"I See You"

July 2, 2006
from Philippians 2:1-11

"Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus..."

My sermon outline:

• I saw a 3yo at Annual Conference (I see you). I don’t know you but I love you.
• fundraiser (can you imagine, a Methodist church doing a fundraiser, lol) at Grandview UMC, bought a pipe in the organ (sponsored it or something like that, I think it was a C# an octave above middle C)... special pride in that pipe, but all by itself, blech. Gotta be combined with the gifts of other community members in order for its beauty to be heard. And it was a beautiful time when, during a worship service, the pastor burned the loan which had been completely paid off.
• Imagine you made one piece of the stained glass windows.
You might change where you normally sit so you could see it while you’re in church :)
You’d show off, you’d be crazy about it. You’d make sure it was repaired if it was damaged.
Yet like a single organ pipe, a single piece of colored glass is boring. It’s when it’s combined with other pieces that a whole and beautiful picture is seen.
• I understand there’s an emotional history behind this painting of Jesus over here.
• Imagine you’re the painter
Imagine you’re the window maker.
You’d know each piece, you’d craft each piece and place each piece.

• God is the painter, God is the maker. You are his work of art. God is crazy about you. God knows you. As much as I know about my daughter and as crazy as I am about her, God’s knowledge and love for us is greater.
As much as I’d do anything for my daughter, God not only would do anything for us, God already did do everything for us. Jesus, who was indeed God, poured out his God-ness voluntarily and for us and “emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, and ... humbled himself to the point of death on a cross.” “For though Jesus Christ was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty we might become rich.” Jesus knew that we had made mistakes, we’d hurt and offended God, and we would do it again, but he emptied himself nonetheless, so great is his love for us. He surrendered his body and his life, that we might be his body and have life.

And God asks that we maintain an attitude like Christ’s, that we “do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. (Christianity is hard!). Let each of us look not to our own interests, but to the interests of others.” Galatians 6:9 puts it this way: “Let us not become weary in doing good... therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

• Although I do not know the future, I do know that over the next few weeks and months I will probably make some mistakes. I may do something to offend you. I may change something that’s important to you. Know this: we’re all in this together, we’re all learning together, and in all likelihood if I did something to offend you it’s probly something I’m not aware of, and it’s not done to spite you. I am not acting out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility am trying to serve you the way I know best. I pray that you respond with grace as we move into the future together, and I pray that God blesses our union, and that everything we do may bring God glory.

• Just like you’d see that piece of stained glass, that organ pipe, that painting, God sees you. We know it makes God proud when we give of ourselves and live in humility. Friends, let us make God proud of us in the way we give of ourselves and in the way we grow into our future together.

- Pastor Kerry
This Sunday: hot & humid. A Communion Sunday. 72 in worship, PTL.