Grace United Methodist Church - Franklin, IN
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  • About Us
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    • What to Expect
    • What We Believe
    • Calendar
    • Upcoming Events
    • Institutional Partners
  • Classes & Small Groups
    • Adult >
      • Classes and Spiritual Formation Opportunities
      • Small Group Locations & Times
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The Mission of God - Matthew 4:12-23

1/29/2019

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In Matthew 4:18, the first disciples dropped their occupations in the fishing industry when Jesus called them; they all were involved in a highly successful business, and they were doing quite well. But now Jesus was expanding that business in ways that they couldn’t imagine!

Many throughout history have done the same, walking away from jobs of high earnings for the insecurity of pastoring, teaching, becoming a chaplain in a prison, being a monk or a priest or a missionary. Millions of Christians on a regular basis give up practices and attitudes and occupations and jobs to follow, to become part of Jesus portable community in the world. And the only way I can come to grips with this kind of change in people’s lives is Jesus himself: Just as the disciples heard his voice and felt his presence some 2000 years ago, so people still do today, sometimes as a whisper, sometimes as a shout, sometimes as a wakeup call in the night (or morning), sometimes as a low ache that won’t go away, or sometimes dramatically, suddenly, and powerfully. 

However it may happen, Jesus has ways of getting through. There is a visible change in behavior, habits, loyalties, priorities.

Now, to be sure, we cannot always know where this change is going to lead us, but we can be sure that Christ will go with us. We can be pretty sure that Peter, James, and John and Andrew had no idea where their lives would end that day on the Sea of Galilee. And we can be pretty sure that we don’t either. 

That’s how big the mission of God is! The Holy Spirit blows where it wills! The Spirit nudges us and, hopefully, we hear Christ’s voice, calling us and waking us up to follow him, giving our lives over to him. May it be so!
​
Pastor Andy Kinsey
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Come to the Water - A Celebration of Baptism - Matthew 3:13-17

1/15/2019

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One of two sacraments we practice in the Methodist church, baptism is often described as an outward sign of an inward grace, and the way in which those who believe in Jesus are marked for discipleship.  In other words, it is two fold:  1. it is a public display of an inner decision to accept the love and grace given to us by God.  2.  It is the way believers mark their life in Jesus and the church. 

It is a long time practice of the church, rich in symbolism and meaning.  And whether it is done by pouring or sprinkling water over the head, or immersing the entire body, the meaning / purpose is the same - to tell all those who gather, “I have given my life to Jesus and will do all I can to let go of the life symbolically buried beneath the waters of God’s love and rise into the new life given me in Jesus’ name.”  And for those bringing their baby or young child for baptism, it is the moment they say, “I remember that which I believe in Jesus and chose to stand against the evil injustices of this world, and want you, the church community, to help raise my child into the follower of Jesus he/she is meant to be.”  

For the 75-80 percent or more of you that already know all that, great.  Good job.  Well done.  To you I say, remember your baptism and be grateful.  For the remaining 20-25 percent who maybe didn’t know some of that, or wasn’t brought up within the church, it’s o.k., don’t worry.  To you I say, baptism is personal and communal.  You have to decide if it is the next step for you and where you are in your faith.  It is something you and God decide to share and celebrate with the body of believers. 

Baptized or not, hear this church, baptism is not your ticket into heaven.  It is not a requirement to fulfill some holy expectation.  It does not make you any better a believer than any other believer.  It is not a free ride to continue acting in ways that hurt or ignore others or to do things that keep God at arm's length.

It is simply and profoundly…plainly and beautifully an act of joyful obedience representing the transformation happening from within, or as Frederick Buechner put it: “Baptism consists of getting dunked or sprinkled.  Which technique is used matters about as much as whether you pray kneeling or standing on your head.  Dunking is a better symbol, however.  Going under symbolizes the end of everything about your life that is less than human.  Coming up again symbolizes the beginning in you of something strange and new and hopeful.  You can breathe again.” 

Read Matthew 3:13-17

Why did he do it?  He certainly didn’t have to.  Of all people, he should be exempt from baptism.  Why didn’t he just stand high on the bank and watch the others?  Why didn’t he just let all the others come for baptism, those who need a second chance, messed it up, and those who waded out so deep into trouble they weren’t sure whether to turn back or finish crossing?  Of all people, he didn’t need forgiven did he?  Let the people whose lives are just a tangle of poor judgement, ridicule and criticism, and those rich in things and poor in soul.

Why did he do it?  Because Jesus approached baptism as an act of solidarity with our human condition.  This solidarity is specifically grounded in that which God requires of all humankind, namely, humbly submitting to and trusting in God in all things.  In his humanity, Jesus stands with us in the waters of this life.  In his divinity, he finds us in the river and brings us through to the other side. 

He did it out of loyalty to God.  It is the moment in his life that declares who he is and what is expected as the son of God.  On that level it is personal.  He did it out of love for us, showing us that he is with us, he stands with us, he wades the currents of this life with us. It teaches what is expected of us as followers of Jesus. 

Baptism summons us away from a life saturated in greed, self gratification, judgmentalism, fear, empty promises, and shame to a life dripping with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self control.

Luther said, “remember your baptism.”  How can people do that?  In Luther’s church, most baptisms were of infants brought by their mothers and fathers.  How could they remember their baptisms?  Why did he say such a thing?  

Was it to make you feel guilty? “Aha! You’ve strayed from your baptism!”  Everyone of us strays from, forgets, or denies our baptism in ways we may not even realize.  “Show me a bird who can say, ‘I look like my song.’  We all fall short. 

No, what Luther had in mind was this: Remember your baptism by claiming yourself to be a child of God and by going about God’s business - serving other people. It means touching, loving, going, doing, caring for people. The crying and broken-hearted people.  Hungry and diseased people.  Alienated people.  Suffering people.  That is the business of one who follows Jesus - one who through baptism lives out the love and grace of Jesus.
Come to the water, may God find us there - gather with others who are finding their way.  Come to the water and remember the love waiting there for you.  Come to the water and receive blessing, new life, freedom, hope, and healing.  
Come, remember your baptism and be grateful.  
Come, consider baptism and be thankful.
Come, celebrate the waters of story, renewal and identity, and be glad.
Come and remember who you are in Jesus. 

O God, we rejoice and give thanks in your grace.  Grace given.  Grace received. We thank you that you have claimed us.  You wash and strengthen us.  You guide and empower us.  Make us water in a dry and thirsty world. Make us places of refreshment. Establish us in love.  With all your people, may our cups be filled as we fill the cups of others.  May our lives overflow in service and love.  AMEN

Pastor Jenothy Irvine 
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The Way of Light - Matthew 2:2

1/9/2019

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A great darkness hung in the air...something had to change. The winds of political unrest crashed against the people.  The hunger for power and the ability to control it devoured those who sought it and those who stood in it’s way. The people were caught in currents of “they said”, “we said,” our word against yours, and many struggled to know what was Truth, and who they could trust.  People were condemned, lived in hiding, or worse, were beaten, some almost to death because of who they loved. Others were ridiculed, shunned and marginalized for the color of their skin. Many were abused with words and fists, held back, or overlooked because of their gender.  A great darkness indeed, surely something would change.

When do you think those words were written?  What time in history? I don’t know about you but I think they could be written at just about anytime throughout history, including today.

December 25 has come and gone and with, the greatest story ever told is probably already boxed back up with the decorations and ready to go back down stairs, in the closet or up in the attic.

Today, I to ask you to wait, just a little longer.  I ask you to keep one thing out this year...and here’s why.  Because we still need the message of the greatest story ever told.  We still need the hope, joy and promise that comes with the telling and living of the story.

There is still a great darkness in the world for a lot of people.  I am not talking about “out there” or “over there” in the world. I am talking about right here, in this room, in our community, and yes, in our beloved “land of the free and home of the brave.”

While we think of Christmas as a season of light, the truth is, the birth story of Jesus Christ is filled with darkness.  Anticipating the birth of the Christ child centuries before Mary was great with child, Isaiah writes that the light that was coming into the world, came to a people shrouded in darkness (9:1-7).  Gloom, anguish, and contempt were just some of the adjectives used to describe this darkness.

In order understand the full revelation of the light which came into the world when Christ was born, we need to recognize the darkness into which our Christ was born.


Political unrest.  Government power struggles.  Hunger for status and control.  Poor decisions that impact the lives of the poorest among people.  Senseless violence. Division. Brutality. It may sound like our world today, but this is the darkness that surrounded the birth of Jesus.  

When we consider that Christ came into such darkness in order to bring light, the truth is staggering, breathtaking, and beautiful.  For we all face seasons of darkness, and God in the flesh knows exactly what that looks like and feels like.

In the church year, the Epiphany season is when we remember a time when we walked in darkness, or tried to find our way through the shadowy places of life.  We remember that there are still corners of our world today that walk in social, economical and political darkness; that our world today deals with spiritual darkness.  Epiphany is the time we remember that it is in that darkness - the darkness of: cancer, addiction, tragedy, illness, childhood disease, senseless violence...Divine Light still shines.  God’s goodness and glory are brought forth in Jesus; his actions, teachings, miracles, and most of all his love.

This is the season to celebrate that God’s love is love enough for all.  That is what the story of the Magi is about; perceived outsiders coming to the new King, NOT just to find him but to worship him; to recognize his authority and call him King.  God’s love is love enough for all. The insiders, the outsiders, the uptowners and downtowners, residents and immigrants, foreign and domestic.

The light of God’s love shines in the midst of our darkness - sometimes it is but a faint spark or flicker.  Sometimes it is so bright hurts our eyes, or catches us by surprise. And sometimes it even reveals more than we want to see - calls us to see what is hard, demanding, scary about following Jesus.
​

Yet it is in this epiphany light and by this epiphany light we follow Jesus.  The light of Epiphany brings to the surface questions like:
  • What areas of your life need more God light?
  • How can we be vessels of light - reflectors of light?  Lighting the path for others - shining hope for the hopeless - showering grace to others?
  • What is it God is asking you to bring into the light of love?
  • What events can become epiphany moments; light switches of God’s movement and presence for you?
  • How will you walk this journey of faith differently not just because you sang happy birthday to Jesus a few days ago, but because God seeks to manifest God’s love in our lives every single day?

Dear church, let us walk in the way of light, for our light has come and the dark will not overcome it.  AMEN.
​
Pastor Jenothy Irvine
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The Way of Hope - Hebrews 11:1-3

1/1/2019

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In our lesson from the Letter to the Hebrews, we learn about the way of hope, by realizing how it is grounded in the life of faith: faith, as the Preacher of Hebrews writes, is “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Faith gives birth to hope, and hope, as Paul says in Romans, does not disappoint us (5:5). For hope reminds us that even in the worst of times, God is with us, and hope says to us that even when life is difficult, there is a way through our difficulties. Hope is a gift.

Perhaps we may remember the great scene in the movie the Shawshenk Redemption, where Red (played by Morgan Freeman) tells Andy Dufresne (played by Tim Robbins) that hope is a dangerous thing. The reason Red felt hope was dangerous was because hope can get us to think the end is near, but then it never comes. And after being denied parole year after year, Red was losing hope. Andy Dufresne, on the other hand, had something else in mind: hope as freedom. 
That’s what hope can do! Hope can tell us there is something to live for; there is another future worth fighting for, even worth dying for.

That’s why, we may say that hope is dangerous: hope can spark us to do what folks say can’t be done! Like Abraham and Sarah, who were old and barren, without children: God called them to a new future and they obeyed; they left their homeland behind and they set out for a new land of promise, not always knowing what the future held for them (Genesis 12:1-3a; Hebrews 11:8-16). To be sure, Abraham and Sarah couldn’t see it at first, but by faith the promise of hope became a reality (Hebrews 11:8-13).

That’s what hope can do: hope can carry our faith over the finish line. Hope can assure us that our faith in what is invisible (in God) will become visible (in mission). Hope provides a kind of confidence or substance that our faith will bring forth fruit – good fruit (Hebrews 11:1-3). 

Perhaps we cannot see such fruit in the present, but hope keeps us looking forward because our faith in God keeps us grounded, even when we can’t see the results. It is why we really cannot separate faith and hope.

What are you hoping for now? What gives you hope? As we move into the future, may God give you hope and faith in all things! Amen.
​

Pastor Andy Kinsey
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Grace United Methodist Church
1300 E Adams Dr,
Franklin, IN 46131

Phone: 317-736-7962
grace@franklingrace.org

Weekend  Worship Services
Saturday: 5:30pm 
Sunday: 9:00am & 11:00am

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