The Most Important Ability

As we near the end of the College and Pro football seasons, we have seen injuries, life events, and other happenings take their toll on competing teams.  Teams are somewhere on the spectrum from "dinged-up" to (southernese) "tore-up."  Coaches are pulling our what little hair they have left to put a team on the field that can compete.  As I write this, I am battling a sinus issue, and as Lewis Grizzard once said, "Elvis is dead, and I'm not feeling too good myself."  But ... I am here.

A week ago, one of our new workers came in the back door, reporting for duty.  She was wearing a mask, not to protect herself, but to make sure her ailment wouldn't spread to those she would be working with.  But ... she was here.  Because the most important ability is availability.  I love that a young person would have that drive and work ethic, and my already-robust respect for her went up even more.

I think that Jesus was thinking about this when, at the beginning of Luke 9, Jesus reminds us of the most important ability.  In Luke 9, Jesus sends out the 12, giving them "power to drive out demons and cure diseases."  The chapter continues with Jesus feeding the 5000 (where Jesus says, "you feed them").  Peter declares Jesus is the Messiah, Jesus predicts His death, the Transfiguration happens, Jesus heals a demon-possessed boy, and, at the end of the chapter, Jesus speaks about the cost of discipleship.  Two people come up to Jesus, saying they desire to follow, after they take care of some personal business.  Jesus has a curt response for each of them:

1. To the man who wants to bury his father, Jesus says ... "Let the dead bury their dead ... you go and proclaim the Kingdom of God!"  You must be available to Jesus to make that happen.

2. To the man who wants to tell his family goodbye, Jesus says ... "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the Kingdom of God." You must be available to Jesus is you want to follow and serve.

Jesus' words might seem harsh, but the story is a representation of how we, as people who make choices, decide priorities, and make statements about our so-called faith, really proclaim our faith by being available to Jesus.  It is a lot easier to sing the songs, make the statements, and talk the talk, than it is to 1) serve, and 2) proclaim.  Let's examine what "serve" and "proclaim" mean this week, as we begin the year giving God our most important ability ... our availability.  AMEN

Nothing Ordinary!

If you Google, Liturgical Calendar, you will find some brightly colored images with seasons, dates, and a description of the Christian liturgical year.  As we move into the 2nd week of January, some calendars call this the season of Epiphany, but Epiphany is really the 1st Sunday after January 1st.  This was last Sunday for us, and we celebrated the Magi encountering the Christ child (a toddler about 3 years old), and we remembered that this event marks Jesus being revealed as the savior to the Gentiles as well as the Messiah for the Jews.  But most folks call this season of the liturgical year something else.  The time between Epiphany and Lent is called "Ordinary Time."

For preachers, this time is not at all ordinary.  Here, January is filled with meetings, budgeting, and administrative work.  It (this year) will be a time we use for planning for our Sacred Arts Initiative, which includes Moonlighters (February 13th), Lenten Music Events (March), our Choir and Arts Camp (July), and many other events, especially our Children's and Youth Calendar.  We will be working on hiring a Student Ministry/Discipleship person (pray for your pastor and the SPRC Team).  We will also be planning for, and inviting you to, the GMC Alabama Emerald Coast Annual Conference in Dothan (1st week of May, 2026), where you will be able to receive hands-on training in becoming disciples who make disciples!  There will also be a trip (September) for our Sacred Arts Team to visit Asbury Seminary and get some needed recharging.  NOT ordinary at all!

Here's the point.  Christmas and New Year's are only beginnings.  Both are times when we choose to follow better/closer, or drift along being unchanged and untransformed.  Last week, we were reminded that the Magi "went back by a different way."  So, consider these questions:

1. Will 2026 be an epiphany or a continuance?

2. Will 2026 be a transformation or a season of lethargy and sameness?

3. Will 2026 be ordinary or extraordinary?

There is a story in Luke 2.  It tells of the prophetess, Anna.  At least 2 things from Anna's story are worth noting.  The first is that we find Anna doing the things that we should be doing as we are expectant for God's activity.  She was in God's house (the Temple), worshipping, fasting, and praying. And, when Jesus walks past, she reflects and speaks about the redemption story, and the child who will make a way for that redemption.  Second, we find that Jesus goes back to Galilee with Joseph and Mary, and enters His "ordinary time."  Luke 2 says, "the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him."  During "ordinary time" some extraordinary things happened.

1. The child grew.  The  Son of God grew, so maybe we should grow!

2. The child was filled with wisdom.  I wonder how that happened?  I will bet Jesus read, sat with wise and learned leaders, and watched how Mary and Joseph did life.  He learned, so maybe we should learn.

3. The grace of God was on Him.  John Wesley tells us there are ways we can (if we are true followers) receive God's grace.  Maybe Jesus did some of these things.  Prayer, service, attention to the sacraments, fellowship with other believers, fasting, worship ... these are just some of the ways God's grace comes to us.  Jesus was filled with the grace of God, so maybe we should be filled with grace too!

Jesus lived this out, so maybe we should too!  Jesus' quest for growth, newness, fullness, and abundance was evident. Epiphany, transformation, and abundance!  I am down with those things, and I hope you will invest time, energy, resources, and prayer into a year that will see all of these things happen, as God uses you to build His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven!  AMEN and AMEN! 

Wonderful Beginning

Christmas is interesting.  It is an ending, a present-time drama, and a beginning.  Do you remember the series, The Lord of the Rings?  J.R.R. Tolkien wrote 4 books, The Hobbit, The Fellowship of the Rings, The Two Towers,  and The Return of the King, all part of the larger story ... The Lord of the Rings.  Each book is its own story,  but each book is part of a larger story.  

The Bible is an unfolding story.  It has an origin, which one must know to understand the rest of the story.  It has a respite that speaks of the foundational wisdom upon which the structure is built.  It has a dramatic prophetic middle that foretells (specifically sometimes, and vaguely sometimes) another "story."  And then the event ... the birth of Christ and the record of His story on earth.  

But then, after Jesus' death, the story continues.  The early Church struggles with life, following their calling, and battles powers and principalities here on earth.  We are still in that part of the story, I think! Finally, there is an ending ... set sometime in the future.  

There is a dramatic event that is foretold by the title of Tolkien's book, The Return of the King, and spelled out in God's word by the Holy Spirit Himself.  God reveals the end of the greater story and the beginning of an eternal story of God's people, the Church.  The King does return!

The greater story stretches eternally backwards and forward.  Because it is about God, it is eternal, just as God is eternal.  And we are thankful eternity has stepped into time to consider His creation.

We celebrated a wonderful beginning this week.  But that beginning is only part of a bigger story.  That story is planted in your heart, in your place in the Church, and your part in the "Great" story.  Are you in?  Are you ready? Are you willing?  I pray you, and WE, are! AMEN, Merry Christmas, and a Christ-filled New Year!

Now and Later

Some of you might remember the taffy candy called Now and Later.  The name was a marketing ploy used to describe the long-lasting nature of the candy, and the claim that the flavor was here both now and later.  I say this from 2nd party information, because I am not a taffy fan.  But I knew people who liked those candies (I gave mine away at Halloween).

But Christmas, and Scripture, is very much a Now and Later thing.  It is alive ... always moving ... always applicable both now and later.  But unlike the candy, Scripture is full, active, and moving toward a beautiful purpose, now AND later.

In Luke 2, Jesus is presented at the Temple according to Jewish law, and a man named Simeon was there.  Simeon had waited devoutly for the coming of the Messiah who would save Israel.  Simeon "took the child in his arms and praised God, saying, 'Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised.  I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people.  He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and He is the glory of your people Israel.'"

Messiah predicted (past).  Messiah here ... "I have seen your salvation" (now).  Messiah's future ... "He is a light to reveal God to the nations" (later).  The Scripture says that Mary and Joseph were amazed at what was being said about Jesus.  Beautiful and hopeful, right?  Yes!

But then, with apparently the same hopefulness and fervor, Simeon says this (verses 34-35) ... "This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise.  He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose Him.  As a result, the deepest thought of many hearts will be revealed, and a sword will pierce your very soul!"  So much for beautiful and hopeful.

The "reveal" is in Simeon's 1st statement.  "He is a light!"  Light reveals.  Light purifies.  Light kills some bad things (some bacteria and some fungi).  Light causes some things to rise out of the ground and grow.  And light was predicted as the nature of the Messiah (the people who walk in darkness will see a great light [Isaiah 9:2]).

In the aftermath of the birth and the beauty of the Christmas story, Simeon gives us some stark truth.  Yes ... the light has come.  Yes ... God's glory is revealed.  But like Isaiah realized (Chapter 6), when God's glory is revealed, we are either destroyed or we are transformed.  Enjoy the NOW ... bit be changed, and reborn by who Jesus later is revealed to be ... the one true living God, and the salvation prepared and available for all people.

God's Final Word

I remember when I was a little boy, and my brother and I would get into an argument.  We would bicker, sometimes fight, and always hold our meaningless positions on the subject until ... until Dad spoke.  When Dad spoke, it didn't really matter which of us thought we were right.  It didn't matter which of us had the moral high ground.  It just didn't matter.  Because when Dad spoke, the final word had been announced, and that is what held the day.

We live in a society with lots of opinions.  Which 'side' is right?  Whose argument is the most compelling?  Who has the most votes?  What is most popular?  Does anyone ask, what does 'Dad' say?

There is a beautiful Michael Card song called "The Final Word."  One line says, "His final word was Jesus, He needed no other one!"  What is our response?  Jeremiah 7:27 predicts a day of societal deafness.  "Tell them all of this, but do not expect them to listen.  Shout your warnings, but do not expect them to respond!" Are we in that day?

Here are some thoughts about God's (Dad's) final word (from the Magnificat, Luke 1:46-55):

1. God notices the lowly, and how they live, especially His servants (v:48);

2. God speaks great things into existence for those who serve Him (v:49);

3. God is merciful to those who fear Him (v:50);

4. God has (and will) scatter the haughty (v:51);

5. God has (and will) exalt the humble (v:52);

6. God gives the hungry good things (v:53);

7. God remembers His servants (v:54);

8. God doesn't forget His covenant (v:55).

God's promise is the personification of love, light, and life to the world.  He has spoken through His word, His son, and His Spirit ... and our petty opinions and arguments really (in the overall scheme of history) don't matter.  As "Dad" spoke at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:5), "This is my Son whom I love, with Him I am well pleased ... listen to Him!"  AMEN

Bringing Home The Point

Sometimes preachers have difficulty bringing home the point.  Parishioners are probably saying, "Land the plane!"  I get it, but still I have my moments.  God doesn't!

The Christmas story in Luke 2 is all about God doing 2 things.  First, God "lands the plane" of fulfilling numerous Old Testament prophecies.  Words from Genesis, Isaiah, Micah, and even Leviticus become fulfilled (completed) in the birth of Jesus.  He brings to fruition what we, in the Church, have been discussing for weeks (we lit the candles of Hope and Peace over the past two weeks), as angels sing about the Hope of the Messiah and Peace on Earth.

But God also does something that we might not see.  Luke 2 isn't just an arrival ... it is a departure.  Yes, God lands one plane, but He also sends all of creation on a new journey.  Jesus calls it the coming of the Kingdom of God (on earth as it is in heaven).  John the Baptist announces, "The Kingdom of God is at hand (Jesus is walking up, Mark 1:15)."  Then, Jesus begins to tell us "the Kingdom of God is like ... 

Do you get it?  Do you see it?  The message ... the point ... is that Jesus both brings the Kingdom to earth and is getting up a load of believers who will be part of His eternal Kingdom that will have heaven descending ot earth (Revelation 21:2)."  And WE (the Church) get to be part of that majestic and beautiful plan!

So, for those of you who are in the throes of the daily grind, or in the busyness of the Christmas season ... never forget that "Greater things are still to come (John 14:12)."  Not my words, but God's!

Peace Through Strength

When you read the above phrase, you might think of an American Foreign Policy standby. The idea is that we can create the environment for peace by being the strongest, most well-funded, and most technologically able fighting force in the world. The idea has mostly worked, though the current environment of terror-warfare is much more of a moving target than we would like.  Still, we are the top dog ... for now.

But battles come in many forms.  Our world is full of what Paul called "powers and principalities" ... all ready and willing to take us from relying on God to relying on self, stuff, wits, and our own understanding.  The Bible warns us to avoid reliance on these things, but every day we are tempted, encouraged, and even expected to depend on everything but God.  The battles become ours, so we strengthen ourselves in cultural ways, and we wonder why we seem to be losing the war.  It is frustrating for sure.  And ... it is NOT peaceful!

Let's ponder, just for awhile, another path of peace.  A lasting and persistent peace.  One penned by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in 1863, on Christmas Day, still mourning the loss of his wife in a fire, and the severe wounding of his son in battle.

I heard the bells on Christmas Day, Their old, familiar carols play, And wild and sweet the words repeat Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,the belfries of all Christendom, Had rolled along the unbroken song, Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till ringing, singing on its way, The world revolved from night to day, A voice, a chime, A chant sublime, Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each black, accursed mouth, The cannon thundered in the South, And with the sound the carols drowned, Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent, the hearth-stones of a continent, And made forlorn the households born

Of peace on earth, good-will to men! And in despair I bowed my head; “There is no peace on earth,” I said; “For hate is strong, and mocks the song. Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: “God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; The Wrong shall fail,    The Right prevail, With peace on earth, good-will to men.”

Longfellow found his peace ... not through his own strength ... not in his sorting out earthly chaos ... for these things do not bring peace.  But the God who lives, and does not sleep, is a place and a peace we can rely upon.  Our wits, our strength, our stuff, will always fail us.  Our God will be with us, "even to the end of the age!"  AMEN!