The Changing Face of God

This sermon was heard at Broadmoor Presbyterian Church in Shreveport, Louisiana on Sunday March 2, 2014, Transfiguration of the Lord Sunday.

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Exodus 24:12-18

Psalm 2

2 Peter 1:16-21

Matthew 17:1-9

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer.  Amen

Our brains are wonderful things. When we see things, they allow us to process images and colors into wonderful images others may not see. It’s why when some people look up into the clouds they can see animals. It’s why the ancients saw winged horses and lions; huntsmen and water bearers in the night skies.

In addition, our imaginations, perhaps with a twinge of ecstatic fervor, have seen the Almighty in more than just the clouds and the skies. The image of Christ has been seen in (among other things) Cheetos, tortillas, trees, dental x-rays, cooking utensils, windows, rocks, stones, and walls—both painted and plastered.

During a space shuttle mission in March 2002, a new camera with extremely high resolution was installed on Hubble Space Telescope. One month later the Hubble Space Science Institute released new photographs of the Cone Nebula, also known as the Space Mountain, to showcase this new camera. Located in the constellation Monoceros, the Cone Nebula is a region that contains cones, pillars, and majestic flowing shapes that abound in stellar nurseries where natal clouds of gas and dust are buffeted by energetic winds from nurseries of newborn stars. Shortly afterwards people, believing they could see the Lord’s face in it, began to call it the “Jesus Nebula”.

A controversial incident that received considerable publicity happened in October 1996 when the face of Mother Teresa was claimed to have been identified in a cinnamon bun at Bongo Java in Nashville, Tennessee. Dubbed the “Nun Bun”(yes, the Nun Bun) by the press, it was turned into an enterprise by the company, selling T-shirts and mugs, which led to an exchange of letters between the company and Mother Teresa’s representatives. On December 25, 2005 (yes on Christmas Day 2005) the bun was stolen during a break-in at the coffee house.

To put the cherry on this sundae, here’s something from the “I saw it on the internet so it must be true” file, The Jesus Toaster. Yes my brothers and sisters in the Lord, you can invite the Lord to breakfast burning his image into a piece of bread. What a great way to start the day, your favorite spread over the visage of the fully-human fully-divine Messiah. List price is $39.99, but it can be yours for only $34.95 at Amazon.com and at jesustoaster.com it’s just $24.95! You want to see the face of our God? Just a little “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter” and you better believe you will see the face of Jesus!

How’s that for the changing face of God? As for me, I’d suggest using wheat or rye bread in the Jesus Toaster. Using white bread may be just a bit too on the nose as Presbyterian stereotypes go.

Now, as far as miracles go, toasting bread quit being miraculous a long time ago. Today we read what is in my opinion one of scripture’s great miracles; the revelation of Jesus to his apostles, the transfiguration. This word, transfiguration, literally means “to change face” or as we would understand it “to change appearance.” His essence remained the same, Jesus did not change, but his appearance did. And on the mountain Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James, and John.

His face shone like the sun and his clothes became dazzling white, as white as light.  Suddenly, this simple Palestinian carpenter wasn’t engulfed by light; he was light as bright as the sun. His clothes were whiter than alabaster, whiter than the palest moon.

He appeared with two of the greatest heroes of the faith; Moses, the Law Bringer and Elijah, the One Who Was Lifted in the Whirlwind.  Then a voice suddenly came from a bright cloud that came over them like a white fog saying, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased,” and then these words came from the cloud, “Listen to him.”

Now, this voice from the bright cloud isn’t the first time the Lord spoke to the people out of a cloud. Our Old Testament reading has another instance where this happened. In that reading the Lord said to Moses; whether out of a dream, a cloud, or the clear blue air we’ll never know, “Come up to me on the mountain and wait for me there; and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.”

The voice even went as far to tell the tag-alongs to stay with Aaron and Hur. Oh, and if they had any complaints they should be lodged with Aaron and Hur. Appeals up the food chain would not be heard.

Then the glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai and the cloud covered it for six days and on the seventh the Lord called Moses out of the cloud. The appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring, a consuming fire on the top of the mountain. Through the cloud, at the base of the mountain, the people of Israel could see the fiery appearance of the Lord. That is where Moses stayed forty days and forty nights.

In our two readings we have seen the face of God in Jesus, Jesus shining with great heroes of Judaism. We have heard God in clouds and in a disembodied voice. The Lord appeared to Moses as fire. God even spoke as the Word cast in stone to the people in the Ten Commandments not long before this passage. Those who saw these things were some of the greatest leaders and disciples of our Lord and God that we know, Moses, Aaron, Peter, James, and John. We even get a few others like Hur and the unnamed “elders.” So why does God show up in so many different ways to so many different people? I may not have the “correct” answer, but I have an answer.

I believe that the Almighty reveals God’s own self to people in the way the people need. There is no “one size fits all” revelation of the Lord to the people. The Transfiguration even shows that in the special revelation of Jesus Christ the Lord chooses more than one face to show the people.

In the days before Jesus, God appeared to the people through fire, cloud, voice, written word, the word of the Prophets, even in silence and absence. Then God became incarnate, the fully-human, fully-divine Messiah Jesus was born, lived, died, lived again, and rose. Then fifty days later, on Pentecost, through the Holy Spirit, the Lord came to be known to humanity forever.

Now here’s what’s even more important about this, I am not saying that God changes. God is the same and remains the same. No Christian would ever say we worship three Gods, we worship the Trinity of the three persons of the one God whom Karl Barth called not the “three divine I’s, but thrice the one divine I.” I’m saying we worship a God who meets us where we are, Father, Son, and Spirit. God seeks a relationship with each and every one of us where we live—in our homes, in our workplaces, in our churches—everywhere we live. God meets us in our joy and even more in our tribulation. Jesus comes to us and says, “Get up. Don’t be afraid.”

In a changing world, God changes appearance to meet us where we are, but God never changes being who God is. A reading which is often heard this Sunday comes from 2Peter. I will share the New Living Translation because it sounds more conversational, more like something you would hear at a coffee house:

For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice from the majestic glory of God said to him, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” We ourselves heard that voice from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain.

Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts.

Peter tells us we don’t need to make stuff up. We don’t need to create Christ out of Cheetos. The voice of God came to Peter, James and John at the Transfiguration and is shared again in Peter’s letter, “This is my son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” Oh, and the first time we heard these words? The baptism of the Lord.

Because of all of this we can have great confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. Their words are like a lamp shining in the dark until the day dawns and Christ shines in our hearts. Because God comes to us where we are, because God comes to us in joy and sorrow, because God comes to us in light when we are at our darkest, we can live in the confidence of our vocation as Christians to shine the light of Christ into the world.

We too are called to shine the light of Christ into the world.

We are to carry on the work of Jesus; going to those who are overcome by fear, those who are terrified.  And we are to touch them saying, “Get up, and do not be afraid.”  We are witnesses to the grace and peace and glory of Jesus the Christ who walked the earth as a Palestinian Jew two-thousand years ago and continues to walk with us today; empowering us through the Holy Spirit for the work of the church for all of creation.  We are the ones who are called to gather and welcome the broken people of the world and through God’s love make us one.

We can give a smile, or a word of encouragement.  We can spend time with someone.  We can give gifts of ourselves and our works.  We can do service for others who need our help, who need to see the light of God in the world.  We can give the thirsty a cold drink.  We can offer a prayer on their behalf.  We can visit people who are alone and frightened.

We are to share the message Jesus shared with his disciples on that mountain top so long ago.  “Get up and do not be afraid.”  In this word, Jesus reminds his disciples that he is with them.  In this word, Jesus reminds us, his disciples, that he is still with us.

“Joan of Arcadia” was a TV fantasy/family drama telling the story of teenager Joan Girardi who sees and speaks with God and performs tasks she is given. In the pilot episode, God appears to Joan and reminds her that she promised to do anything he wanted if he would let her brother survive a car crash that left him a paraplegic. God appears in the form of various people including small children, teenage boys, elderly ladies, transients, or passersby. Joan is asked by God to perform tasks that often appear to be trivial or contrary, but always end up positively improving a larger situation.

In its way, it was her own private transfiguration, the same God showed different faces. Each of these faces met Joan where she was in her specific time and place. Each of these faces had a specific thing for her to do. That of course, is the nature of episodic television.

We won’t always have that same “thing to do” when we see the face of God, after all, we don’t live in episodic television. We do have three things though. We hear God’s voice saying “This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased. We feel the touch of Jesus as he tells us “Get up and do not be afraid.” We also have the vocation of all Christians, “Go and do likewise.”

Go and do likewise, this is the Word of the Lord. Amen.

Echoes

This sermon was heard at the First Presbyterian Church in Marshall, Texas on Sunday March 6, 2010, Transfiguration of the Lord Sunday.

Exodus 24:12-18

Psalm 2

2 Peter 1:16-21

Matthew 17:1-9

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer.  Amen

Today we read what is in my opinion one of scripture’s greatest miracles of the revelation of Jesus to his apostles, the transfiguration.  This word, transfiguration, literally means “to change face” or as we would understand it “to change appearance.”  The essence is the same, but the appearance is different.  And on the mountain Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James, and John.

His face shone like the sun and his clothes became dazzling white, as white as light.  Suddenly, this simple Palestinian carpenter wasn’t engulfed by light; he was the source of light as bright as the sun.  His clothes were whiter than alabaster, whiter than the palest moon.  And then appearing not to him but with him were the two greatest heroes of the faith, Moses and Elijah.  And they were talking with Jesus.

This was when a voice suddenly came from a bright cloud that came over them like a white fog saying the words last spoken when Jesus was baptized, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased.”  This time these words come with an added instruction, “Listen to him.”

These apostles were fishermen so they probably weren’t at the Jordan when Jesus heard these words from above.  But I can imagine this, overshadowed by the bright light, hearing these words for themselves, everything that they had ever experienced, heard, or thought was now far more personal and intimate than they had ever dared imagine.

So they fell to the ground terrified.

Well of course they fell to the ground!  Of course they were terrified!  The sight of God’s perfect glory should cause anyone to be overcome with fear.  Such power, such authority, such joy and delight and fear come together so that there is nothing left to do but fall to the ground worshipping God.  Even if the posture they took was a posture of worship, they fell to the ground terrified.

These men had grown up knowing the story of Moses at the burning bush.  They knew that they could not see God and live.  And suddenly here’s Moses with Elijah chatting up the man they had just followed up the mountain.  Then just as suddenly they were swallowed by a bright cloud that told them who their Rabbi truly is, the Son of the one true God.

“Terrified” might begin to describe how they felt.

They were told to listen, and in this time listening meant more than just hearing.  It meant much, much more.  It meant hearing and it also meant understanding.  Beyond that, to listen meant to respond.  This simple sentence from the cloud revealed to Peter, James, and John that beyond any doubt Jesus is the long awaited Lord and Messiah and they were being called to his obedience.  They were told that Jesus is the beloved of God and they were to listen to him.

Then, still cowering in worship, Jesus came and touched them saying, “Get up and don’t be afraid.”  He touched them and he reassured them.  This is what Jesus did.  He didn’t give them the secret to life.  He didn’t tell them what Moses and Elijah had been saying to him or he to them.  He didn’t give them a way to clean their robes so theirs would be as white as snow.  He touched them and with a word he reassured them.  This is what Jesus did.

Now, imagine how they might have responded if Jesus had not touched and reassured them.  I imagine the fear that would have continued to overwhelm them.  They would have been scarred by such a terrifying experience.  Their terror would change them and how we know them; but the Lord does not leave them to stew in their terror; with a simple touch he reassured them.

At this point in the gospel of Matthew, reassurance is something that is both needed and welcomed.  In the previous chapter, Jesus declares to his disciples that he will suffer.  What a tremendous and horrible image for any people, their Lord and master suffering.  Of course this horror will not stand, and Peter is just the guy to rebuke God Incarnate.  Peter says “God forbid!”  Jesus says “You do not have the things of God in your mind.”  Our Lord calls the rock “Satan” and tells him to get back.  Yes, Peter could use some encouragement at this moment.

Then, just a single verse after our reading, Jesus foretells his suffering again.  Then the disciples ask an interesting question, “Why do the why the teachers of the law say Elijah must return first?”  It’s a sensible question, if the Messiah is here and Elijah had to come first, where is or was Elijah?

Jesus declares Elijah did return and the people didn’t recognize him.  The people did with him as they pleased, finally allowing him to be executed on the word of a child.  Jesus revealed to them that he was talking about Elijah returned as John the Baptist.  So in one sentence, these disciples heard the truth about the death of Elijah and John.

This is how John the Baptist died.  This is how Elijah died, and the stones did not cry out.  Again words of consolation were welcomed and appreciated.

But in the middle of this screaming in pain and suffering, in the midst of suffering past and future, there is a clarion call of hope, there is a cry of peace, there is a vision of the past, the present and little did they know, the future.

In the midst of these prophecies of suffering, there is an echo to the past, a past when Jesus accepts our condition in the waters of his baptism.  We, the people who receive this gospel, listen to the echo of the words heard at his baptism.

We too are called to listen, learn, and respond to the Word of God.

We are to carry on the work of Jesus; going to those who are overcome by fear, those who are terrified.  And we are to touch them saying, “Get up, and do not be afraid.”  We are witnesses to the grace and peace and glory of Jesus the Christ who walked the earth as a Palestinian Jew two-thousand years ago and continues to walk with us today; empowering us through the Holy Spirit for the work of the church for all of creation.  We are the ones who are called to gather and welcome the broken people of the world and through God’s love make us one.

And this is another of the great lessons of the transfiguration; the power and glory of God are wonderful, and joyous, and terrifying.  In the raw presence of God we have no real choice other than to be overwhelmed.  As we are overcome by the glory that surrounds us, there is a hand and a word calling us not to be afraid.

Jesus makes it clear in the last verse in our reading that one size does not fit all when he tells the three to tell no one about the vision.  Why didn’t Jesus want them to tell the world what had happened?  Why didn’t he bring everyone up the mountain to see the transfiguration?  Perhaps it is because this vision was meant just for these three disciples.  And based on the Word of the New Testament, they overcame their fears becoming great leaders of the Church of Christ.

Does this mean that the other apostles were second class disciples because they did not experience this image of God’s glory?  No, it just meant that what they needed was different.

We can give a smile, or a word of encouragement.  We can spend time with someone.  We can give gifts of ourselves and our works.  We can do service for others who need our help, who need to see the light of God in the world.  We can give a thirsty person cold water.  We can offer a prayer on their behalf.  We can visit people who are alone and frightened.

We are to share the message Jesus shared with his disciples on that mountain top so long ago.  “Get up and do not be afraid.”  In this word, Jesus reminds his disciples that he is with them.  In this word, Jesus reminds us, his disciples, that he is still with us.

It’s funny.  One of the things most young people learn on overseas mission trips is the depth and breadth of the faith and devotion of the people they have come to serve, the people they have come to bear witness to the glories of God.  Often people who go on overseas mission trips receive far more than they give.  For God, results like that aren’t uncommon.  It is wonderful and joyful and glorious and sometimes more than a little bit frightening.

This is our call, this is our vocation.  We are the hands of the body of Christ in the world, offering the touch of his love and his peace to a terrified world.  We are to be the voice of God in this world saying “do not be afraid.”  And it’s also one of the glorious aspects of this giving, when we give through the power of the Holy Spirit, we tend to receive more than we could ever hope or imagine.  Jesus tells us, the disciples of two-thousand years, “get up and do not be afraid” so that we may share the same message with the broken people of the world.

A Simple Touch

This sermon was heard at the First Presbyterian Church in Berryville, Arkansas on Transfiguration of the Lord Sunday, February 3, 2008.

Exodus 24:12-18
Psalm 2
2 Peter 1:16-21
Matthew 17:1-9

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen

Failure to thrive is a medical condition which can affect new-born children and infants. Not a disease per se, it is a general diagnosis with many possible causes. What is common in all cases is the child does not gain weight as expected. As a result of poor weight gain, these children often experience poor height growth too. With so many possible reasons for this diagnosis, treating a child who fails to thrive focuses on identifying any number of underlying problems.[1]

Common causes of this condition include gastro-intestinal disorders. Some of the possible ailments which could trigger this include gastroesophageal reflux, chronic diarrhea, cystic fibrosis, chronic liver disease, and celiac disease. With reflux, eating can become coupled with painful gas and vomiting. Chronic diarrhea prevents nourishment from staying in the body long enough to be absorbed. Cystic fibrosis, chronic liver disease, and celiac disease can all make the body unable to absorb nutrients from food.

Issues of poverty can also contribute to failure to thrive. The children of women unable to breast feed who cannot afford formula may show the symptoms of this condition. In young children, a family’s inability to purchase nourishing food when a baby goes off the bottle can also lead to failure to thrive. But there is another possible cause for this condition.

One of the factors that can lead to failure to thrive is emotional deprivation as a result of parental withdrawal, rejection, or hostility.[2] As dire as poor health and poor nutrition can be to the physical development of a baby, the attitude and behaviors of the parents can be just as influential.

A couple of years ago, there was a TV documentary about the conditions of Eastern European orphanages.[3] This was at a time when poverty was so extreme that many children were being abandoned to orphanages. Of course the orphanages themselves were understaffed and overstretched. But one of the things the people noticed is that the babies in the orphanage who were held were far healthier, far more attentive than those who were left alone in their cribs. With all other things being equal, it was a touch from another that helped these babies thrive and gave them a chance to live.

Today we read one of scripture’s greatest miracles of the revelation of Jesus to his apostles, the transfiguration. This word, transfiguration, literally means “to change face” or as we would understand it “to change appearance.” And on the mountain Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James, and John.

His face shone like the sun and his clothes became dazzling white, as white as light. Suddenly, this simple Palestinian carpenter wasn’t engulfed by light; he was the source of a light as bright as the sun. His clothes were whiter than alabaster, whiter than the palest moon. And then appearing not to him but with him were the two greatest heroes of the faith, Moses and Elijah. And they were talking with Jesus. They were giving Jesus honor and praise.

This was when a voice suddenly came from a bright cloud that came over them like a white fog saying the words last heard when Jesus was baptized, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him.”

These apostles were fishermen; they probably weren’t at the Jordan to hear the words of the voice that declared “This is my Son.” But I can imagine two things, first is that they had heard the story, these men knew these words and they knew the power and authority of the one who spoke them. Further, overshadowed by the bright light, what ever they had thought of the story before, now, in this moment, the story has new presence, intimacy, and authority for their lives.

And they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear.

Well of course they fell to the ground! Of course they were overcome by fear! The sight of God’s perfect glory is a frightening thing. Such power, such authority, such joy and delight and fear come together so that there is nothing left to do but fall to the ground worshipping God. And the posture they took is a posture of worship.

These men had grown up knowing the story of Moses at the burning bush. They knew that they could not see God and live. And suddenly here’s Moses, with Elijah none the less, chatting up the man they had just followed up the mountain. Then just as suddenly they were swallowed by a bright cloud that told them who their Rabbi truly is, the Son of the one true God.

“Overcome by fear” might begin to describe how they felt.

But Jesus came and touched them saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” He touched them and he reassured them. This is what Jesus did. He didn’t give them the secret to life. He didn’t tell them what Moses and Elijah had been saying to him. He didn’t give them a way to clean their robes so theirs would be as white as snow. He touched them and with a word he reassured them. This is what Jesus did.

Now, imagine how they might have responded if Jesus had not touched and reassured them. Imagine the fear that would have continued to overwhelm them. They would have been scarred by such a terrifying experience. Their terror would change them, and how we know them. They would have failed to thrive. But this is not what the Lord does; with a simple touch he reassured them.

As the Body of Christ on earth, our challenge is two-fold. We are to carry on the work of Jesus; going to those who are overcome by fear, those who are terrified. And we are to touch them saying, “Get up, and do not be afraid.” We are witnesses to the grace and the peace and the glory of Jesus the Christ who walked the earth as a Palestinian Jew two-thousand years ago and continues to walk with us today; empowering us through the Holy Spirit for the work of the church for all of creation. We are the ones who are called to gather and welcome the broken people of the world and through God’s love make us one.

Gary Chapman is an author who wrote “The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate.”[4] Chapman writes that our relationships strengthen as we show our mates love in ways they value. He explains that every person feels most loved when love is expressed through one of five modes: words of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service, and physical touch.[5] (Oh, and physical touch is more than just sex.)

Using Chapman’s model, Jesus showed the three apostles his love through physical touch and words of affirmation. Of course I’m sure Jesus didn’t have Chapman in mind when he reached out with his hand and his encouraging words. Still, Jesus knew his disciples needed his simple touch; and he knew how it would change their lives. He knew that his words, “do not be afraid,” would save them from their terror.

And this is one of the great lessons of the transfiguration; the power and glory of God are wonderful, and joyous, and terrifying. In the raw presence of God we have no real choice other than to be overwhelmed. As we are overcome by the glory that surrounds us, there is a hand and a word calling us not to be afraid.

The song Ken[6] sang today is by Bill Gaither. The chorus goes like this:

He touched me,
Oh he touched me
And oh the joy that floods my soul
Something happened and now I know
He touched me and made me whole.[7]

The Lord Jesus touches us and makes us whole. As the body of Christ on earth, we are called to continue to offer this touch. Does this mean we are to physically touch everyone we see? No, that would get us kicked out of Wal-Mart in a flat second.

Jesus makes it clear in the last verse in our reading that one size does not fit all when he tells the three to tell no one about the vision. Why didn’t Jesus want them to tell the world what had happened? Why didn’t he bring everyone up the mountain to see the transfiguration? Perhaps it is because this vision was meant just for the three of them. And based on the Word of the New Testament, they overcame their fears becoming great leaders.

Does this mean that the other apostles were second class disciples because they did not experience this image of God’s glory? No, it just meant that what they needed was different. Chapman would say they had different love languages. And if we give love to someone in a language they don’t understand, it’s like we don’t give them love at all.

When appropriate, yes, we are to touch. And we should also consider Chapman’s love languages. We can give a smile, or a word of encouragement. We can spend time with someone. We can give gifts of ourselves and our works. We can do service for others who need our help, who need to see the light of God in the world. We can give a school child a back pack. We can give a thirsty person cold water. We can offer a prayer on their behalf. We can visit people who are alone and frightened.

And no matter how we share the message, to coin a phrase from Chapman, regardless of the love language we use; we are to share the message Jesus shared with his disciples on that mountain top so long ago. “Get up and do not be afraid.” In this word, Jesus reminds his disciples that he is with them. In this word, Jesus reminds us, his disciples, that he is still with us.

It’s funny. One of the things most young people learn on overseas mission trips is the depth and breadth of the faith and devotion of the people they have come to serve, the people they have come to bear witness to the glory of God. Often people who go on overseas mission trips receive far more than they give. For God, results like that aren’t uncommon. It is wonderful and joyful and glorious and sometimes more than a little bit frightening.

This is our call, this is our vocation. We are the hands of the body of Christ in the world, offering the touch of his love and his peace to a terrified world that is showing its own symptoms of failure to thrive. We are to be the voice of God in this world saying “do not be afraid.” And it’s also one of the glorious aspects of this giving, when we give through the power of the Holy Spirit, we tend to receive more than we could ever hope or imagine. Jesus tells us, the disciples of two-thousand years, “get up and do not be afraid” so that we may share the same message with the broken people of the world.

[1] Failure to Thrive, http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_fit/nutrition/failure_thrive.html, retrieved February 1, 2008.
[2] Failure to Thrive, http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000991.htm, retrieved February 1, 2008.
[3] Actually Marie saw this documentary and told me about it. Yet this is what I remember of what she told me.
[4] Chapman, Gary, “The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate.” 2nd Edition. Chicago: Northfield Press, 2004.
[5] Gary Chapman’s Five Love Languages; Learn the Languages, http://www.fivelovelanguages.com/learn.html, retrieved February 1, 2008. Chapman has also published versions for singles, families, military personal, counselors, ministers, and co-workers.
[6] Ken is our Worship Leader and has a wonderful voice. His wife Lee Ellen plays piano for the church too.
[7] Gaither, William, “He Touched Me” 1964 William J. Gaither, Inc. ARR UBP of Gaither Copyright Management, First Presbyterian Church CCLI license number 2719984, accessed February 1, 2008.