May 10, 2015 Graduate Sermons

John 15:9–17

As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.

***

Michelle Lehman

As many seniors go on to other things, they are quick to thank the community they were raised in. Yes, I was very fortunate to live in a giving community; however I was even more blessed by the church I grew up in. I was so fortunate to be surrounded with constant happiness and love. Sunday mornings are always full of smiles and warm hugs. I find so much joy in coming to church to be surrounded by so many wonderful people, something that not too many teenagers are given as greatly as I am.

This congregation has given me so much I cant quite put the words together to thank you enough. Sometimes it’s easy to forget to say thank you for the little things that add up to the big picture. Thank you for the joy that you bring me on Sunday mornings: the welcoming smiles and simple conversations. Thank you to my youth group for making Wednesday nights a fun break from a busy week. Thank you to many members of my church family for meeting with me to have coffee or lunch. Thank you to the young ones for letting me read to them and spending time playing games or participating in crafts with me. Thank you to our Sunday school teachers for taking the time to prepare lessons that bring the word of the Lord into our daily lives. Thank you to Pastor Katy for always being supportive and encouraging and knowing the right things to say in any situation. Thank you Luke for coming to every sporting event, preparing fun activities for the youth, taking the time to meet us for coffee, and always being a friend to each of us when needed the most. Thank you all for the constant support to our mission trips, re-modeling of our youth room, our sporting events and any school activity we participate in. Thank you for showing me encouragement, generosity and demonstrating how to live in a Christ-like manner. I have built countless relationships with many members through youth group, mission work, Vacation Bible School, Confirmation class, being a youth representative for the Deacons, and coffee hours. Thank you for these lifelong relationships and friendships that have played a large roll in who I have become.

I have always enjoyed Sunday school, Wednesday night dinners, coffee hours visiting with the congregation, mission trips, Vacation Bible School, and so much more. I have grown to become more of a leader with a passion to help others with the guidance of your wisdom and generosity. You have led a great example to me through the mission work of our church: Open Door and the Back Pack Program, and the ability to welcome all that come lovingly. Thank you for being a supportive and loving church family as I grew from the shy little Michelle into the Michelle that is better prepared for the outside world ahead.

Tanya O'Neil

Some of my earliest memories from being in the United Sates have come from this church.  I remember coming to Sunday school, going down stairs and singing “Father Abraham had Many Sons” with the PYGs of the time, and of course Betsy Ferns’ voice and hugs that always welcomed me.

Our youth group has been handed off over the years by many great leaders.  First there was Ginger and Sharon, and now Luke and Annalea.   Through dinner theaters my acting skills have become Broadway ready.   This youth group has taught me a lot over the years.  I’ve learned that after hour 16 during a 30 hour famine, the hunger fades away.  It might have something to do with the lip sinking done by Sam Hamilton and Pastor Katie.      And finally the last thing I’ve learned about this youth group is that this church would do any thing for us.  You’ve helped pay for mission trips, watched all of our corny performances, supported us in our extra curricular activities and accepted us for who we are.

This past year I was taking honors Anatomy and Physiology.  This class always seemed to have tests on Thursdays. This meant that Wednesday nights during the PYG dinners I was always sitting at a table flipping through flash cards trying to learn where certain muscles or bones were located or what disease caused which symptoms.  Each time I wouldn't have flipped through my cards for more than 2 minuets before someone from the congregation, who was helping prepare dinner, would come over and quiz me.  It was because of that helpful quizzing that I could still enjoy the PYG dinner and still do well on the test the next day.

Since I’ve become a PYG I have begun speaking in front of the congregation.  Every Youth Sunday or when I was worship leader I would have a scripture to read.  Every time I would practice multiple times before going up to the podium and every time I would stumble over words.  I would always look up after stumbling to see if anyone was looking annoyed or was snickering, but I was met with smiles of acceptance and encouragement.   When the services were done I was treated with praise.  Not once were my mistakes mentioned.  It was like they never even happened and because of that I am truly grateful for this church, for not judging me and accepting me, stumbles and all.

Talking to most seniors they will tell you where they plan to go to school. Most will say that their going to that particular school because a family member went there or  that their school is ranked high in certain areas of study or that the school is giving them a good scholarship.  For me I chose Cottey College with the help of Kate Rohner and Pat Fessel who have both talked to me about their joyous experiences, and how Cottey is exactly right for me.  Kate Rohner once went out of her way on a trip to bring me a Cottey College t-shirt when I was in 5th grade.  If I had any questions about the school she was there to answer them.  I recently had the chance to have lunch with Pat Fessel and talk about her experience.  She told me about how she had no clue what she was doing or what to expect from Cottey College and that her parents just put her on a bus with another Cottey bound student.  Talking to Pat has eased my fears of going off into the unknown.

Leaving the PYGs and this church will be hard but I feel that all of you have helped prepare me to conquer what ever lies ahead.  While at Cottey I plan to sneak away from my studies on Sunday and get involved in the local Presbyterian church.  I know the church at Cottey, or any other church where ever I end up, will never be the same as my first church family.  This is a family that opens their arms to everything and everyone and have taught me the true meaning of God’s love.

Thank You.

May 17, 2015 Acts 2:1-21

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. 

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.” 

But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ 

SERMON (PASTOR)      

***

It’s not the the worst thing to have time to kill in International Airports. To walk from the domestic end to the other side, is not only exercise, but also an exercise in patience, and with patience - openness, and with openness - wonder, and with wonder, of course, excitement. I found the international section initially because it has better food, but now I go to see the English with their Teva’s and woodland colored striped socks, the blunt urban haircuts of young German women casually dressed in blacks and grays, and to wonder, ashamedly, if I will ever be able to tell people from different Asian heritages apart. I sit eating Sushi trying to decipher languages - the flourish of French, the guttural of German, the trick of Portuguese to my high school Spanish ear, and then there are the tantalizing ones, the languages where I am lost without a clue, where, as if seated by fame, I want to ask, but instead I hesitate toward privacy and my unsuredness of diversity. My eyes spark at the range of skin colors, or textures of hair, and heights, the woman who looks Eritrian, and then turns out to be Ethiopian, but gracious to my political mistake, says, “We were once all together,” as I tell her of my friend Tigist, one of the best cooks I know, and we talk of the ungeri and lamb, and goat, and rose water, and we connect for a moment, over a shared meal not eaten together, but one we both know. In some ways the connections seem contrived and the fascinations false, there in the recycled air and the bubble of perceived safety - all having been checked through security somewhere and headed to customs another, but I wonder, if still we can see the freedom of Pentecost while waiting for our flights. 

I imagine the disciples likewise, tongues of the Spirit resting on them and from their lips what was once a cacoughany of flourish and guttural, became a harmony for the Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs. Each one hearing in their own language but understanding all others. This Pentecost was the Tower of Babel but instead of the uniformity of finding one common language to glorify humanity, the Spirit embraced diversity. Likewise, in times of old, the prophet Isaiah spoke, or the Prophet Jeremiah spoke, but in the time of Pentecost and the Pentecost that is now, all were prophets and their words glorified God. The Spirit poured out on sons and daughters, like Youth Sunday two weeks ago, the wonder of which is still a flame in this place, and is begging to reach the community, the tantalizing excitement of hearing the power of God from the unexpected language of youth, and understanding, a community reborn. In the time of Pentecost, and the Pentecost that is now the Spirit spoke through the dreams of old men, like Dale Dodson and the fellowship hall filled with laughter days before Shirley had surgery, or John Burgess being remembered in the gift of fireplace inserts and the need for Spring Sprinklers. Even upon slaves both men and women the Spirit was poured out, and multiple times year, when we have forgotten, the Women’s Support Group, has reminded us to pray for the those affected by human trafficking, so common on 84. Today, new members will be received and youth will be ordained, and our leadership will span seven decades. You congregation of apostles, you who prophesy and trust in the power of God, from you, we, like the disciples, can see the portents of heaven above and the signs on the earth below. Just as it was then, today too is the Lord’s great and glorious day. Tongues of fire have landed in this place, in our sanctuary, but here we can not stay, like outside the disciples home there are still those outside from every nation asking, “What does this mean?” There are still those who have not seen the courage of our youth, the humor of Dale Dodson, the regulated planning of John Burgess, or the compassion of Women’s Support Group, or the leadership that comes from the span of seven decades. This house is too small to hold the portents of heaven on the earth below, we must go out, There are still international airports, where we wonder what language is spoken, and we do not understand. There are still political gaffs to be made in conversation because of the wars between countries, and still humans trafficked on 84. I still cannot tell those from many Asian countries apart, and am tricked by Portuguese to this high-school Spanish ear. There is a world out there, who is asking, “What does this mean?” You know. Tell them. Tell them in their own language.

May 3, 2015 Mark 1:40-45 Youth Sunday

Mark 1:40-45 NRSV

A leper came to him begging him, and kneeling he said to him, ‘If you choose, you can make me clean.’ Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, ‘I do choose. Be made clean!’ Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. After sternly warning him he sent him away at once, saying to him, ‘See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.’ But he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the word, so that Jesus could no longer go into a town openly, but stayed out in the country; and people came to him from every quarter.

Sermons

Kourtney Lehman

At the conclusion of my first grade year, my family moved to Baker City from the small town of Parma, Idaho. Behind me I was leaving great memories and many friends. Amongst my friends, I was parting with my best friend, Henry. Henry and I had known each other for many years and his family had become my family as well. My adventures with Henry almost always included his mother, Deana. This woman had the biggest heart and made the best homemade ice-cream, which is one of the reasons why I loved her. Henry and I loved to push her buttons from time to time, like when we would eat fudge bars in the swimming pool or when we would come home with bumps and bruises from another stupid exploration, but at the end of the day I would always receive a warm hug and a smile when I left Deana’s house.

As I continued to grow older, I learned something I had not known about Deana in my younger days: she suffered from a severe eating disorder. With each passing year, Deana’s condition grew worse. In the summer before my freshman year, I had an opportunity to visit the woman who had become almost like another mother in my life. She did not look well.  Just a few weeks after my visit, Deana passed away. Her death was one of the hardest moments of my life.

Before Deana died, one of my close friends, we’ll name her Allie, had been diagnosed with an eating disorder. I stood by her side trying to be a supportive friend, but when I lost someone who had meant so much to me because of the same disease I became angry with my friend since she had been denying the treatment her parents tried to provide. As I watched Allie head down the same path Deana took, I felt myself starting to avoid her because I was not ready to lose another person in my life to anorexia. By doing so, I let Allie become a leper. Consciously, I knew what I was doing was wrong. I was letting someone I loved feel like an outcast because she was a constant reminder of a painful memory of my past.  

I had given up on one of the friendships I valued most. Allie and I had become almost like sisters my fifth grade year, and she was there for me when I needed her, yet when she needed me most I was too weak to support her. It wasn’t long before I found myself begging God to reach out and cleanse me of the painful memory I still held onto, so that I could be there for my friend. I needed to let go of my frustration with Deana for selfishly not getting treatment until it was too late and leaving her family in sorrow behind, so that I could prevent the same thing from happening with my best friend. 

 Throughout my life, I will always remember the feeling of causing someone else to be the leper. One act of kindness eventually helped Allie get the treatment she needed, but the act was not from me. Someone else reached out to the leper I eluded, and for that I will always be grateful. Today, I pray that God will give healing to those who like me have let scars from the past affect our current relationships. I pray that one day I will forgive Deana, that one day I will forgive myself for harboring negative feelings toward a woman who played a huge role in my childhood, and that one day my friend will forgive me for not providing her with the support she deserved.

Bryson Smith

As I sat down to write this sermon, I could not help but think of how truly blessed I am to have such amazing friends, family, and inspirational mentors in my life. These people have help make me who I am today. I have never been one to talk about my feelings or open up to my peers about things with which I am struggling. This was also the case after my grandmother passed away last August.

 After receiving the news, I felt hopeless, and lost. This was definitely an interesting and difficult stage in my life. I truly did not know how I was going to get over it; how I was going to move on. Although I got many text messages and emails from my peers stating that they were there for me, I truly did not know whether I wanted them to be. I have always been a private person. I did not want to talk about it; I did not want to discuss how upset I was over losing one of my best friends. As much as I wanted to keep my feelings locked inside of me, I could not.

There was one person in particular that reached out to me more than anyone else. I had always looked up to him and I continue to look up to him to this day. Luke and I spoke many times during the weeks after my Nana’s death. He explained to me that God was present in my grief, and there was no mountain I could not get over. Luke gave me an all new outlook on the situation, and an all new outlook on life.

I was the recipient in this situation. Luke reached out to me; and as much as I wanted to lock myself out of the world because I felt like everything was falling apart, he was there for me. He probably does not know, nor will he ever understand how big of an impact he has had on me and my life. When I see someone in need, instead of keeping to myself and walking by, I now stop and try to provide comfort and be there for them, because you never know how much of an impact such little acts of love and compassion, can affect someone and their outlook on life. 

Michelle Lehman

Being a teenager is not always as easy as it seems. High School is not always the fun, exciting and easy adventure that I had always expected either. I have been in the shoes of the girl that walks down the hallways with every eye cast upon her. Each set of eyes with a different idea and a different angle, but all with some form of judgment. As the leper, I was set apart from the crowd with judgment. I heard the snickers, the harsh comments and saw the finger pointing at school and the cyber bullying on the screen of my phone. In a small town it is easy to become the gossip, however it is a difficult spot to be in.  The same question continually came into my thoughts: “What have I ever done to any of these people?” These people being the ones who speak harshly about me or make rude comments and jokes. I tried to think of a time in which I might have hurt their feelings in some way, unable to come up with any. Why would they choose me to pick on? Was it because I was an easy target being a girl who is terrified of rejection from others and constantly worry about the ways in which they perceive me? Was I different from the rest in the way in which the leper was?

Yet through the tough times and struggles I learned that one person really can make a difference, or in my case much more than one. As members of my loving youth group stood strongly at my side and as friends did the same, I was constantly given a reason to hold my head up high. There were students I barely knew that would send me comforting messages and offer up a friendly smile. A thoughtful gift such as a bouquet of flowers made a smile stretch across my face when I felt as though there were few standing by my side. The leper from the text was not touched with the same thoughtful actions as I was until he was healed to be like the others. I was not required to change who I was or how I was to be healed. Just as I was surprised by the harsh comments, I was equally surprised by the kindness. The actions or words that were taken both for and against me strengthened my faith. When times got tough, something always happened to give me more hope and faith that everything would be okay I am a child of God and He sees us all in His image.

In the same spot as the leper, I was the outcast. However through several people, I regained a certain amount of acceptance just as Jesus was able to give the leper the same experience. With a loving family, church family, and friends that could make a difference, my head was held a little higher with each day. My faith grew strong, and even just one person could make a difference.

Sam Hamilton

To be excluded, separated, or exiled because of reasons you cannot control is a feeling that many people experience everyday.  The leper did not have a choice to be different yet he was treated very differently by others.  He was treated differently because it is natural of the human race to be scared of what they do not understand.  Because of the way he looked people assumed the man was sick and a danger to others even though that was obviously not the case.

Most people have been in the leper’s shoes at one point or another and know the feeling of isolation and emotional weakness.  I have been in this position fairly recently. 

Only a few weeks ago I was informed that a family member whom I was very close to would be spending the next few months in the county jail.  From the moment I found out I began to imagine how people might think of me different.  I expected to receive questioning looks from people wondering if I was no different, and in this moment I felt as if my future would be severely changed.  I thought I would lose friends that I have known for many years. 

I have never been more wrong.

This community has reached out to me in more ways than I ever could have imagined.  In the past few weeks various members of this wonderful city have talked to me and made the entire situation much much easier with words of advice and gracious support.  With this support the isolation I once felt has been eliminated.  I was granted such an amazing gift, and all it took were a couple of words from a few very considerate people.  They reached out to me when I was vulnerable and in need of a helping hand, and I will be forever grateful.  So I encourage you to reach out to someone that you wouldn’t normally, because even the smallest acts of kindness can change a life.