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With school starting this week and conversations at Faith about Children and Youth Ministry staffing, it seems that God might be inviting us all to consider how God speaks to us at all ages and stages of life, and how we as a church family can encourage faith in children. I want to share a story about a boy named Sam, a story about a man named Jesus, and teach you all a spiritual exercise called the FAITH5. Please open your Bible to 1 Samuel 3:1-10. 1 Samuel 3:1-10Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord under Eli. The word of the Lord was rare in those days; visions were not widespread.2 At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his room; 3 the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the Lord called, “Samuel! Samuel!” and he said, “Here I am!” 5 and ran to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down. 6 The Lord called again, “Samuel!” Samuel got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. 8 The Lord called Samuel again, a third time. And he got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.'” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.10 Now the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” Click HERE for the FAITH5 PracticesSupport the show (https://secure.myvanco.com/YKER/home)

View the Bulletin for Sunday January 17, 2021View the Children’s Bulletin for this WeekService Times: 8:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.In-person Bible Study: 9:15 a.m.In-person Sunday School: 9:20 a.m.All are welcome.Visit our YouTube channel — Click the red “subscribe” box, and then click on the “bell” next to that box to receive Live Streaming notifications. You must be logged into YouTube to activate these features.SPECIAL WORSHIP OPPORTUNITY: Saturday morning service (10:00 a.m.) Participant number will be limited to a total of TWENTY FIVE (23 worshippers, 1 elder, pastor). Saturday’s readings and sermon will be the same as the following Sunday’s (these services are currently different from one another). REGISTER FOR SATURDAY.Old Testament Reading – 1 Samuel 3:1-10Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD in the presence of Eli. And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision.At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was.Then the LORD called Samuel, and he said, “Here I am!” and ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down.And the LORD called again, “Samuel!” and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the LORD was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.And the LORD came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.”Epistle Reading -- 1 Corinthians 6:12–20“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be enslaved by anything. “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.The Holy Gospel according to St. John, the first chapter.The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”0Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Matthew 20:1-16 Laborers in the Vineyard 20For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.2After agreeing with the laborers for a denariusa day, he sent them into his vineyard.3And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace,4and to them he said, You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.5So they went.Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same.6Andabout the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, Why do you stand here idle all day?7They said to him, Because no one has hired us. He said to them, You go into the vineyard too.8Andwhen evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to hisforeman, Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.9And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius.10Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius.11And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house,12saying, These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day andthe scorching heat.13But he replied to one of them,Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?14Takewhat belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you.15Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Ordo you begrudge my generosity?16Sothe last will be first, and the first last.

We can’t stay here anymore.  Week 11 “A skeptic is transformed” Acts 15.    Takeaways  We tent to drift from.... 1)GRACE back to law 2)INTERNAL transformation to external conformity 3)MISSIONAL to comfortable  ACTS 15 The Jerusalem Council 1 ver. 24 But some men came down from Judea and were teaching ver. 3, 22, 23, 36, 40; See John 21:23 the brothers, “Unless you are ver. 5; Gal. 5:2; [1 Cor. 7:18; Gal. 2:11, 14] circumcised ch. 6:14; Lev. 12:3according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and ver. 7 debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and [Gal. 2:1, 2] some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to ver. 4, 6, 22, 23; ch. 16:4; See ch. 5:12; 11:30the apostles and the elders about this question. 3So, ch. 21:5; Rom. 15:24; 1 Cor. 16:6, 11; 2 Cor. 1:16; Titus 3:13; 3 John 6; [ch. 17:15] being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, See ch. 14:27 describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and ch. 11:18 brought great joy to all ver. 1the brothers.15:3 Or brothers and sisters; also verse 22 4[ch. 21:17] When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and ver. 2 the apostles and the elders, and [See ver. 3 above]they declared all that God had done with them. 5But some believers who belonged to See ch. 24:5 the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, ver. 1 “It is necessary Gal. 5:3to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.” 6 [ver. 12, 25] The [See ver. 4 above]apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. 7And after there had been much ver. 2 debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, ch. 10:20 that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear [Eph. 1:13; Col. 1:5; 1 Thess. 1:5] the word of ch. 20:24the gospel and believe. 8And God, ch. 1:24 who knows the heart, ch. 14:3 bore witness to them, ch. 10:44, 47; 11:15, 17; [ver. 28; Gal. 3:2]by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, 9and ch. 11:12; Rom. 3:22-24; Eph. 3:6; [ch. 10:28, 34] he made no distinction between us and them, Ps. 51:10; [ch. 26:18; 2 Cor. 7:1; 1 Pet. 1:22] having cleansed their hearts See ch. 10:43by faith. 10Now, therefore, why Ps. 106:14; Isa. 7:12 are you putting God to the test Gal. 5:1; [ver. 28] by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples [Matt. 11:28; 23:4; Luke 11:46]that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11But we [ch. 16:31] believe that we will be Eph. 2:5, 8; 2 Tim. 1:9; Titus 2:11; 3:7; [Rom. 3:24; 1 Thess. 5:9] saved through Rom. 5:15 the grace of the Lord Jesus, [See ver. 9 above]just as they will.” 12And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul ver. 4; See ch. 14:27as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. 13After they finished speaking, See ch. 12:17James replied, “Brothers, listen to me. 14[ver. 7] Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them [ch. 18:10; Deut. 7:6; Isa. 43:21; Rom. 9:24-26]a people for his name. 15And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written,   16 Cited from Amos 9:11, 12; [Jer. 12:15] “‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, 17that the remnant15:17 Or rest of mankind [ch. 17:27] may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles Isa. 43:7; Jer. 14:9; Dan. 9:19who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things 18[Isa. 45:21]known from of old.’   19Therefore [ver. 28] my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who See ch. 14:15turn to God, 20but should write to them ch. 21:25 to abstain from [ver. 29; Ezek. 4:13, 14; Dan. 1:8; Mal. 1:7, 12] the things polluted by idols, and from 1 Cor. 10:7, 8; Rev. 2:14, 20; See 1 Cor. 6:18 sexual immorality, and from See Lev. 3:17what has been strangled, and from See Lev. 3:17blood. 21For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, ch. 13:15; 2 Cor. 3:14, 15; [ch. 13:27]for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.” The Council’s Letter to Gentile Believers 22Then it seemed good to ver. 2 the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called [ch. 1:23] Barsabbas, and See 1 Pet. 5:12 Silas, leading men among ver. 1the brothers, 23with the following letter: [See ver. 22 above] “The brothers, both [See ver. 22 above] the apostles and the elders, to the brothers15:23 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 32, 33, 36 who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, ch. 23:26; James 1:1; [2 John 10, 11]greetings. 24Since we have heard that ver. 1; [Gal. 2:4; 5:12; Titus 1:10] some persons have gone out from us and Gal. 1:7; 5:10troubled you15:24 Some manuscripts some persons from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions, 25it has seemed good to us, having come See ch. 1:14 to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our [2 Pet. 3:15]beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26ch. 9:23-25; 14:19 men who have [ch. 20:24; 21:13; 2 Cor. 4:11; 1 John 3:16]risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27We have therefore sent ver. 22, 32Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. 28For it has seemed good [ver. 8; ch. 5:32; John 16:13; 1 Cor. 7:40] to the Holy Spirit and [ver. 19] to us [ver. 10; Rev. 2:24]to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: 29See ver. 20 that you abstain from ch. 21:25; 1 Cor. 8:1, 4, 7, 10; 10:19; Rev. 2:14, 20what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.” 30So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch, and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. 31And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. 32And Judas and Silas, who were themselves See ch. 13:1 prophets, encouraged and See ch. 14:22 strengthened ver. 1the brothers with many words. 33And after they had spent some time, they were sent off Gen. 26:29; Heb. 11:31; [1 Cor. 16:11] in peace by [See ver. 32 above]the brothers to those who had sent them.15:33 Some manuscripts insert verse 34: But it seemed good to Silas to remain there 35But ch. 13:1Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.

I AM HERE TO DISPLAY THE WORKS OF GOD  Jeremiah 1:4-10Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying,“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,and before you were born I consecrated you;I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” But the LORD said to me,“Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’;for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,and whatever I command you, you shall speak.Do not be afraid of them,for I am with you to deliver you,declares the LORD.”Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the LORD said to me,“Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms,to pluck up and to break down,to destroy and to overthrow,to build and to plant.” Purpose supersedes perceived youthful limitations and obstacles Joshua 1:9Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”Fear has a tendency to show up - after the word has been spokenYouthful fear has to be replaced by faith in God The very perceived limitations are repurposed to display the works of God in our generation Why are you born the way you are and we’re you are? John 9:3Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. Youthful dreams cannot be sabotagedNo weapon formed against the youth shall prosperIt might take years before the dream manifest - embrace the processAn event is a manifestation of processAn event is the climax of processLearning to wait whilst anointed - purpose is not an emergency but a journeyThe process repackages the dream for a greater purposeThe delay is designed to manifest the works of God - in the delay there is Glory 

Luke 15:1-10Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”So he told them this parable: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.“Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”Scripture Text from Bible Gateway. No headings or verse numbers, only the text.English Standard Version (ESV)The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.Permalink

Luke 15:1-10Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So he told them this parable: “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.“Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Growing up, I had a dog – a mutt – named Princess, who liked to run away. (pic) My family got Princess from our neighbors when their mutt of dog accidentally had a litter of puppies. My brother and I convinced my parents to let us keep one of those puppies, we named her Princess, and she spent the first few years of her life chained to a dog house, out by the detached garage at the church parsonage. Winter, spring, summer and fall, she lived chained to the dog house my grandfather built just for her.My brother and I were too young to be good parents. My dad might say he was “old-school” when it came to dogs, not believing they belonged in the house. We thought he was just mean. (I actually think it had something to do with the fact that we lived in the church parsonage.)Anyway, when we moved from Ohio to Michigan and bought our own house, Princess all of a sudden became an “inside dog.” I think this was partly meant to be a consolation prize for moving us, in the first place, and partly because we moved from a house in the country to a subdivision in the suburbs where her constant barking would not be tolerated by the neighbors who were all of a sudden so nearby.Still, Princess spent a lot of time in this suburban backyard, not chained to that dog house anymore, but confined to a postage stamp-sized lot by a pretty wimpy privacy fence. It didn’t take her long to learn she could dig her way underneath the fence, behind the bush in the far corner of our yard. And when we filled her favorite digging holes with bricks and rocks, it didn’t take her long to learn she could just rip the boards off of the privacy fence and make her escape. It happened so often, we kept a regular supply of replacement boards on-hand so we could repair it every time Princess got the urge to run.Eventually, we bought a staple gun and rolls of chicken wire which we attached to the inside of the fence to keep Princess where she belonged. (We were the classy neighbors on Park Ridge Road.) The chicken wire finally worked, for the most part, but Princess was still, always looking to run. If the back gate didn’t get latched, she would notice and hit the road. If we had company over – and they weren’t fast enough – Princess would dart out the front door before they could close it. I think she even learned how to open that front screen door with her nose, if we didn’t remember to lock it. “Princess,” it turns out, wasn’t so aptly named.And every time she escaped, it would send my brother and me into a panic. We would roam and race around the streets chasing after her: bribing her with treats, luring her into back yards where we could trap her, trying to beat her in a foot-race, frankly, and tackle her, if nothing else. I’m sure it was a spectacle to behold. (Did I mention we were the classy neighbors on Park Ridge Road?)Well, I thought about Princess when I read, again, about the lost sheep and the lost coin – and about the parable of the prodigal son, which follows these two parables, in Luke’s Gospel, actually.Because Jesus tells these parables about lost things – lost sheep, lost coins and lost children – in response to the self-righteous grumbling of the scribes and the Pharisees, who notice that Jesus welcomes and eats with sinners. In other words, they were surprised – if not downright disgusted – that Jesus would bother with the losers; that he would break bread with the broken; that he would slum it with the sinners. In other words, why chase after that stupid dog who doesn’t want to follow the rules, or obey your ways, or be with you in the first place?Of course, I didn’t know when I was a kid – and it certainly wasn’t my motivation at the time – but chasing Princess around the neighborhood is likely the only time in my entire life that I might have been more like Jesus than my father. (I found out, after preaching this sermon at our first service, with my dad in the room, that he remembers this all very differently!)See, my dad never joined us in these chases, probably because I’m not sure he cared if that dog ever made her way home again, for all the reasons you’ve already heard. And he didn’t chase after Princess because she knew that about him, so he was probably the last person she would come to anyway. But mostly, my dad didn’t chase after our renegade dog because he was always just convinced that Princess would come home when she was good and ready; when she was tired of running; when she was hungry enough; or tired enough; or lonely enough, or whatever. And, to be fair, maybe the story of the Prodigal Son bears that out.But this morning is about lost sheep and lost coins and my brother and I were never so sure. We had lost another dog once when she got hit by a car on those country roads, back in Ohio. So we chased after Princess like her life was at stake. We searched for her. We called after her. We cried for her and worried about her and prayed for her to come to her senses. And time after time after time we brought that stubborn, stupid, sneaky, sinful dog back home – against her will – but home… and safe… where she belonged.And that is the hope and encouragement and Good News in Jesus’ parables this morning. Coins and sheep and stubborn dogs don’t always know they are lost – or loved – or worthy. Coins and sheep and stubborn dogs don’t always make choices from a place of wisdom and understanding. Sometimes, coins and sheep and stubborn dogs need to be sought after, searched for, saved by a love that’s greater than anything some might say they deserve.And the same is true for you and me and for the rest God’s children, too, from time to time. We don’t always make choices from a place of wisdom and understanding and deep faith. We don’t always know we’re lost, or loved, in need or worthy of rescue. So we need to be pursued… sought after… and saved by the love of God, in Jesus Christ, which is greater than anything we deserve.And I hope – because I believe it’s God’s hope – that once we know the truth of that; once we learn about how mightily God has pursued us in Jesus Christ, that we will find ways to go after the lost and the broken, to seek out the hurting and the hopeless with the love of God, like their lives depend on it. The lives of some, may indeed, depend on it, after all – those lost to addiction or homelessness or poverty or injustice. But this is worthwhile, faithful, life-giving work, in any case, because the lives of all people – sinners, every one of us – will be blessed and better when we make way and make room for all people at the table of God’s grace.Amen

10Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it branched into four headwaters: 11The name of the first river is Pishon; it winds through the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12And the gold of that land is pure, and bdellium and onyx are found there. 13The […]

10Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it branched into four headwaters: 11The name of the first river is Pishon; it winds through the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12And the gold of that land is pure, and bdellium and onyx are found there. 13The […]

"You may not hear God speaking but can you feel God moving?"//1 Samuel 3:1-10Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord under Eli. The word of the Lord was rare in those days; visions were not widespread.At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his room; the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. Then the Lord called, “Samuel! Samuel!” and he said, “Here I am!” and ran to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down. The Lord called again, “Samuel!” Samuel got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lordhad not yet been revealed to him. The Lord called Samuel again, a third time. And he got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.Now the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”//This episode was written and recorded by Rev. Dustin Pickett, the Associate Minister of Stewardship & Development at The Riverside Church. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat, the Associate Minister of Digital Strategy and Online Engagement at The Riverside Church.Find out more at www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo.

"You may not hear God speaking but can you feel God moving?"//1 Samuel 3:1-10Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord under Eli. The word of the Lord was rare in those days; visions were not widespread.At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his room; the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. Then the Lord called, “Samuel! Samuel!” and he said, “Here I am!” and ran to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down. The Lord called again, “Samuel!” Samuel got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lordhad not yet been revealed to him. The Lord called Samuel again, a third time. And he got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.Now the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”//This episode was written and recorded by Rev. Dustin Pickett, the Associate Minister of Stewardship & Development at The Riverside Church. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat, the Associate Minister of Digital Strategy and Online Engagement at The Riverside Church.Find out more at www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo.

Nehemiah 1- 4And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven, 5And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments- 6Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee- both I and my father's house have sinned. 7We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses. 8Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations- 9But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them- though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there. 10Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand. 11O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name- and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king's cupbearer.

MAN UP - Pastor David Rathel, 10.09.16 NEED HIM - The Selection Of The Twelve Mark 3:13-14 NASB “13And He went up on the mountain and summoned those whom He Himself wanted, and they came to Him.” “14And He appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach...” Luke 6:12 NASB “12It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.” ASK HIM - The Calling Matthew Luke 5:27, 28 NASB “27After that He went out and noticed a tax collector named Levi sitting in the tax booth, and He said to him, "Follow Me." “28And he left everything behind, and got up and began to follow Him.” APPRECIATE HIM - Jesus Called Them Friends John 15:15 GWT “15I don't call you servants anymore, because a servant doesn't know what his master is doing. But I've called you friends because I've made known to you everything that I've heard from my Father.” HOLD HIM ACCOUNTABLE - Molding Peter Entrust Him With Responsibility - Matthew 10:1-2 “1Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. 2Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon, who is called Peter, Allow Consequences With Mercy - Matthew 14:30-31 “30...and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” 31And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him…” Confront Him When Wrong - Matthew 16:23 “23But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” GIVE HIM CREDIT - The Faith Of The Centurion Matthew 8:8, 10 NASB “8But the centurion said, “Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed.” “10Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, “Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel.”

Speaker or Performer: Pr. Mark D. Lovett Scripture Passage(s): Matthew 2:13-18 Date of Delivery: December 28, 2014 In the name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit.The Holy Innocents, so named because they were innocent of any wrongdoing yet were murdered by the wicked king. They weren’t insurrectionists or militant rebels. They posed no immediate threat to that evil king or to his kingdom. They were innocent children, babies. And we rightfully cringe at their slaughter and are justifiably tearful at their story. Just as it is written, “Rachael weeping for her children for they are no more.”It is easy to get wrapped up in the emotion of the death of innocents. And we should at times. The emotion is one of anger at death, anger at evil. It is emotion that stirs our pity and our empathy and causes us to love a little stronger those who are given to us. But now is not such an occasion. For there are differences in different sorts of deaths. And these we call the Holy Innocents died a particular death.It is not the how that is particular and that would cause our emotions to rightly boil, but the why. For while they are called innocent by the Church – and the world would too in the sense that we call children “innocent” – they were in fact guilty. Now perhaps here many would dive into original sin and talk about our guilt before God. But to do that, I think, is to sound a discordant note. That is not their guilt, or at least it’s not the guilt that earned them Herod’s wrath. Rather, the Holy Innocents were guilty of being Christ-like.It was enough for the wicked king that they were male children as the Christ was a male child. For this reason they were slaughtered, because they were Christ-like.The world will always reject the Christ because it does not know Him. If they knew Him they would not seek to kill Him but would receive Him as the Church receives Him: with great joy and celebration, with great awe and anticipation. But the Christ comes and with Him comes a particular presupposition that the world cannot accept. Rather, two presuppositions. The first is that His coming seals the fact that we are indeed sinners and in need of a Christ. Why this would so upset the world is beyond telling, though. All one has to do is flip on the nightly news to see that we rob, kill, and steal as easily as we bake bread or turn on Christmas tree lights. Most of us think we don’t do such things, but we do. And if we were sure there’d be no consequence of shame or imprisonment, we’d do it all the more.Moreover, all of us die and so all of us need one who can save us from death. Even the heathen wants that which is why the heathen gives condolence cards that talk about loved ones living on in our hearts and minds and memories. That is not where our departed live on. They live on Christ who is our life and the upholder of our life even in death. So we all need a Christ, a Savior, because we all die.The second presupposition the world has and why it rejects and hates and wants to kill the Christ is the reason Herod wanted to kill Him. Because He comes as King. And we are not only rebels we are self-proclaimed kings. Herod didn’t want the King of the Jews to take from him the throne. Not because Herod loved the people – far from it as the murder of the Holy Innocents shows us – but because he loved himself; and he was king. He was ruler of his domain, master of his vessel. That is how we all see ourselves. We are kings of our lives; rulers of what is ours. That’s why ads use such slogans as “It’s your life,” and “Have it your way,” which is the slogan, perhaps tellingly, of a food joint with the name “King”.And the Christ does come to depose the kings of the earth for He is King of kings. Herod was not wrong, the world is not wrong. They rightly see in Christ one who comes to dethrone them and take from them what they call their own because it is actually His. They’re even right about what He wants to take, the kingdom He wants to rule. And that is the kingdom of their hearts. Perhaps a better word of it is the kingdom of their will.The Christ is the King and He does come to dethrone us lesser kings. Not from palaces of gold but from the palace of our wills and hearts. But it is no small thing for an earthly king to give up his kingdom. Which is why Herod sought to kill Him, why the world seeks to kill Him, and why even our own sinful wills seek to kill Him. And in so seeking to kill the Christ we murder innocents.When we seek to justify our way we don’t care who we kill so long as we get it. Now I’m not talking about tastes and likes, preferences of things. “Our way” means in the way of the gospel. So when we seek to uphold our morality as good then we condemn others who aren’t as good. In so doing we have killed them as Christ did not come to call the righteous but sinners. When we cling to our self-imposed traditions, thinking that they are the way and will of God, refusing to be guided by His Word and the gospel, then we seek to kill Christ who is the Word of God and the gospel of God.Psalm 2 says,1Why do the | nations rage*and the peoples | plot in vain?2The kings of the earth set themselves,and the rulers take counsel to- | gether,*against the Lord and against his anointed, | saying,3“Let us burst their | bonds apart*and cast away their | cords from us.”4He who sits in the | heavens laughs;*the Lord holds them in de- | rision.5Then he will speak to them | in his wrath,*and terrify them in his fury, | saying,6“As for me, I have | set my King*on Zion, my | holy hill.”7I will tell of | the decree:*The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;today I have be- | gotten you.8Ask of me, and I will make the nations your | heritage,*and the ends of the earth your pos- | session.9You shall break them with a | rod of iron*and dash them in pieces like a potter’s | vessel.”10Now therefore, O | kings, be wise;*be warned, O rulers | of the earth.11Serve the | Lord with fear,*and rejoice with | trembling.12Kiss the Son,lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,for his wrath is quickly | kindled.*Blessèd are all who take ref- | uge in him.This psalm may well be speaking of true earthly kings such a Herod, but it is also speaking of us who would be kings of our lives and rulers of our domains.The good news is that here we kiss the Son with the kiss of peace. By coming to receive His blessing and absolution, His benediction we seek His kingdom. By participating in Him in the Holy Supper we worship Him and take refuge in Him. And in doing so, in bowing to the King of kings we secure for ourselves His blessing and glory. Not that we save ourselves but that He saves us despite ourselves and draws us to Himself by His Spirit.Blessed are you who take refuge in Him.+ In Nomine Iesu +

A family go on holiday, well its a kind of holiday, they are atually house and cat sitting.  Things don't start well, the key isn't where it is supposed to be and one of the cats that they are supposed to be looking after disappears.  That isn't all, but hey if I tell you any more it will ruin the story.  You'll just have to listen for yourselves.Rated PG - Parental Guidance - Suggested minimum age 10Now you know its going to be a good one eh?Feedback on a bacon sandwich to  steve@SciFiStories.co.uk  Or  Twitter / facebookMusic: "Fearful" by  Hungry Lucy  for more information see www.HungryLucy.comPlease respect all the hard work that goes into making these audio stories, don't alter them and don't sell it, but you CAN copy it and GIVE it to others as long as you don't alter the file and tell them where it came from.written by Steve Simons and is a SciFiStories.co.uk Production  (c)2010 Steve Simons