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Malachi 4:5-6 "Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD. He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse."
Another season is upon us and the harvest is taking place, the days are getting much shorter, Covid 19 is making changes and yet in the midst of the changes and strife we are still being the "The Church" . The prophecy of Malachi says The Lord will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers. The Son of God has changed many things in our world. As we are in the midst of change in life and season , we can see how the Lord has and will change families, brothers and sisters, and how the church does church. Through the past 5 months many activities in the church have been canceled or postponed. Even today our activities are minimum. Yet we gather both live and livestream to worship. we pray together, we collect our thoughts in the presence of God, we allow God to speak to us, and His church is still active within our communities, The church is not "shut down." The faith of our ancestors, the ones who built this, a community of believers, is still available to all. Our ancestors started with nothing but faith in God that God would provide for them as they prayed and prayed and then took action. Some of their actions were out of necessity to survive. Embrace God's will in an extended prayer time. Seek what God wants from you to survive. Watch the changes taking place outside your window as God is changing what is inside our hearts and minds. Some of these changes are necessary for us to survive. Through our prayers we can turn our hearts as parents, and grandparents, as schooling is new. Our children's activities have changed and our normal way of life is how we live life at this moment. I see the hearts and minds of the children in my life growing up in extraordinary times. For some this is what they know. For others, the older ones, they wrestle with the reality that their past memories of life will not match the future and their children's memories will be different as life moves on. Well isn't that true for all generations? Malachi tells us thast the Lord will change the world. I remember my grandfather telling me how the fields I was looking at were plowed by horses instead of a tractor I was watching. My grandmother told me how she was the first female bus driver in Pennsylvania. Living without electricity or indoor plumbing and the outhouse that still stood in the middle of the yard. How a big trip was to travel into town. Today we don't even need to leave our own houses to see all the world on our hand held phones. yet the Lord God is still in all of this. God is about families and through the generations we can see that, our own heritage. Malachi is talking about connectedness through the Lord. Embrace each other, parent to child, child to parent. Then take this unconditional love, the love God blesses you with beyond your home into your faith community. Hereit will grow. How exciting. It will grow so you can take it out into your community and "Be the Church" of Jesus Christ. During this time of change, watch what God has planned for all of us. Be ready, be faithful, and be prayerful. Then, even in troubled times, you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Almighty God, help me to find solace in these times of changes. Where Lord, it seems people are looking out for themselves and forgetting we are a community brought together by the blood of Jesus Christ. Help us unite in prayer, to live in patience and enthusiasm as we see the changes you may be making this very day. Lord, I pray that fathers and mothers reunite their hearts with their childrens. That Your Word is imprinted on their foreheads. Lord I pray you open the minds of this community of believers to see new ways of connecting that are open to all people. May I seek peace above right, may I not be anxious or worried but instead trust that Your Will be done. Father, I pray for this church. I pray for the Holy Spirit to come and guide us to be open to the changes in our time of need. Father, I thank you and pray all things int he mighty name of Your Son Jesus. Earlier in the chapter Paul told the Philippians that he prayed for them. In this reading he outlined what he prayed for them. He prayed that their love might keep deepening, enriched by growing knowledge and insight into God’s purposes. That, he said, would empower them to discern “what really matters.” And living with that kind of insight-fueled discernment would fill their lives with “the fruit of righteousness” in ways that honored God. What a beautiful prayer,
Love, knowledge and insight. Paul connects these three words as he connects the head and the heart to learning and then growing in our love for Jesus. As we learn our heart grows deeper in Christ. Our lives become full of the fruits of righteousness and as Christians we become more spiritually complete. Col 3:14 Paul desires that when his readers stand before Christ, their lives will have been filled with… the spiritual fruit that comes from Jesus Christ, produced in them by the Holy Spirit.” Today the prayer Paul prayed, I pray for each of you. May our God so bless us all. See you later this morning. We have plenty of room available this morning so come and join us. Face mask required thank you. Almighty and Holy God, as I/we continue to adjust and cope with the situations I/we face may we not lose focus on the countless blessings you have and continue to provide to us corporately and personally. Lord, I ask for blessings upon EOCC and its missions and messages to our world today. Father, lead me, forgive me and help me grow. I pray that your love, knowledge and insight enters into each and every member from the Orrington area, to Pennsylvania, Virginia, Carolinas, Florida and throughout this great nation and world. I thank you for the men's group, the trials, the families and everyone who has helped my journey in becoming a better person in this Kingdom. I thank you for my wife, and children as I bring all things before you in the name of Your Son Jesus, Amen Philippians 3:8, 10-14 I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord… I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.
The other day I was on a zoom call and the internet was acting up. Two or three times the video and sound froze and eventually “Internet is unstable. Please wait.” came across the screen. The truth is I didn’t want to wait. So I restarted my laptop, only to be met with the same problem. In our world, where immediate gratification is crucial, Paul’s message can be hard to hear. And if you’re anything like me, “waiting” can be a struggle. For the most part I don’t like waiting for my coffee to brew, my internet, or waiting to see the Patriots once again win the Super Bowl. – That may be a bit far-stretched but the point is I don't like to wait.. The truth is I want it now. It's even hard to work for a far-away goal. I remember working toward my becoming ordained and how slow the pace seemed, of course now it is a blurr. But there is something to be said for working hard and being patient, especially when it comes to creating the world God intends for us. It can seem like excruciatingly slow progress to give time and work toward a worthy cause – especially when it feels like nothing is changing. But when we look closer, our efforts do have an impact—even if it's just one person at a time. If we hear nothing else from Paul’s message today, we can take away this—keep pressing toward the goal because our efforts are fruitful. You make a difference. This week, find time to be in prayer and Consider physically noting each time you pray. If you tried this daily, when you look back, you have a list of 7 times that you committed to the work of being transformed by God, and thus better prepared yourself for the work of transforming the world. Almighty Lord, I love you. Thank you for loving me and all of us first. In a world, where it seems a bit chaotic, reveal to us your faithfulness. Continue to bless and guide our work, but more than that, empower us to face the day, knowing that you are leading the way. We look to you, and strive to be more like you, the author, and the perfecter of our faith. Lord God, I pray this in Your Son's mighty name. Amen A week ago, I was exhausted after the service and yet I felt I had to do. As I got home and my mind was filled with "the dos" I thought of the song and message from Sunday. Slowwww down... my own words. and Doug's. through the Holy Spirit was convicting me. Hypocrite, "Slowww Down" breath and hear God. Let us be silent that we may hear the whisper of God, R. W. Emerson said in my ear. It was astounding how many things presented themselves in the matter of minutes. Things I forgot to do at church, things that needed to be done, Emails unanswered but at the same time my heart began to slow, my mind relaxed, the dos faded.
I thought of a story I was once told. Everyone has a backpack they carry in life. Some are heavy while some are light. They are filled with the burdens of life. Burdens that get there by our own hands, some are snuck in there by others, some just fall into the pack. These burdens can be past regrets, present concerns, fears about the future, worries about your children or your parents aging, school, those crying out for justice and the list is endless. Yet some of the backpacks while full are extremely light and others are heavy. The heavy ones are the ones we carry alone, refusing to let go and ask for help while the lighter ones have found the peace that comes from hearing and practicing the words of Jesus. give everything and everyone to me. An invitation He gives to all people yet few takes advantage of it. I sat there, opened my palms and said Lord, I am yours, take this from me today. And my muscles relaxed, my mind was quieted and I knew today I was to be in paradise. And I sat, fell asleep and woke as if a new day began. Then I heard voices and I got up and found some friends in my driveway, and a few minutes later my wife arrived and we visited. No cares no worries but fully refreshed. I was only asleep for 5 minutes but it felt like hours. That's God time happening as I let go. Jesus keeps repeating this invitation to me and to each of you. Start practicing letting go and see how minutes become hours and how your backpack, although full becomes very light. Trust, slowww down and God will bring clarity and peace. Philippians 1:9-11 9 This is my prayer: that your love might become even more and more rich with knowledge and all kinds of insight. 10 I pray this so that you will be able to decide what really matters and so you will be sincere and blameless on the day of Christ. 11 I pray that you will then be filled with the fruit of righteousness, which comes from Jesus Christ, in order to give glory and praise to God.
Earlier in the Book of Philippians Paul tells us he prayed for the people. In the passage above Paul tells us what he prayed. As you read this prayer how did this prayer compare to the prayers you say for others in your family and in the family of Christ? Do you pray that their love might keep deepening, enriched by growing knowledge and insight into God’s purposes. Like Paul do you believe because of this prayer, God would empower them to discern “what really matters.” And living with that kind of insight-fueled discernment would fill their lives with “the fruit of righteousness” in ways that honored God. As I read and reread this prayer by Paul I see where Paul is connecting love with knowledge and insight. He does not connect love with emotion and affection like we do but with wisdom and knowledge. For me he is saying that our hearts and minds must be connected in our love for God and each other. They were supposed to be connected, not separated. Love connects the two. Paul desires that when his readers stand before Christ, their lives will have been filled with… the spiritual fruit that comes from Jesus Christ, produced in them by the Holy Spirit.” Have you seen Spirit-produced love grow other spiritual fruit in your life and the lives of others you know? Maybe we need to start praying as Paul taught. Hope to see you later this morning. Let us take time to pray, think and grow as we remember. Below is an article sent by a Chaplain to me. It is written as a first hand account of that day by Msgr. Anthony Sherman.
It was a picture perfect day when I returned to my rectory after a number of communion calls. On my way to the last one, our parish deacon met me and said he had heard that a small plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. At home, I could sense that things were much more serious. I went to the school and met with the principal who described the events that were developing. Our concern was to provide the children with as much normalcy as possible since the children had not heard the news nor seen anything yet. We had just hired a nurse psychologist for our school and this was to be her first day. With the help of the nurse, both the principal and I prepared for how to deal with the news of either deceased or missing parents. Fortunately, the windows of the school faced away from New York. I went with our maintenance man to the roof and there before my eyes I could see the Towers engulfed in flames and then, as if made of matchsticks, one of them completely imploded. The rush of emotions is beyond words, and it struck at the very depths of my being. We were successful in keeping the children in school until dismissal that day. Only one parent insisted on taking a child home. We wished to avoid children being placed in front of TV and traumatized by seeing the events over and over again. At lunch time, I returned to the rectory, and just then an American fighter plane zoomed low. Questions raced through my mind. Were we suddenly at war with some country actually attacking us? The news indicated that people were walking across the main bridges from New York. One person appeared in our rectory completely covered with white powder. She was not a parishioner, but she needed to talk before going home. We decided to have exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. People flocked to the church. It was here that we had the initial contact with a newly married man at whose wedding I had presided. His wife would never be found. She had called her husband on her cell phone to announce the plane headed for her office. The evening before, she had announced she was with child. Another mother from the parish would never be found, and the body of a father who was a policeman would eventually be found. We held many funerals for police and fire persons who gave their lives. The readings in the week following these events were filled with statements about the consolation and strength God wished to offer his people. These were comforting words at a time when absolutely everything seemed to have been thrown up in the air. Any tranquility or self-confidence individuals or the nation had as a whole was shaken to its roots. Often at the funerals or memorials in our parish, I had to complete the reading of the words of remembrance and other tributes, which, thank God, we asked people to type out beforehand.Were it not for faith in God and in the power of Jesus' suffering, death and resurrection, I could not have led the flock entrusted to me. Again and again, experiences of intense human suffering, death and resurrection came into dialogue with Jesus' suffering, death and resurrection. One of the transforming experiences of these sad days was that everyone really had to ask themselves what was important in life. Certainly the normal things that we get so excited by were all cast aside by the magnitude of what had happened. The preciousness and also the precarious and vulnerable nature of the fundamental gift of life burned its way into the depth of our souls. I suppose for this reason, it took me quite some time before I could visit Ground Zero and look down at it from the street. Even more traumatic for me was when we made the pre-visit for Pope Benedict's projected visit. Cardinal Egan told me about his own experiences of 9/11, and we both realized how we had been transformed by that day. But it was with some trepidation that I stood at Ground Zero as Pope Benedict lit a candle and then knelt in quiet prayer for a few moments. He was surrounded by so many that had lost loved ones. His presence, however, gradually brought a sense of peace that was hard to describe. The wounds were still there but a true healing process had begun. A lesson learned from the whole experience was the realization that we ought not to cling to too much, although that is a constant struggle. In a moment, everything in our lives can be thrown up in the air and without a clear sense of what can truly survive. The way forward can be almost impossible. Finally, 9/11 led us all into the very depths of the mysteries of human suffering, death and resurrection. We discovered that we cannot obtain nor find all the answers to the atrocities we experienced. Yet with God's grace we also experienced the height of human sacrifice and the ability of our brothers and sisters to manifest heroic love. Ultimately we will have the answer to our questions and the reconciliation of all the forces of those days when we ourselves enter into the mysterious inner life of God's self. Only there will the mysteries of the 9/11 experience be revealed. I am paraphrasing here but Ps. 56:8 seems to be saying;God hears the cries of his people. God hurts when his people hurt. God bottles every tear that his people have shed. As we experience life, there will most likely be a time when it seems like God is hiding His face from you. Many Psalms speak of this. Perhaps it will be a betrayal. Or bad news from a doctor. Maybe your world feels like it is crashing. Certainly if you read or hear the news many would say it is. I just received a prayer bulletin that says we must pray and reunite this nation or else. Remember however, even when it seems like he is hiding his face, He is working His grace to complete a beautiful work in you, in us. Our circumstances will change life will change , but in these moments God wants to change you more as we are held in the nail-pierced hands of the potter
Over the last 25 years of walking with Jesus, I have learned that God hasn’t wasted a single hurt, disappointment, or tragedy. With his nail-pierced hands, Jesus the potter has reached into the messy clay of my life and sculpted me. What looks impossible to human eyes looks like an opportunity for Jesus to do the him-possible and reveal his greatness to us. I know this to be true. I just need to be held together while the potter is lovingly, sovereignly, and meticulously working to transform me. Oh, in truth I at times fight the changes because with it means more responsibility to be like Jesus. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers” Rom. 8:28–29. In this time when things are astray look for the good. Look for the God who wants transformation in our lives. Ask yourself the tough questions about your relationship with the creator, how is Jesus showing us His cross. God is our hope so let us allow Him to mold us so we might love as He loves us. Let us stop the negativity and walk in the light of the one who created us. Whatever trial you are facing today, hold on. Remember God’s faithfulness and trust in his goodness. Do not fall into the trap and join the many who want to persecute each other.Let us instead show hope, peace, joy and love to our community. See you later this morning. Almighty and Holy God. You have given us all we need. You have taught us about how to love our neighbor, our friends and even our enemies. You have shown us the love you want us to give to others and especially back to you. Oh Lord, help me honor you with the hope I bring through Your Son Jesus. Help me to remain in You and not fall prey to the world around me. May the words of my mouth be pleasing to your lips my God. Father, I ask for the forgiveness of my sins. I ask for peace to continue to reign in my life and those around me. May I never take lightly that You have called me an heir. Lord, you know my heart as I lift this prayer to You in the name of Jesus. Amen Ephesians 6:13-16
"Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked." One of our own, Union General Joshua Chamberlain became one of the most noted heroes of the Civil War for leading his men to hold the Union line at Little Round Top during the decisive battle of Gettysburg. There will always be opportunities for us to make concessions to the enemy and give in to temptation, surrender. But when faced with trials and temptations, we must stand firm. Those who have gone before us have set an example that should encourage us to hold our ground. Our Lord expects and deserves nothing less than our full devotion. In this time of life may we hold fast to the principles that our King taught us. Let us not negotiate the values and ethics Jesus taught. Let us stand united in how we speak to each other, how we show compassion to others, and how we love our neighbors. Let us not give in to greed or anything goes mentality as long as the end profits us, but instead let us hold fast to Jesus Christ as our true King. I hope to catch up with many of you later today. Pray for this Nation, our church and our communities. |
Meet the pastorRev. Pastor Carl Schreiber has been serving East Orrington Congregational Church (EOCC) since March 12, 2006 Archives
October 2021
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