Lenten Learning: Salvation

Salvation: Psalm 121; John 3: 1-17 

Life is a journey. Several years ago, I learned how bumpy a journey can be. After a short vacation, my mother, Nanna, and I were flying home. We had one final leg of the trip—Atlanta to Knoxville—on what had to be the tiniest little tinker toy plane I had ever seen. There was one seat per row on the left side, and two seats per row on the right. About ten minutes into the flight, and horrendous storm descended out of nowhere. The plane began to rock back and forth, bounce and sway, and careen up and down.  

Cabin service was discontinued after the turbulence cause Nanna to wear the ginger ale being served. And audible praying could be heard in the rear of the plane. We finally landed. The guy next to me, however, had managed to sleep through it all, slumped over, snoring in my ear. Oh, to be that unbothered about things. Life is a journey, and our walk with Jesus, our process of salvation is much of that journey.  

Our Psalm, Psalm 121, talks about being on this journey. These ideas of looking to the hills, being guarded while we slumber, being given a gentle shade, all of these are indicators of a person travelling. For the Psalmist, it probably was a literal journey. For us it is a bit more figurative. On our journey of life, God will help us, keep us from stumbling, and watch over us while we sleep. Indeed, the Psalmist is adamant about this, “The Lord…watches over you!” with exclamation point included. The Psalm is a reminder that in times of trouble God will literally save us. God’s salvation goes beyond just the theological concept.  

The Lord watches over you and keeps you from harm—from the burning sun and the terrors we feel at night. God stands ready to save us literally from the trouble of this world. Now that doesn’t mean trouble won’t sometimes find its way into our lives. Remember we are promised God’s presence, not absolute perfection. That has to wait for a bit.  

 A friend and I gave thanks for God’s protection back when I was in college. As you know I grew up rural. So, taking an ATV in the mountains to ramble around and maybe pick berries was not a problem. My city-dwelling friend came to visit, and I took him out to show him the beauty of God’s nature instead of perfectly manicured HOA managed sod. He asked to drive for a bit to see how he did. Unfortunately, he went a little too fast up a steep hill and flipped us both off of the ATV. I fully expected the thing to come crashing down on both of us and needing to call an ambulance. However when I dared to open my eyes, I was laying down in the grass, he was sitting a couple of feet away, and the ATV was sitting next to us, right side up, like nothing had happened.  

Sometimes, when life is very hard on us, we must remember those words of the Psalm, “The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.” I know that it sometimes feels like God has forgotten us, but that is not the truth. God is always close by and ready to save us when we call out for help in faith. God will save us, literally, from the dangers and troubles that can come in life. We simply have to trust in God to be there for us.  

The Gospel talks about salvation in a much more theological sense. The story of Nicodemus is one of the most famous of the Gospels. It gives us the most widely known scripture, “For God so loved the world…” It is also the scripture that the theology of salvation is most attributed to. Time and again, we have heard the phrase “born-again Christian.” Nicodemus comes to Jesus in the night. He acknowledges Jesus as being of God. Then Jesus throws him a curve ball. Jesus says, “Unless you are born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God.”  

Nicodemus is confused by this, and Jesus does nothing to clear it up. Jesus adds the greater mystery of being born of water and of spirit. As Jesus talks, he also adds in later verses that God calls on us to sacrifice our judgments and take up our belief in Jesus to guide us and in his redemptive work which saved us. Now, sometimes the work of a preacher is to simplify tough concepts. Today, I want to do the opposite. We have so watered down the idea of being born again, that it has lost the meaning, the complexity, and the mystery Jesus intended it to have.  

The Gospel of John uses the Greek word anõthen. There is no good translation of this word. Jesus is saying we must be born of time and place. We are born anew but also from above, or in a spiritual way. The words used here mean far more than just a personal conversion moment. Anõthen is in response to belief, not belief itself. It also doesn’t refer to any work we do in having belief. It refers to the redemptive work that Jesus does within our heart and soul. To reduce this idea merely to just believing in Jesus and having a personal conversion moment, makes it all about us, when in fact salvation is about Jesus and his love and grace for us.  

Nicodemus was a scholar, very well educated, and generally wise. Yet he couldn’t fully grasp the mystery of what Jesus meant. He fully believed and acknowledged that God had sent Jesus. But there was still this stumbling block to the work that Jesus wanted to do in and through his life and his life of faith. When we believe, we must also be prepared to have our lives changed and follow Jesus. The work Jesus does is redemptive and saving. The work we do is somewhat ordinary. We believe and we follow. Inherent in both of those is the idea that we trust in God to lead us, guide us, and save us from troubles.  

When Jesus talks about salvation, it is a complex, mystery-filled work of faith. It’s hard to understand. It’s an easy thing to follow, “Love thy neighbor.” But in an evidence-hungry society, talk of spiritual and unknowable things is uncomfortable. We want to explain. We want to comprehend. But Jesus gives us a holy mystery. Too many churches, too many of the faithful have taken this complex mystery of faith and reduced it to a slogan—being a “born-again Christian.” It’s become both a slogan and a litmus test. Reducing this to just a slogan and single-issue test ruins the meaning Jesus was conveying. Do you believe, but also, do you surrender enough to allow Jesus to work in and through you both in your physical body and in your soul and spirit? Being born again encompasses both. And it is fully about the work of God, not our own doing.  

Jesus doesn’t necessarily change what our physical body is. Instead, he helps us to understand the fullness and love of God in us and with us. Part of the struggle of life is always our ability to understand. But here we simply have to trust that God revealed in Jesus is one whose love knows no bounds, and we are asked to receive just one gift—God’s grace. Sometimes sermons and services call on us to act and to do. Go out, make a difference, serve, love, help. And sometimes we are called to be still, to reflect, and pray. All the good in the world is for nothing if our hearts and minds are not in the right place—resting safely in the love of Jesus.  

On my journey from Atlanta to Knoxville, when the flight got bumpy and terrifying, the human nature kicked in—do something, react, help, act in some way! But the truth is we were all strapped in and helpless, trusting in the pilot to guide us safely through. The guy next to me was totally unbothered, fully asleep. I think his sleep was probably assisted by a few choice beverages, but even foolishness can teach us lesson. In a journey of life where we have very little control sometimes, we must trust in God to save us and to have saving grace for us. The hardest thing for us to do, but also the most powerful thing for us to do is to be still and say to God, “I need you.”  

 Worship Service Video  https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/957137280139748/

Lenten Learning: Temptation

Temptation—Genesis 2: 15-17; 3: 1-7; Matt. 4: 1-11 

When it comes to temptation, nothing explains it more than a 4 year old testing his boundaries with a very tired parent. A few weeks ago my friend’s child was playing with some little Spiderman and Hulk figurines that stick to the wall when you throw them against it. There was, however, a minor problem. They tended to leave a small residue, looking a bit oily on the wall. So, there was a rule. You can ONLY, ONLY throw them against the wall in your room, not anywhere else in the house. Well, he happened to “accidentally” get it on a wall in the living room, and he was warned not to do it again by his mother.  

He stood there, listening to her words, spending 20-30 seconds contemplating them in his mind and playing out all possible outcomes and ramifications. But the temptation was too great. In a very swift moment, he turned and threw the toy right on the living room wall, directly in violation of what his mother had just said. It only took seconds for a full chaotic pandemonium of him being headed straight to his room with full-fledged weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth at the reality of the consequences of his choices.  

This theme will come up again and again in our readings for today. In Genesis, we hear of the immediate aftermath following the creation story. Adam and Eve are given everything they could want in the garden: food, perfection, each other, and God’s presence with them. There was just one limit. Do not eat of one tree which carries knowledge of good and evil. Unfortunately, humanity struggles with limits and boundaries, much like a riled up 4 year old at bedtime. I’ve seen it many times in life: a diabetic eating an extra helping of cake and the regret that follows, friends and family who don’t know when to stop teasing or arguing with one another, co-workers who show up on a kiss-cam at a Coldplay concert at a very unfortunate moment. Humanness causes us to test limits.  

And yet we have to have limits in life. They protect us, preserve relationships, keep us employed and out of jail. God gives us boundaries of behavior and thought, not to make life dull, or take out the fun, but to protect us. The hardest part of maturing is realizing and accepting that every action we take has a consequence, whether good, bad, or both. For Adam and Eve, pushing the limits would inevitably strain their relationship with God and with one another.  

We have to acknowledge, though, life isn’t so simple. Temptation is hard because, well, it’s tempting. I can safely say that I’ve never been tempted to do something miserable in life. We can ask why Even ate the fruit. We can ask how Jesus made it through the wilderness, but at the heart of both stories is the fact that temptation is sometimes less obvious to detect in life than we think. The snake was called crafty in Genesis. As humans we often are exposed to the shrewd and crafty elements of the world and all the best trained tricksters and deceivers that live here.  

The snake doesn’t present as a villain. He’s polite, conversational, and presents nor causes any fear in Eve. Here’s the harder part. He told her the truth as well. She did not physically die from eating the fruit of the tree. It was her innocence and perfection which died. The truth was her eyes were opened to good and evil the same as God understands it. The problem is, Adam and Eve were not equipped to handle it. Whereas God can know all things, Adam and Eve were ruined by this knowledge. They tested the limits and what they found beyond the boundary was too much for them to handle as humans.  

Likewise in Matthew’s Gospel, Satan presents in the same tricky and deceitful way. At no point does Satan lie to Jesus or misquote the scripture. And in some ways, that’s the hardest part. It’s easy to see through a bold face lie. It’s much harder to have discernment to know that even though what Satan said was truthful, it was still deceitful. As the Son of God, Jesus could easily make bread. After all, God created manna in the wilderness for the Hebrew people. When Satan tells Jesus to jump off the Temple as a show of power and authority, Satan quotes Psalm 91: 11-12. Satan quoted the scripture exactly, but deceitfully.  

Let me give you an example that isn’t Jesus or the Garden of Eden. Summer before my senior year of high school, the few of us in AP English had to read 4-5 books and provide an analysis on them. We each took one and made detailed notes, so we didn’t have to read every single book. When asked about my analysis in class, I said, “I used the notes I had on the book to create the report and analyze the themes.” Truthful? Yes. Incredibly deceptive? Also, yes. Unfortunately, we do this in our relationships, our work, and to ourselves. A friend and fellow attorney once told me some wise advice about witnesses, “Just because the words they say are true does not mean they told the truth.”  

The problem we have in both of these scriptures with temptation is what responsibility do we bear? Adam and Eve wouldn’t have eaten the fruit if Satan hadn’t tempted them through the snake. Jesus wouldn’t have been tempted if Satan hadn’t shown up to play his tricks. Are we mere pawns following whatever little enticement we can find, or are we fully culpable? A few commentators struggle with these scriptures because it allows us to say too much, “The devil made me do it,” without taking accountability for our behaviors and choices.  

Two things are true at the same time. Humans are not the enemy of faith and life. There is an evil at work that is greater than we ourselves can do on our own. It’s easy to see people as evil, horrid, wretched. I remember at once church I played for, every service started with a prayer acknowledging that humans were “poor, wretched, miserable sinners.” That kind of belief is problematic when we also are told we are made in the image of God. We are often, though, easily influenced by evil and must turn back to the grace of Jesus to save us and keep us from doing what evil would tempt us to do.  

But we also have to live with the consequences and accountability of our actions. If we over-indulge, we may become sick. If we use drugs and large amounts of alcohol, we may ruin our lives. If we cheat and give in to physical temptations, we may wreck our relationships. There is a difference in life between could and should. Could Jesus have made bread? Yes. Could Jesus have leapt from the Temple to prove his power? Yes. Could Jesus have given in to Satan’s trials because he was tired, hungry, and struggling? Yes. But the question is not “could.” It is should. And Jesus knew he should not do any of those things.  

One of the hardest parts of being human is that temptation never goes away. It’s something we live with until we end our time here on earth. It’s a struggle we need Jesus to help us with every single day. We are no less tempted at 70 than we were at 25, it’s just the nature of the temptations change. But each and every day we can rely on God to help us with these struggles.  

My friend’s child learned three things in rapid succession that evening: limits should not be tested, just because you can doesn’t mean you should, and choices in life have consequences. I dare say that at some point in life, we have all learned these lessons to one degree of difficulty or another. I want to leave you with some words from Anne Siddal of Stillpoint Spirituality, “Jesus, whose formation included wilderness, will be at our side to [help] us, will wipe away our tears, and place bread into the hands which have clutched at stones.” I pray this Lenten season that we will have the wisdom to rely on Jesus when we are bombarded by all the most alluring yet destructive temptations in life.  

  Worship Service Video  https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/2366483777107503

Ruth: Redeemed/Reconciled

Ruth 4—Redeemed/Reconciled: Ruth 4: 1-17; Matt. 5: 21-24 

On Tuesday, I made an amazing pot of coffee with my new coffee beans from Rev Coffee, one of my favorites near my home. I carefully and precisely measured out the ground coffee, added a little creamer, a hint of sweetening. I was incredibly excited for this mug of coffee on my trip to Macon. You can already tell where this is going, can’t you? As I reached for it in the car’s cup holder a few miles down the road, there was no mug there. Instead it was sitting on my kitchen counter, right where I left it. I spent the whole journey missing my coffee that morning. I have learned a few thing: first, I’m getting a bit forgetful; second, if I don’t have my coffee in the morning, everybody around me has a bad day.  

This sense of being apart from something or missing out on something runs through the story of Ruth. Besides the tragedy of loss, the tale of a woman forging a new home, the isolation and struggle she felt as a foreign person in a strange land, there is a strong theme that runs through this story, and that is the land and inheritance belonging to Naomi and Elimelech. The family is separated from this property. Only a male can own and possess it. In order for it to be back in the family and out of limbo, a male within the clan has to purchase this land. But in order for the family to keep it, there must be a male heir.  

The longer this goes on, the further the family moves from their land and what is rightfully theirs. Whoever bought this land, had to marry Ruth to keep the land and birthright within Naomi’s family. Ruth and Naomi could not sell it. And they certainly didn’t have printed dollars to receive for it. Purchases were usually done by barter, and without land for use, there’s very little Ruth and Naomi could actually receive as payment in a bartering system.  

The term “redeem” means several things. Financially it can mean buying something back or exchanging goods. If we get a coupon, we redeem it when we exchange it for the good at the store. Personally, it can mean making up for one’s mistakes, and theologically, it means being saved from the consequences of our sins. Ultimately it comes down to a separation. The further we get away from God, the more we are in need of redemption. The longer Mahlon, Killion, and Elimelech were dead, the further away from redemption the family land became. Without a redeemer and an heir, it would be lost forever.  

There are times in our lives when we are in need of redemption, not salvation, not theological redemption, but personally in need of redemption. In times of turmoil and trouble, we may feel shaken and wander away from following God. There are times in our lives where we may feel a bit lost, like we’ve missed the path or got a bit behind when the elevator doors closed in front of us. In those times, we may end up like Naomi’s land, just sitting there, waiting.  

The story of Ruth and Boaz is not quite as romantic and lovey-dovey a story as it is often portrayed. It is, however, Valentines weekend, and there is definitely a lot of romance here. But at its heart, this is a story of a male with position, power, and privilege using it to restore a woman and a family who are broken and a bit lost. Some of us may be newer to the faith. Some of us may be well-seasoned saints. To make faith work we need both sets of folks. For those who have kept the faith for many years, we tend to find ourselves losing passion, becoming set on the formalities instead of the excitement of God’s mission. We need a redemption of enthusiasm.  

Likewise some of us are newer to faith. We may have the enthusiasm and feel the call strongly in our lives, but we lack in the wisdom to guide us and keep us grounded. Finding redemption means those with wisdom help those with enthusiasm, and those with enthusiasm encourage those who have the wisdom but may have lost the spark. The ultimate goal is to finish this journey of life together creating faithful ones who will carry on the call to follow Jesus in this world.  

However, before we can find redemption, there must be reconciliation in our lives, a clean slate of issues we’ve lived with for many years. Our Gospel continues the second portion of the Sermon on the Mount. The “Blesseds” litany is the easy part of that scripture; it’s this part that often gets overlooked and is harder. Jesus says to people that murder is not the standard. If you are even angry with someone, curse them, or call them an idiot, you have fallen into sin yourself. It stands to reason. Hatefulness cannot be cured by a different type of hatefulness. But also if there is an issue between you and someone else, settle it before you come before God.  

I read an article this week about a family embroiled in a political fight. The father believed one way, and his daughter believed the other. After a particularly nasty disagreement over politics, the father shot his own daughter. I also listen to podcasts when driving, and many of them may be true crime related. I cannot tell you how many murder podcasts, especially those tied to domestic violence, detail that both victim and accused were long-time, devoted members of a church. So often we stray far, far away.  

Thus, we are all folks who are in need of redemption and reconciliation. Whether it’s Minneapolis, Chicago, Ukraine, Gaza, or anywhere else, we desperately need redemption from where we have all gone wrong, and we need to be reconciled with the love of God that teaches us how to love one another. We live in a time with a lot of fear and anger permeating our society. The Bible does not shy away from these emotions and how we struggle with them.  

Ruth and Naomi, I am certain, were fearful, and probably angry of the loss of their respective husbands and family. But even as they waited in worry, God brought them a way through. They were redeemed, not necessarily in the theological sense, but in the personal sense. They were restored and made whole through Boaz’s love and loyalty. Jesus also taught redemption through restoration. Focus on God’s grace instead of the anger, curses, and hatred we feel well up inside us when life sends turmoil our way.  

But note, that doesn’t mean we look the other way to wrongdoing. Even in this hard teaching of redemption and reconciliation, Jesus still spoke words that were very hard to hear. Jesus told folks who may very well have a right to vengeance that instead of settling the score, they should settle the dispute. We can still speak hard truths, we can still stand for what is right in this world, and we can do it from a place of love. Whatever we say, whatever we stand for, however we speak truth, is it filtered through the lens of Jesus Christ?  

The story of Ruth and Boaz is a story of two people in need of redemption. Boaz had given up. He was older, and from what we can tell, he likely did not have a family. The other potential redeemer would not marry Ruth because it could jeopardize his plan of inheritance. This doesn’t seem to be a problem for Boaz. Ruth needed redemption being lonely and outcast in an unfamiliar place. Together, she provided him with an heir, and he provided her with a place of kindness and honor in the town. Their child became the grandfather of King David, which also means he was in the lineage of Jesus.  

Often in life, we may find ourselves a little lost, a little separated from the walk we have of faith. We find ourselves in need of redemption. Or we may have issues in our lives that need a little touch of grace and forgiveness, so we can move on from them. The other day I was separated and lost from my coffee, my sanity, and any hope of a good mood as the caffeine headache set in. But there’s also a good truth to remember. No matter how each day starts for us, God is with us each and every day, loving us, and bearing us through. Thanks be to God.  

Worship Service Video https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/907646341672116/

Ruth: Virtuous

Ruth—Virtuous: Ruth 3; Matt. 5: 13-16

This week, we once again got front row seats to the ongoing culture war raging in our country asking what is most virtuous? Tonight, at the Super Bowl, you will have your choice of half-time shows. On the official station will be a performer known as Bad Bunny, a reggaeton musician from Puerto Rico. On TBN, there will be an alternate half-time performance headlined by Kid Rock, a southern-rock musician. Frankly, if you had told me in high school that Kid Rock would be playing on the station founded by Paul and Jan Crouch, I would have laughed you out of the room. Now, I do not care which one you watch, or if you watch none at all. Your music and sports preference are your business. What is concerning is the level to which the church wants to engage in a culture war. I am reminded of the old saying, “Never wrestle in the mud with a pig. You both get dirty and the pig likes it.” 

In the book of Ruth, we look at Ruth’s devotion to Naomi and Boaz. In a country and place where she was treated like an outsider and was harassed by the workers, how could Ruth remain someone who was virtuous? And by that same token, how do we, as followers of Jesus, remain virtuous in our own complicated modern society? 

Ruth prepared herself to meet Boaz late at night in chapter 3. There are some scholars who discuss this in terms of it being a very illicit moment in the whole story and context of the ancient society. At its heart, though, this act by Ruth was less of an explicit moment and more of a formal request for marriage of Boaz. It was a proposal. She asks him, “Spread the corner of your covering over me, for you are my family redeemer.” Boaz promises that he will put things in motion for their marriage and his work as family redeemer. Ruth did have to sneak away, however, because she did not need to earn both gossip and scorn in the town of Bethlehem, and in all honesty, threshing floors after hours were not exactly the most noble and wholesome of places in ancient times. 

There is a bit of terminology we need to understand for this to make sense. When Boaz praises Ruth, he uses the term hesed. It is often used to mean divine covenant loyalty, steadfast love, and is translated (poorly) as lovingkindness. Hesed is the same word used to refer to God’s covenant with God’s people. It is a holy promise rooted in mercy, love, and unwavering commitment. 

In many ways Ruth had a choice of how to conduct herself. She could have gone tit-for-tat on every single obnoxious thing the people did. She could have fought them all the way. She could have thrown water in their faces, kicked the men in the fields, and acted like the whole problem in response to their unkindness. But Ruth was a virtuous person. She had made a commitment to God and was not going to break that commitment. She believed in God’s commitment to her, and she devoted herself to living for God. It was understood in this Hebrew concept of hesed.

We also have a choice. Every time society does something we dislike or disagree with, we can get down in the mud to fight about it. If we don’t like the Super Bowl artist, we can arrange another one. If we don’t like one parade or event, we’ll organize one that looks just like it, but the opposite. It’s like Christianity wants to play this grand game with secular society of “anything you can do, I can do better.” Had Ruth fought with everyone in Bethlehem, they would have both lost. Likewise, when the church fight worldly, secular battles to win in this world, we all lose. Faith is not meant to compete with every single aspect of an unfaithful society. Instead, we must speak truth, then we must turn things over to God to do work in hearts, minds, and souls.  

The Gospel calls on us to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. When we engage in a back and forth with every single thing in a secular world, we lose our flavor. We end up the light under the basket or bushel. We read in John 18:36, “Jesus answered, ‘My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world.’” Being virtuous means we live as people of God’s kingdom, not as fighters trying to counter every single thing we perceive as a sin in this world. That’s exhausting. That comes from a defeated mindset. Don’t wrestle in the mud. 

If you want to watch Bad Bunny, go watch him. If you want to watch Kid Rock, go watch him, but what we cannot do is lose sight of the souls and lives that need our help, our own hesed, to go argue about the holiness of a 20-minute televised show at a football game. One would think the faithful would have learned their lesson from the time Elvis first started swinging his hips in the 1960s. You cannot fight by the rules of secularism and win at faith. 

We cannot lose sight of what it means to live like salt and light in the world. If all we want to do is run around fighting a culture war, then what did Jesus sacrifice for? What did he rise on Easter for? As people who live in the hope of life and grace in Jesus, why do we always act like we are in danger of being defeated? Jesus lives and hope wins. Period. End of story. 

If we are to be virtuous in this world, then we must be about the business of God’s kingdom. Ruth approached Boaz with clear loyalty to him, to Naomi, to their clan or family, to the Israelite people, and to God. These were not her people. She owed them nothing. But she came with her faith believing that the God she now claimed would work out her situation for good. She came seeking the promise of a family redeemer who would rescue and reclaim what rightfully belonged to what was now HER family. 

Fighting never ending culture wars makes us look foolish. In a world that needs food, clean water, hope, healing, and followers of Christ to make a difference in every community, millions of dollars will be spent hosting an alternative halftime show on TBN just to prove a point. And the questions we have to ask ourselves are does this matter, and does it make us more virtuous? To fight this fight, they have summoned up Kid Rock declaring him a faithful and godly alternative. Here’s a lyric from one of his songs, “Young ladies, young ladies, I like ’em underage, see. Some say that’s statutory / But I say it’s mandatory.” You see, I’m just old enough to remember when my own youth pastor railed against Kid Rock for being evil and a bad influence on the faithful as well. 

Jesus wraps up this short teaching in Matthew with these words, “In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” Has our light been hidden, covered by a basket? Has our salt, intended to bring out the best flavors, lost all of its savor and ability? Have we diluted faith to the point that it’s become a political statement instead of a way of life living in the kingdom of God? 

If given the choice of how to show Jesus, slamming one secular musician to praise another is not going to make a difference. However, we can make a difference volunteering at Daybreak, helping serve food at Macon Outreach, volunteering to talk about how faith in Jesus had made a difference in our lives to people who struggle in life or to younger folks who need to hear such wisdom. To do otherwise, will lead us to failure. A friend of mine is a teacher. She had two students: one was quiet and well-behaved, the other was talkative and bounced off walls. She moved them together to allow the good student to influence the poorly behaved one to do better. Within a week they both had detention. We must move ourselves closer to Jesus to better live and love in this world. 

You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world. May we never forget our calling to is to love God, love others, and live for God’s kingdom. So, may we commit ourselves to this calling, for we have both a friend in Jesus, and the one who shows us how to live virtuously in an often-tough world. 

Worship Service Video https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/1236645928427791/

Ruth: Blessings

Ruth—Blessings: Ruth 2: 14-23; Matthew 5: 1-12

There is a very pronounced difference in the south between blessing somebody and blessing somebody out. The other day I was in court down south, and I learned this difference all over again. At the conclusion of my case there, I thanked the other attorney for her hard work on this second case with her. Both were rather difficult cases. She said, “Well, I’m sick of seeing you. Every time you come down here, it’s some awful, horrible case. Please don’t come back.” And since I have very little control over my mouth getting me in trouble, I responded, “Don’t worry, I’d rather have a root canal.” Sometimes life hands us a blessing, and sometimes life hands us a blessing out. 

In today’s story of Ruth, we read a story of great blessings. In the customs of Ancient Israel, Boaz was obligated to leave some remnants in the field for Ruth to gather. However, here we see him going far and beyond to bless her. He provides her lunch, and he makes sure the workers allow extras for her to gather and retrieve in the fields, so that she would have an abundance of grain and barley. He was making sure she had more than just enough to get by. We can be certain at this point that she had been the subject of complaints both to her and about her. Boaz’s final command to his workers is, “Do not give her a hard time!” 

This was the third time he had to warn them not to harass her and give her a hard time. The workers and possibly the town complained that Ruth, a Moabite, was receiving special favor. Boaz took a great risk in this because others could come and ask for more, as well as his reputation in the town could suffer. Ruth likely was treated poorly. The text always identifies her as “the Moabite” or “from Moab” singling out her difference. And throughout the text, she often refers to herself in derogatory terms for an outsider and foreigner. 

But those who were unkind to Ruth and looked down on her did not understand her struggle. They saw someone getting a blessing, and they became jealous. They didn’t understand what she has been through. They didn’t endure the death of her husband, her brother-in-law, her father-in-law. They didn’t endure having to say goodbye to her sister and family forever. They didn’t have to endure coming to a place where she was treated roughly, threatened with assault, and looked down upon. They didn’t understand that the nicest thing she had received in years was a little extra grain and barley and a lunch of bread and sour wine. Ruth had suffered tremendously, and now folks were angry over her receiving some tiny little blessing in a life of misery. They didn’t even give her some credit for her faithfulness to Naomi and to God. 

Naomi now realizes that Boaz is interested in a lot more than just being kind to Ruth. In these ancient times, the only way to redeem or re-take ownership of land when a man died was for a relative or part of the clan to marry the widow and redeem the family land within the family. Boaz was one who could do this. So, Naomi begins creating a plan to make this happen. Ruth was to be a blessing to Boaz by giving him the family he lacked. Boaz was going to be a blessing to Ruth by giving her a family and protecting her. Naomi was to receive a blessing because her family land and birthright would be redeemed if Boaz and Ruth got married. Yet remember, that in all of this, Ruth does not really have a choice. If she wants to survive, she has to marry whichever family redeemer is willing to do so. It’s works out well that it is a kind and loving man like Boaz. 

Blessings aren’t really blessings if they come with strings or if received with no way out. Sometimes we label things blessings that aren’t so much a blessing. I remember years ago when someone I know got in a car accident and doctors found a heart issue as a result of the scans in the hospital. The heart issue could have killed him. His aunt said boldly to everyone, “This accident turned out to be a huge blessing because they found his heart issue and saved him.” But he was also paralyzed from the waist down, so I’m not sure he would call it that much of a blessing. Blessings, like the love of Jesus are not earned, not bartered, not a repayment, and do not come with a heavy cost. It’s something that brings joy or comfort simply from the love of the person blessing us. 

How, then, can we be a blessing to others? Well, thankfully, Jesus preached a whole sermon on it, on a mount. To be a blessing in this world, we should lift up the poor in spirit, comfort those who mourn, reward the humble, help  those who work for what is just and right, show mercy, live in faith and love with the pure of heart, work for peace, and stand with the persecuted. We should refrain from persecuting, mocking, and slighting those who follow God while still holding one another accountable for living wrongly instead of for God. 

I think sometimes we read the Sermon on the Mount from too much of a distance. We read that “God blesses…” or in the olden terms, “blessed are the poor in spirt,” and so on. When we read this, we think God is going to sprinkle down the blessings like those little snow flurries I watched yesterday afternoon. Perhaps, though, we shouldn’t be so removed from this sermon of Jesus. When the text says, God blesses, it is often through us, the followers of Jesus, that those blessings come. Blessed are they who mourn. When someone is hurting and struggling, we bring a casserole and a visit. That is God blessing the mournful. 

When we talk about our own faith and overcoming trials we show how the kingdom of God wins out to those who are poor in spirit or feel persecuted. When we forgive someone who wronged us, we show mercy. When we say no to those who would do what is wrong, we stand for justice. When we speak words of calm and gentleness we create peace. In all of this, God blesses through us. We begin with our faith in Jesus, who loves us, but if that was all we had to do, it would be a pamphlet, not a Bible. God blesses both in the miraculous and in the ordinary. And in the ordinary, we show up to love, to heal, to forgive, and to be a blessing, just like Jesus, casserole and cake in hand. 

Years ago, this was understood. In 1909, Ira Wilson wrote a hymn about being a blessing. The chorus says this, “Make me a blessing, oh, make me a blessing. Out of my life may Jesus shine; make me a blessing, O Savior, I pray. Make me a blessing to someone today.” That hymn is just as important today as it was in 1909. Who needs us to be a blessing in this life, and in turn, who do we need to be a blessing to us? 

Ruth was an unexpected blessing. Naomi expected a burden, hoping Ruth would go home to her family. Bethlehem expected just another Moabite, whom they were sick of and wanted to go away. Boaz expected one more impoverished beggar gleaning from the fields. But Ruth defied all of their expectations. She became a blessing to Naomi by becoming the way the family land could be redeemed. She became a blessing to Boaz by giving him the family he had likely given up on. And she became a blessing to the people of Bethlehem by showing what it meant to be faithful and how God could work through an unexpected person. 

In life we may be blessed or we may be blessed out. At times we may be subjected to both. But as followers of Jesus, we are called to be a blessing in life just like Ruth was to Boaz, Naomi, and Bethlehem. May we live in humble ways that bless those around us who are in need. And may we also experience abundant blessings from the One who loves us, redeems us, and sustains us in life. 

Worship Service Video https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/1392708902344821/

“Ruth: Kindness for Kindness Sake?"

“Ruth: Kindness for Kindness Sake?" Ruth 2: 1-13; Matthew 4: 12-17, 23

A few years ago, a friend of mine who is a teacher, asked her middle school class who their role models were. And the results of this were…terrifying. She recounted how they said rappers, social media influencers, disgraced felonious athletes, and even the Kardashians. She literally put her head in her hands and said, “Not one role model mentioned was what I hoped for. Not MLK, not a president, or doctor, a Ghandi, or person who made some great change in the world. Kardashians. Cardi B., and Diddy. Geez, these poor kids.” 

Indeed, with social media, television, and constant communication and contact, American youth don't hear about great trail blazers, those who stood for civil rights, justice, ending oppression, leading the faithful to make great changes for those in need, and kindness simply for the sake of kindness. No one in her class even said a Biblical figure, and both of us would have thought Jesus would make at least one of the 25 students’ list. Who we look up to often defines how we are and our own character. 

When it comes to role models, we must choose wisely because we tend to emulate them. Musicians often do this. They find a person with a style they like and try to play similarly. It is said that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. In our continuing series on Ruth, we see two such people who would make great role models: Ruth and Boaz. 

e already established that Ruth is a loving and faithful person. She willingly gave up returning to a life of ease in Moab to go to Bethlehem with Naomi to care for and provide for her in Naomi’s older age. The problem for Ruth and Naomi is that they have no way of owning their land or providing for themselves. In this ancient society, all power and rights were vested with men, so widows and single women lost all ability to be working and contributing members of society. Women were defined by their relationship to their husband.  

Naomi and Ruth had very scant options for supporting themselves without a marriage. One was illegal, and the other two were begging and gleaning from the harvest behind the workers. Begging was greatly frowned upon. But it was custom for the workers to leave behind some grains for the poor in society and for the foreign resident. The commentary uses the phrase “resident alien.” Yet we also hear that there is danger in this—the workers could have been rough with Ruth. Treated her unkindly or even assaulted her. She was risking her own self to provide for Naomi out of love and devotion. 

Boaz, to his credit, is also a person worthy of being a role model. He comes out to the fields and sees Ruth. I think it is safe to say that he fell in love at first sight. Boaz goes out of his way to make Ruth’s life easier. She is allowed to glean as much as she wants. He tells the workers to treat her kindly. He allows her to drink from the well, which might not have gone over well. And he gives her tips on when and how to pick the wheat and barley. 

Just like Ruth was not obligated to care for Naomi, Boaz was not obligated to be this extraordinarily kind to Ruth. He’s heard of how kindness to Naomi. Boaz is somehow connected to Elimelech. It is not fully clear how. He could be a close friend in the same trial group, or he could be blood related. The story is not entirely clear what degree of closeness he has. What is clear, is that he was not close enough that he owed any obligation to Naomi or Ruth. Every single act of kindness and generosity he showed them was out of his own abundance of kindness, not because law or custom required it. 

Ruth even questions the motives that Boaz has. She asks him, “What have I done to deserve such kindness?” Boaz tells her that it is now well known the kindness she showed Naomi—how she gave up the easy life to live as a widow in hardship, in a country and people who were very prejudiced against her. It is clear that Ruth has already experienced some of the cruelty that follows this. She doesn’t just say thank you. Her words are, “You have comforted me by speaking so kindly to me, even though I am not one of your workers.” Her expectation was cruelty, but in Boaz, she was met with kindness. 

Boaz has a sense of maturity, though. He is older than Ruth. The commentaries indicate that based on his speech patterns and calling her “daughter,” that it would have been noticeable that he was older than her. He is probably closer to being Naomi’s contemporary. He is also influential. So, for him to show this kindness shows both his wisdom and willingness to go counter to the prevailing prejudices of the day against the Moabites. He was kind to her literally for the sake of being kind, and because he believed it to be the right thing to do. 

When it comes to role models, we also have a very clear directive in following Jesus. Just like Ruth followed God when God called her out of her home and idols, we are called to follow Jesus, our Savior and our role model. Matthew 4 tells us that Jesus went around doing three things: he preached that people should repent of their wrongs, he taught and spoke the Good News, and he healed people of their suffering. 

Jesus is the perfect role model for us. Following Jesus helps us practice forgiveness and teach it to others. Following Jesus helps us to teach good news in a world wearied by misery and general worry. Following Jesus encourages us to act in ways that heal those around us instead of continuing in strife and pain. Sometimes we have no idea how much a kind word, a loving prayer, or a little bit of food can truly show Jesus to another person. People see and experience Jesus in and through us. It breaks my heart these days, when politics and faith have become so toxically intermingled, to hear people run from or fear faith because the Christians have been so un-Christlike. 

Ruth did not have to be kind to Naomi. She could have taken the easy road out. Boaz did not have to be kind to Ruth. He could have told the Moabite women to get out of his fields because only Jews would glean the grain there. Jesus did not have to go to a cross. God could have just rolled the eyes and wiped earth off the universe. But in each of these people and these lessons, we see kindness shown for no other reason than for the sake of kindness and because God was working in and through these people. 

The Ruth story leaves us with a demanding question. Who in our world, like Naomi and Ruth, have no choice but to live on the scraps left over when those in control of all the basic resources of life have taken everything they want? In a world where we are not obligated to be kind and generous, who needs us to show kindness for the sake of kindness just like Ruth did and Boaz did. Who needs to see Jesus in us? And especially, who needs to see Jesus in us because every other time someone came in the name of Jesus, it hurt them? 

Friends, the story of Ruth and Boaz is a story that calls us to be role models. In a world filled with Kardashians, ridiculous celebrities, social media sycophants, and all manner of insanity, how refreshing would it be for others to simply see Jesus living in and through us?  We may not have a million followers on Instagram, but we can be the best role models of faith that Jesus calls us to be. 

Worship Service Video https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/3389550387876461/

What Is Devotion

What Is Devotion—Ruth 1; John 1: 38-42

There are times when we feel like a bit of a failure. As it is Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend, I want to tell you a story about when he had a failure, but learned from it. In November of 1961, Dr. King came to Albany, Georgia, for the Albany Movement aimed at desegregating the schools in southwest Georgia and pushing for voting rights. But there was a problem with this protest. Dr. King encountered an African American community fractured and unsure of how to proceed. Some wanted his leadership, and others were wary of it. Ultimately, the power structure there were savvy enough to respond in ways that seemed like capitulation but never actually budged. In the end, nothing was gained, and the movement mostly fizzled out. It was a hard defeat for Dr. King, who had thus far found great success. The movement in Albany was deemed a complete failure. 

But Dr. King looked at it as a learning opportunity. He had the choice to walk away and leave this movement for justice behind. Instead, he found even greater devotion, perspective, and insight in how to move forward in finding equality in systems that were unjust. Part of that power in his work was his devotion, or faithfulness to his work. 

As Christians we can learn a lesson from this faithfulness and devotion. We see how these play out fully in the story of Ruth and Naomi. Bethlehem was experiencing a severe famine when Elimelech and Naomi decided to leave for Moab. This was instantly a bad decision. It is implied this was an act of faithlessness and disobedience. Moab and Israel were not on good terms. Moab was seen as a place of death and destruction. The appearance of plenty was alluring and enticing, but ultimately, this was a not a place where God wanted them to be, nor would they thrive. They pay a heavy price. Their first disobedience is in leaving Bethlehem. The second disobedience is marrying Moabite women, which was forbidden by the priests and religious leaders of the Israelites. 

Death is the price they pay. There is some irony in their naming. Elimelech means, “My God is king,” yet he ignored God and did what he wanted. Mahlon can be translated to an Egyptian word for “disease,” and Chilion comes from the root word for “perish.” Sometimes the signs are there, and we just don’t pay attention. Naomi, who is born into the faith and lived it her whole life ends up blaming God and calling herself “bitter.” She is solid proof that you cannot choose the opposite of what God wants you to do, then be mad at God when things go wrong. My heart aches for Naomi and her suffering. I cannot imagine what this woman has endured. But at the same time, it cannot be denied that the family is paying for doing what was wrong. 

Ruth, however, gives a very different picture to Naomi. Ruth devotes herself to Naomi and to God, Yahweh, not the gods of the Moabites. Ruth is a powerful portrait of someone who devotes herself to God, and lives in a faithful way without any expectation of a return whatsoever. There is no legal requirement for her to stay with Naomi. There is no custom that would demand it. Ruth stays with Naomi because she sees a broken, older woman who was kind to her and needs her. There is nothing in here that criticizes Orpah for turning back. She also did the right thing. But Ruth made the faithful choice. Naomi and this move had nothing to offer Ruth, yet she was devoted without question. 

Her statement to Naomi is one of the most powerful in the Hebrew Testament: “Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.” Let me change the context for you on this a bit. Naomi did not want Ruth to come. Israel was still experiencing strong anti-foreigner feelings, and Moabites were especially hated in Israel. Naomi didn’t exactly want to go strolling back into Bethlehem with a Moabite. And, truthfully, she probably saw Ruth as a burden, since there was no husband, no real family, and no way to provide. The original Hebrew is far more indignant and pointed than the English translation. It’s likely this was an argument, not a statement of faith. The women soon learn, however, how much they truly need each other. 

Naomi may have practiced the faith for a very long time, but it is Ruth who is truly faithful. She sacrificed the life she could have gone back to in Moab for a life of widowhood and hardship in Bethlehem. She would have faced poverty, struggle, and constant prejudice. Yet she saw the value and being devoted to God and caring for Naomi, whether Naomi realized her need or not. In her own faithfulness, Ruth reflected God’s faithfulness to Naomi. The whole story of Ruth is of a God who is a redeemer and deliverer. Naomi allowed herself to be swallowed up by the bitterness she felt, and she forgot what God can do. I don’t want to detract from her grief. I’m sure the sadness and grief she felt was overwhelming. But never does God leave us completely broken with no hope to go on. 

The Gospel lesson asks a similar question to the story of Ruth 1. Why do we follow Jesus? Why did Ruth go with Naomi? Jesus calls some of his disciples in this John passage. They seem to immediately recognize Jesus’s power and who he is as the Messiah, and Jesus changes Peter’s whole identity. Simon means “listening,” which I think we can agree was not an apt description of Peter. Cephas means “the rock.” And indeed, Peter became the rock of the early church. But we see this in Ruth too. She left her identity as a Moabite. She left her family, her Gods, the much more comfortable life she could have had. Something within told her that following God and her devotion to Naomi was more powerful and important.

So why do we follow Jesus? What keeps us faithful and devoted when life is cruel and filled with struggle? The disciples stayed devoted through hatred, abuse, and even death. Ruth stayed devoted despite fear, uncertainty, and racism against her from the land she chose as home, Judea. So, for us, why do we follow Jesus? I’ll give you a personal story. After the bar exam, I had to wait 3 months to find out if I had passed and become a lawyer. The day the scores came out, I was filled with panic, literal shaking. I think I called Mom 500 times in one morning. I decided to add coffee to that mix, because…why not? Apparently, the baristas at the coffee shop were writing messages on the coffee that day. I turned my cup around to see, “Don’t worry!” written on it. Ten minutes later, I knew I had passed the exam. 

Devotion means we have invested ourselves in this calling from the One who created and redeemed us, and loves us throughout all of life, and beyond life here. Devotion means we have traded worry and defeat for understanding and knowing that God will sustain us in all and through all even into the hope of eternal life. 

Dr. King went to Albany, Georgia, believing that he would change everything about that city. In the end, after months of work and slow going, the movement was an utter failure in the fight for civil rights. At that moment he had a choice. He could have returned home to his church, given up, and left the struggle and pain far, far behind. But he was devoted to this mission for justice and equality in a system that was filled with anger and unfairness. For him, this was his calling from God, to seek justice, to teach what mercy looks like, and to do it all without violence and bitterness. Following Jesus is more than just a part-time gig. It’s more than just a feel-good moment. It’s commitment, devotion, and faithfulness within us throughout all of our lives here. Just as Ruth, Peter and Dr. King pondered this same question, I ask all of us this morning, so why do we follow Jesus?

Worship Service Video  https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/1207674824859092/

Some Things Are a Mystery

Some Things Are a Mystery: Psalm 29; Matthew 3: 13-17

In the late 1980s through the 90s nothing was as terrifying as the show Unsolved Mysteries. A friend of mine said that this show single-handedly convinced him that he would either be kidnapped by unknown mobsters or taken by aliens at some point in his life. Indeed, we often worry about things we can’t answer or explain. Years ago, I played for a small United Methodist church. One night while practicing, I heard footsteps walking up the aisle. At the organ, your back is to the sanctuary. After finding out that there was an older member, now long dead, who used to walk the aisles around the pews at night, I never, NEVER, practiced at night again. Some things in life are just a mystery. 

We always seem to connect mystery, though, with something bad and sinister. There are also good mysteries. When you see someone after a long absence, you get very happy and emotional. I don’t know how that works in the body and mind, but it’s a beautiful mystery to experience. In many churches, they believe that God is present in the bread and cup and call it the mystery of faith: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. We don’t exactly know how or when, but it’s a beautiful and holy mystery. 

Baptism is also one of those beautiful mysteries. It’s impossible to explain what the change is in a person’s life when they plunge into the water and come up from it, but in every baptism I’ve been to, I have seen that unexplainable change. Even more mysterious in our scripture is the fact that Jesus was baptized. Remember though that it’s two different symbolic acts. When we are baptized, it is proclaiming a faith and desire to follow Jesus as the holy one, redeemer and sustainer. John the Baptist merely baptized people to symbolically cleanse them of wrongdoing or sin. There was nothing holy or mysterious. It was merely a ritual or symbol. 

For Jesus, though, it was something infinitely different. Jesus comes to the Jordan River to be baptized of John, not because he needed to wash away his sins. When John baptizes Jesus, a mystery happens, something unexplainable: the heavens open and the Spirit of God, like a dove, descends upon Jesus. Then a voice from heaven says, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” This was far more than just a symbolic moment in the river. It was a holy mystery played out in front of everyone gathered including John the Baptist himself. 

In this moment, the sovereignty of Jesus was established for all to see and hear. It was a definitive moment saying that Jesus was not just a prophet, not just a teacher, not just another human given the wisdom of God. Jesus was the Son of God. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. It is clear I this whole story that, though John the Baptist had his ministry here, Jesus was in charge throughout this whole event. But it extends to us as well. When we are baptized, we proclaim to the world that we are also children of God…not just followers, not just putting away what we’ve done wrong before, but fully and completely a part of God’s family. That is both the mystery and beauty of baptism. We become a part of God’s own family.  

It’s hard to remember my own baptism. I was only 5 or 6 years old. But I do remember that big, bright green hot tub at the front of the church they used for baptisms. And I remember there were three baptized that October night from the youth at the church. But what I’ve not lost is that feeling that this changed how people understood me and my relationship to God, that now I claimed a closeness to God and declared that to the world. 

But it’s not always an easy walk after the baptism is it? We think we’ve reached a place of righteousness, but the mysteries of life continue. The things we don’t know and don’t understand are still there, and in some instances multiply. I think of my Nanna, at 89, saying, “I don’t understand the world I live in anymore, and I’m not all that sure I like it.” One scholar writes that righteousness is doing the revealed word of God. Hint…revealed. We don’t know everything, and we don’t understand everything; however, God will reveal what we need to know to live as faithful people on this earth. 

The Psalm echoes this same theme of God’s sovereignty. It talks about the kingdom, the power, and the glory of God. All of that is found in Christ, our redeemer and sustainer. The purpose of creation is to glorify God. I think sometimes we wrongly think that creation is meant for us, like our own little gift of planet Earth. We need to remember, though, that there is far more, infinitely more out there than just Earth. We are also created by God. We may be children of God, but we are not gods. All of creation, including us, are meant to glorify God. 

And while we are smart beings, we don’t know everything. Science and technology have revealed so much over the years to us. Medicine has healed diseases. Technology has given us interconnectedness, and science has made earth a better place. I am a big fan of humans using the brain God gave them to engage in science, arts, and medicine to make this a better place. But at times we need faith too, in order to help us through the less grounded places of life…the mysteries, the uncertain, the times of grief, the times when we need more than just a fact or lesson. Faith bridges that gap. 

We must also remember to live in our place in the world. We are neither God nor godless. We are creation, but made in God’s image, and called children of God. Sometimes, we get a bit out of role. We want to do things our way instead of waiting for the revealed will of God. Sometimes we get too antsy with God. God calls us to follow Jesus, to speak and live in truth, in justice, mercy, and humility, and to love others even as we are loved by God. Nowhere there are we charged with fixing people. It is God alone who fixes people, who saves, heals, and redeems them from where they fall short in life. 

John the Baptist only worked to make people aware of their wrongdoings. Then they symbolically washed themselves of that old behavior. There was nothing about this that saved them, transformed them, or gave them the Spirit of God. It was Jesus who could do that. But remember that John also did not become a disciple of Jesus. He never left his ministry and the calling God had given him. He stayed, speaking prophetically, and baptizing till his life was taken from him by Herod Antipas. 

We, too, have a calling to stay the course of following Jesus: to speak truth in this world, to seek justice, to offer mercy, and to walk humbly with God in the love of our fellow humans. How, exactly, we do this, I’m not too sure. But I trust in my relationship with God, that God will reveal to me how to be a minister and blessing to others in this life who need it most. 

Mysteries sometimes make us uncomfortable. Every time I saw Robert Stack come on to share the unexplainable and bizarre, I got a nervous knot in my stomach, and so did many other kids who probably shouldn’t have been watching Unsolved Mysteries, but did anyway. We give glory and praise, though, that in this life, we can rely on the guidance of God, creator of all, and in whom we find our wisdom and direction. So let us be thankful for a God who is in charge of all of life, all of our hope, all of our hearts and minds, and yes, God is even in charge of life’s greatest mysteries. 

Worship Service Video https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/1266735235279285/

The Fear of Herod, Pt. 2

Isaiah 63: 7-9; Matt. 2: 13-23

Last week we talked about King Herod and his fear of losing power. His desire for power and control led him to kill opponents including his own family. He was ruthless in how he handled and managed Judea. But he kept a balance of power with the religious authorities making sure their power over the people flowed from his own power, so, together, they could all maintain their positions in society and their power. 

Today we read a Gospel lesson that often doesn’t get spoken of in churches. It’s dark, difficult, and painful for us to hear. But it is also important because all throughout history we have dealt with Herods in power. We need to understand that, despite the fear they can bring to the populace, God’s power and wisdom are greater than any human ruler. It is also often omitted because historians don’t really record this event. One of the most prominent historians, Josephus, does not mention Herod killing all the children of Bethlehem. Yet, there is a consensus that such an act would have been well within the character and behavior of Herod, who had little regard for life. 

We read in today’s Gospel of a power-hungry king ordering all male children under 18 months in Bethlehem to be put to death to make sure this new-born king would never challenge Herod’s throne. But Jesus is saved from this evil because Joseph is warned in a dream to flee from Bethlehem to Egypt. They remained there for roughly 2 to 3 years as refugees fleeing Herod’s wickedness. After Herod died in 4 BC, the family was told it was safe to return. But they still could not return to Bethlehem, where they had planned to live, because of Herod’s son. They end up in Nazareth of Galilee on the far outskirts of the kingdom. It was often called Galilee of the Gentiles because of the strong influence of multiple cultures on this outer portion of Judea. In many ways they were living in exile, far away from where they had hoped to build a life. 

There are several tremendously difficult things in the Matthew 2 Gospel. First, why did Herod have to be so cruel and evil? Second, why was only Jesus saved, and God allow the other male children to die? Third, didn’t the star and the Magi cause this? How would Herod ever have known if they hadn’t gone to his palace…following the star? There are no easy answers to this. Historically, some have suggested there were thousands of deaths of innocents that night. But there weren’t that many people in Bethlehem, let alone young children. More than likely, a maximum number of deaths would be around 20, which is still unfathomable to us as modern readers. 

This is, though, not a miracle story, but a confession story. It tells of God at work to save salvation. In much the same way there were no righteous people in Sodom and Gomorroah for God to save, there was little here to be done without wiping out everything. Between the religious leaders, Herod, Pilate, Rome, and the whole hierarchy, the oppression was too interwoven and layered for much to be done without God wiping the Roman Empire off the map. And to be fair, humanity bears responsibility for living in ways that are not evil. In a very pointed way, we sometimes ask why God let such bad things occur, and perhaps the question is why did we do them in the first place or look the other way when evil has its way? 

We have to learn that the response to evil is not to return evil, but to turn the other cheek and overcome evil with prayer and faith. Turn the other cheek doesn’t just apply to someone being difficult to us. Jesus also meant it for the big and overwhelming enemies as well as the generally obnoxious people in life. Stand firm in truth and justice, but don’t become the very evil we fight against. There is a verse on this: Romans 12:21, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” 

And yet there is a deeper lesson for us in modern society. We read this scripture and our hearts break at the idea of these little children being killed by a cruel king drunk on the desire for his own power. But there are children in our own world suffering and hurting. Sometimes it’s hard to see the suffering around us, just like it’s hard to hear this story of Herod’s evil. In the October 2023 Hamas attacks, over 30 Jewish children were killed. In return, the war raging in Gaza has killed thousands of Palestinian children. Hundreds of children have died in the war in Ukraine. Over 2,000 United States children died from gun violence in 2023, and also in the US, almost 10,000 infants die of malnutrition each year, in the richest country, in the history of the world. Let that sink in for a moment. 

It is hard for us to comprehend suffering like this in our world. But when ruthlessness clings to power and greed overshadows faith, the ones who suffer are the most vulnerable and the most innocent. I think of my own grandmother as a small child in World War II, home alone at night, because her single mother worked at the factories. Nanna had to get herself to the bomb shelters when German airplanes came to bomb everything in sight. The ones who start wars never really suffer; it is the ones who are innocent who suffer. 

But in this place of despair and darkness, we are reminded of words of hope. Isaiah tells us of God’s compassion, “In all their suffering [God] also suffered and…personally rescued them. In…love and mercy [God] redeemed them. [God] lifted them up and carried them through all the years.” Even in the nightmare of Herod’s cruelty, God was at work because Jesus had come to offer redemption and save a suffering world. That evil is so prevalent shows how much more we need to follow Jesus, and I don’t mean the Jesus that we want him to be, I mean the Jesus that he is. 

To embrace Jesus in faith and in commitment means to live in the same love and mercy that Jesus gives to us. Those who say they love Jesus should also love mercy, live justly, and walk humbly with God not seeking the way of Herod, not seeking fame, fortune, and power, but seeking the grace and guidance of God in every single thing that they do, and praying fervently that God grant them the wisdom to do what is right. 

We can also choose to make peace, make mercy, and make a place of faith in the midst of struggle in our world. This week, folks at work were very excited to join in and be a part of the Buddhist monks walking for peace. The 24 monks have started walking from Texas to Washington, D.C., a total of 2,300 miles, to teach about and raise awareness of peace, loving kindness, and compassion across the United States and the world. It was a beautiful moment of hundreds of people coming out to celebrate the work and journey of these monks. 

I pray that can inspire us as followers of Jesus. Where we see suffering, struggle, and hurt at work in our world, where the Herods of life cause us fear and stress, may we gather ourselves up, set our sights on our Prince of Peace and redeemer, Jesus, and set a course to live justly, right wrongs, and live faithfully in this world. In following Jesus, we follow a Savior who is skilled at creating beauty out of ugliness: healing to the suffering, comfort to the broken, grace to the guilty, and resurrection out of a murderous cross. You cannot fight evil with evil, it must be swallowed up in prayer and the grace of God. So let us pray, and let us live in that grace.  

Worship Service Video https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/1398677045050094/

The Fear of Herod, Pt. 1

The Fear of Herod, Pt. 1: Isaiah 60: 1-6; Matthew 2: 1-12

In every recorded story, there is a villain.  There is no Sleeping Beauty without Maleficent. There is no Snow White without the evil witch. There is no Gone with the Wind without everybody in the movie being a bit villainous at some point. In Adam and Eve, we have a deceitful snake. In Samson, we have Delilah. Whether a story is a true account of history or a fictional fantasy, there will be a villain.  in the story of the Magi, that person is Herod the Great, or King Herod I, who ruled in Judea from around 37BC to 4BC.

It occurred to me that in 14 years of preaching on the Magi, that we’ve never discussed Herod before. So, it is time to give the cruel king his due. Herod was of Arabic heritage from a group who had converted to Judaism. He was appointed as king by the Roman senate at a time when power of Judea went back and forth between competing families. Herod was able to solidify his power and control over the region and began his reign. He ruled Jerusalem for almost 30 years, and his time as ruler was marked by great building projects, high taxes, constant resentment, and tyrannical cruelty. 

For Herod, despite being a practicing Jew, the sole thing he worshipped was power, and absolute power over his small kingdom given by Rome. His desire for power led him to murder anyone who could be a challenge to his authority. This included a high priest from a rival family, anyone associated with other royal families, and his own sons. Herod was the embodiment of the old saying, “Power corrupts and absolutely power corrupts absolutely.” 

In the gospel of Matthew, we see an aged Herod still clinging to power. This would have occurred in the last years of his reign, shortly before his death. The Magi come to the palace, because that is where one expects to find a king. Their revelation of a new king and Messiah deeply upsets the power-hungry Herod. It also concerned the power structure in Jerusalem. Though the people did not like Herod and deeply resented his kingship, they knew how to manage him. And he generally left the local Temple leaders in charge of the religious and social affairs. They were able to cling to power so long as Herod was clinging to power. Any change to this challenged their power as well. 

The leading priests tell Herod of this prophesy that a Messiah would be born in Bethlehem of Judah. Now as someone who claimed to believe in Judaism and who called himself religious, Herod had a choice. He could embrace the Messiah, who was the foretold deliverer of the people, or continue to worship power. He chose power. He tries to convince the Magi that he wants to come and worship the newborn baby also, but it’s simply a ploy. 

Herod wants to destroy this Messiah child, just like he destroyed threats to his power, just like he killed his own children. Herod was a man consumed by his own desire for control and being king. And anything that stood in the way, whether military, political, or the holy would be eliminated. He could manipulate the present religious leaders however he wanted, but something new and powerful was a threat to him and his hold on power. 

I am also certain the gifts the Magi brought, or at least two of them, concerned Herod as well. Frankincense, to honor the holiness of Jesus, would not have been too concerning. There were many pop-up religions and sects of the faith in those days. But the gold was a real concern. That was meant to honor a king. Some wild, new prophet was of little concern. But a child being honored as king was a political threat. And King Herod tolerated no threats to what he had built in Judea. 

Jesus was born to save us from the Herods of life. It is in Jesus we find the our shining light casting out the darkness. The Isaiah prophecy tells of Jerusalem arising in splendor and letting their light shine for all the world to see. The scripture foretells of a Messiah who would bring the light of God’s presence into our lives. Isaiah tells of people coming from Sheba, which is the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula. These people would bring gold and frankincense. It was a preview, if you will, of the coming Magi who would bring their gifts to the infant Jesus. But before one gets to the light, you have to journey through the darkness. 

Herod was that journey through the darkness. His desire for power and his bottomless wickedness to achieve it made him a true villain. He tried his best to con the Magi into disclosing where Jesus was in order to eliminate one more threat to his absolute power in Judea. Though he would not reign much longer, Herod made sure there was no challenge to his rule in Judea. His cruel power empowered the religious authorities as well, and is the same kind of lust for power that led him to crush enemies and the religious authorities to demand the death of Jesus. God’s will and human lust for power cannot co-exist in the same place. 

Where we struggle in our modern day is when we find a little Herod in us where the light of Christ is supposed to be. It is easy for us to fall into this pattern. A year or two ago, I recognized it in myself. I was in a meeting for work, and someone with less experience than me said, “Oh I can handle that.” And before I could stop my inner irritation coming out, I replied, “I will handle that. That is my job, not yours.” Truth was I could have used the help, but also, I didn’t want to run the risk of being sidelined. 

We have to be careful where our own human faults well up and overtake the light of Christ within. For Herod, it was a desire for power and his kingship over the people. For the religious authorities, it was a desire to control the comings and goings, and the greed and power associated with being the religious ruling class. Our own day sees no shortage of people who value themselves and power over God’s calling or following in the way that Jesus taught us. 

Had Herod truly understood the prophecies and work of Jesus, he would have known that Jesus was not a threat to his reign and rule. Jesus came to offer Herod grace and redemption just as much as anyone else. But Herod clung to the darkness and rejected any hope of what could save him from his wicked ways. I heard a pastor friend once say, “Whatever we love the most, that is what we worship.” As followers of Jesus, we should love God the most, not ourselves, not our power, not our position. We must love God. 

In Jesus we see the light of love, of grace to those who have lost their way, or even those who willfully choose a wrong way. The love of power led Herod down a bad a murderous road throughout his entire life and his reign in Judea. His misplaced loyalties created in him a villain who never in his life found redemption. Herod’s fear of losing what he had fought for and conquered led him to act cruelly here and throughout his entire life. 

But Jesus offers a kingdom with no villains because his kingdom is not built from a mighty, conquering army, killing enemies, or consolidating power. His kingdom is built on redemption, grace, and finding peace. The Magi sought this kingdom, this king, the one who was born to set people free from their darkness and to give life and the light of salvation. In God’s kingdom, there are no villains, there is only redeeming grace. 

Worship Service Video https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/1934941037425681/