Great Expectations

Great Expectations—Jeremiah 14: 7-10, 19-22; Luke 18: 9-14

The Bishop Marvin Winans went viral for all the wrong reasons recently. It was not for a homeless shelter, a food ministry, a clothing ministry, for an untold number of baptisms, but for scolding a member publicly because she gave too little offering.  Let’s watch it together. Video of Rev. Winans scolding member for only bringing $1,200 in offering instead of $2,000 as instructed.]. Yet he is not the only one. There are many televangelists and so-called ministers who have demanded large offerings, unduly influenced members and viewers for sewing ministry seeds for money, or simply outright asking for a private jet. This seems to be their expectation. 

 Having expectations is nothing new. When I was growing up, my parents had expectations for how I would do in school. Our employers have or had expectations of our job performance. Our medical practitioners have expectations of how we take care of ourselves physically and psychologically. Life, in general, comes with expectations. Our scriptures today talk about two types of expectations. The Jeremiah lesson tells us about basic expectations and failure to meet those. The Gospel lesson talks about inflated expectations and the need to avoid those. 

When it comes to faith there are a few basic or minimum expectations of us. We hear in Jeremiah where a people had gone astray, and God’s patience had worn out. The prophet Jeremiah, known as the weeping prophet, tells of the destruction of Judah and Jerusalem shortly before the nation was conquered and led off into exile in Babylon. The crux of Judah’s problems stems from their unfaithfulness to God. They have gone their own way in religious worship and observance. They call it the worship of God, but they have made idols within their worship and made human reforms that led them to glorify themselves over God. In Jeremiah 6, God says to them, “Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path and you will find rest for your souls.” But, God says, they do not want that way. 

Jeremiah 7:3 has the clearest indictment of all, “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Even now, if you quit your evil ways, I will let you stay in your own land.  But don’t be fooled by those who promise you safety simply because the Lord’s Temple is here…But I will be merciful only if you stop your evil thoughts and deeds and start treating each other with justice;  only if you stop exploiting foreigners, orphans, and widows; only if you stop your murdering; and only if you stop harming yourselves by worshiping idols. Then I will let you stay in this land that I gave to your ancestors to keep forever.” 

The people of Judah failed in every way to meet God’s minimum expectations for their life and behavior. They chose sin and dressed it up as piety. They chose evil and King Josiah passed laws to call it proper. You cannot follow God or turn to God if you convince yourself your sinfulness is perfectly okay. It’s like when I say one small piece of chocolate won’t hurt me at 9PM at night. 10 minutes later, I wonder where the whole bag has gone. It’s like Bishop Winans, who is preaching God, but exploiting his church members. No matter how beautiful and popular we make our wrongdoing, it will never magically become good, or Godly. God calls us to minimum expectations of faithful behavior exhibiting the truth of our faith, and we cannot get around this. 

But sometimes we also have an inflated sense of expectations. The Gospel lesson tells us about this. When the Pharisee went to the temple to pray, he didn’t call on the name of God, praise God, or offer prayers for others. He exalted himself before God. He told God how good he was doing. If he even went one step further, and thanked God for helping him accomplish all these good things, it would have been different. But he made it clear that this was on his own merit, and not because God had helped him. 

The real problem, however, was his pride, his inflated expectations of himself, led him to be condescending to others. He said to God, “I’m glad I’m not like that tax collector,” a cheat, a sinner, probably an adulterer just for good measure. And there is the tax collector, mindful of his despised and miserable position in society, praying to God, “Be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.” It’s easy to judge someone when you’ve never listened to the earnest prayers of their heart. The Pharisee used his position and prominence, the inflated expectations others had of him, to engage in cruelty and bullying, and to some degree cowardice. He didn’t rebuke the tax collector to his face for something the man had done wrong. He let his snide hatefulness flow out from a prayer. 

This scripture has much in common with Judah in Jeremiah’s day. As the Gospel lesson says, “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves shall be exalted.” Too many in our society live their lives like the Pharisee. They have inflated expectations of themselves, they pray with malice, and they fail to give God the credit for the good things they actually do. We would be better served with more of the tax collector. He’s not a religious leader, a deep thinker, or even really loved in his society. He merely comes up and offers himself before God, “O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.” How much could we accomplish in our world if we simply prayed for God’s mercy and grace on a daily basis? 

The problem with inflated expectations is that they lead to pride. The Pharisee actually worked hard to live in righteousness—following the religious laws, praying, doing the right things as the rules demanded. But he was still empty in his soul. In a place where God’s love and grace should live, he was filled with pride and self. Good actions are no substitute for a hateful soul. And as Proverbs tells us, pride goes before a downfall. Jesus told this story to make a point. It is in our faith in Jesus and following him, that we find ourselves faithful. It is not found in our own confidence in our right way of doing things. We cannot follow Jesus and be filled with scorn. We cannot follow Jesus and bully others. We cannot follow Jesus and be filled with pride. We cannot follow Jesus and condone cruelty in our prayers. Instead, we must say, “O Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner.” 

Sometimes it is easy to think that we are covered faith-wise if we work really hard to be perfect. Or perhaps we believe that all is well if we follow the rules like Judah did. Or maybe we think our grace is found in giving $2,000 instead of $1,200. I promise I won’t turn away a $2,000 tithe. The problem is we look down on the one who comes only to pray that God would be merciful and has little else to offer. 

As I read the Jeremiah scripture, I understand God’s anger a bit more. All God asks is that they turn to God and love God, treating others as God has commanded. When they get in trouble for doing wrong, their response is, “Help us for the sake of our own reputation, [Lord].” The arrogance in that prayer verses “Show mercy to me, a sinner,” is astounding. It’s a clear reminder that we must have our priorities in order when it comes to faith. 

God doesn’t love us and offer grace because of our perfection, or our performance. Faith is not some grand sales pitch that wins the quarterly market for the company. Simply, and completely, God wants you, your heart, your love, your trust, and your willingness. All God asks for is your faith and trust, and your willingness to follow in this world. God doesn’t even ask for a $2,000 donation to the building fund. All God wants is you. It took a tax collector to show what that really looks like. In a world filled with people whose pride keeps them doing religious things with a broken soul, remember that God simply wants you because God loves you so very much.

Worship Service Video https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/1365582948561975/

Keep Asking

Keep Asking—Psalm 121; Luke 18: 1-8

Comedian John Crist has a routine called, “I Ain’t Praying for That.” He starts it off by saying, “Have you ever had someone ask you to pray for something so wild and crazy that you think, ‘Nope, I’m not praying for that?’” Some examples he cites include the following: pray that I pass my drug test tomorrow, my kid has tendonitis in his thumbs from holding his iPad for 14 hours at a time, winning an MMA fight… “Lord let me beat the ever-loving fool out of this other person made in your image, in Jesus name…” 

I have seen and heard a few questionable prayers myself. I was asked to pray for someone’s love life by laying hands on their Christian Mingle app on the phone. I remember in high school, back in Kentucky, the guy who owned an adult store found Jesus and made it a Bible store because he got arrested for a few indecency misdemeanors. A church we visited started praying over his wallet to bless him in his new, allegedly, faithful endeavor. Sadly, God said no. The man made a fortune in the adult store business and went broke selling Bibles. I think that situation needed more prayer than folks realized. 

There is, though, power in prayer and in speaking the concerns and hopes on your heart and soul. In our Gospel, Jesus talks about a judge with little regard for God or people. A widow asks him repeatedly for justice in her dispute with an enemy. Eventually he grants it to her.  Growing up, this story was always presented as if the judge came to his senses and did what was right, it just took a while. But nothing like that happens. The only reason this woman gets justice is because she drove him crazy, and the irritated judge gave her justice just so she would go away, not at all because it was right. 

Another pitfall, or misreading, is that the woman is given what she wants. I remember hearing, growing up, that we should keep asking God over and over for what we want because eventually God will listen like this unjust judge. But the Gospel says that God will grant justice to God’s people and swiftly. It says nothing about getting what you want.  Perhaps in some ways we misunderstand prayer. It’s not creating a giant wish list for Santa or a heavenly genie who grants us all that we desire in life. 

Prayer is about calling on God for divine intervention in terms of healing, justice, mercy, and comfort. Too often folks see prayer as a Janice Joplin-esque way of asking, “O Lord, won’t you send me a Mercedes-Benz?” Prayer, however, is about the power of God to intervene in this world to right the wrongs of evil and corruption and harm to God’s people. In our world today, we’ve lost our way with prayer because we are too simple and short sighted with our prayers. 

Now, there is nothing wrong with praying over small and simple things—for a good day, for a friend, for illness in those around us, for our church, and so on. But how often do we then expand and pray that God’s justice would be done on this earth, that we would be voices and agents of God’s Word and God’s justice in this world? How often do we pray that God’s peace and mercy would end wars, heal divisions, bind up wounds, and teach us how to better love God and neighbor in this world. But here’s the real question. If we do pray it, how much do we actually believe it…or live it? 

Several years ago, people became captivated by a small book on the prayer of Jabez, a somewhat obscure short prayer in I Chronicles. His prayer to God was this: “Oh, that you would bless me and expand my territory! Please be with me in all that I do and keep me from all trouble and pain!” While there is specific prayer for his own needs, it’s that first part that is powerful. Expand my territory is the phrase he used. It could mean that he wanted more land, more influence, more work with God. 

One commentator said this about the prayer of Jabez, “God blessed Jabez, not with prosperity in return for his prayers, but with provision for the will God wished to execute through his life. With Jabez, we must not read his prayer as a request for personal blessing, but as a cry for God to bless him as a part of God’s covenant people.” The prayer he made was one to empower him as God’s representative in this world. His name means pain or sorrow, but he knew God had the ability to bless him in way that he could live for God and work for God’s justice in the world in any circumstance.

The crux of this story of the unjust judge is that if someone as corrupt and terrible as the judge can somehow find a way to justice when pestered endlessly, God who is the author of justice and redemption, will give it in the right time and in the right way, if we ask and have faith. But the question in the Gospel remains, “When the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?” Let me ask the question this way. What does it say about our faith when we wind up surprised that our prayers actually worked? 

God’s timing and God’s no to our prayers are not a reason to lose faith. If our faith takes a nosedive every time God says no or makes us wait, we don’t have an investment in faith, we have a rental. God is not the genie obligated to grant every wish. God is the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer of all life, and God has plan and calling for us and our lives. 

But God also expects us to follow where we are guided or sent. God expects us to speak for what is right, to live in a way that shows Jesus, to stand up for justice and mercy in a world that is often filled with corrupt judges. At the end of the day, if we are comfortable with this story of how the widow finally received justice, then we are not living with enough faith and urgency in the will and work of God. That is why Jesus asks how many will be found faithful. 

At the end of the day, no matter what level of injustice, impropriety, and possibly straight up evil reigns on this earth, God’s power and presence are with us. The Psalm reminds us of this. “I look to the hills, does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth.” That is one of the most definitive statements of faith and trust we can have. A friend of mine says her morning devotion is reciting that every day. She gets up and says, “Today may be easy. Today may be hard. I may have to search for help in different places. But always the help I need comes from the Lord, who made heaven, earth, and even me. And God will watch over me wherever I go, now and forever.” 

How we pray is incredibly important to our faith. If we pray too simply, too specifically, or too shortsightedly, we may often find disappointment in God’s no’s. But maybe we can pray like the prophet Amos, who in the midst of the people’s selfishness and wickedness, cried out, “Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream!” Maybe we can call on God and pray that God’s will would be done instead of asking God to do what we think God should do. That’s wishing, not praying. Our help comes from God, and we must remember that, always. 

Prayer can be a bit hard for us. We might be asked to pray for some strange things. I’m with John Crist. There are some things I’m not praying for. I’m not anointing your dating app. I’m not praying over your drug test. If it’s that questionable whether you can pass, you’re on your own with God’s good graces. But there are times we must pray—for God’s justice, for God’s healing, for God’s presence to guide us, for God’s wisdom to inspire us. Prayer expresses the hopes and concerns on our hearts, but it also is a time when we respond to God’s call: how can I live for God in this world. The Gospel wraps up by questioning whether many will have the faith needed. My prayer today is that our faith is overflowing and the Son of Man finds all of us faithful.

Worship Service Video https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/1490775198918154/

“On Eli, Samuel, and Nazareth”

“On Eli, Samuel, and Nazareth”

Worship Service Video https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/2069884243818314/

Increase Our Faith!

Increase Our Faith! Lamentations 3: 19-26; Luke 17: 5-6

If you want an example of the greatest faith on the planet, look no further than a dog. They are always sad to see you go. They welcome you home with the biggest welcome you can imagine. No matter how bad you might have messed up in your work or personal life they always love you and come to be near you. They never hold grudges. And they will always be by your side and on your side. The reason a dog is so faithful is because their love is unending and their commitment is unwavering. God also provides this same faithfulness to us. I often wonder if that is why God spelled backwards is dog. As humans, we’re not so good at this. Our love can be or can feel conditional at times. Our commitments are sometimes wishy-washy and subject to our general mood. 

I think the perfect definition of faith is this: love that is unending, and commitment that is unwavering. It’s exactly what God does for us—loves us no matter what and sometimes in spite of ourselves, and is committed to us and our redemption no matter how messy we sometimes are. Both Lamentations and Luke talk about the struggle to maintain and even grow faith even in times that are difficult and lead to struggle. 

Lamentations is a difficult book. Very few preachers tend to use it or preach from it for a variety of reasons. It is depressing for one, and life is depressing enough these days on its own. It also grotesque in its description of the suffering of Judah. The laments cover Babylon’s conquering of Judah, dragging off the people into slavery, and ending centuries of worship. The famine, the war, the oppression, all are horrendous in their own right. But this is also where we get some of the greatest reminders that in dark times all hope is not lost. 

Even in the midst of suffering that is bitter beyond words, these words ring out from the writer, “Yet I still dare to hope.” The reason for this powerful “in spite of” hope is because the “faithful love of the Lord never ends…[God’s] mercies never cease.” Even in your darkest and most difficult hour, when you feel most alone, most abandoned, most tried and troubled, God’s faithful love never ends, and God’s mercies never cease. We are never promised that we get to avoid the trials of life. What we are promised is that God is with us with love and with commitment to us. 

This scripture also gives us the basis of one of the greatest hymns, “Great is [Thy] faithfulness, [God’s] mercies begin afresh every morning.” Many times, we have sung, “Morning by morning new mercies I see. All I have needed, thy hand has provided, Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.” Though the hymn gives us this beautiful poetry of God’s faithfulness, the background of the words are set in hardship and suffering. 

 In those times, we must pray like the apostles, “show us how to increase our faith.” Jesus’s answer is a bit harsh. He tells them that their faith is smaller than a mustard seed, which is a way of saying its undiscernible it is so small. Oof. That’s hard to hear…and this is the very disciples who were with Jesus. Now, let’s be clear, this is not a relative comparison. God is ALWAYS faithful to us, even in life’s trials. We do not always have faith. The promise and response is always there for us, even if we are not so good at the commitment on our side. 

Take for instance when we get a devastating medical diagnosis. It is easy to lose our faith because we feel hopeless, abandoned, suffering, we cry out our own lamentations just like the oppressed people of Judah. We, too, will endure our awful time. But the test of our faith—that love and that commitment, is whether we still dare to hope, and whether we still declare the faithfulness of God, even in the midst of the trial. 

God will be faithful, for God’s commitment never fails, and God’s love never runs out. Even when we lose faith, God is still faithful. When Peter tried to walk on water, he lost faith and sank after seeing the wind and wave. But Jesus still caught him by the hand and pulled him up. For us that might be a miracle here and now in our time of trouble. Or it may be the miracle of eternal deliverance. Either way God is faithful in life, in death, and in life after death. 

 Take also for example when you feel abandoned and forsaken by friends and family. The loss of either due to hatefulness, misunderstanding, trauma, or even misapplied theology can leave us hurt and broken. Approximately 52 million adults in the United States say they struggle with loneliness. When humans abandon us, it is also easy to believe God has abandoned us as well. Lamentations has a reminder here as well, “The Lord is good to those who depend [on the Lord], to those who search for [God].” And then the toughest lesson of all, “So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord.” Wait quietly. That isn’t something modern society does well, is it? 

 People may abandon us, treat us poorly. Politicians may fail us…constantly…and our houses of worship often do their best, bless their hearts, but sometimes, all comes up short, and we still suffer. The hardest part of Lamentations and Luke is that often the only way to grow in faith is to live through trials and struggles. If you want to refine something like gold, silver, or other precious metals, you have to shove it in the fire, and sometimes you have to beat the fool out of it. That’s a horrible example, but it’s unfortunately true. Unrefined gold is pretty ugly. But it takes the fire, the chemicals, and a little hard reshaping to make something beautiful and high in value. 

We have to remember that, even when our faith waivers, God is still faithful. Faith and faithfulness are not the same. Faith is the act or call. Faithfulness is the response. Both come from a place of love and commitment, but direction both of those goes changes. Even when we fail the trial, even when we feel unable to move forward, even when we sink into the depths like Peter because we took our eyes of Jesus, our Savior is still faithful. Just as Peter was snatched out of the water, Jesus will snatch us to safety or to an eternal hope. 

One commentator on Lamentations wrote, “The struggle between unbelief and faith is often severe.” Those are indeed true words. It’s easy when we suffer and struggle to lose hope and lose faith in God’s faithfulness. But we must remember to pray like the apostles, “Increase our faith!” In the background of World War II, in 1943, and all the dread and peril that came with that war, Ruth Caye Jones, known as “Mother Jones,” wrote a hymn of assurance. She was a self-taught pianist and organist, and a pastor’s wife. Her hymn was very simple, and entitled, “In Times Like These.” The final verse of it is a prayer for greater faith, just like our gospel: “In times like these, I have a Savior. In times like these, I have an anchor. I’m very sure my anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock. The Rock is Jesus, the only one. I’m very sure my anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock.” 

Friends, if you want an example of solid faith, watch a dog. It will love you unconditionally with kisses and tail wags. It will be committed to you with out hesitation and question, sticking by your side and protecting you. And if you want to know what faithfulness looks like, look to God. God is the one who loves us always, with nothing separating us from that love, and God is the one who is committed to us here and now, and forever in hope’s eternity. So, as Mother Jones says in her hymn, “Be very sure, be very sure, your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock.”

Worship Service Video https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/2539109263134954/

Success and Humility

Success and Humility—Judges 8: 22-27a, 33-35; I Cor. 3

 Some folks are their own worst enemy.  The very moment they find success and stability they do everything in their power to sabotage it. I’ve had a few friends like this. One found great success in her work, but she spent one regrettable night getting drunk and ruining all that she had built. Another bought a house and settled down, only to spend so much money decorating he could no longer afford the house. A final one got married in a beautiful wedding to a beautiful wife. Then two years later, he decided marriage just wasn’t for him. Sometimes we just can’t help ourselves. We read in our scripture for today where both the Israelites and Corinthians found success then walked themselves right back into a painful humbling.  There are three things in these scriptures to watch out for because they harm our diligent and consistent walk of faith: distractions, immaturity, and a lack of investment. 

First, we face distractions on our walk of faith. Part of God’s deliverance in Judges was to remind the people that God is God, and they owe their faith and obedience to God and not all these other idols. Yet, Gideon makes a sacred ephod, and the people immediately begin worshipping it instead of God. Then, as soon as Gideon is dead, the people went right back to worshipping Baal. They were distracted away from God and away from any honor to Gideon. Likewise in the Epistle for today, the people are distracted from following Jesus, and they begin to follow Paul, Apollos, and other human leaders. 

Being distracted is easy for us. We indulge ourselves in self-reliance, exciting new teachers and preachers, someone who is making headlines, the newest, easiest socio-religious movement. All the while there is a tried-and-true faith with a centuries old instruction manual right here for us. Too many times, we are swayed by the new and exciting church or preacher. We are swayed by something fun and cool that we hear in sermons. But right in front of us is a scripture that we have to read and reason out for ourselves. God didn’t give us a solid brain to be tempted by whatever. We are expected to use it to reason and think about God’s word to us. 

Some of us are distracted by bad theology we grew up with that is simply not in the Bible. I’ll give you an example. I believed until I was an adult that there was a chapter and verse that said, “Love the sinner, hate the sin.” But that idea was someone’s interpretation and discussion, not actual chapter and verse from the Bible. Recently I watched a very judgmental preacher talking about the scripture, “Judge not, lest you be judged.” He flat said, “That’s not what that scripture is saying. It’s correct to judge people.”  It is distracting from God’s mission when we reinvent God’s word to say what we want out of it. In the law we have a specific term in Latin, “Res Ipsa Loquitor,” which means, “The thing speaks for itself.” 

The words of Jesus don’t need us to fix them, update them, re-invent them, or even parse them out to suit our needs as a society, and especially as a society inundated by politics. That is a distraction from our call to Love God and Love Our Neighbor. We cannot find ourselves so lost in the weeds that we forget Christ’s ultimate call to us in how to live as faithful people in this world. 

Distractions often come from a place of immaturity. I don’t mean that as an insult or put down, but discernment is something we learn as we grow. Paul offers some very pointed words to the Corinthian church, “Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you, I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ. I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger.” Gideon faced the same problems. The people still were not mature enough to accept Gideon as Judge and having some kind of direct connection to the will and word of God. They wanted him to be king just like all the other peoples. 

 I remember the first time I walked in to try a case in Bibb County, 13 years ago. I walked in feeling like the smartest and best in that whole courtroom. My supervisor started asking me detailed questions about how I was going to prove different parts of my case. It only took a couple of minutes to figure out how immature, unprepared, and lacking in knowledge I really was. 

That’s why we often need the saints of the church, who are tried and true, to help us. Paul was there to provide guidance in this first letter to Corinth. He understood they were new and needed help. He understood they thought they knew all, but trials and tests would challenge them enough to remind them a guiding presence was needed. Faith is a place where we are ever-growing. We cannot fully figure it out here on earth. The goal is to grow in knowledge and wisdom, overcoming and surpassing infancy and needing milk. Old timers often used to say, “Chew on it for a bit,” when we needed to think about something. Sometimes it’s the trials and troubles of life that teach us the most of how to be wise and mature in faith. But to be faithful, we must push ourselves to grow. 

Lastly, the way to overcome distractions and grow from our immaturity is to be invested. Paul writes to the Corinthians, “Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done.” Paul is using a lot of allegory, metaphor, and other literary stuff here to make a simple point. When God assesses your work in this world, will your life show you built for the kingdom, or that you caused more harm than good? 

If we follow Jesus, we work for healing, we work to redeem and love, we work to bring others back into the fold of grace gently and patiently, we feed others, and we walk in faith for the kingdom, not for ourselves or others, but for God. Gideon, through all his doubts, he need for signs, and his struggles, ultimately followed God and served the people of God. Paul, who began his life a persecutor and destroyer of the church, lived his life for the kingdom of God. Both invested in God’s work, in the faith they proclaimed, and in serving those whom God called them to serve. 

It’s easy to bring less than our best. It’s easy to operate on about 50%, or to let a lot slide in our walk with God. It’s easy not to care at all sometimes. Being invested is a lot harder. And being invested consistently throughout or lives, is impossible unless we lean on God’s strength. But every day is a new and fantastic opportunity to live for God in this world, and to find some way to share Jesus, whether it is in food, prayer, healing, comfort, or hope. Every day is a good opportunity to love God and love our neighbors. 

Many years ago, I heard a sermon entitled, “A Celebration of the Unsung Saints.” The pastor talked about our love of conversion stories, much like Paul’s. We love to hear how someone was suffering in the depths of sin. Or as a friend of mine says, “I was not suffering under the burden of sin, I was enjoying myself, till Jesus got ahold of me.” And very often the worse the sin, the more horrific the worldliness, the more exciting and enticing the conversion testimony is. 

But rarely do we jump up and celebrate those who have quietly served the church and kept the faith for years or even decades. They don’t have a wild, hair-raising story. They’ve simply loved God, loved their neighbor, and served the church without hesitation or failure. Distractions, immaturity, and being uninvested can often derail our faith and walk with God. But praise be for those solid saints who pray, nurture, encourage, invest, and diligently walk in faith their entire lives. 

Worship Service Video https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/25038309425760571/

Who Will Stand By You?

Who Will Stand By You?—Judges 7: 1-21; Acts 15: 36-41

Years ago, when I worked in traffic court, an officer came in very sheepishly with a ticket for speeding he had received.  He was apologetic and humbled and kindly asked me if there was any way I could help him. I said I completely understood, and that I would be sure he could avail himself of the same reductions other folks could receive for their tickets. He handed me his speeding ticket. It was 60 mph over the speed limit. He was doing 107 in a 45. I looked at him and said, “Dude, I do speed reductions. Jesus works miracles. You are in trouble.”  With something that ridiculous, there was no way I could stand by him, or cutting him a break. After that his little veneer of humility disappeared faster than an office full of people on a Friday afternoon. 

In life, we will encounter people and personalities who cannot stand by us, stand with us, or offer us the strength and support in faith that we need. Too often people are fickle, self-interested, and change over the years. God wanted to make sure Gideon had the right people beside him to fight for the restoration and freedom of the Israelite people. Those who were not strong and solid could not be with him because they didn’t have the strength and character to stand beside him in battle. We face the same issues. There are three types of people whom we cannot go forward with in life: those who can’t go the distance, those who are too selfish, and those who constantly love drama. 

First, there are those who cannot go the distance. When Gideon assembled the army of the Israelites, he began with 32,000. But God told him to send home those who “were timid or afraid.” They could go home and not into battle. God did not want the people, with a mighty army, to believe they had delivered themselves. They needed to know it was God who had done it. So, those who were too afraid to go the distance…all the way to the end of the fight…were sent home. 

Unfortunately, we meet too many people in our lives like this. They come in to our lives. They seem fantastic and amazing. They start off with a bang, but after a short time, they disappear like vapor. The most common thing that comes to mind is dating. You may meet someone, have a whirlwind romance, fall totally in love, and two weeks later become total strangers. Commitment phobia is far more common than you think. 

It plagues our love lives, our friendships, and even in our churches. There have been a couple times, even in this church, where folks became super engaged and dedicated, and all of a sudden they dropped off the face of the earth and are not heard from again. Commitment is hard because it requires us to sacrifice to another. Whether that’s our time, energy, love, or whatever else, to commit means to sacrifice in some way. To some, that feels like solid investments, to others that feels like a giant octopus pulling you down under the water to drown. 

Gideon did not need 22,000 people who would turn and run the moment the battle got hard. Likewise, we do not need people in our lives who are feckless, weak, and unable to support when the struggles come. Faith is not a solitary endeavor. But also, faith cannot be built with people who constantly turn and run away. God calls the committed, and as God’s people, we must BE committed. But also, we must seek out others who will be committed to us and our walk of faith. 

The second group who cannot stand by us are those who are selfish. Gideon also dealt with this issue. There was a test. 10,000 fighters were still too many for God’s deliverance power. So, those who stooped to drink from the water were sent home. Those who cupped the water in their hand and drank it stayed. What is significant about this? Those who bent down practically had to lay on the ground to reach the water. They were no longer looking out for surroundings, keeping watch for their fellow fighter, or paying attention. It was squarely focused on the easiest way for them to get water. With them bend down, face in the water, they left everyone including themselves vulnerable to attack. It was selfish and unwise to behave in this manner. 

It is impossible to deal in life with folks who are only focused on themselves. They will set aside duties, responsibilities, and commitments to do what is in their best interest and what benefits them. Their behaviors may also get you in trouble. I remember going to dinner with a friend who has a bit of a temper. Someone pulled out in front of us, and he lost his ever-loving mind. He was trying to climb out of the passenger side to go after them. He tried finding something to throw at their car. All the while he was screaming out the window. And in Georgia, that kind of thing will get you shot. No one was injured. No actual contact was made between the cars. It was merely a sudden stop. And filled with his selfishness and self-righteousness, he couldn’t let it go choosing instead to put us both in danger. 

People who are selfish will never choose you. They may choose what you can do for them. They may choose what they can get out of you. They may choose to manipulate you. They may choose everything about you that benefits them. But they will never choose you. And when they no longer get a benefit from you, they will attack you. There cannot be any trust with a selfish human. 

Lastly, those who constantly love drama cannot stand by us. Paul and Barnabas decided that they would go back and visit their previous churches to check in and see how they were growing and doing. Barnabas wanted to take John Mark, but John Mark appears to be drama. He deserted them on a past trip, and my general guess is that he hasn’t apologized or atoned for it. Paul tends to be forgiving, but only if there’s repentance. It’s not written in here by Luke, but there’s a strong inference that Barnabas got sucked into the drama John Mark was creating. It caused him to argue severely with Paul to the point that their partnership broke up. 

It also appears that the church took sides with Paul. Barnabas and John Mark leave for Cyprus. Paul and Silas, however, are entrusted to the Lord’s care. Nothing says John Mark and Barnabas received the same. Clearly if Paul and Barnabas fought to the point of splitting over John Mark, there was drama afoot. There will be people in life who live in a constant state of drama. Everything is a fight, an issue, a struggle. There’s never a moment of peace, and most of the time these folks either created the insanity or imagined it.  

A friend of mine is fond of saying, when people drag drama into her world, “Not my clowns, not my circus, not my problem.” Too often our faith is harmed when other people’s drama overwhelms us and keeps us from focusing in on our own walk of faith. A friend shared a quote the other day. “Some people don’t want to be fixed because being broken gets them attention.” These folks cannot stand by you because you can’t trust them. They lack commitment, and they are selfish. Even Paul recognized that John Mark and Barnabas needed to be prayed for…from a safe distance. Find people who will stand with you and stay with you. 

Whether it is a lack of commitment, selfishness, or love of drama, there will be people in this life who cannot stand with you because their presence harms your walk of faith with God. Gideon needed fighters who would stay the course, watch out for their fellow fighter, and Paul needed someone who wasn’t going to be more drama than the fledgling churches he pastored. Who in your life helps you up, prays for you, strengthens you, and gives you a sense of grace in their presence? Those are the ones who will help you grow in your walk with Christ. Find them, and walk with them in this world.

Worship Service Video https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/809381811608942/

Patience and Procrastination

Patience and Procrastination—Judges 6:33-40; Mark 9: 14-27

Sometimes I am asked why I moved to Macon. I like to say that God worked it out. Back when I was applying for law schools, one of the law school LSAT test prep sites had a quiz, “Match Yourself to a Law School.” It was about as realistic as those Facebook “What kind of animal are you?” quizzes. I took it twice answering very differently each time. Both times Mercer University was the answer. When I visited Chase Law at Northern Kentucky University, the guy behind me and I were talking about law schools we applied to. He was from Georgia and said to me, “Oh, you were accepted at Mercer? It’s an amazing law school. You have to go there.”  I’m stubborn, but I know when to take a hint. 

We continue today with Gideon’s journey to restore the faith and the nation of Israel. The people had wondered into worshipping Baal and enemies had crushed them as punishment for their disobedience. The stakes are high in our lesson for today. There is an alliance to destroy Israel for good. But we hear that the Spirit of God clothed Gideon with power, and he summoned the troops to fight back. Gideon, though, still lives with uncertainty. He asks for another sign from God, then another sign from God. He procrastinates over and over. He holds back, waits, and dwells in his space of uncertainty while God has infinite patience. Last week we talked about Gideon maybe just wanting to see more of God, desiring that reassurance of God’s holy presence. This week he just looks ridiculous. 

This struggle to have faith is also found in our Gospel lesson. Jesus had sent the disciples out to do the work of God’s kingdom, heal, teach, pray, cast out demons…all the things Jesus had been doing. But something has gone awry. A father comes back to Jesus saying the disciples cannot heal his demon possessed boy. It’s implied in the text that the father is faithless and the disciples have become faithless. Jesus says, “You faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you?” Jesus then heals the boy of the spirit proving to the people his power and the power of faith. 

Perhaps in our own time, we struggle with this idea of what we should do in the face of bad things happening around us. Perhaps we too struggle to summon up the faith we need to be disciples of Christ. We live in a time marked by near daily violence. We’ve had 47 instances of school shootings in 2025 alone where at least one person was shot. In 2024 it was 83. In a 2018 analysis, the US had 288 incidents of gun violence in a 9 year period where someone was shot in a school. Mexico had 8. South Africa had 6. Pakistan and Nigeria had 4. Every other country had less than 4. We watched this week as political commentator Charlie Kirk was shot to death while we all watched on tv. A young, female Ukrainian refugee was stabbed to death on public transit in Charlotte just a few days ago. Rep. Melissa Hortman and some of her family were shot to death in June. Make no mistake this country loves violence. 

That violence seems to permeate into every aspect of our lives and is watched and lived almost every single day. And nobody seems to have an appetite to stop it. And lest we fail to understand it, Jesus teaches that all violence is wrong. The same Savior who said to love our enemies would never, ever condone shooting, killing, or degrading them. We have consistently ignored suffering, especially of the marginalized. We have chosen to listen only to debate instead of understand. We have chosen to be right instead of to learn. 

And it’s understandable. Like Gideon we ask for sign after sign, we procrastinate. We wonder about whether we can say something, what we can do, how we should address this problem we clearly see and know is out of hand. Gideon had every excuse. The altar to Baal that the people had turned to belonged to Gideon’s own father. God’s instruction to Gideon is to tear down his father’s altar to Baal and sacrifice to the Lord. Perhaps now you see why God was so patient with Gideon. There was no one else. Gideon’s own father led the worship and housed the idols and altars to Baal. Gideon was made judge and empowered by God because he was literally the only one there willing to listen to God. 

We, as Gods people, waffle, procrastinate, struggle to say violence of any kind is wrong. Or worse, we condemn violence only when it suits our political preference. Make no mistake, God doesn’t only weep when Republicans are murdered. God doesn’t weep when Democrats are murdered. God’s heart is broken by all violence and hatred in the very people God created in the very image of God. And in the face of all of it, we throw out hands up and act as if it’s just a fact of life. I am certain that if Jesus were among us he would look at us too and say, “You faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you?” 

What we must do is say like the man in the crowd in the Gospel lesson, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” If we think there are no solutions to the violence, discord, and hatred in our society, then there certainly will not be. But perhaps in the midst of our dive into hopelessness, we can remember those words, “Help me overcome my unbelief!” We must lean on God to give us the Spirit-filled wisdom and guidance, believing that God’s word will guide us and teach us. 

We must also listen to learn. Everybody in our society likes to talk. Podcasters, pundits, and the like all have an opinion, and all are only to eager to share that opinion. We talk a lot, and we are far too slow to listen. Jesus asked questions of the father and listened to learn when the trouble started, how it affected him, and what the hopeful outcome was. Likewise, even though Gideon asked for sign after sign, he listened and acknowledged God’s power in each one. 

Each one of us is made in the image of God, living as representatives of God and the grace of Christ in this world. And each one of us has a choice whether to speak the truth gently, live in and teach peace, serve with graciousness, love our enemies, bless those who curse and persecute us, turn the other cheek, and sacrifice for love just as Christ did. The very life breath of our faith is love, and particularly the redeeming love of Christ which we are called to show and live even in a violent world around us. It can be very hard. Gideon had to do it as the only one in the entire populace still willing to listen to God. He had to do it in spite of his own father leading the false and pagan practices that had ruined the people’s relationship with God. 

If we are convinced that nothing can be done, then nothing will be done. Violence, hatred, vicious and demeaning rhetoric have become part of our daily life. It can only end when we are willing to stand up and say, “Enough.” Jesus said, if we live by the sword, we die by the sword. Violence and evil only beget more violence and evil. You cannot use one evil to fix another evil. We can live by the sword, the gun, the rhetoric, whatever weapon you want to insert into Jesus’s words for they’re all the same, and surely as we live by this, it will kill us. 

Or we can choose to live as people of hope, grace, redemption, and life everlasting. I hesitate to think what would have happened if I had ignored God’s signs in my law school search and gone my own way. When God speaks, we must listen and do. Where we lack in faith to follow, we must prayerfully call out for the God of all life to help our unbelief. In our world, so cruel and violent, fighting and tumultuous, we have a choice as God’s people. Speak truth. Act gently. Be love. Teach peace and live every single day in the hope of God’s promises. That, First Christian Church, Macon, Georgia, is how we can change the world. 

Worship Service Video https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/1325665055940782/

Best Person Is You

Best Person Is You—Judges 6: 13-22; Matthew 28: 16-20

How many of you had chores as kids that you absolutely despised? For me, it was sweeping the wrap around porch to our house. These little helicopter seeds would get stuck between every single plank, and no broom could pry them loose. The only option was a butter knife to scrape them out. It was long, tedious, and miserable. Another chore I hated was shoveling dog doo-doo out of the yard. It was gross, and stinky. As an adult, I hate mopping and vacuuming. It’s so miserable, and I always miss a spot. My friend Amish hates cooking. He says that it is incredibly stress-inducing for him, and at the end, he’s too worked up to eat.  

There are all manner of things in adulthood that we regretfully have to do. So many times, we have to say, “That’s not my job.” We have to deal with a mess. We have to clean up somebody else’s oopsie, and sometimes our own oopsie. We may hate laundry, cleaning dishes, exercising. I tease my cousin saying, “Do people who run marathons know they don’t have to?” There’s plenty of things in life that come to us as burdens and irritating chores. But sometimes, it is our skills, abilities, and wisdom which make the perfect connections to accomplish the task at hand. Sometimes in life, the best person for the job, is you. 

Gideon, in our Hebrew Lesson, was not a willing leader, nor is he particularly easy to deal with. God’s angel comes to him and addresses him like this, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you.” And Gideon’s response is basically, “About that, God, you dumped us and ignored your people.” Gideon is not wrong. Because of the wickedness and disobedience of the people, God has let their enemies overcome them and the people are in hiding and short on food. The one God calls “mighty hero” blames God for the bad circumstances the disobedient people are in. 

God’s angel tells Gideon that he will be the warrior to lead the people into battle and victory. Gideon’s response is, “No.” He is the least of his family. His family and tribe are the least of all of them. He’s telling God, “Not me, I’m the worst of the worst, the weakest of the weak, and the most unable to do live out this calling.” Despite God’s promises of success and a holy presence, Gideon still asks for signs and disbelieves the call God has given him. But God saw something in him that Gideon did not see in himself. God didn’t pass Gideon over because of his weakness; instead, God was prepared to equip Gideon in spite of any weakness. 

The problem with Gideon’s fretting is that God does not accept when we say, “I’m not up to it,” or “I’m not able.” We cannot put the Philippians quote, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” on every picture and decoration in our house then say, “Actually, God, I’m too weak and incapable,” when God comes a knocking. As II Corinthians 12: 9 reminds us: God’s strength is perfect when our strength is gone. As assuredly as Gideon said he was not good enough, God was prepared to be enough for him. 

But then Gideon deflects after God gives him a sign. It’s a very basic sign. God sets fire to the meat and bread offering. There are no locusts, rivers of blood, darkness over the land, rods becoming serpents, or death. It’s a simple fire, the presence of God burning and shining in the sacrifice. Gideon, though, doesn’t say, “Okay, I’m ready, thanks for the sign.” He throws a tantrum instead saying that he is doomed because of being in the presence of the Lord. Even after a sign, Gideon still did not say yes to God. And at this point, if I were God, I would have made that a self-fulfilling prophecy. 

In all of Gideon’s waffling, God has infinite patience. God sees beyond the uncertainty in Gideon to a human God can work in and through. Gideon’s skills, abilities, and desire to trust God make him the best person to lead the people out of their wickedness and back to strength and safety. Gideon can plead his weakness, and Gidon can deflect after signs, but God has called Gideon for this very purpose, and the best person for this is Gideon, whether he is willing or not. Perhaps God didn’t see this as a lack of trust or disobedience from Gideon. Perhaps instead God saw it as Gideon’s search for his resolve. Much like doubting Thomas wanted to see Jesus, Gideon wants more of God’s presence and assurance of God’s strength. This was a momentous task, and Gideon wanted to be sure he was ready to follow God.

So, what are we called to do? For that we turn to the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus said to them, “Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.” In this order, he says, PREACH, BAPTIZE, and TEACH. For Gideon, the call was to return the people to God and conquer enemies. For us, the calling is to teach this good news of Jesus. We don’t go out with an army and sword ready to do battle. We go out with love and grace prepared to live a life that reflects the presence of Jesus throughout the entire world. 

One of the easiest parts of this is the reminder Jesus gives, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” That’s comforting, a strong reminder to us that even as God calls us to do the work of the kingdom, we are not alone. No matter where we go, what life brings us, whether our task is easy or difficult, God is with us always even to the end of the age. Take heart in that. Just as God gave signs to Gideon, God gives a promise to us, and those promises of God never fail. 

 But then is the hard part: the go out into the world part. So many churches have built structures and prayed for people to come. But unless we bring people in from outside these walls, it won’t happen. We have to go out and make disciples then bring them here and teach them things that will help them to make a difference in life. But it also means encountering the unexpected. 

I remember a youth minister who spoke to my youth group in high school. He was talking about his experience, brief experience, as a prison chaplain. At a very packed service where the men were praying, one came to him and said, “I’ve never prayed. I don’t know what to say.” The minister said that he should just speak to God as if he were talking to a friend. Not counting on or understanding how an imprisoned gang member might talk to a friend, the minister described that what came out of the inmate’s mouth could best be described as a cross between horrendous slang and a dissertation on swear words. 

Going into the world to preach good news is a hard job. Leading a wayward and suffering people to victory over their enemies was a hard job for Gideon. Rarely does God call us to something easy and smooth. The work of the kingdom is costly, challenging, and sometimes leaves us feeling exhausted. But just as God promised to be with Gideon, God promises to us, “I am with you always.” 

Gideon didn’t want to be a part of God’s calling. He challenged God’s care for the people. He asked for a sign before committing. Then he deflected when God gave him that sign. But God didn’t walk away. God knew the character and ability Gideon had, and God knew Gideon was the right one to lead the people despite his insecurities and avoidance. 

Where are we being called to go out? Perhaps it is stepping out of our comfort zone. Perhaps it’s a place of leadership we would rather avoid. Perhaps it’s thinking, “I’ll never be a pastor,” but God has other plans. Growing up there were chores I tried so hard to avoid. I’m sure there were many for you as well. But as followers of Jesus, we have a calling to work for the kingdom of God, and sometimes, the best person really is you and me. 

Worship Service Video https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/1115774926664989/

Sunday Hymn Sing Service

Sunday Hymn Sing Service

Worship Service Video https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/1292625848980183/

Do As I Say

Do As I Say

Isaiah 58: 2-14; Luke 13: 10-17

My friend planted a garden this year in her backyard. One of her favorite things is cucumbers, so she planted several. The first one came in, and it was gorgeous, vivid green, and looked delicious. When it was ripe, she brought it in and cut it open to make a salad with it. The inside was completely rotted out and eaten by a worm that had been trapped inside. There was no salvaging any of her first cucumber to grow in the small garden. At least the flowers did well, I guess. 

Our Gospel lesson for today gives us a look at what it means to have a rotten core within the context of faith. In fact, both Luke and Isaiah address a common issue in many congregations and houses of worship. The worship looks and appears right, but it is lacking in any faithful substance. Both get to a similar core problem in the lives of those who are at worship—the acts are there, but the hearts and actions are filled with hypocrisy. What Jesus is saying to us is that it’s woefully insufficient to look like the church if we do not also act like the church which follows Christ. 

The scripture in Isaiah is pretty terse. It comes in many ways as an indictment of the people of Judah. The problem Isaiah notes is not the people being in worship. They come to the Temple daily. They act righteous. They fast. They act humbled in many ways. They even dress in burlap and cover themselves in ashes. Every act of worship, they follow, and they follow it correctly. But it is hollow and empty. It is ceremony without any substance. It is all the appropriate content and ritual, but without any Godly motivation. 

Through the prophet, God gives them a list of what God wants them to do: free the wrongfully imprisoned, end oppression, share food, give shelter, give clothing, live a life that reflects the acts of worship to God. In essence the prophet is saying that simply keeping the ritual of the Sabbath is not holy at all. The people need to live a life that reflects righteousness over hypocrisy, and Godly acts over formalities. God’s indictment comes because they are now practicing all of the same infliction of suffering on others which they endured in exile. The cruelty they escaped is the cruelty they are now inflicting. 

And God has no patience for it. In chapters 56 and 57, God tells them that the leadership is wicked and has wrongfully guided the people, and God says there is no hope for the wicked leaders who created this false righteousness. But God provides a way out for the misguided people. If they truly honor the Lord and truly honor the Sabbath, they will find forgiveness and restoration of relationship to God. 

The same problem is seen in our Gospel lesson. The synagogue leader follows the rituals to the letter, but he lacks the kindness and compassion required of God’s people. Jesus does a double honor for this woman. In her day, she was little more than property, for women had no real status in life. Jesus not only healed her of her physical deformity, he called her a daughter of Abraham, giving her a strong place of significance and dignity in life. This is one of the few times Jesus lays on hands to heal. It signifies both a healing and a blessing. She was released from her suffering and from her shame and embarrassment. By calling her a daughter of Abraham, Jesus essentially gives her a much higher/equal status in the kingdom. 

Jesus criticizes the synagogue leader because he chose ritual over the needs of the suffering. One commentator noted that if you don’t rejoice in the work of God’s kingdom, you will eventually have no place in it. The leader lived with hypocrisy. His acts of religion were just as bad and condemnable as those in Isaiah. In doing so, he had no value for this woman of faith nor cared about her suffering. 

As followers of Christ, we cannot turn a blind eye to the suffering and struggle of others on this earth. It is a messy, difficult, and often uncomfortable undertaking. Jesus’s main criticism of the synagogue leaders is this: they take care of their own needs on the Sabbath, but they were cold and heartless to a woman who came to be helped in her suffering. Faith cannot be simply a cold and dead ritual. Following Jesus means we live with this warm and engaging desire to love others, help those in need, heal, lift up, and live as people of God in the kingdom of God in a world that is often cruel and mean. If we are not different from the world, what would draw people to this faith? 

But devaluing people, and especially women, isn’t just a relic of Jesus’s day. A Christian minister from Idaho recently said in a CNN interview that, “Women are the kind of people that people come out of.” He also alluded to the idea that women are not fit to speak in church, nor should they be allowed to vote. I have a hard time reconciling that with a Jesus who called this healed woman a “Daughter of Abraham,” a title, of Abraham, being typically reserved for men. But it gets even harder when you think of Deborah as Judge, Queen Esther, Ruth, Rahab, the women at the tomb who proclaimed that they had seen the risen Lord, Lois and Eunice, Priscilla and Aquilla, noted in the scriptures who were heroic and leaders in a very, very patriarchal society. 

Perhaps that is why Jesus said, “Judge not, lest you be judged.” As for me and my faith, there are many faith-filled women who have taught me in Sunday School, Zoom Bible Study, from this pulpit, and in times of fellowship together. If it were not for women, and especially my mother and the women of First Christian Church, Macon, Georgia, I don’t know where my faith would be today. 

What Isaiah and Jesus are both saying is that hypocrisy is found in any faith community that loves formality over the faithful, who choose ritual over mercy, who believe in a cold and dead piety that devalues God’s people and fails to do God’s kingdom work in this world. For the people of Israel, grace was needed. They had the works down, but none of the grace. For the synagogue leader, mercy was needed. He understood all the law and commandments, but he lacked in mercy for others. Christianity is about doing the kingdom work of God here, so that people understand what living the kingdom of God really is. 

When I think of someone who lived that I think of Dot Jackson. Since I was too sick to officiate the funeral, I pondered on what a true, faithful person she was. Every time you met her, you could feel the grace and love flowing from her. As a self-conscious 25 year old pastor in a church filled with people, shall we say, a few years my senior, I had questions of what I could really preach or teach this church. I confessed this to her on a home visit shortly after I started her. Her response warmed my heart. Now it was already 82 degrees in that house, but I was warmed in the spiritual way. She said to me, “Well, I always get something out of church and your sermons, so don’t worry about none of that.” It warmed my heart and gave me confidence. It was the kind of grace I needed from a Child of God, a follower of Christ, just like Jesus spoke of the value offered by a daughter of Abraham.

Friends, faith is a beautiful and amazing thing. But faith is also a daily practice of walking with Jesus, even when it’s hard, even when it seems messy. It takes both the belief in God and God’s work to make faith. If you only have belief, you end up in the hypocrisy of Isaiah’s day or the synagogue leader. If you only have the good work, you lack the hope needed to make life worthwhile, but both, together, make a faith that heals, restores, and redeems each and every soul who seeks it out. 

As we live our faith on earth, remember that it is not a, “Do what I say, not what I do” endeavor. Our love of Jesus is shown in how we live as his followers here on earth. If we don’t actually follow Christ and live as he teaches, then our claim to faith is just as rotten as my friend’s cucumber. But what joy when we allow Jesus to guide us. When Jesus touched the woman and healed her, we are told, “How she praised God!” Thanks be to God. 

Worship Service Video https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/676031434751653/