Luke 8:26-39

Luke 8:26-39

“Who’s Possessed?”

June 27, 2010

What a powerful story we have before us today.

A story of powerful conflicts and transformation.

A story of an amazing transformation from terror to wholeness.

Jesus takes a man possessed by demons and heals him.

A powerful story indeed.

And yet — a hard story for us to understand.

How are we supposed to understand this story?

Do we look at it and say;

“Well — demon possession was a phenomenon of ancient cultures — or at least of cultures foreign to me.  It’s just how folks explained things at that time that didn’t make sense to them.  It has nothing to do with anything I have ever experienced — or will ever experience.”

Is this just a thrilling story — like the hit movie “The Exorcist” or something off some science fiction TV show?

While the story does have supernatural, mythic qualities to it — I wonder —

Is there something here that speaks to us — that really speaks to us — that speaks to the depths of our souls — that speaks to a need for healing and wholeness in our lives — and a place where the healing and wholeness we may need can be found?

Maybe you have a problem relating to the Geresene demoniac.  You’ve never been possessed by demons — never known anyone to be possessed by demons — and it’s a pretty sure bet that you never will.

But — then again —

Let me tell you a story about a man I’ll call Frank.

Frank is married – he and his wife have a teenage son – he has a good job – he lives in a nice home in a good neighborhood.  It seems that he has his life pretty much in order.  He seems to be in control.

But — look again.

There are things that are tormenting Frank.

It seems that there are too many things changing in Frank’s life for him to cope with them all. His life seems to be spinning out of control.  If you asked him, he may not say that he is possessed — but — quite honestly — he feels possessed by many problems — and he is in great need for some sense of wholeness and even healing in his life.

A multitude — what you might even call a legion — of changes and problems are possessing Frank at this time.

One is his job.

The changes taking place sense the sale of the company he works for are very disorienting and discouraging to Frank.  New faces — forces — and rules have come swirling in on him from the new corporate headquarters.  There are too many new hoops to jump through to please the boss.  Though he’s worked there happily for twenty years — nothing is normal any more.  He can’t make much sense of what is happening — and certainly feels that he has no control over it. If it were one or two specific work-related problems, he could handle it.  But it seems to be everything — then again it seemsto be nothing.  He sullenly suffers along — but his work just doesn’t give him much pleasure any more – and he wonders if he ever will.

But that is only one of the legion of problems and changes that Frank is having to deal with.

There is also his teenage son.

Almost overnight his on has become like a dark shadow in his life.

It is almost spooky the way he seems to always find the way t to upset Frank.

Frank doesn’t like his son’s friends.

His son’s general attitude in recent months is terrible.

Frank can’t believe some of the things that come out of his son’s mouth.

And these are only the things he knows about.

He shudders to think what is going on in his son’s life that he doesn’t know about.

When Frank tries to confront his son — to talk about it — it quickly lead to arguments in which they both say terrible and destructive things.  So — lately – Frank just tries not to think about it.  But that doesn’t work, either.  It keeps gnawing away at him.  It depresses him.

But – - even though his job and his relationship with his son worry him — these are these are not all the demons in Frank’s life.

There is also his relationship with his wife.

He is increasingly haunted by a sense that their relationship is heading downhill fast. O — they are not on the verge of divorce or anything like that — at leas he hopes not.  There is, however, a rapidly growing irritation and impatience between them.  After what had been some particularly viscous fights they are now both trying to tiptoe around anything that may cause another eruption.  In other words, they stay out of each others way.  The result is that they barely communicate about anything except for the most mundane of matters.  Frank is certain that his wife doesn’t like what is happening between them any more than he does — but neither of them seem to have the energy or the  desire to get to the bottom of whatever it is that is happening between them.

So — instead of his home life being a relief from the problems at work — his home life only adds to the list of demons that torment him.

His work — his son – his relationship with his wife — what a legion of problems — a legion of demons bedeviling Frank!

But — there are more problems to the legion that bedevil him.

His drinking sure doesn’t help matters any. He knows that his intake of alcohol has steadily increased over the last several years.  It isn’t that he can’t think of several others who certainly drink more heavily than he — but — in his best moments — he knows that this is a stupid rationalization — and a very poor source of comfort.  He even promised himself that he would quit drinking for two weeks just to prove to himself that he could — and he had done it.  Unfortunately, he remembers how glad he was to see those two weeks end so he could get back to his drink.  He has this humiliating sense that his drinking is out of control — that his drinking is controlling him, not him controlling it.

His work — his son — his marriage — his drinking – all seem to be demonic forces problems in his life – but — as if these were not enough — there are other aspects to the bedeviling legions that has begun to haunt him.

One is that a good friend of his — the same age — recently died of cancer.  Losing a good friend was bad enough — but as he watched someone his own age suffer and die he began to deal with a sense of fear about his own death.  Despite the fact that — as far as he knows — he has no serious health problems, he still thinks about his own death — and even a momentary twinge of pain in his chest — or a couple of hours of a dull ache in his abdomen — or an awakening in the night with the feeling that his heart is beating faster than it should — or a feeling that he is breathing heavier than he should after walking several flights of stairs — badger him with the possibility that he, too, may find death or serious illness waiting around the corner.

And then there is the question of his fathers deteriorating health.  Although he doesn’t like to think about it, Frank  knows that before long he will have to place his father in a Nursing Home — but he can not even think about that himself — much less talk to his dad about it.

Problems at work –problems with his son  –problems in his marriage — problems with his drinking — the death of a close friend and the feeling that death is waiting for him, too — his fathers deteriorating health — indeed, Frank feels possessed.

He feels possessed by too many changes and problems in his life for him to handle.

Half the time he can’t concentrate.

He can’t think straight.

No matter where he is or what he is doing, he seems to always be on edge.

Nothing can quiet his agitation.

He knows that he is not himself.

Have you ever thought that one — or several — of the problems possessing Frank were your problems?

Do you have a better understanding now of how the demoniac from the land of the Gerasenes must have felt?

I’m afraid we all might.

I’m afraid that there are too many Frank’s in our world.

Too many in our community.

Maybe some sitting here today.

What about you?

Are you like Frank?

Do you struggle with demon-like problems – either those Frank seems to be struggling with or the legion of others that can torment us?

Do you sometimes feel that your life is out of control and that you need a sense of balance?

Do you sometimes feel that that you just can’t stand the pressure any longer?

Then maybe you understand the demoniac better that you first thought.

So – who’s possessed?

Have the problems of life seemed to have just taken you over?

What do you do?

Well, the Geresene demoniac discovered Christ – - or actually it can be better said that Christ discovered him — and he was healed in an amazing way.

Maybe you need to discover Christ — or let Christ discover you – or re-discover Christ — whichever the case may be for you.

Maybe you need to establish — or deepen – your relationship with Christ.

When Christ confronted the legion of demons in the demoniac the demoniac found healing and wholeness.  He returned to living his life — but with a new sense of purpose — that new purpose being to tell everyone about what Christ had done for him.

If you feel possessed by life’s problems — let Christ help you find healing — wholeness — and peace again.

Prayer can be a first step in this healing and wholeness process.

Worshipping with — fellowhsipping with — and sharing with other Christians — and knowing they are praying for you — is another.

Sometimes Christian-based counseling is in order.

But — the first step is letting Christ help you with your problems.

Who’s possessed?

We are all “possessed” to some extent — aren’t we? There are times when all of our lives seem out of balance — out of kilter.

At these times we can come to Christ. We can give our problems to Christ — the one who cares for us and can heal us and make us whole.

If you feel possessed by problems and worries, let Christ possess you and fill you.

Let Christ make you whole.

Take that first step — and let Christ possess you.

Then — step out in faith — with Christ — to make the other steps necessary for healing and wholeness in your life.

It’s never easy.

Dealing with the legion of demon – like problems in life is never easy.

But — when you pray — and Christ possess you — it is indeed possible.

Then – - as you come to greater wholeness and healing in Christ — you can share your healing with others needing to experience God’s healing in their lives.

Who’s possessed?

If you feel possessed by problems, come to Christ – and let Him possess you.  Amen.

Luke 7:36-50

Luke 7:36-50

Remember To Love

June 13, 2010

Of all the things that could be said about Simon the Pharisee, one thing was that he was obviously a good person.

We can imagine that he had been good all his life.

He had probably always been careful to do what was right – or what looked good and right even if it wasn’t right. We can imagine him as being a good boy growing up – not giving his parents any trouble at all.

Yea — he was probably a good person.

We can imagine that he was well educated – to be a Pharisee took years of education. He was probably the most educated person in his family – and maybe even the best educated person in his community.

Yea – he was probably very well educated.

We can also imagine him being meticulously groomed – with not a hair out of place and his fingernails and toenails clean and perfectly trimmed. As a religious leader he probably wore the best clothes – – probably from the best tailor in town – and his clothes would have always been clean and straight – no wrinkles for Simon the Pharisee!

Simon the Pharisee.

A good, well educated, well groomed, Pharisee.

The perfect Jew.

One everyone admired.

One any mother or father would have proud to call “son” – or to point to in a crowd and say – “That’s my boy over there!” and beam with pride.

But – with all his goodness – education — appearance – and grooming – there was something he did not know. He did not know how to truly love.

I can picture him hosting the banquet Luke describes in our passage for today.

Everything perfectly in it’s place.  Everyone in their places. The food and wine ready. It looked to be the perfect party hosted by the perfect Pharisee — when suddenly in walks someone who was definitely not on the list of invited guests.

Even before they recognized her everyone could tell she was not the type of person Simon would invite to his party. Her hair was not cut the neatest possible way. She had on way too much makeup. She was definitely not the kind of person Simon would have invited to a dinner party – and for that matter not the kind of person Simon would have invited anywhere.

As she got closer everyone recognized her. She was someone everyone knew. Not many people admitted to associating with her or knowing her, but everyone knew who she was.

When I worked for the Outreach Center in Reidsville, NC our offices at one time were next door to a beauty shop that had a reputation of – let’s say – selling more than haircuts – or permanents.  Anything from illegal drugs to sex to “hot:” cars, stereos, and tools could be bought at that shop. Sometimes they would actually cut someone’s hair or give someone a permanent – but not often! Well, a lot of times when people would ask where the Outreach Center was located I would ask them if they know where this particular beauty shop was.  Many of them respond:

“O yea – I know where it is.  Not that I’ve ever been there – mind you – but I know where it is.”

Then I would tell them we were next door.

Well – that’s the way it was with this woman who had crashed Simon’s party. Everybody knew her – but everyone – especially the men – acted like they did not know her. Some of the men may have found some excuse to leave the table as she approached – thinking she might be there to confront then about not paying her or that she might make some comment like: “Are we still on for tonight?” and ruin their reputation.  She was the town prostitute –and she had raided Simon’s perfect little dinner party.

Well, I am sure Simon was beside himself.

Then this prostitute came to Jesus – - and humbly bowed at his feet. She then began to kiss his feet – wash his feet with her tears – and dry them with her hair.

Everyone seemed embarrassed. Everyone – that is – except for Jesus.

Simon must have thought that Jesus was not as good a man as he pretended to be — or maybe He did not know as much as people thought He knew  –  for if He were as good as He pretended to be – and if He knew as much as people said He knew – then He would know what kind of woman this was and order her to stop kissing His felt and drying them with her hair.

“If this man were a prophet” … Simon thought – “He would have known what kind of woman this was touching him – that she was a sinner”

So – we have Simon the Pharisee and we have the prostitute.

Who do you think loved Jesus more?

Who had more love for Jesus here?

Simon – the good — educated – rich — well g roomed Pharisee – or the prostitute who was washing Jesus’ feet and drying them with her hair?

You know the answer to that question.

Jesus knew the answer to that question, also.

Simon – in all his finery – his goodness — his education — his riches — did not know how to love. He did not know how to be thankful or how to truly say “thanks” to God – or how to live in a way that thanked God – or shared God’s love with others. He knew the law and could quote all the scholars and teachers — but he did not know how to love.

The woman, on the other hand — with all her sins and reputation – knew how to love. She may not have known all the Jewish laws and teachings, but at least she knew how to love.  She knew how to be thankful to God and Jesus for forgiving her. She knew how to share God’s love with others

Yea – the woman had a reputation – the woman knew how to sin – but once she gave her life to Jesus she knew how to love

She remembered to love.

Simon did not.

What about you?

Do you remember to love?

Do you?

Friends, God calls us to love.

God calls us to remember to love.

God calls us to experience His love and grace – and then share His love and grace with others. God does not expect us to be perfect – in fact He expects us to realize that we are not perfect – but He expects us to know that – in His mercy – we have been loved and forgiven – and He expects us to be willing to share His love with others and forgive others.

He calls us to remember to love.

Knowing and remembering scripture and reading scripture and praying and coming to Church and doing “all the right things” are good and commendable – but – unless we also live in ways that share the love of God with others – we can become like Simon the Pharisee – good and knowledgeable and proper – but not loving.

Of all the things God wants us to remember, the most important thing He wants us to remember is to love.

So – how about it?

Do you remember to love?

I’m afraid that too many times we sit back like Simon the Pharisee and – instead of being quick to show God’s love to others – we are quick to condemn them – or judge them   – or talk about them – or try to correct them – or set ourselves apart from them and want to have nothing to do with them. Too many times we look at people and feel everything but love for them.

But God calls us to have love.

God calls us to remember to love.

Now – you may ask;

Why love those who you know have not lived as God calls us live?

Why love those who are not as “good” – so to speak – as we are?

Well – maybe you are different from me – I don’t know – but let me tell you — I am not all that perfect myself – and if I try to condemn others for their sins I will not get very far before I end up condemning myself.

Someone pointed out to me one time when I was busy “pointing fingers” at someone else that when I did that I had 4 fingers pointing back at myself.

How true that is.

I’ve come to believe that instead of being a “finger pointer” God wants me to be a person with an open embrace for all who will come to Him and want to experience His love.

How about you?

Are you perfect?

Can you judge someone else without being afraid of exposing your own sins?

Can you stand and point a finger at someone else and not be worried that there are 4 fingers pointing back at you?

I doubt it.

It’s not that I know “dirty little secrets” about each of you –but I doubt it because I know that all of us are human, and that means that none of us are perfect – all of us have sinned.

Let’s face it – all of us have sinned.

I remember in a Confirmation class I taught one of the girls read Romans 3 from a translation that was not one of the more modern ones.

“All men have sinned and come short of the glory of God” she read.

She then closed her Bible and sighed a sigh of relief.

“I sure am glad I don’t have to worry about that” she said.

“What do you mean?”

I asked.

She replied:

“Well, it says all men have sinned and come short of the glory of God – and I’m not a man!”

I quickly explained that – in this case – the word “men” covered women also!

Everyone has sinned. But – by the grace of God – everyone can be forgiven. By the grace of God everyone can find new life. By the grace of God everyone can live in new ways. By the grace of God everyone can discover God’s love and share God’s love with all people.

By the grace of God we can remember to love.

We can remember to love those whom we know have not lived perfect lives because we ourselves are not perfect. We can remember to share God’s forgiveness with all people because we ourselves have been forgiven. We can remember to show God’s love to others because we have experienced God’s love for ourselves.   We can remember to love because God – in His infinite love – has loved us – and calls us to share His infinite love with others.

We can remember to love those who have sinned – because we have sinned, too.

When folks that we know are not living – or have not lived — “perfect” lives come to us as a Church or as individuals for an experience of God’s forgiving love, dwe can remember to share it with them.

When we see folks not living perfect lives, we can remember to show them God’s love – and pray it will make a difference in their lives — because God has loved us and made a difference in our lives.

When we see people who are not living in God’s ways we can remember to show them a better way to live – but not in a way that condemns them but in a way that shows them God’s love and concern for them – and our love and concern for them.

You see — God has loved and forgiven us – and calls us to remember to love.

Friends — we can be individuals who remember to love.

We can also be a Church that remembers to love. We can be a Church that sees itself as a Church that remembers to love.

We can be a Church that understands that it’s mission – it’s calling – is to show God’s love to all people.

We can be a Church that understand that it’s mission – it’s calling – is to show those who are living in ways that are wrong how they can live in ways that are right – but we can do this in the same loving and caring ways God has made His love known to us.

We can be a Church that understands that it’s mission – it’s calling – is to show those living without God in their lives how they can live with God in their lives.

But we can do all this in a spirit of love and acceptance and graciousness – not a spirit of haughtiness and condemnation or “holier that you”.

We can do these things in much the same spirit of love and acceptance God has shown to me and you and each and every one of us.

We can remember to love.

A minister who works at a large city church tells the story of a prostitute he befriended as she came to his church for food.

Maggie was her name.

The first time he saw her, he says, she was selling herself on the street like hundreds of other runaway teenagers he had seen before.  Lost in the big city, doing what they had to do to survive. Most of them were the used, abused, and neglected of the world — the children whose experience had convinced them they were unloved and unlovable.

His church offered them hot coffee, sandwiches, and a safe place to sleep if they wanted it. Some just took the coffee and the food and went straight back into the night. Maggie was one of those.  But — one night Maggie hung around. She seemed to need to talk, so the minister sat beside her on the curb and listened.  She told him about her family — the abuse she had taken from her father — how she had run away. And how she now felt that no one loved her.

The minister assured her that God really loved her.

She shook her head “no” and walked away.

A few weeks later he saw her again – and they started talking.  He again assured her of God’s love. This happened for several months – until finally one night she said she wanted to give her life to God.

If God could love her, she said, she could love Him.

That’s what it’s all about, my friends.

That’s what it means to remember to love.

I’ve talked about this for awhile now – I even mentioned it in my sermon last week – but it’s on my mind and heart right now.  Next Sunday several of our Senior High youth won’t be here for worship – and it won’t be because they slept in or skipped Church.  Gretchen Huggins and Philip Smith and I won’t be here either.

Where are we going to be?

We’re going to be on a mission.

We’re going to be at the Group Work Camp in Kingstree with over 300 other young people from all over the country.  We’re going to be making new friends and worshipping and praising God. We are going to be repairing houses – doing light carpentry work and painting.  But – as we do all these things – we are going to be sharing the love of God with people who are in need.

We’ll probably meet the folks we are helping. We’ll probably have a chance to talk to them.  Some may share with us how they came to be in need of having these young people help them. Some may be disabled.  Some may have lost their jobs. Some may go to church and some may not. Some may read the Bible and pray every day and some may not. Some may have problems with drugs or alcohol and some may not. Some may have wasted a fortune and some may not have. We may never know how some came to be in need or became eligible for having these youth and adults from all over the country assist them for a week. But – here’s the thing – it doesn’t matter how they came to be in need – what matters is that they are – and that God loves them – and that we need to show God’s love to them.

We are going to be remembering to love.

Did you pay attention to Sally’s “Mission Moment” earlier in the service?

We’re hoping to do this every Sunday to help us remember what we can do to show God’s love to those in the community and around the world.

If you paid attention today you heard a lot of things that we are doing and that we are planning to do. You heard a lot of ways that we as individuals and as a Church are remembering to show God’s love to those in need.

When you think of what we are doing, it is quite a list – so let’s not say

“We’re a small Church – we can’t do anything”

because by the grace of God – and with God’s strength — we have done a lot – and we are still doing a lot – and we will continue to do a lot – to show God’s love to those around us and around the world.

Let’s see what other things we can do!

Let’s see how else we can remember to love!

Dream and pray and think about what else we do as God’s presence in this community to show His love to those around us.

You may have read in the newsletter about the Action Plan Team.  This is a group of folks – 2 from the Session and 3 from the congregation – that will be meeting with me to prayerfully consider God’s will for us at Hopewell – specifically how we can get some of our inactive members involved again and how we can reach out into the community and bring more people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Maybe you noticed that we are having our first meeting this afternoon.

I invite you to pray for us. Pray with us. If you have any ideas don’t be afraid to share them with us. Believe me – we are not experts – but are willing to prayerfully consider what can be done and do some things we feel God is leading us to do.

Friends — remember to love.

Remember to show God’s love to others in tangible ways – so they can learn of God’s love – experience it – and let it change their lives.

Sure – the minister in my story about Maggie could have been judging – like Simon the Pharisee – but instead he was loving – and made a difference in Maggie’s life.

The folks who go Kingstree can be “preachy” and turn the people we are helping away from God – but instead I pray that we be loving and let God make a real difference in their lives through us.

As we consider what God wants us to be doing as a Church we can be quick to judge and condemn those who we need to reach out to – but instead I pray that we find ways to love them and get them involved in what we are doing as a Church.

Friends — let’s remember to love. Let’s be people – let’s be a Church – that makes a difference in the lives of others with God’s love and for God’s glory.

Yea – let’s remember to love. Amen.

Luke 7:11-17

Luke 7:11-17

God Is With Us

June 6, 2010

The 1984 movie “Footloose” tells the story of how a young man named Ren McCormack. The actor Kevin Bacon played the role of the teenager who, with the help of his friends, changes the attitudes of many folks in a small town. The main attitude that is changed is the dislike the adults in the town have about teenagers and their love for dancing — but the attitude of the town leaders towards young people in general is changed in other ways also.

It was a great film about how attitudes can be changed – with great music and dance numbers — and is one of those “feel good” movies that was a big box office hit.

There are many scenes in the movie where it seemed that Kevin Bacon – paying the role of Ren McCormack — was dancing some very fancy steps.  When the move the movie was released, a lot of people wanted Kevin Bacon to duplicate many of those steps on stage and live TV shows. That’s when there became a problem.

The problem was, he couldn’t dance very well at all.

He tells the story that his son came to him shortly after the movie was released and said, “Dad, that movie was awesome! All those dance moves you did were really cool! Can you teach them to me?”

Bacon laughed and said: “Well, son, that wasn’t really me. That was a stunt man.”

“What’s a stunt man?” his son asked.
Bacon replied: “That’s a guy who dresses up in my clothes and does stuff I can’t do.”

His son then asked him:

“Well, gee, dad, just what did you do in that movie?”

“Well, son,” Bacon said sheepishly, “I guess I got all the glory for things I had not really done.”

With that in mind, Kevin called the studio where the movie was filmed and asked who actually had danced ion the movie. When he got in touch with the folks who had been his “doubles”, he asked them if they would appear with him on live TV talk shows and show how they had done some of the moves they performed.  He even got them to teach some of the moves to his son.

He decided that he wanted to clear up the misconception that he had performed all the dances in the movie – and wanted to give credit where credit was due.

Now – you can see this as a story of a stuck up actor finally seeing that others should get the credit for what they do – and you might wonder what the point of this story is for a sermon, especially a sermon about this particular passage.

What does this story have to do with Jesus raising the widow’s son?

Well, as I have thought and prayed about passage for the past few weeks, here’s  what I have felt the message for us today might be:

God is with us – and works through us to do things we can’t do on our own — and we need to realize that and give praise to God for that.

And here’s where the story of Kevin Bacon come in.  Just as Kevin Bacon had to see that his “doubles” needed to get the credit and praise for the things they did “in his name” that he couldn’t do by himself – we need to see that God is with us in the hard times of our lives — strengthening us through times we can’t make it through without Him — and working through us to reach out to others in ways we can’t do   without Him.

We need to realize and give praise to God for the fact that that He is with us and is strengthening us when we can’t find any strength on our own. Then – we need to let others know that God is with us – and can be with them.

God is with us.

You know — I believe that – if we thought about it long and hard enough and were honest with ourselves – we could all name times in our lives when we felt like giving up – like there was no more hope – like nothing mattered anymore. There are many things that can make us feel that way – and feel like giving up hope.

You want to talk about someone going through a time when they felt helpless and hopeless – a time when they must have felt like giving up – a time when they must have felt that nothing mattered anymore?

Our scripture passage for today certainly tells a story of a woman who was going through such a time.

Jesus is at the end of a long journey from Capernaum and many disciples and many others were following him. He comes to the gate at the city of Nain and encounters a pathetic entourage carrying a dead man toward the cemetery outside of town. The entire town, it must have seemed, was emptying with this procession. At the center of the chaotic scene was a woman. The woman was surrounded by friends and neighbors and was inconsolable. First she had lost her husband, and now her son. Their deaths were a tragedy for her not only because they left her bereft of family and companionship. She was now unprotected, and unsupported in her community. She was a woman who was truly alone—without the status previously afforded to her by the men in her life. She was living in a cataclysmic moment. The comforts and security she had perhaps previously taken for granted were all stripped away. It was more than just the loss of a child that she was grieving, but she had lost here sense of identity and protection in the eyes of that society. She may have had daughters but that didn’t matter in those days. It was men – the husbands and sons – who gave identity and protection to their families. And now she had no husband – no son – and in her eyes and the eyes of the  community no hope.  It must have been a sad entourage Jesus encountered indeed.

Well – what does Jesus do?

Jesus sizes up the situation, realizes what’s going on, and, as verse 13 tells us –

“His heart went our to her”

And – thank God – when Jesus’ heart went to someone – miracles happened

Jesus stops the procession and tells the dead son to rise – and gives him back to his distraught mother – who – I am sure – is beside herself with joy.

Can you imagine the joy and excitement she and the others in the procession must have felt?

Indeed – as they proclaim in verse 16 – a great prophet had appeared among them – and God had come to help His people!

Jesus showed the woman that God was with her and that God was giving her strength and possibilities that she could certainly not find on her own – and she praised God.

God is with us!

God – through Christ — was with the widow at Nain who lost her only son and who certainly and with good reason felt that her situation was helpless. God gave her strength and possibilities the she could not find on her own.

God was with her — God is with us!

When we go through the times in our lives when we feel things are hopeless – when we feel like giving up – when we feel that there is nothing left to live for – God is with us – and can give us new strength and new possibilities that we can not find on our own.

It doesn’t matter to God how hopeless we might feel situations are. God is with us and God can give us new meaning for life and new strength and new possibilities that we can not find on our own.

But here’s a question — What do we do about the fact that God is with us – and can give us new meaning for life and new strength and new possibilities that we can not find on our own?

Do we just receive the strength and new possibilities God so graciously bestows upon us – but do nothing with them – or even acknowledge that we are indebted to God for this strength and new possibility?

I am afraid that a lot of times we are a lot like the actor Kevin Bacon – or so many other actors who let others – their “doubles” — do things for them in movies that they can not do – and then are glad to receive the credit and praise for instead of passing them on to those who really deserve it.

Have you ever made it through a seemingly impossible time in your life — a time when you may have prayed to God for help – but when the help came you shake the dust off and carry on with life without giving praise to God for what He has done for you?

Friends – God is with us.

It is God who gives us the strength and new possibilities we need when our lives seem hopeless.

It is God who needs to be praised when He strengthens us and gives us the new possibilities for our lives – and helps us when we have no way of helping ourselves. Just as Kevin Bacon finally realized that he needed to give credit to his “doubles” who did things for him in movies that he could never do we need to realize that God is with us – strengthening us – giving us the help and hope we need at the times we can not find help and hope on our own.

Like the widow in our passage for today, we need to say:

“God is with us!”

We need to realize that it is God who helps us when we can not help ourselves and give Him praise for that!

But – there is more to celebrating that God is with us and helps us in ways we could never help ourselves than just realizing and praise God for this!

Yea — we need to realize and give praise to God for the fact that that He is with us – strengthening us when we can’t find any strength on our own.  But then — we need to let others know that God is with us – and can be with them. We need to busy ourselves with finding ways to proclaim to others the fact that God is working in our lives and strengthening us when we can’t find strength on our own.

The love of God – and the gracious fact that God works in our lives and strengthens us when we can’t find strength on our own – should never be a secret.

We need to respond to our loving and miracle-working God by giving Him praise for the times He has done things for us we could not do for ourselves – and then we need to take the news that God is with us into the community with words and actions.

Friends — you need to respond to your loving and miracle-working God by giving Him praise for the times He has done things for you that you could not do for yourself – and then you need to take the news that God is with you into the community with words and actions.

How can you do these things?

The first step is to come to God when you feel that you have no other place to turn – that your life is hopeless or there is not help – when you feel like giving up. Whatever your situation might be – whatever is making you feel that you have no more hope – whatever is making you feel that there is nothing left for you to do – you can come to God and He can give you hope and help that you could never find on your own.

Now don’t get me wrong – I am not saying that God will “fix” everything for you. God may not physically raise the sick or dying member of your family as Jesus did the widows son at Nain – God may not give you your job back – God may not help you patch your relationship that has gone sour – God may not give you back everything you lost in that fire or flood or tornado – but God will give you the strength to cope with the situation and maybe even grow through it – if you will give him the chance.

The second thing to do is to give God the praise and the glory when He gives you the strength that you did not think possible – the answer you could come up with on your own – the vision to see your way through your situation that you could not see for yourself. When God acts in you life, praise Him for that!

Then – the important third step – is to find ways to share with others what God has done for you.

We live in a time when there are more people in need – and who need God — in our community and in our world than there has been in a long time.

People are losing loved ones — losing jobs — finding that their marriages are ending or are at least not what they want them to be facing financial trouble — losing their homes to fires and natural disasters

There are many who may feel at the end of their rope – who may feel they have no hope and there is nothing that can be done to help them – no answers to their problems.

Friends – we know the answer – don’t we?

The answer is that God is with us.

We’ve experienced His life changing love and grace for ourselves – and have seen that He can give us answers when we couldn’t find them on our own and strength when we felt that we had no more strength.

Now it’s up to us to let others know that.

It’s up to us to let others know that God is with us – strengthening us to do things we can’t do on our own. It’s up to us to let others know what God has done for us – and share with them what He can do for them. As individual Christians and as a Church it’s up to us to find ways to show the world how God is active in our lives – and can be active in their lives also.

Now — I know we are a smaller sized Church. I know we can’t do everything on our own. But I also know that we don’t have to do everything on our own.

In the same way God can work in our lives and give us strength when we feel we have no more strength and answers when we think there were none, God can work through us in our community and the world to do things we could never do on our own. It might take working with others who God is working through to make a difference in the community and the world.

We are talking to other community churches who are interested in helping us get a Good News Club established at Wallace Gregg School. This will be a blessing to the students there – and a witness to the fact that God is with us.

We are also talking to other churches about our working together with them and doing some combined youth activities.  Again, God can do things through us that we can’t do on our own if we are willing to look for ways to share Him with others and work with others to do this.

I attended a conference at Thornwell in Clinton this past week that was sponsored by the Laurens County Presbyterian Cluster  – a group of 10 smaller membership Presbyterian churches who are working together to show God’s love to folks in their community and respond to needs throughout the world.  Each of these churches had well under 100 members and were on the verge of closing, and now they are active and doing ministry in their community and around the world. God gave them a vision and the strength to do things when they could find any more vision or strength — and now they are busy working together and giving praise to God for that.

If you want to see the power of what can be done when God’s people realize what God has done in their lives and dedicate themselves to showing God to others in words and deeds, come on down to Kingstree and Williamsburg county in a few weeks and see what our youth and over 300 other youth and adults from throughout the country are going to be doing. Come and pay us a visit.  Come during the day and see what houses we are working on – and talk to the folks we are helping.  See what a difference God is making in their lives through what we are doing. Come in the evening and see us worshipping and praising God.  Come and see how God can give us answers to problems we never knew were possible – how God can give us hope when we feel the situation is hopeless – and how God gives us strength to do His work and will when we are willing to work together to do it.

Yea – God is alive and active in our world.

God is with us.

The actor Kevin Bacon finally realized that he needed to give credit and praise to the “doubles” who did things for him in movies that he could not do.

We need to give credit and praise to God for the ways He works in our lives and gives us hope when things seem to be the most hopeless – helps us when the situations in our lives seem the most helpless – strengthens us when need it the most – and does things for us we could never do for ourselves.

Then – we need to spread the good news of what God is doing in our lives to a hurting and need-filled community and world as we find new ways to spread the news that the folks at Nain celebrated:

God has come to help His people!

Yea — God is with us!

Amen