Poetry Where You Live

"Word from Winkler", November 3, 2009, by Jim Winkler, General Secretary, General Board of Church and Society (GBCS) of the United Methodist Church

2009-11-04T11:01:00.002-05:00

Posted here with permission of Mr. Winkler:

Word from Winkler

A difficult text
By Jim Winkler, General Secretary, General Board of Church & Society

How many times have we heard it pointed out that Jesus said the poor will always be with us. How many time has this statement been used to permit us to shrug our shoulders about persistent poverty or to rationalize opposition to programs to aid the poor? After all, our very own Lord and Savior seems to acknowledge the intractability of poverty.

In the story of the rich man in Mark 10:17-31, we run the risk of further sentimentalizing Jesus and his teachings. It’s possible to hear this story and conclude that while it might be admirable for the rich to sell all they have, give it to the poor, and follow Jesus, it’s not crucial to do so.

What if we read the story in a different tone of voice?

Mark tells us that Jesus loved this wealthy man and doesn’t appear to condemn him. But, what if we read the story in a different tone of voice?

This rich man kneels before Jesus and asks, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Jesus tells him, “You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honor your father and mother.’”

But the rich man persists, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” The rich man knows there’s something deeper, though. What’s the secret formula, he asks. Tell how to make sure I get to heaven.

A sharp, stern answer

Have you ever spoken sternly to one you love? Verse 21 in The Good News translation says Jesus looked straight at him with love. Many may not like to imagine Jesus having a temper, but he might have been a bit perturbed with this rich, young man.

I can hear Jesus responding with a bit of exasperation to the rich man. What if he answered sharply: “YOU LACK ONE THING: GO, SELL WHAT YOU OWN, AND GIVE THE MONEY TO THE POOR, AND YOU WILL HAVE TREASURE IN HEAVEN; THEN, COME FOLLOW ME.” Go, sell, give, come, follow.

Go, sell, give, come, follow.

At that moment, the rich man has a shock of recognition. I think he knows Jesus is right. He went away grieving. Why such intense feelings? Because he had many possessions and couldn’t bear to part with them.

The disciples left everything they had to follow Jesus. To spread the Good News, an urgent message in a difficult time, there was no time to manage your fishing or carpentry business. If you’re serious about God’s work, give it up.

Methodist circuit riders

There was a day when Methodist preachers were circuit riders. They traveled from station to station to preach, teach and organize. Wesley knew if they were settled down in one church, they would grow too comfortable. For many years, we didn’t erect local church buildings because we knew we would become devoted to them and spend our time and money on their upkeep.

The rich, young man was willing to forgo eternal life to remain rich. Rarely, if ever, have I heard it suggested that we ought to confiscate the wealth of the rich to facilitate their entrance into the kingdom of heaven. After all, if all they need to do to achieve eternal life is sell what they own and give their money to the poor, why not help them do so?

The rich, young man was willing to forgo eternal life to remain rich.

Many people believe Jesus simply used this formula as a rhetorical device to challenge the rich man. Many times I’ve heard people say our entire economy would collapse if the rich gave away what they possessed. The rich, I am told, are the ones who provide us with benefits such as consumer products, manufacturing, oil, mining, tourism, timber, and the countless other industries that make our daily life so convenient. Many contend we can’t live good lives without the rich.

But Jesus turns to the disciples and says, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God.”

A difficult scripture

It’s not easy being a committed follower of Jesus. This scripture is not difficult to understand, it is direct. It is difficult to accept. It strikes at the very heart of what Jesus demands of us and few of us are able to deliver. We don’t want to. So we have created many rationales over the centuries to look at this text differently than it is intended.

It’s not easy being a committed follower of Jesus.

Who among us wants to be first to sell and give away everything? Wealth, you see, was seen as a sign of the blessing of God. TV preachers regularly tell us that God blesses believers with riches. But Jesus turns this around: Wealth is an obstacle to eternal life.

That’s uncomfortable to hear. Surely, Jesus didn’t literally mean that, did he? It’s easy for many of us to tell ourselves that we’re not really rich.

This is not an easy scripture. It’s disturbing. It forces us to think about our faith, our possessions and our very salvation. Jesus looks the rich man in the eye and he looks at each of us in the eye to tell us life is not about accumulating things, but about freeing ourselves from our wealth.

Unless you are desperately poor or you are living a simple life that few have committed to, you know we live in a culture that pushes us to desire more things. Our lives are marked by excess consumption. Whether we like it or not, our relative wealth in contrast to our poor sisters and brothers in places like Nigeria, Zimbabwe and the Philippines is directly linked to their poverty.

I pray that we will be able to heed Jesus’ teaching about wealth. I pray that we will become dissatisfied with worldly possessions, and accept Jesus’ challenge to become more committed to the truth that one or two who love God can change the world — indeed that is all that ever have.

"Word from Winkler", November 3, 2009, by Jim Winkler, General Secretary, General Board of Church and Society (GBCS) of the United Methodist Church

2009-11-04T10:55:00.003-05:00

http://www.umc-gbcs.org/site/apps/nlnet/content.aspx?c=frLJK2PKLqF&b=5573045&ct=7631971

Email 11/3/09 from the National Religious Campaign Against Torture

2009-11-03T20:10:00.004-05:00

Dear Friends:

Guantanamo stands in the minds of hundreds of millions of people in our nation and around the globe as the place where America broke faith with itself and used torture as an interrogation technique. Our government must close the detention center at Guantanamo now to help us heal spiritually and to put an end to this dark and shameful chapter in our history.

Now is the time to write to your two Senators and Representative to urge them to work with President Obama to close the detention center at Guantanamo. You can Go to (http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2162/t/3961/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=) to send an email to your Members of Congress; a model email is offered that you can adapt for your use.

You can make a difference. Please email your Members of Congress today.

Thank you.

Linda Gustitus, President
Rev. Richard Killmer, Executive Director

Received via email 11/3/09 from President Obama

2009-11-03T20:01:00.002-05:00

Dear Friend:

Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. I have heard
from countless Americans struggling to afford health insurance and
health professionals striving to provide care. I appreciate your
perspective.

There is broad consensus among the American people on
the need for affordable, high-quality health care. The rising cost of
health care is the most pressing financial challenge for families and
for our Nation, and controlling this cost is essential to bringing
down the Federal deficits we inherited. We must also end unfair
insurance practices that leave millions of Americans without
coverage, deny them access to coverage, and expose them to
extraordinary burdens. And we should ensure that small
businesses have access to affordable, high-quality health plans for
their employees so that we can make our economy - and our small
businesses - more competitive. Now is the time to move forward,
and I am working to get health insurance reform done this year.

Since I took office, we have done more to improve health
care than we have in the previous decade. In February, I signed
H.R. 2 to provide coverage for millions of children through the
Children's Health Insurance Program, and I signed the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act to make key investments in
computerized medical records and preventive services.

Still, more must be done to lower costs, expand coverage,
and improve the quality of health care. Health insurance reform
must provide more security and stability to those who have health
insurance; make sure those who do not have insurance can find
affordable options; and lower the cost of health care for our
families, our businesses, and our government. Reform will benefit
seniors by protecting and strengthening Medicare, closing the
"donut-hole" gap in coverage for prescription drugs, and providing
free preventive care. To help fulfill the debt we owe to our service
men and women, I am committed to ensuring that we provide the
highest-quality health care possible to America's veterans. My
2010 budget requests the largest single-year increase in funding for
the Department of Veterans Affairs in three decades and
significantly expands health care coverage to an additional 500,000
veterans by 2013.

Ultimately, there are tough choices to be made, and I am
working to bring employers and workers, health care providers and
patients together to create a system that delivers high-quality
health care and puts the Nation on a sustainable, long-term fiscal
path. To learn more about my Health Insurance Reform Plan or to
share a personal story, please join me online at:
www.HealthReform.gov. For further information on health care
and assistance that may be available to you, you may call 1-800-
FED-INFO or visit: www.USA.gov.

I share the sense of urgency that millions of Americans
have voiced. I watched as my ailing mother struggled with stacks
of insurance forms in the last moments of her life. This is not who
we are as a Nation; together, we will fix it.

Sincerely,

Barack Obama

a calling for a simpler life

2009-11-03T16:33:00.001-05:00

in the words of Micah,
the teachings of the savior
calling us to a simpler life
giving away that which we receive
caring more for our neighbors
than our possessions
storing up other treasures
a servant to our brothers, our sisters
walking humbly with our God

November 3, 2009
Ecclesiastes 5:8-15
Psalm 15 (Psalter)
& sermon, “Oh For the Simple Life . . .”
by Pastor Ruth L. Foss
http://www.suncookumc.org
Suncook United Methodist Church
Suncook, NH
11/1/09
All Saints Day
http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=19864&loc_id=9,612,32,52
Her sermon is the first of a four-part series based in part on
Reverend Adam Hamilton (http://www.cor.org/about-resurrection/adam/)’s book,
“Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity” (http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=9781426702334)
& Micah 6:8

into that person we were meant to be

2009-11-03T14:07:00.000-05:00

my humble prayer
over and over I pray
that I would turn from the world
and follow you Lord
that I would be transformed
my heart would ever change
that I would be
the person I was meant to be

No longer of the earth
in the world alone
a messenger of Christ
his disciple, me
caring for my neighbor
walking more humbly in the world
sharing your words of love

November 3, 2009
Ecclesiastes 5:8-15
Psalm 15 (Psalter)
& sermon, “Oh For the Simple Life . . .”
by Pastor Ruth L. Foss
http://www.suncookumc.org
Suncook United Methodist Church
Suncook, NH
11/1/09
All Saints Day
http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=19864&loc_id=9,612,32,52
Her sermon is the first of a four-part series based in part on
Reverend Adam Hamilton (http://www.cor.org/about-resurrection/adam/)’s book,
“Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity” (http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=9781426702334)

Transform Us

2009-11-03T14:03:00.000-05:00

Change our lives Lord
transform our troubled hearts
help us turn from the world
a more humble servant help me be

Change me, father God
may I truly give
the blessings you have shown me
in everything I say and do
A good neighbor to the world
a sheep in your heavenly flock

Change me, holy Christ
from the way of this earth
Guide me, your yoke upon my shoulders
let me walk more closely to thee

Change my heart, gentle Spirit
your word upon my lips
May I care for my neighbors,
in how I humbly live

November 3, 2009
Ecclesiastes 5:8-15
Psalm 15 (Psalter)
& sermon, “Oh For the Simple Life . . .”
by Pastor Ruth L. Foss
http://www.suncookumc.org
Suncook United Methodist Church
Suncook, NH
11/1/09
All Saints Day
http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=19864&loc_id=9,612,32,52
Her sermon is the first of a four-part series based in part on
Reverend Adam Hamilton (http://www.cor.org/about-resurrection/adam/)’s book,
“Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity” (http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=9781426702334)

Living that simple life

2009-11-03T13:58:00.000-05:00

Our lives full of stress
fighting a race day to day
rats on the treadmill, the maze
trying to find our own way

Turning to human goals
to acquire and to hold
Forgetting the lessons of the Christ
a more humble way to go

Living that simple life
loving God and our fellow man
spending time in the word
lending our helping hand

Trusting in the Lord
His hand will provide
going where we are led
our brother by our side

November 3, 2009
Ecclesiastes 5:8-15
Psalm 15 (Psalter)
& sermon, “Oh For the Simple Life . . .”
by Pastor Ruth L. Foss
http://www.suncookumc.org
Suncook United Methodist Church
Suncook, NH
11/1/09
All Saints Day
http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=19864&loc_id=9,612,32,52
Her sermon is the first of a four-part series based in part on
Reverend Adam Hamilton (http://www.cor.org/about-resurrection/adam/)’s book,
“Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity” (http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=9781426702334)

Competing with our neighbors

2009-11-03T13:54:00.000-05:00

So unlike the lesson from our savior
the story of the Samaritan
to be a good neighbor
by the way we treat one another
especially in times of need

Competing with our neighbors
as if their feelings had no weight
our gain upon their backs
what cost of such a game
Seeing them as the enemy
to get over, to walk around
to leave in our dust

Forgetting the message of the Lord
the Samaritan and the Prodigal Son
that we must love one another
and rejoice when the lost one is found

So different than the way of the world
the clawing for things of this earth
how wrong we are to fight
for the things that will turn to dust

November 3, 2009
Ecclesiastes 5:8-15
Psalm 15 (Psalter)
& sermon, “Oh For the Simple Life . . .”
by Pastor Ruth L. Foss
http://www.suncookumc.org
Suncook United Methodist Church
Suncook, NH
11/1/09
All Saints Day
http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=19864&loc_id=9,612,32,52
Her sermon is the first of a four-part series based in part on
Reverend Adam Hamilton (http://www.cor.org/about-resurrection/adam/)’s book,
“Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity” (http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=9781426702334)

Finding security in our stuff

2009-11-03T13:50:00.000-05:00

Holding fast to our possessions
finding security in our stuff
these things blocking
the centrality of the Christ

Trusting in our energies
that we may do it all
Our wealth, our gifts
the work of human hands

Setting up humanity
as if we are the beginning the end
forgetting the creator
our trust should be in him

November 3, 2009
Ecclesiastes 5:8-15
Psalm 15 (Psalter)
& sermon, “Oh For the Simple Life . . .”
by Pastor Ruth L. Foss
http://www.suncookumc.org
Suncook United Methodist Church
Suncook, NH
11/1/09
All Saints Day
http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=19864&loc_id=9,612,32,52
Her sermon is the first of a four-part series based in part on
Reverend Adam Hamilton (http://www.cor.org/about-resurrection/adam/)’s book,
“Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity” (http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=9781426702334)

Desiring Possessions

2009-11-03T13:47:00.000-05:00

Desiring possessions
a new car in the driveway
the latest, the greatest
the best of everything
Our lives measured, valued
by that which we had
Denying God from the center
the focus of our lives
Cleaving to the temporal
to that which will rust
and return to dust
Forgetting the commandment
to love God the most
and paying an awful cost

November 3, 2009
Ecclesiastes 5:8-15
Psalm 15 (Psalter)
& sermon, “Oh For the Simple Life . . .”
by Pastor Ruth L. Foss
http://www.suncookumc.org
Suncook United Methodist Church
Suncook, NH
11/1/09
All Saints Day
http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=19864&loc_id=9,612,32,52
Her sermon is the first of a four-part series based in part on
Reverend Adam Hamilton (http://www.cor.org/about-resurrection/adam/)’s book,
“Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity” (http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=9781426702334)

Thankful for the Saints

2009-11-03T13:44:00.000-05:00

sitting in the pews
nodding to the words of the pastors
thankful for the saints
all who have gone before
those who shared and lived their faith

Walking with us,
shepherds, and part of the flock
Following the master
in the way in which they have walked

November 3, 2009
Ecclesiastes 5:8-15
Psalm 15 (Psalter)
lighting of the candles for the saints
led by Reverend Huntley Halvorson
& sermon, “Oh For the Simple Life . . .”
by Pastor Ruth L. Foss
http://www.suncookumc.org
Suncook United Methodist Church
Suncook, NH
11/1/09
All Saints Day
http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=19864&loc_id=9,612,32,52
Her sermon is the first of a four-part series based in part on
Reverend Adam Hamilton (http://www.cor.org/about-resurrection/adam/)’s book,
“Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity” (http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=9781426702334)

Christ within our midst

2009-11-03T13:40:00.000-05:00

Within the congregation
in the walk of our lives
the saints living with us
truly Christ within our midst
Showing the way of the disciples
servants carrying their cross
bearing the love of Jesus
an example of grace given
for each one of us

November 3, 2009
Ecclesiastes 5:8-15
Psalm 15 (Psalter)
& sermon, “Oh For the Simple Life . . .”
by Pastor Ruth L. Foss
http://www.suncookumc.org
Suncook United Methodist Church
Suncook, NH
11/1/09
All Saints Day
http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=19864&loc_id=9,612,32,52
Her sermon is the first of a four-part series based in part on
Reverend Adam Hamilton (http://www.cor.org/about-resurrection/adam/)’s book,
“Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity” (http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=9781426702334)

a desire for God

2009-11-03T13:31:00.000-05:00

Even in this land of wealth
a nation founded on greed
hungry, feeling a desire for God
a stirring deep in my heart

Wanting a relationship, kinship
to walk with my savior, to sit
at the creator’s feet
to see our neighbors as my brothers
my sisters, part of one family.

A yearning from within
to know and love the Lord
to see the face of God
in everyone I meet

November 3, 2009
Ecclesiastes 5:8-15
Psalm 15 (Psalter)
& sermon, “Oh For the Simple Life . . .”
by Pastor Ruth L. Foss
http://www.suncookumc.org
Suncook United Methodist Church
Suncook, NH
11/1/09
All Saints Day
http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=19864&loc_id=9,612,32,52
Her sermon is the first of a four-part series based in part on
Reverend Adam Hamilton (http://www.cor.org/about-resurrection/adam/)’s book,
“Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity” (http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=9781426702334)

By what we give

2009-11-03T08:42:00.000-05:00

Our hearts, our spirits
fed by our sharing
our giving of ourselves
Not by the things of this earth
that rust and turn to dust
but by the love we share
by what we give instead
Follow the path of our master
by his loving word and deed
seeing our neighbors as ourselves
lifting them up when they are in need

November 3, 2009
Ecclesiastes 5:8-15
Psalm 15 (Psalter)
& sermon, “Oh For the Simple Life . . .”
by Pastor Ruth L. Foss
http://www.suncookumc.org
Suncook United Methodist Church
Suncook, NH
11/1/09
All Saints Day
http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=19864&loc_id=9,612,32,52
Her sermon is the first of a four-part series based in part on
Reverend Adam Hamilton (http://www.cor.org/about-resurrection/adam/)’s book,
“Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity” (http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=9781426702334)

Our Self Worth

2009-11-03T08:37:00.000-05:00

Too much, far too much
our sense of self, of our happiness
tied to our wealth, to our net worth
to the things we have garnered in
Our self worth, our true self
measured not by what we have
but by what we give
Servants to our neighbors
good, loving care
seeing the face of Christ
in our brother, our sister
sharing our lives with one another
being Christ to the world

November 3, 2009
Ecclesiastes 5:8-15
Psalm 15 (Psalter)
& sermon, “Oh For the Simple Life . . .”
by Pastor Ruth L. Foss
http://www.suncookumc.org
Suncook United Methodist Church
Suncook, NH
11/1/09
All Saints Day
http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=19864&loc_id=9,612,32,52
Her sermon is the first of a four-part series based in part on
Reverend Adam Hamilton (http://www.cor.org/about-resurrection/adam/)’s book,
“Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity” (http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=9781426702334)

Sermon – haiku – 1

2009-11-03T08:17:00.011-05:00

the message from God
Words firing in my mind’s eye
a wealth, words flowing

November 3, 2009

Pastor – haiku – 3

2009-11-03T08:17:00.010-05:00

A holy message
rich with meaning for my life
inspiring me; write!

November 3, 2009

Pastor – haiku - 2

2009-11-03T08:17:00.009-05:00

called to the pulpit
to preach your loving word, God
bless their message, Lord

November 3, 2009

Pastor – haiku - 1

2009-11-03T08:17:00.008-05:00

shepherds, while yet sheep
leading us in our worship
your words from their lips

November 3, 2009

Must Have

2009-11-02T19:23:00.000-05:00

As if on cue, the ad in the e-mail
echoes of her words,
the sermon ringing still in my ears:
“Must-Have Toys, Bikes, Video Games,
Baby Items, Gadgets, and More”,
so shouted the headlines
The way of this world,
as close as my computer screen.

Nothing is must have,
only wants of this craven world
separating us from one another
as we lose ourselves in selfish drives

Thinking of the ancient church
at the start of what was to be
a common purse, a place together
spending time in the temple to pray
Going where the master led
answering his call, “follow me”
So different than our credit-card world
where, “charge it”, falls from our lips

November 2, 2009
Ecclesiastes 5:8-15
Psalm 15 (Psalter)
& sermon, “Oh For the Simple Life . . .”
by Pastor Ruth L. Foss
http://www.suncookumc.org
Suncook United Methodist Church
Suncook, NH
11/1/09
All Saints Day
http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=19864&loc_id=9,612,32,52
Her sermon is the first of a four-part series based in part on
Reverend Adam Hamilton (http://www.cor.org/about-resurrection/adam/)’s book,
“Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity” (http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=9781426702334)

Idols of Dust

2009-11-02T19:14:00.000-05:00

The things of the earth
the possessions we hold so dear
idols of dust they remain
returning from whence they came
Chasing the things,
the little meaningless gains
that are of this earth;

Losing sight of the gifts of God
the life beyond the dust of the earth
the streets paved with gold

Walking differently, with the Lord
our way made more straight
seeing our brothers, our sisters
the people we meet on our walk
Lifting up our neighbors
their loads on our backs
journeying with our brothers
following his way of the cross

November 2, 2009
Ecclesiastes 5:8-15
Psalm 15 (Psalter)
& sermon, “Oh For the Simple Life . . .”
by Pastor Ruth L. Foss
http://www.suncookumc.org
Suncook United Methodist Church
Suncook, NH
11/1/09
All Saints Day
http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=19864&loc_id=9,612,32,52
Her sermon is the first of a four-part series based in part on
Reverend Adam Hamilton (http://www.cor.org/about-resurrection/adam/)’s book,
“Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity” (http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=9781426702334)

Separated

2009-11-02T19:06:00.000-05:00

Living different lives
these times, each one, set apart
each seeking their own rewards
little of the common good remaining
chasing other idols, things of the earth
longing for fame, for wealth
stepping on our neighbors
in the pursuit of power

Little of the love of Christ
the caring for the lost
serving our fellow man
as our savior served us all
Sacrifice for the common good
shoulders to the wheel
Instead our hands for greed
seeking our own rewards

November 2, 2009
Ecclesiastes 5:8-15
Psalm 15 (Psalter)
& sermon, “Oh For the Simple Life . . .”
by Pastor Ruth L. Foss
http://www.suncookumc.org
Suncook United Methodist Church
Suncook, NH
11/1/09
All Saints Day
http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=19864&loc_id=9,612,32,52
Her sermon is the first of a four-part series based in part on
Reverend Adam Hamilton (http://www.cor.org/about-resurrection/adam/)’s book,
“Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity” (http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=9781426702334)

In Common

2009-11-02T18:56:00.000-05:00

Part of the puzzle
the confusion of our spirits
competition for success
measured in our wealth
the things, the possessions
the trinkets and toys
So different, than living
together in community,
assets, things, held in common
for the overall good
This is how we started,
the church of Christ
a handful of disciples
walking with the master
a gathering in an upper room
waiting for his return
A grouping under
the flames of Pentecost
a community sharing everything
lives held, lived in common
something powerful we have lost

November 2, 2009
Ecclesiastes 5:8-15
Psalm 15 (Psalter)
& sermon, “Oh For the Simple Life . . .”
by Pastor Ruth L. Foss
http://www.suncookumc.org
Suncook United Methodist Church
Suncook, NH
11/1/09
All Saints Day
http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=19864&loc_id=9,612,32,52
Her sermon is the first of a four-part series based in part on
Reverend Adam Hamilton (http://www.cor.org/about-resurrection/adam/)’s book,
“Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity” (http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=9781426702334)

Fighting the Tide

2009-11-02T08:30:00.000-05:00

Against the winds
prevailing currents of the world
fighting the tide of history
the believes of the nation
our people driven
believing in self-reliance
in the good of possession
the drive of wealth
Fighting the tide
so our lives
not lost on the rocks
the shoals hidden under the waves
lives at risk, in the pursuit of these things
forgetting the true north of God
tacking to false winds
to idols, false gods
Forgetting our brothers, our sisters
in our wakes
Needing to turn,
to change directions
to lift up our neighbors
adrift, bobbing on the angry seas
to bring them to safe harbors
home to our savior
all will be welcomed in there

November 2, 2009
Ecclesiastes 5:8-15
Psalm 15 (Psalter)
& sermon, “Oh For the Simple Life . . .”
by Pastor Ruth L. Foss
http://www.suncookumc.org
Suncook United Methodist Church
Suncook, NH
11/1/09
All Saints Day
http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=19864&loc_id=9,612,32,52
Her sermon is the first of a four-part series based in part on
Reverend Adam Hamilton (http://www.cor.org/about-resurrection/adam/)’s book,
“Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity” (http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=9781426702334)