Not in OZ Anymore!

Last Sunday, Max read from the Book of Micah, and he graciously offered a bit of historical context before beginning. He reminded us that Micah, an 8th-century BC prophet, spoke boldly against the leaders of Israel—primarily in the Northern Kingdom. He condemned their corruption, their neglect of the poor, their willingness to follow false prophets, and their empty, performative worship.

They had created a false sense of righteousness—a curated spirituality that ignored real suffering. They lived in comfort, blindness, and denial. In many ways, it was like living in a spiritual version of The Wizard of Oz—bright, appealing, and completely disconnected from reality.

In 722 BC, that illusion shattered. The Assyrian Empire invaded and destroyed the Northern Kingdom, leaving behind only Samaria and those too poor or insignificant to be taken into exile. The leaders and the upper class—the very ones who had led the nation astray—were carried off into captivity and never returned.

There are at least two lessons for us here:

1. See the Reality Around Us

We often live in two realities at once.

I confess that I can escape into the world of sports. I can convince myself that scores, statistics, player rankings, and performance metrics truly matter. It becomes its own version of Oz—bright, exciting, and full of promise. If my team wins, it feels like I’ve arrived at the Emerald City.

But it isn’t real. And at the end of that road, there is often the same emptiness that Israel discovered in their illusion.

Meanwhile, another reality is unfolding—one that we often ignore. We tell ourselves that wealth, success, power, and competition will satisfy us. Yet God is saying—perhaps even shouting—that what truly matters is people: their stories, their struggles, and the beauty woven into creation.

There is also a deeper spiritual reality at work. Evil is not abstract—it is active. It seeks to keep us distracted, numb, and unaware. Scripture warns us in the Book of Hosea 8:7: “They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind.” Small compromises—insincerity, neglect, indifference—can grow into forces that damage entire communities.

As the cartoon philosopher Pogo once said, “We have met the enemy, and he is us.”

The path forward is not denial—it is repentance. We must turn back to the Lord.

2. Change the World Around Us

When we hear all of this, a natural question arises: What can I do?

The answer begins with where we are. We invest our time, energy, and attention in what truly matters. God is already at work—right here, right now. As the Book of Isaiah 43:19 reminds us: “See, I am doing a new thing!” And the psalmist declares in Psalms 40:2: “He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.”  Open up to this beautiful activity by God!

We participate in this work by following God’s Word, seeking His presence, and trusting His promises. We learn to see and embrace the beauty God is unfolding. We love the people He places in our path. And we reject the illusion of Oz—which, in the end, is not powerful at all.

Remember the truth revealed at the end of The Wizard of Oz: the great and powerful wizard was not what he appeared to be. As he admits, “I am just a very bad wizard.”

And yet, Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, and the Lion already possessed what they needed all along. So it is with us. God has already given us what we need. Let us hold fast to the beauty God is placing before us.

Let us follow Him—even when it is inconvenient—by making and becoming disciples, as commanded in the Great Commission. Let us help build the River described in the Book of Ezekiel—a river that is ever-growing, ever-flowing, ever-refreshing, and everlasting. And let us bring such beauty, grace, and truth into our community that people will recognize it can only come from God, of God, for God, and with God.  If this sounds like a prayer, it is!

Worship ... Do, Get, or Give?

The book of Micah (I have a friend who has his life verse here) is truly about worship.  Most of us think we know, or have a good idea of, what worship is all about.  While we may know what we like, I want us to explore a question.  Is worship about what WE like or about God?  I hope you think this is a valid question, because if you do, we have a good starting point.  And, I will add another question.  Do we DO worship, GET worship, or GIVE worship?

Micah's 5 parts of worship teach us something we might have missed in how worship has evolved in the Church (or might I suggest, devolved?).  Here goes:

1. Heart - In Micah's world, the church DID worship.  Sacrifices, rituals, and extravagance (Micah 6:6-7) were the earmarks of worship.  This carried through to Jesus' time as Jesus desired heart vs extravagance.  Our song, Heart of Worship, is all about focusing on entering the presence of God with an open heart, to be filled by God.  

2. Living Sacrifice - Micah railed against external worship exemplified in burnt offerings, thousands of rams, and rivers of oil.  The church and its leaders had become focused on worship as a revenue stream.  I wonder if the modern practice of "giving the people what they want" is any different?  I was advised (in a worship seminar) to ditch practices like prayer requests, reciting of creeds, and ritual, to allow more time for manipulative methods to "bring people into the feeling of worship."  True worship, just like love, is not a feeling.  It is giving up time, heart, and control to God ... not human manipulation.

3. Life Outside The Church - Worship doesn't just happen in Sunday morning services.  It is followed and preceded by God's requirements ... do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8).  These things happen while living life.

4. Humility - Humility toward God and other people is an outward acts of worship that proceed from an inward attitude.  Micah 7:7 defines this as the prophet says, "But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation."  Micah is led by God ... not leading God where he desires to go.

5. Response - In March, our congregation sponsored a music program called "A Lenten Response."  I loved this title, because it places worship in the proper place ... as a response to a holy, living, and loving God.  "Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity ... He delights in steadfast love (Micah 7:18-19)!"  God is faithful ... God is all suffiucient ... God is the only one worthy of our worship.

In the song, Light of the World (We The Kingdom), one line describes worship this way ... "Fall down before Him, come and adore Him, sing hallelujah, to the light of the world."  Do we do this, or do we select what we like and do what is comfortable?  Or, do we enter His gates with praise and thanksgiving, giving worship to the only one worthy of our praise?  

Needing (and worth) Saving

You might get, from the current activities at Abbeville Methodist, that we are into this thing called beauty.  Not beauty as the world sees it, but beauty that God has and is creating.  I believe that this is one of the many ways God transforms, teaches, leads, awakens, and restores us.

Do you remember when God looked at his creation and said, "It is good?"  While I am pretty sure we have done much to mar, pollute, pervert, and re-purpose this world, I am even more sure of God's creative capacity to save it.  The world needs saving, and the world is worth saving.  After all ... "God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, so that whosoever believeth in Him will not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16)."  There it is, in the verse many of us know by heart.  God is in the active and persistent practice of saving the world.  He said it, and I believe it!

So ... how do we (just a faithful group of people who are in this journey together) get into where God is working, in this "saving the world" thing?  Just a few thoughts:

1. Goodness - Remember that Genesis 1 quote (above) "It is good!"  From where and whom is goodness measured?  I think it is God!  God defines good.  And how can we be, act, do good?  We can "be" God's people, we can "act" with goodness.  We can "do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God."  You do remember, of course, that goodness is a fruit of the Spirit.  And we are only able to accomplish goodness by the work of the Spirit.  If we leave it up to our reactions, our controlling nature, our pridefulness, our goodness will look just like our righteousness ... filthy rags.  God wants to look at His Church and say, "It is good!"

2. Grace - Grace is an unwarranted, undeserved, and unbelievable gift from God.  We don't deserve forgiveness, but our faith/belief in Jesus (as Lord and Savior) allows us to receive this gift from God.  Grace is a byproduct of God's amazing love for us.  He loved people so much, He made a pathway for His work of salvation, and amazingly, He believes we are worth saving.  So give thanks, and pass grace along as you walk through life.

There is a song called "So Will I" that holds these words ... "As You speak, a hundred billion failures disappear, where you gave Your life so I could find it here, if You left the grave behind You, so will I.  I can see Your heart in everything you've done, every part designed in a work of art called love. If You gladly choose to surrender, so will I.  I can see your heart eight billion different ways, every precious one, a child You died to save.  If You gave Your life to love them, so will I."  Our response to God in us, in our Church, in our world, is to paint the beautiful picture of goodness and grace ... so that our Savior (who thinks we are worthy) can look out on His Church and say, "It is good!"  

Artemis and Bad Cats

When most people hear the word “Artemis,” they think of either NASA’s lunar mission or the Greek goddess of hunting, childbirth, and wild animals. I, however, think of an orange cat we owned over 20 years ago.

Now, it’s fitting that the goddess Artemis ruled over wild animals—because our Artemis was a wild animal. One minute she was sweet, purring, and curled up like a Hallmark card… and the next minute she was a full-blown, demon-possessed ninja. 

This cat sent two family members to the ER. Every single one of us was injured (by Artemis) at some point. We didn’t own Artemis—Artemis allowed us to live in her house under constant threat.

The final straw? She launched herself onto Christopher’s face and nearly removed his eyelid. That earned us a trip to the Children’s Eye Hospital in Birmingham—and Artemis a one-way ticket out of our lives. I’m fairly certain she is now curled up comfortably somewhere near the fireplace in Satan's den, feeling completely at home.

But as we think about Easter—and what comes next—the Artemis mission (the NASA one, not the feline terrorist) got me thinking about something deeper: the dreaming, the work, and the anticipation behind something truly monumental.

Here’s where that leads us:

1. Marvel at the Moment - We are living in a time where something like the Artemis mission is possible—and that’s amazing. But let’s be honest—it doesn’t even come close to Easter.

The Resurrection is not just impressive—it is unprecedented. Yes, people like Lazarus and Jairus’ daughter were raised… but they died again. Jesus didn’t just come back—He defeated death itself.

As Charles Wesley wrote in 1739, “Christ has opened paradise.”

The curtain was torn. The barrier of death was shattered. Jesus didn’t just walk out of the tomb—He stepped into our reality and made a way where there was no way.

And here’s the miracle: we don’t just admire it… we follow Him through it—all the way to the Father’s house.

2. Plan for the Promise - Every space mission begins with a vision. But between vision and launch, there’s a lot of work.  Calculations. Training. Design. Preparation. No one just “wings it” to the moon.

And neither do we.  As a church, we’re planning - VBS, choir and art camp, youth and children’s events. There’s excitement, anticipation, and yes… a lot of spreadsheets and meetings.

But behind all of that are two powerful reminders:

The Ascension (May 14): “You will be my witnesses.”

Pentecost (May 24): The Spirit comes, and the Church is ignited.

Those are our “launch moments.”

We are not just planners—we are witnesses.

We are not just organized—we are empowered.

We are not just busy—we are built to fly.

3. Take Out the Trash - Years ago, working with the Incline Railway in Chattanooga, we got new rail cars… and discovered they were too heavy to safely operate. So we did something unexpected—we stripped off every ounce of unnecessary weight.

Turns out, if you want something to move… you have to lighten the load. That’s not just engineering—that’s Scripture. Hebrews tells us: “Let us strip off every weight that slows us down.”

To escape Earth’s gravity, a rocket must reach 17,600 mph.

To live the life Christ calls us to—what weight do we need to remove?

Fear?

Bitterness?

Comfort?

Control?

On Sunday, we talked about “removing the grave clothes.” Lazarus needed help getting unwrapped.

Jesus left His behind in the tomb.

If we want to move forward—if we want to launch—we can’t keep dragging death with us. If we’re going to step into what God is calling us to:

We must marvel at the Resurrection

We must plan with purpose and expectation

We must let go of what weighs us down

And through it all, we never lose sight of our power source:

The same Jesus who walked out of the grave ... is the One who calls us to rise, move, and follow.

So let’s get ready. We’re not just sitting in the pews. We’re on the launchpad.