When God Shows Up

Acts 2: 1-12; John 20: 19-23 

Growing up in a “Bapticostal” Appalachian church, I often experienced something most churches don’t do these days. No, it’s not snakes. Full stop. At the end of Sunday night services, we would leave about 10 minutes for people to testify. They could get up and say a little bit about what they were thankful for, how God had helped, or how God had shown up in their lives. Usually, it was the same people, unless someone had a special blessing. And we almost always heard the same praises—how God had helped, protected families, blessed, shown love. It was a wonderful moment of seeing God’s presence in the lives of others.  

But sometimes Bea Reynolds would stand up to testify, and we never really knew where that was going to go. Sometimes she would holler “Well, PRAISE the name of the Lord!” in the middle of a sentence. And sometimes, she testified to some “unique” blessings of God. One such went like this… She told us that she couldn’t sleep at night, and she was there in the wee hours of the morning ready to take her sleep medication, but she really didn’t want to because it had a rough effect on her 80-year-old body. So, instead, she began to read her Bible. And I quote the next part exactly, “I read my Bible, and God let me sleep almost immediately. I tell you the Bible will put you to sleep faster than any pill will.” And now you know why we don’t do this here.  

However, just as Peter and the disciples testified about Christ, his love and resurrection and grace, on the day of Pentecost, so must we tell of the goodness of God in our lives. Faith is not meant to be a secret. It is meant to be lived, celebrated, and a part of our testimonies. That is why I have collected your testimonies, and I want to share them with you today. It’s important to hear from each other how God is showing up in each other’s lives.  Here is what you all have written.  

1. had a very serious illness years ago. My three girls were very young. My husband was told to prepare for the worst. After 3 weeks in the hospital and fervent prayers by so many, including myself, God’s love healed me.  

2.  Homecoming—getting back to Macon and experiencing great joy, I get a foretaste of Heaven.  

3. His love shows up for me daily whether I see it or not. I know God’s love is always and omnipresent. Something that comes to me is that he let me say goodbye to both of my parents before he took them home. What a comfort to me.  

4. When has God not shown up? In the love of my parents and family. In friends. In struggles, most often when it’s hindsight that truly revelas that God did show up.  

5. In my search for a mate, I spent several years kissing a lot of frogs! In my frustration I turned my search over to my Heavenly Father, saying, “These are the characteristics I wish to find in a mate. If I’m supposed to have this, please send him to me, since I am finding it very difficult to find him. If those characteristics are not appropriate, please show me what I need. IN a matter of days, I saw a young man who drew my attention, but I dismissed him as probably a military man who would be gone to serve in the conflict in no time. Three weeks later I encountered him again when I heard a voice saying to me as I was writing something, “Excuse me, I know this is the oldest line in the book, but haven’t I seen you before?” I looked up and saw the same young man. He asked me out and a year and a day later, we were married. He met all of the qualifications I had asked God to send me. Our marriage was filled with love, kindness, and fun. It lasted 48 years until the death of that young man separated us.  

6. Waking up in the morning. During a devotion in the morning. Before breakfast. After breakfast. Driving to work I the morning. Before lunch. After lunch. During the afternoon. Before dinner. After dinner. Before retiring for the night. God shows up all the time.  

7. God shows up in leading me back to church.  

8. All through my life, in the best of times, the worst oftimes, I have felt God’s love.  

9. I think the question for me is "Where has God NOT shown up?"  The sun rises every day.  I have food, clothing, shelter.  I am reasonably healthy even though I see contemporaries of mine going on to their reward every day.  Now retired, I reflect on a wonderful career in a profession where I was able to see God's hand at work in it.  I celebrate a wonderful marriage and great kids.  I have a family of faith where I worship with friends who are diverse and godly people.  Our church welcomes everyone and we follow a Savior who showed us how to do that.  Our Pastor is a friend to each and all of us.  Our denomination stands up for justice and peace. We have continuing opportunities to participate in mission and outreach led by an active group of Christian women.  In my view, God does not show up but rather is a constant presence that I only need to look around to see. 

10. When I got a divorce, God’s love let me know that I can make it on my own with Him. God’s love has shown up for me when I joined First Christian, when I met the members, and most of all I thank God for this. God’s love has shown up when I met you.  

11. And a final one shared theirs as a prayer, “Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for you love in encouraging me, through our current sermon series, to show love, respect and kindness to all others, whether they are fellow Christians, friends, or even foes and enemies. We need to be like Jesus, and as a Christian professing to be a follower of Jesus, must be loving and caring to all others in all of our thoughts, words (written, spoken, or even shared through social media) and deeds. Otherwise, each and every time we fail to do so, we grieve the Holy Spirit. In Jesus, holy, precious name. Amen.  

When the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples, they began to speak in many tongues, languages, and with great power and conviction. In the Bible Study, the other night, we talked about how important and powerful it was for Paul to share his personal story and testimony of how Jesus showed up in his life and changed his cruel direction.  

It is our stories of faith which testify to the power with which God shows up in our lives. We’ve heard today about healing, comfort, presence in starting over, finding happiness in life. Each of these stories is what draws people to faith because it takes the theoretical and makes it real. People today need a “why” when it comes to faith. The why is not a long, theological discourse. It’s the stories you tell of how your faith and your trust in God and following Jesus has made a difference in your life.  

The life-breath of faith is the Word that God breathes in us to tell the good news and testify to the incredible goodness of God in our lives. Who in your life and within your orbit needs to hear your story of God’s goodness and grace? Just as the disciples received the Spirit to speak and preach the good news, so too does the Spirit work in our lives to speak in and through us into the modern world we live in. So may our words tell of the goodness and redeeming love of God, and may our lives echo the story in this world.  

Ending Dysfunction: Anger, Danger, Discipline, and Joy

Ps. 68: 1-10; I Peter 4: 12-14; 5: 6-11 

Here’s a little story about anxiety and danger. This week, while in Macon on Tuesday, I decided to get coffee because I was sleepy. While rounding the corner from Third Street to Poplar, a truck swerved into my lane, I quickly swerved right and turned on Poplar, but I bounced into the sewer drain and blew out my back tire. There I sat, waiting for roadside assistance, only to learn that new vehicles do not come with a spare tire in the back. There’s space for it, but no tire.  

Because all the tire places are now closed, I have the car towed to the church, then have it towed again the next morning to Discount tire. That took till afternoon because the tire had to be ordered and there were two road emergencies necessitating the towing company to drive around with my car on the back responding to these emergencies. Six hundred and fifty dollars later, it was fixed. There was one bright spot in all of this. I called Doug and Angela for help, and they showed up within minutes and offered the use of their car to get home. I think that was the only thing keeping me from insanity along with the prayer and medication.  

Life is often going to send us trials and troubles. They will come at the most inconvenient of times, when we are least prepared for how to handle them. With this will come anxiety, perhaps danger, fear, and maybe even feeling like we are being disciplined or punished. Not one of us is going to be spared heartache and trouble in life. It may come as a failed relationship. It may come as financial woes. It may come as illness or struggles of the mind. Perhaps it will be addiction struggles. Or it may be just a big old flat tire in the middle of the road and all you can do is drink your now cold coffee and roll your eyes. Life is filled with troubles and trials from now till we see heaven.  

What makes our faith so rich for us is that we never suffer apart from God. I Peter tells us that when we go through fiery trials, “be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering.” We cannot forget that Jesus has an intimate familiarity with human struggle. Life’s trials are not meant to drive a wedge between us and Jesus. That comes more from anger and blame than some kind of divine smiting. Trials and trouble are simply a hazard of human existence. God does not cause them, nor does God delight in them.  

When we face harrowing things in life, that is simply because of how things age and happen in this world. We live in many ways as broken people, and none of that brokenness is because God orchestrates evil in our lives. Instead, we are offered the benefit of drawing close to Jesus who understands because he experienced the inherent brokenness of this world too. A friend of mine is dealing with his grandmother’s last days. She has become bedbound, but she refused to give in to the trial. She said, “Jesus was bound to a cross in pain. At least I am bound to a soft bed.” That’s a greater peace and faith than I think most of us could summon up, including me.  

The apostles knew and understood suffering and struggle. There is no hint in any of the gospels or epistles that we can magically make life’s struggles disappear for good. But we are taught ways to manage and get through the trials we experience in this life. I saw a joke the other day. It said, “God, why do you give me your toughest battles!?” The response was, “You literally just have to fold the clothes you took out of the dryer. Come on.”  

I Peter tells us to humble ourselves under God’s power, give our worries to God, stay alert, stand firm, be strong in faith, and remember you are not alone in struggles. We’re not given the advice to circumvent or get around our trials. We are told how to, instead, plow right through with the strength of God. Humility and giving cares to God speaks to our dance with pride. Sometimes we lead, and sometimes we are led by our pride. In giving over to God, we have to lay down that pride that can cause our trials to be magnified. Why try to handle ourselves, what God is prepared to help us with in God’s own strength?  

Good advice also includes staying alert and standing firm. These can be very hard to do when we feel under the pressure of a life struggle. I am far more prone to abject panic and running around crazily. Thank you to God, prayer and medication for helping with that. But we must find the courage to gather ourselves and be alert to what is coming our way. We cannot let trials pull us apart and knock us over, and when we struggle to stand firm, we can remember that God is standing in strength behind us! 

Most importantly we must remember that we are not alone in our trials and troubles. Just as Jesus knows and understands, Jesus is also with us. We often use prayer and going to Jesus as the last resort when all else we’ve done has failed. But prayer should be the preparation, not the Hail Mary. As the hymn tells us, “Are we weak and heavy laden? Take it to the Lord in prayer.” Don’t let trials from a broken world pull you away from your faith and from Jesus. Draw closer, read your Bible more, study more how Jesus lived and loved, and lean into that human life of holy work, especially in these times when we feel like all the world has gone crazy.  

Lastly, remember that God often shows up in a crisis in us. I Peter tells us that “after you have suffered a little while, [God] will restore, support, and strengthen you, and…will place you on a firm foundation.” The Psalm also tells us that God will provide a bountiful harvest to a needy people. It was Mr. Rogers who said, “When I was a boy, and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” Indeed, very often the presence of God is seen in and through us. When you show up with a casserole, when you offer a prayer, when you call someone who is sick, you are showing up with care, love, and the presence of God with you and within you.  

What we have to remember is that the phrase, “Look for the helpers,” is intended for small, frightened children. As adults we learn what it means to be the helpers. We can still look for the helpers around us to join with us and give us reassurance, but there comes a time when we must stand firm as I Peter says. Looking for the helpers applies when we find ourselves in the midst of trials and need God to show up in some way in our lives.  

It may be minor, or it may be a bit trouble. We may need a friend to check on us, to have a cup of coffee. We may need a bit of prayer, or a visit at a hospital. Or we may need someone to come to our rescue when the tire blows out because so many Macon drivers seem to have gotten their license at Sears and Roebuck instead of the from the State. Either way, God calls us at times to stand up and be the helpers for those who are suffering, but God also calls on us to have the humility to accept help when we are struggling ourselves. Pride goeth before a fall, and sometimes you cannot get back up. But perhaps if we are willing to accept help when it is needed, putting aside our pride, we can avoid the fall.  

I want to leave you with a story about Winnie the Pooh and Piglet. Pooh shows up, sitting down on the log next to Piglet, and he says today was a difficult day, but he doesn’t want to talk about it. Piglet, in his wisdom offers that he understands difficult days, and he, too, does not feel like talking about it. Piglet goes on to say, “But goodness, difficult days are so much easier when you know you’ve got someone there for you. And I’ll always be there for you, Pooh.” As Pooh sits there swinging his legs with Piglet, we are told he “thought that his best friend had never been more right.”  

Each day is a new day for trials to come our way. But each day is also a day where God can do amazing things in our lives. May we have the faith to show up for those who need us and the presence of God in us. But may we also have the grace to let others show up for us, bringing the presence of God with them.  

Worship Service Video https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/949549221043745

Oh Mother

Proverbs 23:22-25; John 2: 1-11 

Mother’s Day is the one time per year I can carte blanche tell stories about my mother. The rest of the time I skirt the edges of trouble in telling family stories. I think, sometimes, as teenagers we get too worked up and feel like parents, and in particular mothers, embarrass us. When I was in high school at the tender age of 16, I most certainly took myself too seriously.  We were shopping for school clothes, and Mom and I were at Aeropostale or American Eagle.  

I was somewhat in between sizes, so I was waffling between a large and extra-large. An associate helped us try on the sizes and eventually I was able to make a decision. On the way out of the store, my mother mistook the worker at the front for the worker who had helped us and said, in what my memory says is a very loud voice, “We decided to go with the extra-large!” Teenage me was mortified, destroyed, ruined, thrown into unbelievable angst never to recover from the emotional damage and social injury. We have laughed about this story for years. And as an adult, I’m pretty unfazed, leaning much more into the humor, and I can roll my eyes and say, “Oh, Mother…” 

I imagine it was the same for Jesus. He had a complicated relationship with parenting. Mary was most certainly the mother of Jesus, but imagine having God as your father! We only get glimpses of the family dynamic. One incident is where Jesus disappears as a younger boy to teach in the Temple, and Mary and Joseph have to go back looking for him. The other time is here at the wedding in Cana. When Mary informs Jesus that the wine has run low, which would have been a major social shortcoming in that day, Jesus says, “Dear woman, that’s not our problem.” I imagine Jesus smiling and saying, “Oh, Mother.”  

Two things we learn: first, Mary understands that Jesus has the power to work miracles, and it seems like a demonstrated power; second, she knew he would do it anyway because she prepared the servants to act even though Jesus had said no to her. But it seems that Jesus was very inclined to listen to his mother and do what she said, even if it wasn’t exactly in his plans.  

The fact that Jesus acts to turn water into wine speaks to how much he was willing to listen to his mother. It shows the power of a mothering nature to shape an individual. I know some have had a hard time with the biological mother in your life. And I know some have had struggles with motherhood which never came. But a mothering nature goes beyond simple biology—it’s a reflection of God’s love. I know very often we talk about God as father. But in many ways that nurturing, encouraging, grace-filled love of God feels much more like the correct love of a mother.  

Today we celebrate the many ways in which God’s love is shown and demonstrated through a mothering love and a mothering nature. This is seen in the power of prayer, shared meals, forgiveness and kindness, remaining a family even when we may not always agree, and encouraging when such help is needed. That is just what Jesus does—breaks bread, prays and blesses, challenges, and lifts up when people are broken. That love of Jesus and the love of a mothering presence in our lives is nourishing and nurturing to us in life and in our lives of faith.  

But we must also listen to the wisdom of the mothering figures in our lives. As our Proverbs lesson tells about parents and families, we hear, “Get the truth and never sell it; also get wisdom, discipline, and good judgment.” In many ways those three can be rolled into one. Listen to the wisdom of the strong, mothering women in your life. My mother, grandmothers, and mother-figures shared a lot of wisdom that I cherish: don’t cook candy when it’s raining, a little caffeine can actually help a hyper-active child and speak to everyone from friend to the cashier at the store you just met among other things.  

One of the most powerful things my mother imparted to me was every morning before dropping me off for school, she would say, “Remember the most important thing.” I would answer back, “I love you, and do good.” Once we discussed whether it should be “do your best” instead. But the truth is instilling the idea of “do good,” created a much stronger sense of values and faith because it speaks to practice.  

Jesus might not have been ready to start his miracles, ministry, and witness throughout the world, but his mother said that it was time. In one of the most humanizing parts for Jesus in the Gospel, we see him tell his mother no followed by doing exactly what she tells him to do. Jesus might have gotten the miracles from God, but he seems to have learned a healthy dose of wisdom from his mother, Mary. The true test of wisdom is not knowing everything, but it is a willingness to listen and then to do good in response.  

In later years, the mother figures in our lives may come to a point where they need help. Time and age are not always our friend. We should count it joy and a privilege to return care to those who have helped, mothered, and inspired us in such a strong way. Proverbs says, “Don’t despise your mother when she is old.” When people age, it can be hard. Movements slow down. Cognition may not be 100%. Our mother figures may need help more than we are used to, and we have the added silent pain of watching our heroes and mentors slow down and become more vulnerable. It absolutely is hard.  

But that is when we put to practice the wisdom that they have taught us, and the wisdom and guidance we get from God. Even as Jesus neared death on the cross, he knew he had to provide for his mother. So, he looked at her and the disciple and called them mother and son. She lost her son that day, but she became a mothering figure to a disciple who took her in and cared for her for the remainder of her life.  

In our Gospel lesson we often focus on the big picture of Jesus turning the water into wine. We hear lessons like Jesus saving the best for last or turning the polluted water into the perfect wine. But I pray we don’t miss an important side lesson in this Gospel story—the effect Jesus’s mother had on his ministry. Jesus said, “I’m not ready.” His mother believed differently. She laid the groundwork and preparations because she knew her son. And she knew her son was ready. Jesus may be the Son of God, the perfect example of hope and redemption, but he also needed the wisdom of a mother figure during his time on earth.  

There are times where we are going to be eternally flustered by our mother figures. They may tell stories about us. They may drum up old pictures that we wish would never see the light of day again. And they may even spit on a tissue and rub dirt off our face in public. But there’s also a great depth of wisdom in the women and mothers in our lives.  

For those who had a mother who was more troubling and toxic than a parent, know that there will be women in your lives who will love you, help you, and pray for you. Biology is less important than the faithful and Godly mother figures God sends your way to teach you about love, nurture, and prayer. To those who never had children of their own: birth does not define motherhood. There are plenty of women I know who may not have had their own kids, but who have been the absolute best mother figures in my life, and in the lives of others. Biology does not define a mother. Love, faith, and the bond of family do.  

Years ago in a clothing store, I thought I would never recover from being mortified by my mother announcing my size increase to a random stranger. Nowadays, we laugh about it, and I simply say, “Oh, Mother.” There will be times in your lives where you begin rolling your eyes at your mother or the mother figure in your life. Remember from today that Jesus did that too, but he still knew to listen, and so should we. 

Worship Service Video https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/3028084744049098

Ending Dysfunction: The Pain of Deceit

Gen. 27: 1-27, 30-36; II Thess. 2: 2-4, 9-12 

In the movie Wicked Little Letters set in 1920, Edith Swan is a devout Christian lady caring for her elderly parents in their English home. One day she begins receiving nasty and hateful letters causing incredible distress to the whole family. The main suspect is her Irish immigrant neighbor, Rose, an unmarried mother. Pretty soon the whole town begins receiving the same nasty and hateful letters and Rose is arrested.  

Now, spoiler alert. Through some incredible sleuthing, a true deceit is revealed. Edith, the good Christian lady, upstanding and righteous in all things, has been the one sending the letters all along. She has let Rose take the blame for it because of anti-Irish immigrant feelings. Edith’s controlling and emotionally abusive father doesn’t believe it until Edith curses him to his face as she is led away for her crimes. Being deceived is hard for us because it ruins our trust in the deceiver and in everyone else sometimes. Three lessons we can learn from the scripture today on deceit are these: deceit hurts everyone around you, being deceived is not your fault, but, willingly staying in deceit is a form of idolatry which ultimately harms our relationship with God. 

First, deceit will hurt everyone around you. Jacob and Esau had a tense relationship as brothers. Jacob had effectively swindled Esau’s birthright by trading it for food. Now, their mother has plans to deceive an elderly Isaac into giving the blessing of the first born to Jacob as well, leaving Esau with nothing. This was achieved by tricking the blind Isaac into thinking that Esau was in front of him by dressing Isaac up to seem like he was Esau. In the end the trickery works. Isaac blesses Jacob leaving nothing for Esau.  

Look at how much havoc this deceit brought to Isaac and his family. Jacob has to flee into exile because Esau wishes to kill him. Esau becomes hateful and murderous. Rebekah has chosen favorites and forever damaged her relationship to Isaac and Esau, whom she must continue to live with. Isaac is now broken and heartsick in his old age and will never see Jacob again. One decision to choose deceit instead of honesty broke this entire family for years and years.  

How many families, friendships, and relationships are ruined because someone chose deceit over honesty? A husband sneaks around on his wife and ruins life for himself, his wife, his kids, and sometimes event he extended family is broken. An elderly parent is deceived by a con artist and loses all of the life savings they have worked so hard for over the years. How many families are torn apart or live in a state of discomfort over politics in our country—their disagreement too much for the relationship to bear? How many people subscribe to bad theology that teaches anger, hate, and cruelty instead of the love and redeeming grace of Jesus? Lest we forget God is not willing that any should perish. And neither is God pleased when we are torn apart instead of finding a common mission in Christ Jesus.  

Whether we are a deceiver or the deceived, that untruth in our lives will lead to anger and destruction. We often hear the truth shall set you free. But if we are truthful, honesty and truthfulness can often be a very hard road. Sometimes small lies make life a lot easier in the moment, but they end up destructive in the long run. Deceit doesn’t just hurt us, it hurts everyone around us.  

Secondly, if you are a victim of deceit, know that it is not your fault. Second Thessalonians tells us about the powers of a skilled con artist. He will exalt himself. He will act with counterfeit power, show the people signs and miracles. He will be full of deceit, trickery, and use every device at his power to deceive. It is easy to be conned by someone that skilled. I think of many of my fraud victims. In hindsight they see the warning signs, the problems, and the schemes. But the reason fraud works is because it’s so hard to see in the middle of it. They also carry a lot of guilt and self-blame. Fraud is always the fault of the fraudster, not the innocent victim. Schemes work when someone takes advantage of our vulnerabilities, just like Jacob took advantage of Isaac age and visual impairment.  

The way to combat spiritual frauds is to come back every time to the words of Jesus. When ministers, teachers, or even personal mentors say something, we should hold them accountable to the words of Jesus. Perhaps the first and best sign is whether someone exalts themselves or Jesus.  The Gospels tell of the importance of being humble and not desiring to be first in the kingdom of God. We must be diligent in our desire to follow Jesus and live our lives by the Gospel word and Jesus’s example. Believing in Jesus may be the ticket to salvation, but if we squander every effort to live for Jesus, can we honestly say we believe it, or do we deceive ourselves? Do we sacrifice self and comfort for Jesus, or do we sacrifice Jesus for our own self and comfort? Being deceived by a committed fraudster is never our fault, but there does come a time when such behavior crosses a line.  

The third lesson is that willfully staying in deceit, when we know the truth, is idolatry and damages our relationship with God. In the midst of his deceit, Jacob has to answer how he was able to find the wild game so quickly. His reply is “the Lord your God put it in my path.” Jacob knew about God, but living in his world of deceit, trickery, and self-interest, he didn’t really know God. But the biggest tell of this issue is in the epistle. If people want to continue in their deceived ways, God will allow it, but they will earn condemnation for enjoying lies rather than seeking truth.  

One of the most prominent scams in my work with elder victims is the romance scam. A con artist pretends to be a love interest and asks for large amounts of money. The problem is many folks who are deceived by this choose the deception even when the con artist is exposed. In Wicked Little Letters, even after Edith fully admits to writing the letters, her father keeps saying, “I know you didn’t do it, shut up.” He would rather live in the deception rather than the truth because the truth hurts.  

Though God understands and offers compassion when we are deceived, God will hold us accountable when we would rather live in deceit than come into the light of God’s truth. Deceit creates dysfunction, and it damages our relationship with the God who loves us. At the training this week we learned about how we can be deceived into thinking all is okay in life. We become so consumed by work, routines, and aspects of life that we forget and neglect our relationships, our faith, and ourselves. When someone lies to our face, we tend to be upset by it. But we often have a comfort and tolerance for being able to deceive ourselves.  

When we lie to the world and ourselves saying, “I’m fine,” we do more damage to our relationships and faith than we realize. Instead, we must be honest in life with our loved ones and ourselves But, that isn’t the complete goal. We must also put in the work to be well, to have good relationships, to accept shortcomings, and to live in this world in the way God calls us. Saying that you are not okay is a first step but never doing the work to be better and to come back to God’s will is still living in a place of deceiving ourselves.  

In Wicked Little Letters, the whole town was rocked by the deceit of Edith Swan, and it nearly cost an innocent woman her freedom and her child because of the deceit and the prejudice. Deceit damages everyone within its influence, but being a victim is never our fault. Where we must work, however, is to address those places we are deceived or engage in deceit and work through the trouble to grow in our relationship with God, to follow Jesus, and to help others who are hurting. In doing so, we find strength in our faith, and healing in our Savior.  

  Worship Service Video  https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/1660552368310323

Ending Dysfunction: Cruelty of Others

Ending Dysfunction: Cruelty of Others : Gen. 16: 1-6; 21: 8-19; Eph. 4: 29-32 

One of the more shocking moments in my journey as an organist was when I was asked to play the hymn “The Day Is Surely Drawing Near.” Having grown up in the fundamentalist brand of the Baptist church, I thought I had heard some pretty severe hymns. This one, however, took the cake. Here’s a little verse or so: “The day is surely drawing near, when Jesus, God’s anointed, shall with great majesty appear as judge of all appointed. All mirth and laughter then shall cease, when flames on flames will still increase.” And further, “Then woe to those who scorned the Lord and sought but carnal pleasures…at the judge’s stern command to Satan be delivered.”  

Now, does that technically track with the book of Revelation? Yes. Does it really need to be said that way? Probably not. Does the melody to which this hymn is sung feel like one has been delivered to Satan’s chief musician? Yes. I struggled to play it, and the congregation was woefully un-thrilled to sing it. It is a reminder, though, that often we hear and experience cruel things in this world. Sometimes that comes from the very words and actions of a person who professes the Christ who said to love one another even as he has loved us. How do we deal, as followers of Jesus, with the cruelty we see and that we often endure in this world?  

We read about unkindness and cruelty in our Genesis lesson. Hagar was the slave of Sarah or Sarai. And Hagar is treated harshly by Abaraham and Sarah. Because God has promised many descendants, but Sarah has not yet had children, she offers Hagar up to Abraham to produce a child and heir. This was common practice in ancient days—slaves would be used to produce children that would then be taken by a female master who could not bear children of her own. This would have happened with or without Hagar’s consent.  

Hagar begins to treat Sarah with disrespectfully after she becomes pregnant, so the angry Sarah treats Hagar so harshly it runs her off into the desert. She does come back and have the child, but after Sarah has a child of her own, Hagar and Ishmael are sent away with only a small amount of food and water, presumably to die in the wilderness. Abraham would have been a very wealthy man in terms of that time, and he sent both of them away with nothing, knowing that they would likely not survive for long.  

We often think of Abraham and Sarah as heroes of the Hebrew scripture. But they were not without fault. Several times we read of God having to admonish Abraham and Sarah or smooth over the mistakes they make. Hagar did not ask for any of the suffering she endured at the hands of Abraham and Sarah. The cruelty stems from Hagar having an attitude and Ishmael essentially teasing his half-brother. But women were seen as property, and as a slave woman, Hagar was seen as expendable property. Even her name, Hagar, translates to “the immigrant,” given her Egyptian heritage. She is stripped of any real identity. 

What makes this hard is that the cruelty, the unkindness comes from a heroic figure. It is hard both when we are on the receiving end of cruelty and unkindness, but it is equally as hard when a person we feel is a mentor or hero becomes the bad actor. The good news in all of this suffering is that God was still present and still had a plan.  

Though Hagar thought this was the end for her and Ishmael, God saw her, and God heard her pleas and her distress. In the wilderness, when she thought she would soon die, God created a well of water to keep her and Ishmael from death. Things did not work out the way Hagar wanted and expected. Things did not go the way she hoped or planned, but God still provided for her, cared for her, and loved her and her son enough to bless them abundantly.  

Sometimes, we don’t get to avoid the suffering. Sometimes we have to wait in agonizing patience for God to move and work. Sometimes the suffering, the cruelty, and pain can be real, but God is still speaking. God is still working. Just as God saw Hagar in her distress, God sees us in our distress and trials. Life can be very hard when people are cruel to us in words and actions. It is especially hard when that comes from friendly fire.  

A pastor friend of mine once said, “Some of the meanest people I’ve ever met have been in church. But they never pushed me to give up on God or on church.” Seeing Abraham and Sarah through a more villainous lens may tarnish those old Sunday School stories that taught us faith and hope and blessings through the stories of Abraham and Sarah. But we must remember our faith and hope are in Jesus who was perfect, not in other Biblical characters who were human, who had faults and failures, but who can still teach us lessons, good or bad. A friend summed up the struggle of human relationships like this, “Don’t lose your hope, just learn a lesson if things get bad.”  

Ephesians gives us the lesson, as God’s faithful, in how to live in love with others. Don’t use abusive language. Be good, helpful, and encouraging in what you say to others. If there is anything that is cruel, abusive, unkind, prejudiced, or just plain mean, we need to get rid of it. Unkindness cannot lead to redemption. Abusive words cannot draw others unto grace. Hatefulness in one’s heart cannot save a soul that feels like it’s drowning in this world. The late Maya Angelou is quoted as saying, “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." And they should feel like they have encountered Christ in and through us.  

When I went to college, I began attending First Christian Danville, Kentucky, and my piano teacher talked me into joining the choir. I sat in the tenor section next to Tim, and I will never forget him. The first year of college was quite a wild transition for me from small town to college campus in a town similar to Georgia College in Milledgeville. Every Wednesday when I went to choir in a church full of strangers, Tim made a point of speaking to me. He asked how life in Danville was going. He asked about my classes, and occasionally he shared some good church gossip. We didn’t become life-long best friends or anything like that, and we barely keep in touch these days beyond Facebook. However, his kindness, graciousness, and understanding was exactly what I needed as an 18-year-old trying to find a community and a place of faith where I could grow.  

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ has forgiven us. This is our call as God’s faithful and as followers of Christ. Sometimes that is not what we find in this world. And sadly, sometimes that is not what we find in our churches. I am sure that every single one of us could tell some story of a pain we carry from a church experience that went sour. But even when we see humankind fail, falter, and slide into unkindness, God still sees us, an God is still guiding our lives.  

Hagar endured great suffering in her life. She experienced cruelty, unkind words, harsh treatment, and untold stress. Yet, God did not let the struggles destroy her. We may be tempted to ask, “Why did God allow this?” But I challenge you instead to ask, “Why did Abraham and Sarah, called by God, do this.” And in our own lives we must ask, “Why do we allow or tolerate it?” Unkindness and cruelty have no power when they are swallowed up in the light and grace of Christ.  

And so when we face the unkindness, the cruelty of this world, may we remember Hagar, whom God did not abandon, whom God did not let die in the wilderness, but used the evil done to her to make a blessing happen. As a much more gentle and loving hymn reminds us, “All I have needed Thy hand has provided, great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.” Amen.  

Worship Service Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/1907818616535638

Family Dynamics: Listening Skills

Dysfunction: Listening—Genesis 47: 1-11; James 1: 19-27 

We continue our series on ending dysfunction this week. Today we are focusing on listening skills and how we can be better followers of Jesus through our ability to listen rather than being quick to speak. A prominent Southern Baptist leader, Russell Moore, wrote an article a few years ago about the struggles pastors face when speaking some of the harder words of Jesus. 

Several pastors had complained to him that after preaching the Sermon on the Mount, including all of the blessed statements, turn the other cheek, and so on, the congregation would come up and ask, “Where did you get that mess?” The pastors would say, “It’s the literal words of Jesus. In red. In the gospel.” And the reply would be, “Yeah, but that doesn’t work anymore. That sounds weak. Stop preaching it.”  

As a society, we’ve come to a point where we don’t want to hear or listen to things that are too challenging or push us to question too much. Listening closely inevitably requires us to evaluate and consider things that may contradict what we believe. Hearing Jesus speak certainly did that in his day. But critical evaluation is meant to push us closer to Jesus, not makes us frustrated. Today we look at three ways of listening that can help us grow in our faith: listening to understand, listening to respond, and listening to act. Each of these can be needed in different situations. The lessons for today give us guidance on when to use them and in many cases, why.  

First, we consider listening to understand. When Joseph tells of his dream of the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowing down to him, he is pointedly rebuked by his father. I am sure for a few minutes, his father realizes that Joseph may be a bit spoiled by all the favoritism. His father, however, does have a strong dose of wisdom and experience in dreams and signs from God, so after the initial irritation, his father wonders what it could mean. The wiser part of Jacob knows that God speaks in dreams, and he realizes that he should listen to understand what is being said. 

This is an art form we have lost in our modern society. We tend to only listen to debate or rebuke. I see it in my cases where the pleas and outcries of victims, especially children or persons with disabilities are ignored or discounted. We all see it when we attempt any kind of political discourse in our society. We’ve become so focused on being right that we don’t often hear the pain or confusion or worry that might be behind another person’s challenging words. And, may I add, if we cannot pause to listen to each other, how can we ever listen to God? How many of us even doubt that God is still speaking?  

Jacob had a gut reaction to Joseph’s dream. It hit Jacob hard, but he also knew that there may be something important for him to know. Listening to understand means we hear not just the words a person says, but the who behind the words and the why. When someone speaks words of challenge from a place of vulnerability, they are coming to us as followers of Jesus to help them. It costs us nothing to say, “I hear you. It’s hard to listen to. But let’s talk about why you feel this way and how it’s affecting you.” God calls us to listen to understand, not just what God says to us, but to listen to one another as well.  

Other times we need to listen to respond. We read several times of the brothers’ hatred of Joseph and how they couldn’t say a kind word to him. We read of their ever-deepening hatred after Joseph’s dream. Now, I am certain that none of this was a secret. If they speak in unkind words, engage in hatred, and are bad to Joseph, everyone had to know. Joseph is also a bit of a tattletale. I’m sure he would have said something. Yet it never gets addressed. Sometimes when we hear words and actions that are unkind and unjust it begs of us to speak up and say something.  

When I took training on mediation, we were told that sometimes people need to simply vent, and you have to just sit and listen. Siblings often need to do this, I’m sure. But there comes a point where we have to stand up and say, “You’ve said enough. It’s time to stop.” If we think back to being teenagers or parenting teenagers, I’m sure we remember that moment when talking (or sassing) had to cease. Had Jacob or his wives addressed the brothers’ words and behaviors, perhaps their hearts might not have gotten to such a dark and dangerous place.  

Every election season, I feel like saying, “That’s enough, please stop talking.” As followers of Jesus, we have a calling to speak truth and speak the word of God. If we are timid about speaking the words of Jesus, then who will do so? Sometimes we have to speak the hard truths when folks may not want to hear it, even if it is chapter and verse right out of God’s word. It’s a bit step towards boldness if we tend to be the quiet one in life. And yet we know that God gave the strength to speak, to preach, and to teach to every disciple through the power of the Spirit.  

Lastly, we must also listen to act. The book of James tells us, “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.” For James, faith is active and engaged. It’s not just an endeavor to talk about. That stands to reason. What is the point of believing and knowing about faith if we don’t live it? Pope Francis once rather famously said, “You pray for the hungry, then you feed them. This is how prayer works.”  

One of the hallmarks of Jesus’s ministry is that he always called out the powerful and the prideful, but he spoke words of love and care to the broken, the hurting, the poor, the sick and the “least of these” as we’ve come to call them from the Gospel of Matthew. We must also remember in the Easter story we just heard that Jesus was poor, broken, hurt, and ultimately killed unjustly. He borrowed a donkey to ride into Jerusalem. He suffered under the Roman punishment. He was spoken to viciously by the mob and religious leaders. And ultimately, he died brutally and horribly. Perhaps that is why we are told that however we treat the least in our society is how we are treating Jesus.  

God’s word calls on us to act in ways that testify to the grace and goodness of God. The Bible is more than just a study book. It is a call to action for us to live faithful, Christ-centered lives in this world where wickedness often prevails and where bad actors win when we feel the need to “tone it down.” May worry and intimidation never win out over the voice of God stirring us to live out our faith in this world. For again, if not us, then whom?  

There are three ways to listen as God’s people which overcome our limited and sometimes dysfunctional behaviors. First, we listen to understand. For those who need us to see and hear beyond the words and into what hurts the soul, our understanding and willingness to hear and heal is crucial. Second, we listen to respond. There comes a time where must encourage those who dwell in words which fall short of God’s grace to reorient themselves back to words of truth and love—for themselves and others. Finally, we must listen to act. Dysfunction, chaos, and evil run amok when we aren’t willing to stand up and do something.  

The words of the Gospel may at times be challenging. To hear all of Jesus’s teachings can be very hard in modern society. We want to fit in, blend in, cling to what makes us comfortable. But the Gospel should be anything but complacent and comfortable. A writer I follow on Instagram summed up how the Gospel words should affect us as we hear them, listen to them, and do them. She writes, “[W]hen I meet my maker, I hope my hands are dirty from building something better. I want to hand back a life used fully. Scratched. Scarred. Lived.” And so, may we listen even as God continues to speak.  

Worship Service Video https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/959029773543364/

Ending Dysfunction: Anger Issue

Dysfunction—Anger Issues: Genesis 4: 2-12; Ephesians 4: 25-27 

We begin a series this week on finding ways to end dysfunctional behaviors in our lives. Yes, that sounds harsh, but these few weeks we will cover things that do tend to impair or halt our ability to function, both as people and as God’s faithful. We will cover several things including anger, listening, cruelty of others, deceit, anxiety, and a little bit of fun on Mothers’ Day. So, buckle up, friends, because it’s going to be a wild ride to Pentecost.  

This week we look at anger issues. Growing up, one of my family’s favorite shows was Golden Girls. Is it the truth? Yes. Do I have an explanation for this? No. In one episode, Sophia, who is the elderly mother, endures the loss of her son, Phil. Now, for decades, Sophia and Phil’s wife Angela have been at odds—angry, unkind, hateful to one another. Sophia alleges that it is over $47 that Angela borrowed without returning.  

In the final scene of confrontation, we learn that Sophia harbors grief and anger over the fact that her son dressed in ways she thought inappropriate in the 1980s. In the conversation, Angla establishes that Phil was a good husband, father, and provider. She affirms, “What he was, was a good man.” Sophia’s anger at herself, her grief, and all of this lets go, and she hugs Angela while sobbing, “My baby’s gone.”  

Many of us struggle personally or know loved ones who struggle with a lot of anger and irritation in their lives. The two primary sources for anger come from control and feeling wronged. Inherently, there’s nothing totally wrong with either. Sometimes, control is because we want what we think is best. It has a very toxic and horrible form, but we’ll leave that be today. And there’s nothing wrong with feeling wronged if someone has behaved badly to you.  

We see both of those at work in our Genesis story today. Cain and Abel were brothers. Both came to make sacrifices to the Lord. Abel came with the first and best of what he had produced as a sacrifice to the Lord. Cain brought…something. In truth, Cain made no effort. He brought a few crops, thinking it would be good enough. I’m sure he thought, “These are the best, why should I sacrifice them. God still gets something, and I get to enjoy what I’ve worked hard for!” He came to God with something inferior and a heart that did not care. When you treat God as an irritating obligation instead of a true sacrifice, God is not going to be thrilled.  

Cain, rejected by God, desires to control the situation and make God like him by being the only one God sees. And he feels wronged because he was upstaged by his brother. Cain begins down a terrible and surprisingly short road from anger to hate to murder. There’s nothing wrong with being angry, but we can’t stay there indefinitely.  

When we think of control, we think of shouting at God, feeling angry, hurt, when we feel like God should do something how we want it done. We may see control in grumbling to ourselves, “Why does my loved one, family member, or friend have this stupid belief or idea?” Sometimes that’s political, but not always. When our hopes and plans don’t exactly work out, we tend to default to anger. My mother is a very wise woman. In high school, I dated a girl she found exceedingly objectionable. Years later, after it was a messy end, I asked why she didn’t say something. She told me she knew I was just as hard-headed as her, and anger or arguing would have made it worse. She figured I’d find out soon enough.  

A wise pastor once said to me, “You cannot change people. You have to pray that God changes people, for God is the only one who knows how to lead a soul out of foolishness and into the light.” We show the light of Christ, and God leads others to it. Seeking control over things holds us back from redemption and keeps us in a place of anger and status quo.  

But the more difficult side of anger is when we feel wronged. I have a family member who took his Bible and marked Job out of the book of Job and wrote his own name in. Despite having everything in life he could want, he feels as though everything at every step of the way has wronged him. There are times, however, when we are legitimately wronged. I work with victims of crime every day, and it is often faith which gets them through. Some are quick to forgive, and some harbor anger for a very, very long time.  

The problem with feeling anger at being wronged or a perceived wrong is that we cannot stay there because it takes us down the road to resentment. For Cain, that was a fast trip. He felt wronged in his sacrifice, grew angry at Abel, and quickly got to enough resentment to kill his own brother. There is nothing wrong with being angry at the evils around us, but we must not let it lead us into resentment, because, if left unhealed, hurt people will hurt people.  

So how do we deal with the times we become angry? Ephesians is particularly not helpful. There is no three step process or spiritual insight offered here. We are told, “Don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.” Literally, this scripture says: be angry, but let it go. There are many times anger is appropriate, but it’s not a place we can stay, for it pulls us away from God and consumes us.  

Maybe we should take a lesson from Jesus’s anger. The story of Jesus getting angry and flipping tables in the temple is in all four gospels. Immediately after in Matthew, he sits down to speak parables. He does the same in Mark. He talks about resurrection in Luke, and in John, he meets with Nicodemus to tell him that God so loved the world. Did Jesus get angry at the bad things happening in the temple? Yes, absolutely he did. But Jesus didn’t stay there in that mindset.  

Friends, we have to let faith, prayer, and God’s guidance lead us out of anger before it gets to the point of unresolved hurt or resentment because both will pull us away from God. If we stay in our anger, we will never make room for God’s healing. And if we cannot find healing, we cannot help others find it because hurt people hurt people.  

If any of us are harboring anger or resentment at people in our lives, situations we’ve experienced, or even ourselves, turn the anger into positive action like Jesus did in restoring the holiness of the temple, then let it go as Ephesians tells us to do. Anger can lead us to working for God’s justice and God’s righteousness. Anger can help us live so that people see the love of God and hope of redemption in their own lives, or anger can leave us resentful and bitter…a heart and soul too stony to let God in.  

In 2019, police officer Amber Guyger was convicted of murdering Botham Jean in his own apartment when she walked in thinking it was her apartment and shot him. Many family members testified at sentencing and told of their anger and hurt at what she had done. But the victim’s brother, did something different, entirely. He forgave her and asked if he could give her a hug. He said to her, “If you are truly sorry…I forgive you. And I know if you go to God and ask him, he will forgive you.” He then embraced her as she sobbed on his shoulder.  

There are many stories all over the world that show us holding on to anger, whether from a sense of control or from being wronged, will lead us to resentment, bitterness, and misery. Letting it go may be the hardest thing we will ever do. Like Sophia in the Golden Girls, we may have to face the pain and hurt that have held up that anger for years. But God is in the business of forgiveness, grace, and redemption, and so should we be. When we feel anger, may it push us to seek more of God and more of God’s wisdom and solutions in life. In every broken place may we be filled with grace and healing.   

Worship Service Video https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/796701039809645/

An Unshakeable Foundation

An Unshakeable Foundation—Psa.118: 1-2, 14-24; John 20: 1-18 

A wise philosopher from amongst the pews imparted some valuable wisdom to me once during a visit. He said, “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” Now, I have pondered on that for quite a bit of time. I even diagrammed the sentence to help me out understanding it: the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. Here is how my brain has comprehended that: what is most important is to keep the thing most central to our faith at the forefront of all of our lives and all of our life. Now, he told me that main thing was the grace of Jesus, and here is where we part ways a bit.  

Grace is very important. We must all have grace in this life, just as Jesus has shown us grace in our oopsies and ought-ohs. But grace sometimes leaves us just shy of what is truly needed. As hard as it can be to understand, I want to encourage you to believe that the main thing, which we must the main thing, is the hope found in resurrection. Without the risen Christ, none of the rest of this Gospel story makes any sense at all. There is a very mysterious, unknowable, and truly comprehension-defying character to believing in the resurrection of Jesus. But here is where faith must bridge the gap and remind us that sometimes the mystery is just as important as the practical.  

One of the first hopes that we talk about in resurrection is the hope to see loved ones again. Now, there are some folks in all of our families, I’m sure, who seeing them in heaven would be more like a haunt than a hope. Or a “haint” as we call them in Appalachia. But for many of us, the pain of loss is soothed by the thought that we will see the ones we miss here when we get to the hereafter. Over 3 billion people in the world believe in resurrection, and that excludes those believing in reincarnation. Even those without faith believe in some form of resurrection otherwise, no one would believe in starting over from life going wrong.  

Growing up in a very fundamentalist church, we talked, sang about, and heard sermons often on heaven and being ready for heaven. We would sometimes sing a rowdy version of “Hallelujah, We Shall Rise!” As folks gain age and wisdom, it is this faith in receiving a reward and seeing old friends and loved ones that makes a life of faith make sense. We hold on to passages where Jesus said to the thief on the cross, “Today, you will be with me in paradise,” or tells the hearers that they will see the Son of Man in glory. It reminds us that the struggles we face on Earth are not the final word in the story of humankind. That is truly powerful.  

In a world where bombs are more important than food, power is more important than washing feet, and most of humanity is seen as expendable for greed and exploitation, we must hold on to the hope that God has prepared a place of rest and peace for us. We talk a lot about how to follow Jesus, but we must remember that following Jesus is not just something to do. We follow because of hope. We follow a risen Savior, whose love and grace is more powerful than anything we face.  

But beyond the hope of seeing departed loved ones, resurrection brings hope that life can change. A friend sent me a devotion about Peter the other day. When all of the crucifixion took place, Peter was timid, hiding, in denial. But soon he was preaching good news to those who needed it with all his might. No longer was he the unhinged one that always jumped too fast into everything. He was faithful leader of God’s mission. In Ancient Egyptian and Greek mythology, they had the phoenix, which symbolized rebirth, renewal, and resurrection.  

One of the reasons we try to be supportive of our AA here at First Christian and the Rescue Mission is because we believe in the power of starting over. Resurrection is theological, but in many ways, it is also simply a daily part of life. An addict can seek a resurrection from a life of struggle. An unhoused person can find hope in help and love to start over and begin anew. Someone coming out of a traumatic and toxic relationship feels like they have been resurrected from the misery they were in. The question for us is this: do we, as God’s faithful, believe and work in the hope of resurrection? Glenn Cunningham was badly burned in an accidental fire when he was 8 years old. The doctors advised that he would never walk again.  

He had an incredible determination and a strong faith that God would give him the strength. Two years after the accident he began to walk again. From 1919 to 1936 he worked tirelessly on regaining strength and ability believing that God would be with him. In 1936 he placed silver in the Olympics in the 1,500 meter race, and set a record for running a mile in just over 4 minutes. Do we believe in the power of resurrection in our lives, just like Glenn Cunningham believed it in his life? This is the foundation of our faith, that out of any trial or tragedy, God can give us the strength to find our way again, to be resurrected from the trials in life.  

Finally, we must have hope in the power of God’s love. The Psalm for today reminds us that God’s faithful love endures forever. It was Jesus’s love for us that brought him to the cross and led him out of the tomb. Resurrection works because it is supported by love. I’m working on a particularly difficult case in my law job right now. It was a person with significant disabilities who was adopted in the hopes of finding a family that would love her and care for her. Instead, she found the opposite: no love, no kindness. All they offered her was cruelty for her tragically short life.  

But faith tells me, and I have to believe, that even if humanity failed her, God loved her. Even as we recall the abject cruelty of Good Friday, we must remember that the end result was love and hope for us. When we look around the world we see a tremendous amount of hate and animosity. A friend of mine posted something on social media which said, “If you believe Jesus teaches you to hate someone, you need to read the Gospel again.” Jesus brought the hope of resurrection to all—that is rebirth in this life from our trials and troubles, and resurrection hope when our life here is done.  That is the foundation of our faith—this idea that whatever happens in this world is not the final answer because God’s love has overcome the troubles and trials and shortcomings which are inevitable in human life. Hope, renewal, and love mark the reality of Jesus’s work, not death, suffering, and the tomb.  

The foundation on which we build is important. For us as followers of Jesus, that foundation is the hope found in resurrection. A friend of mine was renting a house several years ago. It was a newer house built on a hill. But he soon noticed something. The walls had large cracks in them. When a ball hit the floor, it rolled quickly to one side. Plumbing issues developed. Bows and buckles began appearing in the hardwood flooring along with bumps in the carpet.  

The landlord and my friend called in an expert. He pulled up the flooring and found that the concrete slab on which the house was built was crumbling. In some instances, it had 2-foot-wide cracks in it. The builder had used bad and inadequate concrete, and they had never installed rebar at all to support it. There was nothing to be done. The house had to be torn down and a new foundation laid. My friends, be sure that you are building on a strong foundation of faith. At Easter we celebrate hope hereafter, hope to overcome in this life, and hope in the love that sustains us through.  

As we journey in life, remember that in every Good Friday, an Easter is waiting. In every trial and tragedy, there is hope if we have an unshakeable foundation. That requires us to keep our sights set on what is most important—our faith in God. So, this Easter, remember the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.   

Worship Service Video https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/1540748610728614/

Palm Sunday - Hymn Sing Service

Palm Sunday - Hymn Sing Service

Worship Service Video https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/2415913418852175

"Jesus Wept" –Rev. Douglas Ivey

Jesus Wept –Rev. Douglas Ivey

Worship Service Video https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/917420630999662/