Family of God, saved by the resurrection of Jesus Christ and baptized into new life, as you enter this place, consider: how will you remain ready to live out your testimony of the living hope of the resurrection with your family, your friends, and your neighbors? Come, let us worship God!
Mother’s Day
Sunday May 14,2023
Scriptures: Joshua 24: 14-27 , Luke 18:1-8 and 2 Timothy 1:1-7
Message; “Building Households of Faith”
Joshua 24:14-27
(14) “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. (15) But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord .”
(16) Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods! (17) It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our fathers up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. (18) And the Lord drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord , because he is our God.”
(19) Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord .He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. (20) If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.”
(21) But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord .”
(22) Then Joshua said, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the Lord .” “Yes, we are witnesses,” they replied.
(23) “Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord , the God of Israel.”
(24) And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God and obey him.”
(25) On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he drew up for them decrees and laws. (26) And Joshua recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak near the holy place of the Lord .
(27) “See!” he said to all the people. “This stone will be a witness against us. It has heard all the words the Lord has said to us. It will be a witness against you if you are untrue to your God.”
Luke 18:1-8
The Parable of the Persistent Widow
(1) Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. (2) He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. (3) And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’
(4) “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, (5) yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!’ “
(6) And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. (7) And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? (8) I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
2 Timothy 1:1-7
Encouragement to Be Faithful
(1) Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,
(2) To Timothy, my dear son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
(3) I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. (4) Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. (5) I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. (6) For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. (7) For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
This is the word of God, for the people of God. Thanks be to God.
It’s Mother’s Day and I’m preparing this message with the appreciation for that time honored institution without the benefit of which we wouldn’t be here! As pastors were reminded not to get too sentimental about motherhood because, for some, motherhood is an accident, and not always a welcome one. For some, biological motherhood isn’t possible. For some, mothers weren’t all that nice and for some, motherhood under the very best of circumstances is still less than a bed of roses.
So, with all that said, why bother with Mothers’ Day at all? I’ll tell you why, because for all its stumbling blocks, pitfalls and broken dreams, for all the dirty diapers, crayon covered walls and spoiled plans, we’re talking about a beautiful gift, a natural part of God’s creative plan to bring love and caring to light. Motherhood is a constant demand for the gift of love and caring and teaching. But most importantly motherhood bears, the responsibility of; “Building Households of Faith”.
When it comes to core beliefs and foundational values, what happens at your house? In the close quarters of family life we learn to honor God and respect ourselves. In the daily routines of our relational lives we develop a standard by which we interact with others everywhere. Day by day we form the habits, set the priorities, and give the impressions that will go with us to the grave. And our mothers generally have the greatest impact on building the relationships we have with the others, and especially the faith we have in God.
In our gospel reading in Luke 18 in verse 8 Jesus asked his disciples; “when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” If the Lord is going to find faith on the earth when he returns, it will depend, in a large degree, on how we do in our relationships with one another and the faith we have in God. So on this Mother’s Day I’d like us to take a few minutes and think about, not only the mothers role but also our role in, “Building Households of Faith”.
Let’s look for a moment at the scripture we read from, 2 Timothy1:1-7. In the little town of Lystra, a middle-aged missionary by the name of Paul and a teen-ager by the name of Timothy struck up a friendship that lasted for a lifetime. Timothy’s dad was not a believer but his grandmother and his mother were. Their faith along with Paul’s friendship shaped this young leader for the early church.
In this letter, the second one that he wrote to his friend Timothy, Paul writes these words from a prison cell: “I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.” (2 Tim.1:5)
I would like for you to think for just a moment about those words “sincere faith”. It is sincere faith that stands the test of time. The words literally translated is to be unwaxed, non-touched up. To be sincere is to be genuine, real, earnest, honest, heartfelt, natural. The kind of faith that other people need from you and me is authentic spirituality. What your sons, daughters, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews need from you most is an authentic faith.
What people ought to be able to expect from the Church is sincere faith. The foundation of faith is trust. If parents, clergy, and the Church cannot be trusted, will the Son of Man find faith when he returns to the earth?
Of course, there are grandmothers like Lois, mothers like Eunice, Sunday School teachers, youth counselors, and a host of others, who can be trusted in the simple activities of life. They make all the difference in the shaping ones “sincere faith”.
Many times God calls on us to test our faith. He may require us to be where we don’t want to be. But in doing so, we have the opportunity, to as Paul puts it: “Fan into Flames” our faith in our daily lives.
We can choose to be part of households of faith. We can make a deliberate choice about the God of our lives. In the Old Testament at a place called Shechem, Joshua, the leader of the Israelites, called a national assembly. In his last speech as their leader, Joshua urges them to make a clear choice, saying: ”Choose this day whom you will serve, the God of your forefathers or the gods of the Amorites in whose land we are living. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)
Have you made that choice? What god is worshipped at your house? Is it the god of materialism whose worship is the latest gadget? Is it the god of sport whose worship is the winning team? Is it the god of pleasure who can hardly wait for the next vacation? Is it the god of workaholism who sells his soul to the company store?
You see, everybody serves somebody. It might be the devil, it might be greed, it might be your kids, it might even be yourself , but you’re going to serve somebody. The choice we have as human beings, as responsible adult human beings, is that we can choose our gods and I urge you to choose your God well.
“As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”. Those words were on a tiny little plaque in the house where my grandparents lived. As a decoration it was worthless; as a declaration it was priceless. Christ was the Head of their house. I remember as a boy asking my grandmother about it. She told me that it meant God was worshipped in their home. That the Ten Commandments were kept and the scriptures were read daily. She also reminded me that people were respected in their home and the God you choose determines the life you live, so be careful who you crown as Lord.
Does faith matter at your house? When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth? The answer to that question is in your hands and my hands. We can become faithful disciples ourselves. We can make a choice, a deliberate active decision, as a family that God will be honored in this place.
Do you “fan into flames” faith, in your household?
Do you remember that song, “Pass It On” by Kurt Kaiser?
It only takes a spark to get a fire going,
And soon all those around can warm up in its glowing;
That’s how it is with God’s Love,
Once you’ve experienced it,
Your spread the love to everyone
You want to pass it on.
It may only take a spark to get the fire going, as we sometimes sing, but it is going to take some wood to keep it burning. And so, Paul writes to his young friend, Timothy, fan the flame that is within you. Stir up the gift that is there. Jesus would say, if you want to keep your lamp burning you better put some oil in it.
There are some means and activities by which we can keep the flame of faith burning in our lives. They are simple things really. It is like deciding as a family to worship God.
If church were just a matter of sermons, you could get more effective ones on the Internet. If church were just a matter of music, you could listen to surround sound in your home. If church were just a matter of entertainment, you could go to a concert. But church is a matter of meeting God. It is a divine encounter. By regularly getting out of bed and coming to church, we put our faith in God who is faithful to us. Sometimes it means sacrifice and every Sunday you make a choice of priorities. Every person here had at least ten, fifteen, twenty other things you could have done this morning, but you made a choice to be here. Thank you for doing that.
Don’t ever forget, what you do speaks volumes about your values. And furthermore, it may be the only hour of the week when you happen to be together with your family. When you’re not running, not working, not trying to get to the next important event . But here you are, just sitting still side by side.
You’re in the presence of God. Don’t underestimate what God might choose to do through you right now.
To be honest, as a boy, I probably learned more about the Bible from my mom in the seat of a car, coming home from church than I did in Sunday School. On our way home from church, my mom would always ask; “What did the preacher speak about today?” Just to see if we were paying attention. Then if we had any questions, or sit there dumb struck, she would tell us stories of her life that pertain to that days message. Tell stories of how you came to faith in Christ to others! Tell them again and again and again and again.
And do something else to built a household of faith. Cultivate holy habits. Teach your children how to pray because you need them to pray for you in your endeavor to build a household of faith.
You can go to church together as a family. You can tell the stories. You can teach them to pray. One other thing you can do. You can trust your family to the Lord. Sometimes in our enthusiasm to see that our loved ones come to faith in Christ we end up shutting them out, because we don’t trust our families, our loved ones, to the Lord. Instead of being “faithful disciples “we become nags and test their faith. Instead of giving gentle reminders and learning to trust our families to God. They turn us off, or change channels like a TV. program with too many commercials.
Trust your family to God. Rely on the Holy Spirits promptings. Give gentle and loving reminders of who you have faith in. In that way you can build a household of faith.
So “when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth ?”(Luke 18:8)
Will He find you building a household of faith?
“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7)
On a personal note. If it wasn’t for my wife, my mom and my grandmothers “Building households of faith”, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
“But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord “(Joshua 24:15).
HAPPY MOTHERS DAY !!
In His Service.
Pastor Joe
Listen To Audio: Sermon 20230514
Listen To Audio: Service 05142023
Call to Worship:L: Transforming God, you have taken the world’s darkness
and re-created a world filled with the joy of light and hope.
P: Come and hear the good news of God’s love for all creation.L: Restoring God, you have turned defeat into sudden victory,
and re-created a world filled with the joy of peace and shalom.
P: Come and hear the good news of God’s awesome powers.
and re-created a world filled with the joy of light and hope.
P: Come and hear the good news of God’s love for all creation.L: Restoring God, you have turned defeat into sudden victory,
and re-created a world filled with the joy of peace and shalom.
P: Come and hear the good news of God’s awesome powers.
L: Renewing God, we respond to your mighty deeds with songs
of praise, worship and thankful prayers. You alone are God!
P: Come and hear the good news of God’s blessings on us all.
Glory and honor, power and dominion belong to God alone.
Prayer of Confession: Holy and gracious God, at times we feel so frail and fragile, getting blown about by the latest crisis, by bad news, by our own short tempers and failings. You call us to hold fast to what is good, but so often we flounder, unable to find that solid thing that will center us again. Help us, we pray. Help us to see you as our center, and to cling to the good that you create in the world. Help us to set aside all our jealousies and prejudices, all of our betrayals and lies, all that adds to the world’s hurt. Help us to grow even more into Christ’s likeness, that we will bear his love and truth to the world. We pray in his name. Amen.
ANOUNCEMENTS
Pastor Joe will be available at the church on Thursday morning from 11 to 1. If you need to speak to him, contact Pastor Joe at 570-267-4570 (cell) or Email: joe.s.travis@gmail.com
LADIES … We would love for you to join us for a FREE lunch on Thursday, May 25 at 12 o’clock at The Inn at Montrose. Please sign up in the vestibule today.
Loose change goes to General Fund.
Sunday School starts at 8:30 A. M.
Choir practice will be on Thursday at 1:00 P.M.
Mother’s Day, Today May 14th.
Care Net ends today, May 14th. Please mark your envelope or use one of the special envelopes marked for Care Net.
Men’s Breakfast 8:00 on May 17th.
Ascension of the Lord, May 18th.
Session Meeting on Saturday May 20th at 9:00.
Pentecost Sunday, May 28th.
Memorial Day, May 29th.
Newsletter Deadline – Tuesday, May 30th, 2023.
