Luke 1:26-38

New International Version (NIV)

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

²⁶ In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, ²⁷ to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
²⁹ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰ But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. ³¹ You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³ and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
³⁴ “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
³⁵ The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called^[a] the Son of God. ³⁶ Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. ³⁷ For no word from God will ever fail.”
³⁸ “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

 Today's Seeds:

Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there!  This Sunday we are celebrating mothers and all they do for us, all they put up with from us and all they mean to us.
Relationships with moms can be difficult, guilt ridden and demanding.  These relationships can also bring great stability, wisdom and love beyond self. 

The scripture chosen for today's blog is not what you will hear in worship this Sunday.  This Sunday we will be hearing accounts of different women in our faith history.  I chose this passage from Luke because it is the start of the Christian faith.

I remember when I received the news about my first child-I was ecstatic!  We had been trying to start a family and the possibilities were limitless.  The nine months seemed to start slowly and drag on-full of excitement of the way things might be for our new family.   We made plans for getting to the hospital, plans for introducing our new gift from God to our family and friends, plans to move out of the city and find a place with good schools and safe neighborhoods.  We made plans about plans based on plans. 

But no amount of planning could prepare me for the reality of holding that little helpless baby for the first time.  All the possibilities for this precious life flashed in my mind-once the epidural wore off :)
I imagined him growing tall, gaining intelligence, making friends and eventually starting a life and family of his own.  I imagined all the times we would play, learn, go and grow throughout my life. 

Now, ten years later, the possibilities are still flashing in my mind-but also I now have the reality of how difficult it is to be a child in this world actually is.  I also see the reality of how challenging it is watching my baby navigate the difficult waters of adolescence, social relationships and learning who and what they are about and how to use it best in this world.  There is nothing that breaks my heart faster than hearing my beautiful, sweet little boy say he has no friends, everyone makes fun of him and he doesn't know what is wrong with him. 

When I think about how difficult it is to grow and raise a child, I often find reassurance in the story of Mary.  Mary was practically a child herself when she received the news of having her own very special child.  Despite the unusual beginning of her pregnancy, I imagine that Mary made plans for her family much as we do.  I'm sure she imagined her boy growing up, learning a trade, maybe taking a wife and making her a very happy grandmother. She knew He was special-a unique gift from God, but I wonder if she made plans for his schooling, training or even took steps to ensure his future direction.

But then Jesus accepted a call from God to live the mission He was sent to complete-die for our sins in the most brutal of fashions.  I can only imagine, as a mother, this was probably not the path Mary would have chosen for her son.  Watching Him leave his home and his future, speaking out publicly against bigwigs and leaders in towns and cities, and allowing himself to be tried, tortured and killed for reasons she did not understand.  I keep thinking of the myriad of the feelings Mary might have had to hide-the worry, the anxiety, the frustration that we mom's can feel watching our children grow and make "mistakes" in their lives. 

Yet, Jesus made no mistakes.  He lived His calling with passion and direction.  So how hard do you think it was for Mary to watch her baby boy be brutalized and die?  This Mother's Day, I want to remember that the journey my kids are embarking upon may not be the one I chose for them-it may be no where close to the plans and dreams I have for them.  And that the walk they have started may not go smoothly-there may be hurt and despair in their lives. 

I need to remember that the relationship they are developing with God through their church community will allow them to love themselves, know support and purpose and give them confidence to walk where God sends them-regardless of the danger or how I feel about it.




I chose this video because watching my children hurt is the hardest thing I do as a mother.  I truly hoped to save my children from the pains of adolescence-but I know that is impossible.  All I can do is allow them to express their hurts, share their joys, teach them in Christ's love and support their ideas and actions regardless of what it does to me. 
Thank you God for my children and help them know You and live their plans through You. May your loving relationship provide them peace in their struggles.  Amen.

Acts 4:5-12 5 The next day their rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem, 6with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. 7When they had made the prisoners stand in their midst, they inquired, ‘By what power or by what name did you do this?’ 8Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, ‘Rulers of the people and elders, 9if we are questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been healed, 10let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. 11This Jesus is “the stone that was rejected by you, the builders; it has become the cornerstone.” 12There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.’

Seeds for Today:

 Today's share is musical-a great song by the Afters. You Lift Me Up talks about God's ability to lift us up no matter what weaknesses we have. His loving arms wrap around us despite all we do-the sin or weakness we carry. Our lives get so heavy-burdens of time, family, work, school. Pressures mount from all around us and sometimes, despite all we know, we break.
There are days I feel like I have let everyone around me down. There are times when I am surrounded by fears of failure, abandonment and loss. But in all that, I have to remember that God is there to catch me-so I will let go. I absolutely love this song-I try to listen to it everyday to remind me that it is ok to let go-and LET GOD!

God's love will carry us all the way home through Jesus' name. Post your favorite reminder of God's love in your life and let's share in the glow of His radical love-

Pray with me: 
God, help us feel your arms hold us when we are weak, alone or hurting deep 
Take our burdens and worries and stress-help my heart let go of regrets 
Catch me and lift me, oh my loving God, and deliver peace through our Savior, your Son.
In Christ's Name we pray, Amen.

1 John 3:1-7

1 John 3:1-7

1See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. 3And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

4 Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him. 7Little children, let no one deceive you. Everyone who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.


Sermons Seeds for today:

I am, what you would call, a willful child-or at least I was. (No, I think I still am...) I wanted to do what I wanted to do when I wanted to do it. I guess it should come as no surprise to me that my own children are a bit willful as well!

I grew up at church-I know you all look at me now and think "how much time does she spend up at the church?" but I just want to assure you-it's no different now than it was as a small child. The only difference is the faith-I was a product of the good sisters of St. Mary's Catholic Church-K-6th. My mother taught 2nd grade at St. Boniface Catholic School. I went to church everyday! As a part of a good catholic school up-bringing, students & teachers attended Mass Mon-Fri and again on Sundays. So being at Epworth Mon-Fri and again on Sundays is absolutely no different that what I experienced growing up.

And now my own children attend church Mon-Fri and again on Sundays...well, at least they are at the church. I get absolutely no complaints from the kids when we come to Epworth for daily meetings, fellowship opportunities, all different types of activities or fundraisers. I am happy to say that the service days are their favorites! These kids will spend 8-10 hours at Epworth cleaning, helping and serving, and then complain when it's time to go home. And they love helping me create Sunday School lessons and watch Jr/Sr. High Bible study videos, but as soon as we position ourselves to enter the sanctuary on Sunday mornings-the willfulness in each of them rears it's head.

Looking back, I was the exact same way! The first stop off the school bus, for me as a child, was the restroom of my school. We would have approximately 8-10 minutes of freedom in the restroom before the Nuns came looking for us! I remember blowing soap bubbles as a way to extend what little free time we had each during before Mass. If I could just wash my hands slower...

And I can't tell you the amount of times I was pronounced "in trouble" when my mother didn't like the way I was, or wasn't, paying attention in the front row pew...she would keep her hawk eyes on me from the choir.

I don't know why it was so hard for me...just as now I don't understand why it is so hard for my kids! After all, if we are all children of God-why is it so hard for children to sit still while with God?
(Or for me to sit still at all)

Now I realize that this is neither here nor there--

We are children of God's because He has called us to be His. His love for us is like the love of a father for his children or a mother bear protecting, teaching and growing her cubs. God holds us close and wants us in daily relationship with Him.

But, as we are His children, we are not going to get it right, do it right or say it right....not many children do. Children are constantly learning and practicing. Young children are almost incapable of just looking at something. I think I have uttered the phrase "look with your eyes, not your hands!" over 1 million times in the years between 0-7.

But we rarely gain a full understanding when we are told to just look. In fact, I think God calls us to be like children in order to get us up, out of our seats and touching the things in this world that need His love. Don't just sit back, but get your hands dirty with spreading the Word and Love of God around...as a child would.

Children are also very accepting. If they trust The Source, their mother, father, teacher, grandparent or family friend, they often do not question differences, in race, gender or age. Children learn most of their "moral compass" without even realizing it (studies say between the ages of 0-3yrs.) What we teach our children is what we teach our next generation.

In 1 John, we are told that God has called us to be His, and that the world will not know us if the world does not know Him. But we know Him, and we teach our children about Him. And despite how much we get it wrong, we are made right in the Love of Jesus. By teaching our children we never walk alone, we can take comfort knowing that Jesus will forgive and purify us all-despite the mistakes, willfulness and slip-ups that all of us children are bound to make.

Hopefully my mother looks at me now and understands my nature-and also knows that the teachings she worked her life to instill in her children, so many years ago, are now being practiced (I say practice because I'm still trying to get it right.) More importantly, I hope she realizes that I am reteaching those lessons to my own children, and trying to understand their natures' in order to help them find out who it is God wants them to be; how God wants them to practice their life and faith together.

No, my children don't sit still well-and neither do I. Thank God for that!

1 John 1:1-8, 2:1-2

THE FIRST LETTER OF
John

The Word of Life

1We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us— 3we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
God Is Light

5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. 6If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; 7but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
Christ Our Advocate

2My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.


Seeds for Today:
When I prepare for a seed post, I like to read the scripture verses for myself in a different translation-I often have trouble demystifying God's word even when it's not written in a style and language that requires extra "translation".
The Message is available by clicking here.

As a "new Methodist", meaning I was raised in a religion other than Methodism but now have been practicing and learning about Methodism for 5 years, some of the special words we use in church are still new or unfamiliar to me. Fellowship is one of these words. But yesterday I found out that Fellowship, according to www.sermonnotebook.org, means standing together in common ground. (One article states it's Baptist for Food;)
Having Fellowship with God is the ultimate goal for our spiritual lives. In fact, Jesus proclaimed that we must be in relationship with Him in order to live in the Father-John 14:6
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
This week's scripture is the beginning of a blue print from John, instructing Christians how to draw close to God in fellowship as a regular everyday experience.

John tells us that True Fellowship with God hinges on our ability to admit our sins to Him. Now this doesn't sound too difficult, right? We need to own up to our mistakes, preconceptions, weaknesses, carelessness-es, aggression and guilt. That is a a tall order! We live in a society that does not reward weaknesses or guilt. In fact, our culture states that guilt should be punished in a measurable and enforceable system.
Our culture also says that sin can be effectively dealt with in many ways, including evolution, education, science, and psychology. An entire publishing industry is built on our conviction that: by reading the right author, solving the mysteries of nature, removing ourselves from unhealthy environments or talking about ourselves long enough, that we can remove the sin from our lives and our hearts.

But that is not the case. John tells us that as long as we follow the 4 R's, we will be made fresh and new in God's eyes-because Jesus has paid the price for our forgiveness with his body and blood.

What are the 4 R's you ask.... well, according to John we must recognize our sins-own up to our mistakes or violations; we must repent our sins-change our heart and mind that will result in a change of our actions or behaviors; we must reveal our sins-stop hiding our sins as if no one can see them (God can see them!); we must relate our sins-simply name our sins to God (again, He knows about them anyway); finally we must rest in the Lord-this is the place where we can exchange our sin for peace!

And no matter how many times we show up to exchange, seeking forgiveness God will receive us and cleanse us.

It's no wonder that God's plan for atoning sin is often seen as unbelievable! No matter what we do, or how much we do-we CANNOT do this for ourselves! Jesus has already done it-He simply asks us to respond with faith.

Videos for this seed:

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

1Corinthians 15:1-11

15Now I should remind you, brothers and sisters,* of the good news* that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, 2through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you—unless you have come to believe in vain.

3 For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, 4and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, 5and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters* at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died.* 7Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8Last of all, as to someone untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace towards me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them—though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe.


Seeds for Today:
The scripture for today encourages readers to know that Christ died for us-to change our understanding of Life and Love. Paul speaks to the baffling nature of God's grace-he calls himself the least of the apostles based on his history of persecuting Christ's church. Yet despite Paul's years of crusading against Christ's mission, he is changed by Jesus. He is turned from a savage Christian-hater, to a dedicated man of God who spends all his days-to his last breath- teaching, leading and loving in Christ's way.

This is the power of the Resurrection! It changes everyone it touches! It has changed the understanding of the world since it happened 2012 years ago.

A cross used to be the absolutely most brutal punishment allowed by law, and now it is the most visible sign of loving service ever experienced!
A tomb used to be the final sign of death, but after Jesus rises, it is forevermore a sign of the never-ending life that awaits all God's children!

How have you been changed? How has Christ's love touched your life and changed your experiences? Share your Easter Experience with us and enjoy these visual sermons:

Seeing God's Will-John 12:20-33

John 12:20-33

(The Message)

A Grain of Wheat Must Die
20-21There were some Greeks in town who had come up to worship at the Feast. They approached Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee: "Sir, we want to see Jesus. Can you help us?"

22-23Philip went and told Andrew. Andrew and Philip together told Jesus. Jesus answered, "Time's up. The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

24-25"Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you'll have it forever, real and eternal.

26"If any of you wants to serve me, then follow me. Then you'll be where I am, ready to serve at a moment's notice. The Father will honor and reward anyone who serves me.

27-28"Right now I am storm-tossed. And what am I going to say? 'Father, get me out of this'? No, this is why I came in the first place. I'll say, 'Father, put your glory on display.'"

A voice came out of the sky: "I have glorified it, and I'll glorify it again."

29The listening crowd said, "Thunder!"

Others said, "An angel spoke to him!"

30-33Jesus said, "The voice didn't come for me but for you. At this moment the world is in crisis. Now Satan, the ruler of this world, will be thrown out. And I, as I am lifted up from the earth, will attract everyone to me and gather them around me." He put it this way to show how he was going to be put to death.


Seeds for Today:

Our Lenten study has come to a half way point, and this week we focus on Seeing God's Will in our lives. I hope I am not alone when I confess how difficult it can be to know God's will for my life.
I think I see it, I hope I do it, but to actually KNOW IT, that's a whole different thing.
I don't know too much in this life-every day seems to be an "up in the air" kind of experience-the challenges that will present today are unique and different than the challenges of yesterday. And the opportunities of today are unique and different than those of days past as well. But what happens when I mix them up?

Have you ever seen an opportunity as a challenge, or vice versa? I think each has elements of the other, and the only difference is in our mindset. Any challenge can be an opportunity-if you view it in the right light-God's light!

I love how the author of our Lenten study, Adam Hamilton, spoke about simply paying attention to the God-incidences in our lives. I live by God-incidences! This is how I know I am doing things in a way according to what God wants...
I can't always explain them logically or rationally, but there are times when I know God is working in my life. Some of them seem like silly instances, nothing as notable as submitting to the brutal death Jesus allowed in order to fulfill God's will for His life.
I see God working in the big decisions in my life- buying cars, finding jobs, growing children. None of these situations are historically biblical situations where God is expected to show up and make grand announcements of the priorities He promotes. (You remember when Moses sought out God's direction for deciding when to replace his beat up old Pinto, right? No.)
Yet, I see Him there...and there is nothing truly silly about seeing God in our lives.
These are the instances God craves from us! He wants our little moments as much as are big ones, right?
What are the moments you see God working in your life? Post them here to share the passion and power of His love with everyone who reads this post!


Video Time-
This first video just struck me-I hope you enjoy it and if you are like me, you might need a kleenex or two:)




The Skit Guys-What is God's Will? These gentlemen spend their time creating great fun videos for Christian education.

John 3:14-21

John 3:14-21

New International Reader's Version (NIRV)
14 Moses lifted up the snake in the desert. The Son of Man must be lifted up also. 15 Then everyone who believes in him can live with God forever.

16 "God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life.

17 "God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world. He sent his Son to save the world through him. 18 Anyone who believes in him is not judged. But anyone who does not believe is judged already. He has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

19 "Here is the judgment. Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light. They loved darkness because what they did was evil.

20 "Everyone who does evil things hates the light. They will not come into the light. They are afraid that what they do will be seen. 21 But anyone who lives by the truth comes into the light. He does this so that it will be easy to see that what he has done is with God's help."

Seeds for Today:
Our seed today was posted from the NIV- not the preferred New Revised Standard, as the site was temporarily down:(
In this scripture, we are drawn in at the end of a conversation (see whole of chapter 3 for details) between Jesus and Nicodemus, a leader in the Jewish church at the time.
Nicodemus had come seeking Jesus under the cover of night. He was curious about the radical teachings of Jesus, but he was also scared of the reaction he would receive from his peers. (I wonder if any of us can relate to these feelings?)

This week's chapter of Why? deals with the reactions we feel when we have prayers that go unanswered in our lives.

The author is trying to tells us that God is not a vending machine-in the case of our prayers. Just because we ask for it, doesn't mean God dispenses it! Along that line, God does not decide how to run the world based on our prayers.

Instead, prayer is a conversation with God-a way to witness the Light in our lives, regardless of the darkness that can surround us, hold us back or scare us into immobility.
By thinking of prayer in our lives as a love letter, we may be able to redirect our expectations of getting the right answers...God knows our hearts, our desires and our needs. He is able to hold us in love and peace during the most turbulent times of our lives. Praying is a great way of bringing our faith, love & needs together into the Light of Christ's presence.