September 9, Grandparent's Day, Sunday School Rally Day

Lesson: Matthew 6.10b

Sermon Title: When Aliens Rule

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INTRODUCTION:

Sunday Compliment (1)

The minister gave his Sunday morning service, as usual, but this particular Sunday, it was considerably longer than normal.

Later, at the door, shaking hands with parishioners as they moved out, one man said, "Your sermon, Pastor, was simply wonderful - so invigorating and inspiring and refreshing."

The minister of course, broke out in a big smile, only to hear the man say, "Why I felt like a new man when I woke up!"

A TV Commercial (2)

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  1. There is an intense and volatile debate illegal aliens.

    1. Perhaps we ought to call them illegal immigrants.

    2. They cross over the border and enter into New Mexico, Arizona or Texas.

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MAIN BODY:

  1. These are not the aliens in the title for the sermon: "When Aliens Rule".

    1. This world is mainly ruled by aliens.

      1. The aliens are not from another planet in a different solar system.

      2. These aliens are part and parcel of the fabric of life on planet Earth.

    2. The aliens are those who do not seek to understand or to do God's will on earth as it is done in heaven.

    3. The aliens prohibit and inhibit the exhibition and power of the will of God being done on earth as it is in heaven.

      1. Is there poverty in heaven?

      2. Does heaven lack adequate health care?

      3. Is there war in heaven?

      4. Is there genocide in heaven?

      5. Is there segregation in heaven?

      6. Is there prejudice in heaven?

      7. Is there social or economic inequality in heaven?

    4. No there is not.

    5. This is because aliens rule.

    6. Aliens are people of the flesh as the flesh is described by the Apostle Paul in Galatians 5:16-26, NRSVA

      1. He describes the works of the flesh as:

16Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law. 19Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, 20idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, 21envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

      1. The people of the flesh may claim to be Christian, but their works belie their claim.

      2. The people of the flesh may even attend worship and offer up prayers and thanksgivings to God, but their works are not in harmony with their professions.

    1. By contrast Non-aliens are people of the Spirit

      1. Paul describes the the fruit of the Spirit in this way:

22By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, 23gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. 24And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, competing against one another, envying one another, (Galatians 5:16-26, NRSVA).

      1. The people who are exhibiting the fruits of the Spirit are people in harmony with the will of God.

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  1. How do you go from being an alien to being a non-alien?

    1. How do you go from being an enemy of God to being a friend of God?

      1. You become by doing the will of God.

        1. For some the will of God is a wilderness of confusion and conflict.

        2. For others the will of God is a prison guarded by a malevolent deity.

        3. I rest secure in the will of God knowing that it is being applied now and will be fully applied in the future.

          1. How do I do that?

          2. I listen to and follow the lead of Jesus.

      2. Jesus was confronted by his mother, brothers, and sisters.

        1. They were asking for him.

        2. His response is telling:

31Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. 32A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, "Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you." 33And he replied, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" 34And looking at those who sat around him, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! 35Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother," Mark 3:31-35, NRSVA).

      1. Think of doing God's will as dancing.

    1. Dancing with God (3)

When I meditated on the word Guidance, I kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word. I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing.

When two people try to lead, nothing feels right. The movement doesn't flow with the music, and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.

When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead, both bodies begin to flow with the music. One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back or by pressing lightly in one direction or another.

It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully.

The dance takes surrender, willingness, and attentiveness from one person and gentle guidance and skill from the other.

Then my eyes drew back to the word Guidance.

When I saw "G": I thought of God, followed by "U" and "I."

"God, "u" and "i" dance."

God, You and I dance.

As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust that I would get guidance about my life. Once again, I became willing to let God lead.

Let's DANCE!

    1. Jesus is the Lord of the Dance.

      1. Jesus is the one who makes known the will of God as stated in Ephesians 1.

3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. 5He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace 8that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight 9he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, 10as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth, (Ephesians 1:3-10, NRSVA).

      1. Jesus is the Lord of the Dance.

      2. Sydney Carter wrote the words to the song Lord of the Dance. (4)

I danced in the morning when the world was begun
I danced in the Moon & the Stars & the Sun
I came down from Heaven & I danced on Earth
At Bethlehem I had my birth:

Dance then, wherever you may be
I am the Lord of the Dance, said He!
And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be
And I'll lead you all in the Dance, said He!
(...lead you all in the Dance, said He!)

I danced for the scribe & the pharisee
But they would not dance & they wouldn't follow me
I danced for fishermen, for James & John
They came with me & the Dance went on:

Dance then, wherever you may be
I am the Lord of the Dance, said He!
And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be
And I'll lead you all in the Dance, said He!
(...lead you all in the Dance, said He!)

I danced on the Sabbath & I cured the lame
The holy people said it was a shame!
They whipped & they stripped & they hung me high
And they left me there on a cross to die!

Dance then, wherever you may be
I am the Lord of the Dance, said He!
And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be
And I'll lead you all in the Dance, said He!
(...lead you all in the Dance, said He!)

I danced on a Friday when the sky turned black
It's hard to dance with the devil on your back
They buried my body & they thought I'd gone
But I am the Dance & I still go on!

Dance then, wherever you may be
I am the Lord of the Dance, said He!
And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be
And I'll lead you all in the Dance, said He!
(...lead you all in the Dance, said He!)

They cut me down and I leapt up high
I am the Life that'll never, never die!
I'll live in you if you'll live in Me -
I am the Lord of the Dance, said He!

Dance then, wherever you may be
I am the Lord of the Dance, said He!
And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be
And I'll lead you all in the Dance, said He!

    1. You need not only the words, the steps, but you also need the tune, the melody.

      1. Max Lucado compares the role of the Spirit in our lives to a guy who wants to learn to dance. (5)

He's a rational, intelligent sort of guy, so he goes to the bookstore and buys a how-to book. He takes it home and begins studying. He does everything it says with meticulous care. When the instructions say sway, he sways. When the instructions say lean, he leans. When the instructions say spin, he spins. He even cuts out paper footprints and arranges them on the family room floor so he will know exactly where to step.

Finally, he thinks he's got it down pat. He calls his wife in and says, Honey, watch! With book in hand and reading aloud so she'll know he's done his homework, he follows the instructions, step by step. It says, Take one step with your right foot. So he takes one step with his right foot. Then it says, Turn slowly to the left. He turns slowly to the left. He keeps it up, reading and then moving, reading and dancing, through the whole thing.

Then he collapses exhausted on the sofa and says to his wife, What do you think? I executed it perfectly! To which she replies, You executed it all right. You killed it!

The bumfuzzled husband says, But I followed the rules, I laid out the pattern, I did everything the book said ...

But, she sighs, you forgot the most important part. Where was the music?

With that, she puts on a CD. Try it again. Quit worrying about the steps and just follow the music. She holds out her hand, and he gets up and takes it. The music starts, and the next thing the guy knows he's dancing -- without the book!

      1. Max closes the story with this:

        1. We Christians are prone to follow the book while ignoring the music.

        2. We master the doctrine, outline the chapters, memorize the dispensations, debate the rules and stiffly step down the dance floor of life with no music in our hearts.

        3. Dancing with no music is tough stuff. Jesus knew that.

        4. For that reason, on the night before his death he introduced the disciples to the song maker of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit.

    1. It's the Holy Spirit who provides the music of the spheres.

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CONCLUSION:

  1. As Nanna sang to her granddaughter as the children's book How Far to Heaven? closes: (6)

Forever and always, inside, all around,

Heaven is everywhere heaven is found.

Listen with glad ears, see with love's eyes,

Give wings to your heart, and cherish the prize!

Forever and always we dance to the sound,

For heaven is everywhere heaven is found.

  1. 9"Pray then in this way: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven," (Matthew 6:910a, NRSVA).

    1. Padraig O' Maille, after a visit to the contemplative Poor Clare Sisters in Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi, wrote: (7)

God gave us tongues to sing and lips to kiss
God gave us feet to dance
All these he gave and saw that they were good
And yet in all my years these gifts lay fallow
My hands have failed to raise themselves in praise
My feet have never danced
I have not kissed the beauty of the world
I sang no song -- until today
I came upon you, hand upraised in love
I heard you sing and as you danced
To sacred tunes you caught me up
My hands entwined in yours beyond the grill
Gave thanks
My lips dared taste the searing of His beauty
My tongue which never sang until today
Bore witness to a love but dimly felt
And magnified the glory of His name.

    1. Let's Dance

Amen!

1. You Make Me Laugh [You_Make_Me_Laugh@crosswalkmail.com]

2. Retrieved from: http://graceland.gentle.org/bag/page/19/

3. Mikey's Funnies [funnies-owner@lists.MikeysFunnies.com]

4. Retrieved from: http://www.users.on.net/~arachne/lotd.html

5. --Rubel Shelly, Great themes of the Bible: Spirit's indwelling, Faith Matters, faithmatters.faithsite.com.

6. Chara M. Curtis, How Far to Heaven? (Bellevue, Wash.: Illumination Arts, 1996).

7. Padraig O' Maille, after a visit to the contemplative Poor Clare Sisters in Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi, as quoted in Donal Dorr, Integral Spirituality (Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 1990), 101.

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