MAY THE WORDS OF MY MOUTH ... AND THE MEDITATIONS OF ALL OUR HEARTS ... BE ALWAYS ACCEPTABLE TO YOU --- OUR STRENGTH AND OUR REDEEMER AMEN

Beginning on Christmas and for the last 3 weeks we've heard who Jesus is. The savior of the world ... the one more powerful than John the Baptist ... the one full of the Holy Spirit ... the messiah. Today we heard: the one of whom Moses and the prophets wrote ... the king of Israel ... the one upon whom the angels of God will descend.

This week began a shift to a somewhat different tone. Jesus says to Philip -- follow me. Jesus says to us that if we believe even half of what we have been told about who Jesus is, we should follow Him. Furthermore, if we do follow Jesus we will see miracles greater than we can imagine.

So what does that mean? What does it mean to "follow Jesus"? That's one of those questions which is both very easy and simple .... and the most difficult, complex question possible.

On the easy and simple side to follow Jesus means just that. To walk with Him, behind Him and do what Jesus tells us. To follow Jesus is to obey Jesus. To follow Jesus is to obey the commandments.

Unfortunately it all becomes difficult and complex when we realize that Jesus' instructions frequently are not directly applicable to most of our lives. Certainly do not steal, do not commit adultery, do not murder -- and similar commandments are easy to understand, even if not always easy to follow.

But how many hours each week do we spend stealing, murdering, or committing adultery? These, and the other direct commandments are extremely important - but they do not come into our lives very often.

So the difficult and complex part of "following Jesus" is about how we live the majority of our lives. What does "following Jesus" mean in the office? Or the construction site? Or the neighborhood? Or the family?

In those cases we move into the commandment to "love one another" .... and, "if you wish to be my follower you will be a servant to all".

THOSE are much more difficult to apply directly. We frequently - usually? - don't even think about them much less let then guide our lives. And yet ... that is exactly what they are supposed to do: guide our lives. When Jesus says to "follow me" He means for us to do those things He would do.

Jesus' focused on the "least of these" but Jesus did not ignore or isolate anyone. We all count. And all the people we interact with count - to God. All the people we interact with are God's beloved children ... which makes this pretty important!

But even more important than how this affects other people is how it affects us. Ironic ... our attitudes toward other people probably have more to do with our own attitudes than anything else. How we treat other people affects how we feel. If we are angry or upset at someone that raises our blood pressure, makes us uncomfortable, ruins our lives.

Have you ever had trouble sleeping because of a conflict with someone? Guess who is suffering! We are. If we can find a way to love that other person, we can feel better ourselves.

Remember that in this usage "love" does not mean necessarily "liking" the other person. It means not hating them, and treating them well but they still might not be the person we particularly want to spend time with!

Plus, loving the other person does not mean we should set ourselves up to be abused.

To follow Jesus means more than to step out of our comfort zone, it means to create a new comfort zone. It means to live in a way we are not accustomed to .. But which should become a habit.

I am reminded of a singer who said: "we had to begin living up to the standards we were singing about"

Most scholars will say that Jesus' words about "the kingdom of God has come near" might be better understood as "the kingdom of God has become accessible". I do not believe this means that people who lived before Jesus, especially Jews, are somehow excluded. But it does mean that we have an extraordinary opportunity.

I don't mean we can fully and completely enter the kingdom of God -- unfortunately. In fact, the image I have is a time I was walking along a strip mall in very cold weather Someone opened the door to a store and warm air came out and enveloped me -- for a moment. It was like having a sense of, a tiny bit of the kingdom of God.

I believe that when Jesus tells us the kingdom of God is now accessible to us - that's what He means. We can - for a moment - get a glimpse of it. And I find that most of the time when we get a glimpse of the kingdom of God its because we have shared the kingdom of God with someone ... we have opened that door so they can feel the warmth of God's love - even if for a much too short period of time.

Sometimes we glimpse the kingdom of God ... we feel God's love because we are hurting and someone shares it with us. But much more often we have the opportunity because we share with someone else.

What I want to do is help you see what I mean but using examples of situations many of us have experienced. All of them are simple, everyday actions that we can duplicate with ease. ... Isn't that interesting? The kingdom of God is not only accessible but easily accessible.

I don't often get the opportunity to be with you at the Open Door dinners because of our 5 pm service but I have been there, and similar places many times. People come forward with a variety of different attitudes

Sometimes ... usually once or twice each meal .... and maybe I read too much into their faces but it seems as if someone comes forward expecting NOT to be served. They come forward confident they will be turned away. So when they are handed a plate, just like everyone else, there is that expression of surprise - even shock. Appreciation yes, but more than that. Shock that someone would reach out to them. .... They experience the kingdom of God.

Or a single parent at GTCC that you, through your donations, have helped several times. She graduates this spring and I would not be more proud of her than if she was my daughter. She works, goes to school, and takes care of her child with no real support. At times she has needed food, or electricity and every time she has somehow paid us back. A couple months ago the radiator in her car had a hole in it. She could no longer work, or go to school. She called around and found a radiator in a junk yard ... found a friend to install it. But she needed $70. which she did not have. When I gave her that check I could see that attitude of surprise and appreciation. The sense that for her this congregation had opened the door to the kingdom of God and she had experienced the warmth of God's love.

Or the number of times I have heard people talk about being welcomed when they did not expect a church to welcome them. That this congregation had opened the door to God's warm love .... the kingdom of God.

When I look at the budget and see that even in these difficult economic times so many people are trying to help make the kingdom of God available to people who might not otherwise experience it. People for whom, the kingdom of God may be nearby, may be accessible, but there seems to be no one willing to open the door. So many of you are trying to help make that possible through your financial contributions.

The times when I get to be a volunteer chaplain at the hospital ... when this congregation makes it possible for the person in the emergency room to have a friend, a presence in those scary times.

Or some of my all time favorite times ... when the kids discover God loves them. Through your financial contributions and volunteer time this congregation opens the door and shows God's love to those children. It is amazing and I wish you all could experience it. When I kneel down and tell the children that God loves them which is why they are receiving the bread and wine. ..... You adults are supposed to understand that the phrase "the body of Christ" means "God loves you this much".

To see kids eyes light up during Godly Play or communion or children's chapel or just when talking with them .... at that moment you see the kingdom of God become near ... become accessible to them.

Or recently at the Interfaith Hospitality dinner. Again I might be reading too much into the face but one mother looked up as if expecting to be criticized, or demeaned. When we simply talked with her and played with her children and helped serve the food you could see in her face .... maybe not the kingdom of God, maybe not the warmth of God's love but the possibility that the kingdom of God might be accessible to her.

And the angel tree recipients ... I have spoken often of the joy they receive ... the sense of God's love from something basically fairly easy for us to do. The sense that the kingdom of God has come near when we follow Jesus.

But there are other, even more surprising situations. When one person does not hold a grudge against another person in family or work place - that is the kingdom of God being present. When one person reaches out and helps another for no selfish reason - that is the kingdom of God becomes present.

When we follow Jesus ... when we are servants to others ... when we are willing to do those other things ... we are blessed by the warmth of God's love ... blessed to see and experience miracles greater than we could imagine. Maybe the middle of the winter is the best time to reflect on following Jesus into God's warmth.

AMEN

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