LOVE > FEAR

  Call to Worship

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the
peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus. -Philippians 4:6

Morning Prayer

Great and loving God,
your will for us in Jesus is the peace which the world cannot give;
your abiding gift is the Advocate he promised.
Calm all troubled hearts, dispel every fear.
Keep us steadfast in love and faithful to your word,
that we may always be your dwelling place.
Grant this through Jesus Christ, the firstborn from the dead, who lives with you now and always in the
unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever.

Amen.

Intercessory Prayer

Take some time to pray for those who are most affected by COVID-19.

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. - James 5:16

• For all who are forgotten and vulnerable, and especially for
  the poor, the sick and the aged: that God might change our hearts and move us to love them as the image of Christ;  We pray to the Lord.

•  For nurses and all professionals who care for the sick and
  dying: that they will be given the grace to love each patient with the love of Christ, and the energy to do this most essential work; We pray to the Lord.

• That the sick may find strength and courage in the cross of
  Christ and healing in His presence; We pray to the Lord.

• For Children who are in need of daily meals to nourish their bodies; We pray to the Lord.

•  For those tempted to despair because of fear and anxiety; We pray to the Lord.

•  For the Church to be the body of Christ to all who are in need; We pray to the Lord.
  
  

Sermon

Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, "Son, your sins are forgiven. -Mark 2:3-5

I do not know about you, but my heart is heavy. I am thinking of all the people, all over the world, who are struggling. I want to help, but I am not exactly sure how.

I have chosen this passage from Mark because it serves as a guide for how we should approach this dilemma. In this story, the problem is paralysis. For years a group of friends had watched someone they love struggle, not able to move or make progress.

Though most of us do not struggle with physical paralysis, one of our instincts in times of great anxiety is to freeze, to shut down, to cancel.

            Then one day, the news got around that Jesus was coming back to Capernaum. He had been traveling the countryside, healing and casting out demons. So, the paralyzed man’s friends get their first glimpse of hope. If they can only get their friend to Jesus, maybe, just maybe, he would be healed. But there was one big problem, everyone else was thinking the same thing. I am sure they tried to get through the front door, attempted to push through the crowd, threw some elbows. On this day however, traditional methods simply were not going to suffice.  It is safe to say most of us would have called it quits at that point. After all, they hit a major wall (literally!). But not these guys. Later in the story Jesus reveals why. These friends were animated by their faith.

Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever. They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the LORD. -Psalm 112:6-7

When these friends were faced with a major obstacle, they decided to get creative. Breaking and entering style creative. They got a ladder, a shovel, and some rope, and on a hope and a prayer they went for it. It wasn’t plan “A”, but somehow it was just the right thing to do, for the circumstances they found themselves in.

            Today we are faced with a major obstacle. We cannot take it on in a traditional way. We do not know what the future has in store us. We are afraid.

            This story reminds us of two essential truths. The first is nothing can separate us from the love of Christ Jesus.

          “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or the sword?  As it is written:

          ‘For your sake we face death all day long;
          we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” -Romans 8:31-39

The Apostle Paul; who wrote these words experienced his fair share of suffering. He was beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, robbed, imprisoned, and persecuted. But he tells of his greatest source of suffering in 2 Corinthians 11:27-28, where he writes:

        “I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food. I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.”

            I find it hard to relate to all of the struggles Paul list in this passage except for that last one. As a Pastor my concern is for our Church, St. Andrews. My concern is also my greatest desire; that you to know that no pain, panic, or pandemic can separate you from the love of Christ.

            The second truth this story tells us is that if we summon our faith, muster our courage and get creative; we will find new ways to be the Body of Christ. Church is not, and cannot be cancelled, because you are the Church. You do not, nor have you ever needed, a physical building in order to be the Church. This is, in fact, a really important theological point. 1 Corinthians 3:16 tells us;

        Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives among you?

Although we are not gathered in a large group setting, we need to be the Body of Christ now, more than ever. So get creative! Look around you, be present, seize the day for Jesus.

 Get inspired like Rebecca Mehra, who came upon an older couple in their car, in a grocery store parking lot, they were in tears; because they were afraid to go inside. They were in their 80’s and had heard people their age were at greater risk. Rebecca, moved with compassion; asked how she could help. They cracked the car window just enough to slip a hundred-dollar bill and a shopping list out to her. When she came back with the groceries, and had placed them in the trunk, they told her how grateful they were as they had been waiting in the parking lot for 45 minutes, paralyzed with fear. Like Rebecca let us pray we will be present, creative and compassionate in these uncertain times.

Our first priority as a staff, as we get creative, will be identifying those of us who are most vulnerable and figuring out how to best care for them. If you would like to partner with us, maybe help us make phone calls, identify particular needs, and address them, please let us know. Yes, become the hands and feet of Jesus Christ in our time. You can email gboysen@sntandrews.org for more information.

We will also continue to serve the homeless and working poor on Tuesdays and Thursdays here at the Church. We will not be doing a sit-down meal, but we will be providing food from our pantry to anyone who needs it, a sack lunch, clothes, toiletries, mail, prayer, and social services.

If you or anyone you know is in need of assistance please give the church a call at (310) 540-5252.

 Times of great suffering have historically been the times when Christ followers are at their best. Whether it has been time of war, persecution or pestilence, Christians have always risen to the occasion with courage and compassion. So, shall it be in this, our time, that once again, “they will know us by our love.”

May these words of Jesus inspire us anew this day;

           “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid.  No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory Father in heaven. -Matthew 5:13-16

Heavenly Father,

Thank you that you made us in your image. Help us to reflect your light and your image in this world. Thank you that you made us the light of the world. Help us to never shrink back from who we are. Thank you that we are not meant to be hidden. Strengthen us to live as a city on a hill. Thank you for your grace. May you be pleased with our good deeds offered in response to your grace and may they bring glory to you. Thank you, that you have called us the salt of the earth. Help us to be salty. Let us bring out the flavors of righteousness, love, and mercy in this world. Help us be salt to the world. Let us lead others to eternal preservation through Christ Jesus. Help us to sting as salt does in a wound. Let us speak the Truth in love so that others may come to know the Truth. Mix us into the earth to salt the fields of a defeated enemy. Let us proclaim that death is defeated by our Lord Jesus Christ!

Amen