It's Time For Recess Series

Scripture: John 15:9-17; Philippians 4:4-7

Theme: Enjoying God

Title: Recess Time!

INTRO:

Grace and peace today from God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit!

Over the last couple of weeks we have looked at the “Eraser of Forgiveness” and the “Math of Generosity”. This week I would like for us to look at another school related experience that I am sure most of us enjoyed and that is Recess.

Now, for a child growing up in Eastern Kentucky (some years back) recess was this amazing and wonderful time. Our recess time was usually spent outdoors – even in the winter time until it got down below 20 degrees.

I think my most favorite recess time happened while I was in the 3rd grade. We were old enough to enjoy the time and yet young enough to still have active imaginations. Recess was that time you could let your imagination take you to places that were amazing as you got with your friends to talk, to play a game or two or to just enjoy the sunshine.

Sometimes our third grade teacher would play a game with us. Instead of just watching us play, she would join in the game. It was always a lot of fun to watch her try to kick the ball or hit the softball. I realize that it was a different time than today, but I count myself fortunate to have grown up in a town where things were different.

Recess brought us together as a class. Not just with one another but with our teacher(s) as well. There is something about learning together, eating together and playing together that creates - Connection and Community.

Recess made us understand our teacher better. She became one of us – hitting the ball, running the bases and either leading her team to win or to lose. Either way, it was okay. There was something about having a teacher go from the classroom to the lunch room to the playground. Recess made us enjoy school that much more.

And that is what I want us to look at today. Much like recess we are to enjoy our church times together – whether we are in small groups learning more about Jesus, in a worship and praise setting, around a table eating food or enjoying one another’s company.

Somewhere along the line a lot of churches forgot how to enjoy God and one another.

+Church began to be more like being in a stuffy library having to make sure that you are ever so quiet.

+Church began to be more a place that you better straighten up and fly straight rather than just being free to celebrate and rejoice.

+Church began to be this place where you felt like you couldn’t breathe and that at any moment someone is going to give you a mean look or shake their finger at you.

Yes, it is true that we worship in reverence – but according to the Bible we can worship in holy reverence and dance at the same time. Think for a moment back to King David (2 Kings 6:14ff). And according to what we read this morning Jesus came to bring us joy – joy in our daily lives and in our community lives; which of course, includes being in Church.

So, let’s take a few moments this morning and think about the words Joy and Church. The words - Rejoice and Church. The words – Celebrate and Church. Let’s look at what it means to have a great time with God and with One Another.

I. We can have a great time with God because He is A Good God – Seeking to Create Communion with Himself and Us

It all starts with God. If we want to experience Communion and Community, it all begins and rests on God.

No matter how long we have served the LORD, we have to make sure that we keep our relationship up to date, our minds open and our hearts receptive. Because the more we do that the more we begin to see and experience the real God of the Bible – the Good God of Creation, Salvation and Sanctification.

We all for the most part serve our own concept of God. We serve what we know about God – how we feel about God – what we think we know about God.

For many people the concept that they have of God is someone who is to be feared at all cost – God is this Being, that is sitting up in Heaven who is for the most part mad at human beings.

I mean we messed up in the Garden. We messed up to cause the Flood. We messed up to cause the languages to be confused. We messed up and caused all those prophets to have to tell us that God was bringing judgment. We messed up in not accepting Jesus. We messed up by crucifying Jesus on the Cross. We just messed up and now God is in Heaven mad at us and the only reason He doesn’t destroy us is because Jesus took our punishment. God is mad. Jesus stepped in and the Holy Spirit is now at work being the peace maker.