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!

The Paradox of Hope

The story of Christ coming into the world is a story of hope. One hymn beautifully says that God “wrapped our injured flesh around Himself,” so that we might receive the hope of life, salvation, and resurrection. Jesus is truly our living hope.

Yet the hope Jesus brings is, in many ways, paradoxical. In our world—and in our senses and experience—we see people born, live, and die. Even Christians, who believe differently, struggle to look beyond the finality of death. Death feels stark and absolute, like the end of a trilogy we’ve read to the last page. Many people believe that after life comes only emptiness and nothingness. You are born, you live, you die, and then you are gone. So where, then, is hope?

Hope is in the person of Jesus, born on that first Christmas. For the Christian, we are born into this world, but when we encounter Jesus, we are offered a life-changing, life-giving choice. We can continue as we always have and eventually reach an ending without hope. Jesus said, “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it” (Matthew 16:25a). We cannot give, save, or create life on our own. But Jesus continued, “If you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.”

When Nicodemus asked Jesus how to have eternal life (John 3), Jesus answered plainly: “You must be born again.” To truly live, you must die to yourself. To find eternal life, you must be reborn—raised into a new life with Christ and gathered into the company of all the saints.

This sounds strange at first, but it is the very heart of the Christian faith: we die to self so that Christ may live in us. As we surrender ourselves, His life begins to shape our own. We become who we were truly made to be—exactly the person God designed when He created us. Playwright John Guare put it beautifully: “It is amazing how a little tomorrow can make up for a whole lot of yesterdays.”

A judge once told a young man for whom I was pleading, “Your past casts a long shadow.” Despite our appeals, the judge sentenced him to four years in jail. Perhaps the judge delivered justice, and perhaps the young man hoped for mercy. But Jesus offers something far greater: grace. While earthly judges remind us of our past, Jesus declares, “I have cast your sins as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12). God Himself says, “I will remember your sins no more” (Jeremiah 31:34).

So—what will you choose? The world’s view that you are born, live, and die? Or Jesus’ view: that you are born, you die to self, and then you truly live?

As for me, I place my faith, my life, and my hope in the God who forgives, forgets, and saves.

His Love Endures Forever

Psalm 136 is an obvious choice as we enter this season of Thanksgiving.  There are 26 verses.  The 1st verse says, "Give thanks to the Lord for He is good ... His love endures forever."  Every subsequent verse expresses a reason for giving thanks.  And each verse (all 26) includes the proclamation, "His love endures forever!"  

Dr. Tim Tennant writes, "Psalm 136 was obviously written for a public act of worship."  Dr. Tennant goes on to remind us that the "love" expressed in this Psalm is not the emotion of love, which we seem to revere.  It is, rather, the continued, repeated, consistent action of love expressed by God throughout the history of the Hebrew people.  In short, God has promised (in covenant) to love His people, and has carried out that love in mighty acts.  God's love means business!

Sunday, we will share that act of worship as we begin and end the service with this Psalm, read responsively.  We will consider this Psalm as we read it in the community of worship.  We will hold it in our hearts as we leave the Henry County Courthouse lawn at 3:30pm and travel to Abbeville High School. Abbeville Christian Academy, Abbeville Elementary School, Abbeville Boys and Girls Club, and the Abbeville/Henry County Governmental Complex.  We will share this time of Thanksgiving as we join in worship at 5pm in the Abbeville Methodist Church Sanctuary and worship, testify, pray, sing, and live in the light of Jesus together.  We will thank the God who provides as we gather to break bread at 6:15pm in the Abbeville Methodist Family Life Center.

Other things will also happen this Sunday.  We will miss our football games ... or will we (how can we be sad if something eternal happens to displace something temporal)?  We will miss our Sunday afternoon rest ... or will we (in Scripture, rest means completion/fulfillment, and we will be completed in our participation)?

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good ... His love endures together!  AMEN? AMEN!

The Great Divide

My major in undergraduate school was geography.  That is a far cry from what I do now, but the degree did prepare me well for my secular job as a municipal planner.  There are lots of applicable disciplines that relate to geography as a science, including demography, sociology, and statistics.  But that work happened decades ago, and I have moved on from that life.  However, every once in a while, some subject comes back into mind that relates both to that life and the life of a pastor.

Last week I was thinking of a Kate Wolf song called, The Great Divide.  It is a wonderful song that would be fitting for a folk music concert or a campfire.  For today, however, I want to focus on the geographical term and the spiritual concept.  There is a line, running North to South, from Canada through Mexico, called the Great Divide. It is the line, roughly tracking the highest elevations in the Rocky Mountains, where water drains either East toward the Atlantic and the Gulf, or drains west to the Pacific and Arctic Oceans.  But there is another Great Divide.

We have been (this is the last week) reading the Nicene Creed.  There is a sense that this, and the Apostle's Creed,  are lines of separation.  We either believe the Biblical foundation of the creeds (who God said He was in Father, Son, and Spirit) or we believe some other extra-Biblical source.  In layman's terms, we (in the Global Methodist Church and in other Orthodox denominations) believe the Bible and the early Church Councils, are correct.  Why is this important?

Last week, we read from the Book of Joshua.  In Joshua 24:14-15, Joshua realizes that our focus on foundational, Scriptural, beliefs defines who we are and how we interact with our world.  Joshua renews the Covenant between the people and God at Shechem.  He gathers all the tribes and leaders of Israel and makes a proclaimation that is truly the Great Divide.  In verse 15, Joshua announces, "Choose this day whom you will serve ... whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.  But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."  It was a watershed moment.  A time of both division and unity.  Would the people flow in the direction of the Lord, or will they flow into the sewer of the culture?  Belief is important.  Belief is upheld by the word of God, the power of the Spirit, the person of Christ, and the blessing of the Father.  Choose this day whom you will serve!  

The Land

In Joshua, Chapter 1:2, God tells Joshua, "The time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them."  Later in Chapter 1, Joshua, at the instruction of the Lord, tells the people to "take possession" of the land.  I wonder if this is God's same instruction today?

First, what is "the land?"  The land is any place that God sends His people, under His instruction and authority, to possess.  It is the hearts of unbelievers.  It is the land upon which our church and our facilities are located.  It is a nation that seems so focused on political solutions to our problems that we miss the spiritual battle being waged all around us.  It is taking this day for the Lord ... living it out with God's guidance, leading, Spirit, and blessing.  Joshua is told that the land is anywhere he sets foot IF he follows God's instructions.

Second, in this month of giving thanks, God reminds Joshua that the land, the power to enter the land, and the power to take the land are gifts/blessings from God.  Joshua, the army of Israel, and the ability to fight, all come from the God who ultimately leads them.  They are just a large group of nomads without God's provision.

Finally (and I love this) possession of the land follows action.  The people are told to take the land.  Joshua is told that he must "set foot" on the land.  The nation of Israel is told they must "cross the river."  God's power, provision, and blessing are all there, just waiting for people who say, "yes!"

You may ask, "What does this have to do with me?"  We are a nation of passivity.  I am told, often, the things WE need to do.  But doing them seems to fall by the wayside, as business takes over our lives.  So ... here are some ways we can "take the land,"

1. If you are part of a team that leads your church, meet with the team and participate in the meeting.  Step into the river, and the waters will part (Joshua 3:8).

2. Never, ever, say those powerless words, "I can't do that!" if God has called you to do something.  Those words are narcissistic!  They imply that YOU are responsible for doing what God has ordained.  Just step into the water (as the old song says).

3. Let's all be the adults in the room.  One of the sports programs I watch often remarks that the leadership trait most sought in professional sports (this includes management and players alike) is the trait of being an adult.  Adults see the larger picture of the organization that is larger than them.  Adults listen, interact, and don't seek to manipulate others.  Adults are not passive-agressive in how they interact with others.  Adults give positive suggestions and respond positively to others in their group.  Adults are teachable and interested in personal and organizational growth.  Adults enter every meeting, every interaction, and every relationship asking, "How can I be used by God to make this meeting, interaction, and relationship better?"  Adults keep their eyes on the mission, and are active in "taking the land."  Adults don't allow emotions to drive them, and never "take their toys and go home."  

I have (in our Family Life Center) a stone carved with the words, "With God nothing is impossible."  Do you believe that, because Jesus said it?  Let's take the land, one step and one action at a time.  It starts with crossing the river of doubt, emotion, fear, failure, self, and childish behavior.  Joshua knew the Jordan was more than a river ... it was a place where attitudes needed to change.  TAKE the land.  God has already given it!  Randy

Are You Ready?

This Sunday is All Saints Sunday.  It is the time, each year, in which we honor those who have gone on to be with Christ.  This is referenced in various ways.  There is "passed."  Another is "died."  A third is "entered into glory."  Maybe your family has a special way to speak about those who have left this world and entered into the next.  One of my pastor friends (and he said this referring to his daughter) said, "she crossed over the Jordan before me."

This Sunday, we will read the names of those souls that people have given us (from a variety of places) and we will have a time of silence to remember them.  But my question is, are YOU ready?  When I ask this, most of you are thinking I am asking, "Am I ready to go and be with Christ, and am I ready to leave this world being saved and reconciled with God."  This is an important question, but I would like to see this in another way, as we consider Paul's referencing of "saints" from 1 Corinthians, 1.  In verse 2, the salutation reads, "To the Church of God which is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours."  He calls them saints, and sanctified ... are you ready to be called that?

Paul goes on.  "I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you by Christ Jesus, that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord, Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blamless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ (verses 4-7)."  My English teacher would have called that a "run on sentence."  I call it Paul's challenge to the Corinthians.

The Cornithians, as Paul writes his letter to them, are lacking many of the earmarks of the sainthood he expresses in his salutation.  They are caught up in their Greek penchant for philosophy, logic, and knowledge ... all of which Paul says lacks spiritual vision.  And, one of the worst criticisms, Paul tells these people, who are physical adults, he has fed them milk for they were not, and still are not, ready for solid food.  Now, reread the salutation.

1. He calls them what they should be, and need to be ... sanctified, and those who "call on the name of Jesus Christ."  Sanctified means that they have worked, struggled, strived to know God through His word, through active service, through applied love, through worship, and through sharing of their witness.  Are you ready for this?

2. He reminds them of the grace they have been given, and of the abundance of gifts they have been given to do the work of the saints.  He writes, "the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that you will come short in no gift."  Paul is saying that the Corinthians have every gift they need for doing the work God has given them, both as a blessing and an expectation.  They are equipped.  But, are they (we) ready?

3. He tells them that, at the end of all things, they, as professing and practicing saints, their eternal salvation rests on their connection with Jesus, their only means of salvation.

They are called to be saints.  They are expected to be practicing/active Christians, who use their gifts to edify the Church.  And, they are held eternally accountable, so that God's grace and mercy and love will confirm you on the "day of our Lord, Jesus Christ."

Are you/we ready for this?  Are you an itenerate worker, willing to work till you earn enough to survive for awhile, and spending those resources till you run out, repeating this process over and over again?  Or, are you a son/daughter of the owner, invested in the inheritance the Master gives to all of His sons and daughters?

We have the gifts and resources needed to do what God is calling us to do.  So did the Corinthians.  The question is ... are we ready to be sanctified, so that God's Kingdom comes on earth, as it is in heaven?

"It's all the same."

That statement is a very culturally-generated opinion about the Church.  I heard someone say this recently, and I wished I had had the time to ask what (exactly) they meant.  But the comment is made from a spiritually-lazy perspective that is prevalent in society.  It is part of having to place everything in a convenient "box" so actual thought and reflection don't need to happen.  It's like me when I am in a hurry to tidy up the house ... find a place to drop it, and move on to the next thing.

I wonder if, in the early 300's AD, the early church might have had a similar issue?  Maybe Christianity had, for many people, been placed in a convenient box, with people thinking that all people calling themselves Christians believed pretty much the same thing.  "It's all the same," they might have said.   In truth, there were many groups of people called Christians, living in different places, flowing from different backgrounds, and immersed in different daily realities.  The early Church fathers knew that there was a need to go back to Biblical basics and reclaim the things that must be held as true, right, and orthodox.  The creeds (the Apostle's and the Nicene) became this boundary which separated those who held Scripture and Jesus as authoritative, while a plethora of beliefs were developed, some orthodox, and some not.

One belief structure, Arianism, was created by people who believed that Jesus (who in Scripture is fully-God, fully-human, and the begotten Son of the Father) was not "begotten" but created.  Begotten means, for our purposes, born with the essence of both parents.  In the case of the creeds and orthodox beliefs, Jesus is the ONLY begotten Son of the Father.  This differs from the Arian position that Jesus was a created being (like angels, demons) and was not of the DNA of God the Father.  You might ask, "why is this important ... it's all the same." 

I'll give you a few reasons why orthodxy, here, is vital to what we believe:

1. We believe Jesus is who He said He was, with all of the power, authority, and attributes He manifested in the Bible, and still manifests in/through/around us.  "I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18)."  

2. Being begotten brings Jesus close to us in a visceral way.  He is born of a woman.  He shares all of the temptations, life-experiences, and emotions that humans experience.  Yet, Jesus did this being both sinless, and remaining connected with His parental DNA from God the Father.

3. The book of Hebrews expresses this "begotten" status in a beautiful way, as the writer tells us that Jesus has overcome the flesh, the world, and our failures as the sinless and beautiful sacrifice for our sins, becoming our "Great High Priest" that invites, advocates, and forgives us before the Father.  In Chapter 4, verses 15-16, the writer expresses the truth that we, in boldness, can go to God's throne of grace, and receive mercy in our time of need.

A created being that is less than God is not an overcomer in this world.  He, at best or worst, would be an adopted son, with the DNA of an angel or a demon, and would not be the Jesus of Scripture, or the person described by John 1 ... "In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God ... and the word became flesh, and dwelt among us."

Do you still think "it's all the same?"  What you believe is important.  Maybe, when the disciples told Jesus what people were saying about Him (i.e., who He was), Jesus looked Peter in the eye, and said ... "Who do YOU say that I am?"  We all know Peter's reply ... "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!."  "It" wasn't all the same then, and "it" isn't all the same now.

Eternal

The word for the day is "olam."  It is the Hebrew word we would translate as eternal.  It also means endless.  For our purposes and for Biblical clarity, it means endless, both forward and backward in time.

Our concept of this word has been confined (something you can't really do with eternity) to a more childlike view.  I remember my daughter asking about how long something would take.  While I don't remember the exact context, I do remember her response.  "That will take forever (pronounced foe-evah)!"  I laughed when she said it, but I wonder if God also laughs when we try to fathom this concept.

Isaiah 40:28 says, "Have you never heard?  Have you never understood?  The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth.  He never grows weak or weary.  No one can measure the depths of His understanding!"  This Scriptural context is professed in the Nicene and the Apostle's Creed.  God is "olam" ... everlasting ... eternal ... always ... with no beginning and with no end.

Michael Card writes, with reverence and wonder, the words ... "To all who've been of the Spirit, and share incarnation with Him, who belong to eternity stranded in time."  What a statement about God and about us!  And what an expression of the true reward!

Eternity is not about a mansion over the hilltop (something we will get/possess).  Eternity is not about a crown (a reward for good deeds) ... in The Revelation these are cast down at the feet of a holy God.  Eternity is about:

1. God sharing the precious life, death, and resurrection of Christ with people whose only claim to this gift is our relationship with Jesus.

2. God offering us the blessing of forever worship of "the Lamb upon the throne" (Revelation 5:13).

3. God inviting us into His eternal kingdom and eternal place so we can enjoy the presence of God in the holiness and beauty of His Kingdom, finally come down to earth (Revelation 21:2).

The creeds are filled with God's invitation to this place we cannot understand, but, in trusting God, can strive for, long for, and dream for.  Maranatha ... Our Lord, come!

Dreaming Without the Drift

There are lots of ideas and dreams floating around.  We have been asking members and attenders about their ideas for the future, and that request has tweaked some of you.  Others have just rolled along, content to compartmentalize 'church' in a place where it doesn't get too out of hand.  Only you can ask and answer which of these might describe you.  It can be fun to dream, but we, societally, seem to drift pretty easily.

How can we dream, vision, and keep from drifting off course?  One way is to plant our feet on the solid, the strong, the faithful, and the true.  The early Church experienced a number of challenges that caused people to 'drift' and become caught up in doctrinal issues and divisions, threatening orthodox faith.  One theologian (Thomas Oden) said that all heresy and all 'drifting' from orthodoxy happened in the 1st 300 years of the Church (Scripture says "there is nothing new under the sun").  Paul Simon wrote (in The Boxer), "after changes upon changes, we are more or less the same."  

In 325 AD at the Council of Nicea (and refined in 381AD at the Council of Constantinople) Church leaders adopted a creed which clarified the nature and person of Christ and of God the Father and the Holy Spirit.  Arianism (the belief that Jesus was a created being, a "good man," and not part of an eternal Godhead) challenged the Church of that time.  Arianism held that Jesus was a created being with a beginning and an end ... not "from the beginning" and not "forever."  This Arian view is currently shared by believers of certain faith streams in modern culture.  To be concise, this belief states that Jesus is not who Jesus and God the Father said He was.  The early councils knew that this belief diminished (C.S. Lewis said, negated) the authority of both Scripture and of Jesus Himself.  So ... here's what they wrote:

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father; through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became truly human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father [and the Son,] who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic* and apostolic church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

I love it when we (the Church) get clear on who we are, who Jesus is, and where we are going (our mission, "Make disciples of Christ who worship passionately, love extravagantly, and witness boldly").  We keep from drifting when we know who God is, know who we are in relation to God, and hold those beliefs as solid, strong, faithful, and true.

Bear Witness

We sing this children's song (really a song to adults in the congregation) called "We Bear Witness."  The line goes, "Pass the promise to our sons and daughters, God most high, God our Father, we bear witness."  The last part of our mission statement is just that ... We make disciples of Christ who worship passionately, love extravagantly, and witness boldly.

On a day when we mourn more people killed while they were in a place of worship (there seems to be an evil and insidious pattern here), and we remember children and adults shot through church windows, it seems foolhardy to speak about boldness.  Shouldn't we turn inward, protect "our own," and focus on keeping "what we have?"  Where do we go for guidance?  We always go to Jesus who is "our light and our salvation."  What does He say, after a season of violence, persecution, and evil?

In Acts 1, Jesus is talking with the disciples.  It is Jesus' last "post-resurrection" appearance, and He does not disappoint them with just fading away into heaven.  Jesus continues to teach, lead, and give them a command.  "you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8)."  Most of you profess to believe Scripture, and would be offended if that belief was challenged.  So ... as I break this down, let the question, "Do I really believe that?" float around in your head.  Because these are not just commands ... the words here are statements of fact that Jesus is telling us WILL happen.

1. "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you" - This is a statement of certainty ... not a hope or a possibility.  The power was/is there.  Read Acts and you will find the story of how that power manifested in the early Church (Scripture).  Read the history of God's Church in the world, and you will find times when God's power manifested itself in the world (Tradition).  Reflect on your life and think about those times when the distance between heaven and earth was close enough to touch (Experience).  Do what the old song says and "ponder anew, what the Almighty can do" (Reason).  The power is available.

2. "You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" -  This is another statement of certainty.  Jesus, here, is very specific in His statement.  In Jerusalem, the place that is headquarters to this Church springing out of the Jewish faith ... a Church that was called "People of The Way."  In Judea and Samaria, both the comfortable people (Judea) you claim, and (Samaria) the uncomfortable people (still your 'kin') that you don't claim. And, to the ends of the earth (everywhere people live, because the "earth is the Lord's and all therein."  We are NOT given the option to exclude anyone ... God's command, not mine!

This begs 2 questions.  Where is the power?  What is the witness?

Here's my theory.  Remember where the power comes from?  The Holy Spirit.  I have people ask all the time about the power of the Church, and if, in fact, the Church is operating our of the power of God.  I imagine much of the Church living in a big house with dark hallways and people wandering around in the dark, bumping into each other.  They are all either complaining or decrying the lack of light.  "How can we survive and exist wandering around in the dark?," the people ask.  They call on the owner of the house and whine and complain.  The owner replies, "You might want to try turning on the light switch!"

What is the light switch?  Maybe, following the owner's instructions (Matthew 28, "everything I commanded them").  Maybe, realizing God is sending us out to all these places to be His witnesses ... not witnesses for our petty causes.  Maybe, buying into Jesus' statement, "For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it (Matthew 16:25)." Maybe getting out of our nationalistic views, and realizing we are called/commanded to go to places and people we might consider inferior. God's instructions ... God's message (the Gospel ... not our schemes) ... other-focus (not self).  "The people who walk in darkness will see a great light.  For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine (Isaiah 9:2)."  The light is Jesus!

Love is Hard!

We have been journeying through a sermon series about our Mission at Abbeville Methodist.  As a Global Methodist congregation, we are about making disciples of Jesus that worship passionately, love extravagantly, and witness boldly.  Last Sunday we talked about how God has created us to worship him (we are the people created by God that we might praise Him to the nations ... Isaiah 43:21).  This week we are reminded of something harder ... to love extravagantly.

1 Corinthians 13 is Paul's expression of love.  And Paul does not pull punches here.  So I am going to ask us all to take off our political hats, and put on our "Jesus-following" hats.  Because I think following Paul's call in 1 Corinthians 13 will not allow us to stand in politics (especially in the current political atmosphere), and also stand in God's word.  There are all sorts of convoluted political agendas and schemes, and there is God's word ... and God's word 'trumps' them all (pardon the pun).

I have been watching the political pendulum swing back and forth for a fair number of years.  It reminds me of an old song ... "worry is a rocking chair, it goes back and forth and it goes nowhere."  Each party and perspective has its moment in the sun, and there is a feeding frenzy of executive orders, new laws, and policies.  The factions taste blood in the water, and then, next time, they find their own blood in the water.  It rocks back and forth, and it goes nowhere.  Popeye and Bluto pull on Olive Oil's skinny arms, hoping to possess her, and poor Olive Oil just gets her arms out of joint.  Metaphorically, she is us!  Paul's solution? Love!

1. Without love, our plans, our leaders, and our schemes are noise ... here today, and gone tomorrow.  Paul says it is a "clanging cymbal."  Even boisterous preaching is useless without love.

2. Without love, our "good" actions gain nothing (read verse 3 ... it is there).

3. With love, there is patience, kindness, humility.

4. With love, there is no vengeance (which, by the way, is God's territory, not ours).

5. With love, truth happens, and it becomes a way of life (be willing to seek the whole truth, not just the truth your Facebook or TikTok feed sends you).

6. Love endures through all things ... even our messups.

7. Love, not your ideological addiction, is the greatest of eternal things.

If you notice, I did use the word ... addiction.  I run across people every day that are so addicted to their social media feed (which, by the way, is specifically targeted to lead YOU where YOU want to go [not in the direction of truth]) they are willing to lose friends, family, and those who love them, just to win an argument or promote their cause.  Wake up people!  Breaking these addictions, and becoming human beings is hard.  But, at the end of that rainbow, we find perfect love that drives out real (and imagined) fear.  And, at the end of that journey, we find a father, running down the road to greet us with a faithful love that says, "Welcome home my child ... bring out the robe and the fatted calf, because it is time to rejoice, for my son who was lost has been found."

Love is hard.  God is good at it.  We need help.  Jesus and God's word are our guides.  If we call oursleves Christians, we are called to love like Jesus ... extravagantly.  It is one of the only things we can carry into eternity.  What say you?

Did You Know?

Today, we continue our journey through the mission of our church (Make disciples of Jesus that worship passionately, love extravagantly, and witness boldly) as we think about passionate worship.  There is one verse that comes to mind today as I think about worship.  In the context of Isaiah's (43:19-21) praise, he says ... "I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland to give drink to my people, my chosen, the people I formed for myself that they might proclaim my praise."  Did you know those last few words ...  "the people I formed for myself, that they might proclaim my praise."  You and I were made to worship God ... and we were made FOR God.  What does this mean?

As a pastor, I hear people say things like, "I worship best when it is quiet and peaceful."  Others say, "I worship best when we are singing a peppy song with a good beat."  I have heard many of these statements over the years.  Do you see a pattern here with these two statements?  They both begin with the word "I."  They both reflect feelings about the setting or the context.  And while setting and context do make a difference, I wonder if we are all focused on our preferences, and we forget that Isaiah said ... worship should flow from our very being, our very soul, because it is totally about what God is doing (and what God has done).  So ... here is my question for today.  Do you consume worship, or does worship consume you?

C. S. Lewis, in the book Screwtape Letters, speaks about how demons distract, divert, and destroy.  In a nutshell, he says that the demon's goal is to get those in church to focus on flaws.  The shoes or dress of the person next to me.  The little noises that might distract me.  The things I imagine about the pastor, worship leaders, musicians, and other worshippers.  These things take us away from the point ... God's presence in His Spirit and the truth of His word.

We will sing a song in the 1st service this week.  It is an old Matthew Ward song.  The words go like this ... "My God is faithful, my God is truthful, my God is boundless, in all He is.  My God is wisdom, my God is righteous, my God is vision, for all who seek.  So I will worship You, in the beauty of holiness, and I will worship You, for the things You've done in me, and when my life's complete, I'll place my crown at Your feet, and I will worship You on bended knee."  That last line is truly Biblical, because most of the Revelation (that last Bible book we confuse and obfuscate) happens in the context of a worship service, all focused on the Lamb that was slain ... who He is, what He is doing, and how He will bring all things round right.

On Sunday, come to service allowing God to set your attitude, lead you to a greater altitude, and teach you the new things of Isaiah 43 (helping your aptitude).  Come to a holy God ... the one who made you, and the one who created you for worship.  For, as is also stated in the Revelation, He is worthy!  AMEN

Of Jesus

Last week we talked about disciples and our call to make disciples.  But there is one little phrase in the Abbeville Methodist mission statement that bears highlighting.  It is 2 little words ... "of Jesus."

I served a church back "in the day" that wanted new members.  It was their focus to grow the church.  So I spent considerable time and effort to bring in community members living near the church.  The community had a diverse population (I know 'diverse' is a bad word these days, but bear with me), so at one of my events, people came who didn't meet the criteria that the church leadership was seeking.  It seems that the church wanted people like them.  They weren't comfortable with the poor, the people of color, or the people who came in bringing their needs.  While I could be critical of them using many statements of Jesus, today I remember Jesus speaking with the Pharisees in Matthew 23.  Here's what He said ... "What sorrow awaits you, you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees!  Hypocrites!  For you cross land and sea to make one convert, and then you turn that person into twice the child of hell you yourselves are (Matthew 23:15)!"  There is no doubt Jesus is passionate about this issue.  And we should be too!

Let's break this down.  First, Jesus directs His ire at the church of His time ... the Jews (specifically their leadership).  There is no doubt that these leaders have forgotten a very important issue.  The law, the church, the gathering of people, the fellowship, the worship, and the liturgy should be ... 

1. About God - Focused on God, founded by God, ordained by God.

2. For the good of the people - The church is about leading us into practices (internal and external) that are beneficial to us and to the people we encounter.  Remember the Great Calling from last week ... "be a blessing (Genesis 12)."

Jesus looks out at His Church and says, "it is good" much like God did as He created the heavens and the earth.

Second, Jesus correctly calls the Pharisees "Hypocrites."  The Greek term means "wearers of masks."  The leaders of the church are not what or who they seem.  And their motives are counter to God's intended purpose.  Jesus, the Son of the Living God, stands before them, and they view Him as a threat, even when they see irrefutable evidence of His anointing.  

Third, Jesus sees the activity of the leaders as "self-serving."  They point to themselves, the law, the structures, and the institution of the church.  They are not bringing people to the one who "gives them rest, for His burden is easy, and His yoke is light (Matthew 11:28-30)."  They are purveyors of emptiness ... not abundance.

Finally, the path they offer brings people closer to hell, not heaven.  Like my little church I served long ago, their desire was to replicate more of themselves ... not "disciples OF JESUS."

As we focus on the mission of the Church, let's remember several important things.  If we are disciples of Jesus, we are those who lead others to Christ ... not to us.  C. S. Lewis speaks of discipleship in a beautiful way.  His vision of being a disciple of Jesus is to become our new, uniquely gifted, worshipful, loving, and bold follower of Christ.  He says, Satan wants cattle he can herd into the gates of hell.  Jesus wants followers who know and learn love by choosing Jesus, worshiping Jesus, loving like Jesus, and witnessing about Jesus through changed lives.

Remember OUR mission.  We "make disciples of Jesus who worship passionately, love extravagantly, and witness boldly.  Remember those 2 words ... "Of Jesus."

On A Mission From God

In the classic movie The Blues Brothers, Jake and Elwood proudly declared that they were “on a mission from God.” It’s a funny line, but it also sparks a serious question: how do we really know when we are on a mission from God?

Here are a few guiding truths:

1. God’s Mission Statements Are Found in Scripture

The Great Commission – “Go into the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey all I have commanded” (Matthew 28:19–20).

The Great Commandment – “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind … and love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37–39).

The Great Requirement – “The Lord has told you what is good … do what is right, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

The Great Calling – “You and your descendants will be a blessing to all nations on earth” (Genesis 22:18).

That’s a lot! But together, they define who we are and what we are called to do.

2. We Apply These Statements Personally and Together

It’s not just about believing them—it’s about living them. Each of us can apply these truths in our daily lives, and together as the Church we can embody them in the world.

3. Our Global Methodist Expression

For us as Global Methodists, this means embracing our mission: to make disciples of Jesus who Worship Passionately, Love Extravagantly, and Witness Boldly.

This Sunday, we’ll begin exploring this “mission from God” by focusing on making and being disciples.

A disciple is more than a student—they are a follower, devoted to their master. In Hebrew lore, disciples walked so closely behind their teacher they could taste the dust from their master’s sandals. That closeness requires not only devotion, but also discipline. Hebrews 12 reminds us: “God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in His holiness” (Hebrews 12:10).

Think of someone in your own life—maybe a pastor, a coach, or a parent—who shaped you through teaching, example, discipline, and relationship. That’s discipleship. And when we follow Jesus, we are both disciples (followers) and disciple-makers (witnesses).

We are, in every sense of the word, on a mission from God.

Let’s make it happen!

Where You Stay?

When I went to work in Mobile, Alabama in the 1990's, one of my drivers asked me, "Where you stay?"  I thought for a minute, and told him, "out west of town, off Airport road."  In bus driver talk, this was a perfectly adequate answer.  But, in spiritual talk, I think it is a much better, and more complex question and answer.  Where, actually, do I stay?

Last Sunday, we talked about Abram's (later to be Abraham) trip from Ur to Canaan.  In Hebrews 11, Abraham is inducted into the "Faith Hall of Fame," because he obeyed and went.  The writer of Hebrews gives a list of reasons for Abraham's honor, saying:

1. Obedience - He obeyed, even though he didn't know where he was going.

2. He went - Sometimes we speak the words ... Abraham applied the words and took action.

3. He lived in God's plan - Abraham set up shop in the promised land (Canaan) even though the residents of that land opposed him.

4. He lived in hope - God promised Abraham the solid foundation of God's presence, blessing, and protection.

5. He stayed in the Kingdom - Abraham lived, loved, struggled, and thrived in God's Kingdom, where God rules, sends, calls, and nurtures His people.

I love the words of the writer of Hebrews as he calls Abraham (after listing his faithful accomplishments) "as good as dead" before these amazing deeds!  Abraham, in his old age ... in his childless marriage ... in his comfort ... in his wealth ... in his influential position ... didn't stay dead.  Instead, he lived!

When I read all this, I can't help but remember our state as we come to God.  Paul calls us "dead in sin (Ephesians 2)."  Yet, God calls us to see what Hebrews calls "a better country" and a "city with foundations built by God."  So, here are our questions for this week.

Do you see that city?  Are you a proud resident of this culture, or are you willing to live in the land to which God is calling you?  Jesus defines this, and even calls us to pray for it, saying "on earth as it is in heaven."  Jesus talks about it all the time, describing the "Kingdom of God" and its attributes.  Where you stay?

Excitement, Danger, and Blessing

Sunday, Ryan Blalock will be singing a beautiful song written by Andrew Peterson.  It is called, Canaan Bound, and is a musical expression of God's promise to Abraham.  If you remember, God sent Abraham away from the safety, security, and abundance of his land in Ur, to travel to an unknown land God said "flowed with milk and honey."  The land was Canaan, and God gave it to the nation of Israel over 4,000 years ago (bet you won't hear this on the national news).

In the song, the writer speaks about the promise of offspring to "barren Sarah."  The song, correctly, talks of blessing for following and obeying God, including 1) amber crowned hills of Hebron, 2) many sons like the grains of sand, and 3) a vast love that has chosen Abraham.  All of these things come as a result of God's plan, God's design, and God's unstoppable will.  The song, and the subject are beautiful!

So ... 2 questions.  First, are you founded on the wisdom of culture and drawn to a false God that bends the knee to human logic?  Or, are you standing on the solid rock of Christ, who promises excitement, danger, and blessing as we follow him to the land He has promised us?

I guess we have to decide where we are bound.  Are we bound in the chains and throes of culture, that offers nothing eternal?  Or are bound for Canaan, "where the grass, they say, is soft and green, and the trees are tall and honey-filled?"  Are we staying or going?

Scaffolds

In our current series about Moving Mountains I have been encouraging us to reflect upon and change those things that are barriers to God's Supernatural work in/through/around us.  As school begins, there is an educational term that comes to mind.  That term is "scaffolding." The idea of scaffolding is that education is a series of building blocks.  Lower levels of knowledge are foundations for higher levels of knowledge.  You can't do math until you understand numbers and counting. You can't do language till you understand phonetics and the alphabet.  You can't learn music theory till you know notes and terminology.  And here's my eureka moment ... you can't know what you believe or who you believe in till you know the basics of the faith.  Knowledge needs those building blocks in every application ... so why do we think this is different in our faith journey?

Here's my point.  A pastor or teacher builds a structure for a Bible Study lesson or a sermon series.  Part of that structure is a foundation about where he/she is going with the teaching or message.  Yet, our society is fragmented, scattered, and fleeting, like a butterfly moving from flower to flower.  Our cultural condition causes us to be hit-or-miss with our listening availability.  The message or the lesson is diminished and/or diluted because sections of the scaffolding are missing.  The building either doesn't happen, or the building is unstable because sections are missing.

I imagine this problem happens at all levels of education, but it seems (to me) amplified when applied to something our culture fails to prioritize and embrace.  And I think Satan loves when he (or when we) can remove one of those building blocks or sections of scaffold.  So ... that's my venting.  What do we do?  In the Methodist Church, we learn from what John Wesley called "Means of Grace."  Wesley encouraged the people called Methodists to:

1. Engage in 2-way prayer, both sending and receiving from God.

2. Believe God's word/words over the voices of the culture ... that is where truth is found.

3. Study ... always be a student of Scripture, learning as individuals and in community settings.

4. Worship, because corporate worship is one way God builds those foundations and scaffolds.

5. Serve, because in serving we become giving humans, and we learn to interact, compromise, understand, and love others.

6. Participate in worship and the sacramants, because they are sacred by the presence of God ... and what Christian would not want to be in God's presence?

7. Fellowship because part of the learning "scaffold" is learning how to do life with other people.

9. Love God and others as we love ourselves.

10. Witness by being ready to share how God is impacting and changing us for the better.

I truly could go on listing all day, but this is a good start.  Parents ... bring your children/youth every week unless there is calamity that keeps this from happening.  Make sure you find out what was studied, and pass it along to your children.  Adults ... make sure you are part of a Bible Study Fellowship or Disciple Group and stay engaged in that study.  Don't miss a building block!  Christians ... follow the advice of the writer of Hebrews who said, "And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His returning is drawing near (Hebrews 10:25)."  Our gifts (according to 1 Corinthians 12) are for the purpose of BUILDING up the Church.  Let's build, so we can realize the fullness of God ... the length, breadth, height, width and power of a supernatural God!  

The Room

Jesus, in His last statement from Matthew 28 (verse 20) says ... "And be sure of this, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."  Mostly, we interpret this as being a time thing.  But what if this is one of those really big, and really small statements of Jesus?

C.S. Lewis posed that God, in Jesus and the Holy Spirit, are the only beings in the universe big enough to exceed the size of the universe (and even that 'time' thing) and yet small enough to enter a human heart.  As I was considering this, I thought of a Tasha Cobb song called "In The Room."  Here are the lyrics ...

I'm not forsaken, never alone

The God of Heaven calls me His own

He's not just seated, upon the throne

I know He's right here, inside my home

I've got a treasure here in my heart

And in my weakness, it won't depart

I have a Savior who will abide

He's not just with me, He lives inside

When we sing this on Sunday, we will rejoice in the beauty of this fact ... "He's in the room!"  In the room of our heart.  In the room of the Family Life Center.  In the room of our church building.  In the hearts of those who leave to live out Jesus when they leave worship.  In Belize, where we share love and ministry with Ed and Arita Lemas.  In Costa Rica, our Costa Rica mission team will share a testimony this week] where we shared a little of life with David and Pamela Knapp.  In all the places, locally and internationally, where we become "acolytes" that carry Jesus and the Holy Spirit out into the world.  He's in the room!  I hope I can get an amen!

Treasure

As we continue to ponder why we seem to have difficulty moving the mountains that Jesus assured us our faith could move, we have explored several possible reasons. This past Sunday, we learned that sometimes God’s calling leads us to actions and places that we (and our culture) consider crazy. The week before that, we discussed how God often guides us to base our actions on what is good rather than on what makes us "happy" or comfortable. Prior to that, we discovered that our attitudes significantly impact God's work in and through us. We must focus our thoughts on things that are honorable, pure, lovely, and admirable if we want to see mountains moved. This week, I want to take us in a more straightforward (but not necessarily easier) direction. Our operative question is: "Do we believe what God says about us?"

Once again, we turn to Exodus 19. Moses reminds the Hebrew people of what God has done (you might remember the song, "What He's Done"). His first words in his speech are: "You have seen what I did to the Egyptians. You know how I carried you out of Egypt on eagle's wings and brought you to Myself!" (Exodus 19:4). Moses then states, "You will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth." My question is simple: Do you believe this?

Most of you might respond, "God said it, so I believe it!" That’s good, but let's unpack what this belief truly means. The phrase "my own" precedes the word "treasure." If you believe this—if you grasp this truth—then you are God's possession. While this sounds special, let’s remember that there are two kinds of people. There are those owned by God, just like all other things on earth. As it says, "The earth is the Lord's, and all things therein" (Psalm 24:1). This statement may not make you feel particularly special. All people are God's possession, whether they believe it or not. However, God qualifies His statement by saying, "If you obey me fully and keep my covenant, you will be my treasured possession." This is a bit harder to grasp but much clearer.

One of my favorite references to being called God's treasure is found in the parable of the buried treasure. "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field" (Matthew 13:44-46). This beautifully illustrates who we are. God (the merchant) finds a treasure (His people, His Church) and pays the ultimate price for that field, which represents the souls of His people. These are the people God says we are—His treasure, in His field, as part of His kingdom. We are called, equipped, and able to bring Jesus' kingdom "on earth as it is in heaven." Peter takes this a step further in 1 Peter 2:9, where he states that we are to "declare the praises of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light."

So, what do you think of this? If this is God’s opinion of you, are you ready and willing to embrace what He says you are? Perhaps another way we can become mountain-moving, Spirit-filled, praising, and kingdom-bringing people is to disregard what the world says and accept what God says. Lauren Daigle expresses this beautifully in her song: "You say I am loved when I can't feel a thing. You say I am strong when I think I am weak. And you say I am held when I am falling short. And when I don't belong, you say I am Yours ... And I believe, oh, I believe, what You say of me. I believe, yes I believe!"

So, do you believe?

Yes, Crazy!

When I served a church in Florida, I had members from many different professions and walks of life. One was a yacht salesman, another ran a pizza parlor, and many were involved in real estate. But Jamie (name changed) was different.

Jamie was the daughter of two of our friends and marched to the beat of her own drum (in fact, she was an amazing percussionist). However, her day job was quite unusual: she was an alligator wrestler in a park near Orlando.

During a training conference in Orlando, Jamie's mother encouraged me to visit her daughter. I agreed and went to the wildlife park, where, sure enough, Jamie was inside an enclosure corralling an alligator. I said hello as I watched the drama unfold, and then she asked, "Hey... do you want to try?" In that moment, the "macho" side of my brain took over—the part that isn't about to say no to a challenge from a girl (and most women reading this will agree that this isn’t really much of a brain function at all). I replied, "Sure!" although my true answer wasn't quite that enthusiastic.

There I was, in the dirt and mud of Orlando, following instructions from this "expert" on how to grab, hold, and control a six-foot alligator. A voice in the back of my mind questioned, "What on earth are you doing, you idiot?"

After my alligator wrestling experience, I realized that sometimes the things we do in ministry are truly crazy! Both before and after that day, I had engaged in some pretty unusual acts in service to our Lord. 

This experience reminded me of God’s call for us to offer ourselves completely and totally. Joshua didn’t hesitate at God’s command to march around Jericho seven times, culminating in trumpets blowing and the walls falling down (Joshua 6). David boldly faced Goliath, an enemy over twice his size (1 Samuel 17). Jehoshaphat’s singers marched in front of the army, confronting the enemy with only music (2 Chronicles 20). Why would God hesitate to ask me to face an alligator in order to connect with a parishoner?

Let me simplify the message: 1) God’s plan doesn’t rely on my logic, 2) His reasons may or may not be clear when we are called to do something we perceive as crazy, and 3) God can even use our shortcomings (like my foolishness) to create connections for His kingdom.

Yes, I wrestled an alligator. Yes, it was a crazy (and probably foolish) thing to do. Yes, I share the story as a badge of courage, and yes, if God asks, I would consider doing something just as wild today. I wonder... what if we said yes to the tasks (even the seemingly crazy ones) that God asks of us? We might just become part of a world-changing movement!

Happy or Good?

We have a fair number of business people in this church.  That is a good thing, because we do have decisions that need the expertise of folks who have lived out the concept of the "bottom line."  Some things profit us ... and some things go in the "loss" column.

Jews in Jesus' day were very transactionally oriented. Much of the New Testament is steeped in the language of finances.  Even Jesus last words, "tetelestali" (often translated "It is finished") are an accounting term meaning "paid in full."  Jesus' death on the cross is an expression of full payment for the debt of sin for each of us ... even for those who have not yet accepted this free/costly gift.

Paul knew this too.  In 1 Corinthians 10:23 there is another profit/loss statement.  "You say, 'I am allowed to do anything,' but not everything is beneficial."  Another translation says, "You can choose to do whatever you want, but not all that is popular is profitable."

I see this statement played out over and over again.  I think this is best understood by looking at two types of choices ... those that seek to be popular, or those that seek a higher purpose.  This choice is made over and over again each day, and Christians are often unaware of both the choice and the consequence.

1. The culturally popular choice - This choice is manifested in keeping yourself (or your children) in the flow of culture.  The waters of culture flow with the energy of popularity, fads, and what everyone else is doing.  These waters seem smooth and easy ... and there is plenty of company.  Tony Campola remarked that our current goal for ourselves and our children is to be happy, and to make choices that make us happy, satisfied, and able to have/do things everyone else has and is doing.  But 50-70 years ago, the goal was different.  Parents wanted their children to grow up to be good.  Good is far different than happy ... one is self-focused while the other is other-focused.  It is easy to be like everyone else ... it is difficult to be who God made you.

2. The spiritually focused choice - In Exodus 19:5, this is spelled out clearly (and it is echoed in 1 Peter 2:9) ... "If you will hear my voice and keep my covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to me above all people, for all the earth is mine.  And you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation."  1 Peter adds the word "chosen."  You get the point.  This choice lives out God's purpose and plan.  But all of those components are difficult!

I do love how that 1 Peter passage ends, because it gets straight to the point God is making.  There is a word in Scripture used when there is a point or purpose to the statement being made.  It is the reason for the statement or the argument being expressed.  The word is "that."  1 Peter 2:9 ends with these words ... "that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light."  The 1st choice (above) seems like "smooth sailing" but it is really darkness.  The 2nd choice seems really hard, but it both praises God and allows the 'chooser' to live in the light of Christ.  Which choice will you make?

I Don't Remember the Flies!

Yesterday brought back memories from childhood.  I drove past Ms. Etoil's pond, and I thought of fishing there.  Then, I thought further back to my childhood days of fishing the lakes and ponds north of Charlotte, North Carolina.  I remembered my first really big bass (it was a 6-pounder).  I brought the fish home from what the kids deemed "the Brown House Lake (because there was a brown house there)," proudly carrying the fish.  Many would have mounted the fish, but I was hungry and we liked fish, so it became dinner for the family.  It was a Saturday, so we were gathered in the carport, a place that even on a hot summer day had a little breeze.  Mom, Dad, and I sat there, stringing green beans, and Dad also cleaned and fried the fish.  There was a box fan to enhance the breeze.  As I reflected on the memory and the scene, I was surprised by one obvious omission from this perfect subject matter for a Norman Rockwell painting.  I didn't remember the flies!

It was summer in North Carolina.  I am sure there were flies and a few yellow jackets in that picture.  But I didn't remember them.  Why?

Maybe my memory was picking up the meaning of Paul's words in Philippians 4:8 ... "And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise."  Maybe there is a lesson here.

Our current sermon series is about the supernatural power of God, expressed by God's Spirit working in and through us.  We have posed the question, "Why are Spirit-sightings seemingly so scarce in our culture?"  Maybe my memory, and the picture of simple life, has hit on something.  Let me expand on this thought!

1. Our society ... our politics ... our news media ... and even our entertainment seem focused on the negative.  We are quick to say what we are against.  Negative stories stir up anger, and anger sells.  Reality shows play on people's pain, loss, and stupidity.  And, we laugh, jeer, and mock.  God's word says something about this ... "Blessed are those who do not sit in the seat of mockers (Psalm 1:1)."  Isn't it interesting that the very 1st Psalm addresses this human failing?  Does this block and impede what God wants to do in and through us?

2. Do we remember too much that is not good?  I wonder if we (Christians, God's people, the Church, Children of God) have forgotten the one trait of God we should be experts at imitating ... forgiveness!  "Forgive us as we forgive our debtors (Lord's Prayer)."  How good are we at letting things go?  Are we accepting of Jesus' work on the cross, as he died to blot out our transgressions?  Are we willing to let Him send our sins "as far as the east is from the west?"  

3. How is our "forgetter?" God said ... "I will forgive their wickedness and remember their sins no more (Hebrews 8:12)."

I wonder if my little journey back to the old homeplace reveals a secret?  I think my memory of this time and place was so good, so pure, and so uncomplicated, my brain left out the flies and discomfort that might have been there!  "All that true, honorable, right, pure, lovely and admirable" might just be one key to God's power in our lives.  It is certainly worth trying!  AMEN

Of Cows and Mountains

When I lived in Kentucky, my drive to Seminary was long, scenic, and sometimes surprising.  One cold day, I was in a bit of a hurry, so I was slightly pressing the speed limit when I came up over a hill and had to stop suddenly.  Smack in the middle of the road was a cow, just chilling out, and not in a hurry to move.  I was barely able to stop, but luckily didn't hit the huge beast.  I think it would have been equally as bad for the cow and for Lee and me!

Life is full of obstacles, isn't it?  In an old song called, Road to Zion, Petra (the singers) recount the journey to God's place.  They speak about foggy mist, shadows, rivers, and mountains.  Our journey to God and with God is filled with obstacles!

How do we face and overcome obstacles?  Jesus tells the disciples something that is both assuring and puzzling at the same time.  "So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says (Mark 11:22-23)."  This passage has been pondered, used, misused, and confused!   Let's unpack it a bit.

The first thing it says is ... "Have faith in God."  Let's listen to that a moment ... "In God" might be the operative thing here.  When you pray, are you "In God?"  Are you praying out of self, selfish needs, wants that are formed in your spirit, or things that are in and of God's Spirit?  To be submissive to God and truly be "In God,"  I believe we must enter prayer with a trusting and submissive heart.

Secondly, this passage seems to say that God does impossible things.  It does!  As we become closer to God and more in flow with God's will, plan, and purpose, I think we also begin to understand that we DO have an impossible God.  The Scriptures are filled with impossible things.  Blind people see.  Lame people walk.  Storms stop.  Thousands are fed with a few loaves and some fish. The gates of hell are challenged by one man.  The dead are brought to life.  I could go on and on.  But here's the catch.  Our culture has been taught that our logic and understanding must be satisfied before God can act.  We ask, but do we doubt?  We ask, but do we believe?  We pray, but do we pray "In God," or do we pray out of our own understanding?

What obstacles do you face?  What do you want God to do with them?  Do you ask "In God?"  Do you ask "In Doubt?"  Do you ask, "In belief?"  Do we live in a man-sized plan, or a God-sized plan?  Good questions, I think! 

Living it Out

I had an uncle who would tell stories.  He was a good storyteller, and the kids and cousins would sit around and listen to him when we were cooped up in the house on rainy Sunday afternoons.  That was the day Dad would drive us "to the country" and we would hang out, watch Tarzan movies, and just be kids.  By the way, no cell phones were involved ... they weren't invented yet.  I liked those stories, but I was an outdoor guy.  I would be out living, doing, playing, and sweating in the hot summer sun.  I loved it, and lived it out!

Our Vacation Bible School theme this year (didn't we have fun last week?) is "live it out."  We are (even as I write this) turning our facility into a giant camping-themed center, complete with campfires, tents, kayaks, tiki torches, and all the trimmings.  It will be a blast to share Jesus and tell His stories, as we encourage everyone to live out their faith.  We even have an adult VBS (thanks, Nicey!), and we will learn about how far out we can really live, as we reflect on the God of the natural and supernatural.

As we "live it out," I think about a short sentence at the beginning of the parable of the sower.  It says this ... "A sower went out to sow his seed (Luke 8:5)."  What can we learn from this sentence and this parable?

1. The sower is a metaphor for God.  God's nature is to sow seed.  God plants.  The garden of Eden (Genesis 2:8).  The great cedar on Ezekiel's mountain (Ezekiel 17:3).  And here, in this parable, the sower sows!

2. The sower went out.  In the parable, the sower isn't particular about where the seed falls.  It falls on good ground, stony ground, ground covered by thorns ... He sows everywhere!

In the book Unseen Realm, a repeated theme is reflected in this story.  That theme is summarized in 2 statements ... God desires a family ... God grows that family through His people that He has planted here.  For some reason, God is continually bringing all people to Him.  And God uses an extraordinary mechanism to accomplish this sowing and family-building.  He uses His Church.

God doesn't only use His Church to reach out to the world.  He aggressively sows through people he has called.  Who are these people?  You, me, and all who claim the name of Jesus.  We are mini-sowers ... called to plant the seeds of faith.  How do we plant here at Abbeville Methodist?  I think we have several special gifts/values (as a church) that allow us to be part of the sower's work:

1. We believe in going "outside the camp (Hebrews 13)."  One of our values is missions, local, national, and international.  Like the sower, we "go out."

2. We share the creative aspect of planting by seeking, teaching, and speaking beauty.  Music, singing, art, architecture, and lyrics are heard, spoken, and applied each week here at Abbeville Methodist.

3. We are learning and will become more proficient at discipleship.  One pastor said it this way ... discipleship churches become gardens ... internally-focused churches become graveyards.

God thinks sowing is important enough to be a sower of seeds.  Jesus was our great teacher who showed us how to sow seed.  In Matthew 28 and Acts 1, Jesus proclaims His intention that we sow in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.  So ... how will you become a part of this outward, going, and sowing way of life and ministry?  How will you ... "Live it out?"

Mighty Warrior

 This morning's Wake Up Call discusses one of my favorite characters in Scripture: Gideon, who lived in the 12th century BCE. His nation was oppressed, he was in hiding, and he likely felt inadequate. We find his story in Judges, Chapter 6.

As I read about Gideon, I can't help but reflect on the uncertainty and conflict happening around the world today. I wonder if many men, including fathers, feel like Gideon—overwhelmed by the tasks at hand and helpless to take action that would improve the situation. Many men are “fixers” who dislike the helpless feeling that accompanies witnessing oppression, injustice, and danger, yet find themselves burdened by fear, indecision, and confusion. Perhaps this longing for a fairy-tale world, where they could wave a magic wand to set things right, stems from this struggle. But we know the world isn’t a fairy tale; it’s more like a jungle, filled with lions, tigers, and bears!

I want to focus on the first few verses of Gideon's story, where he encounters the angel of the Lord. The angel declares, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior!” This encouraging message is directed at a cowering and timid man who is simply trying to survive day by day. Gideon must have thought, “Surely the angel isn’t talking about me! Is there someone else in here?"In this moment, Gideon—like us—faces the contrast between God's plan and our present reality. Which is true? How do we discover our true selves amidst this chaotic and confusing world? Let’s explore further.

You may have heard me discuss the Human Performance Technology (HPT) model before. This model encourages us to take three actions to move forward in our planning. We can choose to do nothing, or we can take action. Which person do you want to be?

1. The first action is to assess our current situation. What is the reality we are facing? Are we a nation full of Gideons, hiding on a threshing floor, fearfully watching for the approach of the enemy? Do we seek another day of mundane safety? Are we satisfied being safe, inactive, and unmanly, thinking our only responsibility is to bring home a paycheck? Have we lost sight of God's vision for Ezekiel's resurrection army, which is meant to rise up and lead our families, our nation, and ourselves out of oppression? Men, do you even recognize God’s vision for you? Are we aware of our current state? We seem to be surrendering our responsibility to lead our families, nation, and Church, following a culture that says, “Let your children dictate what they want, and give it to them.” Meanwhile, we play video games while culture shapes our priorities and faith and Church become mere options when nothing else is available.

2. Our second action is to decide where we ought to be. Notice I didn’t say “where we want to be.” If we are serious about this, our plan must align with God’s vision. For Gideon, the angel provides a big clue: “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” God sees beyond the timid man to the mighty warrior He envisions. How does God see you? I believe God sees a man who is meant to lead those under his care toward Him. It’s a battle, but you are that mighty warrior capable of success because of the one in whom you place your faith.

3. This brings us to the third action: application. In the HPT model, these are referred to as interventions—things that help you transition from where you are to where you ought to be. When someone joins our congregation, they are asked how they plan to live out their faith. “Will you support this congregation—and really the mission of the whole Church—with your prayers, your presence, your gifts, your service, and your witness?” Committing to these actions will put you in opposition to the prevailing culture. It may make you unpopular with your children, cause conflict at home, and put you at odds with friends who have different goals for you. Ultimately, it comes down to whose plans you choose. God says, “I know the plans I have for you ... plans to prosper you and give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). Will we choose to be cowering wimps or mighty warriors?

Gideon's story includes faith challenges and unexpected twists, but he ultimately becomes that mighty warrior. He overcomes the enemy and leads his people out of struggle and oppression. Never forget: “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior!”

Dos and Don'ts!

The Apostle Paul faced struggles similar to those we all experience regarding the things we should and shouldn't do. He found himself in a "do's and don'ts" situation. Let's explore the implications of this.

Paul wrote, "I don't really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do what I hate!" (Romans 7:15). Do you ever feel that way? I certainly do!So, how can we navigate life without falling into this cycle of behavior? I think of it in terms of sports. 

If I desire to win in any sport, I must understand the game, my behaviors, and the ultimate goal of that sport. For example, in basketball, the goal is straightforward: get the basketball through the net more times than the opposing team. Score more points. However, the path to achieving this goal is more complex. You face opponents who do not want you to score. You also need to know how to position yourself effectively to make successful shots. Even the best players, including professionals, can be thrown off their game by their opponents or by the mental challenges they face. Sports involve execution, but effective execution is influenced by knowledge, skill, and attitude. 

Now, how does this relate to Paul's dilemma? Jesus spoke about life by saying, "I am the truth, the life, and the way" (John 14:6). He also claimed, "I came so that you would have life, and have it to the fullest" (John 10:10). The previous verse (John 10:9) highlights the fact that "The thief comes to kill and destroy."Here are three guiding points:

1. **Don't take your eyes off the goal!** Jesus declares that He is "the life." C.S. Lewis stated that seeking truth, beauty, happiness, and life outside of Jesus is futile, foolish, and impossible because such things simply do not exist. Solomon experienced this futility when he said, "It is a chasing after the wind" (Ecclesiastes 1:14). In contrast to this pessimistic view, the writer of Hebrews encourages us to "run with endurance the race God has set before us" by keeping our eyes on Jesus, "the champion who initiates and perfects our faith" (Hebrews 12:1-2). Remember, Jesus is our champion, and we win the game with Him on our team!

2. **Don't  allow yourself to become a victim!** Victim-attitude may be the most significant negative force affecting our world today. ** In our nation, two ideologies vie for our hearts and minds, while Jesus instructs us to "love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength" (Mark 12:30). The opposing ideologies are driven by the author of lies, who relies on a single repetitive tactic: distracting us from our goals and leading us to believe we are victims who deserve more. C.S. Lewis illustrated this in his Screwtape Letters, describing how such distractions contribute to unrest. A victim mentality fosters pride, greed, anger, hatred, mistrust, and isolation. On this Father's Day, I urge our fathers to recognize this evil and teach their sons, daughters, and grandchildren that they are victors, not victims. As highlighted in Hebrews, Jesus, after conquering the evil of this world, sits victorious at God's right hand. He invites His children into eternal victory. I've read the end of the book, and Jesus wins—I want Him on my team!

3. **Do follow the one who knows the game, the path, and the way!** We follow by rejecting cultural rhetoric that overshadows God's voice. We recognize that we are here to be blessings and bear fruit—manifesting love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, and self-control. The goal of Christian life is not merely to secure a place in heaven while continuing to struggle with the things we don’t want to do. Paul concludes in Romans 7:25, "Thank God, the answer is Jesus Christ." 

We need more of Jesus and less of a culture that teaches us to be angry because we've been wronged.Paul had the answer. Jesus is "the way, the truth, and the life." To succeed in life, "Thank God, the answer is Jesus Christ!" AMEN

Reframed or Renewed?

People approach things differently than God does. While this may seem obvious, let me elaborate. Last week, I observed our cultural tendency to reframe situations in an obvious attempt to mislead, misdirect, and misrepresent the truth. The SpaceX rocket launch on May 27th encountered some issues, and here are a few of the statements that were made about it:

1. "The launch was a success because it went better than the last launch (which ended with space debris scattered across the waters off the Florida coast)."

2. "The rocket experienced an unscheduled and uncontrolled disassembly (in more straightforward language, 'That thing just blew up!')."

3. "There was an 'uncontrolled landing' in the Indian Ocean (which, let's be honest, is better described as a 'crash')."

Do you see a pattern here? Our culture reframes the truth into language that blurs the meaning and obscures the real picture. If it weren’t so amusing, it would be insulting!

Now, here we are. Our entire political system and corporate landscape are trying to find ways to express things that either shade or ignore the truth. The examples above illustrate a much deeper problem. Are we satisfied with this reframing of truth and reality, or are we interested in the genuine article? Enter Jesus …

In John 14:6, Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." Let’s spend the next three weeks unpacking this! What does "the way" mean?

The Greek word is "Hodos," which means a path, a road, or a journey on which one travels. It is derived from the word "Methodos" (does that sound familiar to any of you?). Methodos refers to "following in an orderly fashion," something that we Methodists certainly appreciate. We follow Scripture, which informs our Book of Discipline, which in turn guides how we run our congregations. 

Here, "Hodos" presents Jesus as the sole path to eternal life with the Father. In a world filled with polytheism (many gods) and 'polyhodos' (many ways), Jesus provides us with clarity, certainty, and purpose. His command to us is simple: "Follow me!" Amen.

Truth and Light, In Our Face!

John’s Gospel opens with a stunning declaration: “The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world” (John 1:9). It’s poetic. Beautiful. Hopeful. But if we’re honest—also a little intimidating. Because when the Light comes, so does the Truth. And that’s where things get uncomfortable.

We love the idea of light. It’s warmth. It’s clarity. It’s safety. But what about the truth it reveals? Jesus doesn’t just illuminate our world; He exposes it. He exposes us—our shadows, our motives, our missteps, even the ones we didn’t know were there.

It reminds me of a moment years ago when I volunteered on a Habitat for Humanity site. I decided to “share my wisdom” with the project manager about how we should proceed with the next steps. He smiled, then gently but firmly said, “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?”—a direct quote from Job, where God reminds us just how little we truly understand.

I’ve never forgotten that. It was truth—right in my face.

And God’s Word does that. 1 John 2:8–10 presses even further: “The darkness is passing and the true light is already shining… Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness.” In other words, you can talk about light all day long, but if your life doesn’t reflect that truth in love, you’re fooling yourself.  This is both truth and light, right in our face!

Jesus doesn’t offer light and truth as nice ideas. He embodies them. And He gives them not to flatter us, but to transform us. To call us out of darkness, even the darkness we prefer.

So the real question is not whether Jesus brings light and truth. He does.

The question is: Can we handle it?

Or more importantly—will we let it handle us?

We Know Not!

One of the most profound statements made by Jesus from the cross was Luke 23:34, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!"  He made this statement about the people He is facing from the cruelty, pain, and shame of being publicly tortured and killed.  It demonstrates the level of love that God's forgiveness actually takes!  This is one of those things God can do, but I am not sure we could do.

But ... what if this statement is taken more generally?  What if Jesus is making a statement about our actual knowledge of the task, and our continued propensity to miss the point and miss the mark?

In my consulting life, as an "expert" in my field, I was amazed at how many people, because I had the word "consultant" beside my name, thought I was at the highest level of my profession!  I was far from that, and still had far more to learn than I already knew.  This truth (again) hit me in the face when, after seminary, I sat in a hospital room and a man had died that should have survived.  I didn't know what to say.  I didn't have the tools, the knowledge, or the "expertise" to seamlessly navigate that hard day.  I "knew not what I did!"

But then, I began to think about this confession.  Here are my thoughts ...

1. We truly don't know what we are doing when we are submitted to God.  Because it is not us driving the car!  It is God, through the Holy Spirit!  This is not a negative ... it is how movements, not institutions, are built.  The Congo is filled with challenges, obstacles, and ... with God's Spirit.  Jesus said, "I have overcome the world."  Do we believe that even when we don't know what we are doing?

2. We don't know what we are doing when God has made and is executing His plan.  Jesus told Nicodemus ... "The Spirit blows where it will."  Do you believe that?  In the song Shadow Step, the singer says, "Move me like you do the mountains ... move me like you do the wind!"  We are the people of "The Way" but that 'way' is under God's direction!

3. It is not only OK ... it is GOOD that we don't know what we are doing.  Because if we knew what we would face, the mountains we would climb, the waters we would pass through ... we would say, "Not me!"  But we are led, fed, and filled with the Holy Spirit ... "So God, move us!

A final thought is how we are called to be people who are willing to fly.  I have a friend who sells yachts.  In the America's Cup, the yachts are referred to as "flying."  At a certain speed (the speed of escaping the friction of the water and even a small measure of gravity, these vessels rise up out of the water and literally fly along the surface.  Maybe we should do the same.  But how?  Come Sunday and we will unpack some answers and probably find even more questions.

Where the Church is growing is where people, who do not know what they are doing, rise above structures, organizational friction, imagined (and real) barriers, and doubts to become Christ-followers ... not Christ-leaders.  I invite you to the ranks of those who know not, but follow anyway!  AMEN

Utes

Some of you are wondering about your preacher.  Has he lost it? Is the title of this text some long-departed Native American tribe?  What are utes?

Others are smiling and remembering a quote from the best lawyer movie ever, My Cousin Vinny.  Joe Pesci (Vinny Gambini) is defending a case under Judge Chamberlin Haller (Fred Gwynne).  He is describing 2 young men, calling them "utes."  He really meant "youths."  

Scripture has some specific things to say about youths, and God, through Scripture, understands some of our false perceptions about youth.  You know ... flightiness, irresponsibility, short attention span ... Hey, wait, I think I just described myself.  Paul tells Timothy something about these false perceptions, and how to handle them.  He tells Timothy, "Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young.  Be an example to all believers in all you say, in the way you live, in the way you love, in your faith, and in your purity (1 Timothy 4:12)."  Some reading this are saying, "That's it Paul ... you tell em straight!"  The fact is, this advice is just as much for all of us as it is for our youth.  Let's break it down.

1. You will, because of your age, be pigeonholed into false and inaccurate categories.  That is life ... because that is just how people are.  Ignore and rise above this.

2. You rise above this by:

    - Becoming an example (a positive one)

    - Living in a way that is good, positive, exemplary

    - Loving others, even the ones hard to love

    - Having and showing faith by believing what God has told you

    - Living pure and holy (all that is pure, right, holy, good, faithful)

This Sunday we will celebrate 2 graduating youth.  I wish I could share the recommendation letters I have written about them because those letters are both complimentary and true.  Sarah Edwards and Scarlett Law are both people I am honored to call friends.  They are beautiful in every way, and all of us should consider it an honor to encourage, bless, and send them forward.  We will see both of them here a lot (I hope) and I pray they will always count on me and some of you for counsel and advice going forward.  I thank God they have come our way, and I will pray a blessing over them on behalf of the Church.  May the Lord bless them, keep them, make His face shine upon them, turn His face toward them, and grant them peace, success, goodness, and His very presence each and every day!  I love our utes!  I hope you do too!  

Great Joy

One of the preachers at the Annual Conference this week (Dr. Tim Thompson) spoke on the topic of how great sacrifice is a path to great joy.  His text was from Hebrews 12:1-2. When I think about this text, I can't help but think about the topic of Mother's Day.   For the best of earthly mothers (those in Christ) live out this concept ... sacrificing greatly, and getting great joy from that sacrifice.

When I read this passage, it causes me to think about the attitude and mindset of our great God.  For God, in Jesus, sees past the cruel cross and the finality of the tomb, to a joy unspeakable!  And what is that joy?  It is God's people .. the children of God .. the joy of seeing all of us grow, thrive,  become productive, and live good lives, because we are God's children.

How does this happen?  1) Mothers teach/model focus (fix your eyes on Jesus).  "Look at me while I am talking to you!"  Capturing the eyes, the attention of a child while they learn to tie their shoes.  Connecting to their children as they deal with life situations ... and modeling grace, love, kindness, self-control, patience.  And, acknowledging Jesus as the source of strength and power over the calamities that happen in life.  2) Mothers show faith when they trust in Jesus.  Hebrews 11 tells us that faith is not in the seen, but in the unseen.  Our faith is perfected by living life in the context of our living hope in Christ.  Our Jesus is living.  Our Jesus is good, even in the storm.  Our Jesus perfects us (Wesley called it sanctification), and we claim that "perfecting" as God's grace that grows us up! 3) Mothers claim and show joy, even when they are tired, overwhelmed, and imperfect.  This joy is another unseen thing.  Mama had joy in who and what she saw in me, sometimes present, and sometimes future.  I really didn't deserve any of it, but mama dreamed, hoped, and trusted in God's redeeming work and plan.

There is Jesus reflected in the attitudes of mamas who are in Christ.  And that reflection is here in this passage.  Jesus' sacrifice was a great and mighty work of God.  Jesus' cross was a beautiful expression of love.  Jesus' joy was already there, as He looked beyond the cross to the joy of relationship, family, and eternity with those who claim His redeeming work.  Mama knew that her great sacrifice was a path to great joy!