Self Care Pt. 1

Selfcare: Rest for Your Soul—Exodus 20: 8-11; Matthew 11: 28-30

            I read a self-care article the other day titled, “Ten Signs Your Soul Is Tired.” Unfortunately, now I’m both tired and worried about why I’m tired. The signs included the following: struggling to believe God’s promises, unable to pray, people-focused, settling instead of thriving, unbelieving, angry, dissatisfied, isolated, insecure, and lacking self-control. And, well, after that list, I think I’ve diagnosed half the world’s problems!

            There are many ways we can say we are tired. It may be from physical exertion and our body is tired. We may have worked through complex problems and our brain is weary. Or…or…it may be that the soul is tired, and no amount of rest, water, and dietary supplements will help us. As a society, neglecting our physical well-being is second only to the neglect and abuse we place upon our soul and spirit. Self-care in a faith-filled way begins not in a diet and exercise, but when we take rest for our souls.

            The scriptures for today are short. Exodus is a very familiar passage telling us to keep the Sabbath holy and adding that the people should do no work on that day. If some of this seems familiar, I can help. This scripture is found right in the middle of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20. What does it mean when the scripture says to “observe” the Sabbath and “keep it holy?” It is true that there was an entire work stoppage in the Hebrew community. No one did anything on the Sabbath—no work, cooking, cleaning, limited walking, nothing. They didn’t even sacrifice or do the work of worship in this time.

            The Sabbath was designed as the one day where the people disengaged from all responsibility to other humans and turned complete attention unto Yahweh, or God. It comes from God’s own sabbath during the creation story in Genesis. This idea of a Sabbath, of turning from routine labors to focus on God, is foundational and integral to life and to the people of God.  

            We often take 5 minutes here or spend a couple hours watching a movie. We may occasionally turn off our phone and computer for a bit, but only just a bit! For many of us, though, I believe it’s been a long time since we actually engaged in the practice of Sabbath. A few minutes or an hour or two alone with God is not enough. Even if all of our activities of life revolve around doing God’s work, we are still neglecting our soul’s rest and time in peace and stillness with God. We need rest for our souls, and constant sensory stimulation with every gadget, device, book, and activity under the sun will not provide the rest our souls need.

            Through their history, the Hebrew people have looked to this Sabbath as what separated them from others—during times of strength, vulnerability, captivity, and exile, they remained close to God through this time and attention to dwelling with God in quiet and in Sabbath time. Our modern society tried to legislate it with blue laws limiting liquor sales, business hours of operation, and other things. But you can’t legislate a spiritual discipline.

            Spending time in Sabbath—finding rest for the soul is something we have to seek out and work at doing. It hard to do. Many people say they don’t like to be alone or be still with their own thoughts. They need that constant noise and distraction. But even as we keep busy, the soul will grow more and more tired until sleep, a healthy lifestyle, and even distraction cannot lift us out of life’s weariness.

            Jesus offers the help we need. He said to the people in Matthew’s gospel, “Come unto me all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” He gets right to the heart of the point here, in trusting in Christ, you will find rest for your soul. In a very real sense, Jesus was targeting those who were burdened by the many silly rules the religious leaders of his day had created. He wanted the people to unburden themselves from a religious practice which was neither practical to do nor particularly saving or redemptive.

            But there’s more than just the historical part to this. The more we trust in Jesus and follow him, the more our souls and spirits are liberated. Here’s the proof. Let’s say you’re mad and worked up about something, so you call your close friend and tell them you need a few minutes to vent and complain. Usually at the end of that call, there’s a sigh of relief. There’s an old hymn, “Tell It to Jesus,” which says, “Are you weary, are you heavyhearted? Tell it to Jesus.” We have that open invitation—Jesus said, “Come unto me!”  

            If we plan to do the work of God here on earth, our spirits must be ready and engaged. Too often we over tax, over burden, and over stress ourselves. I read something the other day that said, “Sometimes you can get so busy trying to be everyone else’s anchor that you don’t realize you are actually drowning.” It’s much like the old saying that you cannot pour from an empty bottle.

            Why do we continuously take on more and more heavy burdens—worry, doubt, dread, anxiety, and stress? It reminds me of going through the store without a shopping cart (or buggy based on where in the South you live) and piling item after item up in your arms until you cannot carry anything else. Jesus says, “Come unto me all of you who carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” There may still be some doubt, fear, and worry in life, but there is also then a loving Savior who shares the load, hears our cries for help, and offers peace in our sufferings.

            When was the last time you took a few moments and spent time alone with God? When was the last time you were willing to release those burdens and share them with the God who created the universe who has the power to help us? From the dawn of time, God has called us to take time for a Sabbath—not just a 50 minute worship service followed by the rest of the day’s busy work, but a real and true Sabbath. When was the last time we disconnected from the world and all the people and simply spent time in meditation and prayer casting our burdens on Christ? If there is to be any peace in this world, it has to begin with us—in our souls—seeking rest and restoration. In those times life’s burdens overwhelm us and threaten to undo our sanity, remember this word from Jesus, “Come unto me, and I will give you rest.”

Service Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/446500560671921

God's Calling--Final

God’s Calling: Ezekiel—The Tough Conversations: Ezekiel 2; Gal. 1: 11-24

            There are many times of life where we have to engage in difficult conversations. This past Friday I was trying an assault—a case where someone got shot in the head. I had to sit before the hearing with the victim and talk him through what was likely the worst moment of his life. We had to watch the video of him be shot together. We had to review his injury photos together. I’ll never forget the quiet way he asked, “Do I really have to watch the video?” We also had to talk about the fact that a bigger caliber bullet or a few centimeters to the left, and he’d be dead. And we also had to talk about the fact that this happened because this nice, respectful kid from the suburbs was selling drugs. He’s 21.

            I realize that’s probably shocking and a bit more than you bargained for on a Sunday morning. But we’re all at the point in life where difficult conversations have happened or may have to happen in our lives. It may involve a bad diagnosis. It may involve the fact that there’s no longer enough money to pay the rent. It may be a break down in a relationship. Or it may be the very simple yet profoundly complex words, “I’m not okay.”

            If we believe that the God of All is in us and working through us, then we must allow God to have the power and the almighty wisdom to guide our most difficult conversations in life. We’ve covered this scripture in Ezekiel from the point of view of standing for truth. But how do we speak the words and engage in the conversations we never want to have and don’t know how to begin?

            In Ezekiel we see over and over this emphasis on him being called, “Son of man.” There is a clear distinction made between Ezekiel who is in many ways weak in his humanity versus the all-powerful strength of God. Ezekiel is being sent to prophesy in a way that has not be done before to the Hebrew people. Unlike the sadness of Jeremiah, Ezekiel’s words speak of hope in terms of anger, punishment, and destruction. There is little gentleness found in this prophecy. It is extreme, hard, severe, complex, and painful. If you think about it, the only real part of Ezekiel covered in church is the valley of the dry bones. The rest is not talked about, and historically, Rabbis had to be over 30 years of age to have the wisdom and fortitude to read and discuss this book.

            God is sending Ezekiel as a prophet who will be rejected by the people. God is filling Ezekiel with a prophetic word that will not be heard by the people. But God makes absolutely clear the God’s word is spoken through Ezekiel. God figuratively places a scroll in Ezekiel’s mouth, which gives him God’s very words to speak. We must remember that when we have tough conversations, we must speak as we are led by God. When we speak from our own well of abilities, it is inadequate. At all times whether easy or hard, our conversations and speech must be the words of God from the Word of God.

            But we must also remember in hard conversations that success is measured differently. God clearly told Ezekiel that his success as a prophet was not measured by how the people listened and responded. It was measured by Ezekiel’s own willing obedience to speak the words which God gave him. Tough conversations cannot be avoided, but they can be guided by the scroll of words God places in our own mouths as well as understanding that it is our willingness to engage in such conversations in a civil, faithful way which marks our success.

            We come then to the wisdom Paul gives us in Galatians. The church there was in disarray because they were told by others that the gospel preached by Paul was too far away from the home faith of Judaism. Paul launches on this defense speech that basically boils down to the idea that whatever Paul said whether they agree or not was said as he felt led by God. Paul tells them that he was not brainwashed by Paul or James or other disciples in Jerusalem. In all that he said and did, Paul followed the guidance and inspiration of Christ.

            Now, the lesson for us is that when we have to say things that are difficult or have a tough conversation, we must be careful whose advice we are listening to. There are some who mean well, but do not advise us in ways which draw us closer to God. And there are some who enjoy the chaos their bad advice brings. Paul says that he did not get brainwashed by Peter and James, but he is also telling the Galatians not to listen to the evil teachings of those coming around to stir them up.

            God’s word in us and spoken through us is meant to be transforming, freeing, loving, and empowering to others. No prophet spoke a word of destruction and doom without telling the people of a way back—a way they could be made whole in themselves and in their relationship to God once more. It’s like the old saying that the truth shall set you free. Now, telling the truth doesn’t always spare you of the consequences for what you did wrong. We still must live with such things. But the truth unburdens us from the anger, the disappointment, the guilt, and the sadness that we live with when we don’t have the tough conversations we need to have.

            This past week my team and I spoke the words we prayed for this victim to hear. It was horrible for him, and it was unpleasant for us. I have no idea if what he heard and saw in court will make a difference in his life or not. But the desire of someone to listen does not absolve us from the call to speak the truth with grace and compassion to others.

            Ezekiel was sent on a mission to speak words of unbearable suffering with a final word of hope. He was told that his prophet work would be a complete fail and that the people would not listen to him. But God says to him, “Speak anyway.” The three things we must remember in our difficult points of life, and when the words we speak are hard to say are these: first, remember that success is measured by obedience in us and not the response in the listener; second, be careful of the advice that is received and followed that it focuses on Christ; and finally, in all that we say and do, we must listen to God and speak the words which God gives us. May God’s words be planted in our hearts and be spoken from our mouths each and every day.

            Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/405869311703203

God's Calling, Part 2

God’s Calling: Jeremiah and Words—Jeremiah 1: 1-10; II Cor. 2: 1-8

            I believe we are all familiar with the old saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me.” Some versions exist as early as 1830, but the exact saying was first recorded in 1862 in The Christian Recorder, a publication of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Even there it is called an “old” adage. And in a literal way it’s true, words will not physically break your body like someone throwing a big old rock at you. But if we are being totally and completely honest, words can hurt us in very deep and profound ways. Words have a very incredible power over our soul and spirit.

            We live in a time where people are not very careful with their words, and we feel at liberty to say whatever we want under the guise of truth or speaking our minds. As I said to a friend years ago, if you give everyone a piece of your mind, eventually you’ll nothing left. It has become common place to hear words that hurt and wound to the core but have no real value.

            Snowflake, Nazi, racial slurs like the principal in Fosyth County used, homophobic slurs and phrases, political hate speech from either and both sides of the spectrum, abrupt and angry responses because we’re all living right on the edge of our last nerve…all of this has become the routine of our lives, and none of it has served us for the better. Our words and our phrases—what we say—can be a powerful tool in God’s kingdom or can be vicious weapon when we are unchecked.

            Part of the problem is that society believes it’s being prophetic or wise when it says hateful things to one another. But we need only look to Jeremiah, who prophesied for over 40 years to see the difference. He spoke to the Jewish people throughout a long period of time that saw them go from a place of glory to a place of disaster. Jeremiah, unlike many prophetic voices, was fluent in both priestly work and prophetic work. He understood the established order and the call for change better than anyone in Jewish society.

            He spoke words of doom and suffering—harsh and bitter words for the people to hear. But there was a purpose. He was calling the people back from a place of sin and destruction to a place of repentance, grace, and proper worship of God and relationships to one another. He talks in the scripture of being too young, too inadequate and inexperienced. But the same God who called him reminds him here that God’s own holy words are placed in Jeremiah’s mouth. God tells Jeremiah, “I knew you before I formed you…I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations,” in verse 5.

            There is the difference between the prophetic word of Jeremiah and the angry words of modern society—that difference is a purpose for the abrupt words. When we speak only to antagonize, tear down, bully, and make our point, we are not speaking the words God has put into our mouth. Any harsh word we speak on God’s behalf should be followed immediately with words that allow for grace, forgiveness, and mercy. For as I John says, if we do not know love and show love, then we certainly do not know God, for God is love. We tend to focus on the misery and doom of Jeremiah’s message, but the whole of his message was not suffering—it was a call to return and be found in God’s love and guidance. Those are the words of power which Jeremiah spoke to the people.

            We see the same pattern in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. The church at Corinth had a lot of problems, and I do mean a lot. They were filled with immorality—unholy conduct, sexual behaviors, unholy worship, pagan practices, identity politics because of the church’s diversity, and hatefulness used to fight for position and power within the church structure. Sarcastically, it’s always nice to know some traditions never seem to leave us.

            Paul was angry at this church, and he could have easily vented his rage to them. In fact, he alludes to the fact that he doesn’t come in person because of how ugly it would be. Instead, he sends a strongly worded letter. And here he tells them he reproves them out of love, not his anger or spite. The ancients knew that frankness could easily be abused because, as one commentary says, “People have a finite reservoir of goodwill.” And that goodwill runs out quickly when they are verbally bashed and abused.

            From this short passage we see how Paul is following Christ. He was wronged. There was someone (or a group) in that church who divided it, who viciously hurt Paul and all of the church at Corinth. Paul could have truly and justifiably lost his temper and let that church have it. But that is not Christ-like. If you want to be like Christ, you have to lay down your right to justifiable rage and revenge and take up the cross of mercy and forgiveness. Our words are only meant to break others insofar as we continue to use our words and abilities to build them back up for their good and for the good of Christ in them.

            Look at Paul’s words, “I wrote that letter in great anguish, with a troubled heart and many tears. I didn’t want to grieve you, but I wanted to let you know how much love I have for you.” He goes on to say about the pain and controversy, “It is time to forgive and comfort him [the offender]. So now I urge you to reaffirm your love for him.” Paul, here, is living the Christ-like path he preaches.

            You cannot hold grudges and follow Christ. You cannot speak hate speech or hateful words and follow Christ. You cannot speak harshly and without a path to mercy and grace and follow Christ. Creating sin in yourself as a response to a sin done to you is neither healthy nor holy. Jeremiah and Paul both provide the example—a prophetic word which hits hard is designed to restore, to heal, and bring the community or person back to a good relationship with God.

            There is a variant on the old adage about sticks and stones. It goes like this: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will last forever.” The Word of God calls us to mercy, grace, love, and forgiveness. The words of the Gospel speak from our lives, our attitudes, and the way we live for Christ in this world. As we consider the power of our words, may the Gospel speak through us those very words of Christ, beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life.

Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/3252804984935117

God's Calling, Part 1

Abraham: A Journey to Greatness—Gen. 12: 1-9; Philippians 1: 20-26

            I will freely admit that some mornings getting out of bed is hard. I say, 5 more minutes, one more time on the snooze button, or think I can maybe dress a little faster to make up the time. But the truth is many of us rarely jump out of bed preparing for greatness. Instead, we drag ourselves out of bed and hope we can meditate, drink enough coffee, or get on enough makeup to look somewhat human. I doubt we could be like Abraham, or Abram as he was called in the scripture today.

            When we encounter him today, he is called by God to a journey. God says that Abram is to leave the only country he has ever known and journey to this unknown place where God will make his descendants into a great nation. God called him to a tremendous journey. In 1983 Malachi Martin wrote in the New York Times that from his home in Ur, Abram traveled 700 miles to the boarders of Iraq, 700 miles into Syria, 800 miles to Egypt, then back into present day Israel. In light of Abraham going 2,200 miles on foot, I realize I should probably stop complaining about a 10-minute delay at the 16/75 intersection. It could be worse!

            But there’s a very clear pattern to that relationship to God which comes with saying yes and taking the journey God has prepared for you and I. Abraham lived it. Paul lived it, and now that same pattern of God’s grace and power works for us. Here is the pattern: journeys bring blessings, blessings require promise, and promise is found in trust—journey, blessing, promise, and trust.

            In some way, we are all on a journey. For some of us here, it’s a journey to mental and physical wellbeing. For others it’s a journey into a new understanding of faith that is centered on God’s love instead of painful old human traditions. For some, it’s finding a new place after retirement, moving to a new place, or learning how to fit in to a new faith community and where our part is. Each of us has some journey intimate and personal to us and our lives. Abram was called to journey to a promised land far away. Paul was called to journey around the fullness of the known world in order to tell of the grace of Christ to all, which Paul speaks of saying that the Philippians would take great pride in what Christ is doing through him. Each of us lives on a new and different journey in life.

            Along the way of that journey, we find that as we walk with God, God will bless us. One commentary said that the creation story makes it clear that blessing is woven into God’s purpose for the entire world all throughout history and even after sin entered into the world. We hear that word a lot…the blessing before the meal, giving something your blessing, or even what a blessing it is that football season is starting back up. I hear that phrase many times this time of year, and no, this Kentucky boy is not going to give my blessing to the phrase, “Go Dawgs.” Nope. Nada. Not going to happen.

            For our journey, God’s blessing means favor and protection, and for us it is something that brings well-being. And just as God blesses us on our journey, we are to bless, or bring favor and wellbeing, to others. God’s favor and protection saw Abram through the thousands of miles of journey and into the promised land. God’s blessing saw Paul preach, travel, heal, and bless others across countless cities, nations, and peoples. Blessings are part and parcel of God’s companionship on our journey here on earth.

            Blessings, however, are dependent upon God’s promises and our trust in those promises. When God called Abram, God also made a promise in verses 2 and 3: “I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” God made a lot of promises to Abram: to be with him, to bless him, to help him bless others, and many descendants later on the scripture.

            Paul also seems to trust in the promises which God makes. Paul fully believed his life would bring honor to Christ, and he is unconcerned what happens to him. He was certain that any time he had on this earth would allow him to do more fruitful work here for Christ. Paul’s words are proof that we never get too old, never too far on the journey, never too tired and worn out to offer others the blessing found in the promise of a loving, redeeming, and inspiring God.

            God took Abram, just some guy from Ur and made him the father of many nations, the very patriarch of the Hebrew faith. God took Paul, a pharisee devoted to the persecution and annihilation of followers of Christ and made him the greatest missionary of the Christian faith the ancient world had ever known. That journey, that blessing, that fulfilled promise came about because of their trust. It is our trust in God which keeps us on the right journey, ready to grow, ready to thrive, and ready to be a blessing to others.

            Paul reminds us as part of that journey that there is an ending point. He writes to the Philippian church that he longs to go and be with Christ, for to die is a gain to him. Now in long-standing places of faith, this welcome home at the end of the journey, or Heaven, is an established and well-known belief. To the rational thinkers in our modern day, reason-based and evidence-based people we often meet, that belief gets a bit more difficult because it takes such a leap of faith.

            I believe, though, that at the end of our journey, God gives us a “welcome home.” These past two weeks, I spent my time in a difficult trial with victims who were mentally disabled and extremely vulnerable. Their lives were hard, filled with victimization, instability, poverty, and outright suffering. It’s ugly. It’s awful. For the people like those victims I worked with this week, for the ones who are vulnerable, for those who live rough, painful, and difficult life, I have to believe there is a welcome home in the end.

            Just like Abraham reached the promised land, there has to be a promised land waiting at the end of the long journey. Just like Paul believe that on earth he would be fruitful, but in death he received the ultimate blessing and realized promise of God, there has to be a blessed welcome home. In life, there are many who will suffer horribly, whose journey is long and hard, and for whom blessings are few and far between. In the face of those circumstances, I have to believe there is a welcome home from a God who loves us all. And I pray that as we journey, we will follow in the way of Christ and be a blessing to others, for that is what makes our own journeys great.

Service Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/1319766195225742

Who Sits Where?

Who Sits Where? Proverbs 25: 6-7; Luke 14: 1, 7-14

            Now, I love Jesus with all my heart, and I follow him in every way I can. But honestly…Jesus has to be the most obnoxious dinner guest ever. He’s the one you can’t really avoid inviting, but you know, you just know, he’s going to say something. Here, Jesus manages to insult both the guests as well as the hosts of the dinner. Sometimes for us, if we follow Jesus, it’s not all that hard for us to blurt out the wrong thing either.  

A friend of mine tells of when he was little—4 or 5 years old—and in Sunday School. He had overheard a pretty ugly fight between his parents that morning. He goes into his little kids’ Sunday School class with an urgent prayer request and says, “Please pray for my mommy and daddy. Daddy says they need to fix the rat’s nest in mommy’s hair!” Later that day, my poor friend could not understand why he got in trouble for telling things he shouldn’t. After all, he was honest!

This is another narrative lesson where Jesus’s honesty far outweighs his diplomacy, and frankly his tact. Jesus was invited to dinner in the home of a Pharisee. He watches as all the people there jostle and scuffle for the seats of honor at the table. This was a common practice for dinners in those days. The ones who sat in the seats of honor were often served the best food and wine of the dinner. Those seated at the other end of the table were served the bare minimum and the cheapest wine. A pointed distinction was made in what you were served based on your level of honor at the table. We know this not only from Jesus’s story, but also from the Roman lawyer and magistrate, Pliny the Younger, who also disliked this common discriminatory practice. 

Jesus advises the guests to assume humility. Sit at the lowest and allow the host to elevate your honor or glory. This was meant to be true humility. As the New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary noted, “Humility is not to be feigned as a strategy for recognition. On the contrary, humility is a quality of life open to persons who know that their worth is not measured by recognition from their peers but by the certainty that God has accepted them.” 

But, even though they were embarrassed by Jesus’s words, they couldn’t argue because Jesus was basically quoting Proverbs. The Old Testament says, “Don’t demand an audience with the king or push for a place among the great. It is better to wait for an invitation to the head of the table than to be sent away in public disgrace.” We live in a society marked by this idea of “keeping up with the Jones’s.” Social media, cool gadgets, the need for public recognition, and the very pointed, public nature of life today leads us to a society that jockeys and jostles for position, power, and prominence. As Christ lived and taught humbly, we should do the same, and these actions defying humility should make us uncomfortable. 

Jesus, though, doesn’t stop at embarrassing the guests. He goes after the hosts as well. First century Jewish society was very class divided. It was not socially acceptable for the wealthy or the powerful to mingle with the poor or the servants. This is one reason why Jesus’s ministry was so shocking. He didn’t take a place of prominence in the synagogue or temple but taught among the lower classes of society and challenged the Pharisees and tax collectors. 

The man with whom Jesus was eating would most likely have been wealthy and somewhat powerful. He was a Pharisee and could afford a pretty significant banquet for folks. Seats of prominence were reserved for those who could repay the favor. It was expected that wealthy friends and family would invite the host in return and provide a nice meal. 

Jesus not only challenged this back and forth of favors, he challenged their exclusionary practices. Jesus suggested a list of invitees who would never be invited to dinner in this Pharisee’s house. This group was also banned from priesthood and participation in Temple life per Leviticus 21. As the commentary says, “[There is] a list of four groups who should be invited: the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. Such persons were explicitly forbidden to serve as priests and were barred from entry into the Qumran community,” which is where Jesus was. 

If you want to put it our southern understanding, we should invite to a dinner of fried chicken, potatoes, vegetables and desert the very people who can only offer us a bologna sandwich in return. Jesus had now effectively insulted both the dinner guests as well as the host. Verse 1 of the Gospel says the people were watching him closely, and I guess he really gave them a show!  

We come, then, to the title question: who sits where, and specifically, who sits in the seats of honor? What the world we live in tells us and what Jesus tells us may be two different things. Jesus disrupted their way of doing things and challenged them with the idea that there is no reward in doing nice things only for those who can repay you. Jesus healed and taught amongst those whom society no longer welcomed. 

It's a similar challenge to us today. Invite to the table those who cannot repay the favor, those whom society wouldn’t like: the elderly, those who struggle with mental health, those who are very blessed but need to feel love and welcome, really and truly anyone who wants a seat at the table with people who follow Jesus. 

Years ago, I played at a wedding for a friend whose family was quite poor. They didn’t really have the money for much, so I agreed to play the organ for free. What I saw was their church living out this scripture. Members brought flowers from their yards and gardens in vases. Folks brought what food they had—a cheeseball here, a cake someone had made, a few sandwiches from someone else. The groom borrowed a tie, and the bride borrowed a veil. In the end it was quite a hodgepodge of things people had brought and shared, but to this day, it was the most beautiful wedding banquet I have ever attended. So, set the table, invite the guests, and get ready because Jesus is coming to our dinner table, just as we come to God’s table each Sunday where grace is found in abundance.

The Subplot: How to Keep the Sabbath Holy

The Subplot: How to Keep the Sabbath Holy—

Isaiah 58: 9-14; Luke 13: 10-17

            Growing up, my dad’s mother, Granny Bert, as we called her, made this candy which I can only describe as having enough sugar to show up on a drug screen. It was peanut butter divinity roll and contained 2.5 cups of granulated sugar, 2/3 cup corn syrup, and nearly a 1/3 of a bag of confectioner’s sugar. The recipe is incredibly difficult and requires extreme precision. Consequently, no one in the family has really been able to make it since she died several years ago. I had assumed the knowledge was lost as she never kept good recipe notes.

            And yet, when I was home in Kentucky in June, I found that recipe jotted down in an old cookbook. With a candy thermometer and enough sugar to start my own confection shop, I made the elusive and incredibly difficult candy this past weekend, and it actually turned out the way it was supposed to be. It was one of those moments of life to cherish. I figured she was up in Heaven feeling pretty proud, and I was able to have a mini-celebration from having accomplished it. It felt somewhat like a holy moment in life, like God helped me find a bit of family, connectedness, and the continuing of traditions in this little recipe.

            It’s hard to explain those moments—what we can call “holy (or sacred) moments—” in life. They come and make us feel somehow made whole, or at peace, or wrapped up in love in some way, and in each of those moments we find a space for gratefulness and thanks to God.

            Without a doubt the main point of our Gospel story for today is the healing of this woman who was bent over and living with a physical deformity. Nothing I say should take away from the power of her healing and restoration as well as her thanks and praise to God. But, there are three more paragraphs detailing a subplot to this story. The leader of the synagogue was mad that Jesus did the work of healing on the Sabbath. There were very strict rules in those days that absolutely no work could be done on the Sabbath. Healing was considered work.

            Here, the leader rightfully criticized Jesus for breaking the religious rules of the Sabbath. His critique is that Jesus violated the command to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy by doing no work. Jesus, however, shoots back with a completely different idea. What if, this work of healing, restoration, and redemption was exactly what made the Sabbath holy? What if the Sabbath was made for this very moment of healing a daughter of Abraham who had prayed for years to be delivered of her suffering? What if allowing her to suffer simply to keep this rule of not working on a certain day was actually the very definition of unholy or sinful?

            That is exactly what Jesus says. She has suffered miserably for 18 years, and isn’t it right…isn’t it holy…to set her free to be restored and healed? For her, this healing and deliverance was probably the holiest and most sacred moment of her life. Isaiah’s words support Jesus’s actions: “Remove the heavy yoke of oppression, feed the hungry, help those in trouble.” It goes on in Isaiah to say the Sabbath must be kept holy, and everything done on that day must honor the Sabbath. We come on Sundays to keep the Sabbath and to offer our praise and worship to God.

            Yet, where do we find these holy or sacred moments which draw us closer to God in our daily lives? I have a friend who loves to cook, and cooking draws her closer to God. She talks about smelling the herbs and being reminded of God’s creation. When the food is cooked, she thinks of God’s refining fire for us as we grow in faith. When she plates the food up, it reminds her that one day God will make all things new in perfection, redeemed, and complete.

            I have another friend who finds his holy moments while hiking. As he gets to the top of the mountain, covered by the trees, and looking over the clearing, he feels like he’s in a place where can be still and silent enough to hear God speak. And I have a friend who finds holy moments while looking into the face of her newborn baby. In seeing this beautiful new life, she is reminded that God watches over us and is with us till we take our final breath.

            Where do you find these places in life of Sabbath, these holy or sacred moments, which draw you closer to God? Is it in prayer, service to others, gardening, music, books and stories? We can come here every Sunday to worship and grow in faith, but the truth is once per week is really not enough.

            I wonder about the woman in our gospel lesson. We are told about how strongly she praised God for the miracle of her healing. I wonder if, every morning when she got out of bed and stood up straight, she relived that holy moment in her life when Jesus healed and restored her from her suffering? Each new day was an opportunity for her to praise God again for the wondrous things Jesus had done for her in that synagogue while breaking the rules.

            It is far too easy in our lives to get bogged down in the routine: work, cleaning, a couple of hobbies, doctor visits, keeping up with all the things. Some days it feels like we are working on all the things, all at once. If we begin to neglect our own Sabbath, and if we fail to seek out those holy moments with God each day and each week, we too will become bent over with struggles and suffering. If we don’t make room for what is holy, everything else will take over. We will become like the synagogue—a place filled with hateful, rigid rules—where helping this poor, suffering woman was considered wrong. The synagogue leader’s response to Jesus’s healing put his and the synagogue’s coldness and emptiness on full display.

            Remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy. Where do you find the moments of holiness in life when you feel connected to God and know that warm presence in your life most clearly and distinctly? After making the candy and going through every pot, pan, and plate I own in the house, one could say, “How I praised God!” when the stuff actually turned out right.

            The hymn, “Be Still My Soul,” has the phrase, “Be still my soul, when change and tears are past, all safe and blessed we shall meet at last.” It only took the woman in the Gospel lesson one simple moment with Jesus to be healed, restored, and given a lasting and powerful testimony of God’s goodness. Where do we find our times of holiness and Sabbath in our lives? When do we make time to be present with God and listen for God’s guidance? I pray we find time to quiet our minds and still our souls, so we can find those holy moments with God.

            Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/542072171003789

How Far for Faith?

How Far For Faith? Isaiah 5: 1-7; Hebrews 11: 29-35, 39-40; 12:1-2

            In the mid 1990s, the Very Reverend Nathan Baxter was the Dean of the Washington National Cathedral. He preached a sermon at the height of the war on drugs fervor which unsettled the congregation. This is the story he told. A person asked why the drug dealers had so much power over the children of the day. The drug dealer says, “When he wakes and walks to school, I’m there. When he gets off the bus and comes home, I’m there. When he comes out to play before dinner, I’m there. When he’s upset and his parents are working too much to care, I’m right there on the corner, listening to him.

            Every day of this kid’s life, he sees me, he talks to me, he hangs out with me and my group of friends. Eventually, he becomes one of us, cause we are what he sees on a daily basis. What are you going to do about it? The answer is nothing. Sometimes, my friends, we don’t realize who has the influence in life.

            Last week we talked about the legacy we leave as we plant seeds today which look towards tomorrow. The scripture we look at today asks the question, “How far are you willing to go for faith, for justice, and for God’s righteousness in this world. There are two concepts which leap of the pages of this Hebrews chapter and the examples it provides: influence and resolve.

            Let’s talk about influence. In Hebrews 11:39, we see the summation of all the examples of faith, “All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith.” The beginning of chapter 12 also talks about this great cloud of witnesses and Jesus, who is the author and perfector of faith. You as a person, and we as a church, are influenced by those who have gone on before us and left this indelible mark on our lives. Sometimes when I pray, I hear almost exact wording to what my grandfather would say. When I listen and counsel, I follow the pattern left by my friend and mentor, DeLys. And I cannot tell you how many times I have uttered the phrase, “Oh good heavens, I have become my mother.”

            Who in our lives has shaped us, molded us, counseled us, and taught us many of the ways we understand and live our faith? Who in our lives spoke words of hope and wisdom which encouraged us, lifted us up, or at times even made us mad enough to push us to something new and powerful? Influence leaves a mark on us, and our influence leaves a mark on other and on the community where we live. Sometimes that influence is powerful and positive, like the great cloud of witnesses who have shaped us, encouraged us, and kept us close to our love of Jesus and hope in him. Sometimes influence produces bitter grapes like Isaiah describes.

            The good news is that we don’t always have to agree in order to find the best aspects of a person’s influence on us. There are some points of theology and practice of my childhood faith I no longer follow as education, experience, and reading the full context of the Bible have taught me better. But I know my faith would not be where it is without their prayers, teachings, love, and influence. So, what influence do we leave? When we join the great cloud of witnesses ourselves, whose life will we have touched and changed in a holy and powerful way through our faith, our love, our prayers, and our service to the community in this life?

            The second idea we need to look at is resolve. In verses 32-35 of Hebrews 11, we read stories of faith and resolve—of Gideon, Barak, David, Samuel, and so on and the miracles which include narrow escapes from death. In the verses not included in our reading, it talks about the suffering and martyrdom of the early church. But most importantly, each of these people are examples of those who held their resolve in the face of adversity.

            It is the same challenge issued by the dealer in Rev. Baxter’s story: I’m here influencing your kids. What are you going to do about it? In Isaiah 7, we read the example of the vineyard destroyed for its bitter grapes. The moral of the story is found near the end: God expected a crop of justice, but instead, oppression was found. God expected to find righteousness, but instead, cries of violence were heard. In times of injustice, violence, oppression, and unrighteousness, we hear that same challenge, “What are you going to do about it?”

            Hebrews tells us of people of faith who stood their ground with firm resolve and used their influence for what was good and holy. They were one with Christ and they sought to bring that influence of Christ’s love, grace, and redemption into a time and place where injustice and violence reigned. Resolve doesn’t require hostility, anger, or anything else of that nature. It requires us to commit ourselves to doing what is holy and right, even if what is around us does not.

            It is resolve which has sustained our ministry here. A few of you who were here in 2006 and 2007 recall a minister who told you that you were done, and it was time to close this church. In a way I’m grateful for that shock and bluntness. It made the folks here so mad that they got all riled up and were filled with resolve that this church would not close, period. That made the job of pastoring here to find new and different ways of growing, doing ministry, and being the church much, much easier. I often tell folks that there is a strong resolve here to be the church and to live God’s calling in every way we can find to do it.

            As people of God, we must use our influence and our resolve to do what is right and holy in this world. That doesn’t mean taking over politics, fighting a culture war, or engaging in some worldly battle. Jesus spoke words of hope and truth to the people and the Pharisees, but he never launched a political campaign to join the Sanhedrin, nor did he seek a Roman appointment to win sway. Influence and resolve are not found in control.

            Who feels your prayers each day? Who gets a card from you when they are struggling? Who hears you speak of how your faith has impacted and helped you? Who hears the stories of how you’ve overcome life’s struggles? Who sees you unashamed to love and care for others—even those who are broken, hurting, and outright irritating? Who sees you take up your cross daily to follow Jesus? Influence and resolve don’t require a pulpit or a microphone. Instead, God works most strongly in and through our committed hearts and our willing spirits.

Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/1928708617327444

Building on the Foundation of Faith

Building on the Foundation of Faith: Isaiah 1: 11-20; Heb. 11:1-3, 8-16

            As a kid, I absolutely loved building things. I had a couple of sets of building blocks—one smaller, solid, and made of wood. And another set that looked like red and blue bricks made of a sturdy cardboard. I would spend a long time building up what looked like houses and buildings all with one singular purpose in mind: to tear it down and destroy it in a matter of seconds like a crazed child-Godzilla. Let’s be honest—as a kid, what’s the fun of building such things if you can’t smash and strew them everywhere?

            Life is sometimes like that for us as well. We have built, inch by inch, block by block what we think is something great—a crowning achievement—and then some problem, circumstance, or our own personal struggles cause the whole thing to collapse. A friend once told me, “Life is not building one giant, lifelong structure until you die. Life is about building, tearing down, re-creating, and building something new, and in all that we build, God’s holy presence is with us as the master designer and architect.”

            Hebrews 11 is a chapter that offers us a solid foundation of faith in God, then tells us how we ought to build from there. What the examples tell us, and what we must keep in mind is that what we build in faith ought to be able to withstand pressure, regardless of overcoming, thriving, or anything else, what we build together with Christ must be able to withstand troubles which comes at us.

            Hebrews 11 gives us the well-known discussion of faith. This is not a definition, for faith can encompass so much more including trust, wisdom, love, redemption, and so on. Here, we get more of a partial explanation of faith placed in the context of the examples throughout Hebrews 11. First, faith bridges that gap of our hope and reality. Faith makes real for us things we cannot see. Then we are given the examples. We hope for a design to the universe around us, and faith makes real for us that God is the architect. Abraham hoped for a promised land, a lasting inheritance. His faith in God led him to the reality of this hope. And yet Abraham and his family still arrived to a place where they had to withstand and survive in tents and as foreigners and strangers in a new land.

            Abraham and Sarah hoped that God would honor the promises made to them. Their faith bridged the gap and brought them Isaac from whom an entire nation would be birthed. Then we are told they never saw the reality of what was promised in these many generations. When God said their generations would number the stars in the sky or the sand on the ground, they simply believed. Though they died before it all happened, they died in faith believing in what God had promised. Their ability to withstand and survive in faith and hope led to the reality of God’s promises for the next generations. It reminds me of the farmer who planted hundreds of seeds for trees. Though he would never see the trees he planted, his planting was for the next generation, and the generation after that, and so on.

            Faith builds on today to look forward to tomorrow. Christ’s work of love and redemption was not just for those in his immediate circle. His sacrifice echoed down the centuries and for eternity bringing a way of love, mercy, and redemption. That didn’t stop with the generation he lived in—his mission of hope and grace continues to work in this world even today.

            We read in the Old Testament the harsh words of God’s condemnation on this very same people centuries later for whom Abraham and Sarah and Isaac worked, sacrificed, and held the faith and hope. Sometimes all of what we build will come tumbling down. The people to whom Isaiah prophesied had clearly destroyed the bond and relationship they had with God. They acted the holy rituals, but the foundation of what God called them to had crumbled.

            Through Isaiah, God recalls them to the work of protecting innocents, seeking justice, helping the oppressed, and attending to the cause of widows and orphans, for in God’s community, the least of these or the most vulnerable are meant to be protected. Accountability, honesty, and tough encouragement are fine, but allowing others to suffer will rot the foundation God has given.

            Yet even though the foundation had crumbled and the people no longer had the same relationship to God, to one another, or to those they felt responsibility for, God, the master architect and designer, still provided a way for them to rebuild—to shore up the foundation and to grow in faith once again. The same is true for us. Where we allow the power of Christ’s grace and love to work in and through us, we can rebuild those broken places, we can fill the cracks in our foundation, and we can find this place of wholeness and peace in life.

            When I began college, things crumbled a bit. I had been a straight-A student in high school. Now I was pulling a solid C- in chemistry, Spanish was going no bueno, and economics might as well have been Charlie Brown’s teacher going, “Wah-wah-wah-WAH.” In a moment of wisdom, my uncle said, “Will, it’s not about thriving, it’s about surviving. Just focus on surviving.” At first that seems a bit harsh. Is thriving in life really no longer an expectation in adulthood? Is all of life from 19 through the bitter end a battle to survive? But if you think more on it, perhaps it’s better to look at it this way: sometimes we survive today so that we can thrive tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that.

            Sometimes we cannot see the direction or the way out of the collapsed ruin around us, but faith is the proof of what we cannot see now. Sometimes we find life has been knocked down like a child-size Godzilla tearing through a bunch of well-built toy blocks. But our belief in Christ’s grace, love, and mercy gives us the hope that tomorrow will be a place of thriving even as we have to survive today.

And our faith to build with Christ working in us is what bridges that gap from hope to reality. My friends, we may never see the endpoint of what we begin building today. But just like Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, and all the great leaders of faith, what we build in faith today makes the hope of the next generation reality. So let us begin building on the solid foundation of our faith in Christ.

            Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/434463525296358

Church Killers Part 5

Church Killers: That’s MY Church—Exodus 20: 1-4; II Peter 2: 4-12

            One of the most terrifying games I played as a kid was called Jenga. Perhaps some of you have played it? For those who have not, it is this great tower of rectangle wooden blocks lined up on top of one another three blocks at a time facing opposite ways. The goal of the game is that each person pulls out one block at a time then place them on top without making the tower fall from instability. To do that, you have to see and test which blocks are the anchors, or cornerstones, of this giant tower of collapsible terror. Inevitably, I always pulled the cornerstone block and caused the tower to fall to shrieks and laughter.

            Our final installment of words and phrases which kill a church deals with this idea of a cornerstone. What lays at the foundation of the church? Or rather, the question should be who is the cornerstone of the church? We read in the Old Testament for today that when giving the law to the people, the Ten Commandments, God says, “I am the Lord your God…You must not have any other god but me, [and] you must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea.” The very first commandment God gives the people is to have no other gods and make no idols for themselves. We see that God is God.

            In our New Testament, we also read the words, “You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor.” These draw on the words of Psalm 118 and Jesus himself, who in Luke 20 says, “The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.” In the Jenga game there is a stone which anchors and holds the potentially wobbly structure together. For us, as people of faith, Jesus is that cornerstone on which our faith and how we live our faith is founded.

            But sometimes old idols creep in, and we see that Jesus is not always the cornerstone he should be. A friend was sitting at a church board meeting where the pastor and leaders unveiled a new vision and growth plan for the church. Though it was a strong church at the time, there was a lot of potential and room to grow. Everything they discussed was met with frowns and disapproval by the board chair. With each proposal and idea, the room became more and more tense. Finally, the pastor stopped and asked, “What is wrong? What is the issue here?” The board chair, now red-faced and angry replied, “You all want to come in here and make all these changes and mess it all up! I’ve been here longer than any of you. This is MY church. Leave it alone and stop messing things up!” After a few moments of stunned silence, the pastor quietly said, “This is God’s church. Jesus Christ is the cornerstone, not you,” then the pastor left the meeting.  

            Every time we hear this story of Jesus Christ as the cornerstone of the church, we hear about the rejection of that cornerstone. In the Gospel where Jesus discusses it, the religious leaders want to kill him because they know he means them. The idea is not aimed at “the world” rejecting the cornerstone. It is always in the context of Jesus chastising the religious leaders who have set human-made law or even themselves as the cornerstone of the church. That rejection of the life and work of Christ brings a faith which can be found cold and lifeless like a rock.

            But I Peter goes on to say to us, “And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple.” As people of God, we are chosen and loved by God. We are called “living stones.” Instead of a cold and dead cornerstone, we are living and valuable to God and to God’s kingdom. As living stones built on the cornerstone of Christ, we are also told not to stumble over Jesus.           

            As Jesus is the cornerstone on which we are to build our life of faith, we should remember that Christian life imitates and participates in the reality of Christ’s life on earth. Verse 9 tells us, “For you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness and into his wonderful light.” Almost every book of the New Testament speaks in some way both of the grace Christ brings to us, but also of the calling or mission such grace gives us. It’s easy, warm and fuzzy to only talk about the goodness of God part, but the two go hand in hand. If Jesus is the cornerstone, something must then be built.  

            As we do this work of Christ, we find that the language and reality of our faith is not like an exclusive club or lodge—a place where words, traditions, and practiced grace are kept secret and only unto us. We should tell the story of our faith less like it’s an algebra problem and more like it’s the hottest gossip of the week. Some will respond that it’s dull and pointless, never finding the cornerstone or continuing with the idols they love, for you cannot sacrifice the idols you’re still in love with. Some will feel that faith is hostile and will stumble over the cornerstone like the religious leaders did. But there will be some who join us as living stones, building on the cornerstone and foundation of Christ.

            Too often we see people building on a cornerstone that is not Christ. The words or idea that this is MY church are seen when we fail to realize that we come into God’s house to invest, not to own. The cornerstone of our faith is Christ, and the house is built by living our lives just as Christ taught us. When we are alive with this hope and grace, we can build a house of living stones. The church has never truly been brick and mortar anyway. Rocks are not living things. The living stones I Peter talks about are us—the people of God who are the church.

            I think back again to playing Jenga with my friends. Each time a peg was removed from the tower and put back in elsewhere, there was a fear that the whole tower would collapse. But the truth is that so long as the structure remained anchored and supported, it would not collapse. The cornerstone of God’s church is Jesus Christ, and we are the living stones built upon this cornerstone. May we be ready for the task of building and growing knowing that we stand on the rock.

Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/425331139612559

Church Killers Part 4: "Everyone Else is Wrong"

Church Killers: These Others Are All Wrong

            I think it is safe to say most everyone hated group work in school. Inevitably of the four in the group, one did all the work, one sat and did everything else but the work, one kept disagreeing on everything that was decided causing drama, and the last one never showed up. Group assignments were terrible, and I believe, designed to mess up the GPA rankings. It was always better to work on assignments individually. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for faith. It’s one of the few places where we find ourselves realizing that we are better together. One small to medium sized church may only be able to do very good but small ministry. If, however, you put together 5-6 small to medium churches, you can do incredible things for God’s kingdom.

That is not so easy in our day and time. We find ourselves in a time and place where judgment, anger, and disagreements abound, and where people do not want to even see and speak to each other, let alone work together in life and ministry for God. Much of that stems from two places: we insist on being right, and we demand that everybody agree with us.

If you’re a devout follower of Paul’s writings, you may be well aware that Paul believes everyone should be on the same page and that the Holy Spirit will do that for us. If it doesn’t happen, though, that is probably your fault according to Paul. But I’m not so sure Jesus demanded we all agree in order to work together in faith. There is only one single demand in Jesus’s words for us to have faith, and that is to believe in and follow him. Jesus and Nicodemus did not come to an understanding. Jesus and Peter often went back and forth on what Jesus was saying. Martha bickered to Jesus when her sister Mary didn’t help with the food preparation and chores, and there is nothing to say she agreed with his answer of telling her to mind her own business because Mary was doing what was right.

            But those thoughts to Martha are exactly what Jesus tells us when we are tempted to say, “I’m right and everyone else and every other church is wrong!” Listen to the words of the Gospel: “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.” Now, here, the word “judge” means criticism or condemnation. Certainly, if someone wrongs you, there is a need to acknowledge wrongdoing and repent. But criticism based in condemnation has no place in God’s kingdom, for God is the one who judges, and we are the ones who practice love and grace in a way that it brings others to God’s kingdom.

            I’ll never forget a church lady I dealt with years ago. She was the kind who criticized, condemned, and nitpicked at everything: the sleeves on a lady’s dress were too short, now too long, that person’s makeup was too heavy, his scruff was showing and unshaved, their car was dirty, another lady’s neckline was too plunge-y, her roots were showing, his socks didn’t match, and every single one of these critical, nitpicky things made it real in her mind that people this messy just could not possibly be in God’s kingdom. But who is the one judging and running afoul of Jesus’s commands? She got so wrapped up in those specks in her neighbors’ eyes, she missed the large plank in her own.

            But what if it’s not just one nitpicky person. What if the whole church says something like, “We preach the true gospel. These other churches and denominations are all wrong, and it will cost them eternal life with God.” I actually heard this in a church I played for, and I decided to play “When We All Get to Heaven,” for the postlude just to stir up a bit of drama. The truth is that God does not need us to be Heaven’s bouncers. God calls us to be shepherds guiding people to the truth of God’s redeeming love.

            Leviticus, in the most Levitical way, lists a whole series of things to avoid: don’t twist justice in legal matters, don’t slanderously gossip about people, don’t stand idle when someone is threatened, don’t nurse hatred in your heart, and don’t seek revenge or bear a grudge. All of these things eat us alive in mind and spirit. And all of these things damage our physical and faith communities. Jesus pulls the wisdom from our Old Testament, which says, “Always judge people fairly.” To the people, Jesus then says, “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.”

            Why is this criticizing mindset such a problem? Rev. Benjamin Cremer says, “When our theology and politics as Christians is completely preoccupied with how other people might be sinning rather than how our own sin contributes to the problems of our world, that is when we know our religion is about control rather than redemption.” If someone has an issue, a sin, or a shortcoming in their life, God will deal with it. I promise you that God is powerful enough to convict people of what they do wrong, and God doesn’t need your help. Seek first the strength of your own relationship with God, then offer love and redemption to others, not criticism and nitpicking.

            We live in a time where we cannot afford to judge and criticize. Churches are shrinking and closing. Faith is being tested, not so much by challenges from outside of faith, but by people who would exploit it from within for their own personal gain. It has been the hallmark of Disciples of Christ churches that we seek to work with others for the good of God’s kingdom. We don’t need a theological checklist to say that it is good to work together as a church and with other churches to feed the poor and hungry, to visit those in nursing homes and facilities, to bring gifts to mothers and children in shelters, to pray together to the God who loves us and calls us to this mission of following Christ here on earth.

            I have learned that most people don’t like group work. It’s messy, complicated, and difficult to navigate. But I have also learned that one person can’t visit every shut in. One person can’t run a soup kitchen. One person praying is powerful, but there is something about a whole church or even several churches uniting and praying together. Jesus called all sorts of folks to be his disciples and wove them together through their faith in him and desire to follow him. Alone, we can probably have a good relationship to God. But together we can bring hope to our entire community. May we work for that bigger and broader hope.

Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/587284186404749