Posted on by Cheryl Norman w/a Mary Jo Delaney

How Soon We Forget

Pastor Sherry’s message for 10/11/2020, 

Scriptures: Ex 32:1-14; Ps 106: 1-14, 19-23; Phil 4:1-19; Matt22:1-14

I have a friend, a woman who is divorcing her husband of 35 years. She has had it with his emotional abuse, his put downs, and his neglect of her relational needs (He sees no need to change since what they have is working for him). She has left their marital home but has had some difficulty finding affordable and safe housing. Her two sons invited her to move to the city where they lived, which she did. Once there, however, she determined that her son with children has too much going on in too little space, and does not need her adding to their chaos. Her other son’s significant other has not welcomed her, despite her son’s reassurances to the contrary. She does not want to move into an assisted living facility. So she is looking into either renting an apartment in a safe neighborhood; or finding a reasonable duplex; or building a “tiny home”—either in one son’s back yard, or in a “co-housing community” where all residents have separate “lodges” with bedrooms and baths, but share dining and recreational facilities with other members of the community. (I had a professor at FSU who, with her Lutheran pastor husband, built a “lodge” in just such a community in the early 1990’s. Apparently this idea has resurfaced today.) In other words, my friend wants to maintain her independence while also experiencing a sense of community.

Fortunately, she is a follower of Christ Jesus and has not lost faith in Him even though her marriage has been a huge disappointment. She has had to make some tough decisions for herself, but she has not erred like the Ancient Israelites. In today’s Old Testament passage, Exodus 32:1-14, Moses had been up on Mt. Sinai, communing with God, for about 40 days. Some of the people assumed he’d been gone so long he must have died. He’d actually gotten the 10 Commandments–and additional instructions on living a life pleasing to the Lord–as well as God’s blueprint and particular specifications for the Tabernacle. With no paper and pencil, or no laptop, these things took time.

But the folks at the bottom of the mountain made the surprising decision that they needed a new (old) god, rather than just selecting a new leader. Where was their trust in the Lord? He had said He would be with them. Where was their faith? Didn’t they remember the miracles they had observed and experienced? Even more intriguing, where was their logic? How soon they forgot!

As Psalm 106 tells us, they abandoned and betrayed God, once they got scared, despite all He had done for them. They should have reminded themselves of God’ s past faithfulness and His provision. But instead, they came up with a crazy plan—which Aaron their apparently apostate minister agreed to—to fashion a golden calf to worship. Verses 19-20 report (NLT)-→The people made a calf at Mt. Sinai; they bowed before an image made of gold. They traded their glorious God for a statue of a grass-eating bull. They neglected to cry out to their their powerful Creator and instead decided to worship a statue they themselves had created. To me, this makes little sense.

Fortunately my friend has not abandoned God in her time of distress, and neither should we.  When we find ourselves in a terrible fix, that is exactly the time to call out to our God. When we are stuck between a rock and a hard place, that is exactly the time to trust that He is there and will hear us and respond to us. In God’s foresight and provision, my friend ran into a mutual friend at a church she was trying out. She had known this woman from Florida, but had forgotten she’d moved to this very city some years back. As our God would have it, this woman invited her to live in her basement apartment until such time as she could afford her own place.

In today’s Gospel,(Matthew 22:15-22), Jesus adds to His earlier condemnation of the religious rulers of His day: In the Parable of the Great Feast, Jesus gives them yet another warning–as well as a key lesson in abiding in faith: Special guests had been invited, but they (the Jewish leadership) made their excuses and did not come. These excuses were lame and indicated disinterest, disobedience, and lack of respect. As we saw last week, the King is enraged and punishes them by destroying them and their city—again a prophesy of the destruction in 70AD of Jerusalem by the Romans. Then the King dispatches His servants to bring in those the 1st guests would have considered undesirables (deplorables), like Gentiles and prostitutes and tax collectors. He supplies wedding clothes and is angry when a guest does not come dressed appropriately. This is not a concern with fashion; it is rather God’s concern for our cooperation and obedience. The king supplied the special clothes! All the new dude had to do was put them on (i.e., say yes to Jesus). But he would not! (Yes to coming, but No to complying with God’s requirements). The head-strong, stiff-necked, disobedient guy gets tossed from the banquet. Jesus goes on to say (v.33)…”Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” This is the 3rd parable of judgment on the Pharisees, elders, and Scribes. They had neglected to teach how the people should approach God’s heart in love, and had substituted scrupulous adherence to His Laws. They had replaced having an intimate relationship with the Lord with ritually going through the motions—and missed out on having a deep abiding faith in Jesus, God’s Son.

In our New Testament reading today, the Apostle Paul provides 5 ideas for how to live a joyful, peaceful life, despite our troublesome circumstances: First, in verse 1 —Rather than worry about an unknown future—which could change in a New York minute–let’s set our minds on heavenly things and stand firm in the LORD. This includes setting aside our quarrels with others. Like Euodia and Syntyche, we should figure out a way to not take offense against another Christian. Remember, I have mentioned before John Bevere’s book, Bait of Satan, in which he states that choosing to take offense against another is taking Satan’t bait and it does not serve us well. As Christians, we should forgive insults or slights from others; we should grant grace to others as Jesus has to us.

Second, in verse 4 —We are to rejoice! i.e., to celebrate! Our joy comes from our relationship with Jesus. A good habit to have is to daily think of three things you can be and are grateful for and thank God for these. This practice will help you feel better. This practice will retrain your brain to focus on what is positive rather than the negative. Noting the negative may keep us safe; but it does not lead us into peace and joy. Developing this practice will help you better note and remember the good things that God is doing in your life. If they had daily repeated 3 miracles God had done for them since leaving Egypt, the Israelites would not have fallen so quickly (40 days) into idolatry. My friend has had some rough days, but her deep faith in Jesus has pulled her through them. She has not soon forgotten God’s goodness to her!

Third, verse 6 —Rather than be anxious (or rebellious), we should pray — Bring every concern we have to the Lord. No matter is too small; if it matters to us it matters to God. Then follow up the request with thanksgiving. Notice: We are not assuming God will do what we ask every time—the “name it and claim it gospel”; but we thank Him because we trust and appreciate that He always hears and pays attention to us, and intends to answer us in ways that benefit us.

Fourth, in verse 7 —When we pray and leave our worries to God, His peace, which transcends all understanding will descend upon us. In the place of stress, we will feel His deep shalom peace. This peace depends on our relationship with Jesus, not on our current circumstances.

Fifth, in verse 8, Paul asks us to put on the mind of Christ! J. Vernon McGee calls this list of characteristics, “the shortest biography of Christ.” 

(Through the Bible Commentary on Philippians, Thomas Nelson, 1991, p.98). 

Isn’t it accurate that Jesus is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy? When we focus on living out these attributes of Jesus, we really are putting on the mind of Christ. Our news media tend to emphasize whatever is scary, depressing, unexpected, or horrifying. This tends to lead us to believe their reports accurately depict reality. We have to remember, however, that the true, the good, the noble, the right, the pure, the lovely, and the admirable are not considered news. Some network news persons end their programs with an example of something good, but we do not hear enough of these things. If we are to live out lives that demonstrate peace and joy, we have to discipline ourselves to look for and celebrate the good! Paul saw the truth of this long ago. Secular Psychology has just recognized this truth in the past 25 years. In 1999, Dr. Martin Seligman, a psychologist famous for his research on depression, became the president of the American Psychological Association. In his first address to the profession, he said the field of psychology was “half-baked.” Psychology had spent its first 100 years trying to help people get from mentally ill to normal, from negative numbers to zero. He challenged the field to begin to research what it takes to help people become happy, and unleashed more than two decades of happiness research. The results are amazingly very Christian: forgive people who have harmed you; help someone else; practice gratitude; take care of your body, exercise, rest, and eat right; thank those who help you, etc. In a way, do those things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy.  

God has given us, in His Scriptures, a pathway or the keys to a life of peace and joy. We don’t want to be like those faithless Israelites, forgetting God’s previous provenance every time they faced a crisis. This week, let’s be mindful of (1) keeping a heaven-mindset, standing firm in the Lord; (2) Rejoicing! Christians should not be grumpy! (3) Praying, the small and the big things, turning them all over to Jesus, leaving then in His care, and resisting the impulse to take them back. (4) We need to let go of worry while also being grateful to God for His many blessings. (5) We need to seek God’s peace and His continued blessing. And let’s remember that our retirement home is Heaven! Our invitation to the wedding supper of the Lamb came at a great price, the precious blood of Jesus Christ! AMEN!

©️2026 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman w/a Mary Jo Delaney

In whom Do We Trust and Love?

Pastor Sherry’s message for December 18, 2025

Scriptures: Isaiah 7:10-16 ; Matthew 1:18-25

A story dating from the 1930’s or 1940’s is told of a British man rushing to catch a train.  He and his friends needed to make it aboard this particular train or face waiting a long time until the next, which would put them arriving at their destination in the wee hours of the morning.  As he and his friends ran through the station, he accidentally kicked over a small table supporting a vendor’s box of fruit.  Apples tumbled out all over.  The guy and his friends made it to the train with seconds to spare.  As he looked back at the mess they had made, he wondered if he should risk returning to help and miss his train.  Waving his friends on, he decided to turn back to assist the vendor.  He noticed apples everywhere, kicked here and there by hurrying travelers.  He saw a boy of about 9-10, looking dazed and helpless, but doing nothing whatever to retrieve the apples.  

As he got closer, he realized the boy, the vendor, was blind.  The man began to collect the apples and place them in the box.  He could see that many of them were by now badly bruised.  So, he took out his wallet, and handed the boy a twenty.  As he placed the bill in the boy’s hand, he said, “Here, please take this $20.00 for the damage we did.  Hope we haven’t spoiled your day.”  As the man walked away, he heard the boy loudly call to him, saying, “Sir, are you Jesus?”  (Story origin unknown.)

This boy obviously had some notion of who Jesus was and how He might be expected to act.  He thought the man might be Jesus because of his kindness and generosity toward him.  He thought the man might be Jesus because he hadn’t just ignored him, but had made things right.  The man wasn’t Jesus, but he had acted like Jesus, hadn’t he?  He’d righted a wrong.  He had provided for the boy when no one else did.  He was trustworthy and grace-filled.

Our Old Testament and our Gospel lessons point to the fact that our God is worthy of our trust (and our love).  

A.  The context for Isaiah 7:10-16 is the year 734 BC.  King Ahaz of Judah is surrounded by enemies threatening to invade his kingdom:  Rezer, king of Syria and Pekah, king of Israel, have formed a coalition against Ahaz.  So Ahaz is considering aligning himself with either Egypt or with Assyria for safety.

What do we know of Ahaz?  He was a descendant of King David,  a grandson of Uzziah, and son of Jothem, both of whom had been good kings.  He’dbeen 20YO when he ascended the throne and reigned for 16 years.  Unlike his father and grandfather, however, he was a man without faith in the one, true God.  It had been recounted in 2 Kings 16:3-4–>Unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God.  He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son in the fire, following the detestable ways of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites.  Ahaz was apostate.  He worshiped the crude and evil Canaanite deities.  He even went so far as to sacrifice his first son to Molech.

He is faithless but God nevertheless sends the prophet Isaiah to speak to him.  Ahaz erroneously assumed that because he does not worship God, he cannot expect God to help him against his enemies (failing to consider that God might love His people and want them saved, despite their king’s disbelief.).

Isaiah meets him at the source of Jerusalem’s water supply, and also where clothing was washed clean, and informs him that God will not abandon him or Judah.  God tells him, through His prophet Isaiah, that he can even ask for a sign that will indicate that this promise is true.

Ahaz acts pious (v.12)–>Far be it from me to ask God for a sign…I would never test God like that!  He is in a national emergency, but He doesn’t trust God to help him–even given this very trustworthy prophet.  Notice the symbols included in the narrative:  They meet at the access to Jerusalem’s living (flowing) water (an image of Christ from John 4); it is a place where the unclean are made clean; and Isaiah is accompanied by his son, Shear-Jashub (whose name means a remnant will return, thus indicating a future of Judah and Jerusalem). 

Ahaz is looking to the current crisis, but the prophet predicts a long-term solution, Jesus:  He will be born to a virgin; He will be born a son; He will be Immanuel, God with us;  He will eat yogurt (curds) and honey, the food of poor people (available during drought or years of poor agricultural yield); By the time He is 11 or 12YO, the age of reason, the kings Ahaz fears will have been taken over and deported by the Assyrians.  Scholars believe there was probably an Israelite princess then, in Ahaz’ time, who would marry and give birth to a son—proving the near fulfillment of the prophesy.  But, in the longer view, we know this predicted child is Jesus.

B. This ancient story is a clear set up for our Gospel, Matthew 1:18-25.  Matthew relates the tale from the perspective of Joseph.  Contrast Joseph’s trust in God with Ahaz’s lack thereof:  He has learned that Mary is pregnant.

Instead of demanding that she be stoned, as he could have, he (v.19)…was a righteous man [who] did not want to expose her to public disgrace, decides to quietly divorce her.  He loved her and he loved God.  God sends him a dream in which he learns from the Angel Gabriel (v.20]–>Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.  Unlike King Ahaz, Joseph is a man of God and so he believes the angel and is obedient.  He marries Mary and cares for her.  He does not consummate the marriage until after the baby was born.  And he does name the baby Jesus.

What a fabulous segway for Matthew!  Matthew is the Gospeler to the Jews, whose goal was to demonstrate to them how Jesus fulfills the prophesies about the Messiah from the Old Testament.  Immediately he refers to our Isaiah lesson (vv.22-23)–>ll this took place to fulfill what the Lord has said through the prophet:  The virgin will be with child and will give birth to son and they will call him Immanuel, which means, “God with us.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

The New Testament scholar and Anglican Bishop, NT Wright, claims that until Matthew wrote his Gospel, no one had ever thought of this Isaiah passage as referring to the promised Messiah.  But under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Matthew did. Matthew, in our Gospel passage, attests to the supernatural origin of Jesus.

Jesus is both human (born of Mary) and divine (born of the Holy Spirit).  In Jesus, God Himself is here, God Himself is with us.

(NT Wright, Matthew for Everyone, John Knox Press, 2004, p.7.)

John Ortberg, a Presbyterian pastor and author, writes in his book, God is Closer Than You Think, (Zondervan, 2005, p. 16):  The central promise in the Bible is not, “I will forgive you,” though of course that promise is there.  It is not the promise of life after death, although we are offered that as well.  The most frequent promise in the Bible is “I will be with you.”  This promise is spoken in Scripture over and over again.  Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, King David, the prophets, the Virgin Mary, and the Righteous Joseph all heard the comfort and the promise:  Don’t be afraid, I am with you.  Ahaz was afraid and mistrusted God’s promise to him, God’s sign to him.  He did not love or trust God.  He did align with Assyria against his northern enemies; but, in 722BC, the Assyrians overran Syria and Israel, and made of Jerusalem a vassal state. 

These Scripture passages demand that we think long and hard about Who we trust and love.  They contrast Ahaz’ unbelief with the faith of Joseph:  Joseph too was afraid, but God told him not to be and he was reassured.  In fact, God made him the same promise he had made to the old, idolatrous king:  “The Child will be a sign, Immanuel, God with us.”

We have the same choice as Ahaz and as Joseph:  In Whom do we trust and love?  In our own devices, our own schemes to save ourselves?  Or in the God of love?  In Immanuel, the One who promises to be with us, no matter our stresses, trials, illnesses, or difficulties. 

Our King and Savior now draws near.  Come, let us adore Him.

©️2025 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman w/a Mary Jo Delaney

Without Regrets!

Pastor Sherry’s message for September 28, 2025

Scriptures: Jer 32:1-15; Ps 91; 1 Tim 6:6-19; Lk: 16:19-31

Before I begin this morning, I want to apologize to you for a mistake I made last Sunday. I really do my best to be sure what I preach and teach from Scripture is accurate and supported by the scholarship of noted Christian authorities in whom I trust. But last Sunday I wasn’t paying proper attention to the names of the two men in Jesus’ parable. I erroneously stated that the rich man was Lazarus and the poor man was Dives, when the opposite is true! The word divies means rich man in the original Greek of the New Testament. So that guy is really unnamed by Jesus—we just know him by his position, by his wealthy life style. And the poor man is named Lazarus (a possible clue that he is valued more by Jesus than the other guy?). Again I apologize for the mistake (I never claimed to be perfect, just forgiven!)

Unlike Jesus’ good friend, Lazarus, who He raised from the dead, and who was well off financially, this Lazarus was a poor, sick beggar. However, the two men were similar in that they were righteous believers in God. So the poor beggar finds himself in Paradise while the rich, entitled, godless Dives finds himself in Hades or Hell. Dives lived a life sold out to money;

In Jesus’ parable, Dives becomes the beggar—though with an arrogant attitude—while Lazarus has become the rich man.

(J. Vernon McGee, Through the Bible Commentary on Luke, Thomas Nelson, 1991, p.207.)

Do you think Dives regretted the ungodly way he lived his life? It seems pretty clear that he did. He’s living in torment and is desperate for a drop of water. If we don’t want what is happening to him to happen to us, we need to live our lives—beginning today if not before this—without regrets.

Our passages today suggest how we might accomplish this:

A. Both the Gospel passage (Luke 16:19-31) and Paul’s admonitions to Timothy (1 Timothy 6:6-19) warn us not to be tempted by the love of money. Focusing our thoughts and efforts on money will squeeze out or replace our single-minded devotion to God. Paul states in verse 10 (NLT) For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. It may or can make life easier this side of eternity, but it doesn’t really satisfy. Being wealthy doesn’t guarantee us good health or gratifying relationships. What does ultimately satisfy is what Paul exhorts Timothy to do in verse 11—Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. By righteousness and godly living, he means live a life pleasing to God. Remember the “WWJD” bracelets from the 1990’s? If we would think before acting, “What would Jesus do?” we would find ourselves on the right track.  By then listing faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness, he is saying live a life that demonstrates the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22—…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control).

Paul goes on to urge young Pastor Timothy to (verses 17-19)—Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, Who rightly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life. In other words, it’s not having money that is the problem for us humans. The problem is do we spend our resources on just doing for ourselves—better and grander homes, better and grander vacations, more extravagant clothing, vehicles, toys and entertainments—or do we see the needs of others and give to them generously from our extra?  I participated in a weekly Bible Study small group for 5 years while I was in seminary. One couple in the group included a physician whose spouse invented and sold medical equipment. They were very wealthy. I wondered as we studied this very passage how they did not feel condemned. It was because they generously funded a number of charitable concerns.

Jesus tells us Dives lived in luxury, while Lazarus lay at Dives’ gates, a sick beggar, hoping for crumbs from Dives’ table. Apparently Dives knew of him but never offered to help him. He could have offered him medical treatment, but he didn’t. He could have provided him some “take out” from his table, but he didn’t. Dives was selfish and self-focused. His love of money blinded him to the needs of others. He did not love God. He did not love others. No wonder he found himself in the bad place, enduring eternal regrets! As I said last Sunday, this is not where we want to find ourselves.

B. Psalm 91 is extraordinarily comforting, isn’t it? Iff (this is an indicator of an important “if” clause) we (v.1)— live in the shelter of the Most High…and iff (v.2)—[God] alone is my refuge, my place of safety…my God, and I trust Him…Then (v.3)—…He will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease.  He protects those who trust in Him. We who do trust in Him are protected from enemies, disease, the wicked, and fear…because He assigns His angels to watch over us. Friday I talked to someone who had prayed—like I did—for God’s protection over their home during the worst of our three hurricanes last year. As with me, trees were blown over all around them, but none fell on their house or car. I prayed for safety from 11:00pm until 2:00am (the time the hurricane was raging over my neighborhood)—and even heard the sound of a tornado (striking the chimney of a neighbor 2 houses away), but my home stayed safe. I had a pastor friend who lived in a coastal Mississippi town during Hurricane Katrina. Her home was the only one left standing in her neighborhood. She told me she was embarrassed before her neighbors. I replied that her home was a monument/an Ebenezer to the goodness of God to those who love Him. Hers is an example of the safety that this psalm speaks of. This is the result of our faith in a God who keeps His promises.

In verse 14, the psalmist writes—The Lord says “I will rescue those who love Me. I will protect those who trust in My name.” If you can say this and believe it, God holds you in the palm of His hand.

Truly trusting in God is a way to live life without regrets.

C. But you may point to our Old Testament lesson (Jeremiah 32:1-15) and say, “But what about them?” As we tune into the prophet, the year is 587 BC and Jerusalem is under siege by the Babylonians. For over 30 months, their army starved the city into surrender and then swept in through the broken down walls and gates, overcoming any remaining opposition. They destroyed the Temple of God. They set fire to the city. They slaughtered the old and the infirm, and carried off most of the rest into slavery in Babylon. The godless king, Zedekiah, escaped but was captured by Nebuchadnezzar in Jericho. He was forced to watch all his sons put to the sword; and then he was blinded and led off to Babylon.

Prior to this, Jeremiah had been imprisoned by the heretical king, because Zedekiah hated hearing the prophet’s accurate predictions of Jerusalem’s coming defeat. I wonder if he regretted having blown off Jeremiah’s warnings. 

Curiously, in the midst of the siege, God tells Jeremiah to buy property in his hometown, Anathoth. Doesn’t it seem strange to buy property—a sign of hope in the future—in the midst of wartime and defeat? But God is thereby saying to Jeremiah and the people of the Southern Kingdom that “this too shall pass.” Have you ever said this to yourself? I have. My mother died just before my comprehensive exams, tests over every class I had taken in my doctoral program. I was grieving as I had to dedicate time to study, but consoled myself saying, “This too shall pass.” I did the same while undergoing childbirth, surgeries, and other painful things—and so can you! The Lord is intimating, through this real estate transaction, that His chastened people, cleansed of idolatry, will return to the Land. And 70 years later, the king of Persia, Cyrus, frees them to return and to rebuild Jerusalem. Of course, Jeremiah has long since perished, but God’s restoration of His people came to pass. The point is that our God redeems His people. He may discipline us, but we can hope in the future because of His love for us.

Let’s have no regrets!  Let’s choose to live our lives in such a way that we please our all-powerful, loving and grace-filled God. The psychologist Erik Erikson postulated that we are presented with a series of developmental stages as we progress through life. He believed we are confronted with a crisis at each stage that we must master in order to enjoy good mental health thereafter. The first one, at about age 2, is “Trust vs. Mistrust”. By that point have we learned to trust others or not? If not, we will be emotionally crippled as we move through the remainder of our life. Interestingly, he named the final stage before death, “Integrity v. Despair.” To be emotionally healthy in old age, we need to be able to look back over our life and decide that despite our flaws, we actually did the best we could. In other words, we can say we have few regrets. Those who, like Dives, see a number of instances where we made fatal mistakes will find ourselves in despair. Let’s determine now, today, to live so that we die without regrets.

©️2025 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams