Posted on by Cheryl Norman

The Power of Prayer

Pastor Sherry’s message for June 1, 2025

Scriptures: Acts 16:16-34; Ps 97; Rev 22:12-21; Jn 17:20-26

This morning, I want to focus on the power of prayer.  But first, let’s consider what God is saying to us through our Scripture passages appointed for today:

Jesus is praying for us in the Gospel of John 17:20-26.  As our High Priest, He is praying for us, interceeding—just before going to the Cross.

He asks the Father to (1) keep us as united to the Father as Jesus is;

(2) help us to dwell with both the Father and with Jesus in heaven; and

(3) so fill us with the Father’s love that we might love Him and others as the Father has loved His Son.

The Revelation 22:12-21 Reading reminds us that those of us who love and have surrendered our lives to Jesus are going to heaven,  while evil-doers will be barred from Paradise.

Psalm 97 describes what happens when God the Father shows up (this is called a theophany):  There are big signs like fire, lightening flashes, and earthquakes (which usually mean God is fixing to judge).  Verse 9 reminds us For You, O Lord, are supreme over all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods.  In other words, nothing and no one in this world is more powerful than our God.   He has the power, total power, to answer our prayers.  And verse 10 states  He [God] protects the lives of His godly people and rescues them from the power of the wicked.

He is our divine rescuer/our Redeemer.   He can and does pull us free from the tentacles of this seductive world. 

Our Acts lesson (16:16-24) provides us with a real life example, an object lesson, in how our God works through our prayers.

But first, consider this:

“A man was being pursued by a roaring, hungry lion.  Feeling the beast’s hot breath on his neck and knowing his time was short, he prayed as he ran.  He cried out in desperation, ‘O Lord, please make this lion a Christian.’  Within seconds, the frightened man became aware the lion had stopped the chase.  When he looked behind him, he found the lion kneeling, lips moving in obvious prayer. Greatly relieved at this turn of events—and desirous of joining the lion in meditation, he approached the king of the jungle.  When he was near enough, he heard the lion praying, ‘And bless, O Lord, this food for which I’m exceedingly grateful!’”

The man would have been better off praying for escape.  I guess the lesson is think about what you really want when you pray. Also consider the child who was asked by the preacher what his mother prayed for at his bedtime each night.  “The youngster replied, ‘Thank God he’s in bed!’”  I wonder how often God is amused by our prayers.

(Chuck Swindoll, The Tale of the Tardy Oxcart, Word Publishing, 1998, p.456.)  

Let’s examine our Acts lesson more thoroughly to discover everything we can about what God has to teach us about the power of prayer.  We find the Apostle Paul and his assistant, Silas, in Phillipi (a Roman colony in present day Greece) to establish a church.  As Paul and Silas are preaching and teaching, they find themselves followed by a slave girl who is able to see into the future.  She hollers a true message: (v.17)  These men are servants of the Most High God and they have come to tell you how to be saved.  She’s right, so what’s the problem?  Well first, she might have drawn unwanted attention to them. Second, she was disruptive and annoying, especially if she kept on screeching while Paul and Silas were trying to teach. And third, Paul discerned her knowledge came from demonic sources, and probably did not want amything from the evil one to taint his ministry. It is likely that the Holy Spirit had already revealed to him that she was being trafficked—used by her owners—to make money. 

So, Paul casts the demon out of her.  There’s a clear lesson here:  We don’t want to be trying to find out what our future holds from any medium or witch. In the 1980’s, before I went to seminary, I let my aunt talk me into making a visit to Casa Dega, a village of mediums near Orlando.  I wanted to know if I might remarry some day. The guy who worked with us called himself “Rev. Jerry,” but looking back, it is clear he was not a Christian. In addition, nothing he told me came true!  I had wasted my time and money.  We are to trust only God with our futures.

Now the Philippian medium’s owners became enraged because it meant a big loss of income for them.  As we see so often in today’s culture, they accuse Paul and Silas as a way of exacting revenge (Don’t get mad, get even!  In fact, ruin the person if you can. This belief is so unchristian!).

They make two false claims that were all too readily believed of Jewish outsiders:  (1) (Verse 20)  The whole city is in an uproar because of these Jews.  Really?  There was probably some excitement due to a demon being cast out, but such an event wouldn’t have galvanized an entire city.  (2) (Verse 21)  They are teaching customs that are illegal for us Romans to practice.  Also not really true. The Romans only later began to persecute Christians because they would not affirm that “Caesar is Lord.”  Since Christians would only avow that “Jesus is Lord,” they were seen as intolerant and then caught and punished.  But, since the Romans worshipped a large number of gods, at this point, most figured what’s the problem with one more?   Additionally, Paul and Silas would have known this as they were both Jews who were also Roman citizens.

The city officials side with the slave owners and have Paul and Silas severely beaten and jailed.  They are stripped and beaten with wooden rods. Their backs would have been lacerated, bleeding, and needing medical attention. Instead, they are thrown into the heart of a filthy, unsanitary prison.  To make matters worse, their feet and locked pin stocks, so they could not lay down or rest on their stomachs.

Now, put yourselves in Paul and Silas’ places, and think of how you might have responded to this treatment.  Here’s another clear lesson:

They praise God  they were singing hymns of praise.  Psalm 100:4 says  We Enter His gates with thanksgiving; go into His courts [ a step more intimate] with praise.  They knew the “secret sauce”  praise takes us in close to God’s heart.  It also opens our hearts and spirits to draw closer to God.  This is why I begin our pastoral prayer (most all my prayers) with praise and thanksgiving.  Praise puts us into the proper prayer mind-frame.  It helps us remember He’s exalted and all powerful, but we are not.

And because God loves us, He listens to us and He hears us.

Then they pray, and pray without ceasing.  John Bunyon once wrote, “You can do no more than pray after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed.”  (Swindoll, Ibid., p.452).

Someone else once said, “Prayer is not room service.”  In fact, they went on to assert, “There’s something exquisitely luxurious about room service in a hotel.  All you have to do is pick up the phone and somebody is ready and waiting to bring you breakfast, lunch, dinner, a chocolate milkshake, whatever your heart desires and your stomach will tolerate.  Or by another liquid motion of the wrist, you can telephone for someone who will get a soiled shirt quickly transformed into a clean one or a rumpled suit into a pressed one.  That’s the concept that some of us have of prayer.  We had created God in the image of a divine bellhop.  Prayer, for us, is the ultimate in room service, wrought by direct dialing.  Furthermore, no tipping, and everything is charged to that Great credit card in the sky.”  (Ibid., p.453)

Prayer is, in fact, surrender.  Did you notice that Paul and Silas weren’t grumbling. But I’ll bet they were praying for a break through—or a breakout!   Meanwhile, everyone else incarcerated there was listening and perhaps coming to Christ.

Next, notice what God does:  He provides a massive earthquake (a theophany).  Verse 26 states  …the prison was shaken to its foundations.  All the cell doors flew open. An earthquake could have torn them from their walls, but to unlock them was purely supernatural.  All the chains fell off; this was also due to a supernatural intervention.  Furthermore, the prisoners don’t leave (Think about the jailbirds in New Orleans who recently escaped from behind a cell toilet.  They jumped out and fled like roaches do when you turn on the lights.)  These other prisoners had witnessed a miracle.  They appeared to have turned their lives over to Jesus.  Through Paul and Silas, God had brought about a revival in that jail.

Those miracles then bring the jailor (and his family) to a saving knowledge of Christ.  The warden provides medical attention for Paul and Silas.  They then baptize the jailor and his household.  And, finally, he feeds them.  Everyone ends up rejoicing over God’s powerful answer to prayer.

Church, prayer is powerful!  Prayer effects things we cannot. Illnesses are healed.  Addictions are broken.  Relationships are mended.

We need to pray daily, especially if you don’t already.

Not just bedtime or mealtime prayers.  John Wesley and Martin Luther each prayed 3-4 hours per day, and look at what God accomplished through them.  Jesus sometimes prayed all night!  We need to spend significant time with our Lord.

We also need to pray for others.  You can begin with the people on our weekly prayer list.  Pray for your family, coworkers, and any friends who don’t follow Jesus.  There is a team of us who pray each Sunday afternoon for strangers who drive by the front door of our church.  Many of them now honk their horns and wave at us, expressing appreciation for the spiritual help.

Prayer is how we access the power of God.  It’s impact is astonishing.  

©️2025 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

The Good Shepherd

Pastor Sherry’s message for May 11, 2025

Scriptures: Acts 9:37-43; Ps 23; Rev 7:9-17; John 10:22-30

Back in 2007, I thought the Lord was calling me to plant a new church. I was living in Tallahassee then and did not believe I was in any way gifted to do this. But, intending to be obedient to the Lord, I decided to check out some successful church plants there to see how they did it.

One Sunday, I attended a large Pentecostal Church called “Genesis”—I liked the name—in their 4th year.  At the time, they were meeting in a high school auditorium, and claimed they had 800 adults (+ numerous kids) attending.

The Pastor that Sunday preached about the trials and tribulations their congregation had experienced during their 4 years of existence:

1.) They had 1200 show up for their Easter Service, but were plunged into darkness when a squirrel ate through a power line.

2.) The school board had reneged on and amended their contractual agreement several times, requiring them to spend more than they had budgeted or expected.

3.) The stage lights didn’t work well and had to be jerry-rigged each week.

4.) The heat and AC controls were locked up in another office so they could not adjust them as needed.

5) The weekly set up and take down had wearied their volunteers and robbed them of energy and focus.

In sum, he said, “Being in this high school has been a nightmare!”

At this point, I was sure he was going to launch into a plea to raise more money so they could buy or build their own sanctuary.  But, surprisingly, the pastor reminded them that the Lord had led them there in the first place!  He had prayed and fasted, and believed the Lord had told him to rent the school auditorium. His wife had prayed and got the same response. His staff had prayed about it and came to the same decision.  Perhaps even more convincing was the fact that the principal of the high school had actually approached them to ask if they wanted to rent his space!

They believed they had received a clear direction from the Lord, jumped on the deal, and assumed it would be, “Easy, all would go well, because the Lord had set this up for us!” 

Now I was there to discover, from someone who was experienced, what is required to start up a new church. I was thinking this was all pretty discouraging until I heard the rest of his sermon.  He admitted they had learned that (a.) Sometimes the right place will feel like the wrong place; (b.) Sometimes the right time will feel like the wrong time;

and (c.) Sometimes, when things don’t go well, we will doubt that we heard God correctly.  Yes, they had had their share of troubles in that school auditorium, but they had also brought 600 people to Christ in their 4 years there. I agree with that Pastor that at times like that, the Lord wants us to remember to remain obedient—to persevere—no matter the set-backs and aggravations. Sometimes, what Jesus is looking for from us is that we trust in Him to use even our hard experiences to train us up in the way He wants us to go.  If we can continue to lean into our Good Shepherd, He will not lead us astray.

In our Gospel lesson today, (John 10:22-30), Jesus has a brief but testy interchange with the Scribes and the Pharisees, in which He makes some important statements:

He is in Jerusalem for Hanukkah (Winter-time, perhaps 4 months prior to His death). Jesus is teaching in the Gentile area of the Temple, Solomon’s Colonnade. He is focused on training up His disciples—the 12 and many others—in the few short months He has remaining. Apparently by this time, He has left off trying to convince the religious authorities of His divine identity. The Scribes and Pharisees are trying to get Him to directly state that He is the Messiah, so they can bring Him up on charges of blasphemy (claiming He is God when He is not).  He responds to them (vv.25-27) I have already told you, and you don’t believe Me.  The proof is the work I do in My Father’s name.  [In other words, My actions speak louder than any words].  But you don’t believe Me [In other words, you don’t get it]… because you are not My sheep.  My sheep listen to My voice.  I know them, and they follow Me.

This is brief but very important lesson, so let’s unpack it now:

First, we are His sheep if we believe in Him. FAITH is what it takes to become a Christ-follower. We have read Scripture and we have taken in what Jesus did and said; or we have seen the huge difference He has made in our own life, or in the life of someone else. (For example, I heard yesterday that a man with stage 4 prostate cancer had been healed in his church last Sunday.)  And so we have come to believe in Him.

Second, when we believe in Him, we can begin to talk to Him and hear from Him. Do you talk to Him?  How do you know when God is speaking to you?  How do know you have heard from Him?

There are actually a number of ways God is speaking to us:

1.) Scripture (God’s Word written) A passage may leap off the page when you ask for God’s direction. I was ready to abandon the ordination process when I checked it out with the Lord and was directed by Him to Psalm 110:4 The sovereign Lord has decided and will not change His mind. That did it for me. I stopped trying to back out.

Or you may read a passage that seems to be written exactly for you in your current situation.  Back in 1984, my husband had left me for another woman.  My heart was broken and I was grieving when someone from my church advised me to read Isaiah 54. I did and was amazed!  Verse 4 reads, Do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. I was teaching high school at the time and all my students knew about my situation. I felt emotionally naked, vulnerable, and ashamed. In verses 5-6, the Lord says, “For your Maker is your husband—the Lord Almighty is His name—the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; He is called the God of all the earth.  The Lord will call you back as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit—a wife who married young, only to be rejected.”  That passage had my initials on it. I knew it was meant for me. I took God at His word that He was my husband, and He has faithfully loved me, provided for me, and protected me ever since!

2.) Through others (especially 2-3 unsolicited comments.)  In the case of the Genesis Church, they had agreement among several folks who were praying separately but came to the same conclusion.

3.) Circumstances (closed vs. open doors). Watch for how things work out. God will guide you through the way in which He sets up events. Consider how you met your spouse or how you came to land a good job. Often the circumstances are pretty curious and unlikely, unless superintended by our God.

4.) A nudge in your spirit.  You will feel led to do or say something that’s unusual for you. Years ago, I was walking early in the morning when I had such a nudge:  Pick up a stick! It was insistent and repeated, so I located a large stick I would consider a cudgel. Seconds later, two huge dogs came snarling out of the woods, intending to attack me. But I had my big stick, shook it at them, and they retreated.

5.) Billboards, bumper stickers, and song lyrics.  My son will be thinking about a concern while in his car, then see a bumper sticker on a car just ahead that perfectly addresses his issue.

6.) Dreams/visions.  Jesus still speaks to us in dreams and visions. I encountered an Iranian man, a new Christian, who had fled to Turkey. Through an interpreter I asked how he had come to know Jesus Christ. His name was Navid and he said Jesus appeared to him and spoke to him in a dream. Jesus said something very consistent with what he had said during the day. As a result, the young man accepted Him. 

7.) Angelic visitation.  The writer to the Hebrews says wethen may not know we have entertained angels. I met an older man in New Orleans while at lunch one day. I had never seen him before and did not see him ever again.  He told me I needed to leave New Orleans, as a category 4 hurricane was coming which would flood the city. This happened 4 months before Hurricane Katrina hit. The church I was pastoring took on 10 feet of water during the storm, but the Lord had moved me back home to Tallahassee 2 months earlier.

8.) A strong Knowing.  Some call this a “a word of Knowledge.”  You know something that you can’t explain how you know it.  It seems to just drop into your head and you just know. This happens to me often when I am counseling people. It’s a gift and a blessing, it is always right, and I thank God for it.

9.) An audible word.  These are rare. I have had one. I was awakened by a deep male voice at about 3-4:00 a.m. back in 1988. I awoke to the echo of the word “reconciliation,” not a word I used much at that time. I then wondered who I was to be reconciled with, but later determined that in my counseling work, I was reconciling clients to God, to others, and to their best version of themselves. In seminary, I spent time studying 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, in which St. Paul says we are all called to a ministry of reconciliation.

We have to practice recognizing God’s voice to get better at it. 

The story is told of a young, rather inexperienced pastor who was trying to teach some little kids about Jesus as the Good Shepherd: 

“He told the children about sheep, that they weren’t smart and needed lots of guidance, and that a shepherd’s job was to stay close to the sheep, protect them from wild animals and keep them from wandering off and doing dumb things that would get them hurt or killed.

He pointed to the little children in the room and said that they were the sheep and needed lots of guidance.

Then the minister put his hands out to the side, palms up in a dramatic gesture, and with raised eyebrows said to the children, “If you are the sheep then who is the shepherd?” He was pretty obviously indicating himself.

A silence of a few seconds followed.  Then a youngster said, “Jesus, Jesus is the shepherd.”

The young minister, obviously caught by surprise, said to the boy, “Well, then, who am I?”

The little boy frowned thoughtfully and then said with a shrug, “I guess you must be a sheep dog.”

(Borrowed from www.bestcleanfunnyjokes.com, 5/6/25.)

Now bear with me a few more minutes as I attempt to be your sheep dog, leading you consider a few more truths about Jesus, our Good Shepherd:

In Psalm 23, an aged King David essentially summarizes for us what he has experienced the Good Shepherd do for him (and what He will do for us). This time, he sees himself not as a shepherd, himself, but as one of God’s sheep. Like a shepherd would do for his flock of sheep, David says God has…

1.) Protected him from harm.  

“Several years ago, in eastern Turkey in the Van province near Iran, there were shepherds who were caring for a flock of 1,500 sheep. They took a break and neglected the sheep while eating breakfast. During those few minutes the sheep wandered away towards a cliff that dropped off into a ravine 15 meters below. The first sheep fell to his death. The next 399 also followed and fell to their deaths. The remaining 1,100 sheep also followed and fell, but because the ravine was already littered with sheep their fall was cushioned and they survived.”

(Pastor Tim Melton, www,SermonSearch.com, May 6, 2025).

2.) Provided food, water, and rest for him;

3.) He had restored him when he had been discouraged or distressed;

4.) Led him in the right or wise direction;

5.) He had given him physical and emotional comfort;

6.) And blessed him spiritually. 

Just like last week, our Revelation passage (7:9-17) provides a picture of what worship is like in heaven. Believers from all times, places, races, and nations will be present to join with the angels in praising our God. The number will include Old Testament saints, all born again Christians, and Jews who will come through the Great Tribulation to believe in Jesus.

St. John then testifies that (v.17) The Lamb on the throne will be their shepherd.  He will lead them to springs of life giving water and God will wipe every tear from their eyes. Jesus has been our Good Shepherd in the past, He is our Good Shepherd now, and He will continue to shepherd us in heaven

The important question now is do you know the Good  Shepherd? Are you on intimate terms with Him?

A famous actor on the level of James Earl Jones or Charlton Heston was asked to recite the 23rd Psalm.  He did so and the folks who heard his recitation were mightily impressed.  Then the famous actor asked the old preacher/”sheep-dog” seated nearby to do the same.  His version was not as smooth or polished as the actor’s, but, “when he finished there was not a dry eye in the room. When someone asked the actor what made the difference, he replied. ‘I know the psalm, but he knows the Shepherd.”

(Pastor Steve Jones (www.SermonSearch.com, May 6, 2025)

This is a great day to become close friends with the Good Shepherd!

©️2025 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

God Never Gives Up On Us

Pastor Sherry’s message for March 30, 2025

Scriptures: Jos 5:9-12; Ps 32; 2 Cor 5:16-21; Lk 15:1-32

I ask your forgiveness if I have used this story before.  After 10 years here at Wellborn Methodist Church, I have lost track of which stories I have told when.  In this story a guy who committed a crime was sentenced to time in prison:

“ On his first day there he was sitting in the dining hall at lunch and suddenly a man stood up and shouted 37!  And everybody laughed.  After a while another man stood up and shouted 52!  And everybody chuckled and smiled.  After a few more minutes somebody else stood and yelled 86!  And again everyone laughed.  The new guy leaned over toward the man across from him and said, “What’s going on?  Why is everyone laughing at those numbers?” 

“The man said, “It’s like this.  There are only a hundred of so jokes in the world, and in here you hear them all.  We decided to save time and give them numbers.”  Wishing to fit in and win friends, the new convict decided to give it a try.  “17!” he yelled out.  Nobody laughed, nobody looked at him; finally, he sat down mystified.  “What happened?”  he asked his new friend.  The man shrugged and said “Oh, some people know how to tell a joke, and some people don’t.”   

(Fairless and Chilton, The Lectionary Lab Commentary: C, 2015, pp.128-129.)

Sometimes those of us who preach end up feeling this way about certain Bible stories.  They are so well known we could call out their names—like numbered jokes–and you would remember them.  Think of Noah and the Flood, Jonah and the Whale, the Good Samaritan, or the Woman at the Well.  You know these stories, you’ve heard them preached or discussed many times, and you could probably tell us all how they apply to our lives.

So what’s a preacher to do to bring new insights to such well-known tales and keep you all awake during the telling?

Our Gospel today (Luke 15:1-31) certainly falls into this category of famous parables. With the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, I will try to bring something fresh to our understanding of these well-beloved Parables.

A. Dr. Luke, the author of our Gospel account, has grouped together three parables of Lost things in Chapter #15.  They all say essentially the same thing, but using 3 different illustrations:

(1) An example directed at men (shepherds), a lost sheep;

(2) An instance directed at women (housewives), a lost coin;

(3) And an image most of us can relate to, a lost child, or son.

These constitute Jesus’ answer to the Pharisees’ criticism that He, a rabbi, hung out with sinners.  He knew they were muttering against Him (v.2) This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.  Jesus’ three examples—especially the final one—contrast the love of God for sinners, against the exclusiveness and snobbiness of the Jewish religious leaders.  Those folks, over time, had established themselves as a “holy club” whose members they considered special while those outside the club were considered losers.  Jesus is saying, among other things, God the Father and He, Jesus, both love the Lost Ones, the losers.. Yes, He also loves those of us who He has already found, and who have accepted Him.  In all three parables, Jesus defines repentance as the acceptance of having been found.  The initiative belongs to God.  He never gives up on trying to reach us.  He really goes out of His way to find us.  And, I could be wrong, but studying Jesus’ model, I think our job, as followers of our God, is to notice those who don’t love Him—or don’t even know about Him–and tell them the Good News of the Gospel:

(1.) Jesus Christ came to save the Lost;

(2.) He died on a Cross, taking upon Himself the penalty for all of our sin, for all time;

(3.) And He rose again, overcoming the penalty for our sins, which is death, and guaranteed to each of us eternal life in Heaven with Him.

Our Lord Jesus hung out with sinners because He hoped to save them.

B. While we’re on the subject, let’s take a look at our Old Testament lesson from Joshua (5:9-12).  The context is that God has safely delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.  During their 40 years of wilderness wanderings, He has protected them from illness and enemies; provided them with water from the rock (Jesus) and has fed them with manna (also Jesus); He has disciplined those who were rebellious and ungrateful; and He has now directed General Joshua, their new leader, to lead them across the Jordan River into the Promised Land.

Instead of immediately attacking and defeating Jericho—which you might think He would do–God has Joshua circumcise all the men and boys born since the exodus.  YIKES!  Besides being very painful, this no doubt laid them out for several days as they recovered.  It also required that the Lord continued to protect them as they were vulnerable to attack. Clearly this was important to our God.  Why?  Circumcision was the undeniable, indelible, permanent sign of their covenant relationship with God—a daily reminder that they belonged to Him.  They had not practiced it in the latter years of slavery and didn’t stop traveling to circumcise in the desert.  God was saying to them, You are not lost; you belong to Me; You must carry the sign of our Covenant relationship.

Next, He directed Joshua to lead them in a Passover service.  The Lord wanted them to remember how He saved them from the angel of death—the 10th plague—in Egypt.  He wanted them to remember they were saved by the blood of the Passover Lamb painted over their doorways—a foreshadowing of Jesus.

Having rededicated themselves to God, the Lord discontinued the daily drop of manna and they ate instead of the grain and fruit of their new territory.  

Again, notice the lengths our Lord goes to help us remember we are His.

C. David’s psalm (Psalm 32) is what is called in the Hebrew a maschil, a psalm of instruction.  In Psalm 51:12-13, King David’s great penitential psalm, He promised that if God forgave him for his adultery with Bathsheba and his murder of Uriah her husband, he would teach others to love and obey God.  Scholars believe Psalm 32 is David’s fulfillment of that promise.  (Obviously, the psalms are not listed in chronological order.)

In verse 1, David writes (NLY, p.671)—Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight.  David is clearly speaking as someone who has experienced God’s forgiveness. He is rejoicing in the fact that God did not give up on him, despite his egregious sins.

He recounts how the Holy Spirit afflicted his conscience (v.3) until he came to a point of repentance.  He celebrates the fact that (v.5)—I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.”  And You forgave me.  All my guilt is gone.

He uses the remainder of the psalm to praise God as his hiding place (v.7), and to instruct us that (v.10)—many sorrows come to the wicked, but unfailing love surrounds those who trust in the Lord.

D. Paul picks up a similar refrain in 2 Corinthians 5:16-21.

1st he states that we have no basis for judging others, as we are all sinners, and Christ died for every one of us.  Because of this, we are all new creatures in Christ.  He has pursued all of us. He has redeemed all of us. This fact has resulted in a new relationship between us and our God. Just as the reiteration of the covenant at Gilgal (which means rolled away; at that place God rolled away the shame of their past slavery, through circumcision and Passover) reaffirmed the Israelites as God’s Chosen People, we have—through our belief in Jesus–been reconciled to the Father.

We have also been given a ministry (vv.18-20, NLT)—And all of this is a gift from God who brought us back to Himself through Christ.  And God has given us this task of reconciling people to Him.  For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them.  And He gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.  So we are Christ’s ambassadors.  We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”

During Lent, as I said last week, as we do our spiritual housecleaning, we must all come to grips with the fact that we are all sinners.   As Paul says (Romans 5:8)—While we were still sinners, Jesus Christ died for our sins.  Our Lord Jesus is not satisfied until we Lost Ones are found by Him.  Our God is called The Great Hound of Heaven because He pursues us like a bloodhound until He finds us.  He and all of Heaven celebrate when we turn to Him.  He loves us with a steadfast and faithful agape love.  He is willing to forgive us whenever we repent and ask Him.

Interestingly, in the stories of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin, there is an invitation to us to party, but we don’t know if anyone did.  Similarly, in the story of the Lost Son, we know the party takes place, but we don’t know if the self-righteous older son ever participated.  These parables are left open-ended for a reason.  The ending is up to us.  How will each of us respond?  Let us join in with our reconciling Lord, who never gives up on us.  Please also turn to www.YouTube.com and listen to a song by Jesus Culture called “One Thing Remains.”

©️ Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Profiles of Humility

Pastor Sherry’s message for February 9, 2025

Scriptures: Isa 6:1-13; Ps 138; 1 Cor 15:1-11; Lk 5:1-13

Remember Muhammed Ali?  The famous boxer who used to humbly claim, “I am the greatest!”?  Well, the story is told that he was seated on a plane getting ready to take off, and the flight attendant noted he wasn’t using his seatbelt.  She politely asked him to fasten it.  He replied, ”I’m Superman and Superman don’t need no seatbelt.”  To which she responded, ”Superman don’t need no airplane either, so please fasten your seatbelt.”   

 (Steve Jones, “God’s Spiritual Stimulus Plan—Humility, www.sermomcentral.com, 2/6/25.)  

By the way, a parishioner of mine told me (following this sermon) that her father was a city bus driver in Louisville, Kentucky, for years, and that Muhammed Ali (aka, Cassius Clay) rode his bus daily as a child going to school.  Her father said the great boxer had always had a tendency to brag about himself.

 A second story regarding humility involves Benjamin Franklin:  Apparently he once… “made a list of character qualities that he wanted to develop in his own life. When he mastered one virtue, he went on to the next. He did pretty well, he said, until he got to humility.  Every time he thought he was making significant progress, he would be so pleased with himself that he became proud.”

(“Illustrations on Humility,” the Disciplers Blog, 2/7/2025.)

It’s hard to be humble, isn’t it?  But our Scripture passages today provide us with some pretty strong reminders that the virtue of humility pleases God.

A.  Let’s look first at the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 6:1-13).  This story recaps his call, by the Lord, to become a prophet.  The context for Isaiah is the death of the good king, Uzziah.  Uzziah had ruled the Southern Kingdom (Judea and Jerusalem) for 52 years, from 791-740 BC.  He subdued Israel’s traditional enemies, the Philistines (ancestors of today’s Palestinians), the Arabs, and the Ammonites.  And, as long as Uzziah sought God and did not get too proud, he led the country into a period of peace and prosperity.  When Uzziah died, however, Isaiah was grieved and worried for the future of Judea.  Fortunately, Isaiah took his worry to the Temple, where he placed it on God’s altar through prayer.  No doubt he was lamenting. “Lord, what shall we do? What will happen to us all now?”  

The Lord responds to him with a vision and a calling.  The vision is of God on His throne.  The Lord is so immense that the train of His garment fills the Temple.  God wants to reassure Isaiah that all is well:  Isaiah’s earthly King is dead, but his heavenly King is alive and well and sovereign over all things.

Isaiah also sees 6 seraphim—in the Hebrew, the name means to burn—flying about the Throne.  While the job of the cherubim is to protect the holiness of God, the job of the seraphim is to seek out sin and destroy it.

(J. Vernon McGee, Through the Bible Commentary on Isaiah, Thomas Nelson, 1991, p.68.)

This is important because Isaiah immediately becomes aware that he is a sinful man who has seen God himself.  He knows from Moses’ dialogue with God in Exodus 33:20, that—No one may see Me and live.  No sinful being may exist in the physical presence of the Living God.  So he cries out (verse 5, NLT)—It’s all over!  I am doomed, for I am a sinful man.  I have filthy lips and I live among a people with filthy lips.  Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.  Isaiah is honest—he admits and takes responsibility for his sinfulness.  He doesn’t blame his environment, his parents, or any sinful associates.  He humbles himself before God.

God then directs a seraph to cleanse Isaiah’s lips with a burning coal from the altar where sacrifices for sins are carried out.  Prior to Jesus’ once- and-for-all-perfect sacrifice of Himself, an animal was chosen to be offered in one’s place.  The sinner consigned his/her sins to the animal’s head, the priest slit the animal’s throat, drained its blood, and placed its body on the sacrificial altar to be burned.  The life blood of the animal paid for the sin of the human.  The burning or live coal the seraph brought to Isaiah came from the altar at which such atonement for sin was made.  McGee goes on to assert that this act foreshadowed the coming cleansing we would all experience through the shedding of Jesus’ blood (Ibid., p.71).  Remember the words of the old hymn, “What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”  Instead of hurting Isaiah, Christ’s future (to him) finished work on the Cross cleansed and healed him.

Then the Lord calls Isaiah to a frustrating work in which he will convey God’s words to a people group who will neither listen to nor receive what the Prophet has to say.  Again, Isaiah humbly agrees to answer the call–Here I am; send me–even though it is to a mission that will feel very frustrating.

B.  In Psalm 138, King David offers thanksgiving to the Lord for His love and protection.  He says in v. 1—I will sing your praises before the gods.  By gods, David was referring to the false gods of Israel’s neighbors, Egyptian, Philistine, and Canaanite gods.  For us, today, the meaning is anything we put ahead of God in our lives (McGee, p.156 of his commentary on the Psalms).  This could be money, power, status, influence, certain relationships with people, and addictions.

In verse 2, he goes on to praise God for His love and His trustworthiness.  In verse 6, he insists—Though the Lord is great, He cares for the humble, but He keeps His distance from the proud.

There it is, the theme of humility and how it pleases God.  Later, James, the half-brother of Christ, will write (James 4:6)—God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.  Similarly Peter will state (1 Peter 5:6)—So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time He will lift you up in honor. 

C.  St. Paul, in his 15th chapter of 1 Corinthians (verses 1-11), refutes the first heresy to arise in the infant Christian Church: That there was no resurrection.  He carefully enumerates all the folks who saw and interacted with the risen Jesus.  There were more than 512 eye-witnesses.  Then he, himself, saw Jesus on the road to Damascus.

Next, he humbly recounts (vv.8-10, NLT)—Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw Him.  For I am the least of all the apostles.  In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted the Church.  But whatever I am now, it is because God poured out His special favor on me….

Some say Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, was the greatest of all the apostles; but here he humbly reminds us that if he is so, it is only due to the grace and forgiveness of Christ.

D.  Finally, we have the example of Peter (also of James, John, and Andrew, Peter’s brother) in Matthew 5:1-11.  Jesus uses Peter’s (and Andrew’s) boat to address the crowd of His followers.  The fishermen are cleaning their nets, but they are also listening to Jesus.  He dismisses the crowd and urges Peter to pull away from the shore and launch his nets again.  It’s daylight and they have already fished all night with no results.

They are tired, and Peter seems crabby.  He knows from experience that the fish they sought tend to swarm only at night.  He must wonder, “What’s the point of going back out now that it’s daylight?”

But Peter does as Jesus says and is amazed to haul in a gigantic haul of fish!  They bring in enough to tear their handmade nets.  They land enough to nearly sink Peter’s boat and that of the Zebedee brothers, James and John.  Peter recognizes both the miracle of the catch and that Jesus has the surprising power to accomplish miracles.  Like Isaiah before him, he immediately becomes aware of his sinfulness.  He humbles himself.  He feels so unworthy, he even asks the Lord to leave him.  But Jesus instead invites him—all 4 fishing partners, in fact–to become “fishers of men/people.”

Peter humbles himself and Jesus makes him a disciple—an apostle.

The Prophet Micah (6:8) has asserted that the way we please God is…”to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”   Ali lacked humility, Franklin–like us–struggled to attain it, but Isaiah, King David, Paul, and Jesus’ Apostles all demonstrated it.  It is a virtue we can develop.  It is something we can intentionally cultivate and attain.

How do we do it?  King David was right:  (1) Put God first in our lives.  We decide to try to please Him.  (2) Then we recall James 1:17 (NLT)—Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, Who created all the light in the heavens.  He never changes or casts a shifting shadow [meaning He is not mercurial but is the same yesterday, today, and forever].  Whatever we do that might make us proud is actually something God prompted in us, inspired, or helped us to do.  Then, we must willingly give Him the praise for every good thing we accomplish and every good thing we experience.   Thanks be to God Who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Alleluia, Alleluia!

©️2025 Rev. Dr. Pastor Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Touched by God

Pastor Sherry’s message for December 22, 2024

Scriptures: Mic 5:2-5a; Lk 1:46-56; Heb 10:5-10; Lk 1:39-45

The story is told of a man, a nonbeliever, with cancer, who was being treated in the hospital.  His prognosis was poor.  He had been raised to know Jesus, but had quit going to church when his complaints about church and church goers multiplied.  You’ve heard what non-attenders say about us:  (1) The church is too small—I can’t hide out. The folks there are too nosy; the folks there are too judgmental.  (2) The church is too big—I’m lost in the crowd; no one knows my name, or cares if I am there or not.  (3) The people there are hypocrites—acting loving on Sunday, but knifing you in the back Monday-Saturday!  I don’t like the hymns–they are too old fashioned–or I can’t stand the multiple repetitions of contemporary Christian music. (4) All those people want is my money!  (5) YIKES!  They’ve got a woman preacher!  I don’t know this guy’s particular criticism but he had given up on church long before he was diagnosed with an incurable cancer.

One day a hospital chaplain entered his room.  The fellow hadn’t called for a visit from a clergy-person, so he was surprised.  The chaplain addressed him by name and asked if he would like some prayer.  The man thought, “Why not?  What could it hurt?”  The chaplain proceeded to pray for his comfort, freedom from pain, a miraculous healing, and that he might know and trust Jesus as his Lord and Savior.  When the visit ended, the man felt moved to write the following:

“Lying on my narrow, hospital bed, feeling the oil of gladness and healing, I knew I had little time. More importantly though, I felt by a wondrous grace that this was the first time in my memory that the Church was paying attention to me, individually, by name, naming me, praying for me to deal with my painful circumstances and my suffering, the suffering that is uniquely mine. All of a sudden I realized, I matter, I really matter. I still can’t get over the power of this feeling of mattering, of being an irreplaceable individual.”

(Mark Trotter, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com, 12/18/2024.)

Praise God the guy experienced being touched by God.  Though he referenced being attended to by the church, he learned that he mattered to Jesus.  Despite his previously negative judgments against churches and church-goers, he learned our Lord touched him, thorough a clergy-person, in his time of need.

Our Scriptures today all center on folks who were touched by God in very unique and important ways.  Let’s see what we can learn from them.

A.  Our Old Testament lesson is from the minor prophet, Micah (5:2-5a)—again minor because his book is short, not because his message is unimportant.  He served as God’s spokesman to both the Northern and Southern Kingdom capital cities from 750-686BC.  He correctly predicted the fall of Samaria (Northern Kingdom) to the Assyrians in 722-721BC; and that of Jerusalem and Judea later in 586.  He then went on to correctly predict Jesus’ birthplace, 700 years before His birth (NIV, v.2)—But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah [Bethlehem and suburbs], though you are small, out of you will come for Me [God the Father] One [Jesus] who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from old, from ancient times. 

Though Mary and Joseph lived in Nazareth, Jesus was born in Bethlehem–due to Caesar’s census–fulfilling this prophesy.  A number of Pharisees rejected Him as Messiah because they did not realize Jesus had actually been born in Bethlehem as predicted.  Furthermore, the prophet states that though Jesus arrived on earth as a baby, His origins are from old, from ancient times, meaning He dwelt with the Father from before the creation of the world.  Remember, the Apostle John wrote in the very beginning of his Gospel (NLT, 1:1-3)—In the beginning the Word [Jesus, God’s word made flesh] already existed.  The Word was with God and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God.  God created everything through Him and nothing was created except through Him.  Creation was the Father’s idea, but Jesus spoke everything into existence.  This is why He could accurately say to the Jewish religious leaders later, (John 8:58)—I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I AM!

From Jesus’ place of birth, Micah then jumps across the eons to predict the events of Jesus’ 2nd Coming.  At that time, God’s Chosen People will be scattered throughout the world, as they are now (It is said that there are more Jews in New York City than there are in Israel). The Jews will have suffered centuries of travail.  But the Lord Jesus will return to earth to re-gather them (and us, we who are grafted into Jesus’ line) and to shepherd them (v.4)—He will stand to lead His flock with the Lord’s strength, in the majesty of the name of the Lord His God.

Jesus will care for His people powerfully.  They will accept Him as their Messiah, and He will usher in a time of world-wide peace.

Micah was certainly touched by God, inspired by Him to speak these truths to the people of Israel and to us. Through Micah, the Lord tried to touch His people.  Through the book of Micah, the Lord touches us today.

B. The writer to the Hebrews is adamant that Jesus was no afterthought, no Plan B because God’s Plan A had failed.   In Chapter 10, verses 5-10, the author makes it clear that the Lord always knew the blood of animal sacrifices could only temporarily atone for our sins. They covered the sins that were confessed, but did nothing toward any future sins—or even unacknowledged past sins.  So sacrifices would have to be made again and again.  Under that system, you would have to once again purchase or raise an unblemished animal, take it to the Temple, pronounce all your sins upon its head, and watch the priest kill it and sprinkle its blood over the horns of the altar.  But because Jesus was the only perfect, sinless man, the sacrifice of His shed blood covers our sins for all time.  He is the Once and for All Perfect Sacrifice for our Sins!  All of us who are “in Christ”—who believe in Him and who love Him—are credited by the Father with Jesus’ righteousness.  Praise God we have all been touched by God—redeemed–through Jesus!

C. Our psalm or song this morning is Mary’s Magnificat (Luke 1:46-56).  Mary was, of course, very intimately touched by God.  She was no doubt awe-struck at the thought of having God’s Son.  This was the hope/the dream of every Jewish young woman…Will I be the one to bear the Messiah?  The Greek Christians later called her the theotokis—the God-bearer.   And so she celebrates this honor in 3 verses:  (NLT) Vv.46-49—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 will call me blessed!  For the Mighty One is holy and He has done great things for me.

But the remainder of her Psalm is focused on what God is doing for His people through the arrival of the long awaited Messiah:  She praises God for being merciful to those who respect/revere Him; she reminds us of His past works of power; she celebrates His surprising propensity to reverse worldly expectations:  the lowly are raised up, while the lofty are brought low.  And she applauds God for fulfilling His promises to Israel: He is bringing forth a Messiah who will bless all the earth.  This King comes from King David’s essentially extinct dynasty.  Mary’s genealogy in Luke places her in David’s lineage, though as a very poor relation, and Joseph, as per Matthew’s genealogy, also comes out of this diminished promised line.

Mary is such a great model for us, isn’t she?  She is humble and obedient.  God’s favor upon us is often unexpected, but she immediately complied with God’s plan.  She said “Yes” to God; may we say “yes” to Him as well.

D. Our Gospel lesson today is the passage just before Mary’s song of praise (Luke1:39-45).  The angel, Gabriel, tells Mary her elderly cousin Elizabeth is expecting a child too.  I think he gently gave the unwed Mary a good reason to leave town for a spell. Did he mean to prevent her from being stoned?  Fornicators and adulterers were to be stoned in those days, according to the Law of Moses.  As far as her neighbors were concerned, Mary had conceived as an unwed person and was liable.  Or did God mean to provide her some respite from being judged and condemned by her friends and neighbors, and even her family?  Perhaps all of this, as well as to help her feel affirmed by someone who loved her and who also appreciated the miraculous touches of God.

Elizabeth greets her (v.42) Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!   Without their even having shared Mary’s condition, Elizabeth—inspired by the Holy Spirit—declares—(NLT) Vv.42-45—God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed.  Why am I so honored that the mother of my Lord should visit me?  When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy.  You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what He said.  Mary, you believed God, despite the awkward and dangerous position this placed you in at home.  Mary, your faith and trust in God to see you through will ever be a model to the rest of us.  Elizabeth has clearly been touched by God!

Do we all realize that our God so loves us that He broke into human history, as a helpless baby, to live among us and to die for us?  What a fabulous Christmas gift!  As we celebrate His birth this week, may we each be fully aware that we matter to Jesus.  And may we each come away from Christmas believing we have been touched by God. 

Amen!  May it be so!

©️2024 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams 

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Humility

Pastor Sherry’s message for October 27, 2024

Scriptures: Job 42:1-17; Ps 34:1-8, 19-22; Heb 7:14-28; Mk 10:46-52

In a story borrowed from Our Daily Bread, it was recounted that…

 “Shortly after Booker T. Washington, the renowned black educator, took over the presidency of Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, he was walking in an exclusive section of town when he was stopped by a wealthy white woman. Not knowing the famous Mr. Washington by sight, she asked if he would like to earn a few dollars by chopping wood for her. Because he had no pressing business at the moment, Professor Washington smiled, rolled up his sleeves, and proceeded to do the humble chore she had requested. When he was finished, he carried the logs into the house and stacked them by the fireplace. A little girl recognized him and later revealed his identity to the lady. 

“The next morning the embarrassed woman went to see Mr. Washington in his office at the Institute and apologized profusely. “It’s perfectly all right, Madam,” he replied. “Occasionally I enjoy a little manual labor. Besides, it’s always a delight to do something for a friend.” She shook his hand warmly and assured him that his meek and gracious attitude had endeared him and his work to her heart. Not long afterward she showed her admiration by persuading some wealthy acquaintances to join her in donating thousands of dollars to the Tuskegee Institute.”

Another true story of a famous person who demonstrated humility is told of the great evangelist George Whitefield.  Whitefield was a friend and a contemporary of John Wesley, who, in the 1740’s, led the American colonies in a huge revival known as “The First Great Awakening.” 

“Although George Whitefield disagreed with John Wesley on some theological matters, he was careful not to create problems in public that could be used to hinder the preaching of the gospel. When someone asked Whitefield if he thought he would see Wesley in heaven, Whitefield replied, “I fear not, for he will be so near the eternal throne and we at such a distance, we shall hardly get sight of him.” 

(W. Wiersbe, Wycliffe Handbook of Preaching and Preachers,  Moody Press, 1984, p. 255.)

Both Dr. Booker T. Washington and Rev. George Whitefield illustrated the very rare virtue of humility.  We know that Jesus was humble. So too was Paul.  In Acts 20:19 (all biblical quotations cited are from the New Living Translation), Dr. Luke states that Paul asserted in Ephesus: I served the Lord with great humility and with tears, although I was severely tested by the plots of the Jews.  By the time he penned his epistle (1 Peter 5:5-6), Peter had also learned to be humble: All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” [Proverbs 3:34].  Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. 

Humility is one of the marks of a true follower of Jesus. I believe our God rejoices in us when we put aside our pride and live lives characterized by true humility.

A. Job (42:1-17) is another great example of a man who learned to be humble before God.  Verses 1-6 reveal that as a result of his confrontation with God, Job humbly admits he has erred by assuming he could judge God.  He admits his sinfulness (v.6): I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance

Then, in verses 7-9, God takes Job’s judgmental friends to task.

He rebukes them for their presumptions and their spiritual arrogance—for thinking they knew God’s purposes with Job.  He directs them to make sin offerings to atone for their guilt.  And then He tells them to ask Job to pray for them. God vindicates Job before his best but wrong-minded buddies.

Finally, God restores Job’s fortunes.  Somewhat like when the Egyptians gave the Israelite slaves their “back pay” when they left Egypt, Job’s relatives and friends (v.11) are prompted to bring him silver and gold, a kind of “grub-steak.”  God himself replenishes his supply of animals: WOW!  Consider the Lord’s largesse:  14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen (really 2,000 oxen), and 1,000 female donkeys (remember donkey milk was prized then in the Ancient Near East)—twice as many animals as before.  He also helped Job procreate 7 sons and 3 beautiful daughters (not 20 kids, because he would later see the first 10 in heaven.)  And He grants him long life.  Scholars believe Job was about 70 when all of this took place, so God added 140 more years to his life.

The book of Job illustrates, among other things, that humbling ourselves before God brings us blessings.  Job lost everything, even his health, but God restored him two-fold—due to his faith, trust, repentance, and humility.

B. Psalm 34 was written by King David to express his gratitude to God for rescuing him from his enemies.   In verses 1-2, David praises God for delivering him from a king of the Phillistines (Achish, who was an Abimilech, or ruler in the Canaanite tongue).  In verse 3, he calls on others to praise God too.  David says (v.4): I prayed to the Lord and He answered me; He freed me from all my fears.  He continues in verse 8, Blessed is the man [or woman] who takes refuge in Him.  He concludes in v.19: A righteous person faces many troubles, but the LORD comes to the rescue each time.  Just because we love the Lord does not mean we live trouble-free.  Actually, Jesus later stated (John 16:33): Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows [will not might or could].  But take heart because I have overcome the world.  It means that He will sustain us through our difficulties. 

Essentially, David’s point is that we can and should depend upon the Lord.  He can and does rescue us when we cannot save ourselves.  Holding firmly to this insight should make us humble, as we realize that we can’t but God can.

C.  The writer to the Hebrews (7:14-28) pretty much spends his [or her] entire book outlining why we humbly owe Jesus our love, gratitude, and respect.  (Many credit Paul with writing the Letter to the Hebrews, but Paul always identified himself as the author of his books and did not do so here.  Other scholars speculate it may have been Priscilla of Priscilla and Aquila fame.  She had been raised in Rome and probably had had an exceptionally good education, as the Greek used in this book is of a very high level.  We can only speculate and will have to ask in Heaven who the actual author was.)  

Whatever the case, Jesus was from the tribe of Judah, not of Levi, the priestly tribe.  But, as verse 16 explains: Jesus became a priest, not by meeting the physical requirement of belonging to the tribe of Levi, but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed.  He became a priest through His resurrection from the dead.  As is clear from Psalm 110:4 [God is speaking]: The LORD has taken an oath and will not break His vow:  You [meaning Jesus] are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedec [the mysterious priestly king of Salem, forerunner of Jerusalem, in Abraham’s time].  In other words, Jesus surpassed the Arronic priesthood (begun with Moses’ brother, Aaron) because He is both perfect (without sin) and eternal.  And today, He is seated at the Father’s right hand, interceding for each of us, sinners though we are.  If that isn’t humbling, I don’t know what is.

D.  As a good friend of ours often states, “moving right along,” in our Gospel lesson (Mark 10:46-52), Jesus encounters a blind fellow named Bartimaeus.  Jesus is leaving the vicinity of the Old Jericho (left in ruins with a curse upon whoever might dare to rebuild it) and instead is departing from the “new” Jericho, built in a different location by Herod the Great.  Beggars often sat outside city gates, so they could solicit money from passers-by.  Bartimaeus hears that Jesus is passing and calls to Him (v.47): Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!  Jesus graciously stops and responds to the man, What do you want Me to do for you?  We suspect the guy would want to be healed.  But maybe he wanted more money, or a better place to live, or even a spouse.  Jesus often asked people to clarify their motives for themselves and for any onlookers.  But, Bartimaeus honestly says, I want to see.  And in verse 52, Jesus heals him saying, Go, your faith has healed you.

Jesus commends him for his faith.  Huh?  Jesus realizes Bartimaeus is a man of faith because he calls the Lord, “Jesus, Son of David.”  This is a Messianic title from the Old Testament.  Bartimaeus believed Jesus was the Messiah and that He was meant to bring about God’s Kingdom rule on earth.  Bartimaeus knew from Isaiah 61 that this meant Jesus would minister to the poor—of which group Bartimaeus was one—and that He would heal the maimed, lame, and blind, his particular affliction.  Notice, Jesus doesn’t touch him, but simply speaks healing into his life.  And then a sighted Bartimaeus humbly and gratefully follows Jesus.

So, where do these passages lead us?  Our God has told us back in Micah 6:8: The Lord has told you what is good, and this is what He requires of you:  to do what is right [just], to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.  We don’t see much humility around us these days, do we?  Instead of being humble, people tend to put themselves forward and/or brag about their accomplishments.  I, for one, am much more impressed by a proficient athlete who praises God for their successes than I am by to those who take all the credit themselves.  Scripture provides us with many examples of men and women who humbled themselves before God and people.

I think a case can be made for us each to act humbly because…

1. As Job discovered, we can question God but our minds are not capable of understanding the complexity of the universe, nor of comprehending the mind and plans of the Almighty. We need to approach God mindful of and repentant for our sins.  We should come before Him in all humility. 

2. King David says in Psalm 34, God hears our prayers and rescues us from trouble.  As Beth Moore, the wonderful Bible teacher, frequently states, “God loves to mess with our messes.”  Even if we have behaved like an absolute stinker, if we ask the Lord to redeem our mess, He will in ways beyond what we might have asked or imagined. 

3. As the writer to the Hebrews says, Jesus is powerful enough to save us and to intercede for us with God the Father.  We can’t save ourselves by our own actions.  We needed our great high priest, Jesus, to do the work of atonement for us—and He has!

4. Similarly, Bartimaeus knew he could not restore his own vision.  He needed the healing power of Jesus Christ to do it for him.

This week, let’s try to do the right thing, to love extending grace and mercy to others, and to walk humbly with our God.  Amen!

©️2024 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

When God is Hidden, Part 2

Pastor Sherry’s message for October 6, 2024

Scriptures: 10/6/2024, Job 1:1-22, 2:1-10; Ps 8; Heb 1:1-4, 2:5-12; Mk 10:1-16

I recently came across a list of laws on the books in various states that are both funny and even weird.  Apparently, it is illegal in…

1. Alabama to wear a false mustache that causes laughter in church. 

2. Delaware to whisper in church.

3. Alaska, to push a live moose out of an airborne plane.

4. Arizona to let a donkey sleep in a bathtub.

5. Arkansas to mispronounce Arkansaw as Ar-kansas.

6. Speaking of Illinois, to take a nap in a cheese factory.

7. Georgia to carry an ice cream cone in your back pocket.

8. Louisiana to eat more than 3 sandwiches at a funeral wake, or to let a snake loose at a Mardi Gras parade. 

(Jack Browning, www.onelegal.com , 4/7/2024.)

People can enact some pretty strange rules by which they want us to behave, can’t they?  We have been looking to the Bible this past month to discover what constitutes true wisdom.  Remember, from God’s perspective, wisdom is godly or righteous behavior (just think What Would Jesus Do?) and foolishness is anything but. We’d have to look hard to discover the wisdom behind some of these laws I just mentioned above.

The writers of the Old Testament, the Jews, considered the books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job to constitute Wisdom Literature.  Someone has said that Proverbs is optimistic and teaches us that we benefit most when we try to live lives pleasing to God (when we utilize wisdom).  Ecclesiastes claims that human wisdom has its limits, and a life not centered on God is meaningless.  And Job argues that, while God may be hidden as we–even if innocent of wrongdoing–undergo human suffering, we need to remember that (a) Satan is actively making every effort to discourage us from loving God; (b) there is meaning and purpose to our human suffering; and (c) God has not abandoned us but rather is rooting for us as we persevere in faith.

So, this brings us to a second consideration of what we are to do when God appears to be hidden.  Our Scripture passages today provide some powerful answers. 

A.  In Job 1:1-22, 2:1-10, we are introduced to Job—> This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.  In Chapter 1, God (the Father) holds Job up to “the Satan” [in the Hebrew, “Satan” is a title which means he is the embodiment of all evil] as His prime example of a truly good man.  Notice we are told that the Satan had been busy (v.6)—>  …roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it.  What’s that mean?  It means that he was sticking his nose in peoples’ business, trying to catch them at their worst so he could accuse them before God.  This is why Scripture calls him “the accuser.”

So what’s he say to God about Job?  “Well, yeah, Job loves You and does what You want him to, Lord, because You have greatly blessed him.

Let me get ahold of him and make his life miserable, and watch how quickly he blames You and turns his back on You!  Wow!  Notice the Satan’s pride?

He is saying, in essence, “I know humankind better than You, God.  I’m sure this guy can’t really love You minus the good things YOU do for him, that is, without all the perks you bestow on people, You aren’t worthy to be loved.”

YIKES!  God is love and God is good.  No wonder pride was the reason Satan was kicked out of heaven.  He hasn’t learned much over the millennia, has he?

God agrees to let Satan test Job, but He places a limit on what the Satan can do to Job–he cannot kill him.  So, poor Job suddenly gets word that Sabeans (raiders) have taken his 500 yoke of oxen (1,000 altogether); his 500 female donkeys who provided milk that was highly prized in those days; and killed all his herdsmen except the lone messenger.  In quick succession, Job also learns his 7,000 sheep have been hit and killed by fire from the sky (lightening? a meteor? a volcano?).  Additionally, Chaldean raiders have swept in and taken off his 3,000 camels.  And worst of all, a tornado hit the house where his 7 sons and 3 daughters were having dinner, and killed them all.  Job is hit with a series of tidal waves or tsunamis, one following hard on the heels after the other.

Job’s amazing response is (v.21)—> Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart.  The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; May the name of the Lord be praised.  Strickly speaking, Satan (not the Lord) caused Job’s stock market to crash and all 10 of his children to simultaneously die.  Job seems to understand this and so he does not blame God.

Next, we pick up in Chapter #2,with a second test for Job.  Satan asserts to God, “Well, I ruined his finances and his family, but he still loves You because he has his health.  God allows Satan to take Job’s health and watches to see what he does.  Again, do we all notice who is responsible for the dirty work?  Again, it’s Satan, not God.  Furthermore, God believes in Job…think about that: God trusts in Job’s love and fidelity.  Wouldn’t we all love for Him to trust in us to that extent?  So, Satan covers Job’s body with painful, itchy boils.  Job sits on an ash heap, a sign of mourning.  He’s thoroughly grieved and he does not really understand why so many bad things have happened to him, but amazingly he still doesn’t blame God! Instead his wife–who may have only married him for his wealth, etc.—says to him (v.9)—> Are you still holding on to your integrity?  Curse God and die!  She’s really supportive, isn’t she?  Instead of comforting and encouraging Job, she very disrespectfully blows him and his grief off.  Maybe leaving her around while all their children were killed was another part of Satan’s dastardly plan.

Job actually presents an excellent model for us:  We need to remember his story when trouble comes to us.  It is the evil one who causes our troubles.  God allows them as a test, but meanwhile, God is for us, not against us.  Indeed He provides us what we need to meet and even overcome the test.  I am reminded of the present response to the victims of Hurricane Helene in the western Carolinas.  The federal government has been slow to respond, but churches, neighbors, and many non-profit agencies have marshalled resources to rescue, water, feed, and provide shelter to those who have lost so much.

B.  Psalm 8, written by King David, is a hymn of praise to God for creation.  It begins and ends with those wonderful words, O LORD, our LORD, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!  Then it goes on to celebrate God’s formation of the cosmos, from planets and stars to humans and infants.  We could call this a Messianic psalm because it speaks to a time when all persons will revere our Lord Jesus.  As we know, the names of God and of Jesus are not everywhere honored today; many even use them as curse words.  But with Jesus’ 2nd Coming, all will know that God is real, that He exists, and that He rules in power and might.  Those who love Him and believe in Him will discover the truth of what the prophet Jeremiah wrote in Jeremiah 29:11—> ”For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to proper you and to give you a hope and a future.”  Again, our God is for us and not against us.

C.  The writer to the Hebrews (1:1-4; 2:5-12) wants us to know that Jesus Christ is superior in position and power to all of the prophets who have lived and to all of the angels in heaven and on earth.  Previously, God had spoken to humankind through prophets He ordained to communicate His thoughts to us; less often, through angelic beings who came with specific messages to particular persons; and, then through the 40 Holy Spirit inspired authors of the Old Testament written for our edification over 1500 years.  But with the birth of Jesus, the Father has spoken to us through His Son, the full revelation of God.  Or, as Peterson paraphrases it (v.3)—> By His Son, God created the world in the beginning, and it will all belong to the Son at the end.  This son perfectly mirrors God, and is stamped with God’s nature.  He holds everything together by what He says—powerful words.

(Eugene Peterson, The Message, NavPress, 2002, p.2181.)

God has put everything into subjection under Jesus’ authority. And He has made us sons and daughters of God.  This is our position, no matter what life or the Satan throws at us.  For this reason, we can trust in God the Father and we can trust in God the Son, even when we experience trials and tragedies. 

So, when God’s purposes escape us, or when His actions—or seeming lack of action—frustrate us, let us remember…

(1) God is good and God is love.

(2) Thus, His plans and purposes for us are always good.

(3) And when He seems to be hidden from us, we can still, like Job, trust in Him and remain faithful to Him.  Amen!  May it be so!

©️2024 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

True Wisdom, True Greatness

Pastor Sherry’s message for September 22, 2024

Scriptures: Proverbs 31:10-31; Ps 1; James 3:13-4:8; Mk 9:30-37

A pastor was delivering a children’s sermon one Sunday in which he was trying to get them to tell him how a person might make it into heaven. 

He said, “If I sold my house and my car, had a big garage sale and gave all my money to the church, would that get me into Heaven?” 

“NO!” the children all answered.

“If I cleaned the church every day, mowed the yard, and kept everything neat and tidy, would that get me into Heaven?”

Again, the answer was, “NO!”

“Well, then, if I was kind to animals and gave candy to all the children and loved my wife, would that get me into Heaven?” 

Again, they all answered, “NO!”

“Well,” he continued, “then how can I get into Heaven?” A five-year-old boy shouted out, “YOU GOTTA BE DEAD.”

(illustration borrowed from www.sermons.com, 9/20/2024)

I love this story because it demonstrates the practical, literal wisdom that children sometimes exhibit.

Our Scriptures today all speak in some way about wisdom, with the Old Testament, Psalm, and New Testament readings forming the backdrop, or context, to Jesus’ Gospel lesson.  Let’s examine how this is so:

A.  Psalm 1 provides us with God’s take on wisdom.  Inspired by the Lord, the psalmist presents us with a dichotomy, a choice between two opposing options: (1) We can choose the way of sinners, the way ungodly folks behave (Psalm 19 calls this way “foolishness”); Or (2) we can choose the way of righteousness, the way a godly person behaves.  It’s one way or the other, no in between.  The Lord wants us to choose to live a life focused on Him—a life of righteousness.  The wise person, man or woman, chooses to align his/her life with God’s teaching, not that of the culture.  The wise person is a servant of (surrendered to) Christ.  The foolish person, on the other hand, is captured by the wickedness and sin advocated in the culture.  The righteous—those blessed by God—ultimately prosper, but the foolish come to a very bad end.

B. Proverbs 31:10-31 is ascribed to someone named King Lemuel.  Biblical scholars believe the description of the wise woman was told to Solomon by his mother, Queen Bathsheba.  They think “King Lemuel” was her pet name for him.  They believe this because there was never a king of Israel of this name.  They also believe this because many of us give our kids nick-names.  I called my son, David Morgan, “Rooney” when he was little; and my daughter, Meredith Claire, “Merry Sunshine.”  So, I can imagine the name, Lemuel, was a private joke between Solomon and his mom.

Mama Bathsheba was trying to convey to her son what he needed in order to live a good life.  God bless her for trying!  By the time he died, he had accumulated 700 wives and 300 concubines!  But she wanted him to realize he only needed one good woman.  He didn’t need multiple beautiful wives or dozens of women who would bring with them grand political alliances.  Instead, he would have been so much better off with one virtuous wife, a woman of character, strength, and real ability: someone faithful; a helpful partner to her husband; a woman who was energetic, not lazy; someone who would spend the family money wisely and who would manage the household (including raising children) well; someone kind and generous; someone wise in the ways Solomon was not.  Too bad that, as history bears out, Solomon did not listen to his mother (There could be a sermon in there somewhere)! 

This set of proverbs emphasizes the wisdom in joining ourselves to a wise spouse, and by logical extension, to wise friends.

C.  James, Jesus’ half-brother, is in total agreement with the author of Psalm 1.  In James 3:13-4:3, he reiterates that there are two kinds of wisdom in this world: (1) Heavenly, or Godly wisdom; and (2) earthly, unspiritual wisdom.  James says earthly, unspiritual wisdom is characterized by disorder and evil behaviors.  Consider the example of rap music star P. Diddy—if he is guilty of what they have alleged he has done, this is truly evil behavior.  He is currently in jail, on a suicide watch.  Is he suicidal because he has been caught or because he has come under conviction for his sins?  We need to pray for him to come to Jesus.  You see, earthly, unspiritual wisdom is more than us just being our “bad old selves.”

J. Vernon McGee writes, “the wickedness of the world is not merely human, but human plus something” [the devil].  (McGee, Through the Bible Commentary on James, Thomas Nelson, 1991, p.86.)

In verse 15, James says (people who are bitter, envious, or selfishly ambitious have chosen a ‘wisdom’ that)—>…does not come from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil.  As with Psalm 1, James says we are presented with a choice as to which kind of wisdom we pursue.  People will be able to tell which we have chosen by the way we live our lives.  Those of us who seek Godly wisdom will live lives that are (v.17) pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive [surrendered to God], full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere. 

Finally, James (vv.7-8) urges us to submit our lives to God, and to resist the devil…knowing he and his minions whisper into our ears all sorts of ideas intended to lead us astray.  We need to recognize that these sinful or destructive thoughts come from him, and then tell him to beat it, in Jesus’ name!  True wisdom means sticking as closely to God as we possibly can, and returning to Him in repentance when we blow it.

D. Our Gospel lesson today comes from Mark 9:30-37.   Jesus has just told the twelve that He must suffer and die to complete His earthly mission, but they act as though they have not heard Him.  I have seen this phenomenon at work in therapy.  If I offer an interpretation of a client’s behavior before they are ready to receive it, they deny it.  I realize I have moved too quickly and have to wait to restate it later when they are less defensive.  Sometimes people just cannot receive a truth that is too different from their usual way of thinking.  

Instead of considering what Jesus has said to them, His disciples foolishly get lost in which of them will take on what positions when He ushers in His Kingdom (in an earlier sermon on this passage, I have suggested the following):

a. No doubt, Judas wanted to be Secretary of the Treasury;

b. Peter, Secretary of Defense, of Homeland Security, or perhaps Chief of Staff;

c. Doubting Thomas, the “show me” Apostle, for Attorney General;

d. The loving, charitable John, Secretary of Health and Human Services, or perhaps Secretary of Education.

e. And so on.

In another of Jesus’ surprising reversals of cultural values, He tells the 12 that true wisdom is allot like how kids behave.  If you want to be greatest, be like a child, the servant of all.  If you want to be first, make sure everyone is served before you.  In other words, be humble, loving, and not hung up on yourself.  The true story is told of St. Paul’s School of Theology in Kansas City, MO.  They had launched a search for their next dean president, and had whittled down the pool of applicants to five.  Someone on the search committee then suggested that rather than comparing the candidates’ resumes or vitas, they send a member to their current positions to locate a janitor and ask him or her what they thought of the person.  They did this and selected a fellow whose janitor raved about his kindness and goodness.  When reporting their selection, the committee stated, 

“Those who live close to Christ become so secure in His love that they no longer relate to other people according to rank or power or money or prestige. They treat janitors and governors with equal dignity. They regard everybody as a VIP.  Children seem to do this intuitively; adult Christians have to relearn it.”

(“The Measure of Greatness,” www.sermons.com, 9/20/2024.)  

Jesus is teaching that true wisdom comes from dying to or denying self— obeying God, just as Jesus did and loving others, Just as Jesus did.

This is one of those difficult lessons Jesus poses for us.  It’s so counter to our typical way of thinking.  We don’t want to die to self!  That seems as painful as turning our toe-nails backward.  YIKES!  But perhaps it might be helpful to look at it this way:  The story is told of a long ago tribe of Native Americans who lived in Mississippi. 

“They lived next to a very swift and dangerous river. The current was so strong that if somebody happened to fall in or stumbled into it they could be swept away downstream.

“One day the tribe was attacked by a hostile group of settlers. They found themselves with their backs against the river. They were greatly outnumbered and their only chance for escape was to cross the rushing river. They huddled together and those who were strong picked up the weak and put them on their shoulders; the little children, the sick, the old and the infirm, those who were ill or wounded were carried on the backs of those who were strongest. They waded out into the river, and to their surprise they discovered that the weight on their shoulders carrying the least and the lowest helped them to keep their footing and to make it safely across the river.”

(King Duncan, “Carry Someone With You,” www.sermons.com, 9/20/2024.)

Jesus is teaching the 12 and us that whatever positions there are in God’s Kingdom—and we don’t even know what those may be—are not based on strength, power, worldly wealth, influence, or even skill or gifting.  Wise persons know that to lead, we must become a servant like Jesus. Wise persons know that we need to exhibit childlike joy, faith, and love.

Wise persons know that, “If you want to walk on secure ground in this world it helps to carry someone with you.”

(Duncan, Ibid.)

Let’s close in prayer:  Father God, we bless you, we praise you and we love you.  Lord, please give us the practical, childlike wisdom to be humble and painfully honest with ourselves.  Empower us to live out the Christian virtues of faith, joy, love.  Help us to become and live out our lives as true servants of Christ.  Amen.  May it be so!

©️2024 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Watch Your Mouth!

Pastor Sherry’s message for September 1, 2024

Scriptures: Song of Songs 2:8-13; Ps 45:1-2, 6-9; Ja 1:17-27; Mk 7:1-23

The following is a true story out of Charlotte, NC, that I shared six years ago.  I want to share it again because it is such a great example of truth being stranger than fiction.  A guy bought a box of very expensive cigars.  He also took out insurance on them against “decay, spoilage, theft, and fire.”  Then he proceeded to smoke the 24 cigars in the box over the next few weeks.  When he finished the box, he filed a claim with his insurance company, stating that the cigars were lost in a series of small fires. The insurance company rejected the claim (You can almost hear them say, “Oh, come on!”). But the guy sued the insurance company in civil court.

In an astonishing turn of justice, the man admitted he smoked the cigars, but still won his claim because of a technicality: the insurance company had failed to specify what sort of fire was excluded, and the jury awarded the fellow $15,000 in damages (Don’t forget, he had also enjoyed smoking the 24 fine cigars). However, when he exited the court, he was arrested and charged with 24 counts of arson.  After all, he had admitted to setting “the series of small fires” which had caused his property loss.  This time, the North Carolina court convicted and sentenced him to 2 years in jail and fined him $24,000.  His spurious lawsuit cost him 2 years of freedom, and a net loss, after legal fees, of $9,000.  This guy bet on the letter of the law instead of the spirit of the law, and lost.  Don’t we wish that courts would act similarly, all over the country, in such nonsense, nuisance law-suits?

(J. Fairless & D. Chilton, The Lectionary Lab, Year B, 2014, p.286.)

Our Gospel today, Mark 7:1-23—and this story—point to the danger of following the letter of the law while violating its intent.

Just prior to today’s passage, Mark describes Jesus’ multiplication miracle of feeding the 5,000 (maybe more like 15,000, if women and children were included in the count); Jesus’ walking on water miracle; and His healing an unknown number of people on the other side of the Lake (Sea of Galilee).

This event predates by about a year or two the confrontations with the Pharisees I preached about last week.

A committee of Scribes and Pharisees had come out from Jerusalem to observe and to test Him.  He is teaching and they challenge Him because His disciples do not wash their hands before eating.  They question Him (v.5)➖Haven’t You, Jesus, taught Your disciples the correct customs regarding cleanliness?

Now we know that hand-washing is not a bad practice. Prior to the Covid outbreak, the habit of hand-washing had been abandoned by many.  Since then, we have re-learned that washing our hands, especially before eating, helps to eliminate germs and to limit contamination.

Now Jesus was an observant Jew who treasured the Law of God. The Law was a gift from God, not a burden. In the Code of Hammarabi, a contemporary Mesopotamian set of laws, it was stated, for instance, that if you somehow knocked down your neighbor’s wall, he could rebuild it with you and your family plastered into the repair. The provisions for revenge were severe. But God’s Law put a humane limit on revenge. Furthermore, it didn’t just protect the rich and the powerful, but also safeguarded the poor and disadvantaged.  Our Lord intended for the Law to cut down on the extent of retribution, but especially to demonstrate the believer’s obedience (set-apartness) to God. The Hebrew Law demonstrated that God values human life, and that slaves, widows, orphans, and the poor—not just the rich and the influential—had rights that were to be respected.  At the time, these attitudes/provisions were unheard of in other religions or law codes. 

What Jesus confronts in today’s passage is that the Pharisees chose to obey the rules without remembering the relationships underlying the rules.

Don’t we do this too?  Should baptism be done by dunking or is sprinkling okay? Our tradition is to sprinkle water on infants. At what age should children be allowed to take communion?  Some want to wait until 10-12 years old, considered to be the “age of reason.” This way we can be sure the child understands what the bread and wine represent. I have a friend who was the chaplain at a preschool. They provided communion to the little ones at their chapel services. A mother complained. The chaplain asked her 3 year old son if he knew what was in the bread and the cup.  He replied, “Jesus is in there.”  That settled the argument. 

The story is told of a father of two teenaged sons who proudly bought a “Dodge Touring Car,” in 1918 for $785.00. It’s hard to imagine a new car for that sales price now. By three years later, however, he had grown frustrated over his sons’ increasingly hostile arguments regarding whose turn it was to drive it. The rule was that they shared and each could drive the car on alternate Saturdays. When the boys resorted to fist fights to settle their dispute, the father locked the car in a garage and pocketed the keys. Four decades later, a museum purchased the car—it was covered with dirt and chicken manure, and only had 1800 miles on the odometer. The father had gone to great lengths to teach his sons about the value of relationships over rules.

(J. Fairless & D. Chilton, The Lectionary Lab, Year B, 2014, p.288.)

Consider how many court cases get thrown out because some procedure (rule) was not followed exactly. The guilty are spared at the potential expense of keep citizens safe.  You see, the problem isn’t washing before eating, the right way to baptize, how to correctly discipline teens, or even keeping people safe. The real problem is the condition of our hearts!

To the Hebrew mind, the heart was where all moral decisions were made.

The prophet Jeremiah laments in Jeremiah 17:9➖The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.  Who can understand it?  The prophet Ezekiel asserts God’s intentions in Ezekiel 36:24-25➖I [God] will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a..  And I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

Our faulty human hearts must be transformed by God. Jesus lets the Pharisees have it because they have forgotten this important fact:  It’s not about rules, it’s about relationships; our relationship with God, our relationships with each other. There was no law from God that they must wash their hands before eating.  This was a tradition they had adopted. They were criticizing Jesus for not conforming to their traditions.  To address that issue, He tells them what goes into us is not the critical issue—like how clean our hands are, or what types of food we eat. The crux of the problem is rather what comes out of our mouths—which has its origins in our hearts.

Put rather crudely, it’s not what we excrete that causes sin problems, but what we vomit.

In the 300’s, St. Augustine said, there is a hole in our hearts that only God can fill, and our hearts are restless until they rest in God.  We have a sin problem, and we can’t fix it by living according to a set of religious rules.

Being a celebrity or a fantastic athlete won’t cure it.  Even rigid religious systems that require people to accumulate merit badges of good deeds do not address it.  Politicians can’t legislate it.  Having taught US History and World History for 15 years, I can safely assert that Socialism and Communism don’t work because they operate in ways counter to our built in “heart issues:” our tendencies toward self-justification, self-centeredness, and self-absorption.  We have a serious “I” problem.

To correct our sin problem, we need to allow the Holy Spirit to change our hearts!  We acknowledge that the shed blood of Jesus Christ makes up for our sin and replaces it with His righteousness.  And, as James teaches us in our New Testament lesson, we cooperate with the Holy Spirit by increasingly shunning sinful attitudes and behaviors, and living out attitudes and behaviors pleasing to God.  We need to approach God and others with love.

A child’s response to Sesame Street is a great illustration of this point.  In a live audience of kids watching Sesame Street, the kids nearly always watched the muppets rather than the grown-ups who manipulated them—even when they could see the puppeteers seated on the floor.  One little boy even saw Big Bird take off his top half and watched an actor step out.  Rather than focus on the fact that Big Bird was not real, the child told his mother, “Mom, Mom!  Do you think Big Bird knows he has a man inside?”  

(J. Fairless & D. Chilton, The Lectionary Lab, Year B, 2014, p.289.)

You see, the goal of the law was/is to remind us that we have a sinful human being inside us, in our hearts, in our souls, in the center of our being. This part of us is not focused on our relationship with God or with others. It just wants what it wants, when it wants it. Unfortunately, everyone else has a similar human inside of them as well. Fortunately, however, we also have inside us that part of us that longs for God…that finds its rest in God alone.

Perhaps you have heard of the Native American legend of the black wolf and the white wolf. The wise grandfather tells the grandson that we are a mix of both, but the one that comes to dominate our character depends upon which one we nurture or feed. If we want to please God, we need to watch our mouths to discover or to observe what is in our hearts. We accept that Jesus paid the price for the sinful human inside us; and we allow the wonderful Holy Spirit to remind us not to give our sinful hearts power over us, but rather to honor relationships over rules; and to live out of a loving vs. a self-centered or fault-finding nature.

Amen!  May it be so!

©️2024 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams 

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Who can Pull Us up out of the Pit?

Pastor Sherry’s message for August 11, 2024

Scriptures: 2 Sam 18:1-33; Ps 130; Eph 4:25-5:2; Jn 6:35, 41-59

In the first church I served, we were to have composed our sermons by Tuesday so we could alert the Music Director, who would then choose music that complimented and reinforced the message.  This about killed me. I am often struggling to finish my sermon by Friday night or Saturday afternoon.  So I have relied here, at Wellborn Methodist Church, on the Holy Spirit to guide the selections our musicians make.  This morning, Joy’s anthem, “Undo,” by a band called “Rush of Fools,” was perfect.  Isn’t that just what we look to Jesus to do for us?  We need Him to pull us up out of the pit.  As the song says, “Turn me around, pick me up, undo what I’ve become.  You’re the only One who can undo what I’ve become.”

Paul, in our New Testament reading today (Ephesians 4:25-5:2), continues to remind us that as Christ-followers, we are to put away our old fleshly life, and adopt a new way of living that imitates the life of Jesus. To that end, we are to (1) be truth-tellers, not liars; (2) control our tempers rather than let anger drive our behavior; (3) say things that are good and helpful rather than foul or abusive (limit criticisms and eliminate cursing!);

And (4) be kind to others rather than spew out bitterness, rage, anger, slander, or any evil behavior (like holding grudges).  As imitators of Christ, therefore, we are to live lives characterized by love, and that demonstrate self-sacrifice, just as Jesus did. This is a tall order, isn’t it?  It’s a high standard to try to attain.  But this should be the life standard toward which we each aim.  If not, we find we fall into a pit of our own making, and we need the divine rescuer, Jesus—Who we just might call “The Great Undo-er.”

As you know, we are in an election year and it would be very easy to locate examples of each of the fleshly behaviors Paul warns us to avoid in the behaviors of various candidates.  But rather than do that, let’s look to King David’s family, and the legacy of violence and rebellion exhibited by his relatives in 2 Samuel 18:1-33.  Our passage opens with King David telling his army commanders to take it easy with the young man Absalom.  Why? What’s the deal with Absolom? To find out we have to rewind and review some earlier chapters:

Remember that some years prior, Amnon, the eldest of David’s sons, raped his half-sister, the beautiful Tamar.  David was angry about this, but did not avenge Tamar.  Perhaps he was still feeling guilty about his own sexual immorality with Bathsheba.  Perhaps he thought, “Who am I to punish him for actions I also took?  Maybe he realized this was part of the playing out of the consequences of his past sin.  The prophet Nathan had told him—even though God had forgiven him— Now, therefore, the sword [violence, rebellion] will never depart from your house [dynasty; extended family] (12:10).  Maybe David feared taking any punishing action would bring about more bloodshed. So, even though he could have insisted Amnon marry Tamar, thereby legitimizing her status as a wife, David did nothing.

This apparent inability of King David, to discipline his wayward son Amnon and to help restore his daughter Tamar, incensed Absalom, Tamar’s full brother.  Absalom slyly and covertly plotted revenge against Amnon for 2 years.  He invited Amnon, together with his father’s other sons by other wives, to a sheep-shearing festival at his country home.  Absalom got Amnon drunk, then had him killed.  Now, just as David had had Uriah killed so he could marry the pregnant Bathsheba, Absolom has had another person kill his half-brother.  David must realize Absalom’s murder of his eldest mirrors his own homicidal act. Furthermore, Absolom has demonstrated that murderous rage leads to bitterness and to evil behavior.

Absalom hits the road and is exiled from his father for 3 years.  Scripture tells us that, all that time, David longed to see Absalom—now his eldest, his heir, his favorite—and mourned his absence (13).  Curiously, though, he did not send for him.  Absalom is as good as banished.  In effect, David has now lost his 2 eldest sons—1 dead, 1 exiled. 

In a complicated strategy, Joab, David’s cousin and general, (14) manipulates David into calling his son home.  David agrees, but does not invite Absalom into his presence (Is he holding a grudge?).  Another 2 years go by and Absalom grows embarrassed and increasingly embittered.

Let’s examine David’s behavior toward Absalom:  David is uncharacteristically unforgiving!  He has nursed an offense toward his son.  The King has to be urged by his cousin to recall Absalom to Jerusalem.  Then, 2 years later, he has to be again urged by Joab to reconcile with Absolom.  So, 5 years after Absalom kills Amnon (7 yrs. after the rape of Tamar), David finally summons him.  The King greets him with a kiss, but this is too little too late.  The damage to their relationship has been compounded.  Many cultures in the Ancient Near East then, as now, were “Shame-based cultures” (Honoring the family was the supreme virtue). A son, even a prince, did not shame his father. By taking a father’s right to discipline Amnon, Absalom has shamed the King.  David had exhibited his corresponding displeasure by not inviting his son back home, thus shaming Absolom.  (Contrast this with God’s example of the father in the Prodigal Son story.)  Privately David loves Absolom and misses him, but publically his pride has taken a hit, and he harbors an offense against Absalom.  He builds up a wall in his heart, and he emotionally abandons his heir.

Now let’s look at Absalom’s behavior toward his father:  After having taken himself into exile for 3 years, then feeling ignored for another two, Absalom is embittered. Like Father, like son.  He too has registered a hit to his pride. He too has taken offense and held onto it.  He too has established walls in his heart against his father.  From all of this, it’s a simple step to betrayal.

  So (15) describes how Absolom campaigns—over the next 4 years—to win over his countrymen. He was exceedingly handsome and famous for his beautiful, luxuriant hair. Though he had slain his ½ brother at his own table (a huge violation of Ancient Near East hospitality rules), he is now nice as can be to everyone. It’s a presidential campaign! He is kissing babies, promising tax cuts, and telling people what they want to hear. He is also trying to usurp his aging father’s public popularity.

Then, before David even suspects what is happening, Absalom launches a coup, and a Civil War erupts between the followers of the father and those who are loyal to the son (Chapters 16-17).  David, the seasoned warrior, flees the city (He desires no fighting in Jerusalem). He has his experienced and loyal army with him (Green Berets, Navy Seals). One of his Mighty Men, for instance, was Benaiah. He was famous for having jumped into a pit on a snowy day, where he killed a lion with only his spear (1 Chronicles 11:22).  David’s military was brave, bold, and highly skilled. They beg David, due to his age, not to go into battle with them. They realized that if the king were captured or killed, Absolom would win the war. So David agrees, sees them off, but asks them to spare his son’s life (18).

Now remember Absalom is not a warrior (he is instead a shrewd politico). Lacking an army, he has to call in Israelite citizens to bear arms for him. These are like the “national guard.”  They have some training, but limited experience. The armies encounter each other in a large forest.  Absalom’s forces pick this place, but it is not a wise battle-site, as trees, hills, and cliffs appear to have impeded troop movements. David’s veterans overcome the larger, inexperienced forces.  Absalom may have been trying to retreat or desert, when his rich, lush hair entraps him. Even though Joab, David’s cousin, had been told to capture but not kill the rebel prince, he insubordinately kills him anyway and buries his body in a pit (adding insult to injury). By the way, isn’t this the same cousin who brought Absolom back to Jerusalem, only to murder him 4 years later? Perhaps Joab reasoned that Absalom was a trouble-maker who would never fall into line; that he would always present a threat to David’s reign.  Whatever his motivation, he ruthlessly brings a sad chapter in King David’s life to an end. Joab, a second cousin, kills a second cousin. And a bereft King David loses his favorite son and heir.

What might God be saying to us today through Paul, Absolom, and King David?

      (1) What do we do when relatives take offense? We cannot hang on to offenses. They expand over time. They harden into bitterness.  They shrivel our hearts and set our spirits up against God. We must recognize and take responsibility for our own sins of pride.  We must forgive the offense and pray for the person who offended us. We must make an attempt to make amends. From the perspective of time and distance, we can see where either Absalom or David could have attempted to mend the breach.

       (2) Isn’t it true that we reap what we sow?  David kiiled a man so that he could have that man’s wife. In the very next generation, one son is sexually immoral, ravaging a woman who was not his wife. The second son kills the first.  God forgave David and forgives us of our sins, if—like David—we just humble ourselves and ask it of Him. Nevertheless, He often lets us experience the fruit or consequences of our mistakes, either in our own lives, or in our children’s or grandchildren’s generations. I have seen this so often in my counseling practice.  Similar sin patterns run down the generations in a given family. One family may be characterized by multiple suicides, another—like the Kennedys—for violent deaths; another for pornography, adultery, and serial affairs.  Intergenerational sin patterns that are not recognized and repented of can be and are passed down.

        (3) We want to forgive, before it’s too late. I picture King David wailing, keening his grief, sobbing with regret, wishing he had handled Amnon, Tamar, and Absalom differently.  The child born of David’s adultery died, but three of his other children’s lives were also ruined.  I believe he must have been so sorry that he had not been as competent a father as he had been a king or a warrior.

(4) Who could have pulled King David out of the pit of despair?  It is the same God who pulls us up out of the pit. Psalm 130:1-2—Out of the depths [the pit] I cry to you, O Lord; O Lord, hear my voice.  Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.  We turn to the Lord for help. As Jesus advises in our Gospel lesson (Jn 6:35, 41-59), we stay intimately connected to our Lord, through communion conversation, and worship.

When we find ourselves in the pit, let’s remember to call upon the Lord.  As the song says, “He is the only one to undo what we have become.” Let’s ask Him for wisdom and discernment; for strength to endure (resilience); and for assistance in living a life like that of Jesus.  Amen!

©️2024 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams