Before Amen, part 2

This post is my sermon from Sunday. It is part two in our series about prayer.

Before Amen, Part 2

Father, I need help” John 2:1-10

Sunday, May 17^th, 2015-MRWC

 

            After my wife preached last Sunday and shared a few personal illustrations, I recalled a joke I had read years before that went something like this;

            A new minister had recently been married. Upon returning home from their honeymoon, the young wife turned to her husband with a box in her hand.

         She said to her husband, “Please promise me dear, that no matter what, you will never look in this box.”

            Although this seemed like a very strange request, the husband assured his wife that he would never look in the box.

            Twenty years went by, and the seasoned minister was looking around his closet. (Probably vacuuming or something)

         He came across the box, which to him, had long been forgotten. He looked at the box and said to himself, “surely after all these years, it must be okay to peek inside.”

            He opened the box and found inside, $1,200 and three eggs. Just then, his wife entered the room.

            “I thought I asked you to never look inside the box” she said. Looking just a bit sheepish, the minister apologized to his wife but then said that since he had peeked inside, would she mind explaining the contents.

            “Well”, the wife responded, “if you must know, every time you preached a bad sermon, I put an egg in the box.”

        The minister pondered this for a moment, and rationalizes that he’s been preaching for twenty years so three eggs was basically batting 1000!

            “That explains the eggs, but what about the $1,200?” The husband asked. 

            His wife replied, “Every time I got a dozen, I sold them!”

            I guess her sharing a few stories about me is alright, after all I do talk about her almost every time I preach, and today is no exception!

            We are in part two of our sermon series on prayer. It’s based on Max Lucado's newest book called Before Amen.

            It is in this book that Max teaches us about the “pocket prayer”. In this book, Max tells us that he came up with this prayer, after looking at all of the prayers in the Bible; and all of the prayers in the Bible fit into one of four categories, that make up the pocket prayer.

            Do you have a copy? Maybe you got it a few weeks ago, or it’s included in the bulletin today. It goes like this: “Father, you are good. I need help. They need help. Thank you. In Jesus Name. Amen.”

            All prayer is a conversation with God, and this pocket prayer is meant to help you and I pray.

            Some of us have no trouble praying. We can and do pray about anything and everything. Others of us may have a difficult time prayingà that’s ok!

            This pocket prayer is meant to be a guideline to help those of us who love to pray, and those of us to struggle to pray.

            We’ve already looked at the first part of the pocket prayer: “Father, you are good.”

            All prayer must begin—or end—or both—with the Goodness of God.

            The Psalmist wrote: “You are good, and what you do is good…” (Psalm 119:68, NIV84)

            At another time and in another place, the Psalmist wrote these words: “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.” (Ps 34:8, NIV84)

            God is good. He cannot be anything but good. And in a world that is often bad, we have a God who is good. He invites us to come to Him and enjoy the good things He has to offer.

            Our pocket prayer begins, correctly, by reminding us that our Father is good.

            For the next few moments we are going to examine the second part of our pocket prayer, the part that says: “I need help”

PRAY

ILLUSTRATION- I need help. I’m not sure if this is a man thing or not, but hardly a day goes by where I don’t need help in one way or another.

            A few years ago my wife sent me down a rabbit hole by purchasing me a Chop Saw; which lead to me purchasing a table saw, a router, a drill press, an orbital sander… and a few other tools. 

            Each of these tools came with an instruction manual, but I gently placed that aside, and asked Beth to help me understand this new tool, after all, she is a mom, my wife, a teacher AND a carpenter’s daughter…

         She would help me to understand the basics of my new tools. (And as you can see, I’ve not lost my fingers…)

            Not only do I need help with some of my tools, I also need help with some of my projects.

            Take this mirror for example.  I finished this a few weeks ago, and the part of this project that was giving me the most trouble was the glass/mirror part.

            After figuring out that I could cut the glass on my own (translation: my wife could show me how to do it) I purchased a glass cutter and a mirror and began cutting it only to break it!

            So, I texted my wife and told her what I’d done, and she said, she would help me when she got home!

            I know, or at least I hope, I’m not the only one in this room, who needs help. At some point in time, all of us will need help from someone.

Ø We will need help when we see the flashing red and blue lights from our rear-view mirror;

Ø We will need help if we break a limb;

Ø We will need help if our car is stranded on the side of the road…

            Whatever the scenario is, all of us, at one point in time, will need help.

            Thankfully, a word of help is built into our pocket prayer. It’s very simple—say it with me: “Father, I need help”

            Allow me to share some Good News with you this morning; maybe you’ll want to write this down, because you’ll need this truth at some point this week: “God can handle our problems.”

            Let’s turn to John 2 for a moment and look at how Jesus handled a problem that presented itself one day.

            “…there was a wedding celebration in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration.

3 The wine supply ran out during the festivities, so Jesus’ mother told him, “They have no more wine.”

4 “Dear woman, that’s not our problem,” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.”

5 But his mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

6 Standing nearby were six stone water jars, used for Jewish ceremonial washing. Each could hold twenty to thirty gallons.

7 Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” When the jars had been filled, 8 he said, “Now dip some out, and take it to the master of ceremonies.” So the servants followed his instructions.

9 When the master of ceremonies tasted the water that was now wine, not knowing where it had come from (though, of course, the servants knew), he called the bridegroom over.

10 “A host always serves the best wine first,” he said. “Then, when everyone has had a lot to drink, he brings out the less expensive wine. But you have kept the best until now!” (John 2:1-10, NLT2)

            Let’s follow the story and see what we can learn.

            Jesus had been invited to a wedding, as had His mother and Jesus’s disciples. While they were attending this wedding, something happened—the wine ran out. In this setting, it was a major problem.

            Not only was this embarrassing to this couple, but they would always be remembered as the couple who didn’t adequately prepare for their guests, and it would hang over their heads forever.

(This still happens, whenever we get bad customer service, we are quick to tell others of our bad experience.)

Sensing their need, Mary took this problem to Jesus. Verse three says: “The wine supply ran out during the festivities, so Jesus’ mother told him, “They have no more wine.”(Jn. 2:3, NLT2)

Mary was aware of the problem, and she took the problem to Jesus. She didn’t get mad, she didn’t get cranky. She simply took the need to Jesus and left it with Him.

Mary knew that God can handle our problems so she took this problem to Jesus.

When you have a problem, where do you take it?

When I have a problem, where do I take it?

When we have a problem, where do we take it?

Do we go to Facebook? (Yes) Do we turn to twitter? (YES) Do we pick up the phone and call someone for help. (YES!)

While there is nothing wrong with any of these things, our first step, before twitter, before FB, before picking up the phone, should be taking our problems to God, because God can handle our problems.

ILLUSTRATION- A little over two weeks ago, I ended up in the hospital again. Before I ended up in the hospital, I did a lot of praying.

            I was at home dealing with a sore back and a high fever—both early indications of an infection—and was I was lying in bed, I was asking God to help me, and to bring the fever down.

            Only after I had gotten into the car on the way to the hospital, did I reach out on social media asking for prayer.

            I wish I could tell you that this is always how I handle things when I need help; pray first, ask for help second.

            I’m learning that God can handle our problems, so I make a decision to go to God in prayer first, asking for Him to intervene in whatever situation I’m in at the moment.

       I’m learning to pray first, and ask others for prayer support second.  

            How about you? What do you do when you have a problem? Do you talk to others before you talk to God?

            Can I encourage you to try something different this week, instead of going to your friends for help first, go to God first, because God can handle our problems!

            But maybe you don’t want to bother God with every last little thing that’s bothering you. If that’s the case, then listen to this word from the Apostle Paul. 

            “Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” (Ephesians 6:18, NIV84)

            The meaning behind this verse is that we are to pray general to specific prayers.

            I.O.W. God wants us to pray about everything because God can handle our problems.

            Mary was aware of a problem at the wedding in Cana: the wine ran out. Instead of calling the Daily Gleaner, she took her problem to Jesus.

            I’m learning that when I have a problem and need help, the best thing for me to do is to go to God in prayer first, because God can handle our problems!

            Let’s go back to our story and see what happened next. Because Mary took the problem to Jesus, Jesus acted.

            Originally, He wasn’t going to intervene, but because someone He loved asked Him for help, He fixed the problem.

Look again at verses 6 and on: “Standing nearby were six stone water jars, used for Jewish ceremonial washing. Each could hold twenty to thirty gallons.

7 Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” When the jars had been filled, 8 he said, “Now dip some out, and take it to the master of ceremonies.” So the servants followed his instructions.

9 When the master of ceremonies tasted the water that was now wine, not knowing where it had come from (though, of course, the servants knew), he called the bridegroom over.

10 “A host always serves the best wine first,” he said. “Then, when everyone has had a lot to drink, he brings out the less expensive wine. But you have kept the best until now!” (John 2:6-10, NLT2)

Jesus had transformed the water used for ceremonial washing and turned it into wine. But not just any old Walmart brand.

According to the text, it was the best tasting wine the guests had ever had! Not only was it quality wine, but there was plenty of it as well.

Some bible teachers tell us that this amount would have produced over 2000 4 ounce glasses of wine; still another bible teacher tells us that this would have been over 900 bottles of wine! (NIV Zon com, and max Lucado)

The implication is pretty clear: If we take our problems to Jesus; He will do something about them!

Notice I didn’t say: “If we take our problems to Jesus; he will FIX them. He may fix our problems, but He may not.

ILLUSTRATION- I have been taking my need liver related issues to God on a daily basis. Many of you have taken my liver related issues before God on a daily basis.

            As of this moment, He has not fixed this problem. But I’m still asking.

            Please don’t miss what I’m about to say: God may fix your problem. He may not. But He will fix you, and that’s the most important thing.

            We all need to be fixed; because well need help, and thankfully God can handle our problems.

            So here is what I want you to do with what you just heard:

            #1 Admit you need help.

            I’ve never met a human being yet who didn’t need help. At one point in time or another, all of us will need help. So admit it.

            Andy Stanley has said: “Either you were a mess, are a mess or are one dumb decision away from becoming a mess” (Stanley, 2012, 82)

            At one point this week, you are going to need help;

Ø It could be with one of your kids;

Ø It could be processing the news from the doctor;

Ø It could you need Jesus to live inside of you and make you a new creation.

            Whatever it is that you will need help with, the first step to take is admit that you need help.

            The very next thing to do is:

            #2 Commit to asking God for help, first.

While it’s ok to ask a friend to help you when you’re in a tight spot, remember that God can handle our problems, so go to Him first. 

Peter wrote in the book that bears his name: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1Pe 5:7, NIV84)

Paul wrote in Philippians 4: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (4:6-7, NIV84)

God wants us to come to Him with our problems, because He is the only one who can handle our problems, so before we go to FB or twitter, let’s go to God first.

Ø If you need help with your kids, talk to God first;

Ø If you need help processing the news from the Doctor; go to God first;

Ø If you haven’t enough money at the end of your week, go to God first.

Remember that God can handle our problems, but we’ve got to go to Him with our problems, so why not take one day this week, and if a problem comes your way that seems too great for you to deal with, give it to God and let him fix you.

The band is going to come back and we’re going to sing a closing song, and if you need help today, and you would like for us to pray with you as you take your need to God, then feel free to come to the front, or stand where you are and find a few friends to pray with you, as you admit you need help, and take your problems to God, because God can handle our problems.

Father, you are good.  I need help. They need help. Thank-you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

 

Mother's Day

Here is our Mother's Day message. It was preached by my wife, Elizabeth. She did a wonderful job!

Show “Frozen Parody” video.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3je9jQf38c

 

The movie Frozen was loosely based on Hans Christian Anderson’s story “The Snow Queen”.  In case you forget your fairy tales he also wrote ”The Princess and the Pea”, “The Little Mermaid”, The Emperor’s New Suit”, “The Ugly Duckling”, and about 160 others.

 

Frozen has been the highest grossing animated film of all time and due to its setting and cultural influences, has caused tourism in Norway to increase drastically since the release of the film. 

 

The highly popular song “Let it Go” was recorded in 41 languages and was written in one day.  It was to be the traditional villain number that all Disney movies have but instead ended up being about freedom and empowerment.  Once the writers and producers heard the song they realized that they needed to rewrite the script of the movie to fit the song. 

 

That one song changed the entire creative direction of the movie.  In the movie, during this song, Elsa realizes that she no longer needs to hide her abilities, and so declares herself free from the restrictions she has had to endure since childhood. She rejoices in being able to use her power without fear or limit, to let her past go, and manipulate snow to create a living snowman and a magnificent ice castle for herself.

 

You, too, have been given a power, a freedom from restrictions; maybe not be build an ice castle, but an ability to use your God given talents.   You too, can let it go.                      

Pray –

 

Good morning and welcome to the Ridge on this mother’s day.  I’m glad you’re here and for those who are wondering ‘who in the world is this lady’, I’m Elizabeth Graham, otherwise known as Beth, or Pastor Nick’s wife, or mom to these two girls. A couple of times I have made a comment or two about mother’s day and … so upon one such comment the return remark was … ok... you’re on, you do the speaking.  I guess the lesson is unless you want to do it… don’t mention it. 

Since being presented with the opportunity to speak this morning, my mind has casually been filing away questions on which to speak about … what  do I as a young mom, have to say to other mothers who have been through way more than I have?  What could I possibly say to them?  On the other hand what do I have to say to those moms who are just beginning their journey?  What words of wisdom can I share without coming across as “just another mom who gives her advice” I think I have boiled it down into 7 simple words.  “God loves you, so let it go.”

Let’s turn to Isaiah 43:1-4.

 

Isaiah 43 New Living Translation (NLT)

But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you.
    O Israel, the one who formed you says,
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
    I have called you by name; you are mine.
² When you go through deep waters,
    I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
    you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
    you will not be burned up;
    the flames will not consume you.
³ For I am the Lord, your God,
    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I gave Egypt as a ransom for your freedom;
    I gave Ethiopia^[a] and Seba in your place.
⁴ Others were given in exchange for you.
    I traded their lives for yours
because you are precious to me.
    You are honored, and I love you.

 

A few years ago there was a totally sappy song entitled “I Will Be Here” It went something like this

Tomorrow mornin'
If you wake up
And the sun
Does not appear
I, I will be here

This song was written by Steven Curtis Chapman in the 90’s and sung at many a wedding.  The song wasn’t actually penned out of warm fuzzy romantic notions; it was penned out of pain.  The role models that Steven and Beth had placed in their life of what a strong, spiritual-centered marriage should be, fell apart.  It was during that time that Steven wanted to assure his wife that their marriage wouldn’t crumble. 

He said "It felt like I needed to drive a stake in the ground again and say to her, ‘No matter how I feel when I wake up tomorrow, no matter how disillusioned we may be at different points of this, I have made this commitment to you, and I will be here when you wake up.’ (SCC)

31 years later that promise is still true.

Mom’s we have to be careful.  A lot of times we are busy with work, household stuff, kids, taxi duty, but don’t forget about dad.  I completely understand when you say, “I don’t forget about him.”  We still date (occasionally, while getting groceries), I still see to his needs (when I’m not too tired), I make sure he has his laundry done and food to eat (the kids have to eat too), and so forth. Don’t take Dad for granted, maybe, way too soon, he could be taken from you, and then you could be left to do what you do each and every day, on your own. 

Some of you are left to do this on your own now, for whatever reason.  Maybe it was your choice. Maybe it was forced upon you. Or maybe for some of you, you have never had the opportunity to become a mother.   No matter what the situation you find yourself in, God is there for you.  Let it go, and allow God to help you to love your husband even though you are exhausted.  Let it go and allow yourself to mourn over those children you will never have.  Let it go, release your pent up frustration about not being able to find a Godly father for your children.  Let it go because God has said, “I have called you by name; you are mine. … I will be with you.”

Right now the most popular names for girls are Sophia, Emma, Olivia, Ava, Isabella and for boys they are Jackson, Aiden, Liam, Lucas, and Noah. 

When we were picking out the first names for our soon to be child, we had quite a chore.  We would think of name and one of us wouldn’t like it or it would remind Nick of a past girl he may or may not have liked before he met me, or it was too common, or… the list of excuses would go on.  Eventually we settled on a name and then of course everyone wanted to know ahead of time what it was.  When Erica came along we struggled again, we had used up 3 names on Emma so that gave us less to work with.  Our boy’s choice for a name has never gotten to be used as much as my mother would love to add more grandchildren to the mix.

 But you know… more importantly than what you named you’re  children; God has a name for you. 

Friend (John 15:15),

 Masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10),

Treasure (Deuteronomy 7:6)

Sons and Daughters (2 Corinthians 6:18),

Beloved (Song of Songs 2:16),

Chosen (Colossians 3:12). 

He has called you by name, you are his, and He will be with you, because of that you can let things go.

God promises in Isaiah 43 that you will not drown be burned or consumed.  I must say … there are times it sure feels like this is a promise that has eluded me!  I read an article the other day, which was fairly lengthy but I am only going to share bits and pieces of it.  This mom stated how there are so many others out there that think they know how moms should do their job and be a good mom.  The lists of requirements are,

Be a stay at home mom

Be a working mom

Be a stay at home working mom

Be a mom who bakes cupcakes for your kid’s class

Be a mom who buys cupcakes for your kid’s class

Be a mom who lets their kids watch tv

Be a mom whose kids says “what’s a tv”

Be a mom whose kids have perfect grades

Be a mom whose kids are failing a class or two

Be a new mom

Be a mom with an empty nest

Be a mom who homeschools

Be a mom who sends her children to a Christian school

Be a mom who sends her children to a public school

Be a mom who is caught up on laundry

Be a mom who is ten loads behind and doing the sniff test every morning

 

          Get the drift? There is just no way to be the perfect mom.  Stop beating yourself up over poor meals once in a while, dirty floors with dust bunnies, getting frustrated and raising your voice.  Don’t be alarmed when you feel the need to hide in the bathroom with your favorite stash of chocolate just for some peace and quiet.   None of these things really matter.  They won’t matter when your kids get married and go out into the world on their own.  They won’t look back to their childhood and hate you for all the boxes of mac and cheese you served last minute or the dust that collected on top of the tv stand.

 

Others people’s opinions and standards can quickly consume us if we don’t quickly line them up with the standard that matters… decisions based on what is good for YOUR family and YOUR kids.  No family or kids are going to be alike, so don’t go around comparing yourself to others who seem to have it all together.   God has, and will direct your paths when it comes to raising your family when you go to him for help.  Not Facebook, twitter or the latest self-help magazine.  It will only be with His guidance that you will not feel like you are going to drown be burned or consumed by others opinions of you as a mom.

 

You are not “a” mom, you are Billy or Sally’s mom.  Do what works best for you and them and let those outside opinions of you go and accept that He, God, loves you.

 

Those are easy words to say… let it go… in fact when something has been bothering me I often hear in the back of my head … let it go, Beth, just let it go.  This is when the Lord and I get into and little disagreement.  Right Lord, easy for you to say.  You don’t have kids and a husband waiting for you to get supper ready.  You don’t know how much that comment hurt, Lord.  You just don’t get it Lord, how that really bugs me.   Beth… just let it go.  We don’t have to be Supermom like the cartoon.

 

So how do we let it go?  I believe Rick Warren summed it up well in an article he wrote.

 

Every day, you have to decide who’s going to be in control of your life — you or God.

That choice is a battle. There are things in your life that you want to control. You want to make your own rules. But stress relief always starts with letting God be God. It always starts with saying, “God, I’m giving up control, because you can control the things that are out of control in my life.”

I don’t know what you’re going to face this week. You don’t, either. But I can already tell you what God wants you to do: Let go, and know. Let go of control, and know that God is in control. Let go, and know! This is the first step to serenity in your life.

Whenever we face out-of-control situations, we tend to go to one of two extremes. For some of you, the more out-of-control your life gets, the harder you try to control it. Some of you do the exact opposite: You just give up! You have a pity party and invite yourself to it.

Both of those reactions to stress are foolish. They don’t work. Instead of being a victim or becoming hyper controlling, you need to pray the prayer of surrender.

The number one reason you’re under stress is because you’re in conflict with God. You’re trying to control things that only God can control. You can’t control your husband or your kids or your wife or your job or your future or your past or any of that stuff. The more you do it, the more you’re trying to play God, and that puts you in opposition to God. Not only are you going to lose that conflict, but you’re also going to be tired.

Millions of people pray the Serenity Prayer, which is based on the Lord’s Prayer, but most have never read the last eight lines to the prayer: “Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time, accepting hardship as a pathway to peace, taking as Jesus did this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that you will make all things right if I surrender to your will so that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with you forever in the next. Amen.”

That’s where the power is! There is power when you surrender to God the very things you’ve been trying to take control of from him.

He summed it up well.  Control.  I dislike chaos.  I dislike mess.  But guess what… I have a family.  I have kids.  I have a husband.  There is going to be mess. 

 

Speaking of mess, when I am writing I like to look up what different words mean, and this time around I typed in the word mess.  The example “An incompetent, disorganized, and confused person : Honey, I'm a mess”  came up.  It made me laugh. 

 

It never fails, when I am in my office trying to work on either school work or book work, or just about anything, I get interrupted and not just by the kids.  A couple of years ago, I introduced my husband to a new hobby, woodworking.  My plan behind this great idea was that while I got to do my crafty things that I like to do, he too would have something he could work on.  Well, that plan backfired.  Now I am in no way saying that my husband is incompetent or disorganized, he is very capable of doing things and is also very organized … now, but confusion, yes, that sometimes can set in.  He gets these wood working magazines in the mail and sees these wonderful ideas but the directions confuse him.  So he comes to me … can you help me with this, what do I need, what do I need to do … so I lay out the steps for him, figure out what he needs to get for wood, walk him through the process … yeah… the plan for him to get his own hobby backfired.

 

Our own lives can be like that.  We have been given the instruction book, God’s word, full of wonderful things but sometimes the directions are a little hard for us to follow.  “Love your neighbour as yourself..., Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or drink or about your body, what you will wear…,  Seek first the kingdom of God…”    There are going to be events and things that happen that don’t make sense, there are going to be things that God asks us to do that others will question but remember God loves you, he will walk you through the steps , step by step and lay out piece by piece what you need to do, and because of that you can say:

          I have been ransomed by God. 

I have been called by name.

I am his.

          He will be with me.

          I will not drown.

          I will not be burned up.

          I am precious to him.

          I am honoured.

          He loves me.

There is a song that various different artists sing called “You Never Let Go”.  I know I have mention a lot about letting go, but in that process of letting go of those things that hinder us from being better moms we need to realize that God is right there to hold us, not letting us go. 

 

May you listen to the song, read the words and go from here this morning knowing that it’s ok. 

You can let go because God loves you, because you are not just “a” mom, but because you are “their” mom, God gave you those children and those responsibilities because He knew He could trust you with them.  

 

Please remember that these altars are also open at any time.  There are many a mom here who have been through tough things as well and would love to pray with you.  If you aren’t comfortable with that or just don’t think you can then at least try to make contact with someone this week one on one.

 

 You are precious to God, you are honored, He loves you and because He never lets go, you can.

 

Song - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jAA_HgyGuQ