Sermons

vicarScottGrossman smSunday's Sermon - 
The Rev. Scott Duane Grossmann.
Vicar of Mt. Olive 

 


We have become
Or continue too be,
As we have in the past,
Maybe even a bit more today
And I'm sure we will in the future,
A society,
A culture
And more specifically a millennium generation,….A Tech savvy group of humanist that… “RE”

Rebooting, refreshing, rebuffing, recharging, rerouting.

We RE here, and RE there.

We are re’ing right now as we re-spend with re-spect to this message.

I re-mind you.
We have always been,
We still are,
And I suspect will always,
Be Re’ers

And we must always, RE (re-examine, forgive, look at things differently)
If we are to exist,
In any life re-warding Re-lationships.

Never, never, never give up. Say’s Winston Churchill

Title: We are a “R.E.” Society… and that’s the truth, Capital “T”………………a Good Thing.

We are a society who believe in second chances
God is a God of re-discovery and Re-do,

A God of 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, …..7×70 chances.

More so Today we are re-defining how we do church, to re-discover how to serve better with our interfaith, inter-re-ligious communities

Gospel lessons this week,
God tells us through scripture,
“Continue in my word and you shall be free”
as well as
“love they neighbor as you would love thy self.”

“Self” capital S” meaning Sons and Daughters of God.

Open up to the natural instinct of our humanness, our natural instinct to love, to become free with out placing man made barriers around nature, freedom or Love.


To start with today I would like to address change
Or
Re-arrange by unpacking change

With in the Lutheran church experienced by definition of the Re-formation

The Reformation
Re-forming, to re-form,
Re-inventing, re-discovering, re-aligning,
Our will with God's,
To re-member, re-awaken,
Ourselves, Capital S as Son and Daughters of God.

First things first,

For our visitor, and us to re-view who is Martin Luther and what is the reformation?


During the 1500s on October 31 we received in a message from Martin Luther, not Martin Luther King however he too lead a reformation.

But Martin Luther founder of the Lutheran denomination and sect of “by faith alone” belief in reforming of the church.

We are called to remember today the famous and world changing religious movement………. The Reformation.

A Mighty Fortress is Our God.”
Luther even wrote a song for us

This radical Re-formation
Re-defined how we look the real True word of God Within the Gospels even today

95 theses Martin Luther posted, on Oct 31st 1500’s which was not on Facebook or twitter,

But nailing handwritten pieces of paper to the door of the church Chancellor in the middle of the town square,

Luther’s lash of pen and paper strongly expressed re-form and re-volt to the current law of paying money to the church as being a false cause.

Martin Luther’s re-sistance and re-bellion was around the Small “t” (false word)

As the gospels were given for us.
The interpretation was really ticking Luther off,
Luther’s natural instinct was to follow the truth with the capital ‘T”.

How the true word Real word of God will set you free.

I translate

Nothing real can be threatened, nothing unreal exists, and there in lies the peace of God.

Where is the “real” truth and where’s the “unreal’ freedom?
God’s word is real
And
The unreal in the shaming, the guilt, and the requesting to pay indulgences,

In the false direction of giving of money to advance you or your loved one, to a better place in the kingdom of God did not compute with Luther.

No money was going to move aunt José or uncle Barry out of precatory.

Silly, Luther thought, why use this middleman in the church,

The hierarchy of the priests, when you can access the kingdom of God right here, right now,

Luther says this is not right of an institution lead by the pope and all the highest priests having power for your advancing.

I say:

Your advancing, is your job,
Not the churches we just give you the tools to work it out.
We are your gym to build that attitudinal muscle of Faith, in community and space, giving praise and gratitude for God’s Grace.


However strict the law our instincts tell us it is not money that will do this advancing, but it is your own faith, building upon your own growth, the interior growth, with in.

Christian

Christ-with-in

We are to grow with God and with your self-capital “S” as the Son’s and Daughter of God.
Not small “s” the ego driven man made means to build fear into the people.

This fear was nothing more than the church’s fear of re-languishing power to the people and not being able to control the outcome.

Could this be our media even of today?

It’s mad, so sad.

Reformation movements are usually brought on by the ego driven intuitions of power government or church

“E.G.O. “Edging God Out” of the lives of people, by putting the outcome to the church’s discursion.
It was time to re-volt.


Putting connection to the Gospels.

Our natural instinct to Love thy neighbor as thyself or the truth shall set you free.
Was not to be ignored as the growth of individual spiritual advancement.
We are out to re-discover ones own freedom that only one can find in oneself with God.
How we, do church is to find God within ourselves first.
We don't just survive with God; it is with God's true love,
we Thrive.

This natural instinct of freedom and love, vs. your own self-will is to be found with in.
So our own transformation will become the Reformation for our time.
And if not now, then when?
If not us, then who?
Your own Re-formation at this time is huge for transforming
To be re awaken to the divine, enlightened, spiritual, individual person God has made you.

Reformation is inside of ourselves, capital ‘S”, to find the peace of mind that allows us to advance and move forward.

Just let go of the peanuts, but I say “I can’t.” my faith must become stronger.
But if not now then when?

The True will of God is a surrender that surpasses all understanding,
However once the individual is stronger, the whole becomes stronger, while building individual faith and love we then get strong enough to hold others on our shoulders.


God is a God of Love
And
A God of second chances:


We let go of the peanuts by steering away from guilt and shame, we ultimately become free, the freedom of a Christian… Christ- With- In.

The truth is in us,
The truth of truths is; God’s Truth capital “T’.
Its in our nature.

This truth will set you free to be True disciples of God's love,
Serving community,
The church,
The congregation without fear of one's own solid foundation crumbling.

Sometimes we don't see or feel the freedom or the love in our 3rd dimensional existence.

Because the barriers and blockage we ourselves small “s” and mankind have placed in front of the overflowing fountain of Light and Love.

We know there's a natural instinct to love and freedom.
Nature tells us to take care of ourselves, heal our wounds, and get better.


We are a society of natural instinct;
Our instincts tell us Ebola is nothing to mess with
Or
Insanity is Isis.

We know we live in fear
When we question our natural love for God.


And yet we recognize the cranky, little, crawlers, in each of us
The bondage of the cocoon,
To the freedom of caterpillar
and the breathtaking ahh of beauty in the natural transformation of the butterfly,

We naturally recognize when you're off the mark.

How long do we stay there is the question?

I will have experiences and you will have experiences.
Jesus taught us in the Lord's prayer “give us this day our daily bread”
Give us this day our daily experiences,
We are going to have experiences that take us to a place of growing and going deeper

And not all experiences are pretty.

We know naturally, instinctually God loves us unconditionally; it’s our question in how we love God.

So I leave you today with the assurance that God is with you here, right now.

Your task is not to seek for love,
For love is our natural flow,

However your task is to merely seek and find
All of the barriers within you’re self, small “s’
That you have built against love and freedom.

It is not necessary to seek for what is true,
However, it is necessary to seek for what is false.


Nothing re-al can be threatened, nothing un-re-al exists…… and they’re in lies the peace of God.

Please share with me in Prayer.

God, I pray that the most important thing in my life is a better relationship with you. Help me please, to re- boot, re-route, and re-form, my own re-formation through the words of my month, through the meditation in my heart and through the thoughts in my mind. Re-store gentleness, so I may re-gain right thinking, righteousness, become open and willing to love thy neighbor as thy self and re-Joyce in freedom, bring no harm to others or my self,
Through your grace,
In the name of Christ Jesus, we pray
And we all say together...Amen

Peace
Vicar Scott

The Rev. Scott Duane Grossmann
Vicar, Mt. Olive Lutheran Church
Santa Monica, California


Inaugural internship Sermon - Sunday, October 26, 2014
We are a “R.E.” Society… a Good Thing.
Re-formation Sunday Sermon written by Rev. Scott Duane Grossmann 

 

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