Call to Worship (Ciona Rouse, adapted)
Holy Spirit, shine down upon this place.
Holy Spirit, dazzle us with grace.
Holy Spirit, illuminate our lives.
Holy Spirit, shine down upon this place.

Unison Prayer (Mark Parsons)
O God, whose love like rolling waves
is never ceasing, yet ever refreshing,
wash us in the clear, calm waters of your grace,
so that we may be made new, clean,
bathed in the tides of your forgiveness,
through Christ in whom we are refreshed.  
Amen.

Words of Assurance: 1 Peter 5:7, KJV, NIV and TEV
Cast all your cares, worries and anxieties on God, because he cares for you.

The Lord’s Prayer
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.

Opening Song: Thomas Rhett, “Be a Light”

Scripture Reading:  Philippians 2:14-16, Good News Bible
Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may be innocent and pure as God’s perfect children, who live in a world of corrupt and sinful people. You must shine among them like stars lighting up the sky, as you offer them the message of life. If you do so, I shall have reason to be proud of you on the Day of Christ, because it will show that all my effort and work have not been wasted.

Sunday Sermon

We’ve all heard it said that it takes more muscles to frown than to smile. In the same way, it’s a lot easier to complain than to compliment; some articles suggest that customers are ten times more likely to complain.

A couple weeks ago I was out to dinner with some friends and after the meal, we called the manager over. He looked half huffy and half scared. We told him it was one of the best meals we’d ever had, and he didn’t know what to do with that information; he just melted.

Complaining comes naturally to us; we don’t even need to think about it. If someone were to pay us to complain, it would be an easy job. Complaining is also fun, and contagious. Just bring up politics, or the weather, or the cost of eggs, or the good old days, and soon everyone will be joining in. According to Psychology Today, the top three things people complain about are 1) other people; 2) daily inconveniences like traffic and dropped calls; and 3) personal stresses like work, money and health. Further down the list: people complain about other people complaining.

Paul writes, “Do everything without complaining or arguing.” When I first read this, I complained, because it is too hard. But that just proves the point. On Wednesday at 11:30, I gave our Bible study group a simple assignment: see if they could get through lunch without complaining. I thought this might be easy for me if I just avoided people for an hour, but then I realized that I was complaining in my head, and that counted. For the most part, and only because I was paying attention, I managed to catch myself every time I started to complain and made it until 4 o’clock.

I am ashamed of what I am about to admit, but at 4 o’clock I was turning into a parking lot in Northport and a woman with a baby looked at me and then for no reason decided to walk slowly in front of my car instead of moving to one side or another. And I know my reaction should have been “Oh, cute, a baby!” but it was not. She walked about ten feet before turning around and telling her husband to hurry up, and then both of them kept walking in front of my car. No, I didn’t honk. But I honked in my brain, very loudly.

This bothered me the rest of the day ~ not the mom with the baby, but my own reaction. If I wrote a book about it, I would name it Why Are You Being So Difficult When I Am Trying So Hard To Be Good?

I know that Paul, who wants me to shine like a star, and Jesus, who says I am the light of the world, and you, who pay my salary, would all like me to be better than that. But how? I think the first thing is to recognize uncharitable thoughts for what they are, and to confront them. I hope there is at least one person here who is thinking, “If a woman with a baby walked in front of my car, I would think the same thing as you did.” But that’s not the point, because if I think like everyone else, and I act like everyone else, then I’m not shining like a star ~ I’m more like a passing cloud.

So I started to think about stars in general, and realized that the people we call stars are not necessarily stars in the Christian sense; there have been TV shows called “Starsearch” and “Dancing With the Stars” and simply “Star.” And stories about them pop up between the headlines: what they’ve posted, what they’re eating, what they’re saying. My favorite headline of the week mentioned a famous woman whose dress was “hanging on by only two straps” and I thought, “Wait a minute; aren’t most dresses hanging on by two straps?” And then I thought, “Why am I wasting all this time online?”

A couple weeks ago, we talked about the actual stars, as David wrote about looking at the night sky and seeing God. The same is true of Christian stars, and by this I mean people who shine like stars. We have no shortage of these in our own church: people who do great things without ever seeking recognition; people who have great attitudes, even when facing great difficulties. If I asked, “Who are the people who have shone like stars in your own life, and how?” there would be no shortage of answers. When we think of them, like David looking at the stars, we also see God.

Reflection question: Who has shone like stars in your own life, and how?

The people of the early church were noticeably different from those around them, and that’s why the church grew. They shone like stars, bearing the light of Christ. We have the same opportunity: if we’re willing to be different, to stand out in a crowd, to wrestle with our own thoughts, to rise above our own impulses, or at a very basic level, to compliment more than we complain, we will increase the amount of light in the world.

In the words of Thomas Rhett:

In a time full of war, be peace
In a time full of doubt, just believe
Yeah, there ain’t that much difference between you and me
In a time full of war, be peace

In a world full of hate, be a light
When you do somebody wrong, make it right
Don’t hide in the dark, you were born to shine
In a world full of hate, be a light.

Amen!

Closing Song: Passion, “Shine Like Stars”

Benediction
May we go forth to shine like stars,
giving glory to the one who made the heavens
and whose light will never be extinguished.
Amen.