Box of Chocolates

 

We have been through books of the Bible, One Month to Live, several years though the lectionary, the Confession of Faith, some segue-type connectors between our major excursions, and now today, Tom’s just going to preach some of his favorites.

I’m proud of you for doing the book-by-book approach to the Bible. We did it for 5 years. Do you realize that?

I remember that after 10 years of me suggesting this, we said we would do it and we did it. That was Christmas come early for me—figuratively and literally. We started in March and so did Covid.

But we—you—had read your chapter in advance before Covid, so when we went to online only mode, what you would hear on Sunday message from what you had been reading all week.

I think that closed some of the distance between those here and those remote. I am a little angry with myself on this, but I am being slow to being angry with myself because that was what was studied by you and preached by me in March.

What was I upset about?  After this whole Covid thing was over, I asked you if you listened or worship during the Facebook broadcast. I had a follow-up question. Who stood for the invocation? A fair number said they did.

So, what am I upset about?  I didn’t follow up, but I would still like to know if you wanted to stop by my office before the end of the year or shoot me an email.

I would like to know whether your weekly readings, followed by online Sunday worship, led to the continuation of the subject, themes, or a single verse during your lunchtime. In my initial proposals to sync study and sermon, I wanted to use this metric after a few months, but in the craziness of Covid, it just got bumped to the bottom of the list.

I thought that my metric was appropriate. It could produce good fruit. When I can leverage something for the good of a greater community, that’s in my DNA. It’s part of my fullness in living to the full.

I looked in my pocket the other day before I put my trousers in the dirty clothes hamper and found I still had A Round Tuit in there, so now I’ve gotten around to it. I would lie to know not just for me, but if here is something to this spill over effect, I want to pursue I more.

So back to the syncing of study and sermon among the older classes and me and the timing of implementation.

Over the years my private conversations with God, I wondered, “Why is your word not good enough for them? What’s the hold up?”

And then it hit me. God didn’t have to say anything. It was like I was watching this reel of Jeremiah going to the potter’s house.

I wasn’t at the potter’s house, but I could see this thing as well as Jeremah saw his. Let me show Tom why we are starting to read the Bible at this time and in this book.

It was perfect timing for us. I see it! I see it! We were Covid-ready for worship. I don’t just mean I had ordered one of those 60 or 84 rolls of toilet paper just before the infamous TP run of 2020. We were Covid-ready for worship.  I might have started the TP run with that purchase.

Of course, my own understanding had to be satisfied. There ought to be a proverb to help me. Then why couldn’t we start this 10 years ago?  We would be on a roll by now and not miss a step!

How long did you stick to that plan?

We did it for 5 years and then it was a bit much for some and some had just stopped reading every day, and so we stopped. “How  did you know it would be 5 years?”

I’m glad this wasn't an out-loud dialogue, but nothing is hidden from God, not even this beginning of a thought.

Have you ever been to an adult class or training session where the instructor said, “What are your questions. There are no stupid questions.”

Yes, there are.

And I’m thinking, we don’t do this whole act of penance thing here, but in addition to my reading of James, I reread Job with a viable empathy.

One last thing on this books of the Bible business.  I probably read the same scripture more than anyone here, usually involving multiple translations.  Danny’s probably close, but his PAS instructors have him reading a bunch of other books too.

While I understand that it might seem hard, hopefully nobody thought it boring, but I get it. It is the same scripture every day for a week. I know the drill.

I get it. This discipline business of a disciple starts our as a challenge before it has a chance of becoming a habit.

This has been my week for the past 17 years and I am filled. I am not anorexic, but I am constantly hungry for more.  Reading the scheduled scripture led me to so many other scriptures that sometimes I had to remember the scripture I was preaching.

I tell you this because I don’t want you to be afraid to try it again. Maybe a year or two is your current limit. The first time you walked upright, you probably didn’t get very far, but you did not quit. You gave it another try because you were somehow wired to continue. There was something of value in this new mode of moving forward.

Same with this approach. Keep it in your quiver.

 

Enough on that.

Do you remember Lonnie Webb? He had come from the Assemblies of God, through the Committee on Preparation for ministry to recognize his ordination, and needed to preach somewhere in the denomination, so we brought him here.

I was the chair of the committee, so my thinking was, ask your session before you start calling around. Lonny was about in the middle of Covenant, Eastlake, and us. I’m sure Leslie or Linda and their sessions would have found a time, but we received him here.

As we sat side by side during the service, Lonnie stared at his bulletin for a while and then said, “Man, you guys read a lot of scripture!”

 I said, “Yes we do.”  That put a smile on my face.

Now, I am going to give you some of my favorite scriptures. You heard them read earlier. I might sneak in another one or two dozen before intermission.

Joshua 1:9. Consider the interrogative that begins this verse, at least in most translations.  In the words of “Have I not commanded you?” is the revelation that this is not something new.

God and Joshua had previous conversations on this topic. There are no surprises here.

This is an affirmation that with the blessing and burden of command comes a heavy weight or responsibly. God told Joshua I’m with you in battle. See what I send to your enemies before you even get there.  I’m with you in this governing this too. I’ve always been with you.

I’ve got this. I should jump back over to the 23^rd Psalm. God’s got this. Do you think that Joshua knew he 23^rd Psalm?  That would be some stuff there.

Is it possible he got an advanced copy?

 But we will move on from those Elena read earlier.

Micah 6:8. What does the Lord require of me. What are the standards. I’m trying to figure out his whole God thing, but where do I start?

Seek justice. We should be fair people, watch out for those abused by others, be on the lookout for those abusing power, and we just want things done God’s way. That sounds like a solid plan for society.

Love mercy. The verb in the first part was seek. Seek is a verb generally associated with good things. It takes some effort, but love takes something more. To seek justice is a good thing, but to love mercy is to make mercy greater than justice.

Hosea gave us these words from God:

For I desire mercy, not sacrifice,
    and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.

Jesus gave us these words in Matthew 9:9-13

As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

  While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Both are good. One is better. Do both. Give mercy the priority of your time, resources, and effort.

Some might be thinking, I love saying this most Sundays in our warmups, but now that you put it this way, I have been making some self-affirmations in what I say, specifically, that I value mercy above justice.

That’s what I have been saying. Am I giving mercy the status in my life that it deserves?

When I do those two things, I am ready to walk humbly with the Lord. What’s that mean?

Me and the Lord (I intentionally butchered the grammar for effect) got out groove on. It just feels right.  We are just walking and talking. It’s good.

Then the Lord says:

Go give that person a ride.

Go share.

Let this go.

Embrace my love and become my love.

This is good stuff and it is not mere conversation, though if God stopped with just the conversation, it would have been enough.

It’s sort of like building a team. There’s a process involved, sometimes not visible to those in the team. It’s simple: Forming, storming, norming, and performing.

Forming: We are coming into the fold.

Storming: We are fighting for our place on the team.

Norming: We see where we fit in. What’s our role or roles in the body of Christ?

Performing: That’s producing fruit season. That’s now we are in business sort of fruit. That’s where we get our groove on and just want to do what pleases the Lord.

I seek justice, but I love mercy. Now I know my place in the body. I am ready to humbly, not timidly, walk with the Lord.

 John 3:16-17. You know this and you know you should know that you are one of the very few congregations across multiple denominations that proclaims John 3:16 with the regularity that we do. I would venture to say that very, very few say 16 and 17 together.

It’s that 17 that I will give you just a nudge on. Jesus did not come to condemn but to save. Not to condemn but to save. Not to condemn but to save.  

Say it with me. Not to condemn but to save.

Why? That’s in 16. You know it. It’s love. It’s that everlasting love thing. We deserved condemnation and were given salvation.

When you are struggling with a verse or pericope, look at it through the lens of to save not condemn.

When you need that creative jumpstart on your eyes fixed on Jesus week, look at what you are reading through the lens of God’s great love for us.

There is no condemnation in Christ Jesus.

And while you are on this train of thought, remember that we were still God’s enemies when he did all of this.

 

On to John 5:24. Eternal life has begun for those who truly professed Jesus as Lord.   It’s not, I hope I live forever. It’s forever is underway.

I’m going nautical on you again. What do you do when you get underway?

Shift Colors!

Once you believe, you are part of the Body of Christ and we have set sail for wherever out Master sends us.

Ephesians 2:8-9, and 2 Corinthians 12:7-9 seem to couple. God alone saved us and that salvation is all that we need.  Our needs are satisfied.

Our greed might not be.

Our whimsical wish list is still wanting.

The things that are cutting us off in our race of faith don’t like that much.

This was fun but it was not for my amusement or yours. It is a model that you might want to try. Take 7, always a good number for a church project, 7 scriptures that you might call favorites. You might know them all by heart and then just start saying them or writing them down. See what happens.

The first time that I started making notes, one scripture led to another. The next time, others beckoned for my attention.

Did you notice that in the 6 scriptures I addressed, there were reference to dozens of others.

No. But you did notice that I only but 6 and I want you to do 7.

I have 7. I only had Elena read 6.

Number 7 comes from the 17^th verse of the 27^th chapter of Proverbs. As Iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.

So do this for yourself, then in a group of believers even though they may have different scriptures.  Why?

It’s a good direction towards grasping the full biblical witness. That’s a very desirable destination. That’s worth the trip.

I can visualize a frenzy feeding on God’s word. But maybe that’s just me.

I hope not. I think if it caught on, that would be some really cool beans. That would be the church we read about in Acts.

That would be the church that people would see as a light in the darkness.

That’s the church that will get people out of their apathy and ambivalence.

That’s the church!

Amen.

Anxiety and Thanksgiving cannot occupy the same space

 

Read Psalm 100

 

All at once, the past, present, and future walked into a bar. It was a tense moment.

Did you hear about the claustrophobic astronaut? He just needed a little space!

 Have you heard this one? The safest place that you can be is in the will of God. More on that later.

Have you ever tried that thing where you pat your head and rub your belly? Maybe it’s the other way around. Most of us can do this for a few seconds and then we go into this Mambo dance sort of thing with arms flailing.

I know very few people who can do this. I can’t say all. You might have to train your whole life to do this for 5 minutes. Some try and try but still can’t get it in sync.

In practicality, most really can’t do both. I will have to say that my data on this is minimal and might not survive the law of small numbers test. C’mon, it just doesn’t come up in conversation that much.

Then why did you put us through that quasi montage of patting and rubbing?

Fair enough. Now try being anxious and thankful at the same time.

Now try being anxious and thankful at the same time.

Somebody is saying, “I can do that. I do it all the time!”  The odds makers in Vegas love people like that. That preacher is not telling me what I can and can’t do.

You are correct. I am saying that you should try this for yourself. Those self-discovered epiphanies carry more weight in your life choices anyway. Give it a try.

Some like those who are dead set to do the patting and rubbing will put this to the test. I’ll show that preacher. I’ll be anxious and thankful at the same time. I will show him.

And you can do both with an extreme amount of effort and maybe then you can juxtapose the two for a very short time—a very short time until they repel like same poled magnets.

The return on that investment of effort is sort of like paying for a 14 bedroom 9 ½ bath, 4 garage, two swimming pool with indoor and outdoor hot tubs dream home—mansion—and getting a 1966 Ford Esquire station wagon with who knows how many miles as the odometer does register anymore, it sometimes (2-3 times as year) might start with a jump, the windows are frozen down in the winter and up in the summer with no air conditioning, there’s no power steering fluid as the receptacle won’t hold it, and oh by the way, what you are paying for is a 2 hour rental of this beauty. That was also my college car for 2 years.

For those who are practiced in the art and science of thinking and can run consequences and sequels through their minds as they contemplate harboring anxiety and thanksgiving in the same place, you know how this comes out. Some of you may have to do the exercise this week.

Others have eyes to see that those two—anxiety and thanksgiving—don’t play together. It’s one or the other, or as in the ancient Spence household, it was one or tuther.

Some of you will have to try this yourselves, but I am going to proffer this without waiting for your exercise. You can’t be anxious and thankful at the same time.

You can’t be anxious and thankful at the same time!

Rick Warren—the Purpose Driven Life author and Saddleback church pastor—says if you can worry, you can pray.  You can worry and pray at the same time, but your prayers would lack trust.

It’s like telling God, “I think I got myself into something this time that’s bigger than you are.”

God told me many times in his word not to worry or be anxious.

Do you ever wonder if God uses any of our modern terms to explain things? I don’t think he does. He calls pastors and teachers to do this. Since Jeremiah took the potter and the clay, let’s try something nautical.

Have you ever been on a big ship?  Let’s get some nautical basics.  Hold up your left hand. That’s port. Now hold up your right. That’s starboard.

The rear of the ship is aft. The front is fore. That’s easy.

Where the ship comes to a point in the front, usually a few decks, that’s called the bow.  This is the “I’m the king of the world” spot on the ship. It’s the forward-most point of a ship, right?

Actually, not. OK, all I can see in front of me is the ocean and the air, not a ship.

That does not mean it’s not there. Has anyone ever heard of the bulbous bow? It’s a forward projecting, generally cylindrical part of the ship that protrudes from the ship.

I have never seen that. That’s because it’s underwater. It makes breaking waves much easier as the ship moves forward.

That’s cool, but if you think we are going to general quarters or holding a man overboard drill, you’ve got another thing coming. What’s this got to do with thanksgiving?

There is a group of people in the church universal that often serves as the bulbous bow  for the body.  He is talking about the session, right?

Yes, but they are only a small part of it. I am talking about you and every other faithful servant of God who continues to gather in the assembly. We often make it easier for the rest of the church to come home—at least we should, and if you have been sleeping through the past few decades, many of those who have received the free gift of God have rejected the counsel of Hebrews and do not continue to gather.

Why is this important for us? We know those who do not gather are missing fellowship and assurance, and so much more. They are less disposed to discipleship. They are disobedient unto the Lord. We get that. We need to invite people to come and worship the Lord.

Why is this important for us? The lost need good news, but those saved by grace who do not gather need something else. What?

A stronger argument? More facts and figures? More snacks between services? More time to think it over.  A Connex box? If it actually is a Connex box, I have been the worst stumbling block ever! But that’s not it.

How about provocation?  We are supposed to provoke the disconnected. In our modern world, we have tried to emasculate this word and consider it a bad thing. If you provoke someone, you might cause a fight.  That’s what we have been indoctrinated to think. Let’s go to the verse right before the one that tells us not to stop gathering.

We will go with the New International Version first.

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.

Now the King James Version.

And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

And now we go to the Revised Standard Version.

and let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,

In earlier times, the word provoke meant to call forth. It could be to call forth thinking, action, confession, creativity, and, yes, anger. If you go to the original language, you get παροξυσμός, paroxusmos (par-ox-oos-mos').

We are to be people of action, not just for ourselves, but for the body of Christ as a whole. Here, specifically, the Bible talks about prompting, provoking, stirring up, or lighting a fire for those who have their salvation, but are not putting the word of the Lord into practice.

Why would they want to gather and worship God if what they see is worry and anxiety from those who are faithful in gathering? But, but, but… We have struggles too.

Yes, we do. We also have instructions. These are the same instructions other believers have, but who do not avail themselves of the iron sharpens iron establishment that we do.  Don’t worry. Be anxious for nothing. Take courage, Jesus has overcome the world.

We have challenges in the interrogative straight from Jesus. Who can add a single hour to our lives by worrying?

Let’s get to some scripture.

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. That’s from the NIV

Here’s the King James Version.

Rejoice evermore.

Pray without ceasing.

In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

I looked at a bunch. I even did the Amplified Bible this time. It’s like scripture, commentary, and a message. That which is dynamic to the point of going beyond the strict translation is usually encapsulated in braces or brackets.

Rejoice always and delight in your faith; be unceasing and persistent in prayer; in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

People should see thanksgiving in us. We who faithfully attend should be the most thankful people on the planet. These three translations vary somewhat but are very close in one thing.

This is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

What is his will? We always rejoice. We are always praying. We give thanks to God regardless of our circumstances. I like Horatio Spafford’s words; the Lord has regarded my helpless estate and shed his own blood for my soul.

Yes, sometimes we feel helpless, but in that helplessness, we give thanks. Why?

This is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

It’s one of those, because God said so, sort of deals. Be thankful all the time. That’s impossible. For us alone it is, but with God it is not.

But what about when we lose a loved one? What about when a loved one or anyone dies in war? What about those that we have lost?  Really, God, you want me to be thankful for that?

I know the stages of loss—denial, anger, bargaining, and acceptance. They don’t always come in that order, can be repeated, and move at a different pace for each person.  Thanksgiving is not one of the stages of loss…

But it should be in every stage.

This brings me to Memorial Day and a quote from George Patton. Yes, I went with an army guy this time. I’m weaning you off of Marine Corps analogies.

"It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather, we should thank God that such men lived."

We can always be thankful. But I said that we couldn’t do that on our own, only with God. That’s still correct, but who is receiving this message? To whom am I speaking?

I am most certainly talking to those who have professed Jesus as Lord and have the Spirit of God living within you. God is not only for you; he lives within you, and you can be thankful in all circumstances.

We can be thankful in all circumstances!

Much of the time, we view living the Christian life as striving for the unattainable. God said to do it this way, and we are striving to get as close as we can to the mark, knowing full well that our reach truly exceeds our grasp.

Except for rejoice always, pray all the time, and be thankful, whatever your lot in life is at the time. Be thankful in all circumstances.

This is God’s will for your life. So, for the rest of this month, I challenge you to provoke people who do not gather in the assembly of God’s people but who have professed Jesus is Lord, to come into the assembly and  love, serve, and worship their Lord.

But how? We have tried everything. Food giveaways. Trunk or Treat. Words on the wall. We haven’t done smoke coming out of the vents, yet. Please hold off a month on that one if you do try it.

How do we provoke, inspire, prompt, stir up, call forth or otherwise get those keeping company with the twin pagan gods of Apathy and Ambivalence to come into the assembly and worship with you and other believers? What will provoke them to action?

Thanksgiving!

People already see your serving the Lord. Do they see thanksgiving in you while you serve?  Do they? But, but, but, how can I be thankful when…

My boss is terrible. Be thankful. Your boss might stink, but you can be thankful you have a job.

The rent is past due. But you haven’t been evicted. The government’s laws and regulations give you some relief. Be thankful you are not on the street.

My kids are driving me crazy. Stop letting them drive. OK, they are metaphorically driving you crazy. I got it. Give thanks that you have children. They are a blessing, and as a bonus, you get to watch your grandchildren drive your own kids crazy. Be thankful that you have kids.

Maybe I can see that a little. I don’t know. None of these covers every situation and circumstance.

But this one does.

If you are not thankful, you are not living in the will of God.

You can’t say that! Who gave you that authority? You have got to retract that one!

You are right. I can’t say that on my own authority, but Paul can and he did.  If we live in the will of God, we will be thankful. Paul said:

This is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

Let me read that again, taking out the parts where Paul stuttered.

This is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus

If you believe that the safest place you can be is in the will of God, and that thanksgiving sits well at the center of that will, then when you are not thankful, you are not living in the will of God.

For those who want to hold on to your old selves, your comfort zones, your hate, your bitterness, your preferences in which your own understanding supplants the will of God, you are not living in the will of God.

OK, I can see that. I can’t be unforgiving or walk around with hate in my heart. I get that.

Good! Now add not being thankful to that list of things that are not in the will of God for you.

OK. I get it. May we wrap this up now?

Not without an action step towards thankfulness. This will be easy. You can pick up from where it ends as you live going forward. Let’s say Psalm 100 together. My subhead says: A psalm. For giving grateful praise.

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

   Worship the Lord with gladness;

    come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the Lord is God.

    It is he who made us, and we are his;

    we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving

    and his courts with praise;

    give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;

    his faithfulness continues through all generations.

 Be thankful all of the time. Be in the will of God. Give thanks in every circumstance. This is doing things God’s way.

Amen.

Psalm 23 through the lens of John 16:33

  

Read Psalm 23

Psalm 23

John 16:33

 

Jesus told his disciples that they would have trouble in the world. There were no ifs, ands, or buts; you will have trouble.

There are no buts, but there is a constructive “but God” statement that follows this promise of trouble.

But I have overcome the world.

Jesus has overcome the world.

God has overcome all that troubles us.

Do you remember what Jesus told the disciples before he told them they would have trouble?

He said that what he was about to tell them was so that in whatever their circumstance, they could have peace.

Some of you who were awake when the scripture was read aloud might have noted that it was Psalm 23, and I have been talking about Jesus’s words in John’s gospel. It’s good to notice things like that, but I am not off track.

We will look momentarily at Psalm 23 through the lens of the promise of trouble in the world. Keep the Psalm itself intact as a go-to psalm when you need assurance. Rest in these verses when you need to, but for now, let’s look at this short piece of poetic scripture focusing on trouble, adversity, conflict, and even enemies.

Still, keep the psalm intact as a go-to psalm of assurance.

The Lord is my shepherd. That should be the beginning of most of our affirmations. The Lord is God. The Lord is good. The Lord is love. The Lord is sovereign. The Lord is my Savior. The Lord is my friend.

But most of all, he is my shepherd and in this light, he cares for my every need. The shepherd does not survey the sheep to see how they feel about a stroll through the pasture, or some time to rest, or even when it’s time for a haircut.

The shepherd knows what is best for the sheep, and he acts accordingly. The sheep, given the opportunity, might have voted for another course of action.

But the shepherd knows what the sheep need. Our Shepherd knows what we need, and he provides.

Is it provision? Is it safety? Is it rest? Is it something else?

Green pastures and still waters are provision given in peace. Most of us long for this sort of peace. We sometimes think we can get there on our own, but this sort of peace can only come from one who has the power and authority to protect us.

Green pastures and still waters are peace and provision. The lion lies down with the lamb sort of stuff.

God’s peace will even penetrate your soul. He restores at the core level.

The Lord will reset you to factory settings. He will give you a taste of Eden even in this world gone crazy.

But it’s not all about our peace. That would just be selfish, narcissistic, and all about me. It’s also about righteousness. Peace without righteousness is the world’s selling point. Satisfy yourself.

The world’s sales pitch is that it can gratify all of your wants, which it disguises as needs.

The psalmist notes that this righteousness is the path that the Lord has set for us.  A couple of psalms later, we come to some familiar words.

Show me your ways, Lord,

teach me your paths.

 He leads me in the path of righteousness! God is showing me and teaching me his way. Do you remember God’s way and everything else?

Many of the psalms that we know ask for protection and provision. That’s human nature. The psalmist knows to cry out to the Lord if you need these things.

Many of the psalms are about being rescued from our enemies. We know the world is more than we can handle alone. We cry out to the Lord.

Many of the psalms recount the mighty acts of God. Sometimes, our human spirit, our soul, our very being needs assurance. We see what the Lord has done and trust that he will continue to reign sovereign for eternity.

Some of the psalms ask for what we need to stay in step with God. He leads me in the path of righteousness because that’s who he is.  The Lord is righteous, and all things considered, we should go his way.

Too often, we are rocking out with Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks singing Go Your Own Way, when we should be keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus and going his way. Or for you old timers, you are singing I did it my way with Frank Sinatra.

Let’s get to the nitty-gritty.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.

The translations that I checked did not capitalize the valley of the shadow of death, so I’m comfortable with taking this one as metaphorical and not necessarily geographical. It could be any really, really tough set of circumstances in our lives, not just a place on a map.

We know figurative language—even Jesus used it. We have mountaintop experiences—highs. We have down in the valley experiences—lows.  We know what it means to be in the valley.

Read your commentaries, and you will find some interesting twists, but I am confident that the shadow of death applies to all of us, not just a select few living in the vicinity of David’s Israel.

Back in the day, I might have misquoted this verse to read because I am the biggest, badest… You know the spiel. And while there are still bad guys in the world, it’s one that you hope your enemies take note of, but not the assurance promised in the psalm. Now we just say, and find out… That’s the only part that makes it into Sunday’s message.

The psalmist notes that we are without fear not because of who we are or what we can do alone, but because of God.  We don’t fear because God’s got this.

God’s got this!

Specifically, today we do not fear because God’s grace is enough for me. I have already won the ultimate victory. All the world can take from me is my life in this body.

Whether we live or we die today, the Lord is with us. We will not be afraid. His rod and his staff comfort me.

Here is the really cool part. God prepares a table for us right in front of our enemy.

Yes, we are provisioned when we rest beside the still waters. We are comforted in the places we expect comfort—green pastures.

We are also provisioned and comforted when we are face-to-face with the enemy. God says ‘Watch this.” I am going to prepare a really good meal for you, and your enemies will just have to watch.

Do you remember God telling Gideon to keep sending warriors home? The victory would surely be in the hands of the Lord and not superior numbers.

God’s got this!

The psalmist tells us to let God show his stuff in our lives from time to time. Let him prepare a table for us right in front of our enemies.

Once we do that, we might just have eyes to see that the Lord is provisioning us generously all the time, even when we think we don’t have much, or enough, or can’t survive the day.

We will begin to see God at work more and more in every situation. He’s been there all along, but now we might just get to see him at work.

Thou anointest my head with oil.

Right in front of your enemies, God says, “I choose him.” He says, “My favor is upon her.”

God tells everyone, “This one’s with me.”

My cup runneth over.

Really? I’m praying daily that I make it through the day and the psalmist has the audacity to think I have enough.  I get by each day, but this image of whatever is in the cup overflowing is a bit much.

We need to go back to those eyes to see. Can we see beyond our immediate struggles—the trouble that we were promised—to what is in store?

Can we say with sincerity, “Your grace is enough?”

If we look at what is promised and compare it to what is in store for us, we will see as Paul did centuries later, that this present suffering is nothing compared to what is to come.

We have already won. Jesus won the victory. Our cups are more than filled, even if they seem a little dry at the moment.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

This is more than favor in front of our enemies. It is more than a place to rest. It is more than provision. This is an identity.

We are people who now keep company with goodness and mercy. It’s not that we just receive these things from the Lord; we now become these things. We are people known as followers of Jesus by our love.

We are all about putting a smile on God’s face. We do that when we do things God’s Way and forsake the everything else.

We do that when we show mercy to our brothers and sisters. And we have a home with the Lord, and that’s forever.

Jesus told his followers that he left them to go and prepare a place for them. We will be with the Lord forever.

You can now say with certainty, “I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

You will have trouble in the world. You will know peace in heaven.

But in between the times of hardship and the eternal bliss that we anticipate, we have Psalm 23 to affirm to us that God’s got this.

Recite the psalm as you walk or drive or do the dishes.

Say it before you take on the troubles of the day. Be strengthened and affirmed that you are secure in God’s way, regardless of what the world throws at you.

So how do we wrap up this most familiar of the psalms?

Start your day with:

·       Thank you, Lord. Add whatever specifics are on your hearts and minds.

·       Say out loud: Your grace is enough for me.

·       Begin reciting Psalm 23 and go for as long as you can. You might even pick it up later in the day. It’s not just for breakfast anymore.

Now go have a good day. Bring glory to God. Produce good fruit for God, his kingdom, and the body of Christ.

Go into the world with certainty that God’s got this. Be encouraged and affirmed that even in the midst of trouble—even when the enemy is at the gates—God’s got this.

Know that the Lord is your shepherd and do your best to know his voice. The answers you seek come in the words of your Shepherd, who also happens to be your Lord, Savior, Redeemer, Priest, Elohim, Jehovah, El Shaddai, God Almighty, and your Friend.

The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not want.

God’s got this.

Amen.

People see what we as Christians esteem and who we love

 

Read Genesis 50

We take a brief excursion into the end of the first book of the Bible. It’s a big book, and we spent a year going through it.  We will look at the first part here.

It begins in the beginning. God told Adam to bring the creation into order and make it productive.

It doesn’t take long to get to sin and murder, and people turning away from the God who created them.

Then we get a big flood as God rebaselines the world.

Once the water receded enough, people were once again sent into the world to subdue it. During this time, God selected one people by whom to show the world how to live.  They were the Hebrew people. We mostly call them Jews these days and going back to the Babylonian Captivity.

These people were blessed to be a blessing, and through these people would come the Savior of the world.  He would come in the line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, whom we also know as Israel.

This last part of Genesis deals with the death of Jacob. It would be a mundane story if it were not for Jacob’s sons. They were not without fault.

And you know the story of how much of the world was saved from famine because of what God did with the rather dastardly act of the brothers. Yes, they sold Joseph into slavery, but eventually that lands him as the second in command in Egypt and possibly the most powerful man in the world at that time.

Joseph saved everyone. Joseph brought his family into Egypt and cared for them. It’s a good story worth reading again but for now we go to the death of Jacob—Israel.

Let’s pick up with verse 1 in chapter 50..

Then Joseph fell on his father’s face and wept over him, and kissed him.  And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel.  Forty days were required for him, for such are the days required for those who are embalmed; and the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.

 

Now when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, please speak in the hearing of Pharaoh, saying,  ‘My father made me swear, saying, “Behold, I am dying; in my grave which I dug for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me.” Now therefore, please let me go up and bury my father, and I will come back.’ ”

 

And Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear.”

 

So Joseph went up to bury his father; and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, as well as all the house of Joseph, his brothers, and his father’s house. Only their little ones, their flocks, and their herds they left in the land of Goshen.  And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen, and it was a very great gathering.

 

Then they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, and they mourned there with a great and very solemn lamentation. He observed seven days of mourning for his father. And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a deep mourning of the Egyptians.” Therefore its name was called Abel Mizraim [the mourning of Egypt], which is beyond the Jordan.

 

So his sons did for him just as he had commanded them. For his sons carried him to the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite as property for a burial place. And after he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers and all who went up with him to bury his father.

 We will get to the what you intended for evil, God used for good in the next service. For now,  note two things.

First, Joseph saved everyone’s bacon, but the Pharoah and the Egyptians revered Joseph’s father. They didn’t really know him, but they knew Joseph and that was enough.

Second, those observing different aspects of this funeral and the logistics behind it noted the Egyptians' reverence for whomever this service was for. They noted that this was a big deal.

From these, we should note today that people are watching. Some have a clue as to what Christianity is and others don’t, but most are watching us.

What do we revere?

Who do we revere?

What would people see if they looked at us during the funeral of a loved one?

In Joseph’s time, the surrounding people saw grief and mourning. Jacob was an important man, for sure. That’s what the bystanders saw.

What would they see today from us?

Will they see celebration? Hope? Joy?

Or do we only mourn?

People who wish they had hope watch the people of hope.  People are watching you. We are people of hope.

What are they looking at or for? How about:

·       Did we help the least of these? Yeah, count on that being on the observer’s list.

·       Do we walk by on the other side of the road when someone needs help? That’s a big-ticket disqualifier.

·       Did we feed and clothe those who don’t have much of anything?

People will note all of those, but they will also note how we deal with death. Do we only mourn, or do we believe the promise of eternal life?

How do we deal with suffering? We just spent some time with that one. Are we still joyful as we go through our trials?

Are we forgiving? What good is it if we say we will live for eternity, but we won’t do the one thing that Jesus noted with some sternness? As your Father in heaven forgave you, you must forgive each other. Don’t mess this one up.

How do we react to the death of a loved one, suffering, and being wronged by someone?

Are we drawing people closer to God, or are we stumbling blocks for those who are lost or disconnected?

Keep feeding the hungry. Keep inviting the lost to know Christ. Keep inviting the disconnected to come home. Keep praying for those who just can’t seem to catch a break.

But know with certainty that how we respond to death, suffering, and being wronged is surely an asset or detriment to fulfilling our commission. Are we different from the world?

Let’s make it an asset. Let’s take Paul’s words as we consider Joseph’s actions.

Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

We have zeal as we serve the Lord. We have hope. We are on fire when we serve the Lord.

We are joyful, patient, and faithful as we wait upon the Lord.

That’s what people should see.  The attraction to modern Christianity shouldn’t be the words on the wall or smoke coming out of the vents during the first couple of songs. It should be the very lives of those who follow Jesus.

Your life is a testimony—one way or another—your life registers with others. They may not know your needs, struggles, or desires, but they see your choices. They see your actions.  They see your attitude in victory and struggle. The people who see you regularly see how you handle life as a follower of Christ.

Your life is a testimony.

We still share words of life with others. There’s no getting off the hook with that one, nor should there be.

Understand this. Your words carry the veracity that people see in your life. Your testimony is whether or not you believe what you say you do. Is there fidelity between your words and your actions?

People should see what we are doing as we serve the Lord and want what we have. That will prompt people to seek God. That will bring glory to God.

Amen.