Church Killers Pt. 3: "I Can't."

Church Killers 3: “I Can’t…” Exodus 4: 1-17; Acts 21: 7-14

            We continue our series this week on words and ideas that will kill a church, “The Church Killers,” if you will. Today the idea is all the times we say, “I can’t.” I can’t serve there, can’t lead like that, can’t pray well enough, can’t sing well enough, just can’t. I am reminded of an old phrase. I believe one of my grandparents used to quote it from time to time, but the memory is a bit fuzzy. They would say the quote, “Can’t never did nothing.” It’s a quote from a longer quote by author F. Lee Hayslip, “Can’t never did anything, until he tried.”

            One of the things we must remember is where God is looking toward, and where God is planning to take us. Every time we object and say, “I can’t,” we look to a past reality—some circumstance or aspect of our character that we believe only from our past. But God is always looking to move us into a new future. God forgives our yesterday, loves us today, and leads us into tomorrow. Don’t get stuck in the yesterdays, saying, “I can’t.” Trust God to lead and guide whether it’s by a good strong push or through gentle nurturing.

            As we read our Old Testament, we see that Moses was full of “I can’t-s.” God realized in the conversation with Moses that Moses needed to be pushed towards his call and mission. This dialogue between Moses and God comes as Moses is standing in front of the burning bush. One would think the burning bush speaking to him would have been enough, but apparently not here. Moses’s first objection is that he’s not good enough, “Who am I to do this?” God promises to be with Moses. Then Moses objects because he doesn’t know what God’s name is to tell them. Moses and many of the Israelites had forgotten the God of their ancestors. But God gives a strong answer to say that God is Yahweh, “I am who I am.”

            Moses then complains they won’t believe him. God shows him signs to perform. Moses then complains that he’s a terrible speaker, and God says that if the Good Lord made the human mouth, Moses should be fine. Finally, Moses blurts out the truth saying that he can’t, and God should send someone else. God promises to send Moses’s brother Aaron with him. By this time, God is angry. Moses is doubting and complaining at every turn about his inability to the very God who created him and can give him any and all ability. But, also, Moses’s cries that he can’t stand in the way of the freedom for the Hebrew people and hold them in oppression.

            You see, when we say no or we say we can’t, it’s not just a conversation between us and God. Someone, somewhere is held hostage, remains caught in suffering and oppression or is trapped in the sinful systems at work in this world. It’s never just a conversation between us and God. It’s a conversation that involves the whole world to whom we have an obligation. Christ’s grace comes with teaching to take up our cross and follow him. If we don’t say yes, who will? If we don’t act to feed the hungry, love the hurting, clothe the naked, and live as Christ’s saved and mission-minded people in this world, who will? God promised to be with Moses all the way. Having the risen Savior at work in and with us makes that promise all the more powerful in our lives.

            But sometimes, instead of a push, we need to simply be nurtured along as we trust God and say yes. In our New Testament, Paul said yes to God, when everyone around him begged him to say no. Paul was headed to Jerusalem where there were bad feelings. Almost certainly Paul knew he faced persecution and death in the city. When the prophet Agabus came to visit, he revealed that the Holy Spirit showed him that Paul would be arrested and turned over to the authorities for death.

            When the believers hear this, they weep and beg Paul to say no…just stay there and say no to this journey. But hear Paul’s powerful words: “I am ready not only to be jailed at Jerusalem but even to die for the sake of the Lord Jesus.” Paul knew the betrayal which awaited him, and he went anyway because God called him, and Paul had the faith to trust in God.

            Doing what is right is not always easy. Sometimes it calls on us to stand and fight for God’s truth. And sometimes we must also suffer—hurting spirits and broken hearts. But in the end, there is no substitute for doing what is right and following where God leads you. We may not all get the same call from God. We may  be unhappy with the calling we get—look at how the people around Paul wept and worried over him pleading with him not to go. But in the end, they all agreed, “The Lord’s will be done.” Then they all took care of Paul and ministered to him. Several even journeyed part of the way with him to support and encourage him. They said, “We can,” because Paul said, “I will.”

            The truth is Paul did suffer. He was arrested and held in prison unlawfully for years waiting for a trial that never came. He endured murder plots, corrupt leaders, and even a harrowing journey to Rome. But Paul is not so spectacular because of his suffering. He is spectacular because he chose to obey God’s will at any cost even knowing it could cost him deep pain.

            Moses and Paul are the same because they both embraced the journey to which God called them. Both endured trials and struggles, doubts from within and without. Both had to stand tough even when they probably felt terrified. One needed a push to follow God because he felt that he couldn’t. The other needed to be nurtured along the way as he continued to have the faith to say yes. Both provided a remarkable and life-changing ministry to the whole world.

            Every time we, too, feel like saying, “Lord, no, I can’t,” and every time we feel like the hymn says, “I am tired, I am weak, I am worn,” we remember a precious promise. Can’t never did nothing, but our God can do all things. So then, Precious Lord, take our hand, lead us on, let us stand. Amen.

Worship Video link: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/733913577825987

Church Killers Part 2

Church Killers: “I Don’t Want Them Here” Ezekiel 47: 13-23; Gal. 3:23-29

            A friend of mine tells of a story at a church he worked for. One of the members said, “We need to get ‘Tommy’ [whose name was changed] out of here.” My friend, utterly confused, asked why? Well, the member said, he wears socks with bright patterns. You know what that means. My friend asks if it means he shops at Kohl’s? “No!” the guy replied. “He’s probably kind of a free thinker, free spirit. Those socks don’t always match the rest of his outfit (or each other). It’s loud. It's distracting. It means he won’t handle hierarchy or authority well. And it could mean…well…you know… that he’s kind of ‘funny.’”  And I’m still at a complete loss how all of this information was gleaned from sock patterns, but the point was the same, “We don’t want him here.”

            A church which says, “I don’t want them here,” will earn a reputation as a place where everyone in the community says, “We don’t wanna be there.” The mindset doesn’t reflect Jesus’s teaching, Paul’s teaching, or faith at all. A bit of history may be important here. When God gave the law and instructions to the Israelite people, there were several places, including in Leviticus 19:34, Deuteronomy 28, and even here, where God says that those who are foreigners and strangers should be treated like the native-born Israelites, for they live alongside them and raise their families among them. It’s another instance where God is the God of doing things the opposite way: love your enemies, bless those who curse you. And here, even if you are rejected and unwanted, as the Hebrew people often found themselves in history, live the opposite. Welcome strangers and foreigners among you warmly and with hospitality as your own.

            We see Jesus carry that mindset forward as well. He dined with the tax collector, Zacchaeus. He offered grace the Samaritan woman at the well. He spoke of the Good Samaritan upending the correctness of social order and the place of religious leaders. He touched and healed those considered unclean including lepers, the woman with the issue of blood, the accused adulteress, and those possessed by demonic and evil forces. It is but for this grace of Jesus that we too are included in the family of God. If we were to live in Jesus’s day, the religious authorities would take one look at us, who are Gentiles, and say, “We don’t want them here.”  

            Paul, the Apostle, lived this struggle throughout his missionary journeys. He believed that the grace and redeeming love of God cast a wide net over all the people. He told the Jewish leaders how he had seen the Holy Spirit descend on the Gentiles including Greeks, those in Asia Minor, Macedonia, and even when he got to Rome. The Jewish leaders believed that these people could not be a part of the faith. They ridiculed and persecuted Paul for this belief. If you did not first become Jewish, they said, “We don’t want you here.”

            Look at how Paul addresses that small-minded outlook. He tells them that until Christ they lived under the law. It was like their guardian or the one who kept them in protective custody. In Roman tradition, there was a slave who kept and guarded the children until they were old enough to manage themselves. The word for this person derives from the same word as pedagogy—a teacher, protector, or guardian. And the crux of Paul’s argument is that fear inspired by the law and the rigid guardianship that the law brings is no longer needed. He’s telling them, give up this fear and protectiveness and let yourselves be found alive in Christ, united with Christ, and guided by the Holy Spirit.

            Paul’s teaching was wildly radical to them. He upended things and challenged the leaders just as much as Jesus did before him. He said to the religious leaders—until Christ you lived under the law. But Christ has fulfilled the law, and (quoting verse 25) “now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian.” For Paul, it was impossible to both live under the law and have the Holy Spirit. He practiced the law because it was expected. If pushed, however, he would say the law is no longer needed and is not a part of God’s salvation.

            That means the grace of Christ now has a wide welcome to all—for the Jewish people who practiced the law, for those who lived a hybrid of tradition and faith, for those Jews who essentially stopped following the law, like Paul, and for those Gentiles who had never practiced the law of the Old Testament. The grace of Christ was open to all, and the evidence of the Holy Spirit was seen in all, so long as they believed in Christ.

            Too many churches and too many Christians are caught in the sinful trap of thinking too small. Churches say, “We don’t want them here,” until nobody is actually left there. What if we flung open the doors of our churches and called on everyone to come in, no matter what. Just come in, just for a moment come and hear of a faith and a Christ who loves you. Or, what if we go out and tell people, “Hey, I know of a place where you’ll be loved.” You can live with a disability, but we’ll get you in. You might have mental health struggles, but we’ll embrace you and love you no matter what, don’t worry. You might “have a past,” but God forgives, and we can all move forward together. You might love differently, look differently, be filled with doubts, anger, trauma. But here, we don’t live like the rest of the world. We live like Christ, who healed, loved, challenged, welcomed, redeemed, restored, and yes, still now makes all things new.

You’re even welcomed if you wear wild socks , and socks that are plain, dark, and traditional. It’s all okay, because when you come here, you’re here to focus on Christ and grow in your faith. And from there, we take that same message to the people and neighbors around us. As Paul said, there’s neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for we are all one in Christ Jesus. It’s not some political rhetoric. It’s the mission Christ gave us. Jesus saves wholly, completely, and in every way. And we, as the church, are to tell that grace-filled message about the love of Jesus and his welcome to all, no matter what kind of socks they wear.

 Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/1200479687391289

Church Killers Part 1

Church Killers Part 1: “We’ve Always Done It This Way—”

Jeremiah 4: 1-2; Mark 7: 1-9, 14-15

            If I had a dime for every time I heard the phrase, “We’ve always done it this way…” in church, I might could give up this lawyering gig. An organist friend told me a story of a church he served where the choir, during the first hymn, would march up the outer aisles, turn and come back down the center aisle, then do a quick about-face, and march back up the center aisle. He asked why, why would they do this requiring so much unnecessary time, energy, and coordination. He was told, “Because we’ve always done it this way.” No rhyme nor reason could be found, but this is how it’s done, so do it. In our Gospel lesson, the pharisees have this same mindset: tradition over the Word of God, a love of rules over a belief in grace, and complete avoidance of the question, “why?”

            If we think about modern-day pharisees, they continue this trend of valuing human traditions over God’s word. The Gospel tells us of how angry the pharisees were over the violation of the hand-washing rituals and traditions. Centuries of tradition said that before eating there was a ritual of immersing hands in water and ceremonially cleaning cups, pitchers, and kettles. The pharisees challenged Jesus over his disciples not performing these traditions.

            Jesus explodes in response. He calls them hypocrites. He accuses them of substituting their own tradition for God’s law. Traditions are beautiful, powerful, and a core part of the church’s history. But as the commentary says, “People come to hold on to merely human traditions as if they were divinely revealed. At the same time, the basic virtues of love, reconciliation, and good news…get lost.” Too many churches are so consumed by tradition that they have forgotten prayer, a message that welcomes the broken and hurting, and truly the point of the Gospel.

            Consider, for a moment, Communion. We have created an untold number of rules surrounding Communion which vary widely by denomination. Two points on this. First, if Jesus shared cup and bread with Judas, then we can be a little less uptight. Second, the scriptures say that a person examines themselves, then comes before God’s table. Communion is a gift of all the holiness of God’s grace meeting the human who is seeking love and hope. The church has no business meddling in this sacred moment with human-made traditions. If we value tradition over God’s written word and spoken word to us, we will find ourselves cold and exclusive to those seeking God in their lives.

            This also ties into another issue that the pharisees of old and now deal with. They love rules far more than the power of God’s grace. Jesus says in his explosive lecture to the pharisees, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.” Jesus tells them in verse 15 that it’s about the heart and not the rules we come up with to manage people. It is, in fact, far easier to design a system of religious practices and rituals than it is to transform the heart. It is also a lot easier to observe people following rules and rituals than it is to believe God has transformed a heart from sin to faith. Measurable goals and markers are a lot more comfortable than hearing “God moves in a mysterious way.”

            Too many churches and too many Christians seek the comfort and familiarity of rules, traditions, and rituals rather than being still and saying, “Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me.” I remember the story I read of a songwriter who broke the rules of his day and listened to God. When he began writing his Christian music, he was told it was childish, silly, broke all the rules and traditions and was far too contemporary. It challenged the customs and norms of church music at that time. He was called a heretic. And his first prominent song was rejected by every church which saw and heard it. The songwriter was Isaac Watts and the song was “Joy to the World.” Up until that time, you see, the church had only ever chanted the words of Psalms. There were no hymns.

            We cannot be afraid to praise God, worship with all our heart, soul, and mind, pray without ceasing, and read God’s Word, but also still ask “why?” When we challenge ourselves to ask tough questions and grow, we live in the way the prophet Jeremiah spoke about. In our Old Testament he called out to Israel on behalf of God, “If you wanted to return to me, you could. You could throw away your detestable idols and stray no more.” He calls on them instead to live out truth, justice, and righteousness.

            The pharisees never challenged their human approach to God, never asked why they did these things, never asked why there were so many rules. And for them, the rules, the traditions, and the rituals became their idols. Too many of our modern-day churches talk of God but live with their idols. Refusing Communion, pushing people out, labeling as heretical those who are honestly working out their faith and engaging in dialogue, fear, selfishness, these things are idols in our churches.

            But we have the power to tear down our idols when we begin by asking why. Why do practice our faith in the way we do? Why do we, as the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) believe so strongly in the importance of Communion? Why do believe in God at all? As we begin to question, we find knowledge. We find wisdom. We find the truth of God’s Word. We find the guidance of the faithful here on earth and in heaven who have and continue to teach us what it means to live our faith in Christ. Ask and it will be given you. Seek and you will find.

            I wish I had a dime for every time I heard in church, “We’ve always done it this way.” I’d gain a lot of dimes, but I’d lose a lot of hope. To live as people of faith in this world we must appreciate the traditions and rituals but follow the Word of God and listen when God speaks. We must follow the rules but also remember that the grace and love of God are the most powerful forces on this earth. And we must always challenge ourselves to grow in faith. “Why” is not a bad word when it pushes us to grow. And so may we grow in the knowledge and love of God, and may we share that powerful grace through Christ’s call as the hymn says, “Healing, teaching, and reclaiming, serving [God] by loving all.”

 Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/3132452493685341

Pentecost Sunday

God Does Not Dwell in Chaos: Gen. 11:1-9; Acts 2: 1-21

            A couple of years ago, I had a friend getting ready to marry a guy she had fallen head over heels in love with. They had dated for a bit, and now they believed it was time to tie the knot. She loved him dearly. I thought he was a tool. I was tasked with marrying them, and I assumed their marriage would have all the lasting power of a generic brand Glade plug-in. I would like to tell you that I was completely wrong and there was a story of a happily ever after, but unfortunately, I was quite prophetic. A year into the marriage, she called me to talk and said, “It’s awful. Every single day is like living in a world of confusion and chaos.” And so, the truth came out.

            We are all going to live with and project difficulties and struggles. The trick is to know the difference between people and situations which need a little extra help but have God’s love and the Holy Spirit working in and through them versus people and situations who bring a toxic chaos into our lives. This sermon doesn’t apply to people who have medical conditions and personal struggles. It does apply to those who take a sense of glee in causing pain and suffering to other people. God is the master of peace, the Creator who put the whole world in order, the one who created a plan of redemption and reconciliation, and the one who gives us the Spirit to guide us. God is not the author of a toxic level of chaos and confusion.

            Now, when we read together this scripture on the Tower of Babel, it is easy to look at this and think that God actually is the author of confusion. After all, isn’t God the one who confused their languages and ruined their project to build a great, unified city? The answer is no. God is not the author of their confusion. God had created and designed the people in all ways to be unified, together, and of one mind, spirit, and voice. But they were disobedient and created chaos with God’s authority. They wanted to build this Tower to compete in prestige and might with God. They did not want to follow God’s command to go and live throughout the world. They did not want to follow and listen to God. They craved power and might, and in doing so, they forgot their relationship with the Holy One. They embraced toxic beliefs in power which in turn brought them to chaos and confusion.

            We read in the Acts that God brings hope and unity of mind and spirit. As the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples, they found a new sense of strength and purpose in God’s will. They spoke the Gospel so that all could understand, and they overcame this reigning power of confusion and chaos throughout the whole world. God made a way for this message of hope and redemption to spread throughout the whole world, to every language, every people, and bring grace in Christ to all. At the Tower of Babel, the people wanted power in order to spite or compete with God. In Acts 2, the disciples received power through God, and they were emboldened to use this power for good and for God’s will.

            That is because the Spirit of God speaks above the noise of this life. All throughout life there are instances and people who bring us chaos and confusion. I remember a friend whose boss at work was horrible. Over and over again the boss took great delight in creating confusion, impossible situations, belittling them, and making it impossible for them to grow and develop as a skilled worker. Don’t stay in friendships, relationships, jobs, groups where the very Spirit of God and the love of Christ is drained right out of your heart and soul, and where people take joy in causing you harm.

            This mindset even creeps into our houses of worship. There are folks who have no qualms about creating and sustaining conflict and chaos in the church and robbing it of that holy presence of God. Send them on their way. There was a prominent prosperity gospel televangelist the other day, who I listened to for a minute or two on the computer. He said, “I really believe Jesus hasn’t come because people are not giving the way they ought to.” He meant specifically giving to him and his ministry. That was followed up with him talking about getting criticism for being a millionaire. He replied, “That’s not true!” I’m a multi-millionaire. Get it right. God does not dwell in chaos, confusion, and manipulation of what is meant to be holy. Anyone who believes that they should get rich quick from preaching the Gospel must not have actually read the Gospel. You do not need a $2 million jet to tell of Christ’s love.

            I Corinthians 14:33 tells us, “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace, as in all the meetings of God’s holy people.” God’s call for us is to be kind, tenderhearted, loving, encouraging, and united in God’s work and mission. Pentecost is often considered the birthday of the church. It was a joint venture between us and God with God providing the Holy Spirit, the grace, and guidance. Our job was to do the work of God’s kingdom here on earth as God leads us by the Holy Spirit. Those who take delight in creating chaos, confusion, disorder, and a toxic presence allegedly in the name of God should be loved and prayed for, but from a safe distance. It’s like having a carton of strawberries and one at the bottom has grown rotten and moldy. It doesn’t take long before your whole carton of strawberries is spoiled because the rottenness of one was not addressed.

            We are told in the scripture about the peace of God which passes all understanding here on Earth. Our God is a God of peace, hope, and a simple mission to share the good news while lifting others up. As people of God, we should flee from situations, people, and houses of worship which seek to ruin us, cause suffering, chaos, and pain in our lives, for that is not of God. Instead, we must embrace God through our faith in Christ, help those in need, love those who are hurting, and make peace in a troubled world. Surround yourself with God’s presence and Spirit as well as those who seek to encourage you to grow in your relationship to God and walk of faith. God does not dwell in chaos, but God does live in us and works through us to bring hope into this often-chaotic world.

Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/523379722783739

Fruits of the Spirit Final: Faithfulness

FOTS 6: Faithfulness—Lamentations 3: 19-25; II Thess. 3: 1-5

            I had planned a pretty robust and fun sermon on faithfulness for this week. But as we look at this final fruit of the spirit in our series today, faithfulness, perhaps a more somber tone is appropriate. This week, just like last week, and so many other weeks before, we watched the horror of a mass shooting unfold. Last week it was a white supremacist at a grocery store in Buffalo. This week it’s an 18-year-old who bought two guns on the same day, went into an elementary school and murdered 19 children and two teachers. It is impossible to describe how horrific this is. And we’ve now offered our thoughts and prayers for over 200 mass shootings in 2022 alone. I think the writer of Lamentations captures the mood perfectly with the phrase, “I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss,” only for us, it’s all our loss.

            Lamentations is a complex book of poetry. Preachers rarely touch on it, and the title should tell you why. Lamentations 3 is particularly difficult because the theology of it sets us a bit on edge, and it leaves us a bit perplexed. In verse 1 of this chapter, the writer says, “I am the one who has seen the afflictions that come from the rod of the Lord’s anger. He has led me into darkness, shutting out all light. He has turned his hand against me again and again, all day long.” For the entire first 18 verses of this chapter, the writer describes unmeasurable cruelty and affliction, which has left him broken, suffering, and bitter in heart and soul.

            But where we all take a collective gasp is when he calls out the name of Yahweh, God, as his abuser and tormentor. It’s shocking to us as a people who would never in a million years look at the evil and suffering around us and call out God as the author of the evil and the torment. Yet the writer of Lamentations goes there. It is this retelling of the horrors he has faced which keep them alive in his mind and heart. Even if all becomes well, it’s important to him to remember what has been overcome in his life.

            But we also see him suddenly snap out of it. Even as he grieves, he writes, “Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends; his mercies never cease.” It’s almost as if he has a choice of two paths: to continue in the remembering of the suffering, the evil, and the affliction he has faced, or to live in this knowledge and understanding of God’s faithfulness, called hesed in Hebrew, which to us means God’s steadfast love. When facing affliction, we have this same dilemma as the writer of Lamentations: to live in the reminder of “I will never forget this awful time,” or to live in the knowledge that “the Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him.”

            How does the writer of Lamentations overcome this belief that God has tormented him and come to this place of saying, “The faithful love of the Lord never ends?” It is his confidence in the mutual relationship between him in hope and God in faithfulness, and you can see that develop through the rest of the book. II Thessalonians gets even more to the heart of this by adding that not only do we live in this relationship with God, we live in mutuality with one another.

            As we see evil, violence, and selfishness arise in our communities and society, we seem to have forgotten this idea that we live together in this world. It’s not just me and the planet; there’s a few billion people here with me as well. We read the prayerful hope, “May the Lod lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God.” We are called to love in the way that God loves. We are called to show concern for each other even as God has demonstrated that love and concern to the church by sharing gifts with the church.

            This whole part of II Thessalonians is one big call to prayer, but it’s not prayer meant to be alone. All of the whole group is asked to pray for these things: for the spreading of the Lord’s message, for deliverance from the evil in this world, and for the expression of God’s love to be shown. One of the commentaries I read talked about this great problem of our current society and world—this insistence on selfish pursuit or this myth of rugged individualism. The Gospel and the creation of Christ’s church is a call to mutuality and community. For it is in the work with each other that we find the faithfulness of God flowing out from us.  

            When you see people in the world who have lost their way, given themselves over to evil desires, who exploit and harm others like these gunmen, you tend to find one common thread—a lifelong isolation and separation from community. Faith and goodness cannot be sustained in isolation, not because God is unfaithful, but because being constantly alone makes the fire of our God’s spirit in us dull, dark, and cold. Ruth Graham, the wife of Billy Graham, said it best, “We are made for community.”

            God’s faithfulness sustains us because we feel the power of it in a community that prays for us, cares for us, welcomes us when others won’t, helps us when we are down and struggling, calls us when we feel sad and troubled, writes cards and letters to remind us that there is a place of love and welcome. We can find that confidence in mutual relationship. We can find growth and strength, and can be sustained, in our faith community together. That’s why the early church was made up of people who sold everything and joined to be with one another all the time, sharing and providing for whatever one another needed.

            We may find hope on our own, but living in hope is a collective pursuit, and it cannot be done by ourselves. The coldest, darkest, angriest heart cans till melt with hope and love in the power of God’s faithfulness. And that almost always happens when someone who is broken and hurting finds a faith community that loves them, prays for them, and speaks the power of God’s grace into their life.

            I know that the days still, even now, seem dark for us. It reminds me of the old hymn which says, “Trials dark on every hand, and we cannot understand.” We may be overwhelmed by personal struggles and opposition, the violence and suffering we see in our world, or anything else. We may even stand at the crossroads, facing a choice like the writer of Lamentations, between the affliction we feel sure is God harming us and this place of knowing the faithful love of the Lord never ends. But one thing is certain, that the writer says clearly, “Great is [God’s] faithfulness; [God’s] mercies begin afresh each morning.” May we find our hearts rooted in God’s community of faith, and may we remember the words that great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.

Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/1044140849846753

Fruits of the Spirit 5: Self-Control

FOTS 5: Self Control—Numbers 20: 1-12; I Peter 1:13-17, 21-22

            This week we consider the spiritual fruit known as self-control. We all smile and enjoy love, joy, peace, goodness. We frown a bit at patience. But nothing is as perilous to a pastor as standing up and preaching on self-control to a congregation. It treads so, so closely to the realm of “do as I say and not as I do.” Let me give you an example. With having COVID, I lost my sense of taste and smell. Completely. I could have bit into a raw red onion like an apple and gotten nothing.

            Unfortunately, when I ordered and picked up my groceries, they accidentally included a bag of chocolate chip cookies. I assumed this was safe, after all, I can’t taste anything, right? I have learned a very important spiritual lesson from this. I ate every single one of those cookies in two sittings. I literally could not taste anything, but did that stop me from gobbling every single one of them down? Nope, it didn’t at all. I had a complete lack of self-control in those moments, and I had to pray, “Lord, forgive me, for I know exactly what I’m do.”

            We all have that bit of struggle with self-control. I Peter 1 warns us accordingly, “So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come.” There are three main reasons we struggle with self-control: fixing problems, hiding trauma. and moderating anger,

            Sometimes we lack self-control when we try to fix our problems. I remember years ago a friend who was having a rough patch was talking about an upcoming vacation and said to me, “Our family needs this right now.” I smiled and said, “I’m sure.” But the truth is they were dealing with debt, child behavior problems, and marital issues. What I wanted to say was that a vacation was not going to fix their issues. The only thing that fixes the issues of life is working through those issues with God’s strength and help. I Peter says, “Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world.” It also goes on to say, “Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires.” It concludes with the instruction to be holy just as God who loves and cares for you is holy.

            Deflecting the problems in life with self-indulgent behavior will not help you. It will actually make things worse. Take my friend who said their family needed that vacation. Imagine if they had used the five thousand dollars of vacation money to pay on the debt, hire a therapist, and work on being at peace in life. Self-control teaches us that we can’t avoid things until they go away. We must face the struggles of life head on with hope to find a solution.

            Very similar to this ignoring life’s problems, self-control teaches that we cannot hide trauma in life. Many people in this world experience trauma as children and as adults. As a pastor and a prosecutor, I see more people living with traumas that I ever thought possible in this world. Sometimes trauma dwells with people for generations. Sometimes it takes people to the point they don’t care. They will engage in whatever behavior they choose because they no longer care for themselves and believe no one cares about them either. Unresolved trauma in life is destructive and damaging if we leave it alone and let it work its way with us.

            I Peter says, “You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love deeply with all your heart.” Sincere love of the heart, from God to us, and from us to one another is a reminder that, whatever painful things of life you face, they do not get to have the last word. It’s a vicious cycle where the trauma robs a person of self-control because they no longer care, and then society judges them for a lack of self-control. The truth is self-control is not always so easy to control. But for those living with trauma, hear those words: verse 15 that God chose you, verse 17 that God has no preferences or favorites, and verse 22 saying that you were cleansed and loved by God, and God wants all the good in the world for you.

            Nowhere is the struggle for self-control more evident than when we are angry. We say exactly what we think. We may shake with fury. We may cry and shout. But ultimately, an anger that boils over always leads to unfortunate actions. Moses was so angry at the Israelite people for their complaining and forgetting God’s blessings that, instead of following God’s instructions to speak to the rock for water, Moses struck the rock in anger while yelling at the people. Not only did Moses not follow God’s commands, he demonstrated a sinful anger at the people instead of God’s goodness and holiness. It cost him the Promised Land.

            We see the consequences of anger and hatred mixed with a lack of self-control in the shooting in Buffalo, New York. A young man polluted by the sins of hatred and racism took a weapon and killed people of another race. Even if he is filled with the evil of racism, even if he is filled with an evil anger, even if he has learned these things fluently in our broken society, he still had no self-control to stop and consider the consequences and inhumanity of his action. And that is a consequence of our “say and do whatever you want” society. Anger and a lack of self-control will mix to unleash horrific consequences on the world.

            That is why I Peter begins here with the words, “So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control.” The epistle goes on to warn that they should not slip back into old ways but continue to live in this trust and obedience to the God who chose them, loves them, and has given them grace and glory. The same is true for us. The same God who chose, called, and love the people of the first century, loves each one of us to this day.

            We are called to live in a way of self-control, not just because it’s expected, but because not doing so is dangerous to us and others. In his anger, Moses could have turned the people even further against God. Behavior and actions lacking self-control will lead us down ever worsening paths which create suffering and trauma for us. Trauma, life’s struggles, and everything else that contribute to this sense of “who cares” and abandonment must be dealt with and worked through in the light of God love and never-ending desire for us to be in a good relationship with our Savior and Redeemer. Lean into that love of God and know that there is help to find a place of rest and fulfillment again in this life. As my friend says, God loves you, and there’s nothing you can do about it.

Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/523639226061157

Fruits of the Spirit 4: Patience and Goodness

FOTS: Patience and Goodness—Isaiah 40: 27-31; Jas. 1: 19-27

            Having tested positive this week for COVID, has left me a complete bundle of nerves. All the fears and dread of the past two years have come washing back over me. I was incredibly terrified and guilty to have been in public while potentially sick, even though there were no early warning symptoms. And there’s also the mindless hours of waiting, shut up at home, unable to go out and go about life. It's funny now, but I nearly rolled out the seat of the doctor’s office when my doctor left and came back in the room with multiple masks, goggles, and a face shield after testing me for flu and COVID.

            In the midst of all this fear, worry, irritation, and general bad attitude, there was this sermon needing to be written—two fruits of the spirit to be considered: patience and the goodness. Both are hard lessons. Both are fruits of the spirit that show up when you’re going through a hard time. And both are powerful reminders of how God is present and working through our lives in both good and bad. Let us look at both fruits of God’s spirit: patience and goodness.

            For years we have probably heard the old saying, “Patience is a virtue.” The Bible is filled with references to waiting and patience from the Psalms to the stories, to the gospel lessons and parables. All throughout the Bible, people have been instructed to wait patiently for God. Patience may be a great virtue, but it’s also super annoying. James tells us to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Isaiah also talks about patience in a roundabout way, calling on Israel to trust in God (or wait up on the Lod) to find strength and soar like eagles. We are told that God never grows weak or weary. But here’s the problem: I do, and I know so do you at times.

            Wait for the surgery to happen. Wait to hear on the test or diagnosis. Wait to hear from the wayward loved one who lives a troubled life. Wait on that promotion. Wait on relief from financial troubles. Wait on that school acceptance letter. Wait, wait, wait. Patience is a virtue. God may never grow weak and weary, but we do, and whether we admit it or not, it tests our faith to wait on God. One of you told me years ago, “Never pray for patience, because God will surely teach it to you.”

            Why is patience so virtuous? The truth is that patience and waiting are a reminder that God is in control of the worst situations. There may not be a good reason, but there is a holy God, always with us, who oversees the problem. Pastor Paul Tripp writes, “God’s often-repeated declaration [not to] leave us sits on the pages of [the] Word like a protection against the lies to which suffering makes us susceptible.” Patience reminds us that we have a God who has the power to deliver now as well as the power to deliver into forever and all of time.

            What is on the other side of all that patience and all that waiting for the Lord that we do? The goodness of God that is waiting there is a bit harder to define. It is found in God’s mercy. It is found to be unfailing. It is found in God forgetting our wrongs, providing us refuge, and guiding to a safe resting place. A powerful Old Testament example is God liberating the Israelite people from slavery and making an everlasting covenant with them wherein God says in Numbers 10 that good is promised to Israel. This goodness of God promised in an everlasting covenant.

            The power of this goodness is found in the story of the three Hebrew children in the furnace who defy the wicked intentions of the king saying that even if God does not save them and they are destroyed in the fire, they will never forsake God and worship the king’s idols. The goodness of God is seen in the example of Paul, who wrote in Romans 8:28, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” This goodness of God works for us.

            In James, we see a glimpse of God’s goodness in verse 27, “Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for the orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.” It’s the words of “I Must Tell Jesus” where we her the cry, “In my distress he kindly will help me. He ever loves and cares for his own.” But James goes a step further. Even as God hears us and shares that work of goodness, so must we listen and do. If you only listen to God, you forget. If you do what God says, it sticks with you.

            What good is a covenant with Israel if it doesn’t transform them into the people God meant for them to be? What good does it do us to study God’s word if we never put it to practice? You see if God’s goodness was just a theory, it wouldn’t be any good at all. One of my readings on goodness took me to the writings of Kasey Hitt who blends Christian faith and meditation into a form of prayer. She writes that every morning she says the same personal covenant into the mirror: “I have the mind of Christ. My mind is full of goodness. I choose goodness today in my thoughts, words, decisions, and actions.” Speak words that produce this fruit.

            Patience and goodness. Both are tough fruits of the spirit. Patience calls upon us to live in both uncertainty and trust at the same time—not knowing the future but believing in a God who holds the future in the palm of the hand. Goodness often is layered into patience requiring us to ever be mindful that in the dire situations God works for our good. It was a covenant with God’s people in the ancient times, and it is a covenant with us sealed upon a cross and proven by an empty tomb.

            So, how do we live in patience and remain convinced and assured of God’s goodness? Listen to God, live God’s Word, and always be in prayer to draw upon God’s strength. As the hymn says, “Some through the water, some through a flood, some through the fire, but all through the blood. Some through great sorrow, but God gives a song, in the night season and all the day long.” Goodness may come in a card, a bowl of soup, loving texts, emails, and words of encouragement. Sometimes it comes as we go through the flood and fire. But in the end as we wait and live in patience, God’s goodness will be there. God’s goodness never fails, delivered to us on the cross as a promise for all of eternity.

 Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/398346805508952

Fruits of the Spirit 3: Kindness and Gentleness

FOTS 3: Kindness & Gentleness—Proverbs 31: 10-31; John 8: 1-11

            On this Mothers’ Day, we hear those words from Proverbs 31, “She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.” It’s a very powerful and aspirational phrase for women and mothers. A friend of mine who has two rather energetic kids, a busy social life, work, and a husband who travels with his job, recently posted a framed sign about this Proverbs 31 statement in her house. It said, “She is clothed in leggings and oversized t-shirts, and she eats ice cream without fear of the future. Probably Me 24:7.” 

            Today we look at two more fruits of the spirit: kindness and gentleness.  From the outset, it may seem as though they are the same thing, perhaps even synonymous with one another. But that’s not exactly the case. In many ways, kindness is a different virtue from gentleness. Kindness is more of a gracious act to others, whereas gentleness is finding a sense of grace and redemption in an unpleasant truth. For this Mother’s Day, let’s turn both of them into real characters and look at how scripture describes and gives personality to each fruit of the spirit. 

            Kindness is beautiful in her service and care. She gives generously of her heart and resources to nurture, to love, and to support others in need. Proverbs 31 talks about all the ways Kindness shows her care. In verse 15, she sacrifices her sleep and time to serve food to those in the house, so that from her time and labor, they are not hungry. In verse 20, Kindness is seen helping the poor and opening her arms to the needy in welcome. Kindness does not turn others away, but instead she prepares a large table and invites them to find food and rest. 

            Kindness is also quite literally nice. Proverbs 31:26 says that the words she speaks are wise and her instructions are given nicely (or with kindness). Most importantly, Kindness has a strongly developed faith in God. Proverbs goes on to say that she should be rewarded for all that she has done. Mothers’ Day is often a hard Sunday for many. We place a lot of expectations on women yet deny them many things as well. Far too long we’ve judged women by the standard of motherhood, homemaking, or their ability to play second fiddle to a husband. The truth is that any woman, any man, all people created by God are defined and measured solely and completely by their relationship to God, and not any other burdens society creates. 

            Proverbs 31 provides a much more expansive role for women: wife, clothing maker, cook, organizational planner, energetic worker, property developer, vineyard manager (and by default I’m guessing winemaker), businesswoman, volunteer, quilter, jewelry maker, and above all, child of God. All of these come from the list of things women can do in Proverbs 31. The common thread through all, however, is that anything she does is done with kindness. 

            Likewise, we read about another strong woman in the Gospel named Gentleness. When we meet her, Gentleness is in some trouble. She is accused of the sin of adultery, for which the law said she should be stoned. It was the black and white words on paper, the letter of the law, her sin demanded that she be stoned to death immediately. She was caught in the act, so there’s no question of her guilt. (Please notice that they did not bring a man out to stone alongside her, but I digress.)

            But Jesus deals with her differently. He understands Gentleness and cares for her despite her fault. Gentleness is defined by words of truth without any harshness or judgement attached. Jesus asks at the end of the story where her accusers are. She responds that no one is left to accuse her. Jesus responds with, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” The truth of what she did wrong was spoken, not ignored, and not swept away as insignificant. But even when that truth was spoken, it was followed by redemptive solutions instead of condemnation. 

            Gentleness often gets punished because our society loves condemnation but is slow to care about redemption. She sinned, for goodness’ sake! She was caught in the act of adultery, guilty, guilty! But Jesus does not condemn her and sends her on with the instruction to go and sin no more. I remember once when I was in school, I got in trouble because a teacher overheard me calling her hateful or mean or snarky or something else like that. I was sent into the hallway as punishment. I was sure the teacher would call my mother and big, big trouble was on the way. Day after day I waited for that call to my mom. Finally, overcome with guilt one night, I confessed everything right at bedtime with this great whoosh of emotion and anguish coming out. I’m pretty sure I confessed to things I hadn’t even done yet. My mom very kindly and gently hugged me and said about my name calling episode, “Well, son, it might be true, but it wasn’t very nice. Go and sin no more.” 

            Both kindness and gentleness are found when we abide in God and let God abide in us. In Proverbs 31 we read of the talent, the strength, and wisdom of women, but the final two verses close out with the importance of that relationship, living or abiding in God. In the Gospel, we see a woman who finds redemption and a new hope for life simply because she was brought to Jesus and stayed close to him. Condemnation, punishment, and guilt were expected, yet in Jesus, she found mercy, redemption, and grace.  

            On this Mothers’ Day, we celebrate and honor the nurturing, loving presence which comes from those who practice kindness and gentleness in life. Kindness works for others, deals in niceness with those whom she encounters, and has a strong, developed faith. In turn her work should be rewarded first and foremost with our trust.

Likewise, Gentleness seeks to live in truth without harshness, judgment, or condemnation. She seeks the redemption and mercy which is found in knowing and drawing close to Jesus, who delivers from all accusers. We give thanks for all the mothers, those who have provided a mothering presence, and those women who have loved and cared for us in some way. May their wisdom, strength, and grace remind us of the power and the rest which comes when we abide in God and God abides in us. 

            Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/506187784568057

Fruits of the Spirit 2: Peace

FOTS 2: Peace—Ecclesiastes 1: 1-11; Philippians 4: 1-3, 6-7

            I was watching a video someone sent me the other day. There was a lady with a strong accent talking about the power of words. She said basically that if you are insulted in another language, you don’t know it. Even if they start screaming at you in another language, you may only laugh at the silliness of someone hollering words you don’t understand and which mean nothing to you. That is because we give words their power in our perceptions, our understandings, and our processing. The lady wrapped it up by saying, whatever words of insult, anger, and cruelty are hurled at you, don’t give them power in your life, and you will have peace. 

            As we continue our series on the fruits of the spirit from Galatians 3:23, we come today to this fruit of peace—so desired, yet just simply out of reach so many times. How do we live at peace in our own minds and bodies as well as peace with others? The scriptures for today tell us some of the ways we can have peace within ourselves and peace outside of ourselves. 

            We must work to find peace within ourselves. The Epistle lesson from Philippians contains one of the greatest statements on peace found anywhere in the Bible. We are first told to not worry about anything and instead pray about everything. There are so many things which can rob us of our peace each day: fear, worry and doubt, anger and stress, all of these things chip away at the peace we have within ourselves. We try to find our peace in life and circumstances around us—if it’s an easy day, if things go the right way, if stress would leave me alone, if people weren’t so people-y, it might be a better day, and I’ll finally have peace. 

            Sadly, it doesn’t work that way. Philippians tells us to give thanks, ask for what we need, and trust that we will then have God’s peace which exceeds everything we can understand. That peace is found guarding our hearts and minds. It doesn’t guard life, circumstances, or the troubles around us—it guards our hearts and minds. Marvin Gaye and Pinterest said, “If you cannot find peace within yourself, you will never find it anywhere else.” God’s peace is found within us, and it is our choice each day whether we will live in this peace which guards our hearts and minds from living in Christ Jesus. It is a tough process, but it offers guaranteed results every time. 

            Paul pushes in Philippians for people to find peace within and live at peace with others. He writes specifically to two people in the church to settle their dispute. In essence, he’s writing the polite version of “everybody sit down and hush up.” He appeals to Euodia and Syntyche to settle their disagreement. He also asks others in the church to work toward this resolution with them. Paul wants them to live in peace and at peace. 

            Good people can find themselves in the midst of a dispute. Disagreement is not a mark of someone who is bad. Both of these women were prominent preachers of the Gospel in Philippi. Paul lists their accomplishments: true partners to him, hard workers, and workers with him in telling the Good News. They have even apparently lived at peace in the past. But now they found themselves embroiled in a dispute, and if Paul is addressing this, it is safe to assume that their disagreement was affecting the life and health of the church they helped to lead. 

Grudges, disagreements, and unresolved anger enter your life and soul like a burglar breaks into a house, and they steal all of your peace in life. To the person you hold that anger and grudge against, it means nothing. It’s like hearing insults in a foreign language. The only peace stolen by a grudges and anger is your own. That’s why Paul is warning Euodia and Syntyche. They have hearts for the gospel, but hearts also filled with disagreements and disputes will soon become cold and bitter, a place where no peace can be found. 

            Instead of a grudge, what we seek is justice. In many of the protests from the 1960s to the present, those marching would say, “No justice, no peace,” and there is a strong kernel of truth in this. The Teacher in Ecclesiastes cries that everything is meaningless, and history repeats itself. He is, as we would say in older generations, what is known as blasé. In more modern philosophy, we might call him existential. Both find a root in the Teacher having no love or enjoyment in life because of his disinterest and unease about all things. His phrase  that history repeats itself has echoed down the centuries and in many instances proven itself true. 

            The word “justice” is used 328 times in the Bible. By comparison, the word “grace” is used 138 times. Our God is a God of justice, and through justice being done, we can find peace. We must find peace within, but we must also work to make a world where there is peace around us as well. Where we see things which are unjust, cruel, and harmful to others or God’s work, we must speak words of peace and advocate for what is right and just. Peace will never be found in the world in which we live if there are still people who feel like they have been treated unjustly, unfairly, and un-Christian-ly. 

            Paul understood this clearly in his writing to Philippi. He told them that God’s peace would guard their hearts and minds as they live in Christ Jesus. He didn’t stop at just the guarding of minds—it came with the push that this peace goes with them as they live in Christ. If we work for true justice and peace in this world, then we will be able to undo the predictions of the Teacher who said everything is meaningless and history (specifically a history of contentiousness and injustice) repeats itself. 

            Peace, then, is found in two places—within us as we work on our faith, and around us as we work for God’s justice in the world. We don’t know the outcome of the quarrel between Euodia and Syntyche. Paul never follows up. But I can guarantee that an unresolved grudge and dispute ruined their faith and destroyed the ministry of that church at Philippi. We must work in ourselves to not let words and acts of unkindness rob us of our own peace. And as we live in peace within, we must work peace in our world. We hear the words in “Just As I Am,” which say, “Fighting and fears within, without, O Lamb of God, I come. I come.” May we come to Christ and know his peace today. 

Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/542183720591029

Fruits of the Spirit 1: Love & Joy

FOTS 1—Love & Joy: Psalm 145: 14-21; John 21: 14-19

            We begin a new series this week to take us through the Easter season. We will explore each of the fruits of the spirit and how they impact our lives. Where do these “fruits of the spirit” come from? We read about them in Galatians 5: 22-23, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” They are listed in the middle of Paul’s writings on living under law versus living under God’s Holy Spirit. I’ll never forget being in Sunday School and one of the other students listened intently to all fruits named, then got really indignant because he expected apples, grapes, and oranges. But that was not what he got. It probably did feel like a bait and switch when you expect an apple or grapes and instead get a lesson on patience and self-control.

            Our first two fruits of the spirit are love and joy. The scripture for today is quite perfect for these two fruits of the spirit because it talks about food. And nothing can bring joy and love to one’s life like good food. We learn earlier in John 21 that Jesus had cooked breakfast for the disciples while they were fishing. Roasted fish and bread are not exactly what I would want for breakfast, but I’m pretty sure if Jesus was cooking for me, I would eat whatever he put on my plate…and like it. After Jesus had given them a miraculous abundance of fish, and fed them breakfast, he has a curious exchange with Peter. 

            Three times he asks Peter if Peter loves him. With each yes from the disciple, Jesus responds with: “Feed my lambs, take care of my sheep, [and] feed my sheep.” Jesus has a powerful way here of infusing love and joy into the plain and ordinary. For Jesus, love was shown on a cross with suffering and death. But the work of love doesn’t necessarily have to nail us to the cross. Love is found in the ordinary things of life: sharing food, cooking for someone, fishing and daily work, and the simple words of telling someone that you love them. 

            Jesus showed the disciples that he went to the cross for the ultimate act of love, so that they could live the miraculous in their ordinary lives. Think of how moving and powerful it is when someone asks how you are, how your family is doing, brings you food, or just hangs out and goes fishing or spends some time with you. Love is found in these simple gifts and acts. 

            I have a friend who shows love with a simple recipe for cheese biscuits. I know when I visit home I can count on my mother’s meatloaf. And I know when I visit one long-time friend, she will show love by NOT cooking anything. Sometimes we get so caught up in life, in busy-ness, in our troubles and struggles that we forget to take time to stop and consider the small and ordinary ways that others show us God’s love for us—in blessings and care. 

            But Jesus’s act also brought joy to Peter. This was shortly after Peter had denied Jesus three different times which was a cowardly betrayal after having professed to believe in Jesus as the Son of God. No wonder Jesus so often said, “Ye of little faith” to them. But here we see a reversal from bitter tears to grace and restoration. Three times he proclaims his love of Christ. Three times he undoes those words of denial and betrayal. And three times he is called to God’s work. 

            Earlier in chapter 21, when the disciples see Jesus, Peter jumps out of the boat and thrashes through the water to get to Jesus. It’s a chance…an opportunity he can’t miss to restore the love and relationship he felt was broken. It was also an opportunity to find joy in Jesus’s forgiveness and restoring grace. Psalm 145: 14 says, “The Lord helps the fallen, and lifts those bent beneath their loads.” Peter was bent beneath the load of his guilt over his denails. We can see this in the fact that he was unable to even wait for the boat to near the shore. He jumped in the water to get back to Jesus. 

            The Psalm goes on to say, “You give them their food as they need it, [and] You satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing.” This love and care from God are as ordinary as simply giving someone a meal, but it’s also so extraordinary as we read that Christ is the bread of life and the living water. Food is very powerful way of showing love. Jesus fed the disciples on the beach. Jesus is the bread of life. Jesus is the living water which will quench all thirst. 

            We even see it in the Communion table. Of all the ways Jesus could have symbolized his greatest act of love for us, he chose food: broken bread and cup of salvation. Food brings life, and it is in this love of Christ that we find life. Bread and cup are so ordinary, so simple and plain, but when see the love found in these symbols, they become something miraculous and extraordinary. 

            That day on the beach, Jesus showed love in the most ordinary of ways—conversation, cooking breakfast, helping them fish with a bit of a miracle, and simply being with those who followed him, and those with whom he had developed a relationship. These ordinary things showed extraordinary love. A simple conversation with Peter wiped away his guilt and replaced it with joy and a purpose—to feed the sheep. Peter was called to lead and pastor the church, to share the Good News and encourage the growth of faith and love in others. 

Jesus finished his time with Peter with one simple request. Follow me. He didn’t call on them to follow at the foot of the cross. He didn’t call on them to follow when leaving the tomb. It was in the ordinary—the service, the acts of love—that Jesus called on Peter to follow him. The pathway to love and joy is clear. It’s food. I bet you thought I’d say it’s Jesus, didn’t’ you? The answer is food, but it’s not really in the cooked fish. Instead, in bread and cup, we see love and joy, a table which welcomes all to remember God’s grace for all time. But Jesus didn’t give Peter a free breakfast, for it came with a call. In the love, the grace, and the joyful restoration of a broken relationship, Jesus said to Peter, “Follow me.” May God give us strength to do the same. 

Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/520348966427326