Blogging FAIL and a Move

Every now and then in each and every one of our lives we hit a time of busyness that slows everything else other than that one thing to a crawl. That is has been the case for me over the last month and a half. We have left the friendly confines of Center UMC, Vidalia, and the South Georgia Conference to head west to the Texas Annual Conference. I have been appointed there to serve as the Campus Minister at the Wesley Foundation at the University of Texas at Tyler in Tyler, Texas. The job starts next month and I am very excited at the possibilities awaiting us in the Texas Conference and at UT-Tyler. There will be more later. I just wanted to give a quick update now.

John

A Sports Break - Opening Day and the Masters

I think it is fair to say that everyone has their hobbies and passions outside of work. I am no different. Anybody that knows me knows I am a big sports fan. That being said, this past week could not have come at a better time. A post-Easter week involving Opening Day of baseball season and The Masters provides a quick an easy way to relax a little after the busyness of the church leading up to and on Easter Sunday.

Growing up when I did, it is no surprise that the Braves are my favorite sports team by far. I grew up in the streak of 14 straight division titles from 1991-2005 (no winner in 1994 - players strike). Basically, the Braves won the division every year from the time I turned 9 years old until I was 23. Even with recent struggles over the last few seasons, I have not abandoned my team and Opening Day brings the promise of a new season and new hope (strangely enough right after Easter which does that exact same for us as Christians). It is the time of year for peanuts, popcorn and crackerjacks. A time for a hot dog and Coke. A time for strikeouts and home runs. Head out to a ballpark near you and enjoy the National Pastime. Smell the grass and hear the crack of the bat. I know I am going to and sooner the better.

The other big event for me this week is the Masters. Now, I am a golfer, but that is not the only reason the Masters is important. As a Georgia boy, this is one of our signature events. I know people in Georgia that don't even like golf but love the Masters. It is a part of our culture here. I have had the opportunity to attend the event twice. The first was in 1997 on Saturday when Tiger Woods ran away from the field en route to setting the tournament scoring record. The second was a Monday practice round prior to the tournament where the course was just being touched for the first time in weeks and was in perfect condition. The Masters is a special time at the dawning of spring. The simple beauty of the Augusta National Golf Club (home of the Masters) nestled back amongst the tall Georgia pines is the setting. The roars of the gallery and picturesque red, pink and white blooms of the new opened azaleas marks a moment of peace and enjoyment for all who are a part of it.

As you can see, there is a great importance and role in my played by the events taking place this week. I know we all have these times for ourselves. Feel free to share them or just enjoy mine with me. Speaking of which, I think it is about time to go grab a Coke (nothing else for a Georgia boy) because the Masters is on and the Braves are close to starting. See you with the fans.

John

Sermon Tidbits 4/4

He Is Risen! - Luke 24:1-12
1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.  2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb,  3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.  4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them.  5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead?  6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee:  7 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.'"  8 Then they remembered his words.  9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others.  10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles.  11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.  12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

As far as I am concerned, Easter Sunday is the best day of the year in the church. The implications for us are so great. Today, our Lord has brought to completion our freedom from sin and death through His resurrection from the dead. Today is a celebration day. To quote the words of the famous hymn, "Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia." Let us rejoice, today, tomorrow and every day.

Lets turn our minds to the passage today that proclaims to us that Christ is risen this day. I think there is an interesting scene here that can say much to us this resurrection day. The women have come to the tomb only to see the stone rolled back and not Jesus inside. The angels appear to them and find them very confused and afraid. This brings us to the part I think so many of us can relate to. The women have forgotten the words of Jesus to them and the disciples. It is almost like a case of spiritual amnesia, a not so uncommon trait of the sons and daughters of God throughout history. Think of the Israelites in the desert. They constantly forgot the promises of God to them and had to be continuously reminded of them. The disciples had the parables explained to them and other mysteries revealed to them in private but they still had little understanding and were forgetful. Think of us today, we easily grab hold of God's promises and release them without even thinking before needing to be reminded of them again.

We celebrate today because we need to remember Easter. We need a cure for our spiritual amnesia. We need to remember what this day means for us and the world. We do not serve a dead teacher like other religions of the world. We serve a very alive and very active Lord. Christianity is not some religion of happy ideals and good teachings for life. It is a life-changing faith in a Savior sent by God who bore our sins on a cross and died only to be raised from the dead by the power of God overcoming death that we may not die but live eternally in paradise with the one in whom we believe, Jesus. Not only that, we serve a living God who is pursuing us. Jesus is calling out to us. This risen Lord wants a relationship with us. Jesus does not want to sit back and watch from the sidelines. Jesus wants to be in the game with us that we might personally know the forgiveness he offers through the cross to all who believe in Him. That we might personally know the salvation from death into eternal life that he offers through the resurrection for all who believe in Him.

Easter is about so many things, but above all else, it is about our LIVING Lord, Jesus Christ. A Lord who died but by the power of His Father, God, was raised from the dead and is now actively at work in this world and this people. Believe it, Jesus is alive and at work today. We need to stop living like Jesus is dead and powerless and grasp the Easter promise that Jesus is alive and well and actively at work in this world through the power of Holy Spirit in all who believe offering forgiveness and salvation to all who will call on the name of Jesus. Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen Indeed! today. Will you join me in believing today and joining in the work of our RISEN and ALIVE Lord, Jesus Christ? Amen.

John

Holy Week in Icons - Easter Sunday

"Now let the heavens be joyful,

Let earth her song begin:

Let the round world keep triumph,

And all that is therein;

Invisible and visible,

Their notes let all things blend,

For Christ the Lord is risen

Our joy that hath no end."

- John of Damascus

Holy Week in Icons - Good Friday

While they cried "Crucify," he prayed "Forgive." -Augustine

Holy Week in Icons - Maundy Thursday

Sermon Tidbits 3/28

A Royal Entry - Luke 19:28-40
8 After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.  29 As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them,  30 "Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here.  31 If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it.'"  32 Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them.  33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?"  34 They replied, "The Lord needs it."  35 They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it.  36 As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.  37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:  38 "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"  39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!"  40 "I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out." 

We all love a good celebration. Whether it be a parade or a reception at a wedding, we love to celebrate. And a celebration is exactly what we find here in our passage today. This is not any ordinary celebration as we know it. It is a royal celebration. Finally in this passage we have Jesus acknowledged as who he really is, the King. How can we say that for sure though? Well, this passage is littered with markers that tell us just that. Lets take a look:

• "The Lord needs it" (v.34) - 1 Samuel 8:10-18 - The people are crying out for a king and God decides to give them one but shows them how the king's needs are greater than that of the people.
• Colt (v. 30-35) - Zechariah 9:9 - "Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey."
• Riding into the city - 1 Kings 1:32-34 - A donkey is saddled for Solomon to ride to the temple to be anointed King. A tradition for kings to do this.
• Tossing of the garments - 2 Kings 9:12-13 - Jehu is anointed King and they throw their garments on the bare steps for him to walk on as a sign of him being the anointed of God
• "Blessed is the king" - Pslam 118:26 (echoes of Zech. 9:9 & 2 Kings 9:13) - Psalm 118 was traditionally a psalm of royal entry; "Who comes in the name of Lord" are Jesus' very words about himself from Luke 13:35

These are some of the things that give us clear insight into what is happening and being proclaimed here. Other things show up in the other gospels such as the palm branches and the shouting of "Hosanna" that also have roots in Jewish tradition and the Old Testament scriptures. 

We have to ask the question now though having established who we see Jesus as here. What does it mean for Jesus to be king for us? We don't fully understand that until Easter, but this much we do know. Jesus is the Messiah sent from God to save us. He is the perfect and preparing earth for Him to rule over. Jesus does not rule like the kings of the world though. Jesus is not an ordinary king but a heavenly king. He is the king that Isaiah 61 describes (I won't put the text here, but go read it). This is who our king is. A king who gives of himself for his people and who is people love and worship as their savior because of it. Jesus is a king who goes to the cross for us to free us from sin and death. Jesus is a king that rises from the dead for us to free us from death through him. This is our Jesus. This is the one we proclaim as king today and the one who is calling us to Him each and every day to find eternal forgiveness, eternal meaning, and eternal life. 

We celebrate our king's royal entry today. Can we humble ourselves before Jesus and call Jesus, king? Can we ask for that forgiveness that is freely offered by Jesus to us and enter into that eternal life that flows from Jesus to all who believe in Him? Jesus is the king and Jesus has the authority to give that out. Will we accept it from Jesus today?

John

Sermon Tidbits 3/21

Returning to God: Perfect - Philippians 3:4b-14
4b If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more:  5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee;  6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.  7 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.  8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ  9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-- the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.  10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,  11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.  12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,  14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. 

Mary Lou Retton at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, Don Larson in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series, and the 1972 Miami Dolphins all have something in common. Do you know what it is? If you answered that they were all perfect, then you would be right. Perfection is a widely known idea in our culture today. What a lot of Christians don't know is that perfection is also a Christian idea albeit in a slightly different form. In Matthew 5:48 Jesus says simply, "be perfect therefore as your heavenly Father is perfect." In Leviticus 19:2, the people of God here the call to "be holy, because I, the Lord your God am holy." Finally in Deuteronomy 18:13, we are told "you must be blameless before your God." Each of these three verses points in their own way to the idea that we are to be perfect, but what does that mean for us?

I can tell you that a lot of ink been spilled in scholarly circles trying to understand this idea of perfection for Christians. I am going to choose today to look not at the end result so much as the journey to get there since I simply cannot tell you (and I am pretty sure nobody can for certain) what the end actually looks like. Rather, I want to say to you that perfection is something we strive for every day of our lives as we place our hope in God that we would be just like Jesus (because isn't that what perfection really is). So what does this life look like that we are called to? I would put it before you like this. It is a life that lives by the rules and ordinances of living set before us in the Bible, but it also goes a step further in looking at not only these rules and ordinances but the character of God behind them. Our call is to take on the character of God. It is to seek God while living by what God has taught us but also to understand the character of God behind it that we may learn to live into those characteristics for our sake and the sake of the world. This is part of the reason I think our passage is perfect (pun intended) for helping to guide us today.

Paul lays before us in the first section of the passage a person who is perfect by the rules and then makes the statement that he counts everything as "loss" that he may know Christ. Those things he mentioned made him righteous by the law but Paul now refers to a new righteousness that comes from knowing Jesus. A righteousness that takes on the character of Jesus and not just the rules laid before us. Jesus' teachings often aim to take the people beyond the law to live into the character of the law. The old covenant was the law and the new covenant is to live by the character behind it. We enter into this just as Paul by sharing in the sufferings of the ministry of Christ becoming like Christ in life as well as in death by achieving resurrection from the dead.

This is not something that can be done easily though. It is a journey. A journey that takes us to the depths of our body and soul as we seek God and His wisdom. All this so that we may enter into a deeper relationship with our Creator and be greater witnesses for God's name on this earth. Why do we do this? We do this because of Jesus' life, death and resurrection in which we were made God's own once again and shown the path that God had called us to. Like I said, it is a journey. A journey that never ends. It doesn't stop when we feel good about where we are or when we get to a certain age or point in our lives. Each and every day there is a way we can draw closer to God or another person we can reach with the gospel. It never ends. It does stop until God calls us home and tells us our work is done. Are you ready to go on that journey?

John

Sermon Tidbits 3/14

Returning to God: Persevere - Romans 5:1-5
1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,  2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.  3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;  4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.  5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. 

Paul is speaking to us about many things this passage today that each could have their own message but we are going to be focusing on the idea that bridges the gap in this list we find today, perseverance (or your Bible might say endurance). It is actually helpful to think of both of those words because together they give a better since of the original Greek word there than they do apart. We find Paul here speaking about sufferings and how we can rejoice in them. It seems like a very difficult idea to grasp. I know very few people who rejoice when they are going through something very difficult. Sufferings are not just tough on us personally but on our faith as well. Suffering is the place where our faith gets the toughest. We place our belief in God and we pray and often are simply left to wait and trust because the help does not always come immediately.

Paul is trying to bring hope to us though here. He is telling us the value of perseverance in times of need. The value of trusting God when all else seems to fail. Persevering is not always the easy thing to do but Paul tries his best to reassure us. He tells us that the ability to stand strong, to persevere, producing two of the greatest characteristics in Christian spirituality, character and hope. Suffering is something most of us could do without but we cannot ignore the great value of persevering through such times. Paul is telling us that perseverance in these times allows God to help us grow in our relationship with God. 1 Peter 1:6-7 and James 1:2-4 both speak of this as well. They talk about how perseverance strengthens and even helps us prove our great faith to God. Luke 8:15 tells us how perseverance helps yield a crop (new believers) for God's kingdom. Looking even deeper, Hebrews 12 speaks to us about need for perseverance in running the race of life and faith. The Bible goes to many lengths to tell us of the great value of perseverance and the need for it in our own lives.

The Bible makes it very clear to us that perseverance and the ability to persevere are key characteristics of the believer who follows the way. Be strong and place your faith and me and I will bring you through. It may not always be easy  but you will be stronger and closer to me in the end. That is what I think God would say to each and every one of us here today. We need to hear that. God loves us and will not forsake us so we persevere through the sufferings that we may serve God and for our own sake and for the sake of proclaiming the goodness and saving grace of God to the world.

John

Sermon Tidbits 3/7

Returning to God: Reconcile - 2 Corinthians 5:16-21
16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.  17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!  18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:  19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.  20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.  21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Reconciliation is a tough word in our society today. We live in a country/world that pushes the American dream. It is a take no prisoners, work harder than the next person, do what it takes to get to the top with no apologies lifestyle. We are taught that we are always right. An apology is a sign of weakness. This has left a great deal of hurt and injustice in our world today. This is why reconciliation is an important word for us to live by in our return to God during this season of Lent.

Why are we called to this reconciliation though? There is only one simple answer to that question. Jesus. In Jesus' life, death and resurrection, Jesus reconciled us to God. A people who had once been far away from God were now reconciled to God in Jesus. In response, we should enter into this reconciliation with God but also with one another as our passage presses us to do today.

Now, one of the most important characteristics in Christianity sits at the center of reconciliation and that is humility. Jesus lived an authoritative yet humble life among the people. As I have said though, it was more than just defeat of sin that happened on the cross with Jesus. Reconciliation with God was brought to God's children. It brought each and every person estranged from God into right relationship with God. Paul tells us though that we need to take this a step further and reconcile with one another.

Paul tells us about how we become "new creations" as we accept God and as the people of God how we should not "count their trespasses against them" just as God does not count ours against us. How important is this reconciliation we are called to with one another to forgive wrongs and not dwell on them and move forward? Paul reminds us that we are "ambassadors of Christ" and that we must be reconciled so we can show this to others "since God is making His appeal through us." This is a call of the up most importance for us as Christians. Be reconciled to me, God tells us, and then be reconciled to one another.

Can we set aside our pride and do the will of God in reconciling ourselves to God and to one another through the forgiveness of sin/trespass that we may not only grow closer to God ourselves but spread the word of good news of Jesus to the world? It is our call.

John

Sermon Tidbits 2/28

Returning to God: Transform - Romans 12:1-2
1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-- this is your spiritual act of worship.  2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-- his good, pleasing and perfect will. 

Our society today seems to be obsessed with the idea of transformation. Everything we see seems to be pointing to a better you or towards changing you into who you want to be. That being said, transformation should be pretty easy idea for us to grasp. It is also the second step, although a continuous one (more on that later), in returning to God. Paul is issuing a call to transformation in our passage. Today, we look at two things with regards to transformation.

First, It is not the superficial kind our world portrays to us but rather a spiritual transformation. This spiritual transformation Paul shows us is very much a two-way street. It requires action from us as well as God to be working. Our end of the deal is simply to lay ourselves down and offer ourselves up to God fully with no strings attached and holding on to nothing. Easy, right? As attached as we are to ourselves and our things today, this is a major step and even hurdle for many people. The sacrificial language here is no mistake as it relates back to the Old Testament ritual of sacrifice. God desires to transform us but God wants to transform all of us so we can be entering into the life we are called to in God. That life is a life where we are conformed to the full likeness of Christ, not the partial likeness of Christ, the full likeness of Christ. We must be willing to lay our whole selves down for God to work with, not just part of ourselves.

A common mistake and misinterpretation we hit when it comes to transformation is to believe no action is required of us. Some believe that God will simply do it. Inaction is a terrible mistake. God desires us to be willing to lay ourselves before Him and to allow God to go to work in us. God does not want to force Himself on us for this.

The second thing about transformation we will look at is the word "conform" in verse 2. This word is an essential part of this passage but is often misunderstood. Many people take this word to mean that we should separate ourselves from the world and have no dealings with people in "the world." Did Jesus die on a cross and overcome death through the resurrection so we could separate ourselves from the world? No. Paul is calling us to be different than the world, not separate from it.  So, how do we become different from the world? We allow God to be at work in us through laying ourselves down before God. We read our scriptures, pray to God, act on the world and let God be at work in us transforming us through our communion with God in those ways. God's gift to us of the Holy Spirit will surely be working in us and transforming us into the image of Christ unto which we are called. It is not just a one and done thing though. God is constantly transforming us everyday. We come before God and seek and pray for God's work in us each day as we slowly move, with God's help, closer and closer to Christ's likeness.

We are called to live a transformed life before God, not only so we can begin the process of becoming more like Christ, but also so we can go out and be Christ's witnesses in the world. The world needs to see the change in us and know that it is Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for our sins and was raised from the dead to overcome death, has transformed us for a better life. A life in Christ. Can we lay ourselves down and become transformed this day for our sake and the sake of the world?

What I'm Reading: Same Kind of Different As Me - Ron Hall & Denver Moore

With the busyness of the Lenten and soon-to-be Easter season upon us, my reading is going a little slower than usual so I am dipping into my recently read bag to a book I thoroughly enjoyed when I read it. The book is called "Same Kind of Different As Me." It is a wonderful inspirational story of unlikely people who find each other and end up learning and growing more together than they probably ever could have imagined. The book chronicles the lives of international art dealer Ron Hall and homeless wanderer Denver Moore. Like I said, the two are an unlikely pairing.

The book traces their early lives prior to their meeting before going into their encounters with one another. It is Hall's wife Deborah who ultimately serves as the connection point for the two when she hears the call of God to serve in an inner city homeless shelter in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Ron is very unsure about the proposition as he is very tied up in his "important" lifestyle and not sure how he feels about interacting with homeless people. Eventually, Ron relents and goes and begins to serve. Denver is an occasional attendee at the homeless shelter who is very withdrawn. Ron's wife again hears from God that Denver is the person that Ron is to meet and get to know. Ron, understandably, is even more unsure of this. After some back and forth and feeling of each other out, the two gradually form a relationship partly because of each one of their love of Deborah (husbandly love of Ron and the friendly love of Denver). It is only when a tragedy strikes though that Ron and Denver draw even closer together. This is the basic layout of the book. I don't want to go into great detail because you truly need to read it for yourself.

This book succeeds on so many levels in part because of the honesty with which it is written. It does not sugarcoat things or apply overly spiritual language to them. It is simply a memoir of two men and the way they approached God and one another to form a great spiritual friendship. Not only that, the book does well to focus early on what the reservations were of each person when it came to ministry in the shelter. This is wonderful to read and shows the very human side of things. In a way, it serves to show us that others do indeed have theses concerns and how they work through them as opposed to an overly "spiritual" way of thinking that says these things are wrong to think.

The wonderful insights that come throughout this book, especially in the latter parts, display the importance of ministry to "the least of these." We can see this through the way God works in and through Denver's life to bless him and others. Sometimes, we are tempted to think people in that category are unimportant to God. This book crushes that notion with a thunderous blow. I don't want to say much more because the storyline of the book and how it presents its wonderful message is part of its draw. There will be some points in the book where you find yourself questioning some of the things that they report and that is okay. It is good to question things if you aren't sure. Don't let those questions or concerns about things get in the way of the larger message of "Same Kind of Different As Me" though. Read it for what it is. A wonderful story that all Christians can learn from and see God in every step of the way. Pick it up and read it. It will be worth your time.

John

Sermon Tidbits 2/21

Returning to God: Confess - Romans 10:8-13
8 But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming:  9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.  11 As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame."  12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile-- the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,  13 for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

When we think of confession in today's world, I imagine there are three things that come to mind depending on where your interest lies. The first is that little booth at all Catholic churches where the priest sits on the other side of the screen and takes a person's confession. The second is the ever popular celebrity confession after someone in the public eye has been a part of wrongdoing or offended someone. The third that leans more towards those in the literary and theology fields is the book "Confessions" by St. Augustine. I think it would be fairly easy to say we have a lot of different views or understanding of the word.

This word "confession" though is  an extremely important yet not terribly complicated idea in Christianity. It is the first step towards returning back to God. Paul tells us in this passage today that those "who confess with your mouth...and believe in your heart...will be saved." That part should underline the importance of confession in the Christian faith. Confession is not just a simple utterance of words though. Paul emphasizes the condition of the heart in it as well as we can see in the excerpt I quoted. Paul ties the condition of belief in Jesus in the heart to the spoken words of confession in both verses 9 and 10 in this passage. It is important because this belief in the heart is what spurs on the spoken confession. The biblical scholar Douglas Moo in his commentary on Romans in the New International Commentary looks at it like this when it comes to the role of the belief in the heart in confession, he says, "confession is an outward manifestation of this critical inner response."

Also, it is no mistake that the reference to the Word shows up in this passage as well. It is through the Word that we hear the good news of Jesus. The role of the Word is drawing us into the presence of Jesus that we might experience Jesus and come to believe in Him. It is when we come to believe in Jesus that we answer the call to confess our belief. It is where we confess to God our need and shortcomings and ask for help and forgiveness.

Confession is our first step back towards God. We all have things we know we need to talk to God about whether it is for the first time or the hundredth time. It is through confession that we lays these out and God responds to us in the way God knows that we need. Can we stop today and make our confession to God, each and every one of us, and begin our return to God here today?

John

Sermon Tidbits 2/17 - Ash Wednesday

Make Your Return - Joel 2:1-2, 13-17
1 Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming. It is close at hand--  2 a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Like dawn spreading across the mountains a large and mighty army comes, such as never was of old nor ever will be in ages to come. 
12 'Even now,' declares the LORD, 'return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.'  13 Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.  14 Who knows? He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing-- grain offerings and drink offerings for the LORD your God.  15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly.  16 Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber.  17 Let the priests, who minister before the LORD, weep between the temple porch and the altar. Let them say, 'Spare your people, O LORD. Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?'' 

I love the season of Lent because it is a season of preparation. It is not just that though. It is a sober time to sit back and take a look at who we are and who we belong to. It is a time where we are called to make our return to God and sit at his feet once more through Scripture reading, prayer and fasting. It was a crucial time as well in the early church. Lent was a time when new converts were prepared for baptism in the Lord. It also served as a time of repentance for Christians leading up to the Easter celebration of the resurrection of the Lord.

That being said, Lent is a time where we are called to take a close look at ourselves. We have all drifted away from complete and total obedience to God in one way or another. Sin has crept up on us and we have slipped down into it sometimes not even realizing it. We know this. God knows this and the beauty is God is still calling us to make our return to Him. God wants us to flee the wrath to come and simply come back home. Just like the prodigal son, God will welcome us home with open arms.

How do we return to God though? What is it God desires? There are many things and we will explore some of those throughout Lent in my upcoming sermons. Simply put though, God desires our heart. The heart is referenced twice in the passage in Joel in verses 12 and 13 as the key. Lent is all about asking the question of can we return our heart to God. Can we come to grips with ourselves and our own mortality and trust the God who created us and longs for us enough to follow Him and give our heart to Him? The season of Lent draws us back to this. We have to make the decision. Can we acknowledge that it is from dust we came and to dust we will return? Will we return to God and lay our hearts before Him and Him? We are being called back to God. Will we answer now and follow God?

John

Sermon Tidbits 2/14

Luke 9:28-36 - A Glimpse of Glory

28 About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray.  29 As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.  30 Two men, Moses and Elijah,  31 appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem.  32 Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.  33 As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, "Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters-- one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." (He did not know what he was saying.)  34 While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.  35 A voice came from the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him."  36 When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves, and told no one at that time what they had seen. 

In our passage today, we get an affirmation once again of who Jesus is. We witness the change in appearance of Jesus from His human nature into his divine nature on the mountain. In a sense this is a glimpse of glory for the disciples who made the trek up the mountain with Jesus. Not only that, Jesus is seen speaking with two of the Old Testaments greatest people, Moses and Elijah during this time (more on them later). God chimes in at the very end of all this in one of God's rare speaking roles in the New Testament. God speaks directly to Peter, James and John in the cloud affirming to them who Jesus is just as God had done for Jesus in Luke 3 at Jesus' baptism. Luke is certainly driving the point home of who Jesus is and how important it is for us to realize.

There is more than just the affirmation of Jesus here for us though. One form of this comes in the company Jesus has on the mountain, namely Moses and Elijah. The similar appearance of these two also conveys a similar role. Just like Moses, Jesus comes as a liberator of the people to set them free from their current situation. Just like Elijah, Jesus comes as a prophet to call the people to repentance and into right relationship with God. Even though Jesus carries a similar quality to each, Jesus is greater than both because he fulfills that which each represents. Jesus fulfills the law (represented by Moses) and the prophets (represented by Elijah) showing once again the great continuity between the Old and New Testaments and giving us a picture of His role in the great story of God playing out on this earth. 

We also have here a look at the role of prayer. The role of prayer in divine revelation comes through here. Notice that it is in prayer that Jesus is transformed into his divine state. Prayer is for us a primary form of divine revelation. God speaks to us in prayer and we speak to God. It is the primary mode of communication between us and God. Prayer is an act in which God listens to us and us to God. Prayer is an act where God teaches us and reveals God's truths to us. This scene gives us a glimpse into the importance of prayer in our communication with God.

To bring this all together, we get a glimpse of glory here when we see Jesus in His transfigured divine state. All the while, God is teaching us. God is showing us how Jesus is fulfilling the law and prophets of old. God is showing us Jesus' role in the great story of God. God is teaching us the importance of prayer in drawing close to Him. God is teaching and affirming in us who Jesus is through his words to Peter, James and John. All this in a simple glimpse of glory. Will we respond and seek out divine revelation from God in prayer to find our place in God's great story and call all people to His name as God has called us to do?

John

What I'm Reading: Blue Like Jazz - Donald Miller

The first book I am posting about here falls into the category of "wanted to read but never had time." Thankfully, I was finally able to make the time to read Donald Miller's Blue Like Jazz now that seminary is behind me and I can do my own reading, kind of. The book carries a subtitle of "Non-religious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality." Don't let that word non-religious drive you away though because this is a book Christians need to read.

It may be the most unconventional Christian book you have read but it carries heavy weight for Christians and how they are to live and interact not just together but also with people outside the faith. Miller's wrestling with questions within Christian spirituality will no doubt resonate with many a reader as questions they have often asked themselves or are currently asking themselves. He also writes extensively on his interaction with non-Christians and how we as Christians sometimes forget about these people. The decision to love everybody despite what others may say about them (specifically in the church) gives us a bird's eye view into the importance as well as the difficulty of this. We also see how Miller ends up learning things from the people and occasionally either draws them to faith or deeper in their faith.

This book is written from the heart so at times it is brutally honest about what the author was thinking at that moment. Miller goes some places and does some things we would never expect Christians to do but here him out. He often has good reasons and willing admits his error in thinking if there was one there. This book is certainly not for traditional mainline thinking about the way church is. The reader has to come at it from a very open minded perspective. Miller is not forcing the issue but rather asking in a sense that any Christian asks himself/herself what it means to be a Christian and what God is calling us to.

The one caution I would give to anybody considering reading this book is to read it for what it is, non-religious thoughts on Christian spirituality. These are not ideas the mainline church normally broaches. It is also not a critique on Christianity so much as it is a look at the spirituality of Christianity. Don't come to this book looking for solid Christian theology or doctrine. It is not there nor is it intended to be.

In light of all that, here is what I will say about Blue Like Jazz. This is a book Christians need to read. We need to ask the questions Miller is bringing to light in this book. We can learn from Donald Miller's story. It won't give you everything you are looking for, but it will force you to evaluate where you are and consider the way your live our your life as a Christian. We must hold strong to the truth but also live a life of love towards all. This book is a step in the right direction to getting us there.

John

Sermon Tidbits 2/7

The Call: Feeling Available? - Isaiah 6:1-13
1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." 4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. 5 "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." 6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for." 8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" 9 He said, "Go and tell this people: " 'Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.' 10 Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed." 11 Then I said, "For how long, O Lord?" And he answered: "Until the cities lie ruined and without inhabitant, until the houses are left deserted and the fields ruined and ravaged, 12 until the LORD has sent everyone far away and the land is utterly forsaken. 13 And though a tenth remains in the land, it will again be laid waste. But as the terebinth and oak leave stumps when they are cut down, so the holy seed will be the stump in the land."

We all probably know what it feels like to be caught in a situation where you know you are in trouble. Maybe it was something like stealing from a store or getting caught sneaking a cookie from the cookie jar when we were kids. Regardless, I like to think this is kind of what Isaiah is feeling like in this passage today. He is sitting in the temple when all of sudden God shows up.

We get a wonderful picture of the scene as described by Isaiah as you can tell he is caught in a great deal of fear. Before we get to the call of Isaiah, there is something important that we need to note. It lies in the original response of Isaiah to the situation. Isaiah recognizes his condition as a sinful person before God and confesses. It can be very easy for us to overlook our condition when we come before God whether in prayer or some other way, but it is immense importance. Just like Isaiah, we are called to confess our sins before God that God in His infinite grace may forgive us. In our case, just as we see here when God shows up, God has not come to destroy but rather to redeem. God hears the confession and responds with redemption. This is how God looks toward us, with love and redemption in the face of our recognition and confession. We should also note the coal that does the cleansing here that is taken from the altar, which is where sacrifices were made for the atonement of sin in the Old Testament. The coal is taken from the place the blood was spilled for the forgiveness of sins just as for us forgiveness comes from the altar (the cross) where blood was spilled. God forgives us by the sacrifice of Jesus through the blood shed on the cross.

The call of God then comes. This is a call of availability that is not much different from what God is asking of us. God is looking for an available person for the ministry of His kingdom. The call does not come directly to Isaiah but seems intended for all. Isaiah is simply the one that answers. God is calling like this all the time to us as well. It is not always a specific call but rather a call to the available person seeking to serve God. God then tells Isaiah what to do. What confidence this should give us as available believers for the cause of God. If we are willing to answer the call of God, God will direct our path. We must be willing to answer the call freely though. Notice, there are no conditions given, just unconditional acceptance. Why would we not accept unconditionally? God has saved us and freed us from the bondage of sin and death unconditionally. Can we not reciprocate knowing that God has accomplished God's will through each and every person who answered the call in the Bible. From Abraham through the apostles God has accomplished exactly what God wanted to accomplish through His willing servants. Their secret? They followed God and kept God at the center of all they did. It is as easy as that.

God is calling today, just like every day. God is looking for available people to serve the kingdom. Can you be that available person for God today? The person that will trust God and follow God. The person who will keep God at the center of your life and go unconditionally for the One who has saved you unconditionally? Amen.

John

Sermon Tidbits 1/31

The Call: Feeling Inadequate? - Jeremiah 1:4-10
4 The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." 6 "Ah, Sovereign LORD," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child." 7 But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD. 9 Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, "Now, I have put my words in your mouth. 10 See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant."

When we talk about the idea of inadequacy, I think it is all something we can relate to in one way or another. We have all felt inadequate at one point or another whether at work, at home, or on the field of play in sports. It often follows that the more important the person or thing to us the more inadequate we are likely to feel. This makes the call of God on our lives probably the thing we can feel most inadequate about.

There are numerous examples in the Bible of people who felt inadequate when God called them. Jeremiah (as displayed in our passage) is one of those people. God calls on him to be prophet to the nations but he immediately comes up with an excuse (no doubt feeling inadequate) that he is only a boy and cannot possibly be ready or able. We see a similar reaction from Moses in Exodus when calls on him. Moses goes with a somewhat different excuse sighting his inability to speak well among other shortcomings. Moses also had an "inadequacy" in the fact that he was probably around 80 years of age when God called him. Jeremiah and Moses both show us that the call of God can come at any age and that no matter who you are or how old you are you are still needed and called by God for His kingdom work.

That being said, God has placed a call on all of our lives. Some of us know that call and others don't. Sometimes God gives it straight to us and sometimes we have to seek God to find it. Rest assured though, when the call of God comes, it is something we cannot deny. Jeremiah and Moses learned this and we will too. God works with us through our inadequacies to show us and give us confidence in the work God has called us to. We can take confidence in the stories of Jeremiah and Moses and know that God will equip us for the call He has placed on our lives and lead us. So remember this as you go out this week, God overcomes our inadequacies and calls us to His kingdom work. Will we answer?

Sermon Tidbits 1/24

On This Holy Day - Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10
1 all the people assembled as one man in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded for Israel. 2 So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. 3 He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law...5 Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. 6 Ezra praised the LORD, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, "Amen! Amen!" Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground...8 They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read. 9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, "This day is sacred to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep." For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law. 10 Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."

What a beautiful picture we have in this passage today of a returned people from exile and dispersion gathering at the gate of city. The people have come to the priest/scribe Ezra and asked for the Law to be read to them. We get the sense here of the importance of the Word of God to these people and what it should mean for us. They have only recently been settling back into their land and when they have assembly they want the Law (Word of God to them) to be at the center of the assembly. Not a small part, but the center of the assembly. This shows us the importance of the word in our own lives and in our gatherings. We are called to keep God at the center of our lives and there is no better way to do this than by making God's word a centerpiece of our fellowship. Whether we are studying it or simply living it out in our lives, the Word of God should always be central for us.

The reaction of the people to the reading is also important here I think. They have been standing or sitting listening to the word for probably about 6 hours based on what verse 3 tells us about the time frame in which Ezra read. The people are brought to weeping by this reading though, but why? Lets think for a second. Can you imagine the impact of hearing God's Word for them again after all that has happened to them? They were taken out of the land God promised them, taken to a foreign land under foreign leaders, and put into servitude. Now though, they have returned to the land of the promise are together again with the promises being read in what undoubtedly was a great reminder that God never left them. It serves to remind them what they are called to and that they are a called people. The Bible functions much the same in our own lives. We too can go through tough times, but in the Word of God we have a great reminder of the promises of God to us including that he never leaves us. We have one advantage though that the people of that day did not have. We have the Word of God at our fingertips each day. How much more then should we feast on the word taking it in and constantly being drawn closer to God through our reading of it.

Finally, I think we can learn a thing or two from the people in this passage about gathering together. The day in the passage is declared a holy day just as each Sunday we gather in this church is a holy day. The Word is read and proclaimed. We sing songs as I am sure they probably did at some point during that assembly. We also draw into the presence of God during these times as well. Sometimes this can bring us to weeping but as Ezra proclaims to the people, "the joy of the Lord is your strength." The joy of the Lord over us strengthens us day-by-day. It enables us to face whatever grief may come. There are times for weeping but we are called to let the joy of the Lord be our strength today. Can we live in the spirit of our brothers and sisters from this passage and go forth today truly living out the Word of God in our lives allowing the joy of the Lord over us and in to be our strength?

John

Sermon Tidbits 1/17

A New Name - Isaiah 62:1-5
1 For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem's sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch. 2 The nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will bestow. 3 You will be a crown of splendor in the LORD's hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God. 4 No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the LORD will take delight in you, and your land will be married. 5 As a young man marries a maiden, so will your sons marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride so will your God rejoice over you.

What is in a name? That is a question that we don't ask much anymore. We forget who we are and we can lose a bit of our personality because of it. There is no place where names mean more than in the Bible. What you were called defined you.

Take Peter for example who in John 1 has his name changed from Simon to Cephas (Peter). The change has great meaning because Peter means "rock" and later on Jesus will call Peter the "rock" on which the church will be built. Think also of Paul, whose name change is a little less notable but nonetheless marks a drastic change from a persecutor of Christians to an apostle spreading the Word of God across the nations.

In our passage today, we find a God speaking to the people in Isaiah and promising that He has not forgotten them. For a people that are called "deserted" (or "forsaken" in some translations) and have their land described as "desolate," we find a people on hard times. We know because of our times today that hard times were not exclusive to the Israelites. We face different sorts of hard times, but they are hard times nonetheless. I am sure we can identify with these feelings in our own lives and spiritual walks with God. For those of us that can (which is probably all of us), it would do us good to hear the promise here.

God calls the people "hephzibah" meaning "my delight is in her." What a wonderful promise to know that God delights in us. Just as we delight over children or spouses, so too does God delight in us. The land of the people is called "beulah" which literally means "married." It is a wonderful illusion to verse 5 in the passage when we get a picture of God rejoicing over us just as a bride and groom at a wedding rejoice over one another. Take a second and think about a wedding you have been to and the absolute love and adoration and bride and groom look at each other with. This is a perfect picture of the way God looks at each and every one of us.

God has given us new names in Christ now as well. We are:
1) Sons and daughters of God - people who love God, worship God, and receive the blessings of our heavenly Father
2) Brothers and sisters in Christ: people who love one another, people who are a family together, and those who share in blessings and encourage in hard times together
3) Disciples of Christ - people who put Christ first, live and proclaim the Word of God, and take up our cross and follow Christ

These names are what we are called to live into today. So we must ask ourselves, do we hear what God is saying to us in our passage today? And are we living into these new names we have been given in Christ? Something to ponder for the week ahead.

John

Sermon Tidbits 1/10

Spirit Control - Acts 8:4-22

⁴Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. ⁵Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there. ⁶When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. ⁷With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. ⁸So there was great joy in that city. ⁹Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, ¹⁰and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, "This man is the divine power known as the Great Power." ¹¹They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic. ¹²But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. ¹³Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw. ¹⁴When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. ¹⁵When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, ¹⁶because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. ¹⁷Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money ¹⁹and said, "Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit." ²⁰Peter answered: "May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! ²¹You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. ²²Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart.

In our world today, we often encounter the idea that "everything has a price." It could be anything from a product to an idea to a company or even a person. In the midst of takeovers and bailouts in the financial sector and rising coaching and player salaries in sports, this is becoming even more evident.

We meet Simon Magus in our passage today who falls into this trap of believing money can buy everything. Simon was an influential magician in Samaria who many believed before the arrival of Phillip proclaiming the Word of God to the people. The people start to believe and even Simon, who had called himself great, believes. Phillip's baptism of these people in the name of Jesus is supplemented here later in the passage by the arrival of Peter and John to baptize the people in the Holy Spirit (as would have been custom in those days since they were apostles and Phillip was not). We see that this baptism of the Spirit intrigues Simon Magus and he wants to buy the ability to do. We don't know if he knew any better or not but we still get a valuable lesson here.

The gift of the Holy Spirit is a gift from God, just like grace. With the Spirit, just like many other aspects of the Christian life, we believe we can work hard enough, be good enough, give enough to the church, attend church enough that God will give it to us. Peter's response in this passage crushes that notion. Our faith in God is the path to the working of the gift of the Holy Spirit within us. It is also futile to take the gift of God, whether is be the Holy Spirit or something else, under our own power. We try, just as Simon in the passage, to take God under our control, but that only leads us farther away from God. We must accept God's control and his gift of the Holy Spirit to us in order to draw closer to him as we are called to do.

The question for us is can we let go of ourselves and let God be active in us through the power of Holy Spirit? The Spirit will guide us and lead us closer to God and deeper into God's work in this world if we will. Something to think about for this week.

John

Sermon Tidbits 1/3

Come to God - Isaiah 60:1-5
¹ "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. ² See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. ³ Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. ⁴ "Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the arm. ⁵ Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come.

We serve a God today that is calling us to come to him. A God that is calling us to enter into a relationship with Him. It is a call that each and every one of us is called to answer. We often find ourselves stumbling to find our way into this relationship though. I want to offer to you today three ways that we live into this relationship with God drawing closer to Him.

1) READ the Scriptures - God is revealed to us in the Bible. We learn about who God is through reading the story of salvation history in the Bible. The Bible is also the place where we can learn about the teachings as promises of God. Many people went to great lengths that the people of God would know Him through the Scriptures which should give us a good idea of the importance of reading the Scriptures closely.

2) PRAY often - Prayer is our one stop shop for communicating with God. It is the way God we meet God personally and God speaks to us. God reveals His wisdom to us through prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit at work in us. In a relationship, we all should know the importance of communication. Prayer is our way of communicating with God. We cannot push it to the side because otherwise we cannot hear from God.

3) LIVE a life worthy of God - Finally, we live according to Scriptures and the revealed wisdom of God given to us through prayer. Our lives are our best witness to a world that God has called us to go into and make disciples. We live not part of the Christian life, but the whole. From tithing/giving to the offering of forgiveness. This is not just a church life either. This is an all the time life. We should be living our lives in God so much so that people should see what joy we have from the Lord and want to be involved in it.

Let us go this week draw closer to God as the people in our passage today were drawn to God. Let those three key words (READ, PRAY, LIVE) go with you as a constant reminder to that relationship in which we are called into in God. God will surely meet us as we go.

John