2010 LENTEN SERMON SERIES, posted on N-0500
December 6 2009 -"A Visit with Elizabeth" -Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0500
October 11, 2009 - "It's Hard to be Humble" - Rev. Victoria Ney, posted on N-0400
October 4, 2009 - "Hunger Pangs" - Rev. Victoria Ney, posted on N-0400
"Read the Instructions!" - September 27 2009 - The Rev Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
September 20 2009 - "Pass The Salt" - The Rev Victoria Ney, posted on N-0400
September 13 2009 - "Calendar Confusion" -The Rev. Victoria Ney, posted on N-0400
September 13 2009 - "Calendar Confusion" -The Rev. Victoria Ney, posted on N-0400
September 6 2009 - "Dangerous Jobs" - The Rev. Victoria Ney, posted on N-0400
May 31 2009 -"Spirit Guide for Dummies" - Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
May 10 2009 - The Touch of the Master - Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
May 3 2009 - "More Than Enough" - Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
April 5 2009 - "Being A Christopher" - The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
March 29, 2009 “Lo-Cal Prayer” - The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
March 22, 2009 - “A Costly Bargain” - The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
February 1, 2009 - "Fourth and One" - The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0500
Januaray 25 2009 - Hooked! - Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0500
December 14 2008 - How Can It Be? - Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0500
December 7 2008 -Holidays or Hollow Days?- Rev. Ney, posted on N-0500
November 9, 2008 "You Want Me to Do What?"-Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0500
"Water Marks" October 12, 2008 - The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
July 20,2008 "The Runaway" - Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
"Dare to Be a Daniel" July 27, 2008- The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
July 13, 2008 - "Between a Rock and a Hard Place" - Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
April 13 2008 "There's a Tiger in My Boat!" -The Rev. VickyNey, posted on N-0400
March 9, 2008 - "Running in Reverse" - The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
March 2, 2008 - "Meet Mrs. Zebedee" - The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0500
February 10 2008 - "Who, Me?" - The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0500
"That Sinking Feeling" - January 27 2008 - Rev. Ney, posted on N-0500
January 13, 2008 - "Who Are You Wearing?" - Rev. Ney, posted on N-0500
"Wise People" - January 6, 2008 - The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0500
Christmas 2007 Homily - The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0500
How Can I Be Sure? - Rev. Ney - December 02 2007, posted on N-0500
"Skipping Christmas" - Rev. Ney - November 25 2007, posted on N-0500
"Thanks and Living" November 18, 2008 - Rev. Ney, posted on N-0500
"Your Money or Your Life!, posted on N-0500
"Taking Goliath Down" October 7, 2007 - The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
"When the Ark Got Parked - Oct. 21, 2007 The Rev. Vicky Ney , posted on N-0400
"Looking for Godzilla" -Rev. Vicky Ney Sept. 30 2007, posted on N-0400
"Parked In Dopey" Sept 23 2007 The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
The Rock, The Roll, The Resurrection. Text: John 20:1-18, posted on N-0400
"Does God Go On Vacation?" - The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
"Perfect Freedom" - The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
"Talk Like a Pirate" -The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
"A Visit With Martha" - The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
"It All Depends on What You're Listening For", posted on N-0400
Sheep and the Shepherd , posted on N-0400
Following Jesus in a “Hokie” World, posted on N-0400
“A Bout with Doubt” , posted on N-0400
Carpe Diem , posted on N-0400
The Physics of Falling Toast, posted on N-0400

February 10 2008 - "Who, Me?" - The Rev. Vicky Ney

February 10, 2008 “Who, Me?” The Rev. Vicky Ney Text: Isaiah 6:1-8 A friend of mine told a story last week that I found quite amusing—also very fitting for the Sunday before Valentine’s Day that is coming up next Thursday (I said that as a reminder for my husband and the other husbands in the congregation today!). My friend said he was in a Kentucky Fried Chicken fast food restaurant last year around this time. As he was placing his order, he was just pushed out of the way. When he looked over to see who might have pushed him so rudely, he saw a young man at the counter, on his knees with a diamond ring box in his hand proposing marriage to the young lady behind the counter (who was taking my friend’s order!). Instead of saying “Oh, yes!” with tearful eyes and a happy face, the young lady looked at the young man wide eyed, took the ring from his hands and said, “Sit over there, and I’ll talk to you in a minute!” Then she went back to taking my friend’s lunch order! Finally, my friend couldn’t stand the suspense. He asked her, “So, what do you think your answer is going to be to your boyfriend’s proposal? She said, “I honestly don’t know!” Obviously that was not the answer the young man had in mind! I felt bad for the young guy, and I wasn’t even there when it happened! Responses are important. And sometimes responses are not exactly what we expect! In the scripture passage I read from Isaiah, we see that responses are important— Isaiah’s response was certainly vital and, if we learn anything from him, we know that our individual responses are also important. It’s an amazing text. It’s Isaiah’s vision of God. The call of Isaiah to become a prophet of God is perhaps the best known event in Isaiah’s life. Not much is known about Isaiah’s background. It appears that he was a priest—that he was part of the privileged class within Jerusalem, and he had just retired a s a counselor to the court of King Ahaz. We also know that Isaiah certainly loved the city of Jerusalem and he had special interest in the way God had a unique relationship with the kings of the line of David and the people of Israel. Just to set the historical perspective here—some sort of military alliance had just been made between Ahaz and the threatening army of the powerful Assyrians. Isaiah strongly opposed this alliance. When the King did it anyway in spite of the warnings and advice of Isaiah and others, Isaiah quit his job (sounds rather modern, doesn’t it?) But the fact is Isaiah sensed a shift in the relationship of the government with God. Instead of trusting God, they were putting their faith in people and political alliances. Going back to Isaiah’s vision—I can only think of one word from my generation to describe it—psychedelic. If someone from the 1960’s or 70’s said they saw what Isaiah did, we probably would have wondered what drug that had taken! But Isaiah was not on any drug; he had a powerful, unforgettable encounter with the living God. Scholars have puzzled over the writer’s reason for dating the vision (“In the year that King Uzziah died…” Is. 6:1). But I think it was just such a monumental happening in the life of Isaiah, such a vivid vision, that he knew exactly when it happened. You know how it is in our own lives. Something life changing happens and you can go back and tell when exactly it occurred in relation to another important event. One day Isaiah is attending a simple worship service at the temple in Jerusalem and the next thing he knows, he is transported to a heavenly court. If we needed one word to express the mood of this text, it would probably be “awe.” Isaiah is in awe of his surroundings in heaven. He can barely describe what he sees. God seems so huge to Isaiah that just the hem of the Lord’s robe alone fills the Temple and God’s presence fills the whole earth. Isaiah is attempting to describe the indescribable. His vision of God gives us a sense of God’s greatness, mystery, and power. Isaiah sees a glorious robe on God. God sits on a magnificent throne. There are six-winged seraphim around God. It’s interesting to me that this is the only place in the Bible that talks about such angels. These attendants to the heavenly throne seem to give us the appropriate response to the presence of God. With two wings they covered their faces so as not to be blinded by the holiness and glory of God. With two wings they covered their bodies. And with two wings they flew around to do their appointed tasks. Not even angels get to sit around and do nothing! Isaiah also hears a heavenly choir singing—“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.” (6:3) In the Hebrew language, one of the ways to express emphasis is through repetition, and so Isaiah hears the word “holy” three times to indicate the supreme holiness of God. So here stands little Isaiah in the middle of this unbelievable scene in heaven. God has taken the initiative to speak to a weak, sinful mortal, and Isaiah—quite rightly so—is almost paralyzed with a sense of God’s power and majesty and his own inadequacy. I believe it was important for Isaiah to see God in all God’s glory and holiness. You see, Isaiah was going to have a huge job ahead of him. He was going to have to convince the Israelite people of God’s greatness, their need to change, and their impending destruction because of their unwillingness to be obedient to God’s message. You know, I think we need to see God in God’s holiness as well. I’m not saying that we need to have visions. I have never had a “bright light” vision or distorted vision or anything like that. I know some people who have, and I know others who have not. This is where reading scripture passages like this are good. It gives us a sense of God’s greatness. Our daily frustrations, our physical problems, our financial concerns, our family troubles, pressures from our jobs, thinking of our inadequacies, rushing everywhere—well, all of that just squeezes out a sense of God’s greatness and presence with us. It all narrows our view of God. We get so wrapped up in our “stuff” that we forget who God is. I think we desperately need scripture’s view of God as high and lifted up to empower us to deal with our problems and concerns. Once we see who God is—once we remember again how powerful God is—we can be reassured that this holy, almighty God is able to make a difference in our lives. But whether or not we are empowered depends on our response to this vision of a holy God. Isaiah’s experience of the presence and power of God brought out his profound sense of awe AND unworthiness. Isaiah felt totally inadequate. We hear that so clearly in his response, “Woe is me! I am lost!” Isaiah needed to know—and we need to know—that God doesn’t encounter human beings to condemn and terrify us. Rather God encounters each one of us to transform us and call us. A view of God’s moral perfection, God’s magnificence, can get our minds off our problems, and enable us to worship and serve. So it was after Isaiah understood his sin and inadequacy—after Isaiah says, “I can’t do anything alone. I’m unworthy. I’m weak. I’m lost without you, God!” that God could do anything with Isaiah at all. It was then that God’s transforming power could take over and make something useful out of him. It seems that the coals placed on his lips was God’s way of saying, “It doesn’t matter what you’ve done. I can fix it and make something out of you anyway! There’s a question that begs to be answered: Could Isaiah have been useful without his response? I think the answer is no; Isaiah needed to be willing when the call came. When the voice asked, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” Isaiah didn’t say “Who, me? You aren’t looking at me, are you?” Instead Isaiah said, “Here am I. Send me!” Hundreds of years before Isaiah even lived, there was another servant of God—Samuel—who had the same response when God called his name. Samuel said, “Here am I. Your servant is listening. Does this mean that these two men were extraordinary people? That they didn’t have doubts. That they weren’t afraid? That they didn’t have anxieties about what they were called to do? Absolutely not! I imagine both of them experienced a lot of fear and trepidation. All of us experience fear—especially of the unknown. We just need courage. Someone once said, “Courage is just fear that has said its prayers!” But better than that, Jesus said, “Take courage. You don’t need to be afraid. I have over come the world.” What’s our response to God’s call—God’s presence—in our lives? Do we say, “Who, me?” Or “There isn’t much I can do. I’m too old. I’m too young. I’m too busy.” There is something for everyone. Something as simple as kindness. A cheerful word to a needy friend. A compliment when it’s least expected. A phone call to someone who is alone. Working on church committees. Yes, even stirring soup! Serving as a Deacon or Elder. Giving time and talents and treasures to God’s work in this world—whatever that might be for each of us. Tony Campolo tells the story of a young woman named Nancy who gratefully responded to God’s movement of grace. You need to know that Nancy is handicapped and is confined to a wheelchair. But she still has an extraordinary ministry. Every week, in the personals section of her local newspaper, she runs an ad that reads, “If you are lonely or have a problem, call me. I am in a wheelchair and I seldom get out. We can share our problems with each other. I’d love to talk.” And then she lists her phone number. She spends much of her day on the telephone talking with t he more than 30 lonely and discouraged people who call each week. When Campolo asked how she came to be confined to a wheelchair, Nancy revealed that she had tried to commit suicide by jumping from the balcony of her apartment. Instead of dying, however, she ended up in a hospital room paralyzed from the waist down. One night in the hospital, she said that Jesus came to her and very clearly said, “You have had a healthy body and a crippled soul. From this day on you will have a crippled body, but you will have a healthy soul.” Nancy said, “I gave my life to Jesus that night in that hospital room, and I knew that if I kept a healthy soul, it would mean that I would have to help other people. And so I do.” There are lots of ways each of us can respond to the call of God in our lives. It’s a way of making God’s presence felt in our every day existence. The good news is that God works God’s cosmic purpose out one person at a time—and it involves each of us. The Psalm writer had a wonderful affirmation that Isaiah, or Samuel, or any one of us can say regularly: “The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me.” We just need the right response.

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