Move Forward!

We find ourselves in the fourteenth chapter of Exodus, verses ten through fifteen. The main character in the story is Moses. If you use your sanctified imagination, you can see him. To many, he looks like a young Charlton Heston (1923-2008). He was the one God selected to liberate the Jews from Egyptian rule. You remember the story. After a series of plagues, the Pharaoh released his slave labor. It must have been an exciting day for God’s Chosen People. They were urban people, who were about to begin a rural life. Everyone was enjoying their freedom until our story. Suddenly, the mood changed. The people had made it as far as the Red Sea. Most eyes were on that body of water in front of them. However, someone looked behind them and saw the Egyptian army coming. They knew what had happened. Pharaoh had changed his mind. He had sent his army out to bring them back. What started off as a great day quickly turned into a very bad day. There was nowhere to turn. The waters of the Red Sea were in front of them, and the Egyptian army was behind them. They were in a hopeless situation. However, this is the truth. This is not really a story about a group of Jews who lived thousands of years ago. It is really a story about our time.

Have you ever found yourself in a hopeless situation? It may have been the time you children’s marriage was staggering. You tried to ignore the signs for years. You prayed they would have what you have, a happy marriage. The problem is your grandchildren tell you about all the fighting. You have a front row seat to a bad drama. It may have been the time you flunked out of school. The program was harder than you anticipated, and you just didn’t have time to study. Flunking out of school is embarrassing enough but now then student loans have come due. It may have been the time you tried to sell your house. The appraisal revealed what you have known for a long time. You owe more than your house is worth. It may have been the time you were pulled over at that the DUI check point. Have you ever been in a hopeless situation?

Could it be your church is in a hopeless situation? There are many mainline Protestant churches in hopeless situations. It has been your family church for generations. It was where your grandparents sang in the choir. It was where you were married. It was where your children were baptized. It was where you learned about Jesus. The stained-glass windows still shine as bright as ever, but the future of your church seems dim. You remember when the pews were filled, but now the pews sit empty. You remember when the offering plates bulged, but now they welcome a measly collection. No one complains about the noisy children because there are no children. The only ones who remain are bald and gray. You spend your time talking about the good old days because the future is too difficult to face. Everyone who remains knows the truth. The end is near. No one wants to close a church, but it is your only option. It is true of many churches, and it is true of many individuals. Each one of us has stood on the shore of the Red Sea with the Egyptian army in hot pursuit. You can’t go forward, and you can’t go back. You are in a hopeless situation.

In this blog, I want to talk about the three ways the Jews handled their hopeless situation. They handled their hopeless situation poorly so they will act as our negative examples. This is what they did. They looked back. They were consumed by self-pity, and they blamed others. Those things did not change their hopeless situation. There is no other way to say it: they were paralyzed with fear. I hope that is not your story. They did not move forward until they were encouraged by Moses in verses thirteen and fourteen and by God, Himself, in verse fifteen. Unfortunately we live in times when many are paralyzed by fear. For this reason, I want to break down the Hebrews negative behavior.

Do you know of anyone who can’t go forward because they keep looking back? That is what the Hebrews did. Look at the text with me. The Egyptians were coming, and things were looking bad. What did they do? They remembered a time when life was better. In two verses, 11 and 12, Egypt is referred to five times. Slavery looked good next to death. They looked back to Egypt and remembered the good old days. When was the last time you recalled the good old days? How often do you recall the good old days? Is it possible your good old days are preventing you from fully living today?

On September 6, 2012, the most sinister character in the history of Cleveland sports died, Art Modell (1925-2012). I remember that day. I know this is wrong, but I have to say it. At his death, it was hard to hear nice things about him. He was the one who moved the Browns out of Cleveland after the 1995 season. I will never forget hearing the announcement on the radio. It seemed impossible. The Browns were leaving! My heart was broken, and I could not understand why. How do you own the Cleveland Browns and lose money? How do you fill an 80,000-seat stadium each week and lose money? How do you walk away from a fan base that supported the team after decades of losing? I did it all. I bought the shirts. I bought the tickets. I bled orange. I sat in the Dog Pound before it had a name. I believed someday they would turn it around. I was a devoted fan, but on the day, Art Modell moved the Browns I stopped caring. (I am sure Art Modell does not need a sweater where he is spending eternity!) His death reopened those old wounds.

On the first family gathering after Art Modell’s death, I started lecturing my family about the ills of the old fool, Art Modell. My youngest daughter, Anna who was 22 at the time, looked at me and asked two questions. “Who is Art Modell?” “The Browns left Cleveland?” Suddenly I found myself being the person I never wanted to be. I was living in the past. Do you know what God was telling me? Stop looking back and move forward. When you live in the past you miss today! Could it be you are living in the past? Does someone need to tell you to move forward?

Do you know of anyone who can’t move forward because they are consumed with self-pity? That is what the Hebrews did. Look at the text with me. Verses 11 and 12 are coated with self-pity. They say, “They said to Moses, ‘Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” Have you ever been frustrated because your life isn’t on schedule? How many pity parties have you thrown for yourself lately?

Did you know there are guidelines for holding a proper pity party? According to the internet, so you know it is true, there are four things you need for a proper pity party. I am not recommending these things, but this is what is required for a top rate pity party.

1. Alcohol

2. Lounging Gear

3. Food

4. Music, movies, or journaling

There is only one problem with a pity party. They don’t change anything. Wearing comfortable clothes doesn’t change the facts. Eating until you explode won’t change the facts. Drinking till you pass out won’t change the facts. Being absorbed in your favorite entertainment won’t change the facts. As a matter of fact, it may make things worse. Self-pity is only a distraction. Don’t invite God to your pity party because he won’t attend. God expects you to deal with your problems; God expects you to move forward. Do you know of anyone who likes a good pity party? Do you like a good pity party? Does someone need to tell you to move forward?

Do you know of anyone who can’t move forward because they are so busy blaming others? You know the slogan: it is hard to soar like an eagle if you are surrounded by turkeys. That is what the Hebrews did. Look at the text with me. Listen to verses 11 and 12 again, “They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” What are the Hebrews doing in those two verses? They are blaming Moses for their situation. If Moses hadn’t taken them out of Egypt, then they would not be in this difficult situation. Do you know of anyone who is having a difficult time taking responsibility for their own lives? Do you know of anyone who blames others for their difficult situation? Do you know of anyone who blames others for their limitations? Is it possible you have blamed others in your time hardship?You know it is true.

One of the most known stories in the Bible is the story of Adam and Eve. They were living in the Garden of Eden. They had everything they needed to be happy, and they only had one rule. You know the rule. Eve broke the rule first and then encouraged Adam to take a bite of the apple. When God discovers their innocence is lost, he confronts them. Do you remember what Adam did? Adam blamed Eve. Do you know of anyone who blames others for their actions? Do you know of anyone blames others for this difficult situation? Has anyone ever blamed you for their difficult situation? Have you ever been paralyzed by fear? As any preacher will tell you, fear has a way of paralyzing us, but faith has a way of mobilizing us. The choice is really yours. You can be paralyzed by fear, or you can move forward trusting God.

Do you know of anyone who trusts God and moves forward? The story does not end with the Jews perishing on the shores of the Red Sea. The story ends with the Jews moving forward and passing through the Red Sea as God holds the water back. If they would have not moved forward trusting God, then they would have missed the blessings God had in store for them. If it is true of them, then it is true of us. Psalm 20:7 says, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord.

Janez Rus (1914-2001) was paralyzed by fear. He went into hiding in his sister’s farmhouse in May of 1945. He hid because he was afraid. During the Second World War he had been part of the Nazi party. He was afraid his party’s activities would lead to his arrest. He stayed in hiding for years and didn’t come out until he was discovered in 1977. That means he hid for thirty-three years. That means he lost thirty-three years of his life! He missed everything because he was paralyzed by fear and failed to trust God. Let me ask you one more question. How much of your life are you wasting because you are paralyzed by fear? I implore you to trust God and move forward. American evangelical Bruce Wilkinson (born 1940) once said, “Dependence upon God makes heroes of ordinary people like you and me!”

Surrounded By Our Enemies!

We find ourselves in the sixth chapter of Luke, verses twenty-seven through thirty-one. Our reading comes from the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus is in Galilee, which means his popularity is high. The Master ascends to a high piece of land, not to escape the crowd, but to be heard by the crowd. From that lofty position, the Master teaches them about the Kingdom of God. He sets the bar high by giving them the Beatitudes. The word beatitude means “supreme blessedness. You remember them. Blessed are the poor. Blessed are the hungry. Blessed are those who weep, and the rest. To the secular world those seem ridiculous. To the believer those words are a great challenge. The standards are high in the Kingdom of God.

I find verse twenty-seven to be extremely challenging. Jesus says, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.”  There is nothing difficult about these words. They are straightforward. You do not need an advanced degree to unlock some hidden meaning. They are as clear as clear can be. Jesus expects us to love our enemies. However, those words run contrary to our society. Many find it much easier to hate. We would like to dismiss these words, but we can’t do it. Why? Because they are Jesus’s words, and we are disciples of Jesus Christ. Our goal is to be like Jesus. If Jesus said, love your enemies, we must love our enemies. We have no excuse for not trying, because Jesus loved his enemies. Let me ask you this uncomfortable question: How many enemies do you have in your world?

Who are our political enemies?  It is a good question. It is the same question the people at Statista asked Americans. Their results were released in March of 2021. America has a complex relationship with many countries around the world, but here are our top five enemies:

          China

          Russia

          North Korea

          Iran

          Iraq

Do you agree those five countries are our enemies? Is there another country you would like to add to the list? I would like to add any country that promotes terrorist activities. Those countries are easy to hate, but this is the problem: You are a disciple of Jesus Christ and Jesus told us to love our enemies. Few Americans are praying for Vladimir Putin (born 1952) these days. Are you willing to love those countries, or do you as a disciple of Jesus Christ have some work to do? Our country has political enemies. Our community also has enemies.

Who are your community’s enemies? It is a good question. In 2017, Kristen O’Conner (born 1990) and June Schweinhart (born 1989) were friends. The two young women did not meet in school. They met in drug rehab. It may have been they had a common interest. It may have been that they were both pregnant. When rehab ended, they stayed in touch. At some point the two women got together with their newborns. Things did not go well. Before the day was done, the two were overdosing on heroine in the front seat of a car as the newborns sat in their car seats in the back. It is safe to say that rehab did not work for the women. Drugs have become such a big part of our society. Everyone seems to know someone on drugs. Everyone seems to know someone who died prematurely because of drugs. Many people believe the dark organizations who are providing the drugs are our community’s enemy. They may be right. It is easy to hate those organizations and those local drug dealers, but this is the problem: You are a disciple of Jesus Christ and Jesus told us to love our enemies. Are you willing to love those drug dealers, or do you have some work to do? Our country has political enemies. Our community has enemies. Be honest with yourself. You have personal enemies. The Bible is filled with personal enemies. Let me give you just two.

Do you remember the story of Cain and Abel? They were the sons of Adam and Eve. The boys could have had a great life, but their parents ate from the fruit of the tree. For this sin they were expelled from the Garden of Eden. Forced to work for a living, Abel became a shepherd and Cain a farmer. In time, the boys brought their offerings to the Lord. Cain, the farmer, brought some fruit. Abel, the shepherd, brought fresh meat. The Lord looked at both the fruit and meat and favored the meat. (So would I.) Cain grew jealous of his brother and killed him. It is not surprising that the first murder in the history of the world occurred within a family unit. We are expected to love our family members, but it doesn’t always happen. Do you have a family member who you hate? Do you have a family member who hates you?

Do you remember the story of Joseph, the well-built handsome young man? He knew what it was like to have enemies within his own family. He was one of twelve brothers. Can you imagine having eleven brothers? Can you imagine having eleven brothers when you are your father’s favorite? To demonstrate his favored status, Jacob, their father, gave Joseph the famous coat of many colors. That coat was more than his brothers could handle, so they came up with a plan. The brothers tell their father, Jacob, that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal. The truth is, Joseph, the dreamer, was sold into slavery. In the end, it all worked out for Joseph, but for a while Joseph had some difficult days. I have always marveled at the fact that Joseph was able to forgive his brothers and mend the family’s wounds. You can ask Joseph and he will tell you it is easy to have enemies within the family.

Who are your personal enemies? Your personal enemy can be a family member. Your personal enemy can be a neighbor. Your personal enemy can be a fellow worker or classmate. Your personal enemy can be a fellow church member. It is easy to hate those people, but this is the problem: You are a disciple of Jesus Christ and Jesus told us to love our enemies. Are you willing to love that person, or do you have some work to do? Our country has political enemies. Our community has enemies. You have personal enemies. This last question is the hardest one to tackle.

Have you ever felt like your own worst enemy? What is it about yourself you hate? Everyone has something. Do you wish you were thinner? Do you wish you were taller? Do you wish you were younger? Do you wish you were smarter? Do you wish you could stop spending? Do you wish you could stop smoking or drinking? Do you wish you could stop being so negative and critical? Do you wish you could stop gossiping? Do you wish they were braver? Do you wish you have made better decisions when you were younger? Do you wish you could love your most personal enemy, yourself?  Do you like the person you are? When was the last time you prayed for yourself?

In 2017, PBS aired a ten-part series on the Vietnam War. In total, it lasted eighteen hours. They interviewed more than eighty eyewitnesses from all sides of the conflict. I was interested in the topic because I was fifteen years old when it ended. There was much I wanted to learn. In my opinion, the first episode was the best. It covered approximately 100 years of Vietnamese history – how the French colonized Vietnam and how the United States got involved in Vietnam. I wanted to watch all ten episodes, but I couldn’t do it. The topic was too heavy and sad. This is what I learned that still haunts me. In 1962, President John Kennedy (1917-1963) told an aide, it was an unwinnable war. The Vietnam War lasted ten more years.

We stayed in Vietnam for two reasons, Cold War fears and national arrogance. The war was unwinnable for a variety of reasons. One of the greatest problems in the war was that our soldiers couldn’t identify the enemy. Anyone could have been their enemy, men, and women, young and old. This next line disturbs me. Innocent people died because they couldn’t identify the true enemy. The soldiers on the ground felt like they were constantly surrounded by the enemy. They learned to hate everyone. Maybe that is one of the reasons we struggle with Jesus’s words for today? We are surrounded by our enemies, and in the end, we hate everyone. It isn’t just the story of the Vietnam War. It is how many in our world operate, but you know better.

You are a disciple of Jesus Christ. That means you are trying to be more like Jesus all the time. That means you must listen to what Jesus said and apply it to your life. Jesus said, love your enemies! It runs contrary to our world, but we must try.Saint Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) once prayed, “Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love.”

Comfortable Christianity

We find ourselves today in the tenth chapter of Matthew, verses thirty-four through thirty-nine. In this chapter, Jesus is not speaking to the masses. He is speaking to the disciples. To be more exact, the Master is commissioning the disciples. In the first verse of this chapter, we are told Jesus gave them authority to drive out demons and to heal the sick. However, before they leave, Jesus gives them a few parting words. There is no other way to say it. Jesus was completely honest with the disciples. He tells them clearly that their journey will not be an endless party. Their journey will not be a vacation. Their journey is a business trip, and everyone will not welcome them with open arms. Some will reject their message and resist their presence. In the heart of this hard message, Jesus says, “I did not come to bring you peace, but a sword.”  Those words sound harsh, but they are true words. It has been true of every generation. The gospel message has met resistance from the very beginning. Jesus’ words are prophetic.

Have you ever stopped to consider the violent ways the disciples died in service to our Lord? Tradition tells us, of the twelve, only John died of natural causes. The rest had a violent end. Andrew took the Gospel to present-day Russia, Turkey, and Greece. He was crucified. Thomas went as far as India and died when speared by four soldiers. Philip went to North Africa and died in a prison. Matthew, the writer of this gospel, went to Ethiopia and was stabbed. James went to Syria and was clubbed to death. Simon the Zealot went to Persia and was killed because he wouldn’t make a sacrifice to the god of the sun. Matthias, the disciple who replaced Judas Iscariot, went to Syria, and was burned to death. Paul and Peter went to Rome. They both died in the year 66. Paul, the greatest evangelist the church has ever known, was beheaded. Peter was crucified upside down at his own request because he felt he wasn’t worthy to die like Jesus. Our scripture reading for today is prophetic. Jesus didn’t come into this world to bring peace. It is not that Jesus is promoting violence. It is that Jesus knew the world would resist the gospel. Every generation has resisted the gospel message.

Have you ever stopped to consider how many saints have been martyred in the history of the church? There is no exact number because some are unknown, and not all are accepted by every denomination or sect. Only God knows the answer to that question, but the incomplete list is filled with impressive names. Polycarp of Smyrna (81-167) and Justin Martyr (100-165) died in the age of martyrs, between the second to the fourth century. In the Middle Ages, from the fifth to the fifteenth century, John Huss (1369-1415) and Joan of Arc (1412-1431) were martyred. During the Reformation Era, the sixteenth century, William Tyndale (1494-1535) and Anne Askew (1521-1546) were martyred. Even in the twentieth century believers were martyred for taking a stand for the gospel. Dietrich Bonnhoeffer (1906-1945) and Oscar Romero were martyred (1917-1980). Jesus’s words were prophetic. He knew, every generation would resist the gospel message, and our world is not an exception.

Have you ever stopped to consider the countries in our world today who persecute believers? According to Christianity Today, these are the most dangerous countries in the world to be a Christian:

  1. North Korea
  2. Somalia
  3. Afghanistan
  4. Pakistan
  5. Sudan
  6. Syria
  7. Iraq
  8. Iran
  9. Yemen

Jesus’s words in our scripture lesson for today are prophetic. Jesus knew, every generation would resist the gospel message, yet Jesus’s words in our scripture lesson seem far removed from us. In America, we have religious freedom. In one way that is blessing. Maybe in another way, it is a curse.

Years ago, I visited a friend and his wife who had just taken a cruise. It was an Atlantic coast cruise, starting in New York City and ending in Halifax, Nova Scotia. I have never taken a cruise, so I wanted to hear about their experience. When I arrived, I blurted out the question, “How was the cruise?” She gave me a few highlights, but it was nothing over the top. We soon moved on to other topics. When his wife got up and went to bed. I returned to the topic. I asked my friend, “So you liked the cruise?” He responded, “Russ, I have never been so bored in my life.” He is the perfect product of the Youngstown, Ohio, which means you are wasting time if you are not working. (He also believes if you are not sweating, then you are not working. That means he believes that I have never worked.) He continued, “We didn’t do anything but sit and eat. After two days, I thought I was going to die from boredom. All I wanted to do was go home and go back to work. The ship’s crew was very nice, but they didn’t ask us to do anything.” This is the connection between my neighbor’s cruise and us: Maybe that is the problem with the American church? We aren’t asking people to do anything; we aren’t asking people to make a difference. Let’s look at the text one more time.

Jesus is commissioning the disciples. They are about to leave Jesus and spread the Good News. Jesus is honest with them. He tells them there is going to be some danger and risk. However, it is worth the danger and the risk because they could change the world. The scripture does not say any of the disciples reconsidered and went home, because home was safe. The scripture says they went into the world and told people about Jesus. Ponder the next line.

Maybe, just maybe, one of the fatal flaws in the American church today is that we just aren’t asking people to do anything of worth. We ask people to do simple things, not world changing things. We ask people to make brownies for the next dinner. We ask people to be a greeter. We ask people to lock the doors and turn the lights off when we leave. We apologize for asking for the smallest amount of money. We ask people for small things, but we never ask them to do big things because we don’t want to offend anyone. We don’t want to lose anyone. We ask for next to nothing and that is exactly what we are getting, next to nothing. Our comfortable Christianity is killing us. That is why our churches have become so self-centered. That is why we are preoccupied with our own opinions and comfort. That is why we worry about upsetting other church members. That is why we do next to nothing to solve a single world problem. That is why our churches are only curious about Jesus, not passionate. We are our own worst enemy. I am not the first to recognize this problem. There have been others.

Do you remember the words of the great Danish philosopher, poet, and theologian Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855)? He said:

“I went into church and sat on the velvet pew. I watched as the sun came shining through the stained-glass windows. The minister dressed in a velvet robe opened the golden gilded Bible, marked it with a silk bookmark and said, ‘If any man will be my disciple, said Jesus, let him deny himself, take up his cross, sell what he has, give it to the poor, and follow me.’ And I looked around and nobody was laughing.”

This is the point: Our comfortable Christianity is our demise. We are our own worst enemy. The great reformer Martin Luther (1483-1546) said it another way. He said, “A religion that gives nothing, costs nothing, and suffers nothing, is worth nothing.”

So, there is Jesus! He is talking to the disciples, yet he is talking to us. His words are not comforting. They are challenging. He did not come to bring peace. He came with a sword. The words were harsh, but the disciples stood united, because they wanted to make a difference in this world. I believe you want to make a difference in this world too.

Do you remember the story of Earnest Shackleton (1874-1922)? He gained fame for his polar exploration. History tells us, he led three expeditions to the Antarctic. In 1914, he attempted to cross the South Pole on foot, going sea to sea. Folklore tells us, he ran this advertisement in a newspaper to recruit his crew. This is the advertisement:

Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold, long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in event of success – Earnest Shackleton

Can I ask you a question? Would you apply for that job? Folklore tells us so many men responded positively to that advertisement, men had to be turned away. The question is, why? I believe many people responded to that ad because they longed for an adventure. They didn’t just want to live and die. They wanted to make a difference in this world. That spirit didn’t die with that generation. That spirit lives on in our generation. That spirit for adventure lives in you. It is time to reject our comfortable Christianity and take a risk for Jesus. Senior pastor of The Bridge in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, David McGee? He said, “We should be more concerned with reaching the lost than pampering the saved.” How comfortable is your Christianity?

What Do You Remember?

We find ourselves in the twenty-second chapter of Luke, verses fourteen through twenty. You know the story. Time is running out on Jesus’s earthly ministry. So much has already happened. The last person has been healed. The last lesson has been taught. The events of Palm Sunday are nothing more than a memory. The tables turned over in the temple courts are now setting upright. The only thing left to do is to have one last supper with the disciples. It wasn’t just any meal. It was the Seder. It was, and is, a meal with a message. Everything they ate reminded them of their past as God’s Chosen People. The Exodus was not just remembered, it was celebrated. It was not their first Seder. They observed it annually. There is nothing negative to say about the Seder. Every Jew looked forward to it. That means, the disciples were looking forward to that particular Seder. They didn’t have a clue that everything was about to change.

We call it Communion or the Eucharist. At one point in the meal, Jesus picked up the bread and shared it with the disciples. The bread was more than a baked good, it was the body of Christ. They believed; it was a sign of fellowship with God. Later in the meal, Jesus picked up a glass of wine and shared it with the disciples. It was more than a fermented juice; it was the blood of Jesus. They believed; blood was the life-giving agent in the human body. The disciples must have been confused because Jesus changed the script. They had no clue they were witnessing history. They had no clue Jesus was giving them a memorial for the ages. However, the disciples must have known something special was about to happen. Jesus said it clearly. “Do this in remembrance of me.” It was not just a command for them. It was a command for us. This is my question for you today: When you consume the body and the blood of Christ, what do you remember?

I am not a United Methodist by birth; I am a United Methodist by choice. I was raised in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). My parents were members at Central Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Warren, Ohio. To the Sunday morning worshipper, there is very little difference between the United Methodist Church and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). However, one thing stands out. In the United Methodist Church, the pastor decides how often Communion is served. My churches took Communion monthly. In some United Methodist congregations, the elements are offered quarterly. It is the pastor’s choice. In a Disciples church, Communion is offered every time the church gathers for worship. If you throw in high holy days, Communion can be consumed sixty times a year. I was raised in that tradition and heard the words of Jesus many times, Do this in remembrance of me. Jesus’s words never changed, but what I remembered about Jesus did change because I changed.

When I was young, I remember sitting by my parent’s side as they took Communion. I remember the minister quoting Jesus, Do this in remembrance of me.  I did my best to remember Jesus. I was influenced by my family’s nativity set. In my mind’s eye I can still see it. The various characters were arranged around a simple barn shaped structure. I remembered the infant Jesus laying in the straw, surrounded by his mother and earthly father, Mary and Joseph. Jesus was the focal point of the set. To the side stood the blue-collar workers, the shepherds. They were the ones who first got the announcement, the Messiah had been born. One had a lamb draped on his shoulders. Outside of the basic structure stood the mysterious visitors from the east, the Magi. At the time I called them Wise Men. They brought the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Years later, I learned my nativity set was wrong. They came two years later. Hanging on a small hook over the doorway was an angel, who sang praises to God. At some point, I started thinking about Jesus’s baptism. I tried to remember as much as possible, because Jesus said those words, Do this in remembrance of me. As a youngster that is what I remembered about Jesus. What do you remember?

I committed my life to Christ in December of 1974. I was seventeen years old. When I took Communion after that pivotal moment, I remembered Jesus’s sacrificial death. I remembered how the great crowd of Palm Sunday abandoned him. I remembered how Jesus cursed the fig tree, the very symbol of Israel. I remembered how Jesus turned the tables over of the money changers. I remembered how Jesus went to the temple courts and taught about the Kingdom of God. I remembered how Jesus was anointed in Bethany. I remembered how Jesus washed the disciple’s feet. I remembered how he went to the garden to pray and was arrested. I remembered how he was tried and led to the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate. I remembered how Jesus was rejected by the crowd and was executed Roman style. I remembered how the blood Jesus was shed, but most how all, I remembered how Jesus was resurrected, the cornerstone of our faith. Still today, I am humbled that Jesus died for me. I tried to remember as much as possible, because Jesus said those words, Do this in remembrance of me. That is what I remembered when I was new to the faith. What do you remember?

Seven months ago, I finished my working career. Throughout my forty years in the ministry, I offered Communion many times. Sometimes, I offered Communion in the sanctuary. Sometimes, I offered Communion in the fellowship hall. Sometimes, I offered Communion in the outdoor chapel. The location changed, but not the words, Do this in remembrance of me. I encouraged people to remember Jesus, but I remembered the Master too. I remembered Jesus’s miracles. He got the lame to walk. He got the blind to see. He made demonic whole. I remembered his teachings. I remembered how Jesus taught us how to live. We are supposed to be practicing today, what we will be doing in heaven for eternity. How taught us how to handle many of life’s problems. I remembered how Jesus changed lives and I remembered how Jesus changed the world. I tried to remember as much as possible, because Jesus said those words, Do this in remembrance of me. That is what I remembered during my working career. What do you remember?

Several months ago, I lost a good friend, Kay. I sincerely miss her. She was in her mid-nineties when she died. I officiated at her funeral. I met Kay in the Mahoning Valley District of the East Ohio Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. Our friendship grew because I called her daily as I walked my dog, Macy, the world’s best dog. We shared many stories and opinions. She was never afraid to talk or share an opinion. She was concerned about the direction our denomination was taking. I couldn’t disagree. Near the end of her life, she was homebound. Many days, outside of family, who watched her closely, I was her only call. She knew the end was coming, and she faced death head-on. Regularly, she would say, “The only thing that matters to me at this point in my life is Jesus.” We would speculate about heaven. I cherish the memories of those discussions. Since Kay’s death, I remember what Jesus said about heaven. After all, none of us get out of this world alive.

The first significant death in my life was my maternal grandfather, Walter Milligan. I was about eight years old. He lived in Brooklyn, New York with my grandmother, his wife, Nina. My grandmother was harsh and opinionated. She wrote harsh critical letters weekly to Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945) to tell him everything he was doing wrong. This is the truth: As harsh and as critical as my grandmother was, my grandfather wasn’t. He was quiet and kind. He worked for his father, who owned apartment buildings in New York City. At his calling hours, I have heard the stories of how he helped his tenants during the Great Depression. He only expected them to pay what they could afford and that wasn’t much. Personally, I have very few memories of him. However, I do remember him smoking a pipe. Every time I smell pipe tobacco, I think of him. I will never forget his funeral because it was the first time, I saw my mother cry. When I get to heaven, I am going to spend some time with Walter Milligan. He was the grandfather I never really had a chance to know. Who do you want to visit first when you get to heaven?

When death invades my personal space, I always remember the fourteen chapter of John. Jesus is with the disciples, and he tells them that he is going to be leaving them. He had told them in the past but this time they hear it, Jesus was leaving them. Upset, the disciples begin to question him. Jesus sees they are upset and tries to comfort them with these words, “In my father house are many mansions,” or rooms. That means there is a mansion or room waiting for you and me when we get to heaven. That means our departed loved ones are already occupying their room in heaven. My grandfather, Water Milligan, is occupying one of those rooms. My good friend, Kay, is occupying one of those rooms. The hope of occupying one of those eternal rooms is only possible because of the redemptive work of Jesus. Death has a way of making us think of Jesus’s eternal promises. When death invades your personal space, what do you remember?

According to the people at World Data, there are 2.2 billion Christians in the world today. In various ways, and at various times, each believer finds themselves partaking Communion. The sacred words are read, and Jesus is quoted, “Do this in remembrance of me.” What do you remember? Your answer will depend on your personal situation. There is no such thing as a bad memory about Jesus. In the end, only one thing truly matters, Jesus cannot be forgotten. English Baptist preacher Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) may have said it best, “We can’t have communion with Christ until we are in union with him.”  What do you remember?

Sometimes God Says, “No!”

When I was a student at Asbury Seminary, I had a friend by the name of David. Prior to seminary, he had to battle for his life. He had a brain tumor. He enrolled in seminary the day his doctor said he was tumor-free. Halfway through seminary his brain tumor returned. This time, the malignancy moved quickly. David seemed to grow weaker daily. Soon the doctors said it was only a matter of time. On the Sunday night before his last hospitalization, David attended a healing service. The traveling evangelist promised a healing if David truly believed. It saddens me to say, David was not healed. I attended his funeral and mourned. I still have questions about his death. In the months to follow, I talked to his twenty-seven-year-old widow, Char. She said David died feeling like a spiritual failure. David believed the traveling evangelist; if he had faith then he would be healed. The problem was, he wasn’t healed. David forgot the divine truth. Sometimes, God says, “No!” That leads us to the scripture lesson for today.

We find ourselves in the seventh chapter of Matthew, verses seven through twelve. Our reading is part of the Sermon on the Mount. These words were not directed to just the twelve disciples. They are directed to the crowd that had gathered in Galilee. Jesus encourages his followers to be bold in prayer. Verses seven and eight grab our attention, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” The primary point that Jesus is trying to make is about the very nature of God. Verses seven and eight were uttered by the Master to explain the depth of God’s love for us. Those are not magic words to get your heart’s desire.  That is how many interpret that verse. They are destined to be frustrated.

That is Ted Turner’s (born 1938) story. The cable television mogul is a true American celebrity. He is worth a fortune and seems to lack nothing. However, he lacks any spiritual foundation. He was raised in a strict Christian home, and at one time he even considered being a missionary. That all changed when his sister died, despite his prayers. Turner has been quoted as saying, “the more I strayed from my faith, the better I felt.” I have a hard time believing that quote. With all Ted Turner knows, he forgot the divine truth. Sometimes, God says, “No!” He is not alone.

How many people do you know who are mad at God because God said, “No!” They will be glad to tell you, their story. With a sincere heart, they prayed. It may have been for a person or a certain situation. They prayed, but their prayer requests seemed to fall on deaf ears. You know it is true because it has happened in your life. How many gravely ill people have you prayed for who have died? How many hopeless situations remained hopeless? How many unemployed people remain unemployed? Have you ever become disenchanted with the faith because your prayers were not answered to your satisfaction? This is the sad divine truth. Sometimes God says, “No!”

In verses nine through twelve, Jesus uses a loving parent to illustrate this divine point. You know it is true. I know many loving parents, so we understand Jesus’s point. We would like to say “Yes” to every request our children present to us but that is impossible. There are many reasons why. Sometimes we say “No” because it is asked out of ignorance. Sometimes we say “No” because our children are short-sighted, and we want to spare them from future harm. Sometimes we say “No” because it is uttered in an emotional moment and there is nothing logical about the request. Sometimes we say “No” because the request is grounded in selfishness. When was the last time you said “No” to your children because you love them? Sometime God says “No” because he loves us too. Let me say this clearly. Verses seven and eight were uttered by the Master to explain to the crowd the depth of God’s love. God wants us to come to Him with the desires of our hearts because he wants an open relationship. God loves us. We struggle with this passage because we assume the main topic is prayer, but the main topic is the nature of God. However, that does not mean that prayer isn’t important.

Prayer is important to the believer for three reasons. First, God expects us to pray. (Matthew 7:7-8, Luke 18:1, 1 Thess. 5:17.) That is the most important reason to pray. Second, it is in our very nature to pray. It is natural for us to reach to God when our problems are larger than our resources. Third, prayer is the link between us and God. It is upon prayer that God gives us His grace and spirit. The next question is key.

Why does God want us to pray? The answer is not to inform God about a certain situation. God knows all things. The answer is not to change God’s mind or alter a particularly sad or hopeless situation. The answer is more fundamental. God wants us to pray to change us. There is no way you can spend time with God and not be changed. Prayer reminds us of who God is and prayer reminds us of who we are! He is the God of the universe. He is the one who created this world out of nothing. He is the one who knows our great dreams and greatest fears. He is the author of history. He is the one who loves you so much he sent Jesus into this world to die so he could spend eternity with you! In prayer, we learn that God is big, and we are extremely small. In prayer, we learn Jesus was right! The very nature of God is love. God wants us to pray not to change particularly sad situations, God wants us to pray because prayer changes us.

History tells us Martin Luther (1483-1546), the great reformer, saw prayer as vital. We are told he got up every day and spent two hours in prayer before he attempted his first earthly task. The night before one particularly busy day, he looked at an associate and said, “I have so much scheduled for tomorrow that I must rise an hour earlier to have an extra hour alone with God.” Can I ask you an extremely personal question? How much time do you spend in prayer? If you are serious about growing as a disciple of Jesus Christ, then you must find time to pray.Did you know John Wesley (1703-1791), the father of the great Methodist movement, got up at 4:00 am every day to spend time with God? How much time do you spend with God? How much has prayer changed you?

I love this story. Mother Theresa (1910-1997) was summoned to the kitchen of the orphanage one day in Calcutta. There was a problem. The head cook was upset because the order of food hadn’t been delivered and she was expecting three hundred for lunch in less than an hour. Everyone expected Mother Theresa to contact one of her sponsors for help. She didn’t. Instead, she looked at the kitchen staff and said, “I suggest you go to the chapel and pray about this situation”. They did, and ten minutes later a stranger showed up at the front door holding a clipboard. He asked for Mother Theresa. When she appeared, the stranger looked at her and said, “The teachers have just gone on strike, so school has been canceled today. I have 7,000 extra lunches. Can you help us use them?” Isn’t it great when God answers our prayers with a yes! The problem is, God often answers our prayers requests with a “no”. It is frustrating when God answers our prayers requests with a “no”. Ours is not the first generation to experience a divine no.

Consider this: God also said, “No!” to the greatest personalities in the Bible. How do you say, “No!” to Paul? He took the Good News to the Gentile world. He was the greatest missionary of all time. Yet, when Paul prayed that God would heal him from the thorn in his side, the thorn remained. How do you say, “No!” to Jesus? He was the very son of God, who left the perfection of heaven to slum it in this world. You remember the story. Jesus prayed in the garden that this cup could be taken from him, but it remained. Jesus went to the cross and died a horrible death. If God could say, “No” to Paul and Jesus, then God can say, “No!” to you. Life teaches us that God often says, “No!” That is what makes our scripture lesson so difficult to understand. It is almost like Jesus is lying to us. The text is not really about prayer. It is about the very nature of our loving God. Let me end this blog with this story.

In the early days of Dallas Theological Seminary there was a critical need of $10,000 to keep the school open. During a prayer meeting, renowned Bible teacher Harry Ironside (1876-1951), a lecturer at the school, prayed, “Lord, you own the cattle on a thousand hills. Please sell some of those cattle to help us meet this need.” Shortly after the prayer meeting, a check for $10,000 arrived at the school, sent days earlier by a friend who had no idea of the urgent need or of Ironside’s prayer. The man simply said the money came from the sale of some of his cattle! What a great story!

Isn’t it great when our prayers are answered, “Yes”! The problem is, sometimes God says, “No.” However, God always loves us and longs to hear the desires of our hearts. Never forget it. Prayer is important. Prayer may not change every situation, but prayer will change you. How much time do you spend in prayer? The great reformer Martin Luther said it best. He said, “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.”

Sell Your Possessions!

Today, we find ourselves in the tenth chapter of Mark, verses seventeen through thirty-one. It is a story we know well. It is recorded, with minor variations, in Matthew, Mark and Luke. Combining all three gives us the whole picture. According to the three Gospels, Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem when he is confronted by a rich young ruler. In other words, this man has everything this world has to offer. He is rich, so he can buy anything his heart desires. He never looks at a price tag or is concerned with sales. He is young, so his health is good. His calendar is not filled with doctor’s appointments and funeral home visitations. He is a ruler, so he has influence. He has friends in high places. He has everything this world has to offer, but he doesn’t have everything.

His soul is restless, so he goes to Jesus to obtain spiritual peace. Verse 17 is key. It says, the rich young ruler asked Jesus clearly, what must I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus answers the question with a question. The Master asked him if he was guilty of murder or adultery. Had he ever stolen, given false testimony, or defrauded someone? Had he always honored his father and mother? The man had kept all those commandments because the man had been sincere from birth. He was a true child of his faith. Jesus must have been impressed. However, this is the problem: Salvation is not obtained by what we have not done. Salvation is obtained by what we do. What does Jesus want this young man to do? The Master wants the young man to sell his possessions and give the money to the poor. That way, he will be free to follow him. Why would Jesus say such a thing? This is the answer: Jesus knows our possessions are often damaging to our spiritual health.Can I be honest with you?

It is my experience that we know the story of the rich young ruler, but we don’t like the story of the rich young ruler. The words of Jesus are too radical. Are you willing to sell all your possessions and give all money to the poor? If you sold all your possessions and gave your money to the poor, you would find yourself both bankrupt and homeless. Jesus’s words seem to be insane, so we dismiss them. Many believe this story is reserved for the truly rich, not us. It is reserved for the 1% of the American population that controls 38% of our nation’s wealth. He can’t be speaking to the 90% of the American population who own 78% of our nation’s debt. This is the problem: Jesus is speaking to us. I don’t want to sound like a preacher, but in comparison to most of the world, we are rich. We don’t consider ourselves rich because we compare ourselves with people who live at the same standard of living. You know the truth. We are much better at seeing the things we want and blind to the things we have. It isn’t just true of the youth going on a mission trip, it is true for all of us. Sometimes, we need to experience someone else’s world so we can appreciate our lives. We need to step out of our worlds to learn something about our world.

I live about fifteen miles from my childhood home. Every time I am in Warren, Ohio, I drive through the old neighborhood. I always liked driving through those east side streets and my wife likes listening to my silly stories about my childhood. The tour is exact the same every time. We drive by the location of my old elementary school, McKinley, which has been torn down. We drove by the location of my old Junior High School, East, which has been torn down. We drive my old high school, Harding, which is now torn down. (All my former school buildings are now torn down. They are trying to destroy the evidence J)  We drove by the homes of my childhood friends. Some are boarded up. We drove by my childhood home. My parents bought that house as their starter house in the early 1950s, but they didn’t leave it until I was out of college in the mid-1970s. The room that was my nursery later was the same room I slept in the night before I left for college. I do not want to sound critical, but the old neighborhood had seen better days. The street along with the rest of the city looks tired and worn out. When we get back to our home, my wife Kathryn always says to me, “Sometimes, I forget how nice our house is.” She is correct. Sometimes, when we step out of our world, we learn something about our world.

In 1996, my wife started making trips to Russia to help orphans who will never be adopted. We have traveled to the former Soviet Union several dozen times. Those trips changed me and the way I look at my life. One of the people we met during those trips was an orphan named Vlad. He lost his legs below his knees in a train accident in a Moscow rail yard. Kathryn brought him to America several times to get, and maintain, his prosthetic legs. We never legally adopted Vlad, but we did emotionally adopt Vlad. She communicates with him regularly. He is now thirty-four years old and lives in the city of Dmitrov, one and a half hours north of Moscow. Vlad lives with his girlfriend, Yulia. We took them out to dinner on our last trip to Russia. They have hard lives. Periodically, Kathryn sends them money to help. If you asked Vlad if Kathryn and I are rich, he would say, “Yes!” When I’m with Vlad, I feel rich. Sometimes, when we step out of our world, we learn something about our world.

Years ago, Kathryn and I were in Russia and stayed behind. The rest of the team flew back to the United States. We stayed behind to visit a United Methodist missionary, Matt Lafferty. He showed us his work and took us to a free medical clinic. That Russian medical clinic was filled with Africans. Their dark complexions caught me off guard, so I asked why they were there. Matt explained, Russians are extremely prejudiced against anyone of color. The Africans go to the clinic not just for their medical needs but for their social needs. I said, “No! What are these Africans doing in Russia?” He told me, many Africans have come to Russia because in Russia they have more opportunity than in their homeland. They see the Russians as rich. They see Americans as extremely rich. Sometimes, when we step out of our world, we learn something about our world.

I challenge you to discover just how rich you are. According to worlddata.info, the average person in the world makes $850 annually. The average American makes $70,930 annually. The average Ohioan makes $51,775. If you make $41,000 annual, then you are in the top 3% of the world’s richest. I know, I have gone on too long to make this point, but I want you to get it. When Jesus speaks to the rich young ruler, he is speaking to us. He is speaking to you! Like it or not, you are rich.

The rich young ruler walks away sad because he couldn’t sell his possessions. You really can’t blame him. Are you willing to sell all your possessions? The disciples are trying to understand. It is hard to comprehend. In verse 23, Jesus tells us why he said such a radical thing. This is why. Jesus said, it is hard for the rich to get into heaven. He did not say it was impossible for the rich to get into heaven. Jesus knows what we want to ignore. While money is a good thing in this world, money has a way of frustrating our spiritual growth. Spiritually speaking, how you handle your possessions and how you view your possessions are extremely important. They won’t just influence your time in this world. They will influence your eternity.

The Bible tells us four ways our money is retarding our spiritual growth.

  1. Money often leads to pride and arrogance. God hates pride and arrogance. God loves the humble.
  2. Money gives us a false sense security. Money can eliminate some of life’s problems but not all. It is God who has the final say.
  3. Money drains us of our compassion and mercy. We often think we deserve our money and judge those who don’t. Your money doesn’t make you right, but your money may make you hard-hearted.
  4. Money has a way of dividing our loyalties. Is money the driving force in your life? Or is God the driving force in your life?

Your possessions are a great test. Are you passing the test?

John Wesley (1703-1791) was the founder of the great Methodist movement. History tells us, he was aware of the influence of money on his spiritual life. He believed in making all you could so you could give more of it away. When he was a student at Oxford, his annual income was thirty British pounds. He lived on 28 pounds and gave away 2 pounds. Thirty British pounds then is worth about $6,500 today. Through the years his income grew. At one point, he made 60 pounds. Then, it grew to 90 pounds, then it grew to 120 pounds. What didn’t change was his living expenses, 28 pounds. He just gave away more all the time. Wesley was aware of the influence of money on his spiritual life. How aware are you?

Here is the good news for today: You are rich! Here is the bad news for today! You are rich! The way you handle your money, the way you view your money is a great challenge to your spiritual maturity. Remember, what Jesus said, “It is hard for the rich to get into heaven”, not impossible. The great evangelist Billy Graham (1918-2018) once said, “The greatest legacy one can pass on to one’s children and grandchildren is not money or other material things accumulated in one’s life, but rather a legacy of character and faith.”

Do Not Worry

They tell me along the rural paths in India, there are shoulder-high posts with a shelf on top. They call these posts a Soma Tonga, which means “resting place.” Travelers on foot often carry heavy loads. When travelers come upon one of these posts, they place their heavy loads on the shelf to rest. When Christianity spread to India, the new converts started calling Jesus, “My Soma Tonga.” Jesus was the one who gave them rest. Jesus was the one who shared their load. Jesus was the one who gave them strength. I like that simple illustration because that is my story.

We find ourselves in the twelfth chapter of Luke, verses twenty-two through thirty-four. This section of Luke begins in the previous chapter. It is a busy section of scripture because the author clusters various teachings of Jesus together. The teaching on worry is just one of many topics the Master covers. However, Jesus’s teaching on worrying grabbed our attention because everyone worries about something. You are not alone. Can I make a confession? I have spent many hours in the middle of the night worrying. Worry is one of those topics that unites the entire world. Our is not the first generation and ours will not be the last. That leads us to an interesting question.

What are you worried about today? Are you worried your health? There is an imperfection in your complexion, and you are afraid it is skin cancer. Or are you worried about your age? You are now the exact age your father was when he died. Are you afraid you are going to die in the next 365 days? Or are you worried about your left knee? It hurts and you don’t want to have that operation, because you don’t want to go to a rehabilitation center. They are creepy and smell bad. Are you worried about your finances? You live on a fixed income and life seems to be getting more expensive. Or you are a college graduate, but your degree is useless. Are worried about your children?  They are now in high school, and you haven’t started saving for college yet. Is anyone here worried about the weather? My sister-in-law is preoccupied with the weather. They say the heavy rain in California is caused by “Global Warming.” Do you know of anyone who is worried about global warming? Are you worried about the future? The world can only support so much population. Are you worried about the future of America? The face of America is changing. Caucasian Americans will soon be a minority. Does that fact make you anxious? Are you worried about the future of our world? There are so many hot spots and complex situations. Our society is filled with worried and anxious people. Study after study tells us, it is true.

According to the people at quickcountry.com these are our greatest worries:

  1. Health issues
  2. Memory issues
  3. Independence issues, nursing homes
  4. Sight issues
  5. Hearing issues
  6. Financial issues
  7. Being a burden to others, living with loved ones
  8. Their mind failing but their body staying fit

Research from the APM Research Lab, tells us 84% of Americans feel extremely or very worried. So, when Jesus says not to worry, his words fall on deaf ears. Worrying is one of the things we do naturally.

Verse 22 is the perfect example of why you must read the Bible in context. It says, Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear.” What is Jesus really trying to say? Jesus knows it is impossible to eliminate our worries, but he also knows it is possible to control our worries. Jesus wants us to control our worries for one reason. He wants you to enjoy every day of life. Psalm 118:24 says, “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!” The next time you are overcome with worries, remember three things.

First, the next time you are overcome by worries, remember you are valuable to God. You are so valuable God came into the world to have a relationship with you. That is why we celebrate Christmas. It is a time to stand in awe of the Incarnation. God became one of us. It is obvious, but Jesus said it. You are more valuable than a raven. You are more valuable than a lily. You are so valuable to God that Jesus, the Incarnation of God, died on the cross so God could spend eternity with you! Never forget it. You are valuable to God!

Second, the next time you are overcome by worries, remember to seek the Kingdom of God first. In the tenth chapter of Luke, Jesus visits Mary and Martha. Prior to his arrival, there are a million things to do, so Mary and Martha are working hard. The problem begins when Jesus arrives. There are those last-second things that must be done. Martha continues to work hard but Mary stops working to listen to Jesus. Martha goes to Jesus to express her frustration, but her words fall on deaf ears. He reprimands Martha for her poor priorities and praises Mary. That story teaches us one major point. Filling your life with good things isn’t good enough. The driving force in your life must be the best thing, Jesus!

It is easy to fill our lives with good things. I see it all the time. There is nothing wrong with celebrating birthdays. There is nothing wrong with spending time with family and friends. There is nothing wrong with looking fashionable. There is nothing wrong with eating a delicious dinner. There is nothing wrong with watching football or baseball. There is nothing wrong with reading a good book or listening to your favorite tunes. There is nothing wrong with any of those things. The problem is those things are only good. They will not sustain you during life’s worries. They are not the best thing. The best thing is God, who never fails. Jesus is our Soma Tonga. That is why Jesus said to seek the kingdom of God first! We need rest from our worries. The next time you are filled with worry, remember you are valuable to God and to seek the kingdom of God first.

Third, the next time you are overcome by worries, remember to live life one day at a time. Looking ahead and guessing about the future can be overwhelming. You know it is true.Most of the things we worry about never happen. Most of the things we worry about are out of our control. Don’t let tomorrow’s worries rob you of today’s joy. Live one day at a time.

When my children were young, we ate dinner together every night. It didn’t seem like a big deal then, but it does now. It has been years since the four of us ate together. The menu changed but it was the same every night; we talked about the various things that happened throughout the day. Everyone talked. The girls talked about their friends. They talked about their teachers. They talked about what they wanted for their birthdays and Christmas. Often, they would talk about their worries. They spent a great deal of time worrying about things that might happen. If I said it once, I said it a million times, 90% of the things we worry about never happen. I don’t know where I came up with that wise advice, but it is true. Just think about it. Most of the things you worry about don’t happen. The best you can do is the best you can do. Your worries don’t change anything. The next time you are filled with worry, remember you are valuable to God and to seek the kingdom of God first. In the end, the best thing you can do with your worries is trust God.

My wife Kathryn is a proud graduate of Vanderbilt University. I am extremely proud she is a Vanderbilt graduate. It is an outstanding academic institution. Her days in Nashville were filled with all kinds of wonderful memories. She tells the story of being in a history of Methodism class. Like all classes at the Harvard of the South, it was demanding. The only saving grace in that class was the announced quizzes. Periodically, the professor announced there would be a quiz on a certain day, covering a certain amount of material. There were numerous quizzes throughout the semester. One day, the professor announced a quiz would be issued during the next class. Only a fool wouldn’t study that material for the next class. Kathryn isn’t a fool, so she planned on studying the night before the quiz.

Just as she opened the book to study the assigned material, a friend called and needed to talk. She was a young woman by the name of Marion, but everyone called her by a nickname, Mimi. Kathryn said to come and thought she would only stay a few minutes. She had to study for a quiz. When Mimi arrived, she began to talk and a short time later, her words became emotional. Mimi talked about her boyfriend. Mimi talked about their relationship. Mimi talked about their physical relationship. Mimi, it pains me to say it and I never met her, talked about her abortion. Mimi talked about her grief. Mimi talked about her shame. Mimi talked about her regrets. Mimi talked, and Kathryn actively listened. She listened for a long time. After all the words, tears and emotions, Mimi left. Kathryn was exhausted. She looked at the clock, and the hour was late. It was too late to study for the quiz. She was too emotionally spent to study for the quiz. She went to bed and tried not to worry about the quiz. She tried not to worry, but not worrying was impossible. With no other option, she prayed for help.

When she got to the history of Methodism class, she was sick with worry. Then, the miraculous happened. The professor walked in and announced to the class there would be no quiz that day. He simply changed his mind. According to Kathryn, it was the greatest announcement in the history of Vanderbilt University. That leads me to an interesting question.

When was the last time you worried about something that never happened? The only thing that matters are those things that matter in one hundred years. The only thing that is going to matter to you in one hundred years is Jesus. Your worries really do not matter. However, worrying is a part of life. Our worries are part of the human experience. We can’t stop worrying, but our worries can be controlled. Never forget it. In the end, God is in control. American author Leo Buscaglia (1924-1998) once said, “Worry will never rob tomorrow of its sorrow, it can only sap today of its joy.” Jesus said it best, do not worry.

Take Down the Curtain

One of the great preachers of our time was a man by the name of Fred Craddock (1928-2015). He taught homiletics at the Chandler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta. No one has influenced my preaching more than him. The reason is simple. No one can tell a story like Fred Craddock. Let me give you one example.

Craddock tells the story about going back to his hometown in rural north Georgia. He decided to eat breakfast at a café run by one of the members of his church. It was a restaurant in what’s called a “shotgun house” – a long slender room with a door at each end. In this case one door opened onto the front street. The other door, the back door, opened onto the alley. The owner of the restaurant was a man by the name of George. When Fred walked in George looked at Fred and said, “Let’s go for a cup of coffee.” Craddock was surprised. “You don’t have coffee?” But George insisted. They went to a nearby fast-food restaurant and sat down. “You know the curtain?” George asked. “Yes,” said Craddock. The curtain George referred to was stretched out across the middle of his café, between the two doors of the shotgun house. It was there to segregate. White folks entered the restaurant by the front door from the main street. Black folks entered from the alley. “The curtain’s got to come down,” George said. “Then take it down,” replied Craddock. “But if I take it down there’s a lot of folks who won’t like it,” said George. “Then leave it up,” said Craddock. “If I take it down, I may lose my business,” said George. “But if I leave it up, I lose my soul.” Sometimes the world can be an ugly place.

What would you do? Would you take the curtain down or would you leave the curtain up? It is not just a story about a restaurant owner in north Georgia. It is our story. Daily, each one of us must decide. Are we going to stand up against the things that are wrong and lose something in this world. Or are we going to ignore those issues and lose your part of our soul? That is a question each one of us must answer. Do you take the curtain down or do you leave it up?

It even happens when you read the scriptures. We ignore and accept certain things. For example, look at the text for today, Matthew 2:1-12. The main characters in the story are the Magi. You know them because you know the hymn, We Three Kings. Sometimes they are called Wise Men. The truth is the song has taught us more about them then the Bible. I am only interested in what the Bible says.

What does the Bible say? Prior to our reading the Bible says they came from the east during the time of King Herod. They came because they had seen a star that signaled the birth of the King of the Jews. They went to the palace because they assumed a king would be born in a palace. However, their assumption was wrong. While their astrological skills were excellent; their Biblical knowledge is limited. The only thing they really accomplished that day was exciting the insecure King Herod. This is Bible. Jesus was two years old when they finally saw Jesus. They left him some expensive gifts, odd gifts for a baby. By then Joseph and Mary had left the manger and were living in a house. In a dream the Magi were told to return home by another route, by passing Herod in Jerusalem. In a dream Joseph was told to move his tiny family to Egypt, keeping Jesus safe. King Herod’s opportunity to kill this new born King of the Jews was gone and he reacts in a violent way. Verse 16 says, “When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.”  I find that to be one of the most disturbing verses in the Bible. What started out as such a good thing, worshiping Jesus; Ended in a horrible way, the death of baby boys.

That is why we keep the curtain up? We try to avoid tension; We try to avoid conflict. We try to avoid anything that is ugly because those things are upsetting. We want every situation to be a win-win situation. However, sometimes people lose. The Magi fit nicely into your nativity set but there is never any room for dead baby boys. Could it be we have edited the Bible to make it agreeable to our senses? That is one of the things that disturbs me about our generation’s relationship with the Bible. We have distilled the Bible stories down to cartoon characters and have sucked the life out of each scene. The Bible was written by adults, for adults.

Could it be we have edited the world to make it agreeable to our senses? We keep the curtain up, so to speak, because it hides the truth. Every situation in our world is not a win-win situation. Sometimes people lose and the church is called upon to renounce such behavior. The church has been called, “the conscious of society.” It is those things I really wants to talk about today so don ‘t expect this blog to be easy. What are you hiding behind the curtain? If you keep the curtain up, you will make everyone happy! But if you keep the curtain up you will lose part of your soul. This is my advice for you today: TAKE THE CURTAIN DOWN! You are a disciple of Jesus Christ and God expects you to stand for what is right!

Several years ago, I found myself in the country of Belarus. It is located west of Russia and north of the Ukraine. Don’t worry if you don’t know Belarus’s location. It is one of those ugly places in the world. It is a country that really has no real future because of her past. The future of that country ended on April 26, 1986. You remember the event, Chernobyl! Today, Chernobyl is abandoned. In 1986, it was part of the Soviet Union, located in northern Ukraine. On April 26 of that year there was a nuclear accident of catastrophic proportions. Radiation poured out of the plant. On that day the wind was blowing from the south. The radiation clouds blew over Belarus and devastated a large portion of the country. One-third of her land was suddenly gone. By the time I arrived the Soviet Union was gone, and the country of Belarus was an independent state. It will be thousands of years before the radiation is gone. Until that happens Belarus has no real chance for progress. They are a poor neighbor in the world community. No one really helps her because no one really cares.

I will never forget the condition of the children when we arrived. They were pale, sick, and cold. The radiation had suppressed their immune systems. They had no heat in the orphanage because there was no money to fix the boiler. I was always taught that America was different. I was taught that America was good and cared about the poor in the world. When I asked the question how much money does America send to the country of Belarus? I was told nothing! Why? Because Belarus offers no political advantage to our country. Sick children were living in a 40-degree orphanage because they offered us no political advantage. That is just plain wrong. The story of Belarus does not stand alone. How many other world issues are were hiding behind the curtain? It is time to take the curtain down.

One of the finest people in my community is Kathleen Price (born 1950). She is an incredible person. She is the founder and director of the Mission of Love. This is the mission statement of her organization: You are not here to save the world but are to touch the hands that are within reach. She has touched many hands through the years in many locations. She has helped people in Belize, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Peru, and the Pine Ridge Reservation. I knew of her work in parts of the Spanish speaking world, but I didn’t know she helped Americans.

The Pine Ridge Reservation is in the southeastern corner of South Dakota on the Nebraska border. It is the eighth largest Indian reservation in America, measuring nearly 3,500 square miles. That makes it larger than the states of Delaware and Rhode Island combined. Nearly 29,000 Americans live on the reservation today. Over the past 200 years these people have lost nearly everything, including their language. The numbers are not pretty. Up to 85% of the people on the reservation live below the poverty level. Adolescent suicide is four times higher than the national average. If you are a man, then you can expect to live to the age of 47; if you are a woman you can expect to live until you are 52. Kathleen Price and the Mission of Love go to help these people. They go to Pine Ridge because their own government has basically turned their back on these Americans because they are native Americans. It is just easier to keep the curtain up. The story of the Pine Ridge Reservation does not stand alone. How many national issues are hiding behind the curtain?

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Years ago, I talked to a member of the clergy who was in an awkward spot. A retired couple came to him with a request. The had both been widowed and were tired of living alone. They wanted him to officiate at their marriage, but there would no marriage license. Why? The reason was simple. If she legally married the man, then she would lose her deceased husband’s generous pension. They wanted a pretend wedding so they wouldn’t lose income. Do you any of anyone who is living together so they won’t lose their deceased spouse’s pension check? It is not that uncommon. Do you know of senior citizens who live together unmarried for economic reasons? Do you know of anyone of any age that lives together? I don’t want to shock you, but sometimes young people live together too.

Living together has become part of the landscape of our society. Everyone says, “The times have changed.” I know times have changed. We are very high technique. We have cellular telephones, the internet and high-definition televisions. However, living together is one of those things that is hiding behind the curtain. It is one of those things that is socially accepted but it is still morally wrong. Marriage not only protects individuals but it protects society as well. Living together does not stand alone. How many other personal issues are hiding behind the curtain?

Do you remember what the Bible said? The Bible said the Magi came to worship the newborn king. Their hearts were in the right place, but they had two flaws in their plan. First, they came too late. According to verse 16 they came two years too late. Second, they went to the wrong place. The Magi went to the palace in Jerusalem. They should have gone to the house in Bethlehem. If you combine those two mistakes, then you discover one of the most disturbing verses in the Bible. The insecure King Herod ordered the killing of every two-year-old boy and younger. Does anyone’s nativity set include dead baby boys? Of course not! It is easier just to ignore it. It is easier to keep it hidden behind the curtain.

How many things do we hide behind the curtain? What world issues do we hide behind the curtain? What national issues to we hide behind the curtain? What personal issues do we hide behind the curtain? Don’t you think it is time to take the curtain down?

Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh

We find ourselves today in the first twelve verses of the second chapter of Matthew. This story is only found in Matthew. The challenge for us is ignoring all the traditional information about this story. If you want to be Biblically accurate, then you must listen to the Bible. What does the Bible say? The Bible says sometime after the birth of Jesus, Magi came to worship him. The Bible does not say they are kings. The Bible calls them Magi. Who are the Magi? Kings have political interests, but the Magi had no political interests or aspirations. They were more interested in spiritual matters. They sought God in a variety of ways. One of those ways was the stars. It is through their study of the stars they discovered a king had been born. It is at this moment they make one massive mistake. They assumed a king would be born in the palace. They went to insecure King Herod’s palace. Sadly, this wrong assumption caused the death of baby boys two years and younger. The Bible is not always kind. Devastated by their mistake, they were overjoyed when the star reappeared. When they found this newborn king among the commoners in Bethlehem, they worshipped this special child and offered him treasures.

Verse 11 says, “Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.”  What kind of gifts are those to bring to a baby? You can be honest. They were not as bad as used toothbrush or second-hand clothes, but they were odd. They seem odd to us because we are not as wise as the Magi. While they were blind to the political events of their day, they fixed their eyes on eternal matters. From some unknown source they knew about Jesus’ earthly ministry. In other words, they must have known what would happen to Jesus in the next thirty-three years. Just think about it. Gold was the perfect gift for a king. Jesus was the King of Kings. Frankincense was the perfect gift for a priest. Jesus was the ultimate high priest, acting as a bridge between mankind and God. Myrrh was the perfect for someone who was going to die. It was used to embalm the dead. It is those three gifts I want to examine in this blog.

Gold was a perfect gift to a king. What is gold? Gold is a precious metal that is reserved for special people and occasions. Did you know an ounce of gold sells for approximately $1,900? How much gold do you own? It has been called the king of metals. Seneca (4 BC – 65 AD) tells us that in the ancient empire of Parthia, no one approached the king without a gift of gold. It is truly the perfect gift for a king. Never forget, Jesus is the king of kings. Jesus is our friend, but Jesus is not our equal. We must always meet him on terms of submission.

History tells us Admiral Nelson always treated his defeated enemy with kindness and courtesy. After one of his naval victories, the defeated Admiral was brought to Nelson. Knowing his reputation for kindness and courtesy, he walked up to Nelson and stuck out his hand to shake it. Nelson’s hand remained at his side and said, “Your sword before your hand.” Before we can be Jesus’s friend, he must have our complete submission. Do you submit to Jesus or is he just your friend? Gold was the perfect gift for a king. Gold was the perfect gift for Jesus.

Frankincense was the perfect gift for a priest. What is frankincense? It is the bark from a boswellia tree. That bark was used to make a sweet perfume that was used by priests during sacrifices. Those sacrifices were used to make connection between mankind and God. The Latin word for priest means “bridge builder.” Remember, Jesus was the ultimate high priest, the ultimate bridge between mankind and God. Jesus was the incarnation of God. He just didn’t study us from afar. He became one of us.

The scriptures tell us Mary and Joseph respected the Law of Moses. In Luke 2:22-40, we learn they went to Jerusalem in accordance with that law. After the birth of a son, the law demanded two things. First, women had to wait 40 days to go to the temple to offer a sacrifice. Mary had to be purified to re-enter society. Second, Jesus had to be consecrated to the Lord. At that time, Jesus was circumcised. They went to Jerusalem to attend to those matters. It was a big day in their lives, but they didn’t have a clue what was about to happen. Like every parent, they knew their son was special. They were about to find out how special.

They meet two characters during their time at the temple. The first was a priest by the name of Simeon. He was filled with the Holy Spirit and was told he would not die until he saw the Messiah. The Holy Spirit did not lie. On that day he was in the temple courts and a young couple walked up to him. They expect him to just circumcise their son. They must have been shocked by the way the priest reacted to their baby. Simeon was overjoyed. He knew Jesus is the Messiah! The second person they met was Anna. In terms of this world, she had nothing. She was an old widow who lived her life within the temple. However, spiritually, she was rich. She was a prophetess. She is the one who announced to the crowd that Jesus will bring redemption to Israel!

I love Simeon and Anna. They model for us the importance of patience and they remind us of the uniqueness of Jesus. They knew what we often forget. Jesus was not just another good man. Jesus was not just the leader of another world religion. Jesus was different. Jesus was the son of God. Jesus was the incarnation of God. Jesus would forge a relationship between us and God that still stands today. In other words, Jesus was the great high priest! Frankincense was the perfect gift for a priest. Frankincense was the perfect gift for Jesus.

Myrrh was the perfect gift for one who was going to die. What is myrrh? It is a spice that was used to embalm the dead. I hate to say it, but Jesus did die. You remember the story. Thirty-three after Jesus’ birth, he is executed like a common criminal. The Bible tells us he did nothing wrong. As a matter of fact, he did everything right! He never committed a single sin which made him the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world. That fact is only important if you admit, you are a sinner. Sinless people do not need a savior. Sinless people do not need Jesus. However, you do need Jesus because you are a sinner. What does the Bible say? It says, “All have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) That means anyone who has ever lived is a sinner. It means you are a sinner. Let me say this clearly. If you think you are going to heaven by your good works, then you are wrong. Jesus is and always has been your only hope of salvation. Myrrh was the perfect gift for someone who was going to die. Jesus died so we could live. Myrrh was the perfect gift for someone who was going to die. Gold, frankincense, and myrrh were the perfect gifts for Jesus! Let me end with this question.

What did you get for Christmas? I hope you didn’t get one of these. Several years ago, gather magazine listed the worst Christmas gifts. This is their list:

          1. Nose hair clippers

          2. A pet rodent

          3. A vacuum cleaner

          4. Mascara

          5. Hand-me-down clothes

          6. A photograph of yourself

          7. A year’s supply of NutriSystem diet food

          8. A month gym membership

          9. Socks

According to Squidoo.com, these were the most desired gifts for Christmas.

          1. Cell phone

          2. Tablets

          3. Televisions

          4. Movies and sports streaming devises

          5. Gaming

          6. Remote control toys

          7. Cologne

          8. Docking systems

          9. Amazon gift card

          10. Unique cameras

What did you get for Christmas? Did you get any of those things for Christmas? They would have made the perfect gift. This is the bad news for today. Jesus didn’t get any of those things. The Magi showed their wisdom in their gifts. What did you get Jesus for Christmas? Never forget, Christmas is not your birthday.  

Perfect Balance

On February 24, 1584, Pope Gregory VIII (1105-1187) signed a papal decree that the Christian world would accept the new Gregorian calendar. The motivation behind the Gregorian calendar was the Julian calendar, which assumes that the earth takes 365.25 days to circle the sun. The days are divided into twelve months. The months are divided into weeks and the weeks, days. An extra day is added every four years. We call those years “Leap Year.” According to the Gregorian calendar the new year begins on the first day of January.

The new year is celebrated around the world. Can you name any other holiday that the world, in its entirety, has embraced more than New Years? Did you know Sydney, Australia celebrates the New Year by exploding 80,000 fireworks for an estimated crowd of 1.5 million at the stroke of midnight? In Valparaiso, Chile two million come to see fireworks explode. In England, everyone gathers at the London Eye to watch fireworks as Big Ben strikes midnight. In New York City, a crystal ball is dropped in a one-minute countdown in Times Square. In Rio de Janeiro two million people gather on the famous Copacabana Beach to watch a fifteen-minute fireworks display. Edinburgh, Scotland hosts the world’s largest Hogmanay events to celebrate the New Year. It lasts four days. Finally, in Central America New Year’s events are scheduled throughout the entire month of January. Can I ask you a simple question?

Why do so many people get excited about New Years? The world does not celebrate any other day on the calendar like New Year’s Day. Why January 1? Just think about it. There is nothing special about March 1. We barely notice it. No one cares about August 1. The world does not notice the coming of November 1. December 1 is lost in the Christmas season. What is it that makes January 1 so special? Why do so many people get excited about a New Year? If you surveyed the worldwide crowd, then you would discover there are several reasons why people celebrate the New Year.

Some celebrate the New Year because they will celebrate anything. This group is always ready to party. It really doesn’t matter the event. They are the same people who pretend to be Irish and celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day. They are the same people who pretend to have Mexican roots and celebrate Cinco De Mayo. They are the same group that celebrates Thirsty Thursday. For this group any reason is a good reason to party, so why not celebrate New Year’s Day? Some celebrate the New Year because they will celebrate anything. Are you in this group?

Some celebrate the New Year because they are glad to see the old year end. For many, 2022 was a difficult year. It was the year you lost your job. It was the year you lost a loved one. It was the year you lost your good health. It was just a bad year, so you are glad to see it go. It is my experience every year was filled with both the good and the bad. For example, in 2021, my daughter got married and I had major surgery. Perhaps, it is just human nature, but I reflex more on the hardships of that year. Some celebrate the New Year because they are glad to see the old year end. Are you in this group?

Some celebrate the New Year because they need a new start. I am in this group. Do you feel like you need a brand-new start? I have not owned a paper calendar for years, but my wife does. Annually, she will walk in the door and show me the new calendar. Her old calendar is faded and warn but your new calendar is clear and crisp. Each day is empty and filled with possibilities. What do you want to do in 2023? What do you want to do better in 2023? We make New Year’s resolutions because we know we can do better. We know we can do better physically, so we are going to exercise and lose weight. We can do better intellectually, so we are read more and watch less television. We know we can do better with our relationships, so we are going to more time with our loved ones. We know we can do better spiritually, so we are going to spend more time with God. There is no better time to improve yourself then right now. That takes us to our scripture reading.

We are instructed today from the first nine verses from third chapter of Ecclesiastes. It was written by King Solomon. He will always be remembered as a man of wisdom. Some have questioned that because he had 700 wives. (One is enough for me!) He reminds us to live life in balance. It is true in every aspect of your life, including your spiritual life. You cannot just live alone. You must live your life with God. Solomon understood, individuals who live their lives without God are fools. Afterall, our time in this world is very short. So, this is the question.

Is your spiritual life in balance? In Matthew 4:4, Jesus quotes, Deuteronomy 8:3. It says, “Man does not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Our world has a surplus of people who are living spiritually out of balance. There is a time to do the things of this world and a time to do the things of God. How much time do you spend doing secular things? (Working, paying bills, cleaning the house) How much time do you spend with God? (Worship, devotion, prayer) King Solomon believed mankind is basically blind to God’s ways. We spend our days chasing after things that really don’t matter. How many meaningless things are going to fill your calendar in 2023? How much time are you going to give God this year?

Today, my goal is to help you live more spiritually balanced lives. I am going to do that by doing two things. First, I am going to remind you of something you must never forget. Second, I am going to challenge you to do something that maybe unique to you. Remember, our goal is to live spiritually balanced lives. There is a time for the things of this world and there is a time for God.

First, if you want to live a spiritual balanced life then I want to remind you that you are a child of God. That is easy to forget in our world. We are so busy running around; we are so busy dealing with life’s problems and challenges. Never forget, you belong to God. The Westminster Confession of Faith says, “The purpose of life is to glorify God.” In Romans 14:8 Paul says, “If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.” Never forget that you are a child of God. Is the way that you live bringing glory to God?

On September 3, 1967, the old television game show “What’s My Line?” went off the air. It had been a staple on CBS for seventeen years, airing 867 episodes. Do you remember What’ s My Line? If you do, then you have been watching television for fifty-five years! Do you remember how the game was played? What’s My Line was a guessing game. The panel would ask the guest ten “yes” and “no” questions. They were trying to discover their vocation. At the end of the questions the panelists would guess what the guest did for a living. In seventeen years, the country discovered there were many odd vocations and many people who did not stereotypically look like their vocation. So let me ask you the question.

So, what is your line? You can earn money in many ways. You may be a teacher, preacher, librarian, engineer, secretary, or a person of business. Those are ways to earn money, but they are not your primary purpose in life. Your job is only a part that you play in this world. It is how you pay the bills. However, what you really are is a child of God. If you are going to live a balanced life, both secularly and spiritually, then never forget your true purpose, to glorify God. Does your life bring glory to God? Or do you have some work to do?

Second, if you want to live a balanced spiritual life then I challenge you to develop a plan to help you grow spiritually. In other words, I want you to schedule God into your life. I hope you make God a real priority in your life. There should be a time for service and a time for the spiritual disciplines. Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962) once said, “It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan?” What is your plan to grow spiritually in 2022?

Years ago, I preached through the Old Testament book of Nehemiah. Do you remember his story? He went back to the city of Jerusalem. The city at that point in history laid in ruins. Nehemiah dreamed of building a wall around the city so he could rebuild it. Along the way we learned that he was both a visionary and a leader. We learned he was detail oriented. Do you remember? He had a plan. He knew the length of the completed wall. He knew the height of the completed wall. He knew the thickness of the completed wall. Based on those facts he knew the resources he needed to complete the wall. Having a plan does mean you don’t trust God. Having a plan simply means you going to do your best for God.

What is your plan to grow spiritually in 2023? Maybe one of the reasons you aren’t growing in the faith is that you don’t have a plan? How much time are you planning on giving God this year? Are you going to read the Bible more? Are you going to pray more this year? Are you going to mediate more this year? Have you scheduled God into your life, or doesn’t God fit into your plans for this year? What is your plan to grow spiritually in 2023? Let me end with these random facts.

Did you know the first electric light was so dim that a candle was needed to see its socket? Did you know the first steamboat took 32 hours to chug its way from New York to Albany, 150 miles? Did you know Wilbur and Orville Wright’s first airplane flight lasted only 12 seconds? Did you know the first automobiles traveled 2 to 4 miles per hour and broke down often? Carriages would pass them with their passengers shouting, “Get a horse!” What do those stories teach us? They teach us one thing. How you begin really doesn’t matter. What matters more is how you end.

How are going to end 2023? Are you going to be closer to God then you are at this moment? The great wise one, Solomon, said mankind is basically blind to God’s meaning for man’s existence. We spend our days chasing after things that really don’t matter. Life is meant to be lived in perfect balance! Is your life in perfect balance between the secular and the spiritual? Or do you have some work to do. Now is the time to begin.