Prepare Ye The Way

Message presented to my church on December 5, 2021, the Second Sunday of Advent

Texts for the day:  Malachi 3:1-7, Philippians 1:2-11, Luke 3:1-20 (The Proclamation of John the Baptist)  Please read the texts prior to reading this post to get the full meaning of the message for today.

Psalm 19:14 - Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.  Amen.

A man I know, T, spent his life working and planning toward the day when he would retire, and he and his wife would be able to travel and explore the world and enjoy the family and life that they created together.  He did everything right, by the world’s standards.  He saved his money, he built a retirement fund, he planned and dreamed about that future day when everything would be fulfilled and they would reap the reward of all their labors.  He was all set.  He was prepared.

In a Mirror Dimly...

My message given in church on Sunday, July 25, 2021

The readings for the day:

• Psalm 136:1-9
• Genesis 9:8-17 
• Ephesians 3:14-21 
• Mark 6:45-56 

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In 1 Corinthians 13 verse 12 we read,

“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then we will see face to face.  Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known.”

Sit with this verse for a moment while I tell a story.

The higher plane...

Rest for a moment in Colossians 3:2: 

Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.

This verse is serving as a lifeline for me right now as we endure a multitude of hardships affecting every single part of our lives.  

My latest favorite song is giving me comfort in these very stressful days, and speaks directly to this verse.  The whole world is in turmoil, we don't know what new catastrophe each day will bring, and there is fear and a longing for the old world that suddenly seems lost to us.  Aren't we all searching for the right answers to make everything "right" and normal again?

Change....

 My daughter recently said something that struck me in its truthful simplicity.

Discomfort is okay, blasphemy is not.

In this age of discomfort on every level, that is a profound truth, and has given me a lot to think about.

Witnesses

Each week as I create the bulletin for my church, I review the texts and think about them so I can create a front cover that will reflect the focus of that week's lessons.  Sometimes, a single word jumps out at me, while other times, it is a turn of phrase that catches my attention.  (I am not sure it is always the theme that the pastor or the rest of the congregation thinks it should be, but I try!)

This has been an arduous month for me, for a variety of reasons, and this week a phrase really hit home.  In Hebrews 12:1-2 we read:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  (NIV)

Choices

Faith?  Works?  It is the age old question, built into Christianity from the earliest moments, when followers of Jesus questioned the gift of salvation delivered by the crucifixion because it was, quite simply, too easy.  We want to work for our salvation (or perhaps, if we are being devastatingly honest, we want others to have to work for theirs.)  We want to be in control of it, to earn it, and to know others have worked as diligently as we have so it's all nice and tidy and, well, you know... fair.  We want choices - to choose whether or not grace is available, based on our own system of right and wrong.  We want to be judge and jury where salvation is concerned, because it is much more difficult to reconcile the grace bestowed at the cross upon someone we see as unworthy than it is to accept it for ourselves.  But God had other plans.