Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Eye-Black as Salt and Light

Pastor Sherry’s message for February 8, 2026

Scriptures: Isa 58:1-9a; Ps 112; 1Cor 1:1-12; Matt 5:13-20

Some years back, I read Tim Tebow’s autobiographical book, Shaken (WaterBrook, 2016) which I would recommend. In it, he shares some facts that are rather astonishing: You may remember he became known for citing a Bible verse address in his eye-black. On January 8th, 2009, for the National Championship football game against Oklahoma, he put John 3:16 on his cheeks, in his eye-black. Not only did the Gators win that game, but then Coach Urban Meyer told him afterward that 94 million people watching had Googled John 3:16-→For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Tim writes (p.155), “Talk about humbling. God is so big that He used something so small, a tiny biblical reference painted under my eyes, to impact people to search His Word.” Interesting that soon afterward, the NCAA made a new rule banning players from placing messages in their eye-black. Now some 10-15 years later, players are once again placing Biblical references in their eye-black.

Nevertheless, exactly 3 years to the day later, Tim was playing for the Denver Broncos in an NFL playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Now the NFL also didn’t allow players to put messages in eye-black. You may remember that Denver beat the heavily favored Steelers 29-23, in overtime in that game, with a touchdown thrown by Tebow to Demaryius Thomas. Following that astonishing win, a Bronco’s PR man told Tim (p.156), “Do you know that it was exactly 3 years since you wore John 3:16? And during this game, you threw for 316 yards. Your yards/completion were 31.6. The time of possession for Denver was 31:06. The ratings for the night were 31.6 million. And during the game ninety million people Googled John 3:16,” (based on statements by the TV commentators).

I find this astonishing! Tim says, “I was reminded that God…is always at work—with or without me. Just goes to show you that we never know what God can do with the small choices we make, with the stands we take, or with something positive we do even unintentionally.” Tim had done something small—changed the citation in his eye-black for a big game—and God kept using it for His glory 3 years later. Clearly no one can say our God isn’t concerned about details.

Most of us don’t receive the kind of attention a Tim Tebow does, but even so—as our Scriptures today demonstrate—we can make a difference in this world for our God, if we behave like salt and let our light shine:

A. In Isaiah 58:1-9, God is explaining to the Judeans that their religious words and actions are all about going through the motions. If they really want to show God they love Him, they will quit performing empty rituals and spouting off meaningless prayers. I know we have at least two parishioners who are really into movies. But do any of you remember “Clueless” from 1995? In it, Alicia Silverstone immortalized the sarcastic statement of skeptical disbelief, “As Iff….” Isaiah is making an “As iff” statement to the Israelites. “Yeah, right, you say you love God, but….” God is saying through him, “Yada, yada, yada…same ole, same ole; precise but meaningless worship. I am not impressed!”

Instead, He wants them to demonstrate their faith in Him through their actions—the way they live their lives: Free the wrongly imprisoned; Lighten the burdens of your workers; Stand up for the oppressed; Share food with the hungry; Clothe the naked; and Provide shelter for the homeless. If they (and we) do these things, God says, Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help and He will say: Here I am (vv.8-9).

The Israelites then, and we followers of Jesus Christ now, are to be light in the world. If we are making God first in our lives, and loving others as we love ourselves, our examples will both preserve and demonstrate God’s love and shine brightly in this dark world, helping others not to stumble and to see their way.  

B. Psalm 112:1-10 is the masculine equivalent of the Proverbs 31 woman, listing the characteristics of a man who “fears”/respects the Lord` Timothy Keller, in his book Forgive (Penguin Books, 2023, p60), asserts that the fear of the Lord is not the terror kind of fear, but rather a sense of being deeply affected or in awe of who God is and what He’s done. God is saying through the psalmist that He blesses those who are in right relationship with Him. The righteous man is blessed in that his children reflect well on him; he is economically and spiritually secure; he is generous and just, and cares for the poor; and he is well thought of by others. And even though the wicked are jealous of him, they cannot prevail against him. Light shines from this person, doesn’t it? Such a man (or woman) is exceptional, like a Tim Tebow. Their life and witness help others to come to Christ and to be salt and light. 

C. Our Gospel lesson is Matthew 5:13-20. It is part of the Sermon on the Mount, and occurs just after the passage containing the Beatitudes. In it, Jesus calls Israel (and us) to be salt and light. He also challenges us to live that out in our world.

Salt in the Ancient Near East was a preservative then as they lacked refrigeration. It stopped fermentation and decay of meats and other foods. 

You could say it was an early “green” or conservation method. Jesus is saying we are to live our lives in such a way as to preserve others. What we model in the way we live our lives should encourage others want to know the Jesus we know;

Because of the way we love God and others, they will come to want to function that way too.

Additionally, light banishes the darkness. It helps us to see clearly and to avoid obstacles. If I forget whether or not I have locked my front door at night, I may use a flashlight to light my way from my bedroom to the door. I see what is illuminated in that small circle of light and keep from stubbing my toes on furniture.

As Paul reminds us, in 1 Corinthians 2:1-12, we have the mind of Christ because of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us and reminding us of all that Jesus taught. We are clothed in His righteousness, we seek His will, and we reflect the light of His Holy Spirit from our eyes and from our spirits. So, as we go about our lives, walking in His light, reflecting His light in a dark world, people are drawn to us and to what we have in us.

In this Gospel passage, Jesus says He did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it. He is the only human being who has ever lived out the Law completely. This is how He fulfilled it—by being salt and light. This is also how He is able, this side of the Cross, to apply His righteousness to us.

When we are salt and light, God uses even the little things we do to bring glory to Himself. I read a story this week of a woman’s reaction to her mother’s cancer diagnosis: Her name was Emily Potter and she was disturbed ot receive a call from her sister affirming, “It’s cancer,” describing the diagnosis their mother had just gotten. “Not my mom,” thought Emily. “Please not my mom.” Cancer had already devastated their family once before, and they had lost friends to it as well.

“The only way that Emily knew how to express herself was to create something. So, she made a sweatshirt with the word “salty” sown across the front. She showed up to her mother’s first round of chemotherapy wearing the sweatshirt. And why did she choose that particular word? Emily says that being salty “means that I am extremely bitter, angry and resentful towards her cancer.” But it also sends the message that her mom is “tough and a fighter.”

“According to Emily, people with cancer are some of the toughest and most courageous people on earth. She wears her “salty” sweatshirt as a kind of armor, one that strengthens and preserves her bond with her mother. When she puts it on, she is saying, “I love you. I’m here for you. Let’s be salty. Together.””

(As shared in http://www.proclaimsermons.com; 2-4-26)

I want to invite you to look around this week and ask God to show you to whom you are to be salt and light; and then do what He prompts you to do: Pay a visit. Make a phone call. Send a card or an email. Provide a meal. Contribute to a worthy cause. We don’t have to do everything, just do what God places before you. Remember Tebow’s eye black…such a little act, with such a huge response. Paul quotes for us in 1 Corinthians 2:9–>No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him….Be willing to do something little, out of your love for God, and watch the Lord do big things with it. AMEN!

©️2026 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams 

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Where is Jesus in the Car of Your life?

Pastor Sherry’s message for February 1, 2026

Scriptures: Micah 6:1-8; Ps 15; 1 Cor 1:15-31; Matt 5:1-12

Years ago, when I was in seminary, my home church in Tallahassee flew me to Camp Weed (in Live Oak, Florida) to attend a women’s retreat. The speaker was a woman named Norma Dearing. She worked at the Christian Healing Ministry in Jacksonville, Florida, alongside Fr. Francis MacNutt and his wife, Judith. Norma, like the MacNutts, was able to pray for a person while hearing from the Holy Spirit exactly what they needed healing for. I remember we were all seated in rows and she came behind us, placed her hands on our shoulders, and proceeded to lift to God—without having spoken to us beforehand—exactly the issue most on each of our hearts. At first, I could hardly believe it! She had absolutely zeroed in on my needs. Then she accurately summarized those of my friends seated near me. I was so amazed—yet still skeptical—that I got up and took a seat near other friends so check to see how dead-on she would be for each of them. Wow! She blew me away! I had never heard of such a thing before. It was as though she knew us all intimately and yet she’d only just met us! I figured out that the Holy Spirit was downloading our needs into her mind as she prayed for each one of us. What a gift! 

She was also just as effective and memorable in the talks she presented. I’ll never forget that she asked us to consider where Jesus was in the “car of your life?” Is He a hood ornament? Or a bumper sticker? A decoration for show, but with no real impact on our driving. Is He in the trunk?

Perhaps we’ve taken Him in but it’s as though He’s bound and gagged–He’s along for the ride, but we don’t listen to or attend Him. Maybe He’s in the backseat, trying to direct us, but we don’t tune in or pay attention. Or is He in the passenger seat? We think of Him as our friend, but again, He has no real influence on the direction we take, the speed with which we drive, or how skillfully or carefully we manage our life. Well, the point is that Jesus should be in the driver’s seat of our lives. Occasionally you may still see a bumper sticker that says, “God is my copilot.”  But the truth is, He should be the pilot.

This is where the Beatitudes, today’s Gospel lesson (Matthew 5:1-12), clearly place Him. The first four put Him clearly behind the wheel.

We accompany Jesus where He wants to go. Our hearts are surrendered to His direction. As a result, our attitudes and behaviors are more Christ-like. The last 5 help us demonstrate Christ-like behaviors to others. Together the 9 beatitudes of Matthew constitute a road-map which directs us to a transformed and a blessed Christian life.

All nine begin with blessed-→makarioi in the Greek. It means supreme blessedness; ultimate well-being; genuinely fortunate! It can also mean jump for joy! Or Celebrate! These are Scriptural promises of both ultimate and present day blessings for persons who demonstrate these behaviors in their lives.

Let’s examine them together according to the New Living Translation (NLT):

1. God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for Him, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. Because we know that all good things come from God, we surrender our need to control our progress. Instead, we put Jesus in the driver’s seat of our lives. We say, in our hearts, “Lord, I can’t go anywhere without YOU!” And Jesus replies, “When you let Me drive, you will journey alongside Me and toward heaven.” The reward is that God reigns in our hearts, and we experience/live out the fruit of the Spirit.

2. God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Mourners care deeply. They have lost someone (or a pet, a relationship, or a job that was very dear to them. They may also be mourning their sinfulness. Sin separates us from God (leaving Jesus in the trunk or left out on the roadside.)

An ancient prayer of confession says, “…we acknowledge and bewail our manifold sins and wickedness which we from time to time have grievously committed.” Mourners may also grieve the evil and sin that abounds in our world today-→abuse, betrayal, desertion, abandonment, massive fraud, acts of revenge, violence, etc. Suffering teaches us compassion and strengthens our faith. Some has said, All sunshine makes a desert, and it’s true isn’t it. We need some rain in our lives to learn to consider the needs of others. Eugene Peterson has written, “Suffering hallows out a place in us for God and His comfort which is infinite joy.”

Jesus in His grace says such mourners will be comforted. The reward for grieving is God’s comfort. In other words, we will be snuggled up with Jesus in the front seat.

3. God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.  Meek does not mean weak-→Jesus says (Matt 11:29)-→for I am meek and lowly in heart. It means He has a gentle spirit, He is unassuming, unpretentious, not proud. Our Micah lesson (Micah 6:8) says,…Oh People, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what He requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.  This means we are to be self-disciplined and self-controlled. This position of obedient trust and submission to God’s will puts Jesus in the drivers’ seat. Jesus in His grace says that such persons… will inherit the earth! The reward for being humble or meek is inheriting the blessings of God! These blessings include God’s peace, provision, and power.

4. God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. While we may seek after food, love, money, influence, etc., this is instead a longing to be right with God and to want to see God’s righteousness prevail. St. Augustine and later, Henri Nouwen, referred to…a God-shaped vacuum that only God can fill-→This is a spiritual hunger. Matthew 6:33 says, Seek the kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need. Our reward is to to be filled to overflowing.

5. God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Our love of self is replaced by our love of God and for others. We are kind, compassionate, forgiving. We live out the behavior of the Good Samaritan—helping a wounded enemy–and that of Jesus on the Cross—forgiving His murderers. In His grace, then, Jesus rewards us with extending grace to us.

6. God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. The Hebrews believed the heart was the location of cognitions, decisions, motives, and the will. So a pure heart would be one that is sincere and truthful, whose motives are good. If we are pure in heart, we live our lives with integrity. In His grace, Jesus then rewards us with being able to discern Him in other people, and to enter into His presence through prayer and worship. Our Psalm (15) today was written by King David. In it, he maintains that only those with pure hearts or godly character can dwell in God’s presence.

7. God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. Like Jesus, we have been given a ministry of reconciliation. God’s peace, His shalom means perfect welfare, serenity, prosperity, complete good. We are to wage peace with everyone-→Romans 13:18-→If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. This includes being at peace with God, with others, and even with yourself. We are not to harbor self-hate, but to cultivate a healthy self-love. In His grace, Jesus declares that such behavior labels us as sons (and daughters) of God. In other words, being a peacemaker renders us God-like!

8 & 9. God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are My followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember: the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way. If we are living out Christian lives, we will e persecuted. Right living convicts those not living right. Right living riles Satan. Peterson says, “To be persecuted is to be take seriously as a Christian.” Our gracious reward is that we are in great company! Romans 8:17 says, If we suffer with Christ, we shall be glorified with Him. And Paul goes on to state in 2 Timothy 2:12-→If we suffer with Him, we shall also reign with Him.

So, are you aware of where Jesus is in the car of your life? We tend to puyt ourselves in control, and may bring Jesus along somewhere. But the Beatitudes teach us to put Him formly in the driver’s seat. These Beatitudes are a road map for Christian transformation, which place us on the route to true happiness. May we each, with the help of the Holy Spirit, learn to live them out. 

©️2026 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Pedaling in Tandem

Pastor Sherry’s message for January 25, 2026 

Scriptures: Amos 3:1-11; Ps 139:1-18; 1 Cor 1:10-18; Matt 4:12-23

Think about the following stories and see if you can discern the point of each:

(1) The story is told of two men riding a tandem bicycle up a steep hill. After much effort, they finally made it to the top of the hill. The front rider said, “That was a tough ride.” To which the second rider replied, “Sure was, and if I hadn’t kept the brake on we might have slipped backwards.””

Don’t you just know that the front rider was ready to scream at the guy in the back?

(2) “Intending to raise cattle, a family from New York bought a ranch out West. When their friends visited and inquired about the ranch’s name, the would be rancher replied: ‘I wanted to name it the Bar-J. My wife favored Suzy-Q, one of our sons wanted the Flying-W, and the other liked the Lazy-Y. So we’re calling it the Bar-J-Suzy-Q-Flying-W-Lazy-Y.’ ‘But where are all your cattle?’ the friends asked. ‘None survived the branding.’”

(Story sources are unknown, Ministry 127.com, 1/20/2026) 

What’s the point of both stories? It’s important to come into agreement.The ranch family needed to agree on a brief name so their cattle weren’t killed. And the tandem two needed to agree to pedal without the brake on so their friendship wasn’t destroyed.

This is where the LORD, through our readings today, is directing us as a church. We are to be a united body focused on our Lord Jesus Christ:

A. This is what Paul is saying to the Corinthian Church (1 Corinthians 1:10-18), isn’t it? They are feuding over which of their leaders/teachers is the best. They have split into factions based on who they favor most. It would be the same if you compared me to the pastors who came before me, or to pastors who have a TV ministry. I am so grateful that you don’t appear to do that. I’m different from all of them—just as they differ from me–and we each have our own special giftings from the Lord. Incidentally, please pray for my continued growth and spiritual maturation.

Our LORD wants each of us to grow and mature spiritually by (1) learning to put Jesus first in all we do—a tall order; (2) learning to love others at least as well as we do ourselves—also a tall order; and (3) by following or obeying Jesus, just like James, John, Andrew, and Simon Peter. We’re not here to compete with one another—like reading faster than anyone else, singing louder, or cooking more dishes to bring to church meals. We’re here to learn a kind of self-giving cooperation not seen enough in our world today. We are to celebrate the centrality, the incomparable importance, of Jesus Christ.

B. Psalm 139:1-18 conveys such a message of reassurance, doesn’t it? It makes the point that our God is omniscient (knows everything), omnipresent (is present everywhere) and omnipotent (is all-powerful). As a result, He knows us intimately our behaviors and our thoughts—even before we speak or write them. We don’t know how He does this, but we know that He does (v.6, NLT)->Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand! (Isaiah 55:8-9, in the New Living Translation, says it this way: “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And My ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.”) It also means there is no place we can take ourselves that is beyond God’s awareness—i.e., there is no hiding from God! Wherever we go, God’s (v.10)->hand will guide me, and [His] strength will support me. He can even see us in the dark (vv.11-12).

Next, the psalm informs us that God created our bodies. It was He who decided our gender, our nationality, even the era during which we would live. If we have always hated the size of our hips, or the color of our hair, etc., we might do better to just accept that this is how the Lord meant us to be. The psalmist, King David, writes (v.14)-.Thank You for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous. He created us and watched us develop in the womb. 

Better yet, (v.16)-→Every day of my life was recorded in Your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. This is indeed blessed assurance! None of us need ever think we were an accident or that we should never have been born! God called each one of us into being. And our lives have meaning because He had a plan and purpose for us.

C. God’s plan and purpose for James, John, Andrew and Simon Peter was that they would follow Jesus and become fishers of men. In our Gospel lesson today, Matthew 4:12-23, we note that Jesus moved his base of operations from His hometown of Nazareth to Capernaum. This move was precipitated by the fact, as Luke records it, that His hometown friends and relatives rejected His claim (from His reading of Isaiah 61:1) to be the Messiah.

However, God the Father seems to have orchestrated events so that Jesus would locate in this fishing town on the Sea of Galilee. Capernaum was home to a large number of Roman citizens and folks from other countries—Gentiles all. And, since it was located on two major trade routes—one running East to West, and the other going North-South, connecting Arabia and Egypt to points north of Israel—it was large enough for Jesus to remain relatively anonymous as He interacted with many, and it fulfilled prophecies from Isaiah 9:1-2 and 42:6-7 that Jesus would be… a light to guide the [Gentile] nations.

It was here in Capernaum that He called His first 4 disciples. As He assembled and trained the 12, He cultivated deep relationships with them and sent them out to carry the light of His truth to Jews; and to rescue Gentiles from the darkness of paganism and unbelief.

D. Our Old Testament lesson from Amos 31-11 spells out two important concepts for us:

(1.) First, God is trustworthy and true. The prophet supplies 7 examples of cause and effect, including the following: Unlike the tandem bicyclers, two people who intend to walk together must be traveling in the same direction–not one braking while the other pedals as hard as he or she can. The hunting lion only roars after she has found her prey—if she roared before, the prey would be warned and run off. To trap a bird, the snare must hold some bait. The people of a city in those times realized there was danger approaching when the watchman blew the ram’s horn. The prophet is making the point that God is not capricious!If He punishes His Chosen People, He does so because they deserve it. Not only had they become idolaters, but (v.10)-→”My people have forgotten how to do right,” says the Lord. “Their fortresses are filled with wealth taken by theft and violence.” What do you think the Lord would say today about the $9 billion Somali immigrants who have defrauded American taxpayers? Or the $23 million by the California guy who was to have used the funds to feed and house 600 homeless? Instead, one man spent $23 million on his own lavish lifestyle.

(2.) Our God is a good and righteous Father. He definitely knows who the bad actors are. He provides a just punishment for their sins, and He furnishes consequences for their selfishness. Notice, like an effective parent, He also warns them of the punishments to come if they don’t alter their behavior.

I believe the messages the LORD has for us in our Bible passages today are as follows:

We are to focus on Christ Jesus—that’s part of God’s plan for our lives—and this fact should reduce conflict between us.

We can be comforted by the knowledge that each one of us was created by God to fulfill a plan and purpose He set out for us.

It is He Who has called us to be “a light to the nations,” a witness to unbelievers.

And, though He warns us beforehand, He also disciplines those He loves who stray away from His ways.

In his book, The Pursuit of God, Christian thinker and author A.W. Tozer (a Christian Missionary Alliance pastor from the 1920’2 to the 1960’s) wrote the following:

“Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshipers [meeting] together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become ‘unity’ conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.”

This is a powerful image—100 pianos all tuned to the same tuning fork, all in tune and all sounding the same. This is what we become when we worship in unity, focusing our hearts on our Lord Jesus Christ. This is how we are transformed when we pedal in tandem with Him.

©️2026 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Who Led You to Jesus?

Pastor Sherry’s message for January 18, 2026

Scriptures: Ex 12:21-30; Ps 40:1-11; 1 Cor 1:1-9; Jn 1:29-42

Who is/are the person/persons who led you to Christ? At a congregational funeral here a week ago, one eulogist testified that the deceased had spoken into his life when he was in middle school, around age 12. He was from the wrong side of town and was making poor decisions for himself, when the then middle school math teacher took him aside. Due to this teacher’s concern for this boy, the young man “cleaned up his act,” was led to accept Jesus as his savior, and went on to become a pastor and an evangelist. What was particularly amazing was the fact that he then traveled all over the world, bringing others to Christ. Our dear friend influenced this man who then went on to influence many, many others.

I credit my faith to my grandmothers. My father’s mother, a Presbyterian and a high school Biology teacher, made sure I was baptized at age 3 and attended Sunday School. She convinced me that Jesus is real and that He loved me. My mother’s mother, who attended a storefront Pentecostal Holiness Church in West Seattle, made a living cleaning other peoples’ homes. She often took me with her to clean and to attend church. Her service to her church was to clean it on Saturdays. I have memories of helping her, as a 5-6 year old, dust mop under folding chairs. The minister there was a tall (to me), thin woman who wore a crown of braids on her head. I don’t remember anything about her preaching but I knew she liked me and I now wonder if she had something to do with my later call to the ministry.

Much later on, after I had been married for 18 years and divorced, I encountered a woman-friend named Cheryl. She had a Jewish mother and a Baptist father, and a deep Christian faith firmly steeped in Hebrew tradition. We worked together, in the mid-1990’s, on a mobile mental heath team that ministered to four under-served nursing homes. Traveling together by car each day, I noted she saw God’s hand in everything. If an egret flew over the road as we drove to work, she would thank God for the blessing of that simple, but beautiful sight. She would go into raptures, praising God for a field of wild-flowers we passed. When someone was kind to us or gave us a compliment at work, she would also praise God for having prompted them, and thank Him that they had been obedient to pass on that message to us. She taught me by example to look for the goodness and loving kindness of God, rather than focusing on what is wrong in the world. Like King David in today’s psalm (40:1-11), or like Paul in our 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 lesson, she praised God that He hears and answers our prayers, rescues and restores us, and is faithful, true, and trustworthy. She also taught me to pray out loud and without feeling self-conscious. My faith came alive under her tutelage and her example. Attending Cursillo (in 1990) took me from a head to a heart knowledge of Jesus, but hanging out with Cheryl helped me to recognize the hand of God in my life. When I told her one day that I felt called to ordained ministry, she replied, “I know. I have known it for some time.”

In our Gospel lesson today (John 1:29-42), we find three folks who lead others to Christ. First, we see John the Baptist. We know from our Scriptures of last week, that John the Baptists’ job was to prepare people to realize the Messiah, Jesus, was coming. They were to prepare themselves by undergoing a baptism of repentance. In doing so, he had the honor of baptizing Jesus. John tells us the very next day, John the Baptist sees Jesus walking along and says to his disciples (v.29)->…look, the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world. He points or leads them to Jesus. 

Now why did he call Jesus the Lamb of God? 

(1)In Genesis 22:7-8, Abraham is obedient even to the extent of offering his long-awaited son, Isaac, to God. Isaac asks him-→”Father…the fire and wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering”? Abraham answered, “God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” The burnt offering was an atonement for sin. A lamb, bull, goat, or pigeon was killed then burnt whole as an aroma pleasing to the LORD. It was a costly and an extravagant offering—the sinner lost economic potential, and no human was allowed to eat any of it. The life of the animal was dedicated to God in place of the life of the sinful person. 

(2) Later, in our Exodus 12:21-30 passage, the Israelite slaves were to take a 1 year old male lamb or goat, without defect. They were to kill it, drain its blood, and sprinkle that blood over their doorways, so when the angel of death swept through Egypt, claiming each first born son, those Israelites who had been obedient were spared. They had been saved by the blood of the Lamb. The Passover Festival then reminded them of when the angel of death had passed over them.

(3) The prophet Isaiah wrote, in Isaiah 53:7-→He [the Suffering servant, the Messiah, Jesus] was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth. Using the prophetic tense, which treats future events as though they have already happened, he predicts how Messiah will die. The prophet refers to Messiah as a lamb.

(4) Similarly, the prophet Jeremiah speaks for Jesus in the first person, in Jeremiah 11:19->I had been like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter; I did not realize that they had plotted against Me saying, “Let us destroy the tree and its fruit; Let us cut Him off from the land of the living, that His name be remembered no more.” In its “nearer fulfillment,” the prophesy was about Jeremiah. His enemies plotted to take his life. But this side of the Cross, we know it also refers to Jesus. Again, there is the image of a lamb being led to slaughter.

You may wonder how John the Baptist knew so much about Jesus. They grew up at some distance from each other, but John’s father was a priest so he would have been steeped in the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament). He would have known these passages. Further, both Holy Spirit and the voice of the Father from heaven had identified Jesus to him at the time of His baptism. So John the Baptist simple reiterates what he knows: This is the One we have waited for, the One Who was to come.

Next we encounter two of John the Baptist’s disciples who chose to follow after Jesus. They were sincere seekers. We are not told the identity of the second guy—though tradition tells us it was John, the author of this Gospel account—but the first was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. They ask Jesus, very respectfully, Rabbi, where are you staying? To me this is such a strange question. I’d have asked about His knowledge and His credentials: Are you indeed the Christ? May I ask you some questions? May I follow you? Instead, it’s as though they want to know His accommodations. Are you staying here in Bethsaida? In Caesarea? At the Holiday Inn, or the Marriott Courtyard? Jesus graciously replies (v.39)–>Come and you will see->an echo of Psalm 34:8-→Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him. He very simply invites them. He encourages them to come and see for themselves. And they do spend the rest of the day with Him. 

At some point, or maybe that day or the next, Andrew leads Peter to Jesus. Andrew prefaces his guidance with his belief that he and John, thanks to John the Baptist, have met the one believed to be Messiah. Andrew introduces his brother to Jesus. Jesus, knowing all things and without having previously met Simon, says his name. He quotes his lineage-→You are the son of John; Simon bar Jonah. Then He proceeds to change Simon’s name to Cephas in Aramaic (a form of Rock/Stone), or Peter in Greek (also meaning Rock). Peter at that point was anything but a rock. However, Jesus is renaming him not for what he is but for what he is to become.  Isn’t that a beautiful thing? Jesus sees us not for what we are at this point in time; but rather for who He means for us to become. 

In addition, isn’t that just how it goes? One person comes to Christ and they tell what they know to another, and that person comes to Christ, and so on. Each one teaches one. The Faith spreads from person to person. This, I think, is the point of today’s Gospel. Someone, or several several someones, led you to Jesus. You respected them, you believed what they had to say, and you observed how they lived. You noted they lived differently from other people, kinder, more grace-filled, more forgiving, gentler, etc., than others in the culture. You saw that they had a personal relationship with Jesus. Because of their story (testimony) and their example, you too drew closer to Jesus. Let’s take time today to thank God for them, and to thank God for their willingness to speak into our lives. And, at this time of embarking on New Year’s Resolutions, let us resolve to be open to obeying the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit, leading us to lead someone we encounter to Jesus. Amen!

©️2026 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

 Baby Jesus: The Divine Threat

Pastor Sherry’s message for December 28, 2025

Scriptures: Isaiah 63:7-9; Ps 148; Heb 2:10-18; Matt 2:13-23

We have spent the past week focused on the sweet baby Jesus.

And He no doubt was a sweet and precious infant. What we tend to forget in this assessment, though, is that He was—and still is–a serious threat to the status quo.

Consider this story told by Anglican Bishop NT Wright, a noted New Testament scholar: After he had preached at a large Christmas service in England, he was approached at the door by a famous British atheist. The man told him, “I’ve finally worked out why people like Christmas.” Wanting to know what the man had gleaned from his sermon, Bp. Wright said to him, “Really? Do tell me.” The man replied, “A baby threatens no one, so the whole thing is a happy event which threatens no one.” Recalling the man’s remarks, the Bishop later wrote:

I was dumbfounded. At the heart of the Christmas story in Matthew’s Gospel is a baby who poses such a threat to the most powerful man around [King Herod, and also Satan] that he rids a whole village full of other babies in order to try to get rid of Him. At the heart of the Christmas story in Luke, too, is a baby who, if only the Roman emperor knew it, will be Lord of the whole world. Within a generation His followers will be persecuted by the empire as “a danger to good order.” Whatever else you say about Jesus, from His birth onward, people certainly found him a threat. He upset the power-games, and suffered the usual fate of people who do that.

In fact, the shadow of the Cross falls over the story from this moment on. Jesus is born with a price on His head…in a land and at a time of trouble, tension, violence, and fear…No point in arriving in comfort, when the world is in misery; no point having an easy life, when the world suffers violence and injustice! If He is to be Emmanuel, God-with-us, He must be with us where the pain is. 

(NT Wright, Matthew for Everyone, Part One, John Knox Press, 2004, pp.13-15.)

It’s true, isn’t it? Jesus was born as a tiny, helpless baby, but He also represented a divine threat.

A. The corrupt and wicked King Herod clearly perceived Baby Jesus as a threat to his reign (Matthew 2:13-23). Historians tell us that Herod, a non-Jewish political appointee of Rome, was by the time of Jesus’ birth, thoroughly paranoid. While he did maintain peace and prosperity in Judea, and engaged in ambitious building projects, he also killed anyone he thought might usurp his throne, including his 1st and 2nd wives, 3 of his sons, and his mother-in-law. He gave orders that when he died, the leading male citizens of Jericho should all be slaughtered so that people would be weeping on the day of his funeral. So it is no surprise that he would also command the deaths of any boy babies, aged 2 and under, from Bethlehem to Ramah, a radius of about 10-12 miles.

(J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible Commentary, Matthew Chapters 1-13, Thomas Nelson, 1991, p.44.)

Matthew goes on in his narrative, drawing a parallel between Moses and Jesus for his Jewish audience. Just as Moses was rescued from annihilation by Pharaoh’s daughter, Jesus is similarly rescued via a dream sent to his step-father, Joseph. Joseph is told to get up immediately, and take Jesus and Mary to Egypt.

He obediently does so, and probably proceeded to practice carpentry there, as a means to make a living for the family. Jesus is thought to have been about 2 or 3YO when they returned to Israel, instructed to do so by an angel in another dream. To demonstrate again that Jesus fulfills the Jewish prophesies of the Messiah, Matthew then quotes Hosea 11:1-→>When Israel was a child, I loved Him and out of Egypt I called My Son. Matthew wants us to understand that Jesus is the new Moses, both a law-giver and a deliverer.

He will obey His Father’s directives, as Moses did; and He will lead us out of our bondage to sin and death, as Moses led the Children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt.

Jesus’ mission was huge and represented a divine threat to the status quo. Satan was eager to take Him out! King Herod was Satan’s willing tool in this heinous enterprise. But both were thwarted, praise God!

B. Our Old Testament passage, Isaiah 63:7-9, predicts that our good, loving, kind, and merciful God will send a Messiah (1) to be our Savior; (2) to suffer for our sake; and (3) to personally redeem us. No wonder the powers that be would always see Jesus as a divine threat.

C. Our Psalm (148) is a demand for the entire created order to praise the Lord! It begins in the 1st three verses with a call to all the heavenly angels and all celestial bodies—sun, moon, and stars—to praise God. Then it commands all animals and people to do the same. Verse 5 says–>Let every created thing give praise to the Lord for He issues His command and they came into being. Implicit in the psalm is the thought that we praise God both for His creation and for His redemption. John 1:1-4 tells us that Jesus spoke creation into existence. This kind of tremendous power was and is certainly a divine threat to any worldly order.

D. Finally, we have the New Testament lesson from Hebrews 2:10-18. The writer to the Hebrews wants us to realize that Jesus’s status in Heaven was higher than that of angels, but when He took on the likeness of humankind and came to earth, His status fell to lower than that of angels. Nevertheless, God sent Him to us to (v.10)–>…bring many children into glory, and to fashion Him, through His suffering, into…a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation. 

Jesus became a divine threat by becoming a human (verses 14-15)–>Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could He die [God cannot and does not die], and only by dying could He break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could He set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.

In other words, Jesus presented a divine threat to the devil and to the evil powers and authorities of this world. He had to take on flesh so He could die in our place. As our great High Priest, He offered a once-and-for-all-perfect sacrifice, Himself, to (v.17)-→>…take away the sins of the people. And because He suffered in our place (v.18)->He is able to help us when we are being tested. The divine threat set us free from the clutches of the evil one.

The divine threat, through the power of the Holy Spirit, lives to encourage and strengthen us from His seat of intercession at the right hand of the Father in heaven.

Thank God for Jesus! Thank God that He came to earth as a divine threat…intending to pay for our sins; effecting our rescue from the grasp of the evil one; and setting us free from the strangle-hold of our own sin nature.

As we look to Thursday, the 1st day of 2026, let’s be sure to thank God for sending a divine threat to earth in the disguise of a new born baby. 

Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord, Jesus Christ. Alleluia, alleluia!

©️2025 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Totally Un-ordinary

Pastor Sherry’s message for Christmas Eve, 2025

As we read the Biblical prophecies and re-experience the journey of the world to Christmas, we tend to forget that the folks in Jesus’ time were just like us—ordinary people.  They were going about their lives just as we do…working, raising kids, cleaning house, cooking meals, visiting with their neighbors, caring for sick relatives or friends, worrying about paying their bills or their taxes, maybe even quarreling with their siblings or their in-laws, etc.  And, hopefully in among all of those activities, they were also loving God and trying to obey Him.  As a licensed Psychologist, I can tell you that–while we have made many technological innovations in the 2000 years since Jesus was born–our human nature has not changed a wit!  Ordinary people back then had many of the same hopes and dreams we do now.  Ordinary people now carry out many of the same functions as they did then.  So I think we can safely say that they were blithely unaware until…“Something truly extraordinary suddenly intruded and changed their lives forever.” (Fairless and Chilton, The Lectionary Lab, Year A, 2013, pp.18-19). Tonight, we celebrate that time that God did something “totally un-ordinary.”  God came calling early Christmas morning.  He broke into human history in a dramatic way:  He announced Himself with a choir of angels, trumpet sounds, and a new, special star in the heavens.  Additionally, He brought us a gift!  The gift was Jesus, God’s only begotten son.  He arrived as a newborn baby, entrusted to two faith-filled, newlywed, young people.  He was and is the gift of God’s love, joy, grace, and forgiveness.  It is in remembrance of this that we give each other gifts at Christmas.

Tonight and in the coming days, let us offer to God our thanksgiving for His great gift of Jesus tonight by recommitting our lives to God, and by living lives of grateful obedience.

Let us pray:  Lord, please help us never to forget the magnificent gift you gave to us in Christ Jesus!  May our hearts overflow with joy and praise!  Come, let us adore Him!  AMEN!

©️2025 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Advent Joy

Pastor Sherry’s message for December 14, 2025

Scriptures: Isa 35:1-10; Lk 1:46-55; Ja 5:7-10; Matt 11:2-11

You may have heard this illustration before. Josh McDowell used it in his book, More than a Carpenter, Tyndale House, 1977, p.108:

In his book, Science Speaks, Peter Stoner applies the modern science of probability to just eight prophecies regarding Christ [from 60 major Old Testament prophesies of Jesus]. He says, “The chance that any man might have …fulfilled all eight prophecies is one in 10 to the 17th. That would be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000.” (one hundred quadrillion) Stoner suggests that “we take 10 to the 17th silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They will cover all of the state 2 feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly… Blindfold a man and tell him he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up [that one marked silver dollar.] What chance would he have of getting the right one?” Stoner concludes, “Just the same chance that the prophets would have had of writing those eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man…providing they wrote them in their own wisdom.”

(Peter Stoner and Robert Newman, Science Speaks, Moody Press, 1976, pp.106-112.)

This account gives us some idea of the incredible veracity, the compelling truth of the Biblical claim that Jesus Christ is God’s Messiah. Not only do Stoner’s (and Newman’s) math computations demonstrate that only one person in all of history could have fulfilled just 6 of the 60 major Old Testament prophesies of the Messiah, but that Jesus–and only Jesus–was the one person who satisfied these prophesies (He also satisfied the other 52 major and 270 minor ones).

Today is the 3rd Sunday of Advent and we just lit the candle representing Joy (and prophesy) in our Advent Wreath. Doesn’t it bring you great joy to realize we worship the One, True King, Jesus Christ our Lord? I read this years ago and it solidified in my mind what I already knew in my heart and in my spirit—Jesus is the One and Only, long awaited Messiah. Our Scripture lessons today all testify to His identity and to His saving actions on our behalf:

A. Let’s begin with Luke 1:46-55, known as Mary’s Magnificat, a psalm of praise to God from the newly pregnant Mother of Jesus. Mary realizes a great honor is being bestowed upon her to become what the ancient Greek Christians would later call the theotokis or God-bearer.  In those days, to be chosen to bear the Messiah was every Jewish girl’s dream. Even though having a child out of wedlock could prove dangerous (she could have been stoned) and embarrassing for her before her family and her small community, Mary believes the Angel Gabriel’s announcement and rejoices in God’s choice of her. She then composes a song in which she primarily praises God. How humble and obedient she was! We could expect the whole psalm to say, “YIPPEE, God picked ME! Hooray, I was His choice!” But instead she proclaims (vv.47-49, NLT)—Oh how my soul praises the Lord, how my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For He took notice of His lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations shall call me blessed. For the Mighty One is holy and He has done great things for me. She recognizes that God has truly honored her, and she modestly admits her delight.

But then she proceeds to glorify God for what He is doing through her for His people. She shifts the focus from herself, and sets it upon God’s actions. She proceeds to praise Him for… (1) His mercy to those who respect and revere Him; (2) His past works of power; (3) His surprising, unexpected propensity to reverse worldly fortunes: The lowly are raised up, while the lofty and self-reliant are brought low; and 4) His fulfillment of His promises to Israel: A king from the lineage of David, and a Messiah who will bless all nations on earth. Can’t you just hear her joy as she delights in the plans of God the Father and in the future redeeming work of her soon-to-be-born son?!

B. Just prior to our Gospel lesson today, Matthew 11:2-11, Jesus has sent the 12 out to put into practice all He has taught them.

Meanwhile, He does not sit idle, but continues to preach and teach. John the Baptist (JtB), has been imprisoned for some time now, and—as often happens—he begins to doubt his earlier faith that his cousin Jesus is the Messiah. Remember, he was the forerunner, the prophet to announce Jesus’ arrival. But, rotting away in a dungeon, he begins to doubt his previous certainty. He deploys two of his disciples to ask Jesus (v.3) Are You the One who was to come, or should we expect someone else? 

No doubt JtB expected Jesus to set him free. After all, Jesus’ job description from Isaiah 61:1 promised that Jesus would—…proclaim that captives [would] be released and prisoners [would] be freed. John was probably expecting his immediate emancipation. He may have also been frustrated that it was taking Jesus so long to usher in His Kingdom on earth.

But instead of sending word of eminent release, Jesus reiterates from Isaiah 61:1 that the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are healed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is preached to the poor.

Because He does not reiterate that He will also (NIV)—proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, JtB learns Jesus will not be initiating a jail break. Yes, John, your cousin is the Messiah you proclaimed at the beginning of His earthly ministry; but no, He will not be commuting your sentence. 

Jesus does not meet JtB’s personal hopes. Apparently, it suited God’s purposes for JtB to leave the scene (decrease) so that Jesus’ ministry could increase. If you have watched the various scenes from “The Chosen,” you may have encountered the one that focuses on JtB’s execution. It what seemed to me to be so poignant, the writers have John look out a window, as the executioner’s ax is lifted above his head, and see a lamb grazing. It is as though the Lord wanted to remind him in his last moments that he had done a good job of telling others He was and is the Lamb of God. Jesus does proclaim to those He was teaching that JtB was the greatest of the Old Testament prophets. Hopefully, John understood this need to exit the world stage and had prepared himself to meet his Maker.

C. In fact, JtB probably knew Isaiah 35:1-10, a Messianic prophesy from 700 years before Jesus’ birth. He would have remembered that in the predicted Messianic or Mellenial Age (the 1000 year reign of Christ) that the material earth will be restored to the time before the Fall. As a consequence of Adam and Eve’s sin, God had cursed the ground and the serpent—not the humans. True, life would be harder than it had been for them in the Garden, but only the physical earth and Satan were actually cursed. Paul will later assert (Romans 8:22)—We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Paul had learned from Jesus that creation, too, would be redeemed at Jesus’ 2nd Coming.

Additionally, JtB would recall that the bodies of human beings will be renewed. Verses 5-6 promise that—…the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. Think of the vast swath of desert land in our southwest, or the enormous Sahara in North Africa. These lands will be renewed and covered with vegetation and flowers.

Though Jesus accomplished the healing of many individuals in His 1st Advent—we really have no idea of how very many He healed–when He comes again, all of humankind will be spiritually, physically, and emotionally restored. How can we learn this and not experience a welling up within our hearts and spirits of great joy?!!

D. No wonder we have the James 5:7-10 passage. The 2nd coming of Jesus Christ will right all that is now wrong with our world. However, as James counsels us, we need to (v.7)—Be patient, then, brothers [and sisters] until the Lord’s coming. Scripture has told us what to expect.

We just need to wait with faith, as a farmer waits for his/her crops to grow.

We should get ourselves ready to receive our King. James counsels us not to let Him catch us gossiping about or negatively judging others. And we can and should meditate on the lives of the prophets, including JtB, as we wait. They all prophesied the wonders to come In Jesus, but did not get to see them manifest in their own lives.

An anonymous author once wrote: 

If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator; If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist; If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist; If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer; But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior.

(Quoted in www.sermoncentral.com, 12/10/2025)

Thank God the Father sent us a Savior! We all needed saving from the penalty of death for our sins and from our carnal tendencies to seek out and indulge in sin. We all needed a divine rescue! We needed the gift of Jesus! 

The song in our hearts today could very well be Beethoven’s Ode to Joy (Music by Beethoven; lyrics by Henrr Van Dyke):

Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of Love;

Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, praising Thee, the Sun above.

Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; drive the dark of doubt away;

Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day.

All Thy works with joy surround thee, earth & heaven reflect Thyrays;

Stars and angels sing around Thee, center of unbroken praise,

Field and forest, vale and mountain, blooming meadow, flashing sea,

Chanting bird and flowing fountain, call us to rejoice in Thee.

Thou art giving and forgiving, ever blessings, ever blest,

Wellspring of the joy of living, ocean depth of happy rest;

Thou our Father, Christ our Brother; all who live in love= thine;

Teach us how to love each other, lift us to the joy divine.

Lord, please fill our hearts with Joy during this Advent Season. Amen and Amen!

©️2025 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams 

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

True, Lasting Peace

Pastor Sherry’s message for December 7, 2025

Scriptures: Isa 11:1-10; Ps 72:1-8, 18-19; Ro 15:4-23; Matt 3:1-12

The story is told that…

”Long ago a man sought the perfect picture of peace. Not finding one that satisfied, he announced a contest to produce this masterpiece. The challenge stirred the imagination of artists everywhere, and paintings arrived from far and wide. Finally the great day of revelation arrived. The judges uncovered one peaceful scene after another, while the viewers clapped and cheered. The tensions grew. Only two pictures remained veiled.

As a judge pulled the cover from one, a hush fell over the crowd. A mirror-smooth lake reflected lacy, green birches under the soft blush of the evening sky. Along the grassy shore, a flock of sheep grazed undisturbed. Surely this was the winner.

The man with the vision uncovered the second painting himself, and the crowd gasped in surprise. Could this be peace?

A tumultuous waterfall cascaded down a rocky precipice; the crowd could almost feel its cold, penetrating spray. Stormy-gray clouds threatened to explode with lightning, wind and rain. In the midst of the thundering noises and bitter chill, a spindly tree clung to the rocks at the edge of the falls. One of its branches reached out in front of the torrential waters as if foolishly seeking to experience its full power.

A little bird had built a nest in the elbow of that branch. Content and undisturbed in her stormy surroundings, she rested on her eggs. With her eyes closed and her wings ready to cover her little ones, she manifested peace that transcends all earthly turmoil. 

(Berit Kjos, A Wardrobe from the King, pp. 45-46, as shared on www.sermons.com, 12/3/2025).

This is how we think of true peace, isn’t it? It isn’t the absence of trouble or turmoil, but rather the ability to tune into an inner resource of trust in our God in the midst of commotion and turbulence. This is what Scripture refers to as the peace that passes all understanding (Philippeans 4:7). It doesn’t depend on our circumstances, the thunderous waterfall, the stormy clouds threatening rain, wind, lightening, and thunder. Like that mother bird, we can nest comfortably despite noise and agitating circumstances, because this peace depends upon the quality of our relationship with Christ Jesus. This peace is available to us through prayer—our prayers to the Lord; or asking a friend to pray for us. It is possible for us to achieve this peace. When I counsel anyone, I always rely on a “prayer sandwich.” I begin with prayer that the Lord would help the person calm, order their thoughts, and bring up whatever the Lord wants to heal in our session. At the end of our time together, I offer up to Jesus what the person has shared, asking Him to heal them and help them to experience His presence. Often I have witnessed people cry because at this point because they are so touched by having had someone pray exclusively for them. This tends to send them on their way with the peace that passes understanding.

But the peace described in our Old Testament lesson (Isaiah 11:1-10) today is that dreamed of peace that will come only when Jesus returns to earth a second time. Let’s examine the passage so we know what to look forward to when the time comes.

It consists of a promise from God the Father to the Israelites. It dates from before the time of their 70 exile in Babylon. The Father is going to discipline them for their continuous idolatry and for centuries of rebellion toward Him. From 605 to 586 BC, in a series of 3 deportations, He will allow the Babylonians to defeat and take them off. Some were given good jobs in Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, Abenego, and Daniel—all Israelite princes—were trained for and entrusted with high government positions; so was Mordecai, Queen Esther’s uncle. Others were employed as shopkeepers or craftsmen. But most were enslaved. So God is telling them, even before all this happens, that—despite all evidence to the contrary—He will not have forgotten about them. He will return them to the Land of Promise, Israel; and He will provide for them a new king, Jesus.

Isaiah 11:1-10 is one of the great Messianic Prophecies of Scripture: The prophet proclaims that Jesus is coming a second time, when He will prove to be the best of all Kings. His titles transcend any description of a mere mortal. Back in Isaiah 9:6-7, we are told: For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign of David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The ZEAL of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. In today’s passage, we are told two things: (1) What equips Him to live into these titles; and (2) what His Kingdom will be like, when He finally comes to rule and reign on earth.

Verses 1-3 tell us about His empowerment. Both at His first and His second coming, Jesus will restore the Kingship begun centuries before by King David. There were no additional Davidic kings after the final deportation in 586BC. Kings ruled Jerusalem and Judea, but they were appointed by Rome & were often not even Jewish. Most only gave grudging lip service to God. But Isaiah tells us the Father will usher in King Jesus, a shoot …from the stump of Jesse [David’s father], a branch that will bear fruit (tree = metaphor for Kingdom). Jesus is of the lineage of King David, both from His mother’s side and even his step-father’s. However, because Jesse, David’s father, was a farmer and a shepherd, it can be assumed that Jesus’ beginnings will be rural, humble. He is a commoner whose ancestors were kings. 

He will bear fruit—be effective—because He will be empowered by the Holy Spirit: He will have the Spirit’s wisdom and understanding. He will rule with practical, ethical, and moral skillfulness. He will also have the ability to decide between opposite views accurately. As a college student, I helped with debate contests, not debating myself, but keeping time or whatever was needed. I can remember hearing one side of the debate topic and thinking, “Well, that made sense,” only to become confused as I head the opposite arguments. I realized I had difficulty deciding between two persuasive but opposing contentions. Jesus will be able to see through clever arguments to the truth of any situation, especially as regards discerning evil from good. He will provide wise, powerful counsel, but will need no advice from humans. He will instill knowledge and awe of God. Peterson paraphrases it this way (The Message, p.1226) the life-giving Spirit of God will hover over Him, the Spirit that brings wisdom & understanding, the Spirit that gives direction and builds strength, the Spirit that instills knowledge and Fear-of-God. Fear-of-God will be all His joy and delight. He will maintain a righteous relationship with God the Father. With Him, there will be no idolatry, no sin, and no rebellious actions. He will do only what pleases the Father.

There will be no one wiser, smarter, or more compassionate than Jesus. Think of His amazing parables; think of His saving, healing acts; think of the many ways He blessed His people. This was true at His First Advent, as a poor, itinerant rabbi and it will be true when He returns at His Second Coming, as the Great and Sovereign King of the Universe.

His Kingdom, when He comes again in Glory, will be one of astonishing justice and peace! In verses 3-5, Isaiah declares—He will not judge by what He sees with His eyes, or decide by what He hears with His ears; but with righteousness He will judge the needy, with justice He will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth; with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.  When Jesus returns, He will not be swayed by appearances, slick arguments, or the presentations of high-powered attorneys. Nor will He fall for shrewd manipulations or clever appeals to legal loopholes. He will supernaturally discern the truth and will decide disputes with true justice. Again, as Peterson paraphrases (pp. 1226-1227): His words will bring everyone to awed attention. A mere breath from His lips will topple the wicked. Each morning He’ll pull on sturdy work clothes and boots and build righteousness and faithfulness in the land. His rule will conform to the will of God. With virtue, He will do the work of God Himself.

Because of His meeting out of true justice, true, lasting peace will reign in the world. The nature of the world will change: Violent predators will coexist peacefully with their prey. Innocent children will be able to lead them out to graze and back in again without fear. A baby will be able to safely play where once only danger lurked. This change in world order did not occur with the First Advent, but it will with the Second. There will be no more pain, evil, or harm. Everyone will be submitted to the rule and reign of Christ. Oh, happy day! I want to be there to experience it, don’t you?!

This passage assures us that there in a glorious future ahead. With the Second Coming of Christ, the peace of the Garden of Eden will be restored. Oppressors will be judged and punished. All of us will be delivered from liars, cheats, scam-artists, thieves, even Satan, and of course the threat of death. Meanwhile , may we all be like that mother bird. May the peace that passes all understanding abide in you this Advent season, as we await the true, lasting peace of Christ. For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given. Come, let us adore Him.

©️2025 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams 

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

King of the Cross

Pastor Sherry’s message for November 23, 2025

Scriptures: Jer 23:1-6; Lk 1:67-80; Col; 1:9-20; Lk 23:32-43

This is Christ the King Sunday.  Today we are a week away from beginning the new Church Year (A) with the First Sunday of Advent.  Isn’t it interesting that we end the church year today (not on December 31st) with the passage from the Gospel of Luke (Luke 23:32-43) describing the Crucifixion?  It’s as though the “powers that be” (God the Father and Jesus) want us to remember—as we prepare to celebrate Jesus’ first and second sojourns to earth during the season of Advent–that we worship a different kind of King.  Our Lord Jesus is not ensconced in a splendid castle in all manner of pomp and celebratory circumstance.  Instead, this Jesus—our Lord Jesus—is affixed to a cross.

Though thoroughly innocent, he has been found guilty of sedition against Rome and blasphemy against God.  As He hangs in agony, He appears defeated, weak, vanquished, powerless, suffering, dying.  He is mocked, derided by His Jewish and Roman enemies.  He has been stripped of His clothes, which are then gambled over by His Roman torturers.  To fulfill the Prophet Isaiah’s predictions, He was hung between two criminals. 

Isaiah 53:12 reads (NLT) He was counted among the rebels, He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.  Tradition calls them “thieves,” but some scholars believe they may have been accomplices of the murderous rebel Barabbas.  How fitting that Jesus’ cross stood between theirs, in the place where Barabbas would have been.

(The Rev. Mark Barber, www.sermoncentral.com, 11/18/2023).

The people gathered at the foot of the Cross do not yet realize He is a King, the King of Glory.  But as time drags painfully by, two persons begin to discern that Jesus is no ordinary criminal:  One of the rebels notices Jesus does not condemn his executioners, shouting curses at them, as the crucified usually did.  Typically, the crowd verbally harassed and insulted the dying; and in their pain and anger, the dying often hurtled insults and curses back at the crowd.  But, extraordinarily, Jesus doesn’t do this.  Instead, He prays to His Father for them, saying (v.34) Father, forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing.  What amazing poise, what extraordinary self-control, what astonishing grace!  This “thief” watches Jesus and begins to see He is responding differently than any criminal ever crucified.  He then defends Jesus to his partner in crime.  And he asks, with an awakening faith, that Jesus would take him with Him into His Kingdom.  Three times, Jesus has been told, mockingly, to save Himself.  He does not save Himself (though He could have).  But, in verse 43, He saves the faith-filling rebel, saying I tell you the truth, today you will be with Me in paradise.

The second person to notice Jesus’ extraordinarily different behavior and speech is the centurion in charge of the execution detail. He had perhaps witnessed thousands of such capital punishments and had never heard or observed such before.  He says in verse 47 (NIV) Surely this was a righteous man (Then NLT records Surely this man was innocent.)

What a great king Jesus is–forgiving, merciful, generous.  Thank God our King is not like human monarchs!  Many down through the ages have been bullies and despots.  Imagine being a pretty woman in the court of Henry the eighth. YIKES! Or think of the risk a truthful man of integrity took in telling a fickle ruler an unpleasant truth.  But our King Jesus came to serve rather than be served. Instead of causing the deaths of others, He came to suffer and to die in our place.

The Hebrew concept of a king—taught to them by God the Father through the Law and the prophets—was that the king ruled solely under the authority and at the discretion of God.  Our Scriptures today further explain the difference between a secular king and the King of Kings:

A. In Jeremiah 23:1-6, God the Father is castigating the kings, nobility, priests and prophets for their poor leadership of His people.

This is just prior to the defeat of the Southern Kingdom at the hands of the Babylonians.  The prophet Jeremiah warns them of the punishment to come, (v.1, NLT) ”What sorrow awaits the leaders of My people—the shepherds of My sheep—for they have destroyed and scattered the very ones they were expected to care for,” says the Lord.  God has been watching.  He knows that false prophets, idolatrous kings, and weak, compromised religious leaders have abused His sheep and lead them astray. 

In a way very similar to that of the prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 34:11-24), Jeremiah declares they have scattered His flock, rather than gathering them in; driven them away from God rather than drawing them closer; and (v.2) ”Instead of caring for My flock and leading them to safety, you have deserted them and driven them to destruction.  Now I will pour out judgment on you for the evil you have done to them.”  God Himself will gather His flock (and bring home the remnant from exile in Babylon), and place better shepherds over them.  Then He prophesies the coming of Jesus (vv.5-6) ”For the time is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will raise up a righteous descendant from King David’s line.  He will be a King who rules with wisdom.  He will do what is just and right throughout the land.  And this will be His name:  ‘The Lord is Our Righteousness. ‘” Jesus, descended from King David, will be, like him, a shepherd-king.  However, He will be the True Shepherd, the Good Shepherd (John 10), the Great Shepherd, the Eternal Shepherd, a completely righteous king.

B.  Luke 1:68-79 constitutes Zachariah’s Song (the 3rd after Elizabeth’s and Mary’s).  Zachariah, the elderly, priestly father of John the Baptist, had been struck mute by the angel who foretold John’s birth–due to his lack of faith.  Once John the Baptist was born, and Zach agreed he was to be called John, the elderly father was freed up to speak again.  

In this morning’s lesson, he provides a psalm-like song celebrating not just his new son’s role as a Prophet of the Most High, but also as the forerunner to Jesus the Messiah.  Zechariah devotes 2/3rds of his psalm to praising God because He is finally sending His long awaited Messianic King:

The Light is coming into the darkness.  God is sending forth His rescue plan, our salvation.  He, Jesus, will empower us to live without fear (for God will be with us), and (vv.74-75) to serve Him…in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.  Halleluia!  Jesus will be the Best King Ever!

C. Paul, in Colossians 1:10-20, describes Christ the King in even more detail.  He depicts Jesus as having superior strength and power: Verse 16 reads For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities, all things were created by Him and for Him.

Not only did He create all things, but, to this day, He holds them together (Remember my having preached in the past about a minute protein in each of our cells call lamina?  It is a connective tissue and exists in the form of a  cross.  The Cross is literally holding us together!).  Jesus is supreme over all creation.  He contains the fullness of God the Father, the Greek word is pleroma.  It means that Jesus has all the attributes and characteristics of God the Father.  As Jesus said in the Gospel of John, if we have seen Him, we have seen the Father.  And (v.20), through His sacrifice of His life on the Cross for us, He has reconciled us—really all things—to God.

There is no other king like Jesus—He is the King of the Cross and the Best King Ever!

This week we celebrate Thanksgiving.  Of all the things for which we can and should be thankful, let’s remember to express our gratitude to God the Father for sending us such a wonderful, incomparable King in His Son, Jesus our Lord. Amen and Amen! 

Christ the King

©️2025 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Who is a Saint?

Pastor Sherry’s message for November 2, 2025

Scriptures: Dan 7:1-3, 15-18; Ps 149; Eph 1:11-23; Lk 6:20-31

The story is told of “…a church where the preacher and the minister of music were not getting along. As time went by this began to spill over into the worship service.

“The first week the preacher preached on commitment and how we all should dedicate ourselves to the service of God. The music director lead the song, “I Shall Not Be Moved”.

“The second week the preacher preached on tithing and how we all should gladly give to the work of the Lord. The director lead the song, “Jesus Paid It All”.

“The third week the preacher preached on gossiping and how we should all watch our tongues. The music director led the song, “I Love to Tell the Story”.

“With all this going on, the preacher became very disgusted over the situation and the following Sunday told the congregation that he was considering resigning. The musician led the song, “Oh Why Not Tonight?”.

“As it came to pass, the preacher did indeed resign. The next week he informed the church that it was Jesus who led him there and it was Jesus that was taking him away. The music leader led the song, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”.”

(Rev. Tim Wilson, http://www.preacher’s illustrations,jokes,andquotes.com, 10.30.2025

Now this story is pretty funny, isn’t it?    It’s something we might expect of people who dislike each other.    Thankfully, Bonnie, Joy, and Alice and I all get along well.    I can’t see them trying to sabotage me like the music director in this tale.    I think they know they can just talk to me instead of choosing hymns and songs to put me in my place. 

Today we celebrate All Saints Day, a serious day on the church calendar, a day set aside to remember those faith-filled followers of Jesus Christ who have gone before us. Almost from the beginning of the Church, Christians desired to honor the memories of believers who either lived exemplary lives or who were martyred for their faith.    So who is a saint?

The New Testament refers to believers as saints, hagios—those whose lives set them apart as persons sold out to Jesus. The date of their death was the day set aside to remember them.     However, these holy ones became so numerous over time that it was decided to honor them all on one day set aside each year, the day after “All hallows Eve,” or Halloween.     

Our readings today can all be seen to refer to the saints of the wider Christian Church—the Church throughout history and across denominations.

A. Our Gospel lesson (Luke 6:20-31) contains the Lucan Beatitudes from “The Sermon on the Plain.”  You will remember that Matthew’s beatitudes are embedded in Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew 5-7). Luke’s are a quarter of Matthew’s length (they are briefer).    This sermon takes place on “level” ground (v.17)—Luke sees “the mountain” as a place of prayer for Jesus, while the “plain below” is where Christ goes to be with the people.

Lacking video-taping capabilities, or social media, Jesus taught the same material in a number of different locations or settings.    Non–believers mistakenly assume that because there are discrepancies between the messages, this proves the Bible is a fraud. However, I have worked in churches with multiple services on Sunday, preaching the same sermon several times. My sermon was never exactly the same from service to service! Sometimes it’s due to the differences in the congregation at each service. Sometimes, the Holy Spirit changes the message.    Jesus makes similar points in both sermons, but there are these natural differences between the two.

There was a huge crowd at the Sermon on the Mount. This crowd, too, was apparently quite large and was comprised of apostles, disciples, and people from Judea, Jerusalem, Tyre, and Sidon. It included both Jews and Gentiles, which indicates Jesus’ teachings are meant for all of us.    Interestingly, He healed people and cast out demons prior to this teaching, perhaps as a way of gaining their attention, or of gaining their respect and belief. 

He presented Blessings and Woes (vv.17-26) [also termed “sorrows”]. These are Jesus’ ethical expectations for His followers.    They contain 4 blessings and 4 woes (whereas Matthew lists 9 blessings, and no woes). Jesus is proclaiming how life is to be lived both in and outside of the Kingdom of God.  (They are also very reminiscent of His mother, Mary’s Magnificat from Luke 1:46-55)

Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.

Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.

Blessed are you when men hate you,      

 when they exclude you and insult you    

and reject your name as evil,  

because of the Son of Man.

Rejoice in that day                                                             

and leap for joy                                                                        

because great is your reward in heaven

for that is how their fathers treated the prophets.

But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.

Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry.

Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.

Woe to you when all men speak well of you,

for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.

Blessings declare God’s grace and favor to those who are righteous (vv. 20-22), those who act rightly. God has compassion on…

a.) the poor–>Jesus is not excluding the rich (for instance, Zacchaeus, (Lk 19:1-10).    But the poor have a special place in God’s heart because they have to depend upon Him, and because they know they have little control over life.    

I once heard a Bishop from Nigeria (he may have been among the 52,000 Christians murdered by Moslems in Nigeria over the past 4 years) tell us in seminary that we Americans have a wealth of insurance: house, car, life, health, travel, etc., but that Nigerian Christians have no insurance except the love of Jesus.

b.) the hungry usually a result of poverty &/or persecution.

c.) the sad/the dispairing    (often the poor and hungry) God sees them and knows their suffering.

d.)    the persecuted    a choice for Jesus then meant being ejected from the synagogue, meaning they lost their community and their status.

Jesus says they are to rejoice because God’s grace will help them overcome their suffering.

Woes indicate God’s displeasure. They are directed at those who oppose Jesus’ blessing or who persecute His disciples. They consist of 4 descriptions of the same type of person:

a.) the rich because they often take advantage of the poor.    They believe they don’t need God because they have “made it” on their own. They tend to be uncaring toward others.

b.) the well-fed    they will be hungry on Judgment Day.

c.) callous participants in the “good life”    they too will mourn and weep on Judgment Day.

d.) those who prefer men’s good opinion to God’s    they do not see themselves as accountable to the Lord.

A saint tries to live out the Beatitudes.  We demonstrate our set-apartness, our sainthood, by living according to these principles.

B.    Daniel’s vision (Daniel 7:1-12) is prophetic:    It tells of 4 successive empires to rule the known world:    (1) The Babylonians, as depicted by a lion with 2 wings; (2) The Medo-Persians, as represented by a bear; (3) The Greeks under Alexander the Great, a leopard; (4) And the Romans, a terrible beast with iron teeth (The Romans had iron weapons).

Rome’s 10 horns represent ten successive evil empires, arising from the ashes of the former Roman empire through the ages. The final “little horn” will be the antichrist. But most relevant to us today is the portion from vv. 13-18.  Jesus, one like a Son of man, comes into the presence the Ancient of Days [God the Father], where He is given authority, glory and sovereign power.    Daniel is told by an angel that these vast evil empires will pass away, but Jesus’ followers—the saints—the holy people of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever.

This is the hope for which all we saints live. Our God, Jesus, is coming again to restore earth to a Garden of Eden-like environment.The saints will come to live there forever.

C. As a result, according to Psalm 149, we are to praise our Maker and King. He (v.3)  takes delight in His people; He crowns the humble with victory. And He (v.7)    inflict[s] vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples [who have been the enemies of His followers, the saints].

D. Finally, in Ephesians 1:11-23, Paul reminds the Ephesian Church, and us, that we who follow Jesus were all chosen and sealed by the Holy Spirit to (vv.11-13)    …be [God’s] own people…so we would praise and glorify Him.    Paul prays we saints might (1) grow in wisdom and in the knowledge of God; (2) understand more deeply the great spiritual inheritance we have through Jesus; (3) as well as the tremendous power of God available to us through the Holy Spirit; and (4) that we might realize that (v.23) God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made Him head over all things…. Jesus is sovereign over every nation, every empire, and every being. Nothing happens without His knowledge. And nothing—not even death—can separate us from His love for us.

If we love and follow Jesus, we are saints. Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord, Jesus Christ.   Alleluia! Alleluia!

©️2025 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams