Alterations

In her introduction of the series Altar'd (the one we will spend Lent exploring), Susan Kent offers an image of God as a master tailor.  Most of us have experienced a time when our clothing needed to be altered.  All my life I have moved in and out of my "fighting" weight (more out than in) and have seen/felt my clothing either comfortably loose or uncomfortably tight.  Maybe you have too, but I think we get the picture!

Here is how my mind wraps around the image of God as a master tailor, clothing us for a righteous and holy life, in the image of Jesus.  First, we must ask, "how much we trust the tailor."  We live in a world of options and possibilities.  What kind of fabric?  Which colors do I wear?  What will either attract attention or blend in?  But, what if we asked the tailor, "What looks best and fits your design of me?"  "How can I dress for the plans you have for me (Jeremiah 29), and for the work you will have me do (Philippians 1:6)?"  Will we let the master tailor be in total charge of the design, the fabric, the color and the texture of our garment?

Second, how does the fitting happen?  When you go to a tailor to get fitted for clothing, what uncomfortable thing must you do?  You must stand in front of the tailor, allow the tailor to look at you, and be still while the tailor marks the fabric (Psalm 139:23-24).  These things are necessary if you want the finished garment to fit properly.  And, I admit, I am not very good at these things, especially that "being still" thing.  "Be still and know that I am God" ... Psalm 46:10 comes to mind.

Finally, we must remember that the making of the garment is a process.  "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well (Psalm 139:14)."  If God is the master tailor, the master builder and our Lord, we accept "process" as part of the deal.  I remember singing, "God's still working on you!"

Every week I resemble an impatient, fickle and demanding customer of the master tailor.  I want the garment now.  I don't want to stand still.  I want to be in charge.  I question my wonderful creator, rather than kneeling at His altar and saying, "You are the potter and I am the clay (Isaiah 64:8)."  So I will leave this blog with a prayer ... "Lord, we are made for Your purpose and Your Kingdom.  Mark us so we can be clothed in Your righteousness.  Clothe us so that we will be dressed for battle, helping, healing and heaven ... whatever you choose.  You pick out the fabric, the design and the way You want the garment to look.  For You are the potter, and the clay isn't supposed to tell the potter what to do.  I trust You.  Help me with my doubts, encourage me when I fail, and thank You for loving me when I fail to be still enough to know You.  I give this day to Your plan and Your Kingdom. AMEN!"

The First Stone

Stones have a prominent place in Biblical teaching.  There is the "Let he who is sinless cast the first stone" in John 8:7, where we learn nobody qualified to stone a sinful woman.  There is   "You are like living stones (1 Peter 2:5) where we learn to become places/people that mark a place where God's work/goodness happens.  There is Jesus as "the stone that makes them stumble and the rock that makes them fall (1 Peter 2:8)" where we remember that failure to obey Jesus' teachings causes us to stumble and fall in our life of faith.  Then, there is the stone that builds an altar (found throughout Scripture).  Over the next couple of months we will be studying how to build and become an altar, built to worship, honor and point to God.

The title of the Bible Study (we will begin this subject on Ash Wednesday [February 14th] as we enter the Lenten season) for Lent, which we will share on Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings, is Altar'd.  The idea of this study is to 1) learn about Biblical altars, 2) get God's guidance on how we and our church can be an altar and, 3) how our devotion to Jesus can/should alter our lives.  I am really looking forward to where we will go with this time together!

As I begin to think about altars and stones, I remember (about four years ago) when I decided the planter areas at the house in Freeport needed more definition.  They didn't look good and they were not well-defined.  The plants, the mulch and the intrusive grass went pretty much where they wanted.  So I went to a stone place in Dothan and loaded my truck with a lot of pretty big river rocks.  I used the stones to outline and define the planter areas.  The stones kept my mulch and soil where it was supposed to be.  It also kept intrusive weeds and grass out of the planters.  The river rocks also looked attractive.  The end result made my yard look better and much easier to maintain.  The project was a success.

Building an altar has a similar effect on our life of faith.  Altars point to who we worship and they are built for the one we worship.  They are places of devotion, worship and sacrifice.  They frame the places we can grow best.  They hold in the fertile soil, and keep out the invasive weeds.  We go there to find nourishment, but we also go there for one very important thing.  The altar is where we (at least figuratively) enter the presence of God.  God's presence is the only thing that makes the altars in our church holy.

This week I want you to think of a word.  The word is Sanctuary.  Think about what this word means.  And, I want you to think out of the box a bit.  Think about what that word and that place might mean to God.  What is God's purpose in giving us this place?  How does this place further God's mission in the world He created?  Why did God (from the beginning) give humans a place to both worship and meet Him?  What does this say about God and His relationship with people?  See you Sunday!  Randy

Rejection or Rejoicing?

How do you react to Jesus?  Do you say, "My relationship with God is personal and private, so I keep all that stuff to myself."  Do you say, "That 'religious' stuff is a bunch of mumbo, jumbo ... so I just come on Sunday, maybe go to Sunday School and spend the other 166 hours (that is 1.2% of a week) doing my own thing.  Or, do you consider each hour and each moment a chance to witness, serve and "never tire of doing good (2 Thess. 3:13)."

I have an old Video study called, "They hate the Church, but they love Jesus."  At first I kind of liked this thought.  And then I started to think about what this says.  Can we hate the bride of Christ (the one He loves, died for and will return for) and say we love Him?  I don't think so.  That is not how we react to Jesus, or the Church.

In Luke 4, there is a story about reacting to Christ.  Jesus quotes Isaiah 61, proclaiming that God's Spirit is upon Him, that He has been sent to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim freedom for the prisoners, to give sight to the blind, to free the oppressed and to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.  I guess the crowd caught on to that last phrase, "the year of the Lord's favor," and they liked that idea, for they all thought they were God's favored (chosen) people.  But as Jesus continued to talk, He began explaining that He didn't necessarily come to lift up the chosen, affirm the religious authorities and endorse the status quo.  He really meant that stuff about the oppressed, the captives, the infirm and the poor.  The people looked around and remembered that they missed that particular list.  Then He really got them upset.  He reminded them that God heals who God chooses to heal, not basing His work on the pedigree or the position of the people.  The reaction?  The authorities and the people in the Synagogue got so mad, they wanted to kill Him!

Before you start pointing fingers, think about how Jesus is treated in this present darkness.  His bride is roundly opposed and ridiculed.  His teachings are ignored.  His word is dismissed as archaic, outdated and mistaken.  People say they love Jesus, but they tend to add a lot of corrections, modifications and misrepresentations.  That is how people react to Jesus, who brings good news, freedom and healing to those who follow and accept Him.

But, in the final analysis, all of the media, all of the culture and all of the naysayers really don't matter.  The question is, do you follow Jesus, or do you modify Jesus to create a God you can put in a box and carry around?  The question is, how do you react to His Lordship?

In verse 4:34, the impure spirit reacts ... "have you come to destroy us, the Holy one of God?"  In verse 4:35, that same spirit obeyed and left the person it was inhabiting.  In verse 4:42, the people tried to keep Jesus from leaving them.

So, is your reaction to drive Jesus away, because you don't like His message, or do you want Him to stay, because you know His word and His presence brings healing, wholeness and life?  Do you reject Him, or do you rejoice?

Let's unpack this on Sunday!    

What's the Point?

I wonder if our society/culture treats the issues of faith with a "what's the point?" attitude.  I ask this question because it seems clear that several things have happened to Christians over the years.  Those things can be summed-up with two words ... priority and community.

Schools (including Christian schools) once placed the local church and local congregations at the forefront of the planning process.  Now, schedules (Wednesday nights and even Sunday mornings) generally ignore the happenings in the local church.  Sporting events have long ignored even the presence of a faith community.  I could add the schedule pressures of recreation, pastimes, hobbies, family events to this list that has raised all of these things up above the work and worship of the one we call "our Lord."  One wonders about that Lordship thing.

I saw a post last week from a pastor I know.  It said, "I hope all of you are thinking about your attendance in church tomorrow!"  My thought was a quote from a retired Bishop who was asked about his plans for Sunday morning.  He responded, "I made those plans and those decisions when I became a Christian.  I said I would support my church and my Lord with my prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness."

As Paul (and his writing crew of Timothy and Silas in 51AD) writes to a confused, scattered and discouraged group of Christians in Thessalonica, Paul reminds the people of 2 things they/we must do when we get off-course in our understanding and application of faith.  Paul says 1) "remember what I told you when I was with you (2 Thess. 2:5)" and 2) "Hold fast to the teachings you received (2 Thess. 2:15)."  Good advice I think!

1. Remember - There is a beautiful thread that runs through Scripture and our faith.  It is this little word, remember. God tells the Hebrew people, remember what things were like in Egypt, remember I brought you out of Egypt, remember I gave you a land with cisterns you did not dig and vineyards you did not plant, remember the command to not follow the gods of the nations, do this (as often as you drink it) in remembrance of me.  This thread of remembrance is something we can count on when life gets dicey, and something we can reference when we need guidance out of a difficult place.  God's word is given to us to learn and remember.  I watch the little girls on our front row in the 2nd service as they all recite the Lord's Prayer, the Apostles Creed and "the word of God for the people of God."  I hope one day, when faced with choices about priorities, they will remember their foundation of faith and their solid-ground of beliefs that they learned while here in this place.

2. Hold Fast - Paul says hold fast to the teachings you received. God's word is our foundation.  God's word is truth ... and we can count on it.  God's word leads us into consistent, committed corporate gathering, worship and life.  We remember and hold to this when we are making our decisions on our priorities.  We remember and hold fast to God's promises as we structure our time, finances and family time.  "Nothing in my hands I bring, only to the cross I cling."

In the 1st service this week, we will sing a song called "Pass the Promise."  The words go, "Pass the promise to our sons and daughters, God most high, God our father, we bear witness."  So let me remind you of those last 3 words ... "We bear witness."  How we remember and hold fast as we express our faith in the corporate body of Christ, is how they will remember and hold fast.  It is our joy and our solemn responsibility.  We are telling our community that the life, death and resurrection of Christ is important, vital and the center of our life.  That's the point!  Randy

Appointed

Do you feel appointed?  Here for a reason and a purpose?  And, do you wonder why grasping that purpose and reason seems both fleeting and just out of reach?

I think we are a society, maybe a world, that is sleep-walking through time.  We need direction ... we need focus ... and we need God!  The Apostle Paul knew this, and he saw this attitude manifested in his world in 51AD.  He wrote to the church in Thessalonica about several topics, including "the day of the Lord."  And just like today, his letter was misunderstood.  Where Paul was telling the people about living out Jesus' vision of life in a world that seemed to be crumbling around them, people got all excited about placing their focus on end times  (after all, it is easier to dream about the days to come than it is to live in the present struggle of life).  But let's read 1 Thessalonians, Chapter 5, a little closer.  For with Paul, remember his writings are arguments and apologetics that end in conclusions.  What did Paul conclude here?

"He died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him.  Therefore, encourage one another and build each other us, just as you are doing (1 Thessalonians 5:10-11)!"  Whatever we are doing and whatever life sends our way, we live in Christ!  We are people of light and hope.  I preached Sunday evening in Montgomery that we are the people that bring God's light into a world that sells darkness.  We give away light while Satan sells darkness.  We offer living water while Satan offers intoxicating delusions.  Paul says, "God did not appoint us to suffer wrath, but to receive salvation through Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:9)."  We offer the hope of salvation through faith in Jesus, while Satan offers the illusion of pleasure through the chains of distraction, addiction and being drunk (Paul's words) on falseness.

Here is my last observation.  Paul uses the words ... "together with Him."  My question for this week is ... "What takes you/me away from being together with Jesus?"  For He is found with His bride, the Church.  He is found with the poor and the powerless.  Wesley said He is found in the Sacraments, fellowship with other Christians, accountability with other Christians and encouraging one another, building something strong that can withstand "the day of the Lord."  If (as we sing) He Is Worthy, He is worthy of our time, energy, investment, giving, presence and witness.  And you are appointed to be that light that will bring Christ into every dark place.

What If? A New Year's Thought

These days, a lot of people are talking about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how it will either improve or destroy as it becomes more embedded into our society.  AI platforms like ChatGPT and other writing assistants are being sued by the Wall Street Journal because AI isn't properly referencing plagiarized excerpts.  And the ad for ChatGPT says, "Ask AI to write anything and get instant answers!"  Seems to me we are awful trusting of those "instant" answers as truth!  Maybe we should lean on something more solid that "intelligence" generated by a computer!  What if we did?

Here are a couple of "what ifs" I thought of as I was writing this blog (and I didn't ask AI to do it!).  Here goes:

- What if 2024 becomes a year of focus on our youth and our children?  Do our parents actually know how to follow Proverbs 3:5-6 ... "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding."  Do parents, grandparents and guardians realize that learning God's Word is a little like math ... one part builds on another.  Consistency is important!  Being there every week (not just when it is convenient) is important.  Bring your children and youth to church!  Bring them to learn.  Bring them so that they will know the songs we will be teaching during Sunday School time.  Bring them so their spiritual house will have a solid foundation and won't fall when the going gets rough!  I saw a post that said, "If you are not spiritually-fed you will be emotionally-led."  Trust God ... stop leaning on your own understanding ... stop the nonsense of basing your Sunday morning decisions on how you feel that day!  John Wesley would ask, "Have you faith?"  What if the answer was "yes" accentuated by what faith should be about ... action!?  What if we choose Jesus!?

- What if Jesus altered our behavior and our daily choices?  I heard an amazing statistic about our habits.  During 2023, according to Forbes, of the 100 top-watched programs in America, 93 were football-related.  Let that sink in a moment!  Where are our priorities?  The old sayings are, "we eat first with our eyes" and "you are what you eat."  What are we consuming?  The second half of that Proverbs 3 passage is "In all your ways acknowledge Him, and he will make your paths straight."  What if we did that?

I give you these two thoughts because we are embarking on a year of opportunity of focusing our time, our children/youth and our lives on something of value and worth.  The Agape Sunday Group is studying Proverbs.  Nicey's class is into their book series.  My class is studying Psalms.  The Youth are studying Old Testament Foundations.  On Wednesday nights we will (January till Lent) study 1,2 Thessalonians. During Lent we will study "Alter'd," which is a study on making Jesus central to your daily life of faith.  Our children will be learning songs and season-based truths about Christ, to build their faith-foundation.  My sermon series, between now and Easter, will be about how we build a strong altar of faith in our lives, following the "Alter'd" study series.  What if we all did that?

The old song, How Firm A Foundation says, "How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith, in His excellent word ... what more can He say, than to you He has said, who unto the Savior, for refuge has fled."  Maybe, if we build on His firm foundation, we won't have to rely on intelligence that is "artificial!"  What if we trusted God and real truth?  Randy

Opening the Treasure

When I was a boy, I would roam the gentle hills around Derita, a suburb of Charlotte, North Carolina.  There were fishing lakes, open pastures and sometimes treasure troves.  One of my favorite haunts was The Brown House Lake.  We called it that because a brown house was near the center of the lake.  I caught many 'a fish' and ran from many 'a snake' at that wonderful place.

Above the lake, and near one of the local highways, was an old homestead.  It was, at the time I knew it, (using the words of James Taylor from the song Copperline) "tore up, and tore up good!"  One day, while scrubbing in the dirt, I discovered an old garbage pit behind the homestead.  I started digging, and found rotted out tin cans, old trash that had been thrown out, and a large number of old milk bottles bearing the names of local dairies.  I took one home and discovered, from my dad, that the old bottles had some value.  I brought them home and dad took them down to a flea market and sold them.  He gave me the money and I bought my first really good fishing reel and rod.  I thought the bottles were valueless, but someone that knew more than me saw, and realized, value in them.

We live in a world that likes to bring us down. It tells us we have little or no value.  Humanists tell us we are just high-level mammals with opposable thumbs.  Culture tells us we should seek our value in money, fame and the approval of people ... and this de-values us even more.  So, where do we find our real worth?

2 Corinthians 4:7 reminds us where to find real value.  "For we have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure.  This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves."  What does this teach us?

1. We have great treasure

2. We hold this treasure in fragile clay (our earthly bodies)

3. Our treasure has/is light and power

4. Our treasure is a gift ... it doesn't come from within, but without.

Let's talk about treasure this Sunday!  How do you think our treasure is opened?  What else does the Bible say about treasure and us?  

Read Deuteronomy 14:2, 2 Corinthians 4, Matthew 6:21 and Matthew 13:44.  We will talk!  Randy