I am often asked what describes you, which is a hard answer because sometimes I move in a thousand different directions. Some call me an engineer, others call me pastor, a few call me captain, some call me friend, others call me dad, and one calls me sweetheart. All of these things are descriptors and are accurate, but they don't fully capture me. My favorite place is in the mountains, enjoying the beauty of nature and God's creation, running and hiking around with my family and friends, and taking photos to cement the memories. However, the people that know me the best know that my favorite thing to do is come up with crazy adventures that push the limits of what our minds and bodies can do.
My faith in God is important to me and drives me to look at creation the way I do. Because of my faith, I look at these adventures and running races from Half Marathons all the way to 24 hour races, as well as several Obstacle Course Races, as an opportunity to push the body God gave me as an act of worship. Hopefully, someday soon, I look toward running longer races and bigger adventures. My hope is that humanity can understand that the wild is a gift, and we need to care for it and quit destroying it by the way we live.
Look Around. Movements and blessings surround us everywhere we are, and everywhere we go. People will see something and elevate it if it aligns with a previously held point of view. If, however, that thing that happens does not align with their point of view, they will dismiss it. As we turn to the scriptures, we must understand that we are to pay more attention to what the Holy Spirit is doing in our surroundings than listening and reading pundits or seeking out websites to proclaim what is good and bad. Let the Holy Spirit be our guide as we read the text.
16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
2 Peter 1:16-21 (ESV)
What have you experienced in your faith journey? Before looking up what someone else thinks, you need to look at how you have been affected by God’s Grace. While our journeys with God will take many turns and twists, we can lean into our experiences to guide God’s truth. Peter goes on to express that the truth in the scriptures was not just found in the ancient texts but alive in front of him. We testify about a book written long ago and how God has brought the book alive in front of us.
Looking at Scripture grounds us in the truth of the Gospel. We cannot find our way eventually to Scripture, but scripture has to be the grounding element in our minds and hearts. If God guides you through scripture, be confident you will find peace. This doesn’t eliminate us from looking for the truth in God’s creation but rather reminds us to seek out God’s truth in the Word, the world, and the history of the world.
The Holy Spirit moves among us, just as Jesus walked with the people during His time on Earth. We need to pay attention to the words around us and through us. His creation prophecies about the Kingdom of God instruct us on how to live. Humans seek to manipulate words, we see it all around us, but the Word of God must come forth through the power of the Holy Spirit. Just because someone quotes scripture doesn’t mean they are speaking for God, for you also need the Holy Spirit, so test the words against all of scripture. The Holy Spirit is alive among us right now. As we move forward, let us remember that we aren’t alone but that the Holy Spirit will reside with us through all, and we need to rely on the Holy Spirit’s power to lead.
As we look back at our life, we must examine and pay attention to the areas where God was present. These point us to the scriptures and God’s Holy Word, and even though people may try and manipulate our experiences for their gain, we must lean into the Scriptures with the Holy Spirit as our guide to see where God wants us to move. Testimony leads to Scripture as Guided by the Holy Spirit.
In creating humanity, God wanted to give people choices. In doing so, the freedom to choose our path has been fraught, with people often choosing the path that leads to brokenness and chaos. The choices made guide humanity toward or away from the good that God intends for us. Whether we embrace opportunities to share in the blessings or avoid challenges, our choices lead us on our path.
If you chose one job over another, living in one area, or joining in versus sitting on the sidelines, these all have led you to where you are today. History is full of people who made choices that were often hard to make. Choices have repercussions. Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her seat in Montgomery, Alabama, set off a chain reaction toward a civil rights movement in the United States. A choice helped change the course of history.
God changed the Israelite’s history through Moses’ arrival in Egypt. No longer caught in the trap of enslavement, they were now free to make more choices. It didn’t take long for them to use their new freedom to complain about how good it was in Egypt or for them to create idols for them to worship. The Israelites show us that freedom to choose will often lead us to unhealthy choices. This tendency to make bad choices leads to the confrontation we see in the passage of Deuteronomy found below.
15 “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. 16 If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. 17 But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, 18 I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. 19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, 20 loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”
Deuteronomy 30:15-20 (ESV)
The people were doing their own thing, complaining about the process, and God reminded them of their ability to choose instead of scolding or punishing them. This generous response from God reminded the people of their most incredible power, the power to choose. God gives them a choice because He desires them to have the freedom to engage with Him in a relationship, not enslavement or bondage. However, there are consequences for rebellion and benefits for obedience. At this point, God lays a pro and con chart for them.
At a cursory glance, God’s list for the people doesn’t appear to be a choice, as one choice leads to “life and good” while the opposing decision is “death and evil.” From this point of view, God sounds like a parent saying to their child, “because I said so,” or the threat of a bully, “do this or else.” However, in the context of God releasing the people from bondage in Egypt and watching them wander around in the wilderness, we see God tenderly warning the people that how they behave is dangerous and detrimental and will ultimately lead to their destruction. God is like the father of the prodigal son, giving him what he asked for but going the extra step and reminding the son that their behavior will lead to despair. Ultimately, God cared for the people of Israel, not only those fleeing from Egypt but the generations that followed, and implored them to give up their evil ways and turn back to God.
Our sin keeps us away from God, and temptation surrounds us and opportunities to choose evil over good and death over life. God knows this and sent us a lifeboat when Jesus came to Earth. The Gospels present a picture of where the choices made by Israel had led them. A foreign nation conquered them; their faith became a tool of the powerful to oppress the weak; the people divided themselves into opposing groups. The result of sin is horror and death, just like the warnings stated; therefore, the people needed a Savior, and Jesus fulfilled this need. Jesus calls us to forgo sin and follow Him because in Jesus comes victory over evil and death, and obedience to Jesus is good and life-giving. While sin still knocks at our door, Jesus offers us a simple choice; give your burdens, your sin, and your heart to Him, and life, goodness, and blessing will follow.
That is the grace of God; choosing God is simple because of Jesus. There are no special rules you need to follow, no special process to find the right way to follow God. Choose to love God and love God’s creation, all people, not just the ones you like. God makes things simple for us because Jesus did the heavy lifting.
Life is full of smiles and tears, joy and despair, good and bad. We often overlook the good to focus on the bad because bad news is more likely to lead us to a feeling. Bad sells better than good because our eyes would instead focus on the walls than the light at the end of the hall. Our hearts struggle to deal with cycles that drag us into the pit, and we end up hurting incredibly because of the darkness that envelops us. Even though there is light and hope; however when in the darkness, it is hard to hear or understand that.
Have you recently received hard news? I spent the last half of 2021 in a state of limbo because we did not know whether my mother would live or die, and it was the kind of puzzle that frustrated the doctors and nurses because they didn’t have any answers either. Disease had taken hold of her and was not letting go. My family was in the same position many find themselves in, receiving bad news, trying to grasp what it means, and acting on the news. Hard news hits us and knocks us off balance; we just can’t grasp what and why. I remember this as a time when my mind was full of questions, my heart was full of aches, and my soul needed renewal.
The author of Hebrews connects these experiences with Jesus’ humanity and how because of Jesus becoming human, we connect to Jesus not only as a source of salvation from sin but also as a connection to the person that understands our human experience. Jesus gets our hurt and our pain, and because of that, Jesus can sit with us as our high priest and brother.
14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16 For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
Hebrews 2:14-18 (ESV)
If we claim Christ as our savior, our tendency will focus on the supernatural elements of Jesus. The Gospels are full of stories about how Jesus brought healing to those suffering and even the power to resurrect the dead. However, with this power was also a human that looked at people with compassion and mercy. Jesus had friends that suffered from disease, demon possession, and even friends that died. These experiences allowed Jesus to understand the pain we experience when a loved one suffers. If you are going through a time when you are hurting because those around you are hurting, Jesus gets it.
Many approached Jesus with contempt in their hearts. The Gospels teach us that the powerful people of the church constantly hounded Jesus and tried to trick and trap Him in His words and teachings. It must have felt as if the world was crashing down at each word uttered, but Jesus unflinchingly took on the questions and comments with mercy and grace. Every time Jesus saw the traps coming, and was frustrated that He could not catch a break from the Pharisees and Sadducees and would be tempted to lose His mind and lash out in anger. Sometimes we feel as if the world is collapsing and attacks are coming from all directions; Jesus gets it.
We rely on our friends and family to carry us and support us in the most challenging times. Jesus had a close group of friends that were family throughout the ministry on Earth, but one of these led to His arrest and ultimate death on the cross. The betrayal experienced by Jesus is more profound than the betrayal that most of us would experience, but the people he trusted most let him down, and we, too, are sometimes let down by those that we know and love the most. When we are let down by how our family and friends treat us, Jesus gets it.
There is no escape from the pain in our lives, but Jesus came to our world and experienced all the same hurts that we experience. Jesus came and lived among us, was tempted like us, lived life with other humans like us, had friends and family like us, and had people who didn’t like Him and could get hurt like us. We can turn to Jesus regardless of the situation because He gets it. Jesus died for us because He loves us, and Jesus wants us to come and bring all of our burdens to Him because Jesus gets it.
Right now. God is calling us to change our focus from a hectic season full of stress, chaos, and preparation for gatherings and get-togethers, to center our minds on the HOPE, PEACE, JOY, and LOVE that come with the Christ Child. Jesus didn’t have an easy entry into the world, as there were stresses about when and where the birth would occur and having to take care of obligations, but God cared for them.
The Angels prepared others for the coming Christ and invited the world to receive the gift God had given. We hear the story in Luke’s Gospel about the circumstances that led to Joseph and Mary traveling to Bethlehem and how Jesus was born in a less-than-ideal situation. Still, because of that, the shepherds came to celebrate the coming of the King, and the Kingdom of Heaven arrived here on Earth.
Luke 2:1-20 (ESV)
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” 15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”
16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
As we wrap up the Advent season, we look back at the last four weeks and our successes and failures in carrying out the Advent mission. Even as we worship tonight, things are probably swirling around our minds as we think about the last-minute preparations that need to be made for a “successful” Christmas. However, tonight as we look at the candles here, we are reminded that Jesus’ birth is evidence of a successful Christmas.
Even if you haven’t stopped and reflected this season, you can now use this moment to listen to the Holy Spirit. You are being told to stop worrying. At this moment, allow God to center your heart and mind on the purpose of Advent. Prepare our hearts and minds for Christ to enter our world.
Titus 2:11-14 (ESV)
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. 15 Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.
When Jesus comes into the world, we are gifted salvation because Jesus brings greater gifts than we could imagine. However, we keep thinking and working toward finding the perfect gifts to get everyone when we only need to look around the wreath to proclaim the greatest gifts.
Hope
We await the coming of the King, our Hope brings our focus to God’s promises for us and alters our vision from the past and present toward a focus on future glory. All our actions right now reflect a vision focused on what Jesus has done for us and is doing for us heading into the future. Hope is something we have and something that we share with the world. Instead of crossing our fingers, we look at how the story unfolded in Bethlehem, Nazareth, Jerusalem, and throughout the Roman Empire. Then we reflect on how that mission continues into each of us right where we live, work, and play.
Hope guides us to Christ, for there is no hope if not for Christ carrying out God’s mission here on Earth and in each of us. Humanity shows us that we give ourselves over to many worldly passions, and sin pulls us away from God into lawlessness and chaos. We tried to save ourselves, but Jesus reminds us that only through the power of our Savior were we able to be saved.
Peace
The world at the time of Christ’s Birth was a world in a chaotic state. By the world’s standards, there was great peace under the rule of Rome. However, there was turmoil within the different groups in the world, as people were disenfranchised, rulers took advantage of the people, and there was a growing disparity between the rich and the poor. What the world called peace resembled chaos and turmoil.
An ordering and counting would regulate and help facilitate this peace even further. We hear of a census being taken, and Joseph and Mary, in an attempt to comply with this “ordering,” find themselves in a situation where Mary is giving birth in a place where they are not home but are in a situation where they are without peace and no place in the inn.
However, God chose to bring His Son into our world in this chaotic situation. The chaos continues today, but God sends out His church to come into the world and bring God’s peace and order.
Joy
The birth of a child naturally brings joy, but the circumstances around Mary’s pregnancy brought uncertainty that would have squashed the joy of some. Still, the joy that comes from the Lord cannot be squelched by circumstance or situation, but rather the joy that comes from the Lord strikes out against deep sorrow and shines light into the dark recesses of our souls.
Joy is not simply happiness but unbridled light that fills us at our core. It reminds us that we don’t exist simply to experience pleasure but that the Glory of God gives us a gift that we cannot simply look at and discard. The emotional state the shepherds felt when they encountered Jesus was more than a temporary euphoria but a joy they knew in their bones.
Through Joy, we are given a gift that lifts the people in our world. We enable people to look beyond their current circumstances and into a future defined by hope, peace, and love.
Love
Through God’s love, humanity is embraced, and sin is forgiven. Love covers up and demolishes sin at its core. Where love exists, divisions fail, and love shows us how to draw closer to God. We are taught how to flee from the immorality that plagues the world, and embrace HOPE, PEACE, and JOY through LOVE. Love is a gift from the Almighty God.
The greatest of the gifts is love. Love defines God’s action that sent His Son to us, bringing salvation from sin. This gift transcended what we commonly think about love. There is more than simple emotion or feeling; love comes from the core of existence and creation. God created Hope, Peace, and Joy to connect with His creation, but sin broke that bond and relationship. Out of Love, God sought the ultimate sacrifice to make things right again with humanity.
At the Core of All the Gifts
At the core of all these gifts is the gift of Jesus Christ. Christmas celebrates the free and perfect gift through the Christ Child. The gifts of Advent call to us to stop and reflect on the presence of Christ and that Christ is also a present to each of us that gives HOPE, PEACE, JOY, and LOVE. Once we receive these gifts, we are then charged to go out and share them with our neighbors.
It doesn’t require some grand showcase; it can simply be the telling of the story as found in Luke’s Gospel, the same one Linus told us in Charlie Brown’s Christmas Special. That is what Christmas is all about, after all.
There are too many things begging us to pay attention to them, and we want to give equal attention to them all. Work wants us to do one thing, our family requires our attention over here, I need to get that project done on the house, exercise is important for our health, I need to run any number of errands, I want to hang out with friends, etc. The lists and number of things screaming at us for attention are far too numerous for us to fully give our attention to any of them.
Let me draw our attention to one verse in Acts 18. As Paul was in Corinth, where he went after leaving Athens, his partners in ministry had not yet arrived, but Paul went to work. Paul shared the Word, and the ESV interprets the author’s language as “occupied with the word”. The Greek understanding of this phrase shows that Paul was completely absorbed in knowing, understanding, and sharing the scriptures and the Gospel with the people of Corinth.
When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus. Acts 18:5 (ESV)
This level of absorption is the type of singular focus that he probably did not alter his course just because his partners in ministry had shown up. He most likely welcomed them as they arrived, but his focus and devotion to the scriptures, toward sharing the Gospel, and preaching to the people guided everything else in his life.
As a church and as Christians, we need to be occupied with the Word in such a way that everything in our life is informed by our study of the Gospel and the Word of God. How we treat our family, how we work, how we spend time with friends, how we take care of chores, how we speak with strangers, even how we exercise, all of this and more need to be treated in a way that is informed by the scriptures and the Gospel, such that when our people arrive they will see us occupied with The Word.
Many of you may be aware that our dear brother Kay passed away in April. He was a dear friend to many in the Horizon Community and the spirit of Christ flowed through him to many that knew and loved him. He served Horizon through ups and downs, providing his voice to our worship in word and song, serving the church through leadership, and providing wisdom at many key points. One of the good things to come out of the pandemic, was that many of us were able to see Kay worship with us when we were on Zoom. We will certainly miss our dear brother, but rejoice that the Lord has called him home.
Below is the obituary that his family has shared. Pulled from Dignity Memorial.
On April 27, 2022 in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, James McKay “Kay” Greer peacefully left this world just shy of his 90th birthday. Born on May 16, 1932 in Hazard, Kentucky, Kay led an extraordinary life, including a career of service to his country in the Air Force. To say Kay was a man of many talents is understatement in the extreme: his basso profundo voice wowed listeners whether he was singing Handel or Gilbert & Sullivan, church hymns or Broadway show tunes. He could bring folks to tears reading scripture or knock them out of their chairs with hilarious stories. When he was barely more than a kid he drove trucks on the narrow and treacherous mountain roads of his Appalachian home (and later terrified his children on visits to the grandparents by driving the family car like a wild man on those roads, which were now “easy” because hey, now there are two lanes!) He was a High School Kentucky All-Star in basketball and played college ball with such fearlessness that — though he was the shortest guy on the team at 6’5″ — he dominated his opponents and even christened the brand-new floor of the Western Kentucky University gym with blood from his battle injuries (much to the ire of his coach, the famous E.A. Diddle: “Get offa my floor, Greer! Ya gettin’ blood on it!”). Even Kay’s “failures” turned out to be successes: the vintage 1957 MG Sports Sedan in the carport he worked so hard to rehabilitate wound up a fantastic fort for the neighborhood kids, complete with tie-dyed curtains in the car windows. Upon graduating Western in 1955, Kay enlisted in the Air Force and married his true love, Mary “Way” Drew Greer. “Way & Kay”, as they were known to all their friends, spent a loving and adventurous 64 years together until her passing in 2019, raising their children, traveling from one military assignment to the next, and eventually welcoming grandchildren and great-grandchildren into the family. Kay loved to fly. He started his Air Force career in Texas training to fly the Piper cub, the T-6 Texan, and the B-25. After a Jet Qualification course in 1959 (which he nearly didn’t pass when the tower announced to him over the radio that his new baby boy had just been born), he went on to fly the B-52, the plane that would be central to the remainder of his Air Force career. He then became B-52 Aircraft Commander at Westover AFB in Massachusetts and was in the air during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He became B-52 Aircraft Commander, B-52 Instructor Pilot, FB-111 and T-39 Aircraft
Commander, and Air Operations Officer at Carswell AFB, Texas. In the early 1970’s he became a B-52 Squadron Commander at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, from which he and his squadron were briefly deployed to Andersen AFB in Guam.
After that was Kay’s first Pentagon assignment, as a Division Chief for the Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Operations. His team worked on “special projects” in a nondescript vault in the basement, the directions to which included “… just past the purple water fountain.” (He would always grin when he mentioned that storied landmark in the bowels of the giant building.) He returned to the Pentagon in 1979 as an Officer, Joint Staff after an assignment as Wing Commander of the 509th Bomb Wing at Pease AFB, New Hampshire, which housed KC-135s and FB-111s. On June 30, 1985 Colonel Kay Greer retired as Chief of Staff, Headquarters 8th Air Force at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana after 30 years, 1 month and 22 days of service. He went on to a second career in the aerospace industry until his final retirement, as a Test Conductor for the B-1 Lancer at Rockwell International and a Manager for the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber at Northrop Grumman.
Despite his storied career, intellectual brilliance, and staggering talents, Kay was the warmest and humblest of men. He lived a life of service not only to his country but as a decades-long Presbyterian Elder in the church, always alongside his beloved Way who served as office manager/secretary of their church for twenty years. His humor, caring and sincerity charmed everyone he met, and humble Kay was the only one surprised that everyone seemed to love him. He walked through life in a constant state of wonderment for all the blessings he received from God, whom to the very end Kay faithfully loved with all his heart and all his soul and all his strength and all his mind.
Kay was predeceased by his parents Harry E. Greer and Mary Lee Harned Greer and his siblings Margaret E. Greer, Harry E. Greer, William H. Greer and Perry L. Greer. He is survived by his children Lori Greer Rossett (Rickey), James McKay Greer, Jr. (Denise), Julia Drew Greer, John Lincoln Greer (Jenny); his niece Cindy Drew; and his 14 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. A memorial will be held at The Fairfax, a Sunrise Senior Living Community where he and Way were surrounded by dear friends, 9140 Belvoir Woods Parkway, Fort Belvoir, VA 22060 on June 4, 2022 at 11:00 am, with another to follow next year at Arlington National Cemetery, date and time TBA. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Red Cross or Compassion International.
Five hundred years ago, the Protestant Reformation sought to change the church, to bring the focus back upon God. The Reformation had no intention of breaking free from the church in Rome but instead saw that the message of grace and mercy had been replaced with penance and indulgences. Due to these circumstances, Martin Luther spoke up and sought to bring the church back to God’s intended purpose, to spread the Gospel message to the world.
God used an imperfect person to bring change to the church. Those that seek to change the world must understand that they are imperfect and not worthy of praise, but rather deflect all of that praise to the Almighty God. The church, however, often looks to its leaders and seeks their elevation rather than focusing on the message. Thus, on this Reformation Sunday, we need to focus on God’s desire to constantly re-form us into His image and carry out the mission of the Gospel in our community and the world.
Saul is an example of an imperfect person, carrying out the mission of God. After Ananias had been with Saul, with sight restored, Saul was released to do the work of God in the world. Sharing the Gospel, proclaiming Jesus as Lord and Savior, and doing ministry work in Damascus caused Saul to develop some enemies. The people that were content with the status quo, those that said this is the way we have always done things, and those that were uncomfortable with Saul’s new message fought to destroy Saul and protect the status quo. This story invites us to look at Acts and see how Saul first interacts with the church.
Acts 9:23-31
23 After many days had gone by, there was a conspiracy among the Jews to kill him, 24 but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. 25 But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.
26 When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. 28 So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 He talked and debated with the Hellenistic Jews,[a] but they tried to kill him. 30 When the believers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.
31 Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.
The examples of Luther, Saul, and countless others remind the church that we need people in our midst willing to challenge the status quo and fight for reforms within the body. Often these reforms start within our own lives. What sin is still unresolved? The reformer’s perspective begins by recognizing the need to be transformed and renewed by the Holy Spirit, and with that renewal comes a desire to change the world. This desire recognizes that God holds the ultimate authority over us and not any organization or group found on Earth.
When we grant the ultimate authority over our lives to God, we relinquish all other pretenses through which we speak and instead ask the Holy Spirit to speak through us and for us. The Holy Spirit will always speak the truth and demand the same of each of God’s disciples. This orientation puts the reformer in a situation where they must immediately and wholly confront anything that runs contrary to the Message of the Cross and God’s love for the world.
God established the church to carry out the Almighty’s mission on Earth, to bring all of the created order back to God. The reformer’s voice calls the church to heed the call and get our hearts right with God. The reformer’s problems result from tribalism and looking at the world through only one particular lens.
Martin Luther never sought to break away from the Catholic Church but saw something that did not align with scripture and discussed it. This challenge made Rome nervous and resulted in his excommunication. When speaking to the Jews about Jesus, Saul challenged the notion that the Christ had yet to come, but instead of it resulting in a discussion, the Jews plotted to kill him. Challenges and reforms don’t often come easy, and they usually result in a great deal of animosity from the leaders and status quo.
However, our allegiance must lie with God and not with political or even religious leaders. This temptation plagues the church in America. Quickly the church aligns itself with charismatic leaders and politicians, and regardless of substance, many quickly fall prey to the trap. Instead of speaking the truth of God boldly to power, they usurp God’s mission in the path toward human ambition, which is why we need reformers in our midst.
The reformer can come from anyone led by the Holy Spirit, even those that once were enemies of the church. Saul was an enemy, and through the transformation of God, Saul became an evangelist and spoke the truth at his peril. We cannot fear this type of person in our midst, but instead, we must be willing to stand in Barnabas’ shoes in this passage as he vouched for Saul and provided testimony to Saul’s transformation. This testimony paved the way for the reformation of the church from just for Jews toward reaching out toward the Gentiles as well.
The church must keep its eyes open and its ears listening, as the Holy Spirit can speak through anyone at any time. This way, the church will be open to the necessary reforms. Thus the church operates as a reformed and always reforming congregation.
Many of us have long thought of St. Patrick’s Day as a day to wear green and eat corned beef and cabbage. However, we should examine what our friend Patrick did and how we can use it as a beautiful example of how we can bring God’s grace to a world that is often devoid of hope. Today, the supposed anniversary of his death should serve to remind Christians everywhere that our God is powerful and can use us no matter where we come from or what stratus of life from which we come.
Although recognized as Ireland’s patron saint, Patrick was not Irish but came to Ireland as a slave when he was only a teen. He was captive for about six years and worked primarily as a shepherd. During his captivity, Patrick, buoyed by his faith in Christ, found comfort in the promises that God would never leave him or forsake him in his circumstances. During captivity, God also gave Patrick a sense of call, similar to the sense of call God puts on our hearts.
After returning to Britain, escaping his captors, God called Patrick into ordination as a Priest. After becoming a Priest, he petitioned to go back to Ireland to bring God’s Gospel message to Ireland’s Celtic people. Instead of casting aside the people’s traditions and denouncing their pagan roots, Patrick sought to share the Gospel as it is working in their lives already. Through his actions, and practices he translated the Gospel into a language that they would understand. In much the same way, Paul was able to explain the Gospel to those at the Areopagus.
Today, we must follow the Saints’ example and share the Gospel with people, not in judgment, but with grace, just as Christ came to us with a Spirit of Love. We must seek to understand the culture. Learn the language, speak with humility, and bring hope, justice, peace, and love. Speak truth to power, but you must first speak the culture’s language to be heard and understood. Saint Patrick understood and embodied this and integrated notably Irish items into the worship of God.
It is not the job of evangelism to wash over and eradicate culture. Instead, through our understanding of culture, we translate the Gospel into the language of culture. Instead of appropriating and colonizing, we see where God is already at work and join into God’s Kingdom work right where we live and play.
No matter what we find ourselves afflicted by, God reminds us that we must respond with worship. Even during war, persecution, plagues, and separation, God reminds us that we are not forgotten and belong to the Almighty and called us to worship him with all of our heart. Worship is engrained into our very core, and that circumstance tries to cover up that calling upon our hearts by distracting us with any number of problems in our lives.
The danger we face is the same danger that faced the people of Israel and Judah. When we focus upon the affliction, we tend toward thinking that God has abandoned us or is absent from us, but that is contrary to the truth. God has written our names upon His hands. Jesus reminded the apostles to look upon him and the sacrifice Jesus made. God calls the people to look upon God’s hands and remember that the work of salvation is complete; therefore, we must look at God’s hands and worship, casting aside any afflictions, as they are not worthy of our focus.
Isaiah 49:13-18 (NIV)
13Shout for joy, you heavens; rejoice, you earth; burst into song, you mountains! For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.
14But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.”
15“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!
16See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.
17Your children hasten back, and those who laid you waste depart from you.18Lift up your eyes and look around; all your children gather and come to you. As surely as I live,” declares the Lord, “you will wear them all as ornaments; you will put them on, like a bride.
None of us belong, and all of us belong. We all have done wrong, treated each other improperly, and allowed sinful thoughts to affect our actions and lives. However, we have all been called to the foot of the cross, welcomed by the Almighty, to salvation. Our previous shortcomings, our current sins, nor our future problems do not withhold the grace found at the cross. Before we proceed with anything involving the church, we must affirm that our faith and salvation comes from no other place than the Almighty God, which did not consider sending Christ Jesus to Earth an act beneath the Creator. Therefore, because Christ pulls us out of sin, we cannot think that any of us is too perfect or too far gone for God’s salvation.
The church can never become a gatekeeper for salvation but must embody the sacrificial love that God has for followers of Christ. We must let go of our notions about who belongs and who doesn’t belong because we must all recognize that we are all lawbreakers and deserve death, but because of God’s mercy, we are saved by grace. The church gathers rule breakers and fugitives. For God calls us all to put down all of our idols and names and come before the cross, laying EVERYTHING down before Christ. Any idea that we carry any other identity other than a child of the Almighty God is foolish and idolatrous.
Isaiah 45:20-25 (NIV)
20“Gather together and come; assemble, you fugitives from the nations. Ignorant are those who carry about idols of wood, who pray to gods that cannot save.
21Declare what is to be, present it— let them take counsel together. Who foretold this long ago, who declared it from the distant past? Was it not I, the Lord ? And there is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but me.
22“Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.
23By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear.
24They will say of me, ‘In the Lord alone are deliverance and strength.’ ” All who have raged against him will come to him and be put to shame.
25But all the descendants of Israel will find deliverance in the Lord and will make their boast in him.
Elpis and Shalom 