{"id":6806,"date":"2015-04-28T13:21:51","date_gmt":"2015-04-28T17:21:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=6806"},"modified":"2015-05-21T12:41:35","modified_gmt":"2015-05-21T16:41:35","slug":"take-a-ride-on-a-roller-coaster-42615","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=6806","title":{"rendered":"Take a Ride on a Roller Coaster! (4\/26\/15)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Can you imagine a roller coaster ride that’s not filled with excitement and expectation?\u00a0 Can you imagine a relationship with God that’s not filled with joy and expectation?\u00a0 Pastor Jim’s sermon on April 26 challenged us to learn\u00a0 from children; to take on the same wide-eyed faith that allows us to go where Jesus takes us…<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Click the following “Play” button to listen to a recording of the sermon (from the 11\u00a0 AM service), then scroll down to follow along…<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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The scripture was from Mark 10:13-16 (open the drop down box to read along)…<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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Mark 10:13-16<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t
13 Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them.<\/p>\n

14 But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.”<\/p>\n

15 Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.”<\/p>\n

16 And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them. NKJV<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n

I love riding on roller coasters.\u00a0 I have without fear climbed aboard some of the fiercest roller coasters available.\u00a0 Yes- without fear- but not without excitement and anticipation.\u00a0 Can you imagine a roller coaster ride which is not filled with excitement, joy, and anticipation?\u00a0 Unless everyone has passed out, there is noise!<\/p>\n\n\t\t

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\n\t\t\tMusic…\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t
\n\t\t\tShouting…\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t
\n\t\t\tEnergy…\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t
\n\t\t\tRaising their hands…\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tJoyous!…\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tExciting!…\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tJust like Church!!!<\/span><\/strong>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t\n

The Machinery operates as well-oiled motors keep moving the coaster forward.\u00a0 The call to be a disciple of Christ, to have a vibrant, growing and relevant ministry, can be wonderful and exciting at the same time.\u00a0 Yet the ride IS fun, exciting, joyous, and it builds relationships with all of us who are on the ride.\u00a0 And- Jesus said that we will make it through the ride!<\/p>\n

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John 16:33\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.<\/span><\/p>\n

Phil 4:13<\/span><\/strong> \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n

Psalm 127:3 tells us that children are a gift from God.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Could it be that we need to learn from them?\u00a0 After all, Jesus said (Mark 10:15) “Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.<\/span>”\u00a0 Without kids to give us an example, how would we know how to be “as a little child?”<\/p>\n

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Be Quiet!<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 But we sing “There is Joy in\u00a0 the Lord!”
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\"OFH<\/a>Jesus says that the attitude and spirit- the things that make a child tick- should be part of our faith. Yes!\u00a0 We should be joyous and filled with the same absolute trust that kids have.\u00a0 But do we listen to them?\u00a0 Or, do we try to squelch them?\u00a0 The disciples tried to keep the kids away… “No, Don’t bother Jesus.\u00a0 He’s got big, important, grown-up things to do.”<\/p>\n

Jesus was angry (“Moved with indignation”).\u00a0 He was displeased, disappointed and states emphatically in Mark 10:14-15 that He was not going to stand for anyone keeping children from coming from Him.<\/p>\n

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Elton Trueblood, in his book “The Heart of a Child” writes…<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

We tend to glorify adulthood and wisdom and worldly prudence, but the Gospel reverses all this.\u00a0 The Gospel says that the inescapable condition of entrance into the divine fellowship is that we turn and become as a little child, tender and full of wonder and unspoiled by the hard skepticism on which we so often pride ourselves.\u00a0 <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

God has sent children into the world, not only to replenish it, but to serve also as sacred reminders of something ineffably precious which we are always in danger of losing.\u00a0 The sacrament of childhood is thus a continuing education.<\/span><\/em><\/div><\/div>\n

Rather than being an annoyance, did you ever think that maybe Children have something to teach us?\u00a0 We call it “Pastor’s Pals” or a “Children’s Sermon.”\u00a0 The joy and simple faith of these kids acts as a sermon.\u00a0 Yes, it is often a “Children’s Sermon”… a sermon taught by children, not to children.<\/p>\n

Kids are listening.\u00a0 Do we help them understand and to learn from the way they listen?<\/p>\n

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Do this Don’t Do That!<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 But Kids Trust only in Grace<\/span><\/h3>\n

According to Larry O. Richards’ Teachers Commentary:<\/p>\n

In (ancient) Judaism, a “little child” was not considered to be under the Old Testament Law.\u00a0 Not until one’s thirteenth birthday was a person old enough to begin to relate to God through The Law.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

To receive the kingdom like a “little child” meant to reject The Law as a way of entering God’s Kingdom, and to rely instead- as children did- on the love and grace of the God who made great promises to His people.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The faith and trust of children is amazing.\u00a0\u00a0 Jesus always has time for the kids.\u00a0 Children are very trusting, very simple when it comes to spiritual matters.\u00a0 Kids have a way of bringing excitement, a willingness to take calculated risks, and accept God at His word.\u00a0\u00a0 How many times as parents have we told kids “you just have to trust me on this.”\u00a0 We need to trust God in the same way.<\/p>\n

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We Complain\u00a0<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 And then Sing “How Great Thou Art”
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What is our focus?\u00a0 What message does it send to our kids if our walk doesn’t match our talk?\u00a0 If we sing “How Great Thou Art” on Sunday morning and then complain about the usher, or someone sitting in our seat, or about the length of the sermon… are we backing up our claims of God’s greatness?\u00a0 Do our conflicting messages “keep the little children” from bringing their simple absolute faith to Jesus?<\/p>\n


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Stop that Baby from Crying!\u00a0<\/span><\/em> But We Want Lively Worship<\/span><\/h3>\n

We hear what we want to listen to.\u00a0 There are many unimportant trivial matters that we can hear through\u00a0 life’s “distractions.”\u00a0 And yet, we often fail to hear important and vital things because we focus on the “distractions.”<\/p>\n

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Sometimes it seems that The Pastors Pals children’s sermon is “hijacked” by the kids. The object in the object lesson steals the kids’ attention away, and it seems that the intended message doesn’t get out. <\/span><\/p>\n

Adults know where the pastor is trying to go.\u00a0 But do we miss out on the lesson we might learn from the kids because we’re focused on the message we think we should be hearing?<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n

What do we listen to???<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Mixed Messages… Are We Pushing Little Children Away?
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Jesus said “Let the little children come to Me,” and we should embrace them in our worship services.\u00a0 Worship is livelier and richer with children present.\u00a0 Children worshiping alongside adults who are expectant and reverent before the presence of God learn lessons they will remember all their lives.\u00a0 As adults,\u00a0 we can have a tremendous amount of influence on\u00a0 children. We must take our role seriously; making the church the most welcoming place for children.<\/p>\n

Three brothers went to the zoo one day for an outing.\u00a0 They decided to visit the elephant cage, but soon enough, they were picked up by a security guard for causing a commotion.\u00a0 The guard hauled the three boys off to the zoo security office for questioning.\u00a0 The supervisor in charge asked the boys to give their names and tell what they were doing at the elephant cage. <\/span><\/p>\n

The first brother immediately said, “My name is Gary and I was just throwing peanuts into the elephant cage.”<\/span><\/p>\n

The second brother added, “My name is Michael, and all I was doing was throwing peanuts into the elephant cage.”<\/span><\/p>\n

The third brother was the youngest and he was a little shaken up.\u00a0 When he composed himself, he said, “well officer, my name is Peter, but my brothers and friends just call me Peanuts!”<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In all we (adults) say- and do; in all of our actions- do we welcome the kids?\u00a0 What messages do we send?\u00a0 As in the above story, just a little bit of misunderstanding can lead someone to do the wrong things.\u00a0 What are we communicating to our kids?<\/p>\n

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The Magic Kingdom and God’s Kingdom<\/span><\/h3>\n

Perhaps like many of you, my family and I have been blessed by being able to visit Disney World.\u00a0 Now, while I suspect that Disney World does not intentionally intend to put forth Christian values per se<\/em>, I\u00a0 couldn’t help but find great spiritual lessons during our times there.<\/p>\n

Children Matter!\u00a0<\/em><\/strong> Walt Disney’s dream was to create an unforgettable\u00a0 experience for children. His intention was to create a place where kids could be with their parents or grandparents and be totally amazed.\u00a0 Not just just amused, but amazed<\/em>.\u00a0 He wanted a place where children mattered, children were joyful, a place where children were valued, and a place where children wanted to return. A place where children wanted to be.<\/p>\n

Disney once wrote:<\/p>\n

Both my study of Scripture and my career in entertaining children have taught me to cherish them.<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Jesus said:<\/p>\n

Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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What does the church say?\u00a0 Do we express that same kind of “roller coaster” excitement that teaches childlike energy, childlike joy and allows that to be driving our faith, our worship, our mission and our purpose?<\/p>\n

In the presence of God is the fullness of joy!\u00a0 Do we cherish our presence with God?\u00a0 We’ve gotta have what these kids have!\u00a0 We need their simple faith to jump into the arms of God.\u00a0 We need their joy:<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t

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