Shocking Grace Pt. 1

Shocking Grace: Jacob the Fighter—Gen. 32: 22-32; I Tim. 6: 11-14

            In the early 1960s, Sonny Curtis wrote a song which would later become famous. In about 20 minutes, while watching a Texas sandstorm, he penned the words to this now-famous hit, “I Fought the Law, and the Law Won.” When asked about his inspiration for the lyrics to the song, he told the Tennesean, “Well, you can tell by the lyrics, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist,” followed up with, “I don’t remember what inspired me, or I’d write another one.” Over the next three weeks we will consider three examples of Shocking Grace, moments in Biblical characters’ lives that they will most definitely remember. What, exactly, is shocking grace? Perhaps the best description is this: God’s grace that is filled both with a harsh, painful reality or lesson, followed by redemption, newness, or wholeness for whomever is experiencing it. 

            That song, “I Fought the Law, and the Law Won,” is a pretty good description of Jacob’s life. Jacob had a long history in life of being very, very self-reliant and in control. He did this, usually, through some manner of conniving, trickery, or deceit. Jacob exploited his brother’s hunger to steal his birthright. He had gauged that Esau didn’t really care about the birthright, and he convinced Esau to trade it for a bowl of soup. Jacob then dresses up like his hairy, outdoorsy brother, and tricks his father into blessing him instead of Esau. He steals both his brother’s birthright and blessing. 

            Jacob then goes to live with his Uncle Laban and eventually tricks him into giving the greatest share of his herds and flocks to Jacob, essentially plundering what was owned by this uncle. He then takes his two wives (his uncle’s daughters) and sneaks out in the night. All throughout his life, Jacob fought and strived with others: his family, himself, and everyone he ever dealt with learned the deceitful and fighting ways that defined Jacob. But ultimately, Jacob was wrestling with God and refusing to give God control. 

            Here, in our story today, we see the end of Jacob’s fighting with God. As Jacob is alone in the camp, the rest of the group sent on ahead, a stranger comes to meet Jacob. They fight all night long on and on raging together. But as dawn comes it’s time to end the fight. The stranger, whom Jacob describes as having seen the face of God, touches Jacob’s hip and permanently disables him. This is Jacob’s big lesson about the power of God. He was only able to fight against God because God let him. When we fight and quarrel with God as well, it is only because we are allowed to. Look how easy it was for God to simply touch Jacob’s hip and win the fight. It took no effort on God’s part at all. It is impossible to win against God’s power. You are fighting against holy perfection. You will ultimately wind up like the song— “I fought the law, and the law won.” 

            After God renders Jacob helpless, we see a different Jacob. He’s no longer fighting, struggling, and showing off his own power. He’s left helplessly clinging to God, praying for a blessing. In essence, Jacob had nowhere else to go. He’s lost, defeated, and overwhelmed by the power and majesty of God. All he has left is to hold on to God for dear life. But God is good, so God doesn’t just cripple him and disappear, like Jacob did his uncle. God is just, which sometimes hurts, but God is not cruel. Jacob is blessed by God. His name is changed to Israel. When Jacob stopped fighting with God, and instead relied and clung on to God, his whole life was changed including his name, his outlook, and his wisdom in dealing with situations. God’s grace both shocked him and changed him forever, from one who wrestled with God, to one who has seen the face of God and been blessed. 

            But now, not all fighting is bad. Sometimes we are called upon to stand firm in this life. Our New Testament, I Timothy gives us such an example. Paul is commending and charging his protégé, Timothy, in a letter to him. His biggest lesson to Timothy is in verse 14, “obey without wavering.” Paul tells Timothy what he is to obey is this: “Fight the good fight for the true faith.” Paul tells us that when we fight, we are to fight with God, not against God. Now, fighting doesn’t mean exactly mean get your gun, your plaid flannel, and hardhat and roll off on an ATV. I’ve lived in the South long enough to offer this clarification. It means we stand firm in the faith, stand firm in the power of God love and grace, stand firm that hope exists over despair, stand firm that love, peace, and mercy are worth fighting for. 

            In a way, I think we are all fighting like Jacob. Each and every one of us have struggles whether they are internal fights or whether they’re actual, daily fights we endure. We all try to struggle, bargain, ignore, or slide our way through situations in life. It’s not as bad as it seems, when it is. I feel fine, when we don’t and really need help. I can manage things, when life has become overwhelming. My relationship is fine, when someone is taking advantage of us. In so many ways we fight with God and with reality. Jacob fought his whole life. He ruined his relationship with his father. He lived in fear of his brother for 20 years. He made it so he could never return to his Uncle Laban’s. He never saw his beloved mother, Rebekah, again before she died. Jacob got what he wanted in life, but all that fighting, conniving, struggling, cost Jacob dearly—a very high price. 

            His life did not get easier until he changed from wrestling with God to clinging to God. Like, Paul tells Timothy to fight the good fight. I promise you that when God says to give your life over to God, it’s not to make a mess of things, ruin your plans, or goof up what you want. God asks for your devotion and your life to work out what is best for you and what is best for others through you…the good fight. 

            I remember when I was little, I often could be headstrong and a bit like an adult. Mainly this was because I grew up around adults and not children. My mom used to often give me a reminder of how I needed to behave by saying, “I’m the parent, you’re the child.” I guess it’s my own youthful version of “I fought the law, and the law won.” Remember that there is no need to wrestle with God. God loves you and wants what is best for you. Jacob had to learn through shocking grace, but it’s much easier to come to this realization without the shocking part. When we say to God, “Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee,” God can work in and through us for our good and for the good of others. Give up the fight. Let God lead you and guide you, for then you can truly find a blessing. 

Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/816495009048107

Be Kind--Final

Be Kind—Forgiveness: Psalm 86: 1-6; Mark 11: 22-25

            One of my favorite things in life is cooking shows. As a child, I watched Saturday morning cartoons like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Popeye, and so on. But as an adult, I watched Food Network religiously usually while revising and finishing my sermon writing. One of the chef’s not on there, but whom I’ve come to like is a guy in Greece, Akis Petretzikis. When it comes to seasoning food (or adding cheese) he has a catchphrase: “Don’t be cheapy with it.” 

            That’s probably good advice when it comes to forgiveness as well. Don’t be cheapy with it. You see, Mark’s Gospel is pretty clear that forgiveness is a bit of a quid pro quo, or comes with an expectation, in the realm of faith. That expectation is that you and I will also forgive also. So, as we see in our scripture today, God is ready to forgive; we should forgive and not hold grudges, so that God will forgive you too. Now, as we wrap up our series on practical ways of kindness, we look at probably the hardest today—the importance for forgiveness. 

            First, we see in the Psalm that God stands ready to forgive. Psalm 86:5 tells us, “O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help.” God is ready to forgive because of God’s love for us. Love and grudges cannot coexist because holding a grudge leads to bitterness and never a deepening love. Too often we feel like forgiveness is an excuse or “get out of jail free card” for someone who has done wrong. That’s simply not true. Forgiveness is all about the wronged party, or the victim, releasing that burden. That’s exactly what happens as God forgives us—that burden of sin between us and God is released. That’s why God is so ready to forgive because it clears the way for that holy love to make a change in us. 

            Unforgiven wrongs are like an infection in our souls and spirits. As they continue to set, they become more and more toxic. If it’s our own sin and wrongdoing, it becomes easier and easier for us to be comfortable with sin. Do it the first time and you feel guilty. Do it the 100th time, and you may not even think about it being wrong. If we are the victim of someone else’s sin, letting that burden weigh on our souls makes us mean and bitter. I can guarantee that someone who does not care that they did you wrong also doesn’t care that you are holding it over them without forgiveness. The only thing hurt by withholding forgiveness is you and your relationship to a God who is all-loving and all-forgiving. 

            When we forgive others, it clears the pathway for God’s love to make a change in them as well. You’re not the one trying to fix things anymore; God is. Holding on to bitterness and grudges is toxic and spiritually poisonous to us. It will ruin our hope, our joy, and keep us from the fullness of love. Forgiveness doesn’t magically make things fine, because God will still deal with the one who has done the wrong. But forgiveness releases that poison and bitterness from us, and it’s an act of kindness that comes directly from the work of Jesus himself. Christ died to give us forgiveness, and, as we are told, not necessarily because we deserve it or earned it. That forgiveness is because of God’s love and makes room for God’s love. 

            Thus, we must forgive and not hold on to grudges, so we can receive that forgiveness from God. Mark 11 talks about prayer and how we should approach our time of prayer. In verse 25, the Gospel says this: “But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against…” That’s a pretty direct command, isn’t it? First and foremost, when we pray, we are to forgive whomever we are holding a grudge against. And if it doesn’t work the first time, do it again….and again. Now, most modern translations stop here at verse 25 because it is believed verse 26 is simply a double translation of the same passage into English, just a slightly different way. (That’s the short non-seminary essay explanation.) 

            But in the older King James, New King James, and a few other translations, they still have verse 26, which says more sharply, “But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.” That’s kind of a hard pill to swallow. If you are unwilling to forgive, don’t come asking God for forgiveness. God is essentially saying, “Forgive, and don’t be cheapy with it.” 

The lesson is more pointedly made in the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant in Matthew 18. A man was forgiven his many debts by the king after begging and pleading for mercy. Yet that same day, that same forgiven man turned around and showed no mercy to someone indebted to him. Instead of forgiveness, the forgiven man threw his own servant into prison until the debt could be paid. The other fellow servants, bothered by this unkindness and cruelty, went and told the king what had happened. When the king found out that the one he forgave was stingy with his own mercy and forgiveness, the king punished him severely. 

The end of verse 25 of Mark 11 confirms this, “But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.” There is nothing in life to gain from holding a grudge or keeping all of that resentment inside of you. Let it go, hand it over to God who knows how to heal, help, and mend what’s broken. 

Another show I used to watch with my mother was Golden Girls. Now I’m sure you’re not exactly expecting a good theological lesson from Golden Girls, but just hold on. In one episode, Sophia’s son dies. As the show rounds out there is a confrontation between Sophia and her daughter-in-law, whom she has been bitter towards for years. At first, she claims it’s over $47 she’s owed by the daughter-in-law, but as the story unfolds it becomes more apparent that over the years she has blamed herself and by extension her daughter-in-law for what she saw as her son’s shortcomings. As the daughter-in-law reminds Sophia what a good man her son was, all that resentment, bitterness, and years of anger wash away as the two embrace. 

Forgiveness allows us to let go of the burdens we hold onto. Sometimes that’s forgiving others who have wronged us, and sometimes that means forgiving ourselves and our own past. As someone who likes to control things, I know that forgiveness is hard. There’s no formula, no magic way to get there. It’s a process, a work within our soul. Forgiveness happens when we intentionally choose to turn our focus towards God rather than dwelling on the people and situations which have hurt us. The reason this Gospel warns us so strongly to practice forgiveness to obtain God’s forgiveness is that God can’t work in a heart and in a soul where there’s no room for that holy presence. We have to come to God just as we are but be prepared to be changed in God’s power and presence. So today, let’s begin this work of un-burdening ourselves. It starts by practicing forgiveness, and remember, don’t be “cheapy” with it. 

    Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/1259309084520449

Be Kind--Pt. 3

Be Kind—Pray: Psalm 5: 1-3, 11-12 and James 5: 13-18

Growing up, I remember singing little songs during Children’s Church. Sometimes they were fun and a bit silly, like “Father Abraham,” where you end up swinging your arms and legs wildly. Sometimes the songs we sang were simple hymns. But one often stuck out—a cross between the solemn and charismatic. It was popularized by Johnny Cash… “Do Lord, O do Lord, O do remember me. Way, beyond the blue.” As we continue in our series on being kind and practical ways to live in kindness, we look today at prayer. Prayer is that time where we both listen and call out to God, “Do Lord, remember me.” 

But even as we ask for God to look upon us and remember us, we must also understand what it means to pray and what is required of us in the process. We can pray all day, “Do Lord, remember me,” but if our hearts are not ready for our prayers or God’s response, we will struggle with being able to pray. What it takes from us is the faith to believe, the courage to confess, and the wisdom to know. Even as we call out to God “way beyond the blue” what do we do here on earth when we pray? 

First, we must have the faith to believe that God hears us. The Psalm starts out with this call, “O Lord, hear me as I pray, pay attention to my groaning [;] listen to my cry for help.” Prayers do us no good if we lack faith. If we cannot imagine our prayers making it beyond the roof, then why pray at all? It takes this faith to know and believe that God hears us when we cry out to Almighty God. James strongly advocates for prayer in all situations and all things: if you are suffering hardship—pray! If you are happy, sing praises! If you’re sick, call the elders to come pray over you and anoint you! Prayer is much more involved than just a quick blessing over lunch. Look to Jesus in the garden before the cross, or to Moses on Mt. Sinai. Prayer is a time when we enter, spiritually, right in front of God and pour out our hearts. 

I remember talking with a church member who was very confused at the prayer behaviors of a good friend of hers. She told me that her friend would come and pray with her when she was sick, and that was it. There would be no follow up, no asking if more prayer was needed, nor checking back in to see how she was. After some thinking and pondering on it, she said to me, “You know, at first I thought it was because she didn’t care, but then I learned she had the kind of faith to believe God heard her, so it was unnecessary to check back up on God.” Have the faith to believe God hears you…even way beyond the blue. 

Second, we must have the courage to confess what is in the way of our time with God. James has a somewhat uncomfortable note on confession. In verse 15 he writes, “And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.” How reassuring to hear, but the discomfort starts in the next verse: “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” It’s almost as if we were to sing, “Do Lord, O do Lord, O do remember me…BUT WAIT not that part, whoa, whoa God, not that part of my life…remember something else!” 

We have lost the ability to confess in prayer because we’ve tied confession to shame instead of forgiveness. Confession should free us, bring peace and wholeness, lead us on the pathways to forgiveness. But in our times and days, confessing anything is shameful, ugly, and haunts us for life especially when it’s poured through the pipes of gossip and the worldwide audience of social media. Perhaps that is because we’ve come to care more what people around us think than we care what God thinks? God already knows what you’ve done wrong. God’s only waiting for you to bring it up and deal with it to find peace and move on. Confession, for our time, unfortunately, is seen as weak, not an act of courage. 

But James calls on us to confess both to God for forgiveness and to one another for healing and wholeness. I wonder how different the hatefulness of our world would look if we were loving and gentle with confessions, offered forgiveness, and practiced healing and Christ-like grace to one another? Prayer is meant to wash away guilt and shame. Confession and forgiveness are meant to restore relationships not become fodder for future arguments. Confess your sins, ask for forgiveness, pray for the guidance to do better—for this is how prayer strengthens you in your walk. 

Last, we must have the wisdom to know and accept God’s answer. The Psalm and James both speak to this. Psalm 5:11 says, “But let all who take refuge in you rejoice…for you bless the godly, O Lord, you surround them with your shield of love.” James adds in verse 17 that Elijah, though human, prayed for over three years that rain would fall, and none did. Then at some point, he prayed again, and rain fell. What do we make of this? God hears our prayers—this much we know. But God doesn’t always answer prayer on our timeline. Elijah prayed for years for rain during a drought. But it wasn’t time. 

This was part of the ongoing saga between the wicked King Ahab and Elijah, the prophet calling the people back to God. A drought was sent to both push the people back to faith and punish them for turning their backs on God. Elijah tried to pray them through it, but it wasn’t the right time. When the time was right, God sent rain to help the struggling people. Sometimes we must wait, and that’s hard. Sometimes God answers immediately, so we rejoice. Sometimes, God says no, and we must find the peace to live that response. 

But God always answers us when we pray. This week I’ve been doing quite a bit of praying. I have time to do that again now that I get a couple of months break from seminary. I prayed hard about my worries with the rising COVD numbers again. Out of nowhere a random Macon phone number called me this morning. The lady left a message said she was calling with a group of local pastors to encourage them with the scripture, “Do not be afraid for I am with you. Do not be anxious for I am your God. I will fortify you; yes I will help you.” She rounded out with, “We can always petition God for comfort, peace of mind, and things of that nature.” It takes the wisdom to know that God hears us and will respond. 

People often ask, “How do I pray?” It’s actually very easy. You simply come before God with an open heart, listening ears, and willing spirit. When you pray, have the faith to believe that God hears you in all that you ask. Have the courage to confess and ask for forgiveness, for God’s grace is abundant. And lastly, have the wisdom to know that God will answer you. And as you ask, “Do Lord, O do Lord, O do remember me…” be reminded: God always does.  

Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/2990709734476260

Be Kind--Part 2

Be Kind: Bless—Psalm 51: 10-13; Mark 5: 1-20

            What do we need to let go of in our lives? Boy, that’s a loaded question to start off the sermon, isn’t it? But that is exactly the question that our Gospel lesson asks of us today—what do we need to let go of or have cast out of our lives? The Gospel is, in fact, a very difficult and problematic one. It basically says that Jesus met a possessed man who was healed by casting demons into pigs who immediately killed themselves which exposed the betrayal of the town to their Jewish neighbors and got Jesus cast out, and “Thanks be to God for these words of hope.” What is tough, though, is that we are called to look directly into the face of something terrifying—this unknown of “demon possession” that this man suffered with his whole life. In our modern understanding, we might consider this a mental health disorder (like schizophrenia) as opposed to a literal horde of demons living in this man. Although, the literal is also not outside the realm of possibility, and I believe that is even more terrifying to us in the age of science and medicine of modern times. 

            We see in the story a man who lives in a Gentile territory, that of the Gerasene region. He has, for some time apparently, been possessed with this demon, this thing, which has taken over his life. It tortures him and causes suffering. He howls and roams the tombs like some kind of animal. He must have been a ghastly sight—bruised and bloody from beating himself with rocks, looking broken and deformed where the Gerasene people physically abused him. Make no mistake they hated him, were terrified of him, and used brute force and abuse to control him by subduing him and chaining him up—likely hoping he would die. Imagine the pain as he likely broke his wrists tearing the iron shackles apart. This kind of horror shocks us and terrifies us. 

            I think part of what makes us so unsettled about this Gospel lesson is that it forces us stop and ask, is something like this lurking inside of our minds and spirits as well? It’s even more disturbing when we see that Jesus cast the demons out into a herd of pigs and 2,000 of them hurled themselves off a cliff to their death. That kind of suffering in innocent animals is horrifying to wrap our heads around. If you go even deeper, the story becomes politically charged. The man’s demon was named Legion (meaning many), but also a reference to the Roman army’s “legions.” The Gerasene people were raising the pigs to feed and support the oppressive Roman Empire’s army occupying the region, including Jerusalem, which would have been seen as betrayal—supporting the enemy. In one quick story, Jesus has the Romans compared to demons and cuts off the majority of their regional food supply. These people hated the demon possessed man, and probably hated Jesus even more for spoiling their arrangement. 

            But even as we’re shocked by the brutality here, we still see a story of hope in that the love and power of Jesus cast out the demons this man had wrestled with for so many years. It’s a gospel lesson that begs this same question of us: what do we need to let go of in our own lives? There are things, I’m sure, that each of us live with which clutter our lives and our spirits to the point that God’s blessings have no room to enter in. Just as the demon lurched and convulsed in the man when Jesus came near, those demons we live with know Jesus and don’t want him to come anywhere near them either because we’ve held on to them for so long. 

            What do we live with that we need to have Jesus cast out of us? For the Gerasene people, they betrayed all of the oppressed peoples in the region by helping the Roman Empire. They were cruel and abusive to this man, none of which helped or changed him—he only changed when confronted by the loving, redemptive power of Jesus who has the strength to cast out these spiritual troubles we live with. You cannot hide away or beat your spiritual baggage into submission. It must be called up and cast out by the Savior. 

For some of us, I imagine there’s childhood traumas we carry around. For others of us, it may be anger, resentment, bad theology from our past. It may be sadness and loss that made wounds which never seem to heal—make no mistake in each and every life there is some kind of thing lurking in us which we carry around and may have for years. Name it. Call it out. Let it be exposed to Jesus just as the possessed man called out the name of the thing tormenting him—Legion. Name it. What is it? What spiritual burden or baggage do we need Jesus’s love and grace to cast out of us? 

            Far too long, I believe some of us have lived like the possessed man. We react when those wounds and struggles get touched upon. We fight and wrestle with trying to find ways of coping and ignoring the struggles. We are shackled to the wall by suffering which we can’t or won’t let go because we’ve become comfortable living with it. That hurt, those demons, now define us. That’s the trouble with toxic people and situations in life, we’re constantly drawn to them hoping tomorrow will be different. A pastor I follow said in a similar sermon on this Gospel lesson, “There are people [and situations] we encounter and instantly know they are toxic. But at the same time, there are people in this world who find us toxic, and that’s much harder for us to accept.” Jesus cast out the toxic, evil thing in the Gerasene man, but the Gerasene people, unwilling to accept or understand Jesus, considered him toxic and dangerous and threw him out of the town.

            The Gerasene people saw this demon and man wrestling for control. They tried to beat it into submission, tie it up and hide it away, prayed it would just starve out and disappear. But none of that worked. Instead, it was the love and power of Jesus to help, to heal, and to save which ultimately freed the man to accept his full blessings in life. His encounter with Jesus was different. Jesus looked on him with love, with a desire to change and be healed. Healing and wholeness were not an easy road for this man. But it was this kindness and hope found in Jesus which ultimately changed his life. 

            Your demons and struggles and those things which haunt and possess you cannot be ignored or beaten into submission. Ultimately, they will fill your life up with sin and toxic, horrible feelings. To truly find healing and wholeness we must shine this light of Christ on those old, deep things buried in our souls and have them addressed. Can you call its very name today? Is it resentment, anger, fear? Can you name it, so that Jesus can take it from you? It may take prayer, therapy, or any combination of medical and spiritual approaches to find help. 

            The Gospel lesson, however, is clear. For those who suffer and find these struggles living within them day in and day out, these toxic and negative things buried deep within, it takes shining the love of a Savior and Christ’s redemptive power to cast out the spiritual mess and welcome God’s blessings within. Again, that can be done in the context of therapy and help, or in prayer and counseling. But to the man who had never seemed to know kindness, Christ became a blessing and a healing Savior. 

            Yet even as we summon up our own inner demons ask Christ to cast them out, there are others who need us to show this love of Christ to them for their own healing. We can’t be like the Gerasene people, who were cruel and mean to this suffering man. Christ became a blessing to him bringing him hope and healing. Likewise, as our souls are freed up for God’s blessings to us, we must also become a blessing to one another. Create in us a clean heart, O God, and renew within us a right spirit. May we make room for God’s blessings in our lives, and may we also be a blessing to others.

 Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/253659486314592

Be Kind--Part 1

Be Kind—Write: Jeremiah 30: 1-3; I Cor. 1: 1-9

            We start our series this week on looking at practical ways we can show Christian kindness to one another. Now, when I was little, there was an “old-school” sort of virtue that my mother and grandmother taught me. Whenever someone does something nice for you, helps you out, or buys you a nice gift, you should write a thank you note. And so, I have from that time on, kept a few thank you notes in my desk drawer and used them to send a little note of my gratitude to folks who have blessed me in some way. In fact, I write a lot of notes and letters. As a lawyer and pastor, I’m a big fan of the gift of words, so I tend to write a lot when I have time. 

            Now, this whole idea of “thank you” notes and written letters seems to have fallen out of fashion these days. We text. We drop an email. If you’re in the younger generation, you may get a Tweet, Snapchat, Facebook message, or a hashtag. If you’re over 60, a hashtag is basically a number sign used to emphasize something. Honestly, don’t worry about it. We are surrounded by so many modes and means of communication, but nothing has the same power as pen to paper to create the written word. 

            The Bible is perhaps the best example of this. It’s a collection of words, thoughts, ideas, stories, and recollections of God’s power and provision for God’s people, as well as the story of a Savior, written by humankind and divinely inspired by God. It’s a book through which our God speaks to us in history, here and now, and into our future. There is power in the written word. 

            The Bible also refers to Jesus as the “Word.” John 1 tells us, “In the beginning the Word already existed. The word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1 goes on to say, “The Word gave life to everything that was created,” in verse 4. When God made a covenant with the people of Israel, the terms and conditions (and in particular the commandments) were recorded in written word on tablets of stone wherein God set ten rules for the people to follow. 

            When God sent a message of doom and destruction to the people, he used did so through the spoken word. A prophet was sent to tell the people they had messed up and God was none too pleased. But when God offered something good or a blessing, it came to the people written down. Here in Jeremiah, God says “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: Write down for the record everything I have said to you, Jeremiah. For the time is coming when I will restore the fortunes of my people.” Write it down, Jeremiah, God’s going to send a blessing. God’s going to restore the nation. Write it down. 

            Paul, perhaps inspired by God, used the written word to set up the church. I believe Paul realized early that there would be many, many new churches and only one of him. In those days being a traveling evangelist was a bit harder than it is these days. Our modern televangelists may have a Ferrari and private jet (like Joel Osteen, whom I would never call out for such things,), but Paul had, at best, a donkey and a mission. He used his divinely inspired written word from God to instruct, correct, and encourage the growth of the church all throughout the land from Rome to Thessalonica. 

            Paul, in our New Testament, is writing his encouragement to the church at Corinth. The church there was plagued by trouble. People came in and out of it. Those in charge were powerful people who faked outlandish spiritual gifts. They were centered on show, glitz and glamour, spectacle, and a side of bad behavior both socially and sexually. Somewhere along the way from Paul’s founding, they had lost their way and become a pageant show and not a house of worship. 

            Paul, though, is gentle with them. He writes to them who “have been called by God to be his own holy people.” He writes to those who have called on Christ as their Lord. He writes to them calling for grace and peace to be in their midst. Paul writes to them that God has given them powerful gifts, enriched them, given eloquence and powerful preaching, and knowledge in their very midst. He prays in his writing that God will hold them fast and keep them strong until the end, and that he knows God will do this for God is faithful. Paul writes with his influence over the church he founded. He writes with the inspiration of God to reach out to those who need a loving and correcting hand. 

            Paul writes one of the most powerful chapters in the Bible on our duty as Christians, saying, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and angels but have not love, I’m like a clanging brass or tinkling cymbal.” Paul writes to them with everything in his soul, pouring out God’s word, his own understanding, and his love for them. Yes, my friends, we sing because we’re happy, we shout for joy, we pray in earnest, and we write…for the in the beginning the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 

            The written word is very powerful. I remember years ago, a former member of this church asked me to write to her grandson who was nearing the end of his prison sentence for drugs and his long struggle with substance abuse. Over the next few months, he and I exchanged several letters. I advised him because of my law job to stick to spiritual and theological things he had questions about. We wrote numerous letters back and forth. I came to respect him and appreciate his insights and desire to learn more about faith and his own relationship to God. 

            All that changed on March 15, 2015. He was driving in Byron and an officer tried to pull him over. Old mindsets creeped back in, and he fled from the police. Because of the speed and recklessness, he crashed and was killed. His life, filled with so much hope, was cut short at 24 years of age. What comfort can be found? What hope can come from such a situation? 

And yet, it is his own written words which spoke a hopeful truth of love and redemption. At his funeral, I let his own words speak. He wrote, “I’m truly trying to turn my life over to God. It’s not the life I want to live. I just want the proper guidance in my life with the Lord and the people I’m around.” In another letter he wrote, “I’m so very determined to do everything in my power to live up to God’s calling in my life.” In the end I was able to turn over dozens of letters to his family with his own words talking about his faith and hope in God. Even in the midst of tragedy, fault, and failure, his faith and God’s grace were scrawled confidently right there on paper in his own handwriting for all to know and see. 

What words of hope and faith will we write in our lives? I’ve put two note cards in each of the bulletins today. You’re invited to write two notes encouragement this week—one to a fellow church member to lift them up, and one to someone who may not have a church home or may be in need of a reminder of God’s love and First Christian’s love. We’ll provide the stamp, you write the notes, just two of them, but it’s important. If Paul could write to every church he founded, you and I can send a couple of notes to folks as well. 

As the closing hymn says, “Sweetly echo the gospel call, wonderful words of life.” Writing notes and letters has gone a bit out of style with all the technology we have these days. But, there is still something powerful when we continue to write…writing of God’s love, of hope, of encouragement, of peace and grace to those who need it. Or, on the other side, in our tough times, when we know God’s love and peace are written on our hearts for all eternity. In the beginning was the Word, and so he lives today.  

Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/567882550896872

Who's Carrying Your Luggage?

Promises: Who’s Carrying Your Baggage? Matthew 11: 28-29; Matt. 16: 24-26

            A few years ago, I decided to treat myself to a nice vacation, so I headed down to Savannah for the weekend. A couple friends and I had gotten a swanky hotel and were planning on bumming around the city for a couple of days just for some rest and relaxation, and on my honor, I completely behaved. You are not getting any confessions from me in this sermon, nor any “chief of sinners, though I be” moments here.. But as my friends and I walked into this gorgeous hotel, we watched an odd scene. 

            There was a young bellhop managing the suitcases, and this wealthy-looking lady came in with a truckload of gigantic, heavy suitcases. The poor young man was barely 5’4” and slender at that. We watched as he loaded up every single suitcase and started dangerously teetering forward and side to side wobbling with the heavy load of luggage. I was beside myself wanting to help him and asked if he needed an extra hand as he went by. With a look of horror, he said, “NOOO! This is my job!” and kept lugging the heavy bags forward. The rich lady, however, paid no notice to his struggle. She was utterly oblivious as to what she had dumped on him, and I hazard a guess that she wasn’t going to tip him well for the struggle either. 

Watching all of this got me thinking…who’s carrying your baggage or my baggage, and I don’t mean the Samsonite version? Who’s carrying your baggage? In Matthew 11:28, we read that Jesus says, “Come unto me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” How many of us carry heavy burdens? How many of us can sleep eight hours, drink all the water we need in a day, exercise, eat lean meat and vegetables, and still wake up the next morning feeling weary and burdened, or as the King James Version puts it, “heavy laden?” 

It doesn’t matter how strong you are, how good a leader, or even if you’re the best of everything. If your soul is tired no amount of forced perfection will keep you from feeling weary and heavy laden. It’s your soul that needs rest, not your body. As the old hymn says, “Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge, take it to the Lord in prayer.” Jesus says to come to him if you are weary and carry heavy burdens and he will give you rest. 

Who’s carrying your baggage? Does every bit of it rest on your shoulders? Are your past decisions weighing on you? Are your mind and your soul so overwrought that each thought feels like it takes every effort your body has? Take it to the Lord in prayer! Or as Jesus says in Matthew 16, “Give up your own way, take up my cross, and follow me.” You will never find rest until you realize that you are not meant to carry your baggage. That’s not your purpose. You were designed to walk with the Savior, to have that relationship where the One who loves you takes your burdens and carries them for you. You were meant to have faith that God is bigger than your burdens. This is why we believe Jesus—for that promise. God will carry your burdens for you—and help you through them. 

But now, we have to be careful. We’re told to take it to the Lord in prayer, but that means our baggage falls on God’s shoulders, and not everyone else’s around us. No one else should become responsible for your spiritual baggage. The preacher is here to help, but ultimately things have to be worked out between you and God. Jimmy Swaggart, an old televangelist, told a story many years that talks about dumping your burdens on others. 

A chicken and a pig were on the farm one day. They decided to make breakfast for everyone at the farm. The chicken turned to the pig and said, “Alright, I’ll provide the eggs for it, and you provide the ham and bacon.” The chicken, however, only had to lay a couple of eggs. The pig would have to be killed to provide his part. Jesus said, “Come unto me,” but he did not give us permission to dump our burdens on others. Jesus has the shoulders to bear it. 

We sometimes have to stop and ask who exactly is carrying our baggage. The truth is it’s your baggage and your responsibility. No one else can go to Jesus for you to fix it. Your pastor can’t carry it for you. No one else can fix what is broken in your life except you and Jesus. Now you can find help and get treatment. There are always people willing to help you with the burdens you face, but that doesn’t mean your burdens become their burdens. The chicken was willing to make the pig give everything for the breakfast. The rich lady was willing to unload all her heavy bags on the poor bellhop at the hotel. When we have tremendous spiritual baggage and troubles, they should go to Jesus, who will carry the heavy load for us. If you need rest, you will find it in Jesus and Jesus alone, for he said clearly, “Come unto me.” 

Finally, if we’re laying down our baggage and resting in Jesus, we have to ask what exactly we are to carry? You see, we don’t get away totally free here. Jesus doesn’t just take it all and let us run around with nothing to do. In Matthew 16, we hear that if you want to follow Jesus…now it’s one thing to believe in Jesus, it’s another to follow. If you want to follow Jesus, give up your way of doing things, take up the cross and follow Jesus. It’s a give and take. Give up what you’re doing to Jesus and take up the cross from Jesus.  

Now pastors often love to give a laundry list of things that this means. Usually the first is tithing to the church. And yes, you are supposed to tithe. You want a church or a ministry, you got bills to pay, that’s how life works, but taking up the cross isn’t just about an offering plate. Sometimes pastors say it’s about volunteering and doing outreach. Yes, that’s certainly a part of taking up your cross, but anyone can do those things…donating time or money whether you’re a follower of Christ or not. Maybe it means you show up every time the church door opens, and yes you should. But, as we all know, even the wicked can sit in church among the righteous and still look all dressed up. 

Taking up your cross means something more. It’s not an activity or a job list. It’s a matter of the heart. Just like your pastor felt the call of God to lead and pray and become a minister, each one of us feels a call too. It’s a willingness to work for the good of God’s kingdom. You take up your cross when you prioritize that working for and living with God is more powerful than any other force, or struggle, or issue in your life. It’s your joy in spite of the pain and trouble. It’s your very breath of life to come into this place and living within us. You can deal with every little thing in the world. But God isn’t interested in how well you navigated Planet Earth. God is interested in your heart and your soul. 

So maybe in life you have some heavy baggage. Perhaps there’s something in your heart and soul that you’ve carried around for years. Maybe there are dark and dirty things that you carry in your life, that are hidden, that you and you alone wrestle with every day. Maybe you believe in God, you come to church, but you’re kind of staring at the cross not so ready to pick it up. Maybe you just feel a little broken and weary, and it’s never ending. 

Jesus says to you, “Come unto me.” Jesus will welcome you and will carry your baggage. That doesn’t matter if it’s one carry on bag, or all the suitcases going through Hartsfield-Jackson Airport. It’s time to lay those burdens down and find that Jesus’s burden is light. It’s a cross, a calling that we carry, to love God, love our neighbors, and share that love in this world. Come and find a calling, come and find a moving, guiding, loving Savior. But most of all, come and find rest for your souls in Christ. 

 Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/579070553079503  

Faith, Grace, and Fireworks

Faith, Grace, and Fireworks: Ezekiel 2: 1-5; II Cor. 12: 6-10

            Years ago, while in college, I attended a small Bible Study. It was held in a small church basement which would have been otherwise dark except for several bright fluorescent lights. I would generally describe the décor as an homage to the late 1970s which had settled into the place. I could tell this because the appliances were the same avocado color as the guacamole being served. Now, I’m not saying I went for the food, but a good spread makes a Wednesday night Bible Study just a little bit easier to attend for a college student. 

            The pastor who had been at the church for 38 years (and had probably arrived with the avocado green appliances) was asked a question by one of the members. “How do I respond Biblically to almost any situation in life.” The pastor looked at the member like he was a Pharisee testing Jesus before thoughtfully answering this: “Young man, you need faith to get you through it, grace to get others through it, and a few fireworks when you’re just through with it.” Today, after more than a decade of hunting, I’ve finally found two scriptures to support his answer of faith, grace and fireworks. 

            First, we need faith to get us through it. Now whatever the “it” is, is really not so important as the faith part of this. When we pick up Ezekiel here in the Old Testament, he is in the overwhelming presence of God and flat on his face on the ground out of fear and reverence for the power of the One who is calling and commissioning him. Now, at least one commentary, Abingdon, refers to this portion of Ezekiel as “A Bitter and Traumatizing Call.” Ezekiel is told that he is going to Israel, now a bitter and hard-hearted people, rebellious to God, and probably holding fierce anger against God’s prophets. 

            It’s a call that would see Ezekiel preach his heart out, but likely make no difference. God does not even assure him that the people will listen because of their extreme rebelliousness. No wonder Ezekiel is on his face and unable to move. He is overwhelmed by the power of God and broken by the traumatizing assignment he’s been given. But we hear how God, in faith, got him through. Even as Ezekiel is unable to stand, that Spirit of God, the same Spirit which descended for good at Pentecost, came down, filled Ezekiel, and picked him up onto his feet. God gave him the strength to get through his difficult encounter and call because of his faith. 

            God also gives us grace to get others through it. Faith helps when you are weak in your relationship to God. Grace helps when you are weak in your relationship to the world around you. Paul, in II Corinthians, was given a thorn in his side. I imagine this is a lot more relatable than the wild visions of Ezekiel. We’ve all had a thorn or two (or 5) in our side. If we read carefully, though, Paul doesn’t have a hurt hip. It’s a mental suffering…a messenger from Satan who tormented him. We aren’t told what message was brought by this wicked visitor, but I imagine it was a message that Paul was not good enough…too weak…useless and unworthy. 

            Paul talks about his pride, but most often we see him suffering from the deep pangs of his own feelings of inadequacy. He calls himself chief of sinners, the least of the apostles, over and over he sees himself as inadequate to this position of authority and grace he’s been given. Without God’s grace, I fear that Paul, in his depression, would have walked away from his call because of his feelings of inadequacy. They would have been overwhelming and unstoppable. But God needed Paul’s abilities to spread the gospel to others. There were people, churches, new Christians who were counting on Paul and his strength. So even as Paul’s mind and spirit were weak, God says to him, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” God told Paul to rely on that strength from heaven and not human pride. 

            Sometimes we need grace to get us through for others to help and to heal them. Sometimes we need grace to be able to deal with others who in their hurt become emotionally unbalanced. In some way, most of humanity is broken and hurting. At times this comes out as silence, other times it comes out as sadness, and for some it comes out as anxiety, anger, and lashing out. Grace allows us to get others through it because we’re relying on God’s strength to help, not our own. I cannot see the hurt behind someone acting out with my human eyes. But God’s grace says look at the hurt to be healed not at the actions which appear offensive. That’s why God’s grace is amazing. 

            And finally, sometimes we need to light a few fireworks when we’re through with it, or simply done. Both Ezekiel and Paul were no strangers to putting their foot down when needed. Ezekiel set off his own fireworks when he prophesied the destruction of Judah and Jerusalem. History, I guess, shows that the rebellious people did not listen to him. Paul was no stranger to figurative fireworks wherever he went, either. Paul proclaimed Christ and what he believed to be the right behavior for churches wherever he went, even unto his imprisonment and death. 

            When I think of setting off a few fireworks, I often think of John Lewis here in Georgia who said that folks needed to make “good trouble.” This is especially true for Christians. There will be times when the sweet life of faith and grace turns toward confrontation. There are times we will be called on to stand for what is right and just in life. Paul could have told his churches, “Eh, it’s okay, don’t worry about it,” when they misbehaved. But he stood his ground with faith in what God told him and the grace to know God would let him minister in the way he needed to. 

            I’ve heard the phrase if we don’t stand for something, we’ll fall for anything. This means standing for justice over inequality, for love over hate, for a community of faith that sees neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free and so on as Paul wrote, for we are all one in Christ. If you read closely in the gospels, Christ saw everyone the same. He looked on them with love, hope, and an eye for redemption. Now sometimes that came across in gentleness and sometimes in tough love. But there was never rejection when Christ met with someone—from the tax collector, to the pharisee, to the prostitute, to the average person, to the thief on the cross—no one was turned away from Christ’s presence. What a power was in their faith and his grace, and a few fireworks in a society that only saw differences in Christ’s day. 

            So, sitting in that groovy, wildly colored church basement in July just over a decade ago, I learned an important lesson, which I want to share with you today. Listen to the examples of Ezekiel and Paul. There are times you will need faith to get you through the tough trials of life, when you’re called to difficult tasks or through troubled waters. There are times you will need to remember that God’s grace is all sufficient, for if you do not have God’s strength to support you, you cannot help and support others. And sometimes, you will need to summon up the courage to set off a few fireworks when you see wrong and injustice. Don’t be afraid to stand with strength and resolve, even as Ezekiel stood before an angry mob of rebellious people, and even as Paul stood before those who sought his death for the gospel of Christ. Today, I wish you a Happy Independence Day filled with faith, grace, and a few holy fireworks. 

Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/300854875075351

Describe Yourself--Final

Certain of God’s Presence: Exodus 33: 12-18; 34:5-8; Heb.4: 14-16

            This week has been devoted to a final push of class work for my master’s in theological studies. One of the first intensive classes this week was called Cultural Perspectives on Death and Dying. I know, that sounds so uplifting, right? On the second day of class, we had a guest speaker who truly brought us all to tears and taught us the importance of God’s presence in our lives. His name was Shadi Haddad. He is a Syrian Christian refugee. His home and life were destroyed in the civil war that has raged there for years. 

            Some of the more powerful and heart-wrenching things he talked about was that even in the midst of all the war and turmoil, they all still tried to have a normal life. He would leave for work every day and his wife would take the kids to kindergarten. The difference, he said, was that he told them goodbye every single day as if it would be the last day he would see them alive. They never knew when a bomb would strike the block they lived on, their faith community, or the kindergarten his kids attended. He talked about being a refugee and the struggle: his kids speak Dutch and have no concept of where they came from. His home, life, and entire community in Syria have been obliterated off the face of the planet. But his story is not an isolated incident—almost 900,000 share the same trauma of death, destruction, and untold suffering in just this one crisis.

            There was a lingering question Shadi in all of this: how certain is your faith in God’s presence when you have nothing else left in your life? His responded that he was the most certain of God’s presence when he had nothing else left. There are two ways we see this presence in the scriptures for today: God as an assurance to Moses, and God as the intercessor in Hebrews. 

            Moses was a very smart leader, but he was not always a very trusting leader. When we think of Moses and his interactions with God, we need to remember that this is the man who needed a literal, talking, burning bush a few feet in front of him in order to do God’s will. And yet, I think we all joke about Moses but find ourselves needing that assurance in our lives as well, so let’s not give Mosses too hard of a time. When we encounter Moses in this scripture, we see that he’s still struggling with this idea of fully believing God. One would think the aforementioned burning bush would be enough, but I suppose we all get a bit forgetful and wonder what God has done for us lately. Moses wants another sign. God, if you’re there, how do we know you will be with us all the way into the promised land. 

            Essentially Moses, though he’s literally talking to God, wants a sign that God’s presence will be with him and the Hebrew people as they go from where they are now into the promised land. God assures him, “Yeah, Moses, I’ll be there.” But Moses doesn’t miss a beat, “WELLLLL…are you sure about that God? Cause it could be really bad if you don’t. You know we’re the chosen people and all, so people are going to talk if you don’t show up for us like you said you would.” God assures Moses again that God will be with them. Moses then demands to see God’s glorious presence as a guarantee. He still needed more assurance from God. We read in chapter 34 where God reveals that very presence to Moses, and even that glimpse of the power of God’s presence made Moses’ face glow and his hair turn white. The fullness of God’s presence was overwhelming and nearly undid him. 

            In times of doubt, dismay, suffering, these are the times we should remember and know the most that God is present with us, for God has assured us always of that presence. Pastor Rick Warren has a tough teaching on God’s presence. He writes, “God doesn’t owe us an explanation for everything, and actually, what I’ve found is that explanations don’t comfort. What comforts is the presence of God, not the explanation of God.” There’s a bit of sharpness in that quote, but it’s true. God could have explained the next steps to Moses in the gravest of details. But Moses didn’t need a holy roadmap. He needed to see and feel the very presence of God, to know that God was there and would not leave him. For us, it is no different. We need that same assurance and awareness of God’s presence. 

            But it is different because we also need God as intercessor as Hebrews tells us. So that we all have the same definition, an intercessor is one who intervenes in prayer on behalf of another. Hebrews refers to Jesus as the Great High Priest. In ancient days, the Jewish people had a temple and deep inside was the Holy of Holies. Only the chief priest could go in at the appointed times, after being properly prepared, and be in the very presence of God to submit prayers and offerings on behalf of the people. There was a separation between the people and how they could experience God’s presence in their lives. They had to rely on the chief priest. Jesus, in his love and gift of grace on the cross, broke that barrier down. There are no extra steps to get to God’s presence. There’s not a layer of middle management between us and God in the form of a specially called chief priest. 

            You can summon up your faith and pray directly to God any time you want and need. You can pray as much as you want, any time you want, in many ways, in Jesus’s name, Amen. The truth of the matter is that there is no long road to get to God. Any barrier remaining between us and God, you and I have most likely built. God does not take that holy presence away from us and leave us to suffer. We may not get the answers we want. We may have to wait for God’s timing. We may not have an easy road completely free of suffering and pain, but in every moment—good, bad, and painful—God is there. 

            Hebrews, then, tells us to come boldly to the throne of God, who is gracious, who is merciful, and who will give us grace when we need it most. I’ve often counseled and talked with people who said they felt like God is no longer there. There are a number of inappropriate responses to this: blaming them for not “feeling” God, questioning their faith, telling them their suffering is trivial at best. Some of these responses I have unfortunately offered in my ignorance. But the truth I have come to know is that we won’t get the burning bush and blazing glory every single day of our lives. We may not even get the still, small voice. But still through those times all is quiet, God is there, and will never, ever leave us. 

            Each time I think of God’s presence, I think of that look on Shadi’s face through the computer as he described bombs going off everywhere, fearing for his kid’s lives day in and day out, having to escape and leave his wife and kids behind to prepare a place for them in Holland. The only thing he had to rely on to keep his family safe across the thousands of miles that separated them was prayer and God’s presence. There was nothing left but him and God. 

            When there is nothing else left in life but faith, will we still find the faith to trust in God’s presence in our lives? I asked myself that question the whole time I wrote this sermon. That question can be tough for us in the struggle of life. I pray, then, that we will all find the strength to say with resolve, “My Jesus, I love Thee. I know Thou art mine.” Most of all, though, I pray that we remember God is always there in every single moment of life, and God is still there even if nothing else is left. That’s the promise we can hold on to forever. 

 Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/292521305948996

Describe Yourself, Pt. 3

I Am Called to God’s Justice: Micah 6: 6-8; Matt. 28: 16-20

            It is always fun to watch a congregation squirm when they start hearing the Micah 6:8 scripture. Usually when church hears this read, they know exactly what’s coming. It’s like when you’re at a tent revival in the summer heat and hear the scripture about there shall be two in the field and one gets called up to heaven by God. You hear this, and you know exactly what kind of sermon is coming. And even as the sigh of relief comes with the end of those three verses in Micah 6, your eyes shoot back open and the whole church gets waves of panic hearing that the Great Commission scripture is next. Both? In one Sunday? Is it even legal for the pastor to do that kind of double whammy? As the resignation to get through sets in, you watch the congregation look around as if to say, “Alright, who sinned so badly that it caused all of us to get BOTH the justice scripture and the Great Commission in one Sunday?” 

            My friends, let me put you at ease. There’s no social justice-fire and brimstone-missionary overseas-call to get out there coming for you in the sermon…today at least. I think the best path to take with Micah and Matthew is to look at the question, “What now?” I’ve heard it a lot in the past few days and weeks as we find a new sense of normalcy in our world. As precautions and restrictions for COVID are eased, as the protests of last summer give way to a bit of calm, as things get a little quiet and go back to a routine, we may find ourselves asking, “What now?” 

            I’ll give you an example. I’ve spent the better part of a year working from home or the church office. Am I now expected to return to commuting 580 miles per week to and from my office? Our churches are pretty much fully open…so will people come back and how will worship look with this new-found online presence? Do I just go right back to the routine of my usually Friday dinner at the Mexican restaurant? What now? What do we do now? What I’ve found is that the discomfort of 2020 has given way to the dis-ease and dis-temperament of 2021. Every group I’m in whether work, church, my circle of friends, everyone is just a bit on edge and irritable. It’s like the folks back in Micah’s day. 

            The whole of Micah 6 is an indictment of the people of Israel. While this heavily quoted scripture sounds nice, if you go back to verse three, you find God saying this: “Oh my people, what have I done to you? What have I done to make you tired of me? Answer me!” God here is quoting their questions of old days seeking how to truly follow God…what should we do? God has told you: do justice, love mercy, walk humbly. But those days of old are gone, and the people of Israel do not care what they should bring to God or do for God. The whole of the people and God as their leader are uncomfortable, uncertain, and unwilling to work together with God for what is holy and right. 

            And so, beginning in verse 9, God proclaims the evidence and pronounces the verdict. They are guilty. Some translations in verse 13 have God saying he will wound the people, but some say it this way, “Therefore, O people, I will ruin you:” justice without mercy, justice without humility, justice for a people who wanted nothing to do with those three things: justice, mercy, or humility. So, what now? For Israel, after two more minor prophets, God went silent until the birth of Jesus in Matthew. 

            Perhaps the way to reinvigorate our life today is to take to heart a portion of the Great Commission. Matthew 28:20 says, “Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.” Sometimes we teach the new disciples, and sometimes we give the old disciples a refresher course. We are to obey all the commands given…and the Lord has told us what is good, and what he requires: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly. 

            Is it right for us to dwell in anger and irritation? Is it right for us to continue in old ways with old prejudices? Is it merciful for us always be giving a piece of our mind? Is it merciful to use accountability as a weapon instead of as a tool for growth? Do we actually choose justice, mercy, and humility, or do we simply hang a cute plaque of these words on the wall that we got on discount at Hobby Lobby? 

            God’s call here is not a sentiment or feel-good phrase. It is a wake-up call for a world and a church that is tired, confused, struggling to find its way in a world where its authority is waning. What now? What are we to do—burnt offerings, bow down, bring our best rams and calves, bring rivers of olive oil? These people even offered to sacrifice their children at some point Micah tells us. No, God doesn’t need us to act a fool to be fixed! Do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly—that’s what God has said. 

            You know these requirements got a lot easier with Jesus. I imagine he drew upon these prophetic words of Micah when he told the people that all of God’s law and requirements boil down to two things: love God and love your neighbor. Eventually we will have to leave our sanctuaries, our homes, our neighborhoods. This is what we take with us. This is how we live our faith in the world. It’s not the sermons we preach. It’s not in the shouting, “I go to church!” It’s not even in the “like and share” things on Facebook that remind everyone of your beliefs. 

            No, faith is known and told by who we are (our character) and how we live Sunday at noon through next Sunday at 10 AM. That’s how you teach people of Jesus and his love. You live it in your character and in your daily actions. There is no better pattern for that life that what God has given us: do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly. But if that is a bit much to remember, Jesus made it even simpler when he taught the people what all of God’s law really comes down to: Love the Lord with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself. This is what is good. This is what God has called us to and requires of us, each and every one. 

            I know at the beginning of this sermon I told you it would not be a hard-hitting whammy given both of those tough scriptures. I guess I spoke too soon there. Oops. Maybe I can excuse it by saying I wanted to give you all the mercy part before I got to the justice part? The truth is that we should not see these two scriptures as a double whammy, but instead, as a double portion of opportunity. As the old hymn says, “Tell me the old, old story of Jesus and his love.” It is quite simple to tell this story. Go out and teach that God has told us what is good: do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with the God who loves you.

Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/395265278497130

Describe Yourself Part 2

Made for a Purpose: Jeremiah 1: 4-8; II Tim. 1: 3-11

            When I moved to Georgia, I was told there is an old saying to describe three of the largest, oldest cities. If memory serves me correctly, it goes a little something like this: “In Atlanta, they will ask you what your business or trade is; in Macon, they will ask you which church you belong to or grew up in; and in Savannah, they’ll ask what you want to drink.” Now, having spent time in all three of these cities, I have learned that AT LEAST ONE of those questions is asked in every single one of those cities. I’ll give you a hint…it’s not the church question. Each of those questions gets to the heart of something—your purpose for being there, whether it’s work, faith, or the never-ending party atmosphere of the coastal city. 

            Whether we realize it or not, just as we learned God created and wanted us last week, God has also made us for a purpose. You’re not “just here.” You’re here for a reason that you and your Creator can jointly work on. For some, we have one, overarching life purpose. In all of my jobs, I seem to work with the over 50 crowd. I’m fine with that. Some are called with gifts of song, speech, wisdom, leadership, the ability to bless. Some of us have one life mission, others of us have many small purposes to which we are called at any given time. But the truth remains: your presence on Earth is no accident, nor is it without reason. You were made for a purpose.

            One of the scriptures most often quoted to show this idea of God’s purpose is Jeremiah 1:5, “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born, I set you apart and appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Now, obviously, God is speaking directly to Jeremiah here, and not in general. But with a little logic work, one can reason that if God knows Jeremiah before birth and set him apart for a purpose, that same God knows us and calls us according to our purpose as well. 

            Imagine that connection. God created you, gave you new life in Christ, wanted you to be his very own, and now we learn actually has a reason for your presence here on earth which God designed before you were ever born. II Timothy picks up on this same idea of being called. Paul writes to Timothy in verse 9 that God has saved us and called us to live a holy life. But even as Paul discusses God’s gift, which is grace, Paul also discusses God’s plan. See if this brings to mind the same words Jeremiah heard. Paul writes in verse 11, “And God chose me to be a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of this Good News.” 

            Paul had a very strong and distinct sense of his calling. He feels this calling from God all the way through his life from the time he was converted on the Damascus Road. He felt all of his life how God has chosen him to preach, teach, and lead. And Paul followed that purpose. He was beaten, yet he followed that purpose. He was imprisoned, still he followed that purpose. He was nearly killed, and he followed that purpose. Eventually, as we read here, he was imprisoned for good and finally executed. And yet, even from the horror of an Ancient Roman prison, Paul writes to Timothy of his purpose chosen by God. 

            My friends, if God has called Jeremiah, and God has called Paul, God has called you and me as well to a holy purpose. For some of us that could be one over-arching purpose. We are called to teach in life. We are called to support those who struggle in mind and spirit. We are called to bring the therapeutic gift of music. We are called to show others how to find balance and peace in a weary life. We are called to use our blessings to make our community better. We are called to be prophets who speak a tough word to folks who need challenge in life. Each of us will have at least one purpose in life. Don’t squander it. Jeremiah tried so hard to avoid his call, saying he’s too young. God had none of that. You are never “too” anything for God to work in and through you, if you are willing to let him. 

            Paul even writes to Timothy about his own purpose, which I think can give us a nice starting point or direction. In verse 8, Paul writes that Timothy should be prepared to tell others about the Lord, to have no shame doing so, and to even be ready for when that voice of witness brings suffering. Paul spent his whole life testifying about Christ’s grace, and the lawyer in him never seemed to back down from a fight, even when it landed him in trouble. He’s telling us all to be unashamedly, unapologetically Christian in the world we live in. 

            Paul is also telling Timothy to turn to God’s strength to stand for God’s truth in the world, to let God’s strength help him be unashamedly and unapologetically for Christ, even if the world opposes, even if others who supposedly share the faith oppose. Sometimes we get so caught up in believing the world outside the church is attacking that we forget Christ was executed by the religious. Paul was most strongly opposed by the faith leaders with whom he was once partnered. Throughout the centuries, it is not those outside who fought the church, but those supposedly within the fold who did the most damage. That is why Paul so strongly warns Timothy never to be ashamed and to always be ready for suffering to come his way. 

            But Paul also says something powerful in verse 7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” In calling us to be unashamedly and unapologetically for Christ, God also calls us to be bold, to speak with the fire and thunder of heaven, and project a faith which increases Christ over self and love over law. Paul stood for what he believed was right in his calling from God. He was cast out of towns and cities. He was banned from his own church at Corinth (which he founded). He was challenged by the Galatians, Ephesus, and other places, and exiled off to a prison far away in the belief he would be forgotten. But never once did Paul abandon his call, nor did he abandon God’s church or people. He unapologetically and unashamedly spoke and stood for Christ in his unwavering love and commitment to those whom he shepherded and ministered with, and that, my friends, was no easy calling. 

            You were created by God, and you were created anew in Christ. But you are also made to live a purpose which God planned for you from before you were even born. Over the years, perhaps, you’ve lost your way; perhaps you’ve turned to other things that clouded that purpose and dulled God’s voice speaking to you. Perhaps there’s been so much struggle and trauma that you don’t even know if you can still hear that still, small voice speaking to your heart. God has never stopped speaking. God has never stopped calling you. Can you hear it or feel it? Will you listen? Before you were born, God made you for a purpose—to start at the point of being unashamedly for Christ, sharing love, and teaching the Good News in word and action. What is the purpose God has made for you? It’s never too late to find out. 

Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/875343336388497

Bonus video! HEM & FCC HymnFest: https://www.facebook.com/TheHemsters/videos/276890464131756