02-03-2008 Three

Micah 6:1-8 :: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

1The LORD said to the people:

Come and present your case to the hills and mountains.
2Israel, I am bringing charges against you--I call upon the mountains and the earth's firm foundation to be my witnesses.
3My people, have I wronged you in any way at all? Please tell me.
4I rescued you from Egypt, where you were slaves. I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to be your leaders.
5Don't forget the evil plans of King Balak of Moab or what Balaam son of Beor said to him. Remember how I, the LORD, saved you many times on your way from Acacia to Gilgal."
6What offering should I bring when I bow down to worship the LORD God Most High? Should I try to please God by sacrificing calves a year old?
7Will thousands of sheep or rivers of olive oil make God satisfied with me? Should I sacrifice to the LORD my first-born child as payment for my terrible sins?
8The LORD God has told us what is right and expected of us: "See that justice is done, let mercy be your first concern, and walk humbly with your God."

Did'ya ever notice how things in the Bible seem to come in threes?

• Jonah was said to be in the fish's belly for three days.

• Jesus predicted Peter would deny him three times.

• Later Jesus would test Peter three times by asking him, "do you love me?"

• Jesus was in the grave for three days (at least as we calculate it).

• Peter has a dream in Acts 9 in which he comes to learn that no food--and more to the point no people are unclean to God. In order for him to get the message, he has the dream three times.

• Paul said of the gifts of the Holy Spirit that they were all temporary, except for three lasting gifts--faith, hope, and love.

• And we think of God as being in God in three persons--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; or Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer.

And this is just a partial list. We'd be here all day if we explored the world of threes in the bible, and the Super Bowl pre-game show starts at...three!
This Sermon is on the third day of February. Sometimes, sermons come in threes. Long ago, I sat in a homiletics class and the professor asked, "how many points should a sermon have?"
A voice in the back of the room called out, "Oughta' have at least one."
There's an old joke that a sermon is three points and a poem. That's not true so much anymore. No one is really preaching the classic 3-point sermon these days. Oh, you might hear some sermons that contain three different ideas, but the true-to-form 3-point sermon is the same point in three dimensions: What the text says, what it means to me and what do I do about it--the same idea addressed to the mind, the heart, and the will.
But today's text is a poem with three ideas--all pointing to the same greater idea--what does it mean to be in relationship with God?
Micah was a prophet working in the nation of Israel about 8 centuries before the time of Jesus. The people of Israel were divided along ideological and political and economic lines--not unlike the world in which we live.
Micah is deeply concerned about the divide of rich and poor. The book of Micah tells us that he was from the village of Morosheth, a tiny, impoverished spot far off the well-traveled roads. And Micah is greatly concerned with the problems of the poor and the rural folk--especially when they've been taken advantage of by the city-slickers from Jerusalem. Elsewhere in the book, Micah bristles at the way that his neighbors are cheated by the big city folks--who have two different sets of weights for their scales when they buy produce from the farmers. One set for the city folks, and one set for the hicks from Morosheth. That way, all the transactions are in the advantage of the city folks, and the poor, rural people go home cheated.
And the city folk would go to the temple and make their offerings, and assume that everything they did was OK--as long as they made the right sacrifices and went to temple on the right schedule. You get the picture? The nation had so compartmentalized their religion that if they went to temple on Saturday, then it was as if God didn't exist from Monday through Friday. Jesus had a word for that kind of religionists--hypocrites.
And in the midst of this hypocrisy Micah comes preaching the word of God. It reminds me of a bumper sticker that has been around for while which reads, slide "Jesus is coming, and is He _ _ _ _ _ _ ! That's nothing new. Micah was saying that 29 centuries ago. According to Micah, God is --hacked off! slide off
There were 613 commandments in the law of Moses--and some thought that if they kept the right commandments, they could still be in God's favor, even though they were cheating their neighbors. To this, Micah says, no!
Micah says that God does not worship--at least not the kind where you go the worship and still act like it didn't mean a thing.
This passage is a 3 way conversation with God, the nation, and Micah.
After voices great displeasure with the people, the people ask about what is proper worship:
What offering should I bring when I bow down to worship the LORD God Most High?
Should I try to please God by sacrificing calves a year old?

Will thousands of sheep or rivers of olive oil make God satisfied with me?

Should I sacrifice to the LORD my first-born child as payment for my terrible sins?

The silence that follows each of these questions is an overwhelming NO!

Well, what is it then that God wants?

God has told you, says Micah, and what God expects is only this:

slide We are to Do Justice, Love Tenderly, and Walk Humbly with God.

Say that with me: Do Justice, Love Tenderly, and Walk Humbly With your God. slide off

But, what does it mean? What does it mean to do justice, or to act justly as some translations put it, to see that justice is done, as the Contemporary English Version put it today? Too often, we think of justice as criminal justice--the determination of innocence and guilt. slide

But the biblical sense of justice is related to the way in which the benefits as well as the penalties of society are distributed. Biblical justice--God's justice--is concerned with far more than punishment. It assumes a covenant relationship with God, and that doing justice or living justly is living the way God calls us to live.

Our system too easily aligns justice with retribution, but it is far more aligned with Grace in God's view. Justice is not getting what we deserve, but getting what God has in store for us. To deal justly with others, then, is to deal with them as God would deal with us. Remember the parable of the servant who wanted his own debts forgiven, but refused to forgive the debt owed to him? When we pray that prayer every Sunday--twice--we are placing ourselves in the midst of God's justice!

Justice is also concerned with the well being of the whole community. Justice doesn't limit itself to a certain sphere, but demands that all are included. The scale in Lady Justice's hand relates to that, that in order for there to be justice, there must be equality. There is a great concern in the scriptures--old and new--of caring for the widows and orphans. Not because it's the nice thing to do, but because it's the just thing to do. Because no one can be left out of the prosperity of the community. And because we are intimately connected to each other.

There's a great rhythm & blues song from the 1960s--written by a Jewish team of songwriters, interestingly enough--which captures the whole idea of biblical justice. The title is "None of Us Are Free." The refrain echoes it,

None of us are free,

None of us are free,

If one of us is in chains,

none of us are free.

We do justice when we give to Week of Compassion. We do justice when we work for Habitat or volunteer at the food pantry. We do justice when we support the rights of working people. We do justice when we serve breakfast on Saturday mornings. We do justice when we volunteer in schools. Why? Because we're working to see that everybody has a chance. Justice is not something we wish or hope for. Justice demands action. See that justice is done. Do justice. slide off

What does it mean to love tenderly, or let mercy be first? The word which is translated mercy is the Hebrew word chesed. It cannot be easily translated by one English word. Steadfast love is another way it is translated. Another Jewish commentary I found translates it as love beyond the boundaries. Jesus echoed that when he said that we are to love our enemies. Anybody can love those who love them back. But loving mercy, chesed, goes beyond the boundaries.

Coupled with justice, loving kindness, mercy, chesed, says it is not enough to elevate the plight of others; not enough to feed a hungry person; we are called to love them. To love them as we are loved by God. To be in relationship with God is to be in relationship with the whole world.

Which brings us to the third of three things for today. Relationship with God.

I couldn't help but think of two people as I thought about walking humbly with God--and those two people are Cesar Millan and Mother Theresa.

slide Please don't think I'm dyslexic. This is not about walking humbly with your dog. But, it is about relationship. Kate and I are devotees of Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer. Cesar says--and Cesar is the authority in our house--that dogs come into relationship with their pack leader through walking together. Moving forward. And the pack leader is always leading the way with the pack at the leader's side. The pack goes where the leader goes, to do what the leader is doing. And Cesar maintains that the intimate bond--the bond based on love, trust, and respect, that connects dogs and their humans--comes through walking--moving forward together. slide off

This is a wonderful metaphor for walking humbly with our God. To follow God where God leads, and engage in what God is doing. But to do that, we must be in tune with what God is up to in the world. That's where Mother Theresa comes in. slide

It has recently come to light through some of her diaries and letters that Mother Theresa had what some call "dark nights of the soul"--moments when you don't know if God is walking with you or not. Not knowing sometimes if there is a God. Not knowing with certainty where God is leading or what God is up to.

Some of our Catholic brothers and sisters thought that that should scuttle the effort to declare her a saint (a status she already has in my book, even though I didn't always agree with her). But thankfully, many other Christians of all stripes have gratefully acknowledged that this only makes her more sainted. That she could experience moments of doubt and always come back to God's side--walking with great humility. It helps me to see her humanity and her willingness to admit that she didn't have all the answers, which is a problem I have with some of my brothers and sisters in the wider church who think they do. She was willing to let her doubts bring her to even greater faith through prayer.

A reporter once asked her, "When you pray, what do you say to God?"
Mother Theresa: "Nothing. I just listen."
Reporter: "And what does God say to you?"
Mother Theresa: "Nothing. He just listens, too. And if you don't understand that, I can't explain it to you." slide off

Walking humbly with our God involves prayer, worship, study, giving, and listening. Listening--and sometimes coming away with more questions than answers. Moving forward together and forming a bond based on love, respect, and trust. It is this third point--walking humbly with God--that really is the first. Without it, we cannot do justice and we cannot love mercifully. Walking humbly with God is the cornerstone--the linchpin--of all that we are and do as Christians.

When Dick Hamm was elected as our General Minister and President 15 years ago, he put before the whole church the marks of the faithful church. He called the church to have a passion for justice, true community, and deep spirituality. Sound familiar? Dick didn't make that up--he was simply putting a new wrapper on a tried and true formula.

Micah's three points are timeless. They are as pertinent today as they were fifteen years ago and as they were 28 centuries ago. But, all three point to one--to Jesus. Follow Jesus, who took up for sinners and sought justice for all, who loved even to the way of the cross, and who spent much time in prayer walking humbly with his Father.

It is an overwhelming task to take on the injustice of this world, and an even bigger responsibility to love as we are loved by God. But, that's the thing. Even as we are commanded by God to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God, we are empowered by God to do so. We are empowered by the God who walks beside us, and who, in Jesus, promised to be with us always, even to end of the earth.

That's Good News, my sisters and brothers. Good News, indeed. Amen.

First Christian Church Sermons by Chris Whitehead

February 3, 2008

01-20-2008 Changing our Names

John 1:29-42

¶ The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, "Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, 'After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.' I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel."

And John testified, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.

I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'

And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God."

The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples,

and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, "Look, here is the Lamb of God!"

¶ The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.

When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, "What are you looking for?" They said to him, "Rabbi" (which translated means Teacher), "where are you staying?"

He said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon.

One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.

He first found his brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated Anointed).

He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas" (which is translated Peter)

On the eighth day of a Jewish boy’s life, he is circumcised in a ceremony called a bris. The ceremony ties that child, and his family to the covenant God made with Abraham millennia ago. At that time, the child is given a name, so that that his very identity--whom he is--is connected to the covenant between God and Abraham. Whom he is is related to whom he is in relationship to God.

Over the course of the history of the church, the church adopted this practice, only relating it to baptism. A child was baptized, and at that moment, given a Christian name--a phrase we still use--surnames to delineate families, Christian names to delineate individuals. That’s where the term Christening comes from--to christen a child is to provide a Christian name.

But the term didn’t originate with infant baptism. It was a common practice--at least in the fourth century--if not before, to change one’s so-called pagan name to a Christian name at conversion.

Common names in the Greco-Roman world were taken from the pagan gods--Mercurius, Bacchus, Apollos; from numbers--Primus, Secundus, Octavia; from servile condition-- Servus, Servilianus, Vernacla; names of historical celebrity--Caesarius, Cornelia, Pompeius, and so forth.

But, on conversion, those names were not suitable for Christians, so a new name was given at baptism. At first, the names reflected virtues--Karis, Agape, Fides, Irene (Grace, Love, Faith, Peace) and things like that, and then they began to reflect connection to the Apostles, such as Peter, Paul, and, of course, Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Your name was expected to say something about who you were. Your name identified you as a follower of Jesus Christ. And a name change always reflects a change in status.

To this day, that reflects the practice of some parts of the church. In India, parts of the church there do not baptize until immediately before death, because to take on a Christian name (and forgoing one’s Hindu name) can mean persecution. In India, to be a Christian is to be completely separated from one’s community and family. It isn’t so much that you take on a Christian name, but you lose your Indian identity.

When we started to rehearse the anthem for today, I began to think about the name changes of the African slaves who were brought to this country in chains. It was absolutely monstrous what some of our ancestors did to them. They were taken from their home and homeland, brought under horrible conditions to a place with sicknesses for which they had no antibodies, ordered to work by people they did not know, and given names which had no meaning to them.

Often, the names given to slaves were that of their owners. Sometimes, they reflected the work that they were forced to do--Fields, House. The names that they were given had no relationship to whom they had been, but reflected their new identity and status--as slaves.

The spirituals were the hope of the slave community--but maybe not for the reason you think. The spirituals were not only brilliant theological works, but they also had secret purposes. By the time of the underground railroad, “Wade in the Water” (which we sang last Sunday) was about baptism, but it also meant, “While you’re going north, don’t stay on dry land, but get in the water. It will throw the bloodhounds off your scent. God’s gonna’ trouble the water, like throwing sand over the footprints—the water will have a saving effect.” “Deep Water,” the song we sang today, wasn’t only about the river Jordan, but about the Ohio River.

“Swing low, sweet chariot, coming for to carry me home,” was just as much about getting to the North as it was getting to heaven. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose name and memory we honor today, continued that tradition by using not only the language of the spirituals, but also the words of our patriotic hymns and songs to point to the yearnings for basic rights for all.

And then, on getting to freedom, the slaves would change their names again to reflect their new status as free people--a practice which also happened among slaves who were freed after the war.

Alex Haley set out to find out who he was beyond the descendant of slaves, and his book, Roots, inspired a whole generation of Americans--white and black--look back to the names they had left behind. One of reasons that Black parents in America are giving their children African names, or names that sound African, is that it is a way to reclaim that identity which was taken from them.

Which brings us to Peter. Simon, as he was known then, was minding his own business--literally minding his business, which was fishing--when his brother Andrew came running and said, “Come on, we’ve found him!”

When Jesus meets Simon, he says, "You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas" (which is translated Peter). Cephas in Aramaic, Peter in Greek.

Pretty audacious of Jesus, changing a man’s name on introduction. “Jesus, this is my brother, Simon.”

“Not anymore, from now on, Peter.”

How would you like that? Have a stranger change your name just like that?

Now, the name Peter means rock. And in the other Gospels, Jesus names Peter in a different setting, and says that upon that rock--that foundation--he will build the church.

Only problem is, Peter is anything but a rock throughout Jesus’ life on earth. He falters constantly, makes it clear that he doesn’t understand anything that Jesus says, denies Jesus three different times on the morning of the crucifixion. And refuses to accept the news of the resurrection. I ask you, does that sound like a rock solid foundation?

Of course it isn’t.

Peter is, of course, not a rock. He’s more like sand--and not very stable sand. But Jesus called him to ministry and in following Jesus, Peter began to change. He began to see more and more of what the kingdom was about, and to accept more and more Jesus’ good news for the Jewish people and indeed for the whole world. And Simon--which means “one who listens”--listened, and he became the rock.

One of my favorite stories in the bible involves Jesus and Peter. In the 21^st chapter of John, Jesus walks along the seashore, and sees Peter and the other disciples fishing after the resurrection. He calls out to them, “catch anything?”

“Nah.”

“Fish on the other side, then.”

And they caught so many fish that they started to sink the boat. Then John recognizes that it is Jesus, and he tells Peter, whom we are told is naked (Naked fishing. I don’t get that. Naked swimming, I could understand.).

But, Peter stand in the boat, puts on his clothes , and jumps into the sea.

After they ate, Jesus asks Peter, “do you love me?”

Peter responds, “of course, I love you.”

Jesus says, “feed my sheep.”

Again, “do you love me?”

“Lord, you know I do!”

“Feed my sheep.”

And a third time, “Peter, do you love me.”

“You know everything, you know that I do!”

“Feed my sheep.”

Jesus gives Peter three chances to affirm his love. And with each one, the three denials are wiped away.

Three times Peter denies, and then Jesus gives him three opportunities to negate those denials. And Peter is a little closer to really being the rock.

And then Pentecost comes. And the Holy Spirit descends upon Jerusalem and fills the disciples with power. And Peter, the poor, illiterate fisherman from Galilee steps into the streets of Jerusalem and declares that the Spirit of God has been poured out on all flesh, and God’s covenant with the chosen ones is now open to all through Jesus of Nazareth.

And Peter’s transformation from one who listens to the Rock is complete.

And so, what name has Christ chosen for you? What name do you suppose it might be? How are you growing into it?

What difference does it make in your life that you are baptized?

What difference does it make in your life that you are a Disciple of Christ?

How is the world a different place because Jesus Christ has claimed you and named you?

Since we haven’t changed our names, how does the world even know that we are baptized? How does the world even know we follow Christ?

This is the season of Epiphanytide--when we contemplate the meaning of Christ being revealed to the whole world. But, Christ is not being revealed through a big TV extravaganza, or (as in a PBS show I saw last week) a booth at the NASCAR race, or by obnoxious street preacher. Christ is being revealed to the world in each and every one of us.

Like Peter was, we are still growing into the role and the name which Christ has given to each of us--the role and the name is disciple.

Christ is working in each of us to be revealed to the world. Let us open our hearts and our minds so that we might be Good News, Good News, indeed, to the whole world.

FCC Sermons by Chris WhiteheadJanuary 20, 2008

01-06-2008 Revealing Christ to the World

"Revealing Christ to the World"

Matthew 2:1-12

Mt 2:1 ¶ In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,

2 asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage."

3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him;

4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.

5 They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

6 'And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.'"

7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared.

8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage."

9 ¶ When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was.

10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.

11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

Epiphany is not one of the church’s major holidays--which is sad. Years ago, Christmas trees would go up Christmas Eve and stay up for the twelve days of Christmas which ended on January 6--Epiphany.

Now, trees and decorations go up after the trick-or-treaters go home and the trees are thrown out on the sidewalk along with the wrapping paper from the presents. We tend to think of Christmas as being over when the presents are unwrapped on the 25^th of December, but that’s not how the early church envisioned it when it first began to observe Christmas.

Christmas is not a day, but a season, which ends in the Feast of the Epiphany.

So, what is Epiphany? The word simply means revelation, and recalls the occasion of Jesus Christ being revealed to the entire world. In Matthew’s version of the birth of Jesus, there are no angels singing in the heavens, no shepherds, no stable, no manger. Mary and Joseph are living in a house in Bethlehem, and no one has seen this newborn king until the Magi arrive from the East.

We call them wise men or kings, but they would be better described as shamans or sorcerers or astrologers. In Matthew’s time they could legitimately be called “wise men,” but in our culture, they’d be pretty shady. These were people, who, like modern astrologers, watched the stars in order to interpret the events of the day and predict the events of the future. It’s funny, really, that the modern church is so averse to astrology, yet we revere these fellows as “wise men.”

And, contrary to the hymn we sang earlier, we have no idea how many there were, and they certainly were not kings! But, they saw Jesus’ star and they came to see and to honor this new kings with gifts.

Interestingly, contemporary astronomy--not astrology--has determined that during the year 4 BCE, and interesting phenomenon occurred in the heavens. Three times that year, Jupiter (known as the king planet) crossed the orbit (from earth’s perspective) of Saturn--the planet which the ancient world associated with Bethlehem. These ancient watchers of the sky saw, not once, but three times the King planet going to the Bethlehem planet. What message did they get? The king is in Bethlehem.

It was clear to these stargazers that God was up to something big, and they needed to go and witness this thing, and to bring gifts--the best gifts they could. Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh. Myrrh. Who brings myrrh to a baby shower?

Some preachers will dwell on the symbolic nature of the gifts--gold for Jesus’ royalty, frankincense for his divinity (because incense is used in worship), and myrrh, for his death, as it is used in embalming. St. Bernard of Clairvaux declared that such notions were rubbish.

Matthew intended only one point--these gifts were of tremendous value. We know gold is valuable, but frankincense and myrrh were rare, aromatic resins not native to Palestine. Their value would have made them extremely resourceful to Joseph and Mary. For example, I wonder how they financed their journey to Egypt that we studied last week? The point is, these were very expensive gifts befitting a king, or a messiah.

And then, they went back to their own country. As far as I’m concerned, that’s where this sermon really begins. Do you think they kept the king that they had seen in Bethlehem secret? I don’t think so. The traditions of the church--as well as its art--begins to depict the Magi in an unusually inclusive way. By the fifth century, the Magi take on names and ethnic identities. There was the African named Gaspar, the Asian named Melchior, and Balthassar from Europe.

By their convergence from the North, East, and South, they symbolically represent the entire world, invited by the signs in the night sky to be the first to see the newborn king, the savior of the world. Even before his own kind.

And so the tradition is also that these same three began to reveal the good news of Jesus Christ to the world, even before John the Baptist and even before Jesus proclaimed it. And that may be the best gift of all.

If the greatest gift to Jesus is revealing him to the world, what gifts do you bring this morning? I’m not talking about the offering, though that is one way we reveal Christ to the world. And if you haven’t completed an estimate of giving card for this year, that would a wonderful gift to bring to the Savior this morning.

There is no star in the sky, we must shine for him today. We can’t all be teachers, who work with children or adults. We can’t all be evangelists or preachers. But, there is one thing we all can do. We can, as Paul writes in the first chapter of Philippians, “live our lives worthy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Matthew writes the same thing in the Sermon on the Mount, that we are to let our light shine, not to call attention to ourselves, but so that God may be glorified. In other words, we can let Jesus shine through us--as individuals and as the church--in such a way those around us can’t help but see him. What’s that hymn we sing sometimes? “They’ll know we are Christians by our love.” The call to reveal Christ to the world is the call to love.

Epiphany is not just a day, but a season. We’ll be talking over the next few weeks about the many ways in which we can reveal Christ to the world. We have seen his star, and we have worshiped him. And now, there is Good News, Good News, indeed to share with the world. Let’s get to it.

Invitation to Communion

Just as the star drew the Magi to Bethlehem, Jesus Christ draws us to this table to remember his saving acts, to celebrate his presence, and to look forward to his coming again. The invitation is for all.

Offering Sentences

The first act of worship offered to Jesus was that of giving. When they had opened their treasures, they presented to him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh--the best they had. Let us bring our gifts--our best--to honor the child.

Offertory Prayer

We come to you seeking to be wise women and men. Receive our gifts, and bless us as we bring them. Use them for the revealing of Christ and the growing of your kingdom in the world. In the name of Jesus our Christ, we pray. Amen.

Blessing

Go in peace--and take peace--into the world of human need. You are the body of Christ, and members of one another. Let us serve, honor, and love each other, that Christ may be revealed to the whole world. Amen.

FCC Sermons by Chris WhiteheadJanuary 6, 2008