For a video of this week’s message, please click the link below . . .
SUNDAY SERVICE – May 14, A New Church, Paul’s Plea
GATHERING MUSIC (Opening Hymn)
Good morning to those present in the sanctuary and those watching online, I am Pastor Mel Nielsen, welcome to Centenary’s worship Service for Sunday, May 14, 2023. On behalf of the whole church, welcome, we are glad you’re here.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Please see the Vacation Bible School display in the narthex, There is a place to sign up to donate items, please take the coordinating reminder slip with you.
Today is Golden Cross Sunday, please find donation envelopes in the Narthex.
MOTHER’S DAY VIDEO SPECIAL & PRAYER
God of Provision and Unconditional Love, On this day when we acknowledge the importance of motherhood among us, we first give thanks that you are a loving parent to us all. From you all life was born, and you have formed us in your image as your children, and gathered us together under your wing.
We give you thanks for the mothers among us, and ask that you strengthen them in their daily tasks. Grant them wisdom in the lessons they teach, patience in the discipline they foster, and persistence in their promotion of decency and compassion, both by word and example. May they be given the honor and thanks they deserve but often do not receive.
We thank you for all motherly figures: grandmothers, aunts, sisters, wives, step-mothers, foster mothers, guardians, babysitters, teachers, health care providers, neighbors, friends, loved ones, and many others, who practice self-sacrifice and embody compassion to all who are privileged to be in their influence. Grant them vigor to carry on their work, and the satisfaction that the holy privilege of their task affords.
For some, this day brings the sorrowful awareness of their own inability to conceive biological children. Draw your tender spirit near their feelings and remind them that those who struggle with infertility have always shared a special place in your heart.
We pray for those who have suffered miscarriages, those fatigued by fertility treatments, and those struggling through the process of adoption. May they remember that in your power and through your church, they can still leave a lasting legacy beyond themselves.
For some, this day is marked by loneliness and grief, as they spend this first Mother’s Day as a widower, an orphan, or a parent who has lost a child. To those who today live in the wake of the death of a loved one, grant glimpses of the resurrection.
Therefore, remind us to live with a child-like faith, curious to every wondrous mystery, attentive to your every instruction, obedient to your every command, and willing to share with every one of your children. We give you thanks, O God, who is a loving parent to us all, and in whose name we pray, Amen.
SMALL TALK
Today is a special day isn’t it? What makes this day special? It is Mother’s Day. I want you to tell me some of the things your Mom does for you? (responses).
Now I want you to tell what things you can do around the house to show Mom how much you love her (responses).
Now I want you to tell me things you can say to Mom to show her how much you like all the things she does for you (responses).
Let us remember that all these things we do and say for our Mothers we can also say and do for God. Mother’s are a beautiful gift from God and we need to show God how thankful we are for Mother’s.
OFFERING
JOYS AND CONCERNS
JOYS
Jane Masters have moved to Cedarhurst, her room number is #41.
Peggy Jordan shared that is was her joy to see Bud Robinson in the South Jacksonville parade.
Tom Newby had very successful cataract surgery Thursday.
We have a good report from Patty O’Neal from her pet scan.
I have a concern form Bob and Mary Dalton, they are sad to announce the passing of a long time friend, Marilyn Johnston, of Henderson, NC. Her husband Dick survives.
CONCERNS
I have been asked to share with you that Kim Elliott’s sister, Linda Martin, has suffered a stroke and is in the hospital. Kim is our VBS leader from Grace UMC
I want to take a minute to lift up all the concerns going on around the world, whether it is nature or political strife or sin, there is much we can lift up to God today.
UNSPOKEN REQUESTS FOR PRAYER
PASTOR PRAYS FOR ALL JOYS – CONCERNS – UNSPOKEN
And know let us conclude our communal prayer time together by repeating together the Words Jesus taught us.
Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on Earth As it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, Forever. Amen.
SONG
SCRIPTURE READING
Acts 17:22-31
22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.
24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’[a] As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’[b]
29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”
SERMON
May 14, 2023 – A New Church, “Paul’s Plea”
When last we saw the Apostle Paul, who was still Saul, he was standing by and guarding the clothes of those who were stoning Stephen to death. He watched, as that young disciple was cut down before he was able to do much ministry at all. Last week we talked about how Stephen’s death may have played a part in preparing Saul to become Paul.
This morning we will hear a little of Stephen’s witness in Paul, as he speaks to the people of Greece at the Areopagus. This was a place where homicides and other high crimes like the destruction of olives trees were adjudicated. The Greek War God Ares would be present here for trials as well.
Is there any doubt why God led Paul to this exact spot, where criminals were tried for murder with a god present for the sentencing? Paul is not filled with just any god, but the presence of the one true God. He is speaking to these Greeks about same thing that caused Stephen’s death; The Glory of Jesus.
Today Paul finds himself in the midst of one of the mightiest societies the world has ever known. Paul is in the center of scientific, mathematic and philosophical knowledge. These are not desperate Jews under harsh Roman rule; these are free thinking, free people with education and knowledge.
God has granted Paul far more time to be a Heavenly ambassador than Stephen. That time allows Paul to feel the weight of Stephen’s death, which challenges his theology on forgiveness. We know that Paul struggles with his faith as he will tell us in Romans that he faces a continual battle between knowing what is right yet doing something else.
Even mature Christians in the modern church have to fight this battle against indwelling sin as long as they live. These may be hard truths, but Paul is known for his bold, truthful messages as he travels around the known world admonishing and encouraging the converts to the new church.
He is able to do so much because he, himself, is believable. I watch contestants on American Idol with great talent, but lack that unknown element that allows them to connect with an audience. The judges on this show often try to share with contestants about the believability in their message.
Paul has no such problem, because he speaks from the heart, a heart that has been broken by sinful behavior as well as being healed by grace. Even though the battle continues within him, people can sense the Holy Spirit in his preaching.
Paul needs the power of the Holy Spirit on this occasion. He is the first foreigner allowed to preach about foreign gods in this sacred location. He needs strength because he seems to almost mock the Greeks, “I see your tributes to an unknown God, your don’t even know whom you are worshipping.”
He stands before these culturally significant people who have built and empire and some of the most breathtaking architecture the world has ever seen and says, “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.”
We hear in these words the foundation of the letters that will be written in the near future. Letters that detail his understanding that he is less than all others. He is telling us that God does not need him, but that God wants him. Why me? Paul seems to say. Of all the great, worthwhile disciples, why am I the one chosen for this work? I can’t help but think that Stephen is on his mind.
God has allowed the new Paul to keep Saul’s boldness, but now refocused with a saving grace attitude. That attitude is on full display this morning as he is calling out the Greeks and telling them the truth in a way I’m not sure they have heard before.
I believe Paul is a more polished speaker than Peter, but both men have walked a similar path of denying Jesus and both are now trying to do their best to help save them world from itself.
Paul speaks as a person with little time to spare, he doesn’t mince words, he cuts to the point. He knows his audience and tells them very plainly, “In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.” His bold words must almost get caught in his throat as he still thinks of his own sinful past.
Yet, the Holy Spirit is calling all the plays in Paul’s life now. Paul is on fire from a source for which he gives full credit. He says, “For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by Jesus, whom he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”
Paul knows that he has already been brought back from the dead. He has been saved and called to this very specific mission. He cannot stop being bold for Jesus!
I want you to look at Paul as an example of how bold the church can be. Don’t be afraid that you do not have the gifts to help God continue building this church. Instead, trust that God can empower you to be as bold as you need to be.
Now, God did not make us all exactly like Paul, but we have each been given some talent or gift that we are to use in service to God’s earthly church. Paul was the right person for that job, you are the right person for whatever job God has set before you. God doesn’t need you but God wants you.
The church needs fire starters as well as a fire keepers. Whatever the case, we look to Paul as a person who was transformed from one character into another, the same exact person, utilizing the same gifts, just in two completely different ways.
In a few verses Saul goes from watching Stephen be stoned to death to preaching new life from Jesus to this restless Greek audience. Paul no longer fears what may happen because of his boldness, he lives for the sole purpose of giving his all for the new church. The same church we have all been given responsibility for today.
Paul’s challenges were turned into blessings by the God of transformation. I believe God is still transforming people today in this church. Which brings me mention Mother’s, briefly, are these women not transformed by the new life of their children?
New life changes all people and Mother’s discover so many new gifts during the child rearing years, gifts that were used in the pre-motherhood days are now being channeled for a new purpose. Same woman, same life, just with a new sense of purpose of giving her life to another.
Once we accept new life from God through Jesus we all begin transformation; let’s find our gifts and serve the church with all the fire we have.
MISSION SONG
FINAL WORD
I love Paul’s words in verse 27, “God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.” He is referring to God giving us order over the whole world.
We have not been given the whole world to treat it like we own it and fight over it, but each of us has been gifted so that we can overcome the world and see the goodness of God.
The Greeks new they were a pretty big deal, no civilization was quite like them. Yet, Paul comes in and tells them they are not the center of the universe, but part of the forgiven people who can now join a church that has as its sole mission to make new disciples.
Paul writes that God is not far from any of us, and how can God be so close to every person in the whole world? Because God lives in each of us and we can use of Godly gifts to help the person next to us know the goodness of God.
BENEDICTION
Leader: Go forth in peace, The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
CLOSING HYMN