Woe? Whoa!

Woe? Whoa!—Psalm1; Luke 6: 17-26

[SLIDE 1] The great televangelist Jesse Duplantis recently theorized that if you want Jesus to return early, [SLIDE 2] try to give more donations to your pastor. His more literal quote was, “Jesus has not returned because people have refused to donate enough money.” His net worth is around 20 million. He calls poverty a curse. [SLIDE 3] Other prominent minsters have asked for private jets, large homes, one even praised God for a member giving the preacher a Bentley as the member’s dying wish. There are many who believe that in this life wealth is the end goal of the gospel. There are also many for whom the gospel takes a backseat to their love of money and power. [SLIDE 4]

The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew is a true lesson in comfort and encouragement for people who feel the sufferings and oppression in life, especially because of their faith. In Luke’s gospel it is known as the Sermon on the Plain. Here we see a fiery Jesus who looks and sounds like an old school fire and brimstone preacher. Matthew’s gospel focused on a Jewish audience who would have been suffering spiritually with the oppression of the day, so it’s written to bring comfort. Luke’s gospel is written for a gentile audience, who need to be called to a place of repentance for their love of power and wealth, and taught how to be a generous and loving follower of Jesus. 

We first hear from Luke that Jesus performed many miraculous healings including healing from diseases and casting out evil spirits. And he did so for everyone who was there. One of the most beautiful things about our gospel stories, and especially this one, is that Jesus never turned someone away. Whether they were impoverished, unclean, sick, possessed, a pharisee, or an oppressive ruler, Jesus never turned anyone away. He offered healing and spoke the same words of love and grace to all. 

In 2022, it was estimated that the United States has a combined total of $137.6 trillion in wealth, making us the richest country on earth. In 2024, Cole Schmidtknecht [SLIDE 5] died from lack of an inhaler for his asthma when the cost rose from $66 to $539. If you google deaths from cost of insulin, you’ll see dozens of news articles on 20 something year olds dying because their insulin was over $1,300. One of them is Alec Smith, age 26. [SLIDE 6] Many of you have talked about being unable to get medicines or afford them because the price was so extreme. In a country where we have over 100 trillion in wealth, people die from being unable to afford basic medications. I wonder what the Jesus who healed everybody who came to him in Luke’s gospel for today would say about that?

[SLIDE 7] Jesus then teaches the people: blessed are the poor for the kingdom of God is yours, blessed are the hungry for they will be satisfied, blessed are those who weep for they will soon laugh. Whereas Matthew’s Beatitudes focus on spiritual poverties, Luke makes it more concrete: the poor, the hungry, and the sorrowful. The truth is neither one is exclusively accurate. There are times when we suffer because we have nothing. There are times we suffer because, even though we can afford what we need, inside our spirits are hurting. There are times when people will suffer from the physical problems that come from living on a broken earth. But there are also times our spirit and soul will feel malnourished, beaten up, broken, and hurting. There are times we will weep because we’ve experienced loss, and sometimes, we weep and have no real idea why. And in every single one of those situations, Jesus offers a blessing. 

In many instances that blessing is us, the ones who follow Jesus. What makes this scripture hard is that Jesus doesn’t stop with the blessings, he adds curses: sorrows awaiting the rich, sorrows awaiting the fat and prosperous, sorrows awaiting those praised by crowds. In the older translations, the warning is even more dire, for it says: Woe to you who are rich, woe to the full, woe to the laughing, woe to those spoken well of. And when we hear that we think, “Woe? Whoa!” [CLICK FOR TEXT]

I was once asked, “So when Jesus says, ‘Woe to the rich,’ what kind of number are we talking about here…half a million, more?” I don’t think that’s how it works. You have to jump to Matthew to understand what Luke is trying to say. [SLIDE 8] Matthew picks up on this theme and says you cannot serve God and money. The letter to Timothy echoes the theme telling us that the love of money is the root of all evil. It goes back to that age-old question, who or what do you worship? 

[SLIDE 9] Too many people seem to think that faith is a road of ease and wealth. A friend and pastor once told his congregation, your faith in Christ is not at all like winning the lottery. Instead, it’s more like the greatest retirement plan you can get for your work. We do the work of Christ here on earth for the treasures stored up in heaven awaiting us when our time on earth is done. That doesn’t mean God WON’T bless us, but that should not be our expectation. As another friend said, “Faith won’t bring you a new Ferrari, but it will bring you hope for eternity. 

[SLIDE 10] When I was preparing for this sermon, I saw a funny comic. It’s a picture of Jesus teaching and it says, “I want you to be rich, so naturally the more faithfully you adhere to my teachings, the wealthier you will become…oh and you should then give that wealth to the super rich pastor who shared this teaching with you.” And the title under it says, “Things Jesus Never Said.” [SLIDE 11]

Faith is not always an easy road, and it never has been. It won’t make you world-rich. It won’t make you necessarily popular. Jesus even gave us a very clear warning that we may just have to be blessed in the midst of hatred and persecution. But when you travel with Jesus by your side, you can feel in that holy presence, how much easier life is and how much hope you can have for every tomorrow. 

I like how the Psalm for today comforts us. There is joy and hope in following Jesus instead of giving in to the pathways that lead us into wickedness, evil, and false gods which manifest as a gospel, but lack in anything holy. For those who are steadfast in following God, they live like strong trees at the riverbank holding fast and being fruitful in any circumstance. 

The journey of faith is not about the private jet, the gifts of millions, fancy houses, the Bently, and so forth. The journey of faith is about connecting people closer and closer to a God who loves them and to Jesus whose redemptive work saves us and whose presence leads us. Luke reminds us that our work in the name of Jesus is about lifting up those who are broken, feeding the hungry, and caring for the poor. It’s about making sure we are present with the persecuted, and take a stand for what is right in every situation. 

The Psalm tells us that those who remain close to God are like strong trees by the riverbank, nourished, and fruit bearing year after year. Faith may not bring you the greatest things in this life. You may not wind up miraculously rich. You may not have all the security you want from all troubles. You may not find the most peaceful life here. The struggles and troubles of life will continue to be present with us, just as it was the disciples, and Jesus. But in walking with God, in letting our lives be part of this fabric of faith in Christ Jesus we find a hope that outweighs any trouble here on earth. We find a hope that is timeless and eternal. In Christ the woes of this life become the hope of eternal life. And that makes it all worthwhile.

Worship Service Video https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/1289029392212954/

Sometimes You Have to Give Up

Sometimes You Have to Give Up—Psalm 138; Luke 5: 1-11

In 2013, I bought a small cottage in Shirley Hills and had it fixed up. Most of the changes were cosmetic, but the bathroom had to be gutted and redone. It was an unchanged Pepto pink from the 1950s that had faded and stained into some kind of rusty/pink mix of a vomit color. The day I moved in I went in late at night to take a shower. But the knob on the new shower would only turn 60% of the way, and the water was cold. [SLIDE 2]

I called my dad, who advised there was a safety device to keep it from getting too hot, and I had to remove that. And that required removing the knob that controls the water. All I had to do was unscrew the tiny screw, pull the handle off, and remove the safety device. Simple enough? But one thing was not mentioned to me when I began this: turning the water off. [SLIDE 3] As I removed the handle, I was met with a blast of cold water that pummeled me back against the tile in such a way that Bugs Bunny would be proud. And at that point…hot, tired, irritated, soaking in cold water, I gave up. Thankfully my neighbor came over and helped me finish the work because torching the place for insurance money 5 hours after moving in was simply a bad idea. Sometimes we need to recognize when to give up. 

[SLIDE 4] Many years ago, there was a saying that became popular and was on the bracelets and other trinkets sold in Christian stores. We had moved from “What would Jesus do?” to “Let go and let God.” For those reared in the church, it made sense and was a great reminder. For those who were not, it felt like a fragment of a sentence. Let God what? The uncertainty was a bit overwhelming for folks who needed a clear answer. But in our Gospel for today, we hear idea echoed. 

[SLIDE 5] Simon, who would be known as Peter, had been fishing all night. He and his co-partners James and John had worked hard but caught nothing. It was now morning, they were tired, but Jesus said go one more time to the part of the water he directed them and try again. This time the nets were full to the level of overwhelming in a way that could only be seen as miraculous. Instantly, Simon, James, and John recognized the power and the miracle. 

Sometimes we have to follow that saying of “let go and let God.” We are a people of smarts, abilities, and that gives us a false sense of control. Simon was a skilled fisherman. He knew where the fish were, how to lure them, and what he needed to do for his job. But all his knowledge, skills, and experience couldn’t make a fish appear. It took Jesus to do that. In some ways it’s good that the saying is open-ended: Let go and let God. There’s no real answer for what God can and will do. God can take any human to any place, give them the strength to do anything, and call them to a mission they never thought they’d do. 

Pulling in so many fish was the illustration Simon, James, and John needed. When you follow Jesus’s direction, the results are overwhelming. But Jesus then calls them to know that they will no longer fish for actual fish in the sea. They will soon be fishing for people who need to know Jesus’s love and teaching. The implication was clear. If they follow Jesus, they will build for the kingdom just as those nets were overwhelmingly full. The example showed that fishing for people was going to be a calling from now on. 

Their response was both perfect and powerful. When they landed on the shore, they left everything behind and followed Jesus. They let go and they let God. Sometimes you have to give up. Their way of life as they knew it was over. From here on they would be marked as disciples, leaders in the Way that Jesus was teaching and showing to others. God had a plan for each of them to change the old order of things by showing and preaching the love of Jesus to the world. Just as it says in the Gospel, they left everything behind: boats, nets, fish, livelihood, and followed Jesus that very day. [SLIDE 6] 

Even as God had a plan and a calling for each of the disciples in the first twelve followers, God has a plan and a calling for us today. Most of us struggle with being able to follow it. We have work, doctor’s appointments, care providing duties, future schooling, finding a new place in life being on our own for the first time in awhile, looking forward to retirement and new horizons. Life changes at a rapid pace, and that doesn’t even include the external worries and pressures we face on a daily basis. Still, in the midst of it all, Jesus calls the same way: give up. It’s not a give up that ends in hopelessness, as if nothing more will go on. It’s a give up that transfers the leadership and struggles from us to the Holy One, redeemer and sustainer of life. 

I love how the Psalm phrases it, “The Lord will work out [the] plans for my life—for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever. Don’t abandon me, for you made me.” Indeed, we often don’t know where God will lead us. If you had told me in March 2008 that I would spend the next 13 years pastoring a church in Macon, Georgia, I would have laughed hysterically. Another good friend of mine is the same. She grew up in church, loved God, and remained faithful. However, about three to four years ago she felt like God was calling her to more than her Geico job. And so she set out to be a lay minister with just a preaching certificate. 

But sometimes when you give up, when you let go and let God, God uses the most unexpected things to guide you in life. The first time she preached in a church, an old, retired preacher came up and told her she had a calling. She listened. She gave up everything, went to seminary, and has made ministry her full time work. I know from experience with the Rev. John Carroll who preceded me here, that when those old, retired pastors bring you a word, you better listen. 

[SLIDE 7] We are also called to be fishers of people. There are a couple of ways this can be done. The old-school tried and true method is straight up evangelism. Just start asking, “Have you heard about Jesus?” In our modern era, this is a struggle. Forty years ago, faith was so central this wouldn’t have been a problem. But we live in a time when people not only are skeptical of the church, they dislike the entire concept and find it traumatic. Offering grace and hope to a weary soul is still the main priority of our calling, but the methods are different. 

We must live as proof of the faith we believe. Let others see the love of Jesus in and through us: feeding the hungry, comforting the broken hearted, being peacemakers in an angry world, keeping both the Sabbath and the church holy from political influences. These are things that will be the living proof of faith. Then we simply say, my faith teaches me to love and care for others in this way, just like Jesus did in the Gospels. 

Jesus called the disciples to be fishers of people. I haven’t fished much in life, but it requires tremendous patience and a good bait on the hook. There needs to be a reason for the fish to come, and we have to wait, sometimes patiently for a long time, until there’s a bit on the end of the hook. Simon, James, and John fished all night and got nothing. But at some point, the nets will be full, when our work and our lives are filled with Jesus’s direction. 

[SLIDE 8] In 2013 I learned that plumbing was not my calling. I had to give up and get someone with greater expertise to help me get it right. Life on this earth is easier if we are willing to let the One who created us, redeems us, and sustains us also be the one who guides us and directs us in our daily path. So, let’s begin to practice reliance on God more and more. Maybe we can even simply let go and let God. 

Worship Service Video https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/615095967909956/

Nobody Likes a Prophet

Nobody Likes a Prophet—Psalm 71: 1-6; Luke 4: 22-30

One of the worst things a parent can hear is their kid saying, “I told you so.” I was visiting a friend’s house and his mother, who is a bit vertically challenged, shall we say, threw a bunch of Tupperware in a top cabinet. He said, “You know it’s gonna fall.” She fussed at him and went on her way. Two hours later we hear the avalanche of plastic containers and lids come tumbling down to the fading screams of his mother. Without missing a beat, he hollered, “I told you so.” Another terrible thing for a parent to hear is when they’ve made a point to a child, and only a short time later, the child quotes the parent’s words back to them because they’ve done the same thing or made the same mistake. No one likes a prophet. 

In Jesus’s day, prophets did four things: they spoke for God relaying God’s message to the people; they predicted the future often in the form of calamities or punishment; they performed miracles such as healing; and they called people to repentance when they became unrighteous. With the exception of miracles, it was never a good sign to see a prophet coming. And sometimes those miracles were just as bad as the dire predictions. Prophets weren’t unwelcome because of anything they did wrong. Instead, they were unwelcome because they spoke a word people didn’t want to hear and predicted consequences they didn’t want to face. Thus, nobody like a prophet. 

We read of a tense and scary exchange in the gospel for today. Following the miracles Jesus performed at Capernaum, he returned to his hometown of Nazareth. There he began to teach in the synagogue. Jesus begins to speak telling words of grace and hope to the people. They are amazed at his teaching and his graciousness. Then Jesus switches to the prophetic. He tells them that a prophet is not accepted in his or her own town. Jesus finally pushes them too far. The people of Nazareth strongly believed that these promises and God’s grace were for ethnically Jewish people only. But Jesus teaches of a much wider interpretation. 

Jesus references Elijah who could have blessed anyone in Israel during the famine, but he is sent by God, instead, to the widow in Sidon (Zarephath). Elisha could have healed anyone of leprosy when he was prophet, but instead God sent him to Naaman, a Syrian. Essentially, Jesus is telling them that God’s grace is not based on who they are and what lineage they come from, but on the faith they have. It's radically different than their expectation and long-held belief. In response, they mob Jesus, push him out of the synagogue, and to the edge of a hill intending to kill him. But Jesus walks way and loses them in the crowd. 

Here’s the hard truth in this gospel lesson. Jesus didn’t lie. Jesus didn’t make up an example that wasn’t true. Jesus didn’t stretch any meaning of the ancient scriptures. Jesus didn’t factually misrepresent anything in the Word or in the examples he provided. It was all true. But the people didn’t care, and didn’t want to hear it. I’ve heard it said that the truth shall set you free, but I’ve also learned that the truth will make some people lose their ever-loving mind. I have seen this in my regular job working as an attorney. I have watched as people sat there looking at high-definition video of themselves doing something wrong, then will look you in the face and say, “I didn’t do that.” Case in point, see the video. This desire to disregard the truth can include everything from a traffic ticket to what I call a 5-finger discount at the store. People don’t always want to hear the truth or respect it. Nobody likes a prophet. 

Whether people listen to the truth or not, speak it anyway. There is a long history of God speaking to the prophets—Ezekiel, Elijah, Ezra, and so on telling them that the people of Israel will not listen to or follow their prophetic truth. But God also tells every single one of them, speak it anyway. They attempted to throw Jesus off a hill to kill him because they hated what he said so much. It was the literal truth, but they refused to listen and became angry over it. 

Deflection and anger are the most common ways of avoiding the conviction of hearing the truth, especially when God is speaking to us. Think of an argument between husband and wife, and this is a real example. A husband confronts his wife about her spending habits bleeding the family savings dry. When confronted, she throws back at him, “Well, do you remember that time your brother backed into my car, and we had to pay the deductible four years ago? That was expensive too.” But so I’m even handed, here’s another disagreement I’ve heard. A wife sees her husband’s cellphone unlocked as he is in the shower. She decides to glance at some of the pictures he took from that day. Instead of pictures she finds several communications where he’s been cheating on her. When confronted, he loses his temper yelling about her violating his privacy. 

The same was done to Jesus repeatedly. Here they get so mad they want to kill him. But in other places in the Gospel, they asked Jesus absurd questions and trick questions to try and mislead him or misrepresent him. Deflection and anger are two of the greatest weapons at avoiding the truth. Now I don’t think people in our communities would literally throw us off a cliff, but Jesus’s teachings are still hard none-the-less. 

Blessed are the poor. When you do it to the least of these, you do it unto me. Looking at someone lustfully is the same as engaging physically in adultery. Love your enemies. Turn the other cheek. Put down your sword. The greatest love is in sacrifice or giving up your life. All of these are from the Gospel…words of Christ in red if you want. And all of them are hard teachings to a people raised in a nation that values wealth, individualism, and strength over vulnerability. Many people become deluded into believing that walking with Christ is an easy road, and it’s absolutely not. Jesus’s teachings, Jesus’s life are hard to follow at times, especially when we want to go our own way, or when there’s a clash with our own personal beliefs in this life. 

And so, the gospel lesson for today begs two questions of us: Can we follow the truth even when we don’t like it, and can we speak the truth even when others don’t like it? So how did Jesus respond to the anger? He left and went to Capernaum where he preached again to an amazed crowd and cast out a demon. Then he healed dozens of their illnesses. Then he goes to different cities preaching in different synagogues. Jesus was undaunted by the anger and issues with the people. None of it deterred him from God’s calling and mission, and none of it changed the gospel truth he preached to the people that we now follow today.  

The harder part for us is following in the way of Jesus even when it’s hard or we don’t like it. I’ll give you an example. Most days I’m a sharp-tongued, smart mouthed lawyer who comes by both of those honestly should you meet my family. And there are times that instead of turning the other cheek, I’d like to test out the other person’s cheek and see how it holds up. But that’s not the way of a savior who spoke words of love and grace and went to the cross for people who were unkind to him as well as his followers. 

One of the worst things a parent, or anybody, really, can hear is the phrase, “I told you so.” And the second is like unto it, “Well, when I did it, you said this…so now what are you saying?” And yet sometimes we all need to hear words that challenge us. That is what the prophetic word does. At times we act pastorally to provide care and comfort, and at other times, we act prophetically to challenge those who need to grow in their faith. I pray that we have the courage and the faith in Jesus that we will both follow and speak when God’s truth comes to us. 

Worship Service Videod https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/8967088050007162/

Connected in Faith

Connected in Faith: Psalm 19; I Cor. 12: 12-31a

The other day I was reading about a rare psychiatric disorder called Body Integrity Identity Disorder. It can be both fascinating and frightening all in one. The premise is this: a person feels like a part of their body no longer belongs to them or is harming their body, and they desire to remove it. It may be a hand or a foot, or some other part of the body. It’s a very rare disorder and still untreatable in a direct and truly helpful way. 

I can’t help but wonder if Paul has a little foresight into this disorder when he writes these words to the Corinthian church. They are just as relevant to us today as they were to the church at Corinth in ancient days. A little bit of background is needed on this church. Corinth was one of the largest churches Paul had helped to grow, but Corinth was a very diverse and eclectic city, and the church grew too fast for good theology to really keep up. If one researches the issues at the church in Corinth, the list is pretty long: sexual immorality, abuse of spiritual gifts, division, false teaching, failure to love, competition for status, arrogant theological reasoning, conforming to a dominant culture, claims of spiritual superiority, abuse of communion, and excessively suing one another. Like I said, the relevancy is no less apparent to our churches today. 

And here in chapter 12, Paul addresses the most foundational problem in the Corinthian church, divisiveness and distortion of what it means to be the church of God or the body of Christ. Paul describes it in terms of the human body. Each part of the human body and anatomy works together in some way to make the whole body work. If the body had only one part…such as a giant blob of eyes, or one giant hand, it would be strange, and functionally useless. Likewise, a body missing parts is often referred to as impaired because there is some decreased functional ability of that body minus that integral part. 

But Paul takes it a step further. He writes, “Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you.’ The head can’t say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you.’” And in saying this Paul makes an analogy to the church. It’s impossible to say that every single member of the body of Christ has to be the same part of the body. But it’s also impossible for one part of the body of Christ to say that it doesn’t need the other. 

We live in a time and space today where villainizing and demeaning people is common and almost accepted. As a pastor, I cannot stand in the pulpit and insult or demean minorities, immigrants regardless of status, LGBT+ people, conservatives, Trump voters, Evangelicals, Progressives, or any variety of the above because all of these groups of people are made by God in the image of God, the Imago Dei. The church at Corinth was in distress because it valued competition, power, and self-righteousness over serving the body of Christ. Paul writes to a church filled with abuse and conflict, “So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.” 

Take for example the sermon by the Right Rev. Marianne Edgar Budde that has been in the news this week. She called on President Trump in a sermon to show mercy to vulnerable people. People have honed in on this statement and debated it endlessly, and the problem is, they debate it in terms of political policy. Whatever her politics personally are, I don’t care. The Bible says, “Do justice, love mercy, walk humbly with God” in Micah 6:8. Jesus, himself, said be merciful just as God is merciful in Matthew 5:7 and Luke 6:36. And the old hymn, “At Calvary” says, “Mercy there was great, and grace was free.” I’m sure there are examples that swing the other way as well, but this one stands out. 

We have, for far too long, mixed and molded what is political and what is Biblical. And in doing so, we have made what is Biblical subordinate to what is political. God’s Word was never meant to be the justification for our political beliefs. Our political and personal beliefs are meant to conform to God’s Word whether it offers words of comfort or words of challenge to what we think. A Christian who avoids challenge and conflict in their walk of faith is a Christian who doesn’t take the first step in any walk of faith. 

If Paul were to write a letter to the churches of America today, I think it would sound much like what he said to Corinth. “Dear Churches of the United States, Jesus said to render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and unto God what is God’s. Instead, you have chosen to become Caesar and forgotten God.” When Paul lists the roles of the church, all are important and needed. Apostles provide wisdom and guidance. Prophets provide the words of challenge to push the members. Teachers give a foundation of knowledge of God. Those who work miracles inspire the congregation. Those who heal provide pastoral care. Those who help others do outreach. Those who have the gift of leadership work in administration. Those who speak in unknown languages evangelize. Please note in that list there is no government lobbyist. 

And while the church plays politics, people starve, freeze in the cold, veterans go without housing. People who need to hear about a loving God and welcoming church that will enfold them in grace and love never hear such things. If you ask what Jesus did, it was both. He stood and spoke truth and hope to a people who were suffering and needed to hear about a way of love and peace. But he also served in grace, in healing, in hope, and in communities the law of that day said not to go anywhere near. Jesus lived, preached, and served in the knowledge and example that all are created by God, made in the image of God, and loved by God. And if we cannot love everyone, every last one on earth, then we cannot claim to follow the same Jesus who loved the Samaritan, hard-line Jew, Roman, clean and unclean, leper, alleged adulterer, thief, pharisee, and common fisherman. 

I like the prayer and plea that is offered in Psalm 19, “How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults. Keep your servant from deliberate sins! Don’t let them control me…May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and redeemer.” Perhaps our world would be a little bit better if we prayed and took stock of our words and thoughts after praying that prayer, “May the words of my mouth and meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord.” 

I wonder a bit of society is not affected more by Body Integrity Identity Disorder than we know. We keep seeming to want to cut away people, groups, and others we don’t particularly like. In some ways it’s like the old saying of cutting our nose off to spite our face. But Paul is absolutely clear that faith is about welcoming and finding a place for each person and each gift that person brings. The church is not a country club. It’s more like a free clinic. The church at Corinth had forgotten their calling and mission from God. Their framework was about power and control and who could be best. They were vastly diverse and allowed that to become a problem rather than an inspiration. 

As we navigate the next few years, I pray we find ourselves immersed in God’s word and unbothered by the politics of life. That doesn’t mean we stop speaking truth. That doesn’t mean we stop helping and serving a hurting world. What that means is we remember that it is Jesus who says, “Come to me all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” For the burden God gives is easy to bear and light. I pray that we lean more on God than Caesar. And I pray that our words and our heart’s meditations are pleasing and acceptable to our God, our rock, our redeemer. 

Worship Service Video https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/626389973206484/

“Making Good Better”

“Making Good Better”

Rev. Joan Bell-Haynes

Worship Service video https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/1095885528954362/

I Am with You

I Am with You—Isaiah 43: 1-7; Luke 3: 15-17, 21-22

For three and a half years, I served as a Lutheran organist while in college. Between my inexperience and the ticky, aging organ, that congregation put up with a lot in those three years. I called their vintage organ “Old Unfaithful.” One Sunday during two baptisms, it failed in the grandest of ways. [SLIDE 2] For the baptism, I was supposed to use the chimes on the organ when the pastor said “Father, Son and Holy Spirit.” Miraculously, the chimes worked. But then the problem came. The mechanism glitched, and the chimes wouldn’t stop. So through the remainder of the baptism, “chime, chime, chime, chime,…” while I frantically pushed every button on the thing finally settling on the off switch. It sounded like an alarm in the morning that never turns off. The pastor invited me to a meeting that next week, and I expected it to be a me getting fired like Jesus torching the chaff, but instead, he asked, “So, let’s talk about buying a new organ for this church.” 

Most of us, I’m sure, have to reach back into our archives of memory to remember our baptisms. Theologically, we are told that it is the time when we publicly acknowledge our decision to have faith and follow Jesus. Growing up, it was always the same. The minister said, “In obedience to the command of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” Then we were plunged rather quickly under and up in the giant green hot tub that was our baptistry. 

[SLIDE 3] That pattern follows from the story of Jesus’s baptism. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all tell the story in varying levels of detail. John’s gospel references it, but it doesn’t fully record it. The story is almost identical. Jesus is baptized by John then the Holy Spirit descends on him, and a voice from the heavens says, “This is my beloved son, in whom I’m well-pleased,” or who brings great joy, as Luke says. 

Thus baptism, has for centuries been this outward sign of our faith and commitment to follow Jesus. But that emphasis is also a bit too strong in the context of this story. There’s also the part of the Holy Spirit descending. It is a promise from God to be with us…as the Spirit descends, it is as if God is saying, “I am with you too, my child.” It’s a promise of support and help of walking with us each day in the difficulties life brings us. 

We hear that same promise echoed in the words of Isaiah, “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God.” Over 20 times in the Bible, God says to God’s people, “I am with you.” And the best part of that promise is that nothing changes it. No matter what happens in life, God is still with you, always. 

[SLIDE 4] Luke’s telling of Jesus’s baptism is a bit more fiery than Matthew or Mark’s description. We get this whole statement where John the Baptist says, “He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.” [SLIDE 5] For those who don’t know, a winnowing fork looks like a pitch fork and it’s used to toss the grain in the air to separate the seed (the wheat) from the husks (the chaff). Typically, chaff was burned because it was merely trash that offered nothing to the process and offered no nutritional value. 

We tend to see this in terms of being very specific. The wheat goes to heaven and the chaff goes to hell. Look a little bit closer at the meaning though. That’s a bit too simplistic. If farmers don’t clean up the barn after each harvest, the wheat will become lost in the mounds of chaff left on the floor. They will become lost, mixed in, and rot away with the practically useless husks left behind on the floor. 

If God says, “I am with you,” and that you are the beloved in whom God is also well pleased, who and what do we bring into that mix that act as chaff choking us out from fully loving and following Jesus? It’s easy to become lost in places and in the presence of people we don’t need to be around. It reminds me of an elderly pastor I was friends with. He said once, “I’ve baptized over 200 people in my ministry. I should have held a few under.” 

Many places and people in our modern world look an awful lot like wheat, but they turn out to be chaff. We have to be careful of those who masquerade only to turn out to be nutritionally empty in our lives. [SLIDE 6] At Christmas a church in the US held a production that included a full band, live camels and donkeys, light show, fog machines, flying drummer angels, and Santa descending from the ceiling on a sleigh. I’m not going to call this chaff a la Luke’s gospel, but please tell me what the spiritually nutritious value of this is? 

We have to be careful about the influences we allow in life which can cause us to be less faithful, less invested, and less like Jesus. A friend of mine was interviewing for a music job at a church in Florida years ago. She was asked how she handled working with a team and responding to authority. She told them that she worked well with others but was ultimately guided by the Spirit and answered to God in all things. One would think this is a good answer for a church, right? Well…the clearly irritated board chair said, “Absolutely not, this is our church, and you will obey and do what we say. When you are here and on our payroll, you are under our control.” My friend was neither offered the job nor would she ever have accepted it if she had been. 

[SLIDE 7]When Jesus came to Jordan to be baptized, it wasn’t because Jesus needed to repent or atone or anything like that. It was his statement of his commitment to God. And it was God’s time to establish who Jesus was—to give him authority as the “beloved son” in whom God was well pleased. We, too, have made that same commitment, so how are we showing it? Whom do we bring into our lives to uplift us and remind of God’s goodness? How do we work creatively and enthusiastically to testify of God’s love and presence in our lives? How do we continue to be creatable, so that God is working in and through us to make a better world for those around us? Years ago, we used to have a challenge on the playground. As mouthy and sassy kids, we could say things that were not always the kindest. In response we would challenge, “If you sing it, bring it.” 

Maybe the same is a bit true today. Too many people proclaim their faith and live like pharisees. Too many people use their claim to faith to hurt others and belittle them instead of lifting up and working towards redemption of those created by God. And frankly, too many people feel perfectly entitled to just be mean in our society. They need some prayer and medication or something. 

In high church settings on this day, the church is told to remember your baptism. Then they are sprinkled again as the priest goes up the aisle. I am sure that the Lutheran Church in Danville, Kentucky, will never forget that baptism in 2006 when the organ started chiming like a bell choir run amok. But instead of coming down on me like a ton of bricks, Pastor Witten remembered the age of the instrument and the youthfulness of the person trying to manage it, and he offered grace instead of criticism. Remember that in our baptism we made a commitment to God that we would follow in the way of Jesus, and in return God has promised to be with us throughout our whole lives. May we be encouraged by those words to us, “This is my beloved, in whom I’m well pleased.” 

Worship Service Video https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/1817405968663929/

Boys Will Be Boys

Boys Will Be Boys—I Sam. 2: 18-20, 26; Luke 2: 41-52

Years ago, a friend of mine had a rather “rambunctious” boy. He had two speeds: sleep and full throttle, and if there was some kind of trouble to get into, he would be into it. He was resigned to time outs, ignored “talks” or lectures, and was utterly unfazed by a spanking. It was much like trying to corral and tame a full-blown hurricane every day. I will always remember one particular day, when he was two years old, they went outside to play for a bit. He was in his t-shirt, pants, and rain boots because it had rained that morning.

She lost sight of him in the yard for one minute and thirty seconds. When she turned around, he was two houses down the street, naked except for what was now a very soiled diaper, flopping in a large mud puddle, covered head to toe in a concoction of toddler poo and thick mud. His mom after staring blankly and in shock, said, “Lord, help me…boys will be boys, and that boy will make this mother will be prematurely gray.” Our scriptures today give us two stories of young boys and the lessons we can learn from them for our new year. Here is the takeaway: dedication, seeking, and trusting.

First, in Samuel’s life, we see dedication. Samuel was a prophet of God whose faith and walk with God was strong. Hannah, his mother, struggled to have children, and when she finally did, she dedicated that child to God. He spent his life living with the priest, Eli, and learned how to be a servant of the Lord. Hannah was dedicated to God. When she had her son, she didn’t keep him. He lived with Eli learning to be a priest and prophet of God. She visited, but she didn’t keep him. Samuel, however, appears to have great faith and dedication. The scripture says that even though he was just a boy he served the Lord and grew in favor with the Lord.

Human nature tells us to hold on to things. It would be easy and understandable for

Hannah to want to keep her son. She had dedicated him to God, but it’s hard for us as humans to let go. Some of the greatest struggles come from “I can handle it,” or “I don’t need help,” or playing a game of secrets. Being dedicated to God means turning over all aspects of life to God. We hear people say that they’ve dedicated their lives to something…often causes to help humanity, build communities, or alleviate some suffering. But sacrifice, or letting go, is a necessary part of dedication.

We cannot dedicate our lives to something without letting go of other aspects of life—be it the fun we want, other career pursuits, or other talents that interest us. For example, if you want to be a teacher, you may have to sacrifice or let go of that side gig of being a traveling musician. You are dedicating yourself to the classroom. I’m sure Hannah wanted her son at home. But she dedicated him to God, and that meant he stayed at God’s house. She let go of him, so that God could work something mighty through him. A new year brings new opportunities to re-dedicate our lives to God and God’s calling for us in ministry and mission.

Next, we see seeking. When Mary and Joseph could not find Jesus in the group of travelers, they began to seek him. It took three days to find Jesus, and he was in the temple. The gospel tells us his knowledge, wisdom, and understanding amazed all who were in the temple. His frantic mother asks him, “Why have you done this to us?” And Jesus’s reply is that they should have expected him to be in his Father’s house. This is probably Jesus’s most “boys will be boys” moment. We don’t hear a lot about his youth, but this little story tells us what a smart and strong child he was. And even though he went missing for three days, what can Mary and Joseph say? He wandered off to basically be in church.

Now, we hear the same line at the end of the Hebrew scripture and gospel: they both grew

taller, wiser, and in favor with God. It’s almost an identical phrasing. It doesn’t mean Jesus was lacking in anything. It’s a reference to seeking to grow in this life. It’s a bit of a lesson for us. Sometimes in our walk and our faith we become plateaued or complacent. We dedicated ourselves to God, but consistency gets hard when life also gets hard. It reminds me of the story of the pastor who visited the home of some parishioners. After he left, the couple came to believe he stole their silver spoon. A year later, the man finally gets the courage to ask the pastor about it. The pastor replies, “No, I didn’t steal it. I slid it into the middle of your Bible.”

Living a life of faith demands that we, too, continue to seek growth in wisdom, knowledge, and favor with God. That wording tells us how Samuel became the trusted prophet, and it’s given to us as an example in Jesus. The seeking Christian will never be a stagnant Christian. No matter how dedicated we are, each new year brings a new opportunity to seek God more. Like my friend with the rambunctious child, there’s always something that will draw our focus from God. Jesus’s own mother missed him in the crowd and had to search for three days. But we can intentionally make time for seeking wisdom, growth, and favor with God.

Lastly, we must be trusting. Dedication and seeking both depend on us being willing to trust what God is doing in our lives. We are told for the second or third time in the gospels that Mary stored these things and pondered them in her heart. I imagine this journey never got easier for Mary. She started with a vision from an angel. Then she had to raise the son of God. How does one even do that? How do you send Jesus to time out? We are told that Jesus was obedient to his parents, but every boy can be a bit rambunctious such as we see in this gospel story.

And yet every step of the way, Mary trusted in God. Trust is absolutely foundational to our faith. We cannot dedicate ourselves to God’s calling unless we trust where God is leading us.

We cannot seek to grow more unless we trust God to respond to our prayers. Trust is so hard for us though. Life, trauma, and the human experience trains us to be wary, untrusting, and cautious. God’s way, though, allows us to be fully reliant, hopeful, and assured that God’s love goes with us, and God’s strength will never leave us.

A friend of mine, who is now deceased, talked about her incredibly rough growing up in the foster system years ago without a consistent family or home life. Trust, for her, was a dangerous endeavor because the system and adults in her life were never trustworthy and often were disappointing or worse. But there was one place she always felt safe and secure—at church. She went every time the doors were open because she felt the presence of God always there despite the lack of stability in the people around her and life she lived. And that was how she learned to trust, because God never failed in God’s promises and presence with her.

A new year always presents new opportunities. My friend with her rambunctious child prayed and hoped every year that her wild child would one day be reigned in. About the age of 6 or 7, that finally happened. He’s a great kid, obedient, well-mannered, and mostly behaved, though he still loves to play in the mud. In the midst of uncertainty of life, God’s presence never changes. We can dedicate ourselves to God’s calling, seek God in new and challenging ways to grow our faith, and trust that God is always with us. May this year draw us all closer to the One who created us, redeems us, and sustains us.

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Shining in the Darkness

Shining in the Darkness—Isaiah 60: 1-6; Matthew 2: 1-12

A few weeks ago, I was driving to a work conference in North Georgia, around Young Harris. If you have never travelled there, you take I-575 to the very end of the interstate where it becomes a regular 4 lane road. Then you drive through the mountains almost into North Carolina. Out of nowhere, 20 minutes from my destination, a deer leapt out of the woods and barreled straight into my work car, which was going about 65 miles per hour. It was an ugly sight. I remember that after I called 9-1-1, I called my training director to come get me. Her first question was, “Where are you?” I looked around and replied, “I don’t know.” She prompted, “Well, what do you see.” And in that moment I wailed out, “Trees and darkness.” I have never been so thankful for the light of a police car and tow truck as I was 10 minutes later when they showed up. Who knows what else was going to come frolicking out of those woods at me! 

Despite the number of night owls we may have in this church, there’s still a comfort when the bright sun shines through on us. We know it brings warmth, and we know it helps us see where we are going. I may be a bit of a night owl too, but I can tell you I hate stumbling around in the dark in my apartment. That’s how we take out a little toe or a shin on something we don’t see. Just as the light is important for us literally, the light of Christ is important in our lives as people of faith. We focus in on two important things here in the story for today: the Magi were led by the light, and they dared to take the journey. 

There is a long history in the Bible of the importance of God’s light to the people. In the beginning God split the light and the darkness and decreed that the light would rule over our waking hours and the darkness over our sleeping hours. In several instances, God’s brilliant light blinded the enemies so that Israel would not be conquered. In the wilderness, as the Israelites marched to the Promised Land, God led them by a pillar of fire, or light in the dark of night.      In the New Testament, we see the light of the star leading the Magi from the very beginning of the story. We also see that God came to the Apostle Paul and used a blinding light to reach his soul and change him from a persecutor to a prophet.  

We also hear about this guiding light in the hymn “O Holy Night” which says, “Led by the light of faith serenely beaming, so led by light of a start sweetly gleaming… here came the Wise Men from Orient land.” Now, this light could be Jupiter and Saturn aligning. It could be something non-miraculous and easily explained by science; however, the Gospel tells us that it was a miraculous light, or star of God, that led them. This is how God moves and works in and through us, using that heavenly and miraculous light of Christ to lead us. 

We must step into this light and follow God’s guiding. Yet in John 3:19, we are told that “people loved darkness more than the light because their [deeds] were evil.” God has called us to come out of that comfortable place of “do what I want”—the place that leads us away from God’s light, love, and grace. Sometimes we encounter the very ones who miss the light coming from sitting weekly on the pew of their church…or watch in their pajamas at home. You cannot follow God’s light and have a heart with prejudice and hate. You cannot follow God’s light and be filled with bitterness and resentment. You cannot follow God’s light and follow your own selfish desires too. You cannot follow God if there is anything else there in between you and God presently in your life. It’s either God or a great cluttering of things in your life.  

One of the things that concerns me most as of late is how many people engage in politics as the be all and end all of life. A friend of mine who pastors a small church in the Tennessee mountains, said this, “If you want to find peace and be happy, turn off the 24 hour news and go sit outside for a while.  Even if it’s cold, even if it’s hot, go sit outside and just listen to nature’s hum and rhythm. It will sooth your soul to listen to the music of God’s creation over the noise of human’s worst fears.” We look for light and hope in the process of finding a leader, but that’s not going to work. The people of Israel wanted a king, and they ended up with a royal curse instead of a wise king. 

If you want to find the light of God here on earth, then look inside yourself. When you heal, when you join hands together to pray, when you feed the hungry, visit the sick, and love your neighbor, the light of Christ is shining strong. 2025 brings an incredible opportunity to lay aside all the negativity we’ve been building up for a few years, and home in on shining our light of Christ’s love and grace in this world. Wouldn’t that be a powerful commitment, to tune out the negative voices and noise of life and focus on God’s love for the entire year? 

We must return to being led by the light of Christ, not by our reaction to news media, not by our reaction to the political climate, not by our reaction to what we don’t like. The Wise Men journeyed and hastened hundreds of miles to Christ through tough terrain and bitter weather. They ignored Herod and his desires to do what was evil stemming from his bloodthirsty lust for power. They journeyed with a message found in gifts. We, too, must journey with a gift—the gift of this Good News of a Savior. 

The truth of the matter is that church and faith are not found on a news program, a rabbit hole of conspiracy theories on YouTube and Facebook, inviting in foolishness over common sense and good morals. Church and faith are found in people who call one another to check in, to pray, to share love and hope. Church and faith are found in people who step into the breach where there is suffering to heal, help, and restore. Don’t forget, Christ spent most of his ministry here healing and helping those in need and teaching those hungry for a word of hope. Church and faith are found in people all across their homes sharing bread and cup together and being united in Christ’s table wherever that table may be found for God can come to our worship where we are just as God comes here. 

The church and faith are found where we take and shine the light of Christ in the world, for that too, is a gift given to us to share with the world. There’s an old hymn from the seaside hymn writers called “Let the Lower Lights Be Burning.” It’s a bit older and somewhat obscure these days, but there’s a point to it. The story comes from the 1800s and inspired Philip Bliss to write the hymn. 

Rev. Dwight L. Moody was preaching once and told a story about a ship on Lake Eerie near Cleveland, Ohio. It was dark that night and the waves were crashing hard from a storm. As the ship was battered back and forth, the Captain and Pilot were speaking. They both saw this one, lone light from a lighthouse on the shore and no other lights around it.  The Captain was perplexed and asked if they were at Cleveland. The Pilot responded he was sure of it. The struggle was that all they could see was the light at the top of the lighthouse. There were supposed to be lower lights along the shore lighting up where the rocks and hazards were, and to steer the ship away from danger and toward the big light from the lighthouse. Those lower lights had gone out. 

The Pilot and Captain were sure they could manage the ship without the lower lights, but they miscalculated. The ship was hurled into the dark rocks because none of the lower lights were burning, and the journey ended in a fatality. Rev. Moody concluded with this, “Beloved the Master will take care of the great Lighthouse. Let us keep the lower lights burning.” God’s light, high in the heavens is still shining brightly as ever, but what about our lower lights here along the shore on Earth? Have we let the lights burn out, or are we still shining brightly with love and grace for those whose lives are perilously close to the dangers of crashing on the rocks that threaten life, limb, and soul? 

Here is what the hymn says, “Let the lower lights be burning, send a gleam across the wave. Some poor fainting, struggling seaman, you may rescue; you may save.” Who in our lives needs us to shine that light of Christ’s love and grace to give them a safe space? Who in our lives needs that strength we may be able to find living in the light of hope instead of the darkness of negative influences? As we journey into Epiphany, remember that we are called not always called to be the Magi journeying to the Christ-child. Sometimes we are called to be the starlight which guides others to that blessed hope for humanity. 

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Merry Christmas

Merry Chirstmas message

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And So This Is Christmas

And So This Is Christmas—Luke 2: 1-20

On December 1, 1971, John Lennon released the Christmas song, “Happy Christmas, War Is Over” also known as “And So This Is Christmas.” The title was a bit of a misnomer, though, as the Vietnam War would not end for 3 more years. The lyrics are simple and repetitive with a catchy tune. It asks the question, “So this is Christmas, and what have you done? Another year over, and a new one just begun.” That is followed later with the lyrics, “A very merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Let’s hope it’s a good one without any fear.” This song was at the forefront of a handful of songs in the early 1970s calling for peace and an end to the seeming never-ending wars and cold war abroad. It received little acclaim in the United States when it was released, but now you can hear it 4 billion times a day on the Christmas radio stations during the Christmas season. 

John Lennon wrote this as an anthem against the war-weary and struggle-weary life of the day. It prevailed upon people to desire and work for a life of peace and community instead of the divisiveness of the counter cultural movements of the 1960s and 1970s.  As I heard the song for the 4th time at the mall last weekend, I thought of how it has diluted from edgy protest song to classic Christmas tune. It reminds me of how we have also made such a gentle and pastoral scene out of a truly difficult and struggle-heavy story. The story of Christ’s birth is much more of a struggle than a gentle lullaby.  

A tough truth is that often life is about engaging in and overcoming the battles we face. This was no different in Jesus’s day. Rome was an oppressive force that controlled the region with soldiers, taxes, fear, and brutality. And the lower in the class system you were, the worse things became. And if Rome didn’t get you, the locals would. Regional governors or kings and the theocracy of the religious leaders was just as hard on the people as Rome’s empire. Battles and struggles were common and often filled with brutality and harsh retribution. It was for this very reason that crucifixion was so widely used. 

But the battles and struggles of life were more specific to the folks in the Christmas story as well. Shepherds were on the lowest margins of society. They were almost always uneducated and considered unskilled. Socially they were on the same rung, and I quote “as tax collectors and dung sweepers.” The angels appearing to the shepherds in the field was a two-fold shock. First, it had been a long time since God had spoken so directly to humanity and seeing angels in the heavens was beyond startling. But also, that the angels appeared to shepherds, of all people, was equally as jarring to the readers. 

Mary would have faced significant struggles as well. Based on the customs of the day, she would have been somewhere between 12 and 16 years old. Girls were often betrothed around the age of 12 to 13 and married a few months to a couple of years after. She and Joseph were from a small, rural town often considered to be a “hick town” if you will. In John 1:46, the question is posed, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” But we also read in the story that Mary was not yet married when she conceived Jesus. 

We read in Matthew that it took a vision from God for Joseph to understand what the Lord was doing through Mary. Typically, unwed mothers were publicly shamed and sometimes even stoned in Jesus’s day. Joseph, being kind and righteous, was only going to quietly break the engagement, so as not to bring harm or shame to Mary. That’s the last we really hear of Joseph. He goes back to his work as a carpenter in Nazareth, and that’s all we hear. But Joseph and Mary’s beginning was difficult, a series of struggles punctuated by assurances and words of encouragement from God. 

Even as we get to the birth of Jesus, life continues to be hard. Mary’s final weeks of pregnancy are spent traveling 90 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem either on foot or donkey. And when they arrive in Bethlehem, there’s no room. They have to stay in a barn…which we call a “stable” to sound nicer. Mary then gives birth in the middle of a barn with no help whatsoever except for Joseph and the animals. Their lives were hard. The story of Christ’s birth from conception to cradle is a story of struggle, pain, social stigmas, the suffering of a marginalized and oppressed people, and a humanity that needed hope. It’s easy to beautify and romanticize it, but the story is one of battle and struggle, and the sheer reliance on God to overcome it all. 

But despite the struggle and suffering, this is also a story of hope and holiness. The angels tell the shepherds that for them there is good news of a Savior. The angels sang of peace on earth and the prophecies told of something new, powerful, and based in love instead of force and strength. This story tells us of the struggle that life can pose, but we are reminded of the incredible and beautiful work of Christ. In Jesus, we find the one who came to a flawed and broken world to teach us how to heal, how to love, how to share and bless, how to live in peace with one another. We also find the One who came to create a relationship between us and God where a sense of separation had existed for so many years. 

Those themes echo in our hymns and songs at Christmas. We hear lyrics of peace, of love, of hope for all of humankind. But we also hear those same hopes sung in the secular world too—John Lennon sang “Happy Christmas, war is over,” in the midst of a world torn asunder by war, protests, and a constant undercurrent of stress and irritation. And I am sure that in some ways we are also hoping for the truth of “happy Christmas, war is over,” in our own lives. 

When we live in a world that seems cold, dark, and filled with fighting and contention, we can once again clothe ourselves with Christ and teach hope to the hopeless. We can make peace where there is strife. We can become and bring joy in spite of suffering, and we can be love in a world that is riddled with unkindness. Some call these things the “magic” of Christmas. But they are simply the ways we live in faith here on earth. 

I saw a funny thing online the other day that said the reason “It’s a Wonderful Life” has resonated for 78 years is that when George Bailey says, “Do you know how long it takes a working man to save $5,000,” not one thing has changed about that line in 78 years. It’s just the same today as it was in 1946. Struggles of life are not new. The same old struggles and problems will come home to roost in our homes again and again. What is new and changes humanity over and over is this reminder each Christmas of “Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled.” 

And so when we sing “So this is Christmas…” may we filled with hope in the knowledge of God with us and eternal hope. May we find the Prince of Peace who brings peace and comfort in our hearts. May we find unending joy in all of life no matter the circumstances. And may the love of God be with us always. 

Worship Service Video https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/1114330520354138/