A Message to the Church Pt. 1

Ephesus: A Church Without Love—Jeremiah 29: 1-14; Revelation 2: 1-7

            In ten years here, I have miraculously avoided delving into Revelation. It’s one of the most mysterious and misunderstood books in the Bible. People ask questions about all the wild and fantastic imagery of the book, and for the most part, preachers pretend to have answers. It is complex, difficult, prophetic, and personal to the author and his anger at Rome. But one part which is clear is God’s message to the seven churches. Each one of them receives a word of encouragement, critique, or reprimand. And, I believe, that message to the churches still holds true in a very prophetic way to our churches today. 

            In this first part of God’s message, the Book of Revelation addresses the church at Ephesus. While there are many positives for this church, there is one very strong and overwhelming rebuke: they have forgotten their first love, God. The book gets right to the point saying in verse four, “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first.” God calls to them to “turn back to [God] and do the works [they] did at first.” It’s a call for the church at Ephesus to return to their first love, and that love is God. 

            Now, as I was preparing this sermon, I tried hard to think of hymns, songs, and praise music which might fit with the sermon. Though I think the hymns fit well with theme, there’s one song which kept coming back into my mind, and it’s not exactly a hymn. The chorus says this, “I was looking for love in all the wrong places, lookin’ for love in too many faces…lookin’ for love.” And while this may fit well with the theme, I don’t think God would approve of me fully including a 1980s country song about a single man philandering around till he finds his true love in a church service. 

            This was the problem of the church at Ephesus. They had right doctrine. They did not tolerate evil. They stayed true to the apostles’ teachings. They had suffered for the sake of righteousness, and truly one could think this was a solid institution of faith. But the writer of Revelation points out their shortcoming. They were, if you’ll pardon the reference, looking for love in all the wrong places, and God says they must back to their first love—God. Love is a very powerful force in faith and the life of the church. 

            Look at what Revelation says. Though they have done almost everything right, the fact that they have misplaced their love of God and one another has them fully in danger of God’s full wrath, for their lampstand will be removed from its place among the churches. But we know the importance of love. For Jesus told us that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord, Our God, with all our heart, soul, and mind, and the second greatest commandment is to love our neighbors as ourselves. I Corinthians 13 puts it even more clearly: “If I could speak all the languages of earth and angels, but did not love others, I would only be a noisy gong or clanging cymbal.” And the final verse of that chapter says, “Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.” 

            Yet the church at Ephesus had lost their love. They loved neither God nor one another as they first did. A church and the people of God can have everything right and perfect as much as they want—doctrinally, educationally, programmatically—everything can be right and perfect, but if a church or God’s people fail at love, they fail completely. You cannot make substitutes for God’s holy love. But I read my Bible, we say, and know every book in fact! But I go to church every Sunday! But I’ve studied and figured out what church is supposed to be about! “Too bad!” God says. The church at Ephesus did these things too. 

            Still nothing can substitute for this love which God sent to us to learn and know in Christ’s life, death, and resurrection for us. Ephesus did everything technically correct, but they still failed completely in their faith. God warned them that they would be finished if they did not turn back to loving God and one another as they first did when the church began. 

            In many ways, our modern churches are like the church of Ephesus. We bring people in, plug them into a program, a youth group, a small group, a Sunday School, a hundred different programs. We see churches that have everything a person could want right down to a petting zoo, but there’s something wrong, something amiss. Too many of our churches are looking for love in all the wrong places. Too many have forgotten their first love. Today, just like in Revelation, God is calling to the church to return to her first love—the God who saves, loves, and redeems. 

            The church has gone off looking for love in the strangest of places. First and foremost, these days, the church has lost herself in political battles. Of all the places God’s holy church should not be is in the sinful waste of politics. The church is so consumed by arguing over the next political topic on the news that it has forgotten to feed the hungry, heal the sick, care for the broken and hurting, preach good news in a weary world. These things are rapidly losing ground to the theology of political commentary, and the church has lost its mission and its witness as a result. That lampstand is teetering on thin ice, just like in Ephesus. 

            For the people of God, the two questions by which we should weigh our decisions go right back to what Jesus said are the two most powerful commandments: does it show our love of God, and does it show our love to our neighbor, whom we should love like ourselves? No matter how right we are about something (or wrong, perhaps), if what we say and do, how we act and live, does not show love then all we can offer is the noise of a gong or clanging cymbal. 

            God is saying to Ephesus, and in a prophetic way to us as the modern church, that we must go back to what is our first and primary calling, to the mission which Christ gave us: preach the good news, care for the least of these our brothers and sisters, love God with our whole heart, and love our neighbors as ourselves. There’s an old story of a tiger and a donkey having an argument over the color of the grass. They donkey insists that it’s blue, while the tiger says green. They go to the lion as the king to sort it out. The donkey blurts out that he believes the grass to be blue then asks the lion to punish the tiger because the donkey was right. The lion tells the donkey if he believes it, it must be true, then punishes the tiger with three days of silence. 

            The dumbfounded tiger asks why the lion told the donkey what was wrong, and then punished him. The lion says, “This is not about the color of the grass. You are punished because it is degrading for a brave, intelligent, powerful creature like you to argue with a donkey. If you allow yourself to be led on a fool’s errand, you will wind up yourself a fool.” 

            Do not be led astray. Do not go looking for love in all the wrong places. Do not try to substitute what is second best for the perfect, grace-filled love of God that has the power to transform all of humankind through faith in a risen Savior who showed us exactly what it means to show God’s love. As the hymn says, “My Jesus, I love Thee; I know Thou art mine,” and may we never, ever forget it. 

Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/592217715265376

Shocking Grace--Final

Nicodemus and Learning: Numbers 21: 4-9; John 3: 1-17

            Many years ago, I got to visit London and go to a few shows at West End of London. It’s basically their version of Broadway in New York. Now, because I’m an American and was with a bunch of other Americans, we decided to do a very American thing—watch a musical—specifically Wicked, which retells the Wizard of Oz in a new way. One of the songs has a line, “Because I knew you, I have been changed for good.” The audience is left to wonder whether “for good” means for goodness, permanently, or both. 

            In our final installment of Shocking Grace, we see a man who, many years before Broadway or West End musicals were invented, came to Jesus looking for something. He truly got the shock and the grace. But it is evident that, whatever Nicodemus took away from his encounter with Jesus, he was changed for good. That is the power of Christ, when it meets us, there’s something overwhelming, unexplainable, breathtaking, even. It comes to us and changes us as well. 

            Nicodemus was a respected Jewish leader who had become curious about Jesus and the miracles, signs, and wonders that Jesus displayed. In our Gospel, he comes to meet Jesus in the dark of night to avoid being caught. It clearly was not a random meeting for Nicodemus had sought out Jesus to talk with him. And the first words out of his mouth should knock the socks off any reader. We gloss over them, I think. Nicodemus says, “We all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.” They knew. They all knew of Jesus’s power and authority. Nicodemus outs his fellow Pharisees. They weren’t worried about the law, what was right, or anything. They were afraid of Jesus, the change his preached, and the way he welcomed people, yet they had him killed despite knowing all of the holy power he possessed. 

            Jesus, for his part, speaks powerful words to Nicodemus which confuse him. He is shocked at this teaching, these ideas that Jesus is saying. “You must be born again.” This is followed with, “You must be born of the Spirit.” It’s one of the first times Jesus references the Holy Spirit. He is basically laying out the roadmap of all of God’s plan to Nicodemus, who is still at a loss. But then, Jesus makes it plain, saying, “As Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up.” This is a reference Nicodemus would know well. We’re not told what Nicodemus’s response is. Jesus’s teaching ends abruptly at verse 18, and in verse 19 he and his disciples leave Jerusalem. 

            But, I believe we can get the answer a little later on in the Gospel of John. Nicodemus is heard from two more times. In chapter 7 he defends Jesus to Sanhedrin or temple court. And after the crucifixion, it is Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, who help bury Jesus. Nicodemus brings the myrrh and aloes for Jesus’s body. Who can say what Nicodemus took away from his meeting with Jesus? However, it appears he was changed for good. 

            The first big thing we see here is the grace of a Rabbi who patiently taught the teacher. Jesus gives a confused Nicodemus the full brunt of a message, “You must be born again.” Finally, Jesus makes it plain. In Numbers the people griped, complained, and turned against God and Moses rejecting them both and cursing the manna God provided. They had become filled with evil and poison in their hearts, minds, and words. So, God sent poisonous snakes to show them how filled with venom and poison they were. Then God provided a way for them to be healed when they called out for mercy. 

            What Jesus is saying is that people have become filled with poison again. It’s our humanity, or corruption. To cure that, to take that poison out, Jesus would be lifted up on a cross like the bronze serpent. With that act of love and grace, we would be healed like the Israelites. Jesus put it into words Nicodemus would know and understand. For us it’s the same. I get tired when people talk about “born-again Christians.” Jesus isn’t making distinctions here. There’s no such thing as “born-again” Christians and other Christians. Either you follow Christ and have the Spirit or you don’t. There’s not some layers or levels to this, and it’s wrong for people to make false divisions over whether there is one type of Christian or another. It’s simple: do you believe in and follow Jesus or not? 

            But there’s an even bigger lesson here—that of Jesus’s act of love to welcome. Verse 16, so often quoted, tells us that God loved the whole and entire world, and if you believe in this, you have life. But even more powerful is verse 17—that our God is about giving salvation over suffering, life over death, grace over judgment. This is our God, and our God did not come to judge or condemn. We seem to do it a lot, but God does not. 

            Jesus appears to welcome people as they were. Nicodemus was welcomed in the dark of night with all his questions and doubts. Zacchaeus the tax collector was welcomed despite his sneaky, cheating past. The woman at the well was welcomed despite her messy love life. The sanctimonious, the sinner, the would-be saint, the betrayer, the wicked, and the unwashed masses of people all searching for something new were welcomed to come to Jesus. 

            Unfortunately, Christ’s church has not always been so good at this. In the past the church drew a line to keep African Americans out, but Jesus said, “For God so loved the world.” In the past, the church drew a line to keep gifted women out, but Jesus said, “For God so loved the world.” In my formative years, the church drew a line to keep LGBT people out, but Jesus said, “For God so loved the world.” In times past the church has looked down on people with criminal records, who didn’t seem to fit, who looked different, but Jesus over and over again brought people into his presence to pull them upright and show them God’s miraculous and life-changing, unexplainable love. 

The truth of the matter is that not one of us, and not any single person was ever condemned, refused, or turned away by Jesus. He welcomed everyone who came to him. The church cannot and should not ever keep anyone out. This is exactly where people need to be: here, welcomed to find love beyond human understanding and God’s grace for whatever burdens are carried. Yet, none of us can come to Jesus without expecting to be changed by that holy power and presence—that grace which makes us new, gives us life, gives us hope now and forever, and gives us purpose.  

            And how does this happen? For all of us, no matter what we’ve done, we hear those words of our hymn, “My sin, not in part, but the whole is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more. Praise the Lord, O my soul.” But we are also, in a sense, born again because Christ gives us a new life, a new way, and a new direction in our walk here on earth. We lay down our old ways of being and thinking, and we find this new way where Christ leads us through God’s Spirit in us. It’s unexplainable, but no less miraculous and powerful. When Nicodemus came to Jesus, he was looking for an explanation. Instead, he got something completely different—he was changed for good. The same is true for us: Jesus still loves the whole word and yes, you and me too. But that love calls and tugs at us challenging us to be changed by the power of our loving Savior Christ—and changed for good. 

          Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/544022290234351

Shocking Grace Pt. 2

Ezekiel: Weariness—Ezekiel 37: 1-14; John 14: 15-20

            I saw a joke the other day that said, be careful how much you leave your kids with their grandparents. I asked my nephew the other day how old he was going to be. He replied, “I’m going to be 7 if the Lord sees fit to let me live that long.” Although in our day and age, that 6-year-old is probably just as weary as the rest of us, I imagine. As we continue our series on Shocking Grace, we look today at how God’s grace inspired and stirred the weariness in Ezekiel as he was led into the dry and desolate place of the valley of dry bones. We see in this scripture that God made life happen there, that Christ lives in us to make life happen in us, and that we must change our mindset of frailty to one of faith. 

            First, we read in Ezekiel that God brought the prophet to the valley filled with bones. It was a dry and desolate place where no life was found. I imagine the valley was a desert filled with sand which could fully dry out the bones. God then asks Elijah, “Son of man, can these bones live again?” Every morning when the alarm goes off, I ask that same question, “Lord, can these dry bones live again?” Usually after a couple cups of coffee I get close enough to shuffle out the door. Ezekiel, the valley, and whoever the bones belonged to were all weary. But out of that weariness, God brings life. 

            God first tells Ezekiel to speak a prophetic word, then God makes life happen from that word. Our God is no stranger to the power of the spoken word. In the beginning, God spoke the earth into existence. God called Moses with words from a burning bush. There is power when God’s word is spoken. Ezekiel, tired himself, goes out with what energy he can summon up and prophesies to dead bones as odd as that sounds. 

            But then the miraculous happens. God’s power pulls the scattered, weary, dry bones together and creates whole and complete humans. Then with another, more excited prophetic word, the breath of God enters the bodies and breathes life into them. The same God who created the heavens and earth can breathe life into our weariness and help us to live again. It’s not just words spoken to bones. You can chatter over your rack of ribs at the barbecue joint all day long, but they’re not going to leap up from the plate and become a human. It’s the power of God’s prophetic word coupled with the power of God to make life happen out of nothing. The Bible is filled with instances where God brings the dead back to life, where God creates out of nothingness, where God proves over and over again our calling, our faith, our hope is in a God who gives life. 

            In particular, it’s even easier in our situation. God’s words of life and strength do not have to trickle down through a prophet. John 14:16 tells us that God “will give [us] another Advocate who will never leave [us].” Verse 17 goes on to remind us that this Advocate, the Holy Spirit lives in and works through people of faith. It’s as if God is right here all the time. Even as we become weary, tired, and worn out by the world, God is saying, “Over here! I’m ready to give you strength and power and life in your dry bones!” This is the same God who reminds us of that perfect strength given to us when our strength is gone…that even when we are weak, in Christ, we are actually strong. 

            When we pray, when study and spend time with God, do our prayers ask for this strength, this life? Do we say in our prayers, “O Lord speak to me so that my dry and weary bones can live again!” Or are the prayers we say as bleak, dry, and dreary as our own outlook on life? We cannot come and sing that we’re “leaning on the everlasting arms” if we’re still tethered to crutches of insecurity, instability, and weariness. 

            I remember substituting for the music director at the Presbyterian Church in Danville, Kentucky, and the pastor told a story. A man went to church one Sunday. It was an old and well-established monument of a building with an old and well-established congregation who were just as much fixtures of the church as the historic pews. When the preacher made the first point, the man said audibly, “Amen!” Everyone looked around, shocked. On the second point, the man said, “Hallelujah!” There were notable sighs, gasps, and looking around. At the last point, the man loudly proclaimed, “Glory be to God!” Finally, an exasperated Deacon got up and asked the man what was wrong with him. The man said, “I can’t help it—I got the Spirit of God!” The deacon replied, “Well you didn’t get that here, so stop it!” My friends, Christ, through the Holy Spirit, lives in us to give us life. 

            So, then, we must change our words and attitudes from that of frailty to words and attitudes of faith. God tells Ezekiel to say to Israel that God knows they’ve lost hope; God knows they have become old, dry bones—weary, tired, and seemingly done for. But God has a prophetic word for them, “O my people, you will know that I am the Lord. I will put my Spirit in you and, and you will live again.” Mark those words! You will live again! But if we live convinced of our own frailty and weariness, that hope of life will escape us. 

            Now I’m not talking about being tired. We all get a bit tired sometimes. I’m talking about a weariness, a dry devastation that empties us of our faith, our hope, and our will to plunge forward into God’s spectacular calling. There’s a lot to make us weary. Any time I turn on the news these days I grow weary enough to pass out on the couch. Faith and this breath of life from God call us to look beyond the circumstances in front of us. Think of it like a big rainstorm. You have two choices: you can sit down and go nowhere, or you can put on your raincoat, get your umbrella and boots, and go out to forge ahead to where you need to be. God is like the rain gear. You may still get a bit wet, but you face the storm with protection. That’s what it means to lean on the everlasting arms that hold us up, give us strength, and save us from drowning in the weariness of life. 

            First it begins with our words spoken together with God’s Holy Word. How do we pray? How do we speak? How often do we convince ourselves we are too weary to live out God’s calling? How often do we let difficult circumstances overtake God’s hope in our lives? This isn’t a question of sin or bashing saying you’ve done something wrong. We do that too, don’t we? We compound our struggles with the belief that because we have struggled, we’re so sinful that there’s no way back from the deep, dark pit we’ve dug for ourselves. 

            This isn’t a question of sin or conviction. It’s a question how deep the roots of God’s words are. God promises, and indeed has proven, that in and through God there is life. The Spirit lives within us to make sure we can pray for that strength. And, if we change our minds and hearts from this focus on weariness and frailty to that of faith, perhaps we can find that hope again. God asks, “Can these dry bones live again?” The answer is yes, but the choice to say, “Yes, these dry bones can live again,” is yours to make. So, what do you say? “Child of God, can these dry bones live again?” Amen. 

Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/162054359402224

Shocking Grace Pt. 1

Shocking Grace: Jacob the Fighter—Gen. 32: 22-32; I Tim. 6: 11-14

            In the early 1960s, Sonny Curtis wrote a song which would later become famous. In about 20 minutes, while watching a Texas sandstorm, he penned the words to this now-famous hit, “I Fought the Law, and the Law Won.” When asked about his inspiration for the lyrics to the song, he told the Tennesean, “Well, you can tell by the lyrics, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist,” followed up with, “I don’t remember what inspired me, or I’d write another one.” Over the next three weeks we will consider three examples of Shocking Grace, moments in Biblical characters’ lives that they will most definitely remember. What, exactly, is shocking grace? Perhaps the best description is this: God’s grace that is filled both with a harsh, painful reality or lesson, followed by redemption, newness, or wholeness for whomever is experiencing it. 

            That song, “I Fought the Law, and the Law Won,” is a pretty good description of Jacob’s life. Jacob had a long history in life of being very, very self-reliant and in control. He did this, usually, through some manner of conniving, trickery, or deceit. Jacob exploited his brother’s hunger to steal his birthright. He had gauged that Esau didn’t really care about the birthright, and he convinced Esau to trade it for a bowl of soup. Jacob then dresses up like his hairy, outdoorsy brother, and tricks his father into blessing him instead of Esau. He steals both his brother’s birthright and blessing. 

            Jacob then goes to live with his Uncle Laban and eventually tricks him into giving the greatest share of his herds and flocks to Jacob, essentially plundering what was owned by this uncle. He then takes his two wives (his uncle’s daughters) and sneaks out in the night. All throughout his life, Jacob fought and strived with others: his family, himself, and everyone he ever dealt with learned the deceitful and fighting ways that defined Jacob. But ultimately, Jacob was wrestling with God and refusing to give God control. 

            Here, in our story today, we see the end of Jacob’s fighting with God. As Jacob is alone in the camp, the rest of the group sent on ahead, a stranger comes to meet Jacob. They fight all night long on and on raging together. But as dawn comes it’s time to end the fight. The stranger, whom Jacob describes as having seen the face of God, touches Jacob’s hip and permanently disables him. This is Jacob’s big lesson about the power of God. He was only able to fight against God because God let him. When we fight and quarrel with God as well, it is only because we are allowed to. Look how easy it was for God to simply touch Jacob’s hip and win the fight. It took no effort on God’s part at all. It is impossible to win against God’s power. You are fighting against holy perfection. You will ultimately wind up like the song— “I fought the law, and the law won.” 

            After God renders Jacob helpless, we see a different Jacob. He’s no longer fighting, struggling, and showing off his own power. He’s left helplessly clinging to God, praying for a blessing. In essence, Jacob had nowhere else to go. He’s lost, defeated, and overwhelmed by the power and majesty of God. All he has left is to hold on to God for dear life. But God is good, so God doesn’t just cripple him and disappear, like Jacob did his uncle. God is just, which sometimes hurts, but God is not cruel. Jacob is blessed by God. His name is changed to Israel. When Jacob stopped fighting with God, and instead relied and clung on to God, his whole life was changed including his name, his outlook, and his wisdom in dealing with situations. God’s grace both shocked him and changed him forever, from one who wrestled with God, to one who has seen the face of God and been blessed. 

            But now, not all fighting is bad. Sometimes we are called upon to stand firm in this life. Our New Testament, I Timothy gives us such an example. Paul is commending and charging his protégé, Timothy, in a letter to him. His biggest lesson to Timothy is in verse 14, “obey without wavering.” Paul tells Timothy what he is to obey is this: “Fight the good fight for the true faith.” Paul tells us that when we fight, we are to fight with God, not against God. Now, fighting doesn’t mean exactly mean get your gun, your plaid flannel, and hardhat and roll off on an ATV. I’ve lived in the South long enough to offer this clarification. It means we stand firm in the faith, stand firm in the power of God love and grace, stand firm that hope exists over despair, stand firm that love, peace, and mercy are worth fighting for. 

            In a way, I think we are all fighting like Jacob. Each and every one of us have struggles whether they are internal fights or whether they’re actual, daily fights we endure. We all try to struggle, bargain, ignore, or slide our way through situations in life. It’s not as bad as it seems, when it is. I feel fine, when we don’t and really need help. I can manage things, when life has become overwhelming. My relationship is fine, when someone is taking advantage of us. In so many ways we fight with God and with reality. Jacob fought his whole life. He ruined his relationship with his father. He lived in fear of his brother for 20 years. He made it so he could never return to his Uncle Laban’s. He never saw his beloved mother, Rebekah, again before she died. Jacob got what he wanted in life, but all that fighting, conniving, struggling, cost Jacob dearly—a very high price. 

            His life did not get easier until he changed from wrestling with God to clinging to God. Like, Paul tells Timothy to fight the good fight. I promise you that when God says to give your life over to God, it’s not to make a mess of things, ruin your plans, or goof up what you want. God asks for your devotion and your life to work out what is best for you and what is best for others through you…the good fight. 

            I remember when I was little, I often could be headstrong and a bit like an adult. Mainly this was because I grew up around adults and not children. My mom used to often give me a reminder of how I needed to behave by saying, “I’m the parent, you’re the child.” I guess it’s my own youthful version of “I fought the law, and the law won.” Remember that there is no need to wrestle with God. God loves you and wants what is best for you. Jacob had to learn through shocking grace, but it’s much easier to come to this realization without the shocking part. When we say to God, “Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee,” God can work in and through us for our good and for the good of others. Give up the fight. Let God lead you and guide you, for then you can truly find a blessing. 

Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/816495009048107

Be Kind--Final

Be Kind—Forgiveness: Psalm 86: 1-6; Mark 11: 22-25

            One of my favorite things in life is cooking shows. As a child, I watched Saturday morning cartoons like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Popeye, and so on. But as an adult, I watched Food Network religiously usually while revising and finishing my sermon writing. One of the chef’s not on there, but whom I’ve come to like is a guy in Greece, Akis Petretzikis. When it comes to seasoning food (or adding cheese) he has a catchphrase: “Don’t be cheapy with it.” 

            That’s probably good advice when it comes to forgiveness as well. Don’t be cheapy with it. You see, Mark’s Gospel is pretty clear that forgiveness is a bit of a quid pro quo, or comes with an expectation, in the realm of faith. That expectation is that you and I will also forgive also. So, as we see in our scripture today, God is ready to forgive; we should forgive and not hold grudges, so that God will forgive you too. Now, as we wrap up our series on practical ways of kindness, we look at probably the hardest today—the importance for forgiveness. 

            First, we see in the Psalm that God stands ready to forgive. Psalm 86:5 tells us, “O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help.” God is ready to forgive because of God’s love for us. Love and grudges cannot coexist because holding a grudge leads to bitterness and never a deepening love. Too often we feel like forgiveness is an excuse or “get out of jail free card” for someone who has done wrong. That’s simply not true. Forgiveness is all about the wronged party, or the victim, releasing that burden. That’s exactly what happens as God forgives us—that burden of sin between us and God is released. That’s why God is so ready to forgive because it clears the way for that holy love to make a change in us. 

            Unforgiven wrongs are like an infection in our souls and spirits. As they continue to set, they become more and more toxic. If it’s our own sin and wrongdoing, it becomes easier and easier for us to be comfortable with sin. Do it the first time and you feel guilty. Do it the 100th time, and you may not even think about it being wrong. If we are the victim of someone else’s sin, letting that burden weigh on our souls makes us mean and bitter. I can guarantee that someone who does not care that they did you wrong also doesn’t care that you are holding it over them without forgiveness. The only thing hurt by withholding forgiveness is you and your relationship to a God who is all-loving and all-forgiving. 

            When we forgive others, it clears the pathway for God’s love to make a change in them as well. You’re not the one trying to fix things anymore; God is. Holding on to bitterness and grudges is toxic and spiritually poisonous to us. It will ruin our hope, our joy, and keep us from the fullness of love. Forgiveness doesn’t magically make things fine, because God will still deal with the one who has done the wrong. But forgiveness releases that poison and bitterness from us, and it’s an act of kindness that comes directly from the work of Jesus himself. Christ died to give us forgiveness, and, as we are told, not necessarily because we deserve it or earned it. That forgiveness is because of God’s love and makes room for God’s love. 

            Thus, we must forgive and not hold on to grudges, so we can receive that forgiveness from God. Mark 11 talks about prayer and how we should approach our time of prayer. In verse 25, the Gospel says this: “But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against…” That’s a pretty direct command, isn’t it? First and foremost, when we pray, we are to forgive whomever we are holding a grudge against. And if it doesn’t work the first time, do it again….and again. Now, most modern translations stop here at verse 25 because it is believed verse 26 is simply a double translation of the same passage into English, just a slightly different way. (That’s the short non-seminary essay explanation.) 

            But in the older King James, New King James, and a few other translations, they still have verse 26, which says more sharply, “But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.” That’s kind of a hard pill to swallow. If you are unwilling to forgive, don’t come asking God for forgiveness. God is essentially saying, “Forgive, and don’t be cheapy with it.” 

The lesson is more pointedly made in the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant in Matthew 18. A man was forgiven his many debts by the king after begging and pleading for mercy. Yet that same day, that same forgiven man turned around and showed no mercy to someone indebted to him. Instead of forgiveness, the forgiven man threw his own servant into prison until the debt could be paid. The other fellow servants, bothered by this unkindness and cruelty, went and told the king what had happened. When the king found out that the one he forgave was stingy with his own mercy and forgiveness, the king punished him severely. 

The end of verse 25 of Mark 11 confirms this, “But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.” There is nothing in life to gain from holding a grudge or keeping all of that resentment inside of you. Let it go, hand it over to God who knows how to heal, help, and mend what’s broken. 

Another show I used to watch with my mother was Golden Girls. Now I’m sure you’re not exactly expecting a good theological lesson from Golden Girls, but just hold on. In one episode, Sophia’s son dies. As the show rounds out there is a confrontation between Sophia and her daughter-in-law, whom she has been bitter towards for years. At first, she claims it’s over $47 she’s owed by the daughter-in-law, but as the story unfolds it becomes more apparent that over the years she has blamed herself and by extension her daughter-in-law for what she saw as her son’s shortcomings. As the daughter-in-law reminds Sophia what a good man her son was, all that resentment, bitterness, and years of anger wash away as the two embrace. 

Forgiveness allows us to let go of the burdens we hold onto. Sometimes that’s forgiving others who have wronged us, and sometimes that means forgiving ourselves and our own past. As someone who likes to control things, I know that forgiveness is hard. There’s no formula, no magic way to get there. It’s a process, a work within our soul. Forgiveness happens when we intentionally choose to turn our focus towards God rather than dwelling on the people and situations which have hurt us. The reason this Gospel warns us so strongly to practice forgiveness to obtain God’s forgiveness is that God can’t work in a heart and in a soul where there’s no room for that holy presence. We have to come to God just as we are but be prepared to be changed in God’s power and presence. So today, let’s begin this work of un-burdening ourselves. It starts by practicing forgiveness, and remember, don’t be “cheapy” with it. 

    Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/1259309084520449

Be Kind--Pt. 3

Be Kind—Pray: Psalm 5: 1-3, 11-12 and James 5: 13-18

Growing up, I remember singing little songs during Children’s Church. Sometimes they were fun and a bit silly, like “Father Abraham,” where you end up swinging your arms and legs wildly. Sometimes the songs we sang were simple hymns. But one often stuck out—a cross between the solemn and charismatic. It was popularized by Johnny Cash… “Do Lord, O do Lord, O do remember me. Way, beyond the blue.” As we continue in our series on being kind and practical ways to live in kindness, we look today at prayer. Prayer is that time where we both listen and call out to God, “Do Lord, remember me.” 

But even as we ask for God to look upon us and remember us, we must also understand what it means to pray and what is required of us in the process. We can pray all day, “Do Lord, remember me,” but if our hearts are not ready for our prayers or God’s response, we will struggle with being able to pray. What it takes from us is the faith to believe, the courage to confess, and the wisdom to know. Even as we call out to God “way beyond the blue” what do we do here on earth when we pray? 

First, we must have the faith to believe that God hears us. The Psalm starts out with this call, “O Lord, hear me as I pray, pay attention to my groaning [;] listen to my cry for help.” Prayers do us no good if we lack faith. If we cannot imagine our prayers making it beyond the roof, then why pray at all? It takes this faith to know and believe that God hears us when we cry out to Almighty God. James strongly advocates for prayer in all situations and all things: if you are suffering hardship—pray! If you are happy, sing praises! If you’re sick, call the elders to come pray over you and anoint you! Prayer is much more involved than just a quick blessing over lunch. Look to Jesus in the garden before the cross, or to Moses on Mt. Sinai. Prayer is a time when we enter, spiritually, right in front of God and pour out our hearts. 

I remember talking with a church member who was very confused at the prayer behaviors of a good friend of hers. She told me that her friend would come and pray with her when she was sick, and that was it. There would be no follow up, no asking if more prayer was needed, nor checking back in to see how she was. After some thinking and pondering on it, she said to me, “You know, at first I thought it was because she didn’t care, but then I learned she had the kind of faith to believe God heard her, so it was unnecessary to check back up on God.” Have the faith to believe God hears you…even way beyond the blue. 

Second, we must have the courage to confess what is in the way of our time with God. James has a somewhat uncomfortable note on confession. In verse 15 he writes, “And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.” How reassuring to hear, but the discomfort starts in the next verse: “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” It’s almost as if we were to sing, “Do Lord, O do Lord, O do remember me…BUT WAIT not that part, whoa, whoa God, not that part of my life…remember something else!” 

We have lost the ability to confess in prayer because we’ve tied confession to shame instead of forgiveness. Confession should free us, bring peace and wholeness, lead us on the pathways to forgiveness. But in our times and days, confessing anything is shameful, ugly, and haunts us for life especially when it’s poured through the pipes of gossip and the worldwide audience of social media. Perhaps that is because we’ve come to care more what people around us think than we care what God thinks? God already knows what you’ve done wrong. God’s only waiting for you to bring it up and deal with it to find peace and move on. Confession, for our time, unfortunately, is seen as weak, not an act of courage. 

But James calls on us to confess both to God for forgiveness and to one another for healing and wholeness. I wonder how different the hatefulness of our world would look if we were loving and gentle with confessions, offered forgiveness, and practiced healing and Christ-like grace to one another? Prayer is meant to wash away guilt and shame. Confession and forgiveness are meant to restore relationships not become fodder for future arguments. Confess your sins, ask for forgiveness, pray for the guidance to do better—for this is how prayer strengthens you in your walk. 

Last, we must have the wisdom to know and accept God’s answer. The Psalm and James both speak to this. Psalm 5:11 says, “But let all who take refuge in you rejoice…for you bless the godly, O Lord, you surround them with your shield of love.” James adds in verse 17 that Elijah, though human, prayed for over three years that rain would fall, and none did. Then at some point, he prayed again, and rain fell. What do we make of this? God hears our prayers—this much we know. But God doesn’t always answer prayer on our timeline. Elijah prayed for years for rain during a drought. But it wasn’t time. 

This was part of the ongoing saga between the wicked King Ahab and Elijah, the prophet calling the people back to God. A drought was sent to both push the people back to faith and punish them for turning their backs on God. Elijah tried to pray them through it, but it wasn’t the right time. When the time was right, God sent rain to help the struggling people. Sometimes we must wait, and that’s hard. Sometimes God answers immediately, so we rejoice. Sometimes, God says no, and we must find the peace to live that response. 

But God always answers us when we pray. This week I’ve been doing quite a bit of praying. I have time to do that again now that I get a couple of months break from seminary. I prayed hard about my worries with the rising COVD numbers again. Out of nowhere a random Macon phone number called me this morning. The lady left a message said she was calling with a group of local pastors to encourage them with the scripture, “Do not be afraid for I am with you. Do not be anxious for I am your God. I will fortify you; yes I will help you.” She rounded out with, “We can always petition God for comfort, peace of mind, and things of that nature.” It takes the wisdom to know that God hears us and will respond. 

People often ask, “How do I pray?” It’s actually very easy. You simply come before God with an open heart, listening ears, and willing spirit. When you pray, have the faith to believe that God hears you in all that you ask. Have the courage to confess and ask for forgiveness, for God’s grace is abundant. And lastly, have the wisdom to know that God will answer you. And as you ask, “Do Lord, O do Lord, O do remember me…” be reminded: God always does.  

Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/2990709734476260

Be Kind--Part 2

Be Kind: Bless—Psalm 51: 10-13; Mark 5: 1-20

            What do we need to let go of in our lives? Boy, that’s a loaded question to start off the sermon, isn’t it? But that is exactly the question that our Gospel lesson asks of us today—what do we need to let go of or have cast out of our lives? The Gospel is, in fact, a very difficult and problematic one. It basically says that Jesus met a possessed man who was healed by casting demons into pigs who immediately killed themselves which exposed the betrayal of the town to their Jewish neighbors and got Jesus cast out, and “Thanks be to God for these words of hope.” What is tough, though, is that we are called to look directly into the face of something terrifying—this unknown of “demon possession” that this man suffered with his whole life. In our modern understanding, we might consider this a mental health disorder (like schizophrenia) as opposed to a literal horde of demons living in this man. Although, the literal is also not outside the realm of possibility, and I believe that is even more terrifying to us in the age of science and medicine of modern times. 

            We see in the story a man who lives in a Gentile territory, that of the Gerasene region. He has, for some time apparently, been possessed with this demon, this thing, which has taken over his life. It tortures him and causes suffering. He howls and roams the tombs like some kind of animal. He must have been a ghastly sight—bruised and bloody from beating himself with rocks, looking broken and deformed where the Gerasene people physically abused him. Make no mistake they hated him, were terrified of him, and used brute force and abuse to control him by subduing him and chaining him up—likely hoping he would die. Imagine the pain as he likely broke his wrists tearing the iron shackles apart. This kind of horror shocks us and terrifies us. 

            I think part of what makes us so unsettled about this Gospel lesson is that it forces us stop and ask, is something like this lurking inside of our minds and spirits as well? It’s even more disturbing when we see that Jesus cast the demons out into a herd of pigs and 2,000 of them hurled themselves off a cliff to their death. That kind of suffering in innocent animals is horrifying to wrap our heads around. If you go even deeper, the story becomes politically charged. The man’s demon was named Legion (meaning many), but also a reference to the Roman army’s “legions.” The Gerasene people were raising the pigs to feed and support the oppressive Roman Empire’s army occupying the region, including Jerusalem, which would have been seen as betrayal—supporting the enemy. In one quick story, Jesus has the Romans compared to demons and cuts off the majority of their regional food supply. These people hated the demon possessed man, and probably hated Jesus even more for spoiling their arrangement. 

            But even as we’re shocked by the brutality here, we still see a story of hope in that the love and power of Jesus cast out the demons this man had wrestled with for so many years. It’s a gospel lesson that begs this same question of us: what do we need to let go of in our own lives? There are things, I’m sure, that each of us live with which clutter our lives and our spirits to the point that God’s blessings have no room to enter in. Just as the demon lurched and convulsed in the man when Jesus came near, those demons we live with know Jesus and don’t want him to come anywhere near them either because we’ve held on to them for so long. 

            What do we live with that we need to have Jesus cast out of us? For the Gerasene people, they betrayed all of the oppressed peoples in the region by helping the Roman Empire. They were cruel and abusive to this man, none of which helped or changed him—he only changed when confronted by the loving, redemptive power of Jesus who has the strength to cast out these spiritual troubles we live with. You cannot hide away or beat your spiritual baggage into submission. It must be called up and cast out by the Savior. 

For some of us, I imagine there’s childhood traumas we carry around. For others of us, it may be anger, resentment, bad theology from our past. It may be sadness and loss that made wounds which never seem to heal—make no mistake in each and every life there is some kind of thing lurking in us which we carry around and may have for years. Name it. Call it out. Let it be exposed to Jesus just as the possessed man called out the name of the thing tormenting him—Legion. Name it. What is it? What spiritual burden or baggage do we need Jesus’s love and grace to cast out of us? 

            Far too long, I believe some of us have lived like the possessed man. We react when those wounds and struggles get touched upon. We fight and wrestle with trying to find ways of coping and ignoring the struggles. We are shackled to the wall by suffering which we can’t or won’t let go because we’ve become comfortable living with it. That hurt, those demons, now define us. That’s the trouble with toxic people and situations in life, we’re constantly drawn to them hoping tomorrow will be different. A pastor I follow said in a similar sermon on this Gospel lesson, “There are people [and situations] we encounter and instantly know they are toxic. But at the same time, there are people in this world who find us toxic, and that’s much harder for us to accept.” Jesus cast out the toxic, evil thing in the Gerasene man, but the Gerasene people, unwilling to accept or understand Jesus, considered him toxic and dangerous and threw him out of the town.

            The Gerasene people saw this demon and man wrestling for control. They tried to beat it into submission, tie it up and hide it away, prayed it would just starve out and disappear. But none of that worked. Instead, it was the love and power of Jesus to help, to heal, and to save which ultimately freed the man to accept his full blessings in life. His encounter with Jesus was different. Jesus looked on him with love, with a desire to change and be healed. Healing and wholeness were not an easy road for this man. But it was this kindness and hope found in Jesus which ultimately changed his life. 

            Your demons and struggles and those things which haunt and possess you cannot be ignored or beaten into submission. Ultimately, they will fill your life up with sin and toxic, horrible feelings. To truly find healing and wholeness we must shine this light of Christ on those old, deep things buried in our souls and have them addressed. Can you call its very name today? Is it resentment, anger, fear? Can you name it, so that Jesus can take it from you? It may take prayer, therapy, or any combination of medical and spiritual approaches to find help. 

            The Gospel lesson, however, is clear. For those who suffer and find these struggles living within them day in and day out, these toxic and negative things buried deep within, it takes shining the love of a Savior and Christ’s redemptive power to cast out the spiritual mess and welcome God’s blessings within. Again, that can be done in the context of therapy and help, or in prayer and counseling. But to the man who had never seemed to know kindness, Christ became a blessing and a healing Savior. 

            Yet even as we summon up our own inner demons ask Christ to cast them out, there are others who need us to show this love of Christ to them for their own healing. We can’t be like the Gerasene people, who were cruel and mean to this suffering man. Christ became a blessing to him bringing him hope and healing. Likewise, as our souls are freed up for God’s blessings to us, we must also become a blessing to one another. Create in us a clean heart, O God, and renew within us a right spirit. May we make room for God’s blessings in our lives, and may we also be a blessing to others.

 Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/253659486314592

Be Kind--Part 1

Be Kind—Write: Jeremiah 30: 1-3; I Cor. 1: 1-9

            We start our series this week on looking at practical ways we can show Christian kindness to one another. Now, when I was little, there was an “old-school” sort of virtue that my mother and grandmother taught me. Whenever someone does something nice for you, helps you out, or buys you a nice gift, you should write a thank you note. And so, I have from that time on, kept a few thank you notes in my desk drawer and used them to send a little note of my gratitude to folks who have blessed me in some way. In fact, I write a lot of notes and letters. As a lawyer and pastor, I’m a big fan of the gift of words, so I tend to write a lot when I have time. 

            Now, this whole idea of “thank you” notes and written letters seems to have fallen out of fashion these days. We text. We drop an email. If you’re in the younger generation, you may get a Tweet, Snapchat, Facebook message, or a hashtag. If you’re over 60, a hashtag is basically a number sign used to emphasize something. Honestly, don’t worry about it. We are surrounded by so many modes and means of communication, but nothing has the same power as pen to paper to create the written word. 

            The Bible is perhaps the best example of this. It’s a collection of words, thoughts, ideas, stories, and recollections of God’s power and provision for God’s people, as well as the story of a Savior, written by humankind and divinely inspired by God. It’s a book through which our God speaks to us in history, here and now, and into our future. There is power in the written word. 

            The Bible also refers to Jesus as the “Word.” John 1 tells us, “In the beginning the Word already existed. The word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1 goes on to say, “The Word gave life to everything that was created,” in verse 4. When God made a covenant with the people of Israel, the terms and conditions (and in particular the commandments) were recorded in written word on tablets of stone wherein God set ten rules for the people to follow. 

            When God sent a message of doom and destruction to the people, he used did so through the spoken word. A prophet was sent to tell the people they had messed up and God was none too pleased. But when God offered something good or a blessing, it came to the people written down. Here in Jeremiah, God says “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: Write down for the record everything I have said to you, Jeremiah. For the time is coming when I will restore the fortunes of my people.” Write it down, Jeremiah, God’s going to send a blessing. God’s going to restore the nation. Write it down. 

            Paul, perhaps inspired by God, used the written word to set up the church. I believe Paul realized early that there would be many, many new churches and only one of him. In those days being a traveling evangelist was a bit harder than it is these days. Our modern televangelists may have a Ferrari and private jet (like Joel Osteen, whom I would never call out for such things,), but Paul had, at best, a donkey and a mission. He used his divinely inspired written word from God to instruct, correct, and encourage the growth of the church all throughout the land from Rome to Thessalonica. 

            Paul, in our New Testament, is writing his encouragement to the church at Corinth. The church there was plagued by trouble. People came in and out of it. Those in charge were powerful people who faked outlandish spiritual gifts. They were centered on show, glitz and glamour, spectacle, and a side of bad behavior both socially and sexually. Somewhere along the way from Paul’s founding, they had lost their way and become a pageant show and not a house of worship. 

            Paul, though, is gentle with them. He writes to them who “have been called by God to be his own holy people.” He writes to those who have called on Christ as their Lord. He writes to them calling for grace and peace to be in their midst. Paul writes to them that God has given them powerful gifts, enriched them, given eloquence and powerful preaching, and knowledge in their very midst. He prays in his writing that God will hold them fast and keep them strong until the end, and that he knows God will do this for God is faithful. Paul writes with his influence over the church he founded. He writes with the inspiration of God to reach out to those who need a loving and correcting hand. 

            Paul writes one of the most powerful chapters in the Bible on our duty as Christians, saying, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and angels but have not love, I’m like a clanging brass or tinkling cymbal.” Paul writes to them with everything in his soul, pouring out God’s word, his own understanding, and his love for them. Yes, my friends, we sing because we’re happy, we shout for joy, we pray in earnest, and we write…for the in the beginning the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 

            The written word is very powerful. I remember years ago, a former member of this church asked me to write to her grandson who was nearing the end of his prison sentence for drugs and his long struggle with substance abuse. Over the next few months, he and I exchanged several letters. I advised him because of my law job to stick to spiritual and theological things he had questions about. We wrote numerous letters back and forth. I came to respect him and appreciate his insights and desire to learn more about faith and his own relationship to God. 

            All that changed on March 15, 2015. He was driving in Byron and an officer tried to pull him over. Old mindsets creeped back in, and he fled from the police. Because of the speed and recklessness, he crashed and was killed. His life, filled with so much hope, was cut short at 24 years of age. What comfort can be found? What hope can come from such a situation? 

And yet, it is his own written words which spoke a hopeful truth of love and redemption. At his funeral, I let his own words speak. He wrote, “I’m truly trying to turn my life over to God. It’s not the life I want to live. I just want the proper guidance in my life with the Lord and the people I’m around.” In another letter he wrote, “I’m so very determined to do everything in my power to live up to God’s calling in my life.” In the end I was able to turn over dozens of letters to his family with his own words talking about his faith and hope in God. Even in the midst of tragedy, fault, and failure, his faith and God’s grace were scrawled confidently right there on paper in his own handwriting for all to know and see. 

What words of hope and faith will we write in our lives? I’ve put two note cards in each of the bulletins today. You’re invited to write two notes encouragement this week—one to a fellow church member to lift them up, and one to someone who may not have a church home or may be in need of a reminder of God’s love and First Christian’s love. We’ll provide the stamp, you write the notes, just two of them, but it’s important. If Paul could write to every church he founded, you and I can send a couple of notes to folks as well. 

As the closing hymn says, “Sweetly echo the gospel call, wonderful words of life.” Writing notes and letters has gone a bit out of style with all the technology we have these days. But, there is still something powerful when we continue to write…writing of God’s love, of hope, of encouragement, of peace and grace to those who need it. Or, on the other side, in our tough times, when we know God’s love and peace are written on our hearts for all eternity. In the beginning was the Word, and so he lives today.  

Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/567882550896872

Who's Carrying Your Luggage?

Promises: Who’s Carrying Your Baggage? Matthew 11: 28-29; Matt. 16: 24-26

            A few years ago, I decided to treat myself to a nice vacation, so I headed down to Savannah for the weekend. A couple friends and I had gotten a swanky hotel and were planning on bumming around the city for a couple of days just for some rest and relaxation, and on my honor, I completely behaved. You are not getting any confessions from me in this sermon, nor any “chief of sinners, though I be” moments here.. But as my friends and I walked into this gorgeous hotel, we watched an odd scene. 

            There was a young bellhop managing the suitcases, and this wealthy-looking lady came in with a truckload of gigantic, heavy suitcases. The poor young man was barely 5’4” and slender at that. We watched as he loaded up every single suitcase and started dangerously teetering forward and side to side wobbling with the heavy load of luggage. I was beside myself wanting to help him and asked if he needed an extra hand as he went by. With a look of horror, he said, “NOOO! This is my job!” and kept lugging the heavy bags forward. The rich lady, however, paid no notice to his struggle. She was utterly oblivious as to what she had dumped on him, and I hazard a guess that she wasn’t going to tip him well for the struggle either. 

Watching all of this got me thinking…who’s carrying your baggage or my baggage, and I don’t mean the Samsonite version? Who’s carrying your baggage? In Matthew 11:28, we read that Jesus says, “Come unto me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” How many of us carry heavy burdens? How many of us can sleep eight hours, drink all the water we need in a day, exercise, eat lean meat and vegetables, and still wake up the next morning feeling weary and burdened, or as the King James Version puts it, “heavy laden?” 

It doesn’t matter how strong you are, how good a leader, or even if you’re the best of everything. If your soul is tired no amount of forced perfection will keep you from feeling weary and heavy laden. It’s your soul that needs rest, not your body. As the old hymn says, “Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge, take it to the Lord in prayer.” Jesus says to come to him if you are weary and carry heavy burdens and he will give you rest. 

Who’s carrying your baggage? Does every bit of it rest on your shoulders? Are your past decisions weighing on you? Are your mind and your soul so overwrought that each thought feels like it takes every effort your body has? Take it to the Lord in prayer! Or as Jesus says in Matthew 16, “Give up your own way, take up my cross, and follow me.” You will never find rest until you realize that you are not meant to carry your baggage. That’s not your purpose. You were designed to walk with the Savior, to have that relationship where the One who loves you takes your burdens and carries them for you. You were meant to have faith that God is bigger than your burdens. This is why we believe Jesus—for that promise. God will carry your burdens for you—and help you through them. 

But now, we have to be careful. We’re told to take it to the Lord in prayer, but that means our baggage falls on God’s shoulders, and not everyone else’s around us. No one else should become responsible for your spiritual baggage. The preacher is here to help, but ultimately things have to be worked out between you and God. Jimmy Swaggart, an old televangelist, told a story many years that talks about dumping your burdens on others. 

A chicken and a pig were on the farm one day. They decided to make breakfast for everyone at the farm. The chicken turned to the pig and said, “Alright, I’ll provide the eggs for it, and you provide the ham and bacon.” The chicken, however, only had to lay a couple of eggs. The pig would have to be killed to provide his part. Jesus said, “Come unto me,” but he did not give us permission to dump our burdens on others. Jesus has the shoulders to bear it. 

We sometimes have to stop and ask who exactly is carrying our baggage. The truth is it’s your baggage and your responsibility. No one else can go to Jesus for you to fix it. Your pastor can’t carry it for you. No one else can fix what is broken in your life except you and Jesus. Now you can find help and get treatment. There are always people willing to help you with the burdens you face, but that doesn’t mean your burdens become their burdens. The chicken was willing to make the pig give everything for the breakfast. The rich lady was willing to unload all her heavy bags on the poor bellhop at the hotel. When we have tremendous spiritual baggage and troubles, they should go to Jesus, who will carry the heavy load for us. If you need rest, you will find it in Jesus and Jesus alone, for he said clearly, “Come unto me.” 

Finally, if we’re laying down our baggage and resting in Jesus, we have to ask what exactly we are to carry? You see, we don’t get away totally free here. Jesus doesn’t just take it all and let us run around with nothing to do. In Matthew 16, we hear that if you want to follow Jesus…now it’s one thing to believe in Jesus, it’s another to follow. If you want to follow Jesus, give up your way of doing things, take up the cross and follow Jesus. It’s a give and take. Give up what you’re doing to Jesus and take up the cross from Jesus.  

Now pastors often love to give a laundry list of things that this means. Usually the first is tithing to the church. And yes, you are supposed to tithe. You want a church or a ministry, you got bills to pay, that’s how life works, but taking up the cross isn’t just about an offering plate. Sometimes pastors say it’s about volunteering and doing outreach. Yes, that’s certainly a part of taking up your cross, but anyone can do those things…donating time or money whether you’re a follower of Christ or not. Maybe it means you show up every time the church door opens, and yes you should. But, as we all know, even the wicked can sit in church among the righteous and still look all dressed up. 

Taking up your cross means something more. It’s not an activity or a job list. It’s a matter of the heart. Just like your pastor felt the call of God to lead and pray and become a minister, each one of us feels a call too. It’s a willingness to work for the good of God’s kingdom. You take up your cross when you prioritize that working for and living with God is more powerful than any other force, or struggle, or issue in your life. It’s your joy in spite of the pain and trouble. It’s your very breath of life to come into this place and living within us. You can deal with every little thing in the world. But God isn’t interested in how well you navigated Planet Earth. God is interested in your heart and your soul. 

So maybe in life you have some heavy baggage. Perhaps there’s something in your heart and soul that you’ve carried around for years. Maybe there are dark and dirty things that you carry in your life, that are hidden, that you and you alone wrestle with every day. Maybe you believe in God, you come to church, but you’re kind of staring at the cross not so ready to pick it up. Maybe you just feel a little broken and weary, and it’s never ending. 

Jesus says to you, “Come unto me.” Jesus will welcome you and will carry your baggage. That doesn’t matter if it’s one carry on bag, or all the suitcases going through Hartsfield-Jackson Airport. It’s time to lay those burdens down and find that Jesus’s burden is light. It’s a cross, a calling that we carry, to love God, love our neighbors, and share that love in this world. Come and find a calling, come and find a moving, guiding, loving Savior. But most of all, come and find rest for your souls in Christ. 

 Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/579070553079503  

Faith, Grace, and Fireworks

Faith, Grace, and Fireworks: Ezekiel 2: 1-5; II Cor. 12: 6-10

            Years ago, while in college, I attended a small Bible Study. It was held in a small church basement which would have been otherwise dark except for several bright fluorescent lights. I would generally describe the décor as an homage to the late 1970s which had settled into the place. I could tell this because the appliances were the same avocado color as the guacamole being served. Now, I’m not saying I went for the food, but a good spread makes a Wednesday night Bible Study just a little bit easier to attend for a college student. 

            The pastor who had been at the church for 38 years (and had probably arrived with the avocado green appliances) was asked a question by one of the members. “How do I respond Biblically to almost any situation in life.” The pastor looked at the member like he was a Pharisee testing Jesus before thoughtfully answering this: “Young man, you need faith to get you through it, grace to get others through it, and a few fireworks when you’re just through with it.” Today, after more than a decade of hunting, I’ve finally found two scriptures to support his answer of faith, grace and fireworks. 

            First, we need faith to get us through it. Now whatever the “it” is, is really not so important as the faith part of this. When we pick up Ezekiel here in the Old Testament, he is in the overwhelming presence of God and flat on his face on the ground out of fear and reverence for the power of the One who is calling and commissioning him. Now, at least one commentary, Abingdon, refers to this portion of Ezekiel as “A Bitter and Traumatizing Call.” Ezekiel is told that he is going to Israel, now a bitter and hard-hearted people, rebellious to God, and probably holding fierce anger against God’s prophets. 

            It’s a call that would see Ezekiel preach his heart out, but likely make no difference. God does not even assure him that the people will listen because of their extreme rebelliousness. No wonder Ezekiel is on his face and unable to move. He is overwhelmed by the power of God and broken by the traumatizing assignment he’s been given. But we hear how God, in faith, got him through. Even as Ezekiel is unable to stand, that Spirit of God, the same Spirit which descended for good at Pentecost, came down, filled Ezekiel, and picked him up onto his feet. God gave him the strength to get through his difficult encounter and call because of his faith. 

            God also gives us grace to get others through it. Faith helps when you are weak in your relationship to God. Grace helps when you are weak in your relationship to the world around you. Paul, in II Corinthians, was given a thorn in his side. I imagine this is a lot more relatable than the wild visions of Ezekiel. We’ve all had a thorn or two (or 5) in our side. If we read carefully, though, Paul doesn’t have a hurt hip. It’s a mental suffering…a messenger from Satan who tormented him. We aren’t told what message was brought by this wicked visitor, but I imagine it was a message that Paul was not good enough…too weak…useless and unworthy. 

            Paul talks about his pride, but most often we see him suffering from the deep pangs of his own feelings of inadequacy. He calls himself chief of sinners, the least of the apostles, over and over he sees himself as inadequate to this position of authority and grace he’s been given. Without God’s grace, I fear that Paul, in his depression, would have walked away from his call because of his feelings of inadequacy. They would have been overwhelming and unstoppable. But God needed Paul’s abilities to spread the gospel to others. There were people, churches, new Christians who were counting on Paul and his strength. So even as Paul’s mind and spirit were weak, God says to him, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” God told Paul to rely on that strength from heaven and not human pride. 

            Sometimes we need grace to get us through for others to help and to heal them. Sometimes we need grace to be able to deal with others who in their hurt become emotionally unbalanced. In some way, most of humanity is broken and hurting. At times this comes out as silence, other times it comes out as sadness, and for some it comes out as anxiety, anger, and lashing out. Grace allows us to get others through it because we’re relying on God’s strength to help, not our own. I cannot see the hurt behind someone acting out with my human eyes. But God’s grace says look at the hurt to be healed not at the actions which appear offensive. That’s why God’s grace is amazing. 

            And finally, sometimes we need to light a few fireworks when we’re through with it, or simply done. Both Ezekiel and Paul were no strangers to putting their foot down when needed. Ezekiel set off his own fireworks when he prophesied the destruction of Judah and Jerusalem. History, I guess, shows that the rebellious people did not listen to him. Paul was no stranger to figurative fireworks wherever he went, either. Paul proclaimed Christ and what he believed to be the right behavior for churches wherever he went, even unto his imprisonment and death. 

            When I think of setting off a few fireworks, I often think of John Lewis here in Georgia who said that folks needed to make “good trouble.” This is especially true for Christians. There will be times when the sweet life of faith and grace turns toward confrontation. There are times we will be called on to stand for what is right and just in life. Paul could have told his churches, “Eh, it’s okay, don’t worry about it,” when they misbehaved. But he stood his ground with faith in what God told him and the grace to know God would let him minister in the way he needed to. 

            I’ve heard the phrase if we don’t stand for something, we’ll fall for anything. This means standing for justice over inequality, for love over hate, for a community of faith that sees neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free and so on as Paul wrote, for we are all one in Christ. If you read closely in the gospels, Christ saw everyone the same. He looked on them with love, hope, and an eye for redemption. Now sometimes that came across in gentleness and sometimes in tough love. But there was never rejection when Christ met with someone—from the tax collector, to the pharisee, to the prostitute, to the average person, to the thief on the cross—no one was turned away from Christ’s presence. What a power was in their faith and his grace, and a few fireworks in a society that only saw differences in Christ’s day. 

            So, sitting in that groovy, wildly colored church basement in July just over a decade ago, I learned an important lesson, which I want to share with you today. Listen to the examples of Ezekiel and Paul. There are times you will need faith to get you through the tough trials of life, when you’re called to difficult tasks or through troubled waters. There are times you will need to remember that God’s grace is all sufficient, for if you do not have God’s strength to support you, you cannot help and support others. And sometimes, you will need to summon up the courage to set off a few fireworks when you see wrong and injustice. Don’t be afraid to stand with strength and resolve, even as Ezekiel stood before an angry mob of rebellious people, and even as Paul stood before those who sought his death for the gospel of Christ. Today, I wish you a Happy Independence Day filled with faith, grace, and a few holy fireworks. 

Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/300854875075351