What Are You Taking?

Have you ever been on a journey, and realized the things you have with you become burdens, rather than assets?  Lee and I have moved over 20 times.  I hate to admit this, but we have carried some things with us that we haven't used in many (many) years.  Planks from an old train station, acquired in 1986.  A multifunctional sawhorse I haven't used once.  The list is long and sad.

As I was reflecting on Luke 10, I stopped on a passage that, at first, seemed out of place.  Here's what it says ... "Do not take a purse or bag or sandals, and do not greet anyone on the road (Luke 10:4)."  This didn't "tweak" me because of what it says ... it interests me because it speaks about the things not to take and the things not to do.  Distractions?

What distracts us from the work we are gifted and sent to do?  On February 18th we begin Lent with an Ash Wednesday service.  We will "remember we are dust," by the imposition of ashes.  We will sing and hear music that will prepare us for the journey of Lent.  We will try to leave behind distractions so that we can go from the ashes of Lent to the sacrifice (and beauty) of the Cross.  We will think, remember, reflect, and (hopefully) grow.  We will decide the things that cause us to focus, and we will decide the things we must leave behind to make the journey.

Maybe this is why Jesus' first instructions are not about the many things the disciples need to take, but the things that will distract and divert them from the work ahead.  Let's deconstruct Jesus' command:

1. Purse - Our money causes us to get focused on the cost, rather than the mission.  Remember ... we count the cost, but if God calls us to act, we act, in accordance with His will.

2. Bag - We have a tendency to fill bags with things that make us comfortable.  Maybe Jesus wants us to focus on the mission, and not our comfort.  Maybe comfort itself is a distraction.

3. Sandals - Most commentators take this to mean extra sandals.  If you remember the Hebrews of Exodus, Deuteronomy 8:4 reminds us that those sandals didn't wear out during the 40 years of wandering.  A few days of travel seem like a piece of cake for the God who provides.

4. Greetings Along The Road - I have a friend who strikes up conversations with everyone he meets along each day's travel.  He is an interesting person, but not such a good employee.  He spends most of each day in conversations, and little of each day working on his job.  Gramma said we have 2 ears and only one mouth.  Maybe Jesus wants His followers to get to the destination He has given them.

I hope you are ready and excited for our Lenten journey together.  Remember ... we have a mission and a destination.  Stay focused.  Keep on track.  And, stay in love with Jesus!

Blessed

Are you aware and excited that God has chosen to bless you?  I was reading in Luke 10 today, and these were the words of Jesus ... "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.  For I tell you that many kings and prophets wanted to see what you see and hear what you hear, but did not hear it (Luke 10:10:23-24)!"

Seeing and hearing are interesting things.  This Thursday, I will have outpatient surgery to remove cataracts in my right eye.  The condition comes with the "territory" of age.  The cataracts block and cloud vision, and keep some of the light from coming into my eye.  I am thankful for doctors and caregivers who allow me to have this procedure, and for the science and medicine that invented this possibility.  Better vision and more light seem to be things worth the recovery and discomfort this will probably bring.  But, as I prepare for this to happen, this verse reminds me that there are worse conditions.

What would it be like to walk through the world in the darkness of only seeing the created realm?  Maybe some are content with this because they don't know or believe there is another realm ... the spiritual realm.  Chapter 10 of Luke describes Jesus and the disciples (72 of them) as joyful over the ability to both see and impact the physical and spiritual realms.  I think these rookie disciples realize that this is what they were made for, and are seeing a world in a reality they have never experienced before!  Everyone lives in the natural world, but we were made for something greater and better.  Jesus brings the supernatural with Him, and he passes the ability to see the spiritual world on to those who are engaged believers.

Jesus reminds us that seeing and hearing through God's eyes and ears is a blessing for which we were created!  This amazing attribute is part of what God did when He made people in His image.  So ...

1. We can see beyond the black and white, into the full color of life.

2. We can hear God's voice.

3. We can see people through the eyes of Christ, who is IN us!

4. We can hear, see, and know what is both beautiful and sometimes uncomfortable.

5. We can look beyond the facade, into the real.

Across the street from the church is the River Youth and Children's Center.  Thanks to Jimmy Rane, the facade of the building is becoming beautiful and appropriate to the period in which the building was built.  But if you go inside, a lot of work needs to be done.  Those of us who have entered the building know how much remains to be accomplished.  Maybe we, as a people and a Church, are like that.  Many of us present a fairly acceptable facade.  But Jesus has entered the building.  He sees the vast work that needs to be done.  He knows that, like the River, the beautiful work, the community change, the lives of people, and the changes of attitude, will happen on the inside.  He is building a building not made with human hands but made with hands that are weaving us together, in the beauty of His vision.  And this, according to Scripture, is a blessing!  AMEN

3 Kingdom Things

So ... I am writing this blog at a very strange time.  Our services were cancelled this morning due to a snow event.  So while I would normally be "landing the plane" (finishing my sermon) I am at the house talking to any of you who might be listening.  Here are my thoughts on this very unusual Sunday morning.

Last week's Scripture (Luke 9) is still on my mind.  To summarize, a lot happens in Luke 9.  Jesus sends out the 12 to "cast out demons and heal all diseases."  Jesus heals a demon-possessed boy, feeds a multitude, announces His death, experiences the Transfiguration, and ends the chapter by reminding us of the cost of discipleship.  Or, is He telling us about the benefits of being Kingdom people?  Here's why I say this ...

1. Most of Luke 9 is about the excitement and rapid movement of God's Kingdom, and of the movement of the Church out into the world.  The Kingdom of God is filled with mighty works, major happenings, and the power of God in the world.

2. The end of Luke 9 seems to be a gut-check as Jesus challenges us, saying things like "let the dead bury their dead, but you go announce the Kingdom of God."  Jesus seems to be chastising a disciple who places family issues ahead of Kingdom issues.  And this IS part of the story.

3. Jesus also says, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God."  Again, Jesus seems pretty harsh about our tendency to think about what we have left behind.  This IS also part of the story.

But ... what if this entire chapter of God's word is about something bigger, better, and more exciting than we perceive?  What IF Jesus is saying things like:

1. I have chosen YOU for a reason.

2. I have gifted YOU for a purpose.

3. I am offering you the chance to be part of amazing, powerful, Kingdom work, and all I (Jesus) need is for you/me/us to become open vessels that will be filled with God-things?

What if you/me/us "get to" do God's work?

This is a get-to chapter.  We get to emulate the 12 out into the world, healing and confronting (with God's power) the opposing spiritual realm.  So ... having God as a lesser priority ... having Kingdom service as something optional ... will cause us to be unusable, unavailable, and unused by God.

God's desire is to send you out ... use you to proclaim the Kingdom ... and offer you the chance to serve Him in the kingdom.  What an honor and a blessing!  Yes ... we GET TO do this!  Praise the Lord!

The Most Important Ability

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nothing Ordinary!

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

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

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

1. Will 2026 be an epiphany or a continuance?

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

3. Will 2026 be ordinary or extraordinary?

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

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

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

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

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

Wonderful Beginning

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

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

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

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

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

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

Now and Later

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

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

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

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

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

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

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