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Let me start by apologizing for another delayed message. My daughter got married in Maine last Monday, so I was traveling Sunday afternoon and Tuesday afternoon. "Too pooped to pop" when I got back. lol I literally could have slept the rest of the week if it were possible!! Had to be at the Mini-Motorsport Track we work at most Saturdays. My Aunt hosted an early surprise Birthday Party for my Dad on Sunday, otherwise I would have done it then. Rob and I rested Monday before heading out for our Chorale group in the evening. (Soooo good to be back!!) Had to catch up on housework this morning while Rob started his new job. Busy, busy... ;p So this is actually last week's message. I'll do this week's tomorrow...
Have you ever gotten lost?? Whether it's in the woods or an unfamiliar city, it can be a scary situation. That's where compasses, GPS, or Tour Guides (official or unofficial) come in handy. Sometimes we just feel lost in life... and while there are people and tools to help guide us on paths and roads, we need help navigating life sometimes too. That's where God steps in and provides Jesus and the Bible to guide our way. (Ps. 119:105, etc...)
Before officially starting in James, Pastor Matt "set the stage" for our journey by bringing out the fact that the Bible, even in a general sense, reorients us as a Church as well as individually. It gives us a vision for where we're going and how best to get there. Certainly appropriate ideas at the beginning of a new Church and School Year. The motto of our Church in recent years* has been this -- "Living and sharing a life-changing relationship in Jesus Christ." And with the current stuff continuing in the World, he emphasized the idea of coming back together with this theme in mind.
One thing our Church has been doing over the past year, year and a half has been to record people's stories and have them share briefly how God is blessing their lives during all of the upheaval. It's a great way of reminding the rest of us that we're not alone as we endure the hardships the World is putting us through. Last week, rather than recording, he had a man share in person. Dave has been through more in his life than any single person should have to endure. Yet his faith remains strong. He shared from 2 passages as he spoke -- Ecc. 7:13-14 where we are reminded that God has created both the good and bad in life. He mentioned a book that has encouraged him as well, "Trusting God When Life Hurts", by Jerry Bridges. Also, Ps. 73:26-28 where Asaph encourages himself in God's presence saying, "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever..." Amen to that...
So on to the actual message --
Matthew 28:16-20
New International Version
The Great Commission 16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Just look at the end of that for a minute... "I am with you always, to the very end of the age." It really is all about Jesus -- it's not a "system" or a "sales pitch". Those are for "user-friendly" Churches.* Jesus changes our thinking, He inspires repentance and transformation, He cannot be contained (nor should He be), He is all-consuming... The fact is, He loves us too much to let us lead ourselves through life. (remember what I said above about a Tour Guide?) His forgiveness draws us in. He knows we're not perfect, nor does He ever expect us to be, but His grace and love cover all of our imperfections and failures. (not that we should be lax, just that we try every day to be better than yesterday)
We need to follow the Crucified Christ, Jesus. Review the passage above, God only gave Jesus the authority to rule the Earth, He only passed it to the Disciples when it was time for His physical body to return to Heaven. We are His representatives on Earth, but He's still the only one in charge. Most believers tend to blend themselves into the "Americanized Gospel." We think of success in the same World-view everyone else has. Bigger, better, faster, etc...
God's success doesn't look like that.
Godly success includes, but is not limited to the following --
trading popularity for blessings
trading "bigger, faster, more money" for faithfulness
trading the resistance of pain for embracing pain and failure
safety for strength/suffering -- It's a basic sociological truth that other cultures in the world are better at grief than we are. The African people are especially gifted in it. Where we tend to resist and set it aside, they embrace it and get it out of their systems immediately.*
All we are and do should be centered on Christ. The Crucified Christ empties self in love for others. If you think it's easy, you're simply not paying attention!! We need the Holy Spirit's help. We also have other resources that God gives us --
Scripture -- this can be used both individually or collectively.
Community -- Not optional -- while some may prefer to worship alone, we still need the support, comfort, teaching, and growth provided by a group of Godly believers. Community is God's way of touching down.
The fact is, (and this is another common saying in our Church) God is always present and at work. We just need to open our eyes to it. Matt. 5:1-8 gives us a list of ways that we can engage in the work of Matt. 28. It's our duty to participate as peacemakers in God's work. Everywhere we look these days, there is division at the least, and war at the most. If we can draw people into God's love through our peaceful reactions and interactions, that's all God can ask of us. The other beatitudes are also great, but the World is in so much angst right now, that peace is the primary thing needed.
Our Church structure is based on intentional simplicity -- worship, family, and missional communities. Whatever yours looks like, the key these days lies in re-engaging in spite of continued challenges, because God placed us here for a reason. It may be helpful to review Philippians 2: 1-11 as you prepare to follow through on God's plans... God Bless!!
Footnotes:
It's been a regular saying at least the past 4 yrs since I've been there.
"User-friendly" Churches, you know the ones, short messages that tell you what you want to hear and draw you in with gimmicks and games. And in case you were wondering, the presence of a worship team and lighting does not count as "user-friendly", it's simply the natural progression of the Church in worship towards God. I grew up with the organ and hymnals just like many of you. They were great for their era, but times change, and we need to keep pace with it. Contemporary worship is just as meaningful and still contains the Gospel, it's just presented differently.
The bit about grief and its expression puts me in mind of a song I grew up loving, but have come to realize offers really poor advice... Remember the Melissa Manchester song, "Don't Cry out Loud"?? Yikes...
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