Sermon Video: Come and see what God has done - Psalm 66

In a psalm of praise, the author speaks of our need to shout for joy to God, to sing the glories of his name, and then recounts the awesome deeds of God for his people and all mankind.  In addition, the psalm mentions that God preserves his people from "slipping" (immorality) through testing them with hardships.  In the end, the people of God, who have been shown the mercy of God, need to speak to others and share "what he has done for me."

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Sermon Video: The Wisdom of Perseverance - James 1:1-8

The letter of James, written by the half-brother of Jesus by that name, contains a variety of advice/commands regarding practical morality for the disciples of Jesus.  It was written to Jewish Christians in the first century, but remains easily applicable to the Church today because of its focus on how Christians should live.  The first moral lesson from James involves perseverance.  He starts the ball rolling by telling us that we should consider our various trials and tribulations in life to be "pure joy", a tough pill to swallow until you read his rationale, because of their ability to help us cultivate the character quality of perseverance.  Once we have been tested by life, either by the wickedness down to us by other people, or simply by difficult life circumstances, we will realize that our faith is capable, thanks be to God, of withstanding such things.  We can stand in the midst of the storm and hold on to our faith as we continue to work toward reaching maturity as disciples.  Along with the need to develop perseverance, James reminds us that God is willing to give wisdom to those who ask it of him as long as they don't doubt.  Biblical wisdom is the ability to know the righteous path and the willingness to choose it, something we will certainly have need of in our quest to persevere despite the difficulties of life.  It isn't doubt in ourselves that James warns will derail us, nor doubt in the seemingly insurmountable obstacles we may face, but doubt in the goodness, holiness, or love of God.  As long as we maintain our trust that God is good, that his way is holy, and that his love for us is forever, we will be able to receive from God the wisdom that we need to continue to live righteously in this world, no matter what circumstances we face, even when they are "trials of many kinds."

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Sermon Video: How do we react to trouble? - Acts 16:16-40

How Christians react to trouble matters a great deal.  It matters because we all will endure hardship at some point, whether through our own poor choices, the malice of others, or accidents for which no one is to blame.  Trouble will come to people of faith as it comes to everyone else.  Being a believer in Jesus Christ does not exempt any of us from physical, financial, or emotional turmoil; anybody who preaches otherwise is ignoring the clear teaching of Scripture on this subject.  How we respond to it also matters because the Lost are watching.  Those who don’t have a relationship with God through Jesus are watching to see if what we have is as valuable as we claim.  If our reaction to trouble is no better than their reaction would be, would difference is our faith making?  This isn’t about holding grief or sorrow in and pretending they don’t exist, that’s not the solution at all, but rather about having perspective and persevering through the difficult times because of the hope that we have in God.

            On the second missionary journey, Paul and Silas faced trouble in the form of any angry mob whose racists charge against them as troublemakers resulted in a severe (and illegal for they were both Roman citizens) flogging and jail term.  The pain and humiliation of that beating was very real, as was the clear injustice of the violation of their rights.  How did Paul and Silas respond?  With prayer and singing that very night in the jail cell.  I can understand the prayer; we all lean on prayer more when times are tough, but the singing?  How can you sing when your back is a bloody mess, at the hands of those who hate people like you, while you were trying to do the work of God?  Such a response can only be an act of grace, from God, to his people through the power of the Holy Spirit.

            As Paul and Silas prayed and sang, the rest of the prisoners were listening.  When an earthquake opened the doors of the prison, they didn’t run; they had heard something worth sticking around for.  When the jailer saw the doors he was going to kill himself out of shame, but the reaction of Paul and Silas to suffering had kept the inmates at the jail and thus saved the jailer’s life.  When he fell trembling before them his question was clear, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”  Why did he ask such a question?  Because Paul and Silas had demonstrated by their reaction to trouble that they knew the answer.  That very evening this man and his whole family became believers and were baptized.  How we respond to trouble matters.

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Sermon Video 

Hello God? Are you listening?

You ever have that feeling that maybe nobody is listening to you?  You've been working hard and doing your best, but it doesn't seem to make a difference? 
I've been there before, I've spun my wheels and wondered.  God was there with me, it wasn't easy, but we made it through (having a loving wife at your side helps too by the way).

Then there are other times, when things are all falling into place, when answers to prayer seem to come even before you get the chance to ask them.  It feels like you're coasting downhill, no need to pedal that hard even.  God is there too, even when it is easy, and he keeps me humble through it (having a wife who knows you better than anyone helps with the humility too, by the way).

A few recent things to highlight the point:
The Church has been looking into fixing the balcony of Miller Auditorium by adding a railing.  The cost would be several thousand dollars at least.  Yesterday, we hear that a local businessman has most of the materials already lying around and is willing to do the installation for free.  The correct response here is "wow!"  By the way, my secretary/office manager/church clerk was dancing in the office; always knew she had a little Pentecostal in her.

I've also been inundated of late with requests for aid; families in danger of being evicted or having their utilities shut off.  Each is a tough situation; layoffs and job losses are common these days.  After having several in one week (we can't always help resolve them too; it makes it hard, we do what we can), a young man walked into my office and told me the emotional tale of his recent troubles.  Needless to say, it was a tough situation, I didn't know how to help because the troubles seemed beyond our resources (even with the collective church fund we contribute to through Community Services).  I told him to come back the next day while I made a few phone calls.  When he returned it was clear that the weight on his shoulders had dropped overnight.  I hadn't done anything much of yet, but a kindly landlord was willing to be patient about rent and a crisis was averted.  He didn't need my help after all.

Yesterday I saw on Facebook that Mother Holly (St. John's Episcopal in Franklin) needed some extra help to unload a Second Harvest food truck.  I ended up helping a dozen or so people put food into carts and load it into their cars.  Not something terribly demanding, but very rewarding.  It was a chance to talk with each person as they went around the line getting their food, to find out about their troubles, and offer them hope for the future.

By the way, that was just some of this week's news; God, it seems, is busy these days.

Sermon Video: "My Father's house" - John 14:1-3

What is the value in knowing how the story ends?  What benefit do Christians have from knowing that we will spent eternity in God's presence?  Jesus tells his disciples to not let their hearts be troubled because they can trust him to go and prepare a place for them AND return.  Our hope is based in our trust of God, that gives us comfort for today, and allows us to live for eternity.

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Sermon Video

The Value of Persevering - James 1:12

There's something about persevering under difficulties that gets God's attention. The Bible has plenty of examples of men and women who stood up against life's difficulties AND remained true to their faith. Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David, Ruth, Hannah, Daniel, Elijah, Sarah, Peter, Paul, etc. It's actually one of the most prevelant themes of those believers in God whose stories we know about from the Bible. In James 1:12, we're told that those who persevere under trial will be "blessed" and "receive the crown of life"; much likes Jesus' list of the downtrodden "blessed" from the Sermon on the Mount.
Anybody can be commited to a cause when its convenient, even easy, but who really is willing to say, "I trust God, no matter what." In "Forrest Gump", Lt. Dan rages into the storm, defying God to do his worst; Forrest reasoned that Dan made his peace with God in that he let go of his bitterness and anger (at his "unfair" loss). What do we need to do in order to stand our ground under trial? Pray? Certainly, that's a must even in good times. Read the Bible? Sure, knowing what God has done for others, and what God has promised to you is always a big help. Talk to someone you can trust? Yes, share you're burden with another Christian, let him/her know that you're having a rough time, be honest.
Are we supposed to be happy all of the time? Put on a happy face? No, just remain true to God, even if you have to yell into the storm, stay true.