share them. May we seize those opportunities eagerly and joyfully...today, tomorrow, and every day of our lives.

@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 ==Simple Gifts: What Do We Require?==
-Today's sermon is about the essential things we require to live and be happy.
+Today's sermon is about the simple, essential things we require to live and be happy.
 I'm reminded of the story about the Scotsman who was shipwrecked and, after several days, washed ashore on a small island. As he regained consciousness on the beach, he saw a beautiful, scantily-clad woman standing over him. She asked, "Would you like some food?" The Scotsman hoarsely croaked, "Och, lassie, I havna' ittin a bite in a week noo and I am verra hungry!"
@@ Line 89: / Line 89: @@
 Giving generously to the church--to God's work and ministry in the world--is not primarily for the benefit of the church (though believe me, my wife and my children, and all of our church staff members and their families, and all of the ministries that depend upon your generosity sincerely appreciate it!).
-Giving generously to God's work in this world is primarily for YOUR benefit.  It allows you to be part of something greater than yourself. It allows you the opportunity to transcend your fear and anxiety, to move higher up Maslow's pyramid to the things that will truly make you happy and fulfilled in the long run.  It allows you the opportunity to put your priorities in the right order.  It allows US the opportunity, together, to keep on building this dream, this community of
+Giving generously to God's work in this world is primarily for YOUR benefit.  It allows you to be part of something greater than yourself. It allows you the opportunity to transcend your fear and anxiety, to move higher up Maslow's pyramid to the things that will truly make you happy and fulfilled in the long run.  It allows you the opportunity to put your priorities in the right order.  It allows US the opportunity, together, to keep on building this dream, this community of faith, hope, and love, where ALL are welcomed, ALL are valued, and where ALL are embraced as God's beautiful, precious children.
+If that's not a dream worth contributing to, worth working and sacrificing for...then I honestly don't know what is.
+People of First Presbyterian Church:  May we give thanks this week for the simple gifts God has given us.  May we give thanks for the opportunities we have to share them.  And may we do so...today, tomorrow, and every day of our lives.
-−
-toil = κοπιάω = work to the point of exhaustion

@@ Line 67: / Line 67: @@
 "But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you?"  (By the way, the implication in that verse, often misunderstood, is that the GRASS ultimately gets thrown into the oven, NOT us, because we are more valuable to God than the grass).
-So.  What does any of this have to do with giving?  Simple.  If you don't figure out the money thing, you're not going to figure out the God thing, or the happiness thing.  And when I say "figure out the money thing," I don't mean "figure out how to get more of it."  I mean figure out how to put it in the proper place in your life, so that your money serves you, and you serve God, and not the other way around (God serves you, you serve money).
+"No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth."
-worry = μεριμνάω - to be divided, pulled in two different directions
+When we are in this mode (enslaved by our money and the pursuit of it, the need for it), too often we begin to envision God as a heavenly vending machine or genie-in-the-bottle who exists solely to serve us, to provide our wants.
-toil = κοπιάω = work to the point of exhaustion
+God, please get me out of this mess I created.  God, please help me win the lottery.  Got please help me get this promotion, or this deal, or this win. God, please give me this one thing...
-eat = φάγω = to consume, to use
+Asking God for the things we desire isn't necessarily bad, but if that's the extent of your relationship with God--seeking God out only when you want something--then you might have things a little backward:  Money at the top, God at the bottom.  You exist to serve your money while God exists to serve you.
-drink = πίνω = to imbibe, to take into one's self
+We need to flip that around:  Your money exists to serve you, and you exist to serve God and God's people in the world.  Money at the bottom, and God--God's purposes, God's people, God's kingdom--at the top.  Getting that order right is the only thing that allows us to finally let go of our worry about money; to stop being pulled in opposite directions.  That doesn't mean that our problems, our needs go away, but our fear and anxiety about them can.
-feeds = τρέφω = to provide for, nourish, take care of
+Giving generously to the church--to God's work and ministry in the world--is not primarily for the benefit of the church (though believe me, my wife and my children, and all of our church staff members and their families, and all of the ministries that depend upon your generosity sincerely appreciate it!).
-food = τροφή = food, nourishment, maintenance
+Giving generously to God's work in this world is primarily for YOUR benefit.  It allows you to be part of something greater than yourself. It allows you the opportunity to transcend your fear and anxiety, to move higher up Maslow's pyramid to the things that will truly make you happy and fulfilled in the long run.  It allows you the opportunity to put your priorities in the right order.  It allows US the opportunity, together, to keep on building this dream, this community of
-clothing = ἔνδυμα = garment, raiment, clothing, put on, sink into
-Needs acknowledged by God:  Eat, Drink, and be Clothed (sheltered).
+toil = κοπιάω = work to the point of exhaustion

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:30, 17 November 2018
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	Strive for righteousness, also translated sometimes as justice or fairness. These things form the basis of safety and security, and they are practiced best in community with others, where we also find belonging and acceptance. Whenever Jesus speaks of this kind of ideal community, he has a code-name for it: He calls it the "kingdom of God."		Strive for righteousness, also translated sometimes as justice or fairness. These things form the basis of safety and security, and they are practiced best in community with others, where we also find belonging and acceptance. Whenever Jesus speaks of this kind of ideal community, he has a code-name for it: He calls it the "kingdom of God."

−	So instead of striving after our most basic needs (what other people do--the Greek word for Gentiles is ethne, literally "other nations) we are to strive first to be part of God's Kingdom, God's community, which in turn provides us with acceptance, belonging, safety, justice.~~.. and~~ also has the capacity to help us ~~with those~~ most basic needs: Food, clothing, shelter.	+	So instead of striving after our most basic needs (what other people do--the Greek word for Gentiles is ethne, literally "other nations) we are to strive first to be part of God's Kingdom, God's community, which in turn provides us with acceptance, belonging, safety, justice. That kind of community also has the capacity to help us secure our most basic needs: Food, clothing, shelter. That's why we seek God's kingdom FIRST, trusting that among God's people, who work together, and share with each other, living according to God's righteousness, that all those other things will come naturally.
		+
		+	The penultimate level of the pyramid is esteem. A sense of self-worth, self-confidence. While this can begin to emerge from being part of a loving community, the Kingdom of God, I believe that our greatest understanding of our intrinsic value comes directly from God--from knowing that we are created in God's image, and that God (or, if you prefer, the sum total of all the laws of physics and nature and the universe) loves us as unique individuals.
		+
		+	In Matthew, this comes across most powerfully in the two analogies Jesus makes, comparing us to the birds of the air and the lilies (or grass) of the field. Verse 26:
		+
		+	"Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?"
		+
		+	And verse 30:
		+
		+	"But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you?" (By the way, the implication in that verse, often misunderstood, is that the GRASS ultimately gets thrown into the oven, NOT us, because we are more valuable to God than the grass).
		+
		+

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:16, 17 November 2018
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	[[File:Maslow.jpg\|400px\|thumb\|left]]		[[File:Maslow.jpg\|400px\|thumb\|left]]

−	In 1943, a psychologist named Abraham Maslow published a paper in which he described a hierarchy of human needs~~. It's been rendered like this (insert image)~~. The idea is that our motivations progress from basic needs to complex ones. When we are struggling or experiencing difficulty at a lower stage, it makes it difficult (or impossible) to focus on higher stages--the ones that lead us to ~~hapiness~~ (or as the pyramid puts it, self-actualization).	+	In 1943, a psychologist named Abraham Maslow published a paper in which he described a hierarchy of human needs. The idea is that our motivations progress from basic needs to complex ones. When we are struggling or experiencing difficulty at a lower stage, it makes it difficult (or impossible) to focus on higher stages--the ones that lead us to happiness (or as the pyramid puts it, self-actualization).
		+
		+	I find that Maslow's attempt to answer the question "What do we really need" maps nicely onto Jesus' answers to the same question in Matthew 6 (which is incidentally part of his famous "Sermon on the Mount" along with the beatitudes and the Lord's prayer). I'd like to quickly walk you through that.
		+
		+	The first level of Maslow's pyramid is physiological needs--things like food, water, shelter. In Matthew this is verse 25:
		+
		+	“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?"
		+
		+	Later, in verse 31 and 32, Jesus repeats this:
		+
		+	"Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things."
		+
		+	Food, drink, and clothing (which is a type of shelter). God, through Jesus, acknowledges these are real needs, which God has provided for us through the resources of creation...but that we shouldn't spend too much time at this level, worrying about these things.
		+
		+	The Greek word for worry, μεριμνάω (merimnao) literally means to be divided, pulled in two opposing directions. In that light, I don't think Jesus is ignoring the very real issues of poverty, hunger, homelessness, and the struggles people face to meet these basic needs--elsewhere he commands his disciples to feed the hungry, and clothe the naked. I think he's saying don't get stuck (or let others get stuck) at this level. If you are adequately fed, adequately clothed and adequately sheltered, don't keep increasing these things (more food, more drink, fancier clothes, bigger house). Don't let these desires pull you away from progressing to the next level.
		+
		+	The next two levels are safety and belonging. Safety is knowing that no one can forcibly and unfairly take away those things you gained at the first level, and belonging is being part of a larger community, where bonds of intimacy can develop. These two things are related, and I think they are both addressed in verse 33:
		+
		+	"But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things (the lower level needs) will be given to you as well."
		+
		+	Strive for righteousness, also translated sometimes as justice or fairness. These things form the basis of safety and security, and they are practiced best in community with others, where we also find belonging and acceptance. Whenever Jesus speaks of this kind of ideal community, he has a code-name for it: He calls it the "kingdom of God."
		+
		+	So instead of striving after our most basic needs (what other people do--the Greek word for Gentiles is ethne, literally "other nations) we are to strive first to be part of God's Kingdom, God's community, which in turn provides us with acceptance, belonging, safety, justice... and also has the capacity to help us with those most basic needs: Food, clothing, shelter.

@@ Line 31: / Line 31: @@
 So what DO we really need?
-[[File:Maslow.jpg|200px|thumb|left]]
+[[File:Maslow.jpg|400px|thumb|left]]
 In 1943, a psychologist named Abraham Maslow published a paper in which he described a hierarchy of human needs.  It's been rendered like this (insert image).  The idea is that our motivations progress from basic needs to complex ones.  When we are struggling or experiencing difficulty at a lower stage, it makes it difficult (or impossible) to focus on higher stages--the ones that lead us to hapiness (or as the pyramid puts it, self-actualization).

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:35, 17 November 2018
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	Truthfully, there is no shortage of voices all year round trying to answer that question for us--what do you really need to be happy? And most of those voices come with a price tag.		Truthfully, there is no shortage of voices all year round trying to answer that question for us--what do you really need to be happy? And most of those voices come with a price tag.

−	So what DO we really need? In 1943, a psychologist named Abraham Maslow published a paper in which he described a hierarchy of human needs. It's been rendered like this (insert image). The idea is that our motivations progress from basic needs to complex ones. When we are struggling or experiencing difficulty at a lower stage, it makes it difficult (or impossible) to focus on higher stages--the ones that lead us to hapiness (or as the pyramid puts it, self-actualization).	+	So what DO we really need?
		+
		+	[[File:Maslow.jpg\|200px\|thumb\|left]]
		+
		+	In 1943, a psychologist named Abraham Maslow published a paper in which he described a hierarchy of human needs. It's been rendered like this (insert image). The idea is that our motivations progress from basic needs to complex ones. When we are struggling or experiencing difficulty at a lower stage, it makes it difficult (or impossible) to focus on higher stages--the ones that lead us to hapiness (or as the pyramid puts it, self-actualization).

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:33, 17 November 2018
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	Truthfully, there is no shortage of voices all year round trying to answer that question for us--what do you really need to be happy? And most of those voices come with a price tag.		Truthfully, there is no shortage of voices all year round trying to answer that question for us--what do you really need to be happy? And most of those voices come with a price tag.

		+	So what DO we really need? In 1943, a psychologist named Abraham Maslow published a paper in which he described a hierarchy of human needs. It's been rendered like this (insert image). The idea is that our motivations progress from basic needs to complex ones. When we are struggling or experiencing difficulty at a lower stage, it makes it difficult (or impossible) to focus on higher stages--the ones that lead us to hapiness (or as the pyramid puts it, self-actualization).


		+
		+	So. What does any of this have to do with giving? Simple. If you don't figure out the money thing, you're not going to figure out the God thing, or the happiness thing. And when I say "figure out the money thing," I don't mean "figure out how to get more of it." I mean figure out how to put it in the proper place in your life, so that your money serves you, and you serve God, and not the other way around (God serves you, you serve money).

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 ==Matthew 6:24-33==
-“No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.  25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? 28 And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32 For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
+“No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
 ==Simple Gifts: What Do We Require?==
-Today's sermon is about the three essential things we require to live:  Food, drink, and...well, something else.
+Today's sermon is about the essential things we require to live and be happy.
 I'm reminded of the story about the Scotsman who was shipwrecked and, after several days, washed ashore on a small island. As he regained consciousness on the beach, he saw a beautiful, scantily-clad woman standing over him. She asked, "Would you like some food?" The Scotsman hoarsely croaked, "Och, lassie, I havna' ittin a bite in a week noo and I am verra hungry!"
@@ Line 13: / Line 19: @@
 So food, drink, and...golf.  Actually, the list according to Jesus in today's scripture passage may be slightly different on that last one...but that's probably only because golf hadn't been invented yet.
-This month we are talking about Simple Gifts, or cultivating a life of simplicity in our life, our faith, and our giving.  Last week, we learned from the Book of Micah about the three simple gifts that God asks of us:  To do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God.  Today, we learn from Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew about the three simple gifts we ask God to provide for us.  But before we get into that, some context.
+This month we are talking about Simple Gifts, or cultivating a life of simplicity in our life, our faith, and our giving.  Last week we explored what God requires of us: According to the prophet Micah, it is simply to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God.
-Matthew chapter 6 is at the heart of Jesus' most well-known teachings, what's known as the Sermon on the Mount.  In chapter 5, Jesus begins this sermon with the Beatitudes (Blessed are those who...) and then in chapter 7  he concludes it with the Golden Rule (do unto others) and the story of the wise man who built his house on the rock.
+Today, we're asking the question "What do we require?"  Or, to put it a different way, what do we as human beings, really need in order to be happy?
 worry = μεριμνάω - to be divided, pulled in two different directions
 feeds = τρέφω = to provide for, nourish, take care of
-toil = κοπιάω = work to the point of exhaustion
+food = τροφή = food, nourishment, maintenance
 περιβάλλω = to wear = to be covered by, surrounded ourselves with
 Needs acknowledged by God:  Eat, Drink, and be Clothed (sheltered).