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Weekly Message

KEEP THE CHANGE Matthew 7:24-29 The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. With all the sadness, stress, and trauma going on in the world at the moment, it is worth reflecting on the death of a very important person: Larry La Prise, the man who wrote "The Hokey Pokey." He died peacefully at the age of 93. According to the papers, the most traumatic part of the loss for his family was getting him into the coffin. They put his left leg in and that is when the real trouble started.... In and out of the dance circle, on and off the Christian path, sometimes we find ourselves lost amidst the whirling, swirling pressures of 21-century life, and we just long for the One Thing to align ourselves with spiritually so that the "something's missing" feeling might subside. That one thing is described so eloquently in Proverbs 3:5-6. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." The Lord wants to bless our paths--our lives--if only we were willing to set our feet in step with His. The Christian life is all about walking (or dancing!) in the way of Jesus Christ; to imitate Christ with our whole being; yet, for too many Christians, the faith journey looks more like a simple rendition of the Hokey Pokey. We put our right foot in (for a little while) and take our right foot out; put a right arm in, take a right arm out; shake it all about.... and then get out before we are called to put our whole selves in. This change we have explored is all about transformation--a process of change that will only work as God intends it if we put our whole selves into it. I fervently believe that this church and just about any church can thrive--not merely survive--if we make the great exchange. We are called to exchange our will for God's, and as we do that, the power of the Holy Spirit will begin to move us out of a Hokey Pokey faith into the beautiful waltz of Christian Life . Just because this sermon series ends today does not mean we let go of the word "change." If we keep the process of of spiritual change moving forward then we will be far more interested in dancing with the Holy Spirit than dancing with the Stars. Politics seems to have absconded with the word "change" being what America needs at this time. Yet, I believe.Change. is far more than a .buzz. word; it's a "be-'cuz. word. This word is important and the process necessary "be-'cuz. we have meandered far from where God intends to lead us. The path of transformation toward the establishment of "thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven" will belong to the ones who have listened well; the ones who have used God's word as a lamp unto their feet and a light unto their paths. Listen again to the teaching from Matthew 7:24-27. "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall because it had been built on the rock And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods ame, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it." Friends, do you see the rain falling in your life? Have you noticed the rising water levels gathering around you? Do you hear the winds blowing and beating on your spiritual house? Are you unsure of what the future holds? Does not have to be that way, not if we walk in the Way that Jesus has shown us. Don't just give him your right leg or your left arm; that does little to keep the harsh elements, patterns, of this world away from our souls. "Lean not on your own understanding," the psalmist wrote; "in all your ways acknowledge him." Leaning on the everlasting arms of Jesus Christ can dispel the fear we each have of the storms that rage around us. Give your anxiety to the Lord. He will take it upon himself; he will cover it with his grace and mercy. Congregation, do you think that rain is falling around our church? Do you imagine that the rising levels of expenses and financial responsibilities threaten the welfare of this church? Do you hear winds of severity blowing and beating us down in our spiritual house? Are we in fear of the "house" falling down around us because of forces beyond our control? Doesn't have to be that way, not if we Keep the Change going. We can give our anxiety to the Lord. Letting go of anxiety and fear and relying on faith releases us to grow and fulfill the purpose for which this congregation has been gathered on this specific piece of real estate on planet Earth. We have come so far, let's not lose our focus now. The prize is out there, let's keep our eyes on it. We keep our eyes on the prize and turn our hearts over to the Lord. We are building a house of faith; let's build it on rock, the rock of Jesus Christ, the head and cornerstone of our faith. This life we have together is purposed and gifted. Those who hear the words of Jesus and ACT on them will not be left to drown when the rains come and the waters rise and the winds blow and beat against them. Even when all others around us are breaking under the pressure, we can hold fast to the foundation of Jesus Christ. Let's, as one family, Dare to Dream, dare to pray, dare to invoke the name of Jesus Christ into everything we do...upon his rock, let us rebuild our church on the Exchange of our will for God's, for God's will is good. We can exchange our failures for his forgiveness; our guilt for his grace; our pursuits for his purposes. It's truly a change of spirit that will happen in our midst. Christ Blumhofer tells of his experience at a friends wedding.... The ceremony went well; an air of worship accompanied the day's events. But what I remember best is the reception. There, the hired-out emcee requested that all couples married for more than 5 years take the dance floor. Then he pared down the group: "If you've been married for less than 10 years, have a seat . 20 . 30 . 50 . " At last, one couple remained. They'd been married 63 years. The emcee interviewed the marriage veterans, eventually reaching his climactic question: "What's one piece of advice you'd like to give the newlyweds?" The old husband took the mic, looked at the young groom, and slowly quoted these ancient words: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." The room hung in silence. Remarkably, the emcee was speechless.an octogenarian had just brought God into the center of the dance floor. Dance, then, wherever you may be, for the Lord of the dance will lead us our of our anxiety, out of fear, out of stress, out of unproductive worry. He will, for those who hear his words and ACT on them--dance them, if you will--provide the surest foundation, one that nothing in this world can move. Christ is the sure foundation. Let us change whatever is keeping us--as individuals or as a congregation--from standing with him. This six-part sermon series has reached it's conclusion, but we have not. Keep the faith, my friends. Keep the dance going. Keep the Change. Amen. May 4, 2008 The First Parish Federated Church of South Berwick, ME The Reverend Donna Lee Muise, Pastor First Parish Federated Church of South Berwick, Maine The Reverend Donna Lee Muise

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