ADVENT III: JOY

The Light that Speaks Anew: Isaiah 64: 1-9; Matthew 1: 18-25

            Every year growing up in Harlan, Kentucky, they had a small craft, artisan, music festival or expo called “Mountain Masters.” It always took place right after Thanksgiving. You could go and buy homemade soaps, hand-woven baskets, things carved from coal, hear singing…and enjoy all manner of Appalachian-made goods. One of my favorites was the people who made pottery. It always seemed like so much fun to craft something out of a lump of what looked like mud and let one’s creativity run wild. 

            I decided once several years ago to try pottery and see how I liked it. I had failed at painting classes and photography, so this had to work, right? I was wrong. It was a colossal fail. Right as I made this beautiful something it fell apart and blobbed down into the floor. The pottery teacher shook his head and said, “You have no patience. You have to be ready to wait for something good.” 

            Every year at Advent I think on that lesson. Christmas is a fun and exciting time, but we can’t just jump right into the Christmas celebration. We have to live in that time of waiting and patiently looking for Christ. Advent reminds us that we must learn to wait, to learn patience with God’s plan in and for us and our world. Waiting and patience, though, are hard for us. I read an article that said, “Never pray for patience unless you want it tested.” They added that praying for patience was like putting a “kick me” sign on your back. 

            And yet, Advent is specifically about waiting for God’s plan to be enacted, and it reminds us to wait patiently for Jesus’s return in glory, or as Isaiah puts it, “Oh that you would burst from the heavens and come down!” I think 2020 has tested all of our collective ability to wait for Jesus to come back. I’m sure we’ve all had our moments of shouting to the sky, “Any moment now!” But waiting is important because it gives God’s plan time to work, and grow, and create a miracle. 

            Joseph had to play a tough waiting game. I am sure he was eager to marry Mary, his fiancé. There was excitement, hope, and thoughts of the future. Something derailed that plan, though. Mary was pregnant. We can assume from the scripture here that Joseph did not believe the whole story Mary told. The law provided that Joseph could publicly expose, humiliate, and destroy her. Joseph, though, was merciful and compassionate. He decided instead to quietly break the engagement and spare her the scorn. But God came in a dream to Joseph and told him to wait. 

            Joseph had to wait on his rash actions of putting her away. He had to wait on the marriage. He had to wait on intimacy with his wife. God’s plan had Joseph in a waiting pattern. It is never easy to wait for God to mold and make something new. So, the question becomes to us, then, how do we wait? 

            This is one of those few areas where the Bible isn’t particularly helpful in the how. We are told to do it, but not how to do it. A few verses are a bit more helpful than others. Psalm 27:14 says, “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage, wait for the Lord.” Psalm 37:7 adds to that we should be still and not fret. Psalm 62:5 says to wait in silence within your soul. And the New Testament usually couches the idea of waiting and patience in terms of endurance and growth. There are a few snippets of advice, but nothing concrete. Those snippets say: silence, stillness, and courage. 

            We see Joseph willing to wait in patience after he hears God’s word speaking. Just like us waiting for Christ’s return, Joseph had to wait for that first coming before he could truly take Mary as his wife. Like her, he had to wait through the funny looks, the whispered concerns, and their society’s coldness. 

Jesus also gives the example of these three things: silence, stillness, and courage. He faced the cross in silence, never defending or arguing with his accusers. Isaiah reminds us that as a sheep led away is silent, he “opened not his mouth.” He faced the cross with stillness not fighting, rising up, or having the angels snatch him from the suffering. The Gospels remind us that he told Peter to lay down his sword. And he faced the cross, for us, with courage. Though he had a moment of overwhelming fear and dread in the garden, ultimately, Christ bore the cross with unmatchable strength and courage. 

            Christ’s example of waiting and doing is important because we see the coming power of Christ even in Joseph’s dream. The angels said to him, “You are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Jesus, or in Hebrew, Yeshua, was a fairly common name in Jesus’s day. It is translated as “to deliver” or “to rescue.” In this case, it is loosely translated as “God’s salvation.” In the very name of Jesus, we see the power, the work, and the hope we are waiting for: God’s salvation, when God would deliver us from the power and the pain of sin and call us God’s very own—the children of God. 

            Isaiah speaks to this miraculous work. Verse 5 says, “We are constant sinners; how can people like us be saved?” But Isaiah goes on to say we are the clay and God is the potter who forms us with the very power in God’s hand. That light of God’s molding and refining will work anew in us. Yes, God will shine a renewed light form us even in a pandemic. Yes, God will shine a renewed light from us even when we are blue at the holidays. Yes, God will shine a renewed light from us even when irritatingly dumb political ads infest our televisions, computers, and newspapers. Yes, God’s light shines anew in us, but we must start at the beginning—Advent—waiting for Christ to come and bring that light to us. 

            Maybe Advent reminds me a little of our family’s Christmas fruitcakes. You see they, too, require waiting. The cake is baked in November, around Thanksgiving, then wrapped and soaked with apple juice, [cough, cough—or brandy—cough, cough] until Christmas when it’s ready to eat. If you jump to the end process, you will have a dry and nasty cake that is practically inedible. Likewise, if you take up pottery making and don’t take the time to refine and sculpt your creation well, you will end up with a lump of junk. 

            A Christian who does not embrace waiting for Christ to come and work will either jump into a mess or be swallowed up by the darkness around us. Be still and know God. Be silent and let God’s Word be the meditation of your heart. Take heart and take courage, for Christ is still at work, and God is still the potter who molds and makes us stronger and more attuned to God’s will every day. So wait for the Lord, be strong, and let your heart take courage, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.  

Worship Video:  https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/812738219289518

Advent II: Peace

The Light Shines from Us: Psalm 89: 1-4, 19-26; Luke 1: 26-38

            Every single year just before Christmas, without fail, I walk up into this pulpit, and from Luke 1, I preach on the virtues of a poverty-level, unwed, teenage mother. Let’s not kid ourselves or sugarcoat what the scripture is saying here. Mary was likely a teenager—about fifteen or sixteen years old at the most—and she was engaged, not married, to Joseph. And now, she is about to be “with child.” Yes, her baby is God’s holy son, the Savior of the world, but imagine what it felt like for her to step out in public at seven or eight months with child, young, mostly alone, scared, and vulnerable. 

We are told in Matthew 1:9 that Joseph, “being a righteous man and not wanting to [publicly] disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly.” He didn’t want to cause her public disgrace or make a public example of her supposed sin, even thought this was no sin at all. Imagine the looks, the stares, and the fear that she might be arrested, shamed, or even threatened with death. That fear and embarrassment was caught in her spirit alongside the resolve to follow and do as God had called her. Those two things together left her, I’m sure, vulnerable and worried about the darkness that could overwhelm her from those who didn’t know and refused to understand her calling from God. 

We all have our moments and days of feeling vulnerable of worrying about the indignities which we may not be able to escape. Someone might have lived and struggled as an unwed, teenage mother. Someone might struggle with poverty, addiction, or life’s other worst bad habits. Someone might deal day in and day out with depression, suicidal thoughts, hopelessness. Someone may struggle with perfection or the belief that perfection exists in our world. Someone might struggle with growing older and realizing you may need someone to handle your money, change a diaper, help you remember those things which seem to be fading faster and faster each day. As humans we all have a personal struggle with our vulnerabilities whether they are similar or different to one another. 

Elizabeth, Mary’s cousin, struggled with her own vulnerabilities and insecurities. She lived into her old age without having children. She was convinced this was an indictment of her as a woman, potential mother, and wife of the high priest, Zecheriah. And let’s not forget him, by any means. He challenged the angel Gabriel in the very Sanctuary of the Temple when told his elderly wife would have a child. He was silenced until the child was born because he doubted God’s word to him. Oh, and there’s David, from the Psalm we read, who is so highly praised: “My faithfulness and unfailing love will be with him and by my authority he will grow in power.” He’s hailed as king, conqueror, and mighty servant of the Lord. Yet he killed a man to steal his wife due to his ego and his lust. 

            None of us is immune from begin vulnerable or broken, from having our most ingrained fears and dread exposed like a raw nerve. We all will feel the same struggle that Mary likely endured. What will people think? Will my friends abandon me? Will my family still love and support me? Am I going to be terrified and embarrassed every time I’m in public? Will I be judged? The Bible doesn’t tell us what kind of suffering Mary endured. But I’m sure, at the very least, there were questions when she turned up pregnant, and the timing to her marriage was just a little off. 

            What do we do? I think the best example for us is in that last verse: “Mary responded, ‘I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.’” In that moment, she accepted it all: being the mother of the Holy Child, whatever good Jewish society might say and think, the pain of losing her child to the cross, knowing that even in the pain and pouring tears God still had a plan. Even though so much darkness and evil could come against her, she chose to let God work and let Christ’s holy light begin with and shine from her. 

            What about when we feel broken and vulnerable. How do we get that light shining in us again? It’s easy to read a story about Mary’s faith, but we still have to find our own faith and courage as well. There’s another reminder that is a bit more personal to us. In Matthew 1, where that Gospel announces the birth of Jesus, we are told the virgin will give birth to a son, and his name shall be called “Immanuel” which means, “God with us.” Think about that for a moment: Immanuel—God with us.

            Even as the darkness of life is around us, and we feel most vulnerable, we have this promise—God with us. A lady who had just lost her sister went to her pastor to find answers. As she became more and more upset over the pain in her life she cried out, “Why won’t God fix this for me, can’t God just take away my pain and be done with it!?” The pastor thought for a moment and said quietly, “In life we will have both amazing joy and unbearable pain. It is the nature of life that we enjoy or endure through both. We will experience both times of great strength and times of great vulnerability. The truth is God is with us in each of those times—both rejoicing with us and crying with us. For God is not like a pain medicine which leaves the dangerous wound and only takes away the pain; instead, God is the healer who heals and mends you even as you may still hurt. God may not spare you the pain, but he will heal you of the cause of that pain.” [1]

            Mary lived both of those truths. God worked a miracle in and through her, bringing salvation into the world through her obedience to God’s word. But Mary still had to live her life as a poor young lady. She lived in a rural, backwards town and was a young, unwed, teenage mother and lived all the scorn and stigmas from people who did not know better what God was doing. Zechariah was a holy priest, living the answered prayers of a son to be born in his and Elizabeth’s old age, but he still bore the months of silence which marked his disbelief in God. David was God’s anointed king, probably closer to God than almost any other king of Israel. And yet he, too, fell short in his life—mighty king, adulterer, and murderer all in one. Yet each and all of the people were still given God’s grace, God’s forgiveness, and still shined the light of God’s glory. 

            Christmas is an amazing time of year with joy, hope, celebration and all of the “merry” things. But there always seems to be a darkness, a pain, or a stifled tear lurking in the shadows of our souls from past troubles, burdens we bear, or worries to come. Remember that our God is a God who gives us endurance but not necessarily an easy road. God heals us, but we may still have to live with the pain as we heal. But in all of life, we never lose that grace-filled Christmas promise that whatever happens or wherever we go, we have this: Immanuel, God with us.  

[1] Thank you to Rev. Morris Wood for the inspiration that served as the basis for this story. 

Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/390811685533275

ADVENT I: HOPE

ADVENT I: Witness to the Light-- Isaiah 6: 1-4, 8-11; John 1: 6-8, 19-28

            Witnesses can be tricky. A few years ago, I was preparing a case for trial. I called the witnesses in to review what they had seen and heard. The first witness said she clearly remembered the bad guy. He was a tall white guy, over 6’, and slender, bald and clean shaven. I was thrilled with this clear description. The second witness came in and described the bad guy for me. He said the guy was olive-complected, maybe Hispanic, around 5’8”, chubby, and clean shaven with unkempt hair. I was confused. Had they seen the same thing? What was the problem here? I pulled up the bad guy’s picture and information. He was African American with a large beard. I learned a valuable lesson that day about witnesses. 

            God, we read, sent John the Baptist to be a witness to the coming light of Christ. But there are a few things we must remember and look at when it comes to being witnesses to the light of Christ. First, witnesses are tricky and unreliable. Second, as witnesses, we must proclaim God’s message boldly and clearly. Lastly, we bring a message of good news to those who need it in this world. 

            First, witnesses can be tricky and unreliable. When John began to preach and baptize in the wilderness, the Jewish leaders sent Temple assistants and priests to come and find out what is supposed to be a rather simple question: “Who are you?” It went a little bit like a comedy routine, I believe. They asked who he was, and his answer was that he is not the Messiah. But still, who is this man? So, they ask again who John is, asking if maybe he is the great prophet Elijah. His reply is no, but still no real answer. Finally, they ask if he’s the prophet they are expecting? Again, he says, “No.” I am sure they are beside themselves by now. 

            So, now they demand to know who this person is preaching and baptizing in the desert. His reply is, “I am a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Clear the way for the Lord’s coming.’” This has to be the most frustrating and obscure answer John could give. What does this mean? Technically, it means he’s a witness. He lays the groundwork and sets the stage of what happened. But because it’s a prophetic witness, he doesn’t tell what has happened; instead, he tells what is to come. The Messiah is coming. Get yourselves ready. 

            We, too, are witnesses who must proclaim God’s message boldly and clearly—and never unreliably. Just as John the Baptist was the voice shouting in the wilderness, we live and speak as witnesses in our own modern wilderness here and now where we live. New Zealand author Winkie Pratney writes, “Every day you are witnessing. What are you witnessing to? Your witness is the total package of your attitudes, character, and actions. It does not lie.” Our lives and our behaviors tell a story—and hopefully that is the story of Christ in us. 

            In the Gospel, it says that John was not the light, but that he was simply a witness to it, to tell about it to the world. It’s a bit different for us. John lived before Christ’s death and resurrection. We live into Christ’s death and resurrection. Whereas John could only speak about the light of Christ, we LIVE in the light of Christ because Christ is in us and with us. 

            I have watched, in this pandemic, the witness of Christians become more and more unreliable as the light of Christ is dimmed and obscured. There is nothing wrong with safety precautions when there is a dangerous illness. There is nothing wrong with staying home to be safe and to protect others. I believe it is a Christian duty to heal, help, and keep others safe. However, just because we are distanced physically and quarantined socially does not mean we should be silent about God’s love. 

            As reliable witnesses we must tell the story of Christ’s love which heals and saves and brings peace in troubled times! Just because we are surrounded by dark and dreary times does not mean that Christ has stopped loving us, has removed his presence from us, or will not continue to send his life-giving light and spirit to us. We must proclaim to people to be safe and to keep others safe, but also not to lose heart for God is love, and God’s love continues to heal every person and place of the despair and evil that reigns. Every action and behavior we take should testify to God’s love, God’s peace, and God’s welcome for all people. 

            Lastly, when we witness, we bring a message of good news to those who need it. Isaiah writes, “I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God!” Isaiah proclaimed a message of hope at a difficult time in Judah’s history. The Assyrians were attacking and nearing destruction of Jerusalem. King Hezekiah was forced to submit to the Assyrian army and morale in the nation was very, very low. Into this despair, Isaiah spoke words of God showing justice and righteousness sprouting up like a plant. Isaiah starts this section with this, “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim the captives will be released and prisoners…freed.” 

            Isaiah prophesied words of hope and comfort. He provided a reliable witness of good news—that includes restoration and hope for a destroyed Judah. But ultimately that did not happen in Isaiah’s lifetime. After the death of King Hezekiah, King Manasseh came to the throne, and in his wickedness, had Isaiah martyred, according to tradition. And yet the good news of Isaiah’s message lives on. In particular it comes alive each time we celebrate the baby born in the manger and when the voice in the wilderness heralds the coming of a Messiah, the hope of the world, the Prince of Peace.  

            Good news does not end simply because the days are dark. I listened to a story recently of a man named Jacob who was to be tempted by one of the Devil’s minions. Jacob was already poor in worldly things but strong in spirit. The devil’s minion tries every way he can to crush Jacob into submission, but it was all to no end. Jacob lived as a testimony to his neighbors of God’s love and goodness enduring even in the most horrendous times they were experiencing. But suddenly, the minion had a new plan. He made Jacob wealthy beyond his wildest hopes, great crops, great money, and plenty of good drink. Jacob loses his mind in the riches and ends up sinning against God and committing murder drunk on liquor and the riches of life. He traded the good news for nice things and forgot his God’s goodness even in the little things. 

            Sometimes we are witnesses that little is much when God is in it, and that God is present bringing hope and peace in the darkest of days. Sometimes we are prophetic witnesses reminding people to give thanks to God even when the blessings are great and many. But either way we are witnesses who must, every day, reliably and boldly proclaim God’s love, grace, and welcome to the world. Do not lose heart, and do not silence your voices in despair. Continue to proclaim, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel!” for it is Christ who brings hope to a weary world. 

WORSHIP VIDEO: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/209033637403684/

Thanksgiving Sermon

Please and Thank You, Ma’am: Deut. 8: 7-18; Luke 17: 11-19

            The other day, and with Thanksgiving upon us, I was asked, “So, Will, what are you thankful for?” I stopped and got this kind of far off look. Instantly I could feel my blood pressure rise a bit and that sarcasm well up from deep within. I thought about a few things I could say I’m thankful for, for instance: that I only have a couple of furlough days instead of thirty, that I’ve gotten a lot (and I mean a lot) more time at home, that only three or four of my close friends and church family have died of Covid, cancer or other problems in the past months. Maybe, after all, I’m not all that grateful this year. I feel, instead, a little bitter. 

            Maybe all of us feel a little less than grateful this year. There really are a lot of things going on in our days and lives that make life hard for some and unbearable for others. I think that’s why the parable for today can speak to us. It’s about more than just healing and the return of one healed leper. There’s a depth of meaning and message we need to look at when it comes to how we should be grateful even in our time of trials. 

            We start with Jesus traveling towards Jerusalem in a rather roundabout way. On the road, ten lepers call out to him. They call, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” In those days, leprosy was a horrible disease which slowly destroyed the body and left people in severe pain and physical brokenness. In addition to physical suffering there was also a social suffering as well. Because leprosy could be contagious and was considered, frankly, gross, people who suffered from it were excluded from the city, from life, family, and all of society. They usually ended up alone and as beggars. 

            Perhaps we can relate to being alone and struggling? They were haunted by a horrible disease and forced into isolation as a result. That probably hits us a bit close to home in 2020. In Deuteronomy we also read about the suffering of the Israelite people. We are told they endured the wilderness, death, hunger, thirst, snakes, scorpions. The wilderness is not an easy place, and they wandered in it for decades. 

            Paul, also, was no stranger to suffering and struggle. He was beaten, thrown into jail, run out of places he preached. He had rivals that tried to undo all of his ministry in the churches he established. He even took up a monetary collection to help the saints in Jerusalem who were on hard times. They ended up arresting him when he preached in their temple. Jesus, too, went around preaching love, welcome, peace with one another. They killed him. Truly God’s people are no strangers to suffering. And all of that can make us, well, not very grateful this Thanksgiving. And I believe that ungratefulness is justified. 

            However, look back at that parable again. One out of the ten whom Jesus healed came back to him and gave thanks. He made the effort, trekked back from the Temple and the priests and thanked Jesus for healing him. This man was a Samaritan. This adds a wrinkle. Samaritans and Jews did not get along. Samaritans were considered foreigners, outcasts, and socially beneath the Jewish majority in the area. While all the other nine would likely go back to whatever life they had before, this Samaritan would still likely be socially unaccepted. The one who came back and gave Jesus thanks had less to gain than all the others Jesus healed. So what was different about him? 

            We look back at Deuteronomy and there’s a reminder to the people. Yes, they had to suffer through the misery of the wilderness, but we are told that God led them out of slavery in Egypt; furthermore, in verse 15, “Do not forget that [God] led you through the great and terrifying wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, where it was so hot and dry.” Over and over they are reminded God fed them manna, God gave them water from the rock, God helped, God provided, and God met their needs. And the people were ungrateful. They forgot their gratefulness when times were good, and they complained when the circumstances were tough. They were not very grateful people. 

            So, what example do we follow? The Samaritan endured leprosy, social exclusion, and dislike simply because of who he was and where he was born. And yet in all of that he had a heart for gratefulness. Paul suffered so much in his ministry for God to the point that it would make one tear one’s hair out. And yet we read over and over where he talks about being grateful, being joyful, and being content in what God gives us. Maybe one of the best ways to sum it up is to look at the words of a well-known hymn. 

            Horatio Spafford lost the bulk of his family to a devastating fire and a shipwreck. He was left in misery, personal suffering, and mental anguish. His faith, however, was not shaken. Even as he sailed over the spot where his children drowned in the shipwreck, he penned these words, “Whate’er my lot, Thou has taught me to say, ‘It is well, it is well with my soul.” Even as so much had been robbed from him, he was still able to count his blessings and be grateful to God for those blessings. 

            Christ, too, was no stranger to the struggle of life. He left the splendor of heaven to be human, to feel pain, hunger, temptation, and death. Being human was no walk in the park to the One who is holy, but Christ came and died for us, to save us, to set right was broken in the world by the power of sin. His death wasn’t easy, and the knowledge that he would be resurrected probably didn’t make the suffering any easier. You know, we dwell a lot on Christ’s sacrifice, death, and resurrection. I wonder, though, if we ever dare to ask this question: “is Christ grateful?” Do we make Christ grateful for the struggle? 

            I will never forget visiting a friend’s house shortly before Thanksgiving. It was a pre-Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving, if you will. There were several folks there, and my friends have a cute daughter who was about 3 or 4 at the time. While everything was getting finished, she was sitting at a little desk scribbling furiously on some papers. After dinner she came around to every single guest at the house and gave us a piece of folded paper. It had a picture on the front that she had drawn, and inside was a scrawled phrase, “Please and thank you, Ma’am.” 

            I later learned that she was so happy everyone had come to her house that she had written us all thank you notes. Her grandmother regularly told her to say “please and thank you, ma’am,” so that was the only phrase she could think of to put in the cards. She didn’t cook the meal, message the invites, and only helped a little on the clean-up, but she still wanted everyone to know how grateful she was simply to have them there. 

            Maybe gratefulness isn’t really connected to how good things are around us in this moment and time. Maybe being grateful means that we know we don’t control a pandemic, life and death, or what tomorrow holds. Being grateful might look a lot more like summoning up just enough hope and resolve to say, “It is well with my soul.” Maybe even to be grateful we don’t really have to have a reason at all. It might just be enough that Christ loved us and, I believe, is grateful for us.  

Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/183379843381097

Hidden Talents

Hidden Talents: Psalm 123; Matt. 25: 14-30

            For years people have read this Parable of the Talents as condemning the third servant. After all, he was given a substantial sum of money. A talent was worth approximately 15-16 years of wages. When the master gave five, two, and one talent, it was indeed a huge sum of money. While two of the servants invest and do well with the money, the third servant hides it away then returns it as is with nothing more to gain. It would seem on the surface like this servant was a complete failure. He did nothing with the talent given to him, increased it in no way, and did no work to help out and invest for his master. 

            It would be easy to condemn him and pass him off as wicked and lazy having done nothing of substance. And many of us, I daresay, would say that his somewhat hateful reply to the master and his total lack of work and motivation justify him being thrown into the outer darkness and enduring a little weeping and gnashing of teeth. Serves him right, doesn’t it? The man should have done something, right? 

            Maybe, though, today we can consider this parable in a slightly different way looking both at the shortcomings of the servant as well as the problems with the master, for neither one is wholly innocent in this story. There are two questions for us to consider with this parable. First, what are we investing in God’s people and God’s kingdom? Secondly, what gifts or abilities do we inspire in or bring out in others for the glory of God? 

            Let’s look at this first question: what are we investing in God’s people and God’s kingdom? The gospel parable tells us that a master went on a long trip and gave his three servants bags of talents or money based on his belief in their abilities. One got 5 talents, one got two talents, and one got only 1 talent. The one who received only one talent hid it away in a hole and returned it with a rather abrupt condemnation of the master. The other two doubled their investment. 

            God calls us to invest our gifts or talents in the kingdom and in God’s people around us. We typically invest in something to get a return on the money we have invested. God has done the same for us. Christ invested himself in us on the cross, so that the return for God was our salvation. So, what does a return look like? Let’s say you take a new friend out to lunch. It may cost you $15 or $20 at the outset, but you may end up with a a close friend, a relationship, or something wonderful as a result. 

            Living for God requires that we give a little from ourselves to God. Look at the third servant. He went to all the hard work of digging a hole, burying the talents, keeping track of them, then digging them back up. With even less time and energy, he could have invested the talents more properly in a bank for a small return. We should be joyfully willing to work for God’s kingdom because there is a huge return on the investment. Provide food and help today, and you may save a family from starvation. Tell someone the good news, and you may save a soul. Pray over the sick and hurting, and you may bring comfort in someone’s dying hour. Live for Christ in this world, and you can inherit an eternal reward for your faith. 

            I realize it’s not easy, and you will be required to give or sacrifice up front hoping for the best. But investing in God’s kingdom and God’s people will sometimes bring highs and lows. Sometimes we will feel defeated, like our time and talent was wasted, or we may feel that the cost of investing is too high. But look at what the gospel says was the reply to the servants willing to risk an investment: “Well done, good and faithful servant…enter into the joy of your master.” The third servant wasn’t wicked or lazy, exactly. He was misguided on where he should invest and work. We work for God’s kingdom to heal, help, and save in whatever small way we can. We invest in God’s people because we may be the only way they see the love of Christ. 

            So, we ask our next question: what gifts or abilities do we bring out in others? Here is why I think the third servant is not wholly at fault. The master is described thusly: “Master, [said the third servant], I knew that you were a harsh man reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid.” Here we find out the master is mean, a thief, a cheat, and possibly cruel to this servant. No wonder the servant failed, for the master provided a hideous example to him.

            What do we bring out in others for the glory of God? I love being able, as a pastor, to tap on people and ask, “Will you serve here; will you lead there; can you step up for this in the church?” I get to watch you all pray, plan, and grow in your own abilities and in your work for God’s kingdom. There is nothing more powerful that watching the church you serve with grow deeper in God’s love and their strength of faith as well as seeing them put that faith into action. The master clearly did that for the first two servants. They were inspired to trade and invest until they had doubled what the master gave them. 

            But something went wrong with the third servant. He was scared, misguided, and unmotivated. Working in and for God’s kingdom and God’s people may be tiring and may be tough work, but at the end we should see God’s people grow. As a church, our main goal should be to bring to Christ those who need his grace. But we cannot stop there, for in other parables Jesus teaches that faith must take root and grow. What do we bring out in others for the glory of God’s kingdom? Or for that matter, how do we challenge ourselves to grow for God’s kingdom? How does our faith increase and draw us closer into that wonder-working relationship with God who loves us and saves us? 

            An old saying I’ve told you before asks, are we following Christ with joy and hope, or are we stuck sitting on the pew of do nothing singing, “glory, hallelujah, I shall not be moved.”  I wonder how things would have gone if the master had added, “Here is one talent. Don’t bury it or be afraid of taking a risk. Go out and invest this talent, use it, be creative and do something with it, but don’t ever, ever bury it, for that is the most disappointing. You may come back with a hundred talents, or you may come back broke, but either way it won’t be wasted.” 

            The kingdom of heaven is like a man, going on a journey, who summons his servants and entrusts his property to them. The man is God, the servants are us, and the work of God’s kingdom is in our hands. Some receive many talents, and some are given few. But the biggest question, when the master returns for an accounting, is not how much we can produce. Instead, to hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” the question is this: have we dared to do anything at all with the talents we are given? 

Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/302716984121920/?notif_id=1605455837816013&notif_t=page_post_reaction&ref=notif

The Politics of Faith

The Politics of Faith: Amos 5: 18-24; I Cor. 13

            A friend shared a joke with me this week that said this: we’ve already been stuck in March for the past eight months because of the pandemic, so why not be stuck on Tuesday for the next several days due to election day? I think we can all say that 2020 has been one of the more difficult years in the collective lives of everyone around the world. And, as life continues, I still feel like I’m on day 597 of March. Now, originally, I had the parable of the ten bridesmaids, half of whom forget oil for their lamps as the scripture for today. But, frankly, I can’t stretch that to be very useful right now. So we changed it up a bit and will have I Corinthians 13. I kept Amos because it’s appropriately harsh for our days. 

            We have now drawn nearly to the close of our 2020 election, and it passed the same way the rest of 2020 has…like a kidney stone. In many ways our world, and particularly our nation, is more jaded, untrusting, divided, and angry that many of us have ever seen it, and all too often, I have seen the church right in the middle of the trouble. The Corinthian church had similar problems to our modern-day society. The church was, at best, questionable in their morals. They were lenient to bad or immoral behavior, unkind to the poor, and used their gifts and abilities for individual gain rather than to help the church. 

            Paul writes to them in grief for the ways they have fallen apart and treated one another. When Paul told them that there is freedom in Christ, they took it as license to behave however they wanted. Paul, however, calls them back from their ways by reminding them that the ways of society and politics of Corinth should not dictate how the people live in and for Christ. 

            We begin with Amos, who harshly rebuked the Israelite people and their worship of God. When the people say they wish for God’s return, for the day of the Lord, Amos lays out a severe indictment of the people. In Chapter 2, Amos points out their crimes are many and specifically oppressing the poor and vulnerable. In Amos 3, he criticizes them for hurting others and stealing from others to make themselves rich, and in chapter 4, he criticizes their continued mixture of idolatry and faith while decrying that they crush the poor. Though the people do the rituals and offer the sacrifices, their hearts are not with God, nor do their actions follow God’s commands. So, Amos tells them in verse 24, “I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living.” Likewise, our words of faith must match our life and behavior. 

            In a day where there is trouble and unrest, distrust, and simmering anger, the church must stand on its own apart from society and politics to proclaim redeeming faith in Christ and that the love of Christ will overcome all evil. But in addition to proclaiming this love of Christ, the church must also live it. The Israelites in Amos proclaimed God, but they did not live in the faith. This means that the church must live independently of society and politics and the clamor of broken human institutions. The church should not be of the world and should chart its course with Christ as the guide, following no other. 

            But we come to a problem. We may not live of the world, but we are still in the world. So how do we, then, still live in the world? While the church is not and never should be Republican or Democrat, at times the church is both conservative and liberal as we understand it. When the church stands for morality and living a Christ-like life, it may be seen as very conservative by the world. When the church stands for justice for the poor, oppressed, and vulnerable, it may be perceived as very liberal by the world. 

The truth is we are called to do both—to live Christlike and stand for justice. In the rest of First Corinthians, Paul calls out the ethics and morals of the Corinthian church as they had gotten, let’s say a bit too permissive, with their lifestyle and behavior. The church must stand for behavior that treats all as God’s beloved creation. But over and over, the prophets of the Old Testament rebuked Israel for a lack of justice and in particular social justice. And if Israel was not spared a rebuke for being unjust, neither, then, will we be spared. In truth, Paul also rebuked the Corinthians for a lack of justice in their own church as well as their lack of morality. The church should not take up the debate political issues. The church should stand on Biblical truth and goes where Christ leads, regardless of the perception of the world. We are called to follow Christ in all things whether the world describes those Biblical truths as conservative or liberal. 

            We come then to this chapter on love. Typically, you hear it at weddings: these words of love being patient and kind, not jealous or proud, not rude, not demanding, not irritable, and keeping no record of wrongs. And anyone who has been married knows after about two years not a bit of that holds fast in a marriage. In an argument between spouses, there is no such thing as “keeping no record of wrongs.” The context, though, is a bit different. The Corinthian church was very, very blessed with spiritual gifts including tongues, prophecy, and other very visible spiritual gifts. But they lacked loved for one another. 

            Paul tells them that you can have everything in the world—every gift, every ability, the deepest power of the spirit you can imagine, and untold wealth and power, but if you lack love, it is all worthless. All these other things we only get in part. You can be prophetic, but even prophets only know so much. You can speak in tongues, but there’s only so much of that can be done. You could have faith to move mountains, but even then, at times, you’ll come up lacking. Even if we are the strongest, best, and most powerful in what we do or what we are capable of, there is a limit here on Earth. 

            The only gift that is perfect, complete, and whole is love. I John 4 talks about perfect love casting out fear. Here, Paul places love above faith and even hope. The greatest gift is love. As Christians we must live out this calling to love. It’s a love that sets boundaries against bad or sinful behavior. It’s a love that welcomes everyone to Christ’s table and into Christ’s family, for Paul told the Corinthians not to keep anyone away or to sinfully introduce social status to the Lord’s Supper. It’s a love that is perfect in casting out all fear such that politics, elections, policies, and the like should not worry us or make us live in fear. 

            Our faith is in Christ and our hope is in God’s redeeming grace. Whomever the President of our country is, your inherent worth, your salvation, and your strength and power are found in Christ and Christ alone. But never forget that we must live truthfully, authentically, and with the love of Christ radiating from us. For no matter what we have, what we are capable of, and how strong we are, there is no power on earth that is greater than the love of Christ. 

Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/815659259233010

All Saints' Sunday Sermon

A Journey so Great: Psalm 34: 1-10, 22; Matthew 5: 1-12

            Sometimes we all take a tough journey. Years ago, I decided to visit my cousin while she was studying in Oxford in England. I was excited for the trip as it would come right after a particularly tough semester of law school and would make a welcome break from the work. What began, and for the most part, was an amazing journey and vacation, turned into something of a full-blown nightmare near the end. The day before flying back home, I came down with a horrendous stomach virus and was so sick I couldn’t even stand up. The next day, my grandmother also became sick with the same stomach virus. During this time, we had to move hotels 3 times due to reservations running out. This was also the year the volcano in Iceland erupted and grounded all planes for days. Finally, because we were gone longer than expected, the bank cut off the credit card for possible fraud. 

            I have never travelled internationally since this hot mess of a trip, and, in our own lives, sometimes the journey can be tough or even horrible. But in those times, we have a resource as Christians. We have God traveling with us, the church family who loves and saves us, and the saints who have given us wisdom over the years to help us until we reach our heavenly home. So, today, we ask why must we journey, how is God working along the way, and what awaits us at the end of our journey here?

            Our first question, then, is why do we even have to go on a journey? Typically, there are a number of reasons for us to travel someone. At the holidays, I often travel to visit my family, and many of us, then, probably would travel to see or visit someone we know or love. Other times, we travel for vacation or to get away from the grind of daily life. Sometimes we travel to learn something. I remember taking field trips to museums and plays in high school to learn or experience something new. 

            But in faith, we journey because we cannot stay where we are. There’s no growth, no message of the gospel, no spreading the word of hope and grace if there is no journey. We cannot stay where we are. Philippians 3:14 tells us “I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Jesus Christ, is calling us.” We journey, we press on, because Christ has called us to move forward with him. In all of our lives, God calls us, and God sends us until the journey here is done. But we can’t stay where we are. It gets old and stale. We never learn or grow. If we never journey with God, we will never be prepared to weather the storms that hit us. They may still be rough, but with God, and a mature faith, we will survive. 

            If, then, we can’t stay here, how is God walking on this journey with us? We read the answer in the Beatitudes for today. Jesus says for the poor in spirit there is the kingdom of heaven, for those mourning—comfort, for the humble—the inheritance of earth, for those who hunger and thirst for righteousness—satisfaction, for the merciful—mercy in return, for the pure-hearted—seeing God, for the peacemakers—God’s children, and blessings for the mocked and scorned. These are powerful statements of Christ’s teachings for how to live and act on this earth, and the list gives us the characteristics which please God. 

            We see these characteristics in each one of the saints we celebrate today. In Betty Heath, we saw a loving, gentle person who was always telling us she loved us. She was kind and welcoming, loving in raising her nieces and nephews. She was pure of heart in every way. In Lilla Hullender, you could find the most abrupt phone call, but it always ended with “I love you, and I hope you have a glorious day.” From my understanding, she had a very hard life at times growing up, but she was never bitter, nor did she lose her faith or love of others. 

            Sissy was probably one of the wisest theologians I’ve ever met. The woman knew the Bible better than any professor and could proclaim it better than any preacher. We often called her Saint Sissy, jokingly, but perhaps with a bit of seriousness as well. She may not have had much, but she never turned anyone away, never held a grudge, and prayed with power and conviction. And we have Roger. There are few people as generous with his time, his money, and his help to others as Roger. As a veteran and retired police officer, he exemplified the idea “blessed are the peacemakers.” Each one of them leaves a stinging loss on our hearts, but each one shows us what it means to be the faithful. 

From each one of these saints we see and learn the characteristics and lessons which help us as we journey. Jesus is our guide, but he often sends us folks to help out with direction on the way. Today we celebrate the wisdom, love, and encouragement these saints of the church gave to us. But we, too, are given a promise in the Beatitudes: blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Let us never forget that Paul tells us that death is swallowed up in victory, and what seems to be the end of life is actually hope eternal. 

            Lastly, we come to the end of the journey. What awaits us there? The gospel tells us in verse 12, “Be very glad! For a great award awaits you in heaven.” Too often, we focus only on what we get on the journey. Unfortunately, we are not promised a simple or easy journey here on earth. Jesus says in verse 11 of the gospel that you may face mocking, persecution, lies, and other evil things coming against you. Then he reminds the people that the prophets also suffered, but we can still have joy because of this promise of an eternal hope. 

            As the hymn, “Day by Day” says, “Help me then, in every tribulation, so to trust your promises, O Lord.” This comes after the phrase, “Day by day and with each passing moment, strength I find to meet my trials here.” We are not promised an easy journey on earth, but we are promised a destination overflowing with hope and joy—face to face with Jesus Christ our Savior. So be careful of worrying over the troubles, for we cannot judge God’s love by how hard our journey here is. We know and understand God’s love through the hope made real, the joy fulfilled, at the glorious welcome at our journey’s end from our God who loves us. 

            Therefore, it’s time to get out our hiking boots and pack our bags. God has a wild adventure planned for each of us and a journey for us and Christ to travel together. It may be easy, or it may be very hard, but ultimately, we cannot stay here where we are. We journey on looking to the wisdom of the saints gone on before us and the help of our church family who walk with us. And mostly, we look to God’s help to save and sustain us.       

            We journey on, awaiting the promise of the mansion over the hilltop, the heavenly reward, the eternal hope. The place where we see Jesus and the we realize the reward at the end of our journey is far better and more amazing than any struggle along the way. All of our struggles, our heartaches, our pain here and now will melt away in the light of Christ’s glory when we see him standing in front of us, face to face. What a day, glorious day, that will be!  

Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/269205454518526

Nehemiah Part 4

Relationship Overcomes Fear/Temptation: Neh. 6: 1-16; Matt. 13:31-32

This last Sunday of October is typically considered to be Reformation Sunday. Now, what is that? That is the day when Martin Luther formally posted his complaints against the Catholic Church in 1517 in Wittenberg, Germany. He basically started what we know as the Protestant side of our faith, or basically a large portion of the non-Catholic churches. He did this because the church, at that time, needed a change. Though today we talk about grace and faith, the church of the early 1500s had none of that. If you wanted forgiveness, you either knew someone in power who thought you were good enough, or you bought your forgiveness in a document called an indulgence. 

Luther wrestled with this and pointedly disagreed. Finally one day in 1517 he walked up to the church door in Wittenberg, Germany, and nailed on it his 95 Theses (or complaints) against the church, first and foremost being salvation that is purchased or earned. He believed salvation is not bought or earned with money and good deeds but is a free gift of God’s grace through belief in Jesus. That’s what the Bible says, after all. For this belief, he was condemned and thrown out of his relationship with the church. But his beliefs went on, and the church found itself understanding a relationship with Jesus rather than being about profit or power. 

Both Luther and Nehemiah teach us important lessons about living in relationship and faith. First among those is do not run around with dangerous and toxic people. The same troublemakers we read about before in Nehemiah are now trying to lure him out to his danger and likely death. Four times they try to get Nehemiah to meet him despite him saying no very firmly. But they are evil and toxic, so they won’t listen to God’s or Nehemiah’s wishes. On the 5th time, they try to bully and extort Nehemiah, saying that they will tell the king that Nehemiah plans to rebel with the Jewish people. 

Toxic people are everywhere in our world. They will use you and abuse you only to make themselves feel better, and sometimes wrap it up in some false idea of faith. Sanballat, Tobiah, and the others were mean, bullies, and toxic to the core. They were uncompromising and dealt in fear, intimidation, and wicked power. We see such people in our lives, our jobs, and even our churches. It’s always their way—no one else can have an opinion, and everyone tiptoes around this toxic person. The more you say no, the louder and more outlandishly hostile they get. Sanballat and Tobiah began with teasing, then threats, then hostilities, and now a plot to kill Nehemiah. He saw their evil for what it was and did not engage. 

Sometimes, though, such evil and toxicity causes us to have to be very careful whose advice we listen to as well. Nehemiah sought help and advice from Shemaiah, likely some kind of priest or prophet given his access to the temple. He suggests that Nehemiah seek shelter inside the Temple with locked doors. This posed two problems. The temple actually had an asylum altar in the courtyard where Nehemiah would go for safety, entering for this purpose was considered sinful. Further, it would tarnish Nehemiah’s image and credibility with the people, who would quit and leave. The advice was wholly designed to destroy Nehemiah and his work. 

The moral of the story is that we must not follow bad advice from people who do not listen to God and to God’s wisdom. Luther, the reformer, was advised and ordered to drop his struggles and concerns, sent to a monastery to think it over, and ultimately banned from the church. But he listened to God and shut out the advice of the wicked. Having a relationship with God means we listen to God’s word and to Godly advisors in our lives while shutting out the unkind, unwise, and evil voices around us. 

Our relationships are not intended to be based on fear and temptation. Sanballat and Tobiah came at Nehemiah with fear and threats, scheming to destroy his life and God’s work through him, but God gave him wisdom to avoid their trap. Likewise, the wicked powers in control of the church in 1517 tried to destroy Luther for proclaiming a relationship with God built on grace and belief in Jesus. But Luther persisted and taught what a right relationship with God should look like. 

So, then, we must be prepared that a right relationship will start off small but grow into a powerful thing. We are told in the gospel that the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, a very, very tiny seed. Now we must remember that the Kingdom of God is based on the call to love God and love our neighbor—a relationship with our Savior and with those around us. We are told it’s a very small seed planted in hearts and minds, but it grows into one of the mightiest plants in the garden. For Luther, one document on a church door grew into an entire movement to reform the church both in founding a Protestant church and in eventually reforming the Catholic church as well. 

Our relationships are much the same. They start off small then grow into something powerful and beautiful. Think of your faith in God. It started off with that one small seed of belief in the power of Christ to give you grace and forgiveness when you needed it. Over the years this small seed of belief has grown to influence your whole life: your wisdom, your circle of friends, how you speak, how you act, and how you live this faith in the world around you. 

Good relationships are beyond important to our faith. In order to grow we must have a strong relationship to God through Christ. In order to share the good news, we must live in good relationships with one another and the world around us. That doesn’t mean fixing and controlling the world around us, though. Instead we must share the love of Christ with everyone, keep working to build and grow in God, and let the power of Christ’s love change the world around us and draw all people unto God who can heal, save, and renew. 

So be strong in your relationships to withstand the forces against you. Sanballat and Tobiah came at Nehemiah with hatred, temptation, anger, and peddling in fear. But Nehemiah relied on his close relationship to God and summoned up the courage God gave him, refusing to play silly mind games with his enemies. Nehemiah followed what God said, what God’s people needed, and proved that he loved God and loved God’s people. 

Ultimately, we are led by God’s love, but we must be prepared to stand for God’s truth in love just as Nehemiah did, just as Martin Luther did, and offer grace to a hurting world. For it is only in God’s grace that we can help the world around us, to change hearts and minds away from what is wrong and towards light of faith and the way of Christ.

Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/399555424388149

Nehemiah Part 3

Unselfishness Overcomes Greed: Neh. 5: 1-19; Matt. 6: 19-21

            The other day I heard a phrase which made me stop and think. The speaker said that all too often Christians suffer from Disney Princess Theology. Well, okay, this was a new one. It’s not any type of theology I can remember in seminary classes thus far. Here’s what he said to describe it. This idea means that we always see ourselves as the princess or hero, and never as the one who might be the problem. We always see ourselves as Esther, never Haman or Xerxes; as Peter and never Judas; as the women who anointed Jesus and never the Pharisees; and as the Jewish people escaping slavery but never the Egyptians or pharaoh. 

            This idea asks us a tough question: what is the lens or the glasses through which we see ourselves in the scripture and in society? If we follow this idea that we’re always the hero, we become weak and never challenged. We never challenge ourselves to read the scripture and take account of how we live, or how well we follow God. Are we the hero, or are we the villain? The truth is that sometimes both are at work in us, and we play both roles—sometimes hero, sometimes villain; sometimes selfish and sometimes sacrificial. We see these same struggles in the people as they continued to labor for Jerusalem under Nehemiah’s wise governance. 

            The big struggle we see today is the sin of greed, and indeed, it was an ugly sin for the people of Israel. The scripture in Nehemiah is a little confusing to follow, so here is a quick breakdown of what deep sin was occurring. In order to return the enslaved Jewish people from Babylon, a payment was required to “redeem” them. This allowed them to be bought out of slavery and returned to Jerusalem. However, once back in Jerusalem, the people realized that times were hard, making vineyards, farms, and family land work was near-impossible, especially with the continued work at rebuilding the city. 

            Thus, people turned to their wealthier family members or kinfolk for loans to help them out. Their own family were charging heavy interest fees, and when their poorer family members could not pay the interest, their land was seized, and they were often sold back into slavery until they could pay of the loan and interest. Nehemiah was appalled at this practice. He told them in verse 7, “You are hurting your own relatives!” The people were spending all the money they had to redeem family members who were then sold back off into slavery by their rich relatives looking to make a profit at their own poorer family members’ expense. 

            It exposed both the hero and villain at work in people. They would pay to redeem then exploit the very people they had just redeemed. These kinds of sin reign on high in a world where greed is king. We see this at work all the time in our world. You can’t pay for a dental cleaning today, so you pay double for a root canal tomorrow. You can’t afford the tag/title fees on your car today, so you get arrested and pay thousands of dollars in fines and fees tomorrow. You can’t afford enough home health care when you get older, so you end up in a nursing home and lose your house and savings anyway simply because you happened to need some help in your old age. If you are poor today, you may very well end up poorer tomorrow. 

            When we (in the global sense) profit at the expense of others’ suffering, we are filled with the sin of greed. As the Bible so clearly tells us, in I Timothy 6:10, “For the love of money is the root of all evil.” But it goes on to warn, that in craving (or coveting) money, people will wander from the faith. We must be wary and take care to be guarded from the selfishness we find in society in our modern era. 

            The remedy for this sin, according to Nehemiah, is unselfish sacrifice. When Nehemiah confronted the wealthy, sinful family members, he notes in verse 8 that they had nothing to say in their defense. Nehemiah then provides the example which others should follow. He and his family also loaned money to the newly redeemed and returned Israelites; however, they charged no interest. Nehemiah then orders the nobles to restore everything taken and to repay the interest, which they agree to do. The best way to summarize how Nehemiah approaches this is with the idea that no one should make themselves better off at the expense of another’s suffering. That is the very definition of exploitation. 

            Nehemiah gave himself as an example. He sacrificed so that the people could thrive in Jerusalem. As governor, he did not take all which was due unto him or to which he was entitled because he did not want to burden the people anymore. We see this example of sacrifice in Acts 2: 44-45. It says, “And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need.”

 The apostles lived in a community, they sold everything they had, and shared it with one another to provide and help for those in their midst. Sometimes we are the hero and sometimes the villain. Sometimes we live as the selfish, and sometimes as the sacrificial one. Sometimes we are in need, and sometimes we provide for others. Both sides of the same coin are at work within us. 

            So how do we know if we are living this the right way? Look to where a person’s treasure is. In the gospel lesson, we read that if we store treasures here on earth, they will be lost to us, corrupted, destroyed, and decayed. And, truth be told, we can’t take it with us anyway, so what good is earthly treasure? Instead, we should stock up treasures in heaven as we follow Christ each and every day. But there’s a warning or two still within these verses. First, we cannot let our treasures or our desire for treasures be our guide here on earth. Second, we cannot be a part of the scheme to help or allow others to be selfish and greedy. 

            It reminds me of the old movie, The Bishop’s Wife, not the newer Whitney Houston version, but the old 1947 version with Cary Grant. In that movie, wealthy and cantankerous church member uses her wealth and donations to control and exploit the church for what she wants out of it. Ultimately, an encounter with God’s angel shows her the error of her way and teaches her what generosity truly means—she stops valuing the control coming from her treasures over the good of Christ’s work through her. Remember that where our treasure is—that is one of the measures our heart and faith. 

            So, we must realize that sometimes we see ourselves too closely as the hero in all circumstances, the Disney Princess Theology, if you will. But in each of us there is hero and villain, selfish and sacrificial, faith and sinfulness all at work until the day when we are made perfect in Christ. The measure we must take of ourselves, then, is whether our hearts are turned more towards earthly treasure or more towards God’s call, even if that means sacrifice. As the old hymn says, “Would you do service for Jesus your King? There’s power in the blood!” And yes, for the hero in us, the is wonder-working power to encourage and strengthen. For the villain at work in us, there is power in the blood to redeem and save. Let us start saving up, then, our treasures in heaven, for I dare say, a crown of glory, a saintly robe, and maybe, just maybe, a hero’s cape awaits us. 

Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/365916177861310              

Nehemiah Part 2

Nehemiah Pt. 2—Faith Overcomes Discouragement—Nehemiah 4: 10-23; Gal. 6: 9-10

            One of the many nice things about being young is that sometimes we don’t have to be all that responsible for what is going on. One of my favorite things about childhood is knowing that I could depend on the leadership or wisdom of someone else to come to my rescue—that there would be someone with an answer in the room with me to whom I could turn. But, as an adult, I’ve learned something different. The other day I was caught in a tense meeting. Things were getting ugly, voices raised, insults on the horizon. I looked around for this wisdom and this help to calm the stormy tempers, and I realized something…heaven help, I am the adult in the room now…and that’s when the panic and discouragement set in. 

            Nehemiah probably often felt like the only adult around doing what was wise and needed. He continued working in strength and hope for the restoration of the city and its historic walls. In this context, we need to be aware of three major things: that often we will become discouraged from enemies about us and our own faint heart at times, that when we feel and see discouragement we have the remedy of faith, and lastly, when we live in faith God has promised blessings unto us for holding fast. 

            So we see, then, that enemies can come from around us or even within us. In verse 10 we read that the people of Judah complained. They were tired. The rubble was everywhere, and the project looked like it would never be completed. They were overwhelmed, and as my mom would say, “Their get up and go had got up and gone.” But in verse 11 we also hear that the enemies around them were plotting to kill them and destroy their work. They were getting battered from within and from without by all the struggles surrounding them. 

            We have to remember that often there are people in the world who don’t care about us or who actively wish us harm. One of the most unbelievable aspects of community violence is violence done to a stranger. It shows a total lack of compassion and appreciation for humanity. There are real and present dangers in the world. Here we see the Israelite’s enemies moved from irritation at the re-building work, to mockery and insults, to outright threats of hostility. 

            But we also face struggles within as well. Discouragement doesn’t just happen when enemies besiege us. Our own minds can become overwhelmed, burdened, and cluttered. We can become tired and weary. We can realize when we are the only adults in the room that adulting is hard and taxes our time and spirit to the max. God’s people are well-acquainted with being weighed down in life. But in those times, the story of Nehemiah provides hope. 

            Nehemiah applied faith—both trust in God and preparation for the future. First, Nehemiah made a plan with God’s help. Here is the plan. To ward off any attack, Nehemiah had guards posted all around the wall or where the wall was and kept a trumpeter with him at all times to sound the alarm should the enemy attack. To keep everyone safe, he brought all the people living outside the safety zone of the city inside where they would be less vulnerable to attack. Every person in the city was armed and ready should they be attacked. Nehemiah didn’t just provide soothing words; he had the people ready with actual preparedness. 

            He then says to the people, to alleviate their inner struggles, “Then our God will fight for us!” This says to the people that they were as ready as they could possibly be, but they also had to trust in God to fight the battle for them and keep them safe. I think of adversities we often face. In 2017 we dealt with a hurricane in Macon. Currently we have a pandemic. In each of these times we had to be prepared. For the hurricane, we needed extra water, lights, coolers, things to help our homes function while the power might be off. For the pandemic we needed grocery supplies, cleaners, soap, and, apparently, ridiculous amounts of toilet paper. But also, we had to trust that God would help us and continue to help us. 

            God calls us to be ready—to make plans, to watch for what is to come. We have to do the work here in putting together our best effort at dealing with adversity and discouragement. But we must also trust in God at all times. Peace and hope come from knowing that there is a plan in place when trouble may arise, but peace also comes from knowing we have a God, who is bigger than discouragement and bigger than our enemies, ready to fight for us when we feel attacked. 

            So then, we must stay strong for the real blessings that await us. When we face constant opposition in our lives, it can drag us down and make us weary. I know this because I’ve heard it from you all. When there is a constant struggle in life you feel tired, weak, weary. But in Galatians 6:9 we read, “So let us not grow tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” I am a firm believer that if all is dark around you, somewhere, somehow, there will always be a light at the end of the tunnel, even if it’s dim and far off. That is because darkness is always cast out by the light of love, the light of hope, the light of Christ, and light will always overcome the darkness. 

            We see the example in others. Moses had to trek across the desert for decades before the promised land became a reality. Moses never even got to go into the promised land, but he remained in God’s steadfast love. Nehemiah faced the challenges of rebuilding the demolished city with discouraged people and bitter enemies. And our greatest example: Christ who suffered on a cross before there could be hope and resurrection. Each of these instances of strength in trouble and overcoming weariness and discouragement calls for a mix of faith and planning or preparedness. We must have the faith that overcomes, which is based on a plan, based on our trust, and based on knowing that God is our rock and salvation. 

            Sometimes as we grow up we face a grim reality in life. Once we could look around and find a mentor, a wide elder, a person who could provide help and support. But one day we all will end up being the one who is the adult in the room and the one to whom others turn when the need help and reassurance. It was an odd moment this past week when I was mentoring a young man, recently graduated from college, through his law school application process. It was then that I realized, he doesn’t look at me as a contemporary or peer. He looks at me as a “seasoned” mentor. That realization alone is enough to make you discouraged without all the other problems in the world!

            But truth be told, there is no reason for us to feel discouraged from opposition or worry and doubt. We can take heart and have faith in dire situations. With God’s help we can be prepared and make a plan, then we can rely on our God to guide and trust in our God to fight for us. Have faith in the light at the end of every tunnel, and don’t let yourself grow weary. There is faith to cast out every discouragement, every worry, and every fear. Be strong and have that faith, for the Lord, your God, will fight your battles. Let any discouragement that creeps up in your mind and soul be cast out the light of faith. 

Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/338132800827037