Good Morning Loved Ones!
In my sermon research for last Sunday I discovered that it is indeed right to call you Loved Ones. In Jesus farewell discourse with the disciples in John 15 he calls them friends. The Greek word used in that passage for friends is "philos" which literally means Loved Ones. So, there you go. We are Jesus' friends, his Loved Ones, his philos. Let that be the starting point for our gratitude today.
Part of the Gospel passage from today's lectionary readings:
Luke 12:22-31 (The Message)
Steep Yourself in God-Reality
22-24He continued this subject with his disciples. "Don't fuss about what's on the table at mealtimes or if the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your inner life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the ravens, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, carefree in the care of God. And you count far more.
29-32"What I'm trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Don't be afraid of missing out. You're my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself.
Today are you preoccupied with getting or with responding to God's giving? Take a few minutes to do the latter. Let's say "Thank you!"
Today I am thankful that God has given me a community of friends. It is a community that exists among the faithful at Grandview Park. It is a community that exists in the Body of Christ beyond Grandview Park. And it is a community of friends that exists even beyond the bounds of the Body of Christ.
1) I give thanks for the working friendship among those who are currently serving as deacons and elders at GP. God did not make us friends in order to be a mutual admiration society. God made us friends to work together despite our differences to make a difference. For my circle of friends at GP, thank you, Jesus!
2) I give thanks for my group of friends at IJAM (Immigrant Justice Advocacy Movement). We are friends of every theological stripe with even a few agnostics in the mix. We work together for justice, hope and change and along the way our friendships are changing us. For my friends with a purpose at IJAM, thank you, Jesus!
3) I give thanks for my friends like Mark Killingsworth who have been empathetic and compassionate friends through many rough spots in my life. Since the day Mark welcomed me to my dorm room in college I have never doubted his friendship. For my friends like Mark Killingsworth who seem to be my friends for no particular reason, thank you, Jesus!
4) I give thanks that in Jesus we have a mutual friend through whom we have unlimited access to a world of friends. He chose us to be his friends, not in order to close the circle. No, he chose us to be his friends to go out and choose more friends by invitation and hospitality. For being the ultimate "social networking" source, thank you, Jesus!
5) I give thanks for the assurance given by Jesus, and oftentimes communicated through my friends, that I don't need to worry about having or getting friends, that I don't need to worry about the clothes I wear, that I don't need to worry about the food I need, that because I am in a community created and blessed by Jesus I belong and can live and work without anxiety and in peace with my brothers and sisters, my friends, my Loved Ones. Thank you, Jesus, for community!
Friends, Philos, Loved Ones . . . let's respond to God's giving!
Pastor Rick
http://gimmecinco.blogspot.com
There is no prayer group tonight.
Tomorrow's prayer group is at the Parrett's house.
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