Posted on by Cheryl Norman w/a Mary Jo Delaney

Jacob’s Ladder

Pastor Sherry’s Message for July 19, 2020

Scriptures: Gen 28:10-19a; Ps 139:1-12, 23-24; Ro 8:12-25; Matt 13:24-30, 36-43

 Some years ago, I read a story in Christianity Today about a woman in India, who lived in a concrete sewer pipe with her husband and two kids.

Her name is Shivamma.  She was a member of the Dalit caste, the lowest of the low, pretty much untouchable—except for rape.  She remembers she was barren.  A Dalit Christian named Bangarraju prayed for her in her home and she conceived and bore two children, a son and a daughter.  The girl child became badly jaundiced.  Bangarraju returned, prayed, and the child was healed.  Shivamma became a Christian.  She says she accepted Christ  because, I realized that Jesus is the living God.  We used to drink and everyday we would fight, fight, fight.  Jesus Christ brought peace to our family.  I have no fear, because I have come to know the living God.  I trust Him.  God met her in her need, and she now trusts Him.

 In another story, there was a debate between a Christian and an Atheist.  The Atheist began his presentation by writing on a whiteboard, God is nowhere.  When the Christian speaker stood up to make his arguments, he erased nowhere and used the same letters to write, God is now here.

Let’s look at what our Scriptures have to say today about the twin themes of God’s presence and God’s knowledge of us.  In our OT lessonàGenesis 18:11-22, we encounter the patriarch, Jacob.

He is the younger of the twin boys born to Isaac and Rebekah.  He was named Jacob (which means heel grabber because he was born grasping his older twin’s heel; but it also carries the sense of deceiver, schemer.  God had told his mother, when pregnant, that the older will serve the younger.  In other words, God was reversing the usual order of things.

Even from the womb, God had determined that Jacob would be the one to carry out His plan of redemption from Abraham and Isaac.

Nevertheless, Isaac favors Esau, so Rebekah and Jacob collude to rob Esau of both his birthright and his father’s blessing.  Esau is furious when he discovers this, so Rebekah invents the pretext of needing to go abroad to find a suitable wife to help Jacob escape his brother’s wrath.  Jacob leaves the family compound.  Notice none of them bothers to check in with the Lord: Not Mama Rebekah; Not brother Esau; Not Papa Isaac; Not even the culprit, Jacob.  This does not appear to be a family of very firm faith!

Our passage today finds Jacob has put 40 miles between himself & Esau by the time he stops for the night.  He was “booking it” to get out of Canaan! How must he have felt? No doubt he was anxiously looking over his shoulder for his murderous brother.  He must have felt alone.  Perhaps he was worried about the long, potentially dangerous journey ahead of him, uncertain of his future.  Can you identify?  Maybe you find yourself in a dark & lonely place right now; perhaps you too are filled with uncertainty.  Maybe, like Jacob, it’s even your fault that you find yourself “out there, on your own.”  Well, this story was made for you (and me), so read on!

Jacob falls asleep (not the sleep of the just) and dreams of a ladder or a set of stairs reaching to heaven.  The Lord is at the top (“the Voice from top of stairs”), and Jacob, realizes he is sleeping, at the bottom.  Angels are traversing the ladder, some going up, others coming down.  The Lord reiterates to Jacob the promises He has made to Grandfather Abraham and Father Isaac:  I am giving you Propertyàthe land; Progenyàlots of descendants to populate the land and to bless all people of the earth; PresenceàGod would be with him; and ProtectionàGod says  I am with you and I will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land.  I will not leave you…. Notice:  God does not require anything of Jacob.  There is no if…then clause.

God has chosen an unlikely patriarch.  Even though, as Psalm 139 affirms, God knows his every thought and scheme.  There is no place Jacob can go where God might lose track of him (or of us).  Not departing the Promised Land for Haran (Syria); not getting lost in NYC or the Amazon jungle; not even by participating in a Witness Protection Program, in Minot, ND, where our names and ID’s are changed; Not living in a sewer pipe outside some remote Indian village—these are just issues of geography.

Not even struggling alone with a job loss, the death of a loved one, declining health, financial setbacks, or troubled relationships. Our God knows where we are emotionally and spiritually, besides.  He is the with us God, Emmanuel.  He knows our names.  He is always present to us.

Now do you notice Jacob’s response to God?  He doubts.  He has chutzpah, vowing to follow the Lord if God goes with him; if God protects him; if God provides for him; and if God brings him safely back to the land again.  To his credit, He sets up a memorial stone (and names it Bethelàhouse of God) to commemorate his encounter with the pre-incarnate Christ.   And he promises a tithe, a 10th of all God gives him.  But the schemer is bargaining with God.

I don’t’ know about you, but I take a great deal of comfort from the Jacob story:  Jacob is not of man of strong or good character.  He’s a liar;a trickster.  He’s not even a strong believer.  God has promised him 4 P’s without strings, but he puts conditions on his commitment to God.  He’s not perfect, but still God loves him.  We could say God goes out of His way to comfort Jacob.

If we follow Jacob’s story thru the next 22 chapters of Genesis, we find that the Lord does take Jacob to His woodshed/the Refiner’s Fire:  The deceiver is himself deceived, by wily Uncle Laban. He spends 20 years outside the land, working off debt to his Uncle; building up a family (12 sons, 1 daughter); and acquiring herds and wealth with which to support them.  He flees his Uncle when he returns to the Promised Land.  He fears a hostile reunion with the brother he wronged. His favorite wife dies in childbirth. His only daughter is raped.  His sons cause him grief.  They jealously sell his favorite son into slavery and lead him to believe Joseph is dead.  And, upon entering the Land, he wrestles all night with the pre-incarnate Christ, Who leaves him crippled, but changes his name from Jacob to Israel—he who struggles with God & men, and overcomes.

It’s a heck of a journey, isn’t it?  Jacob’s story makes me glad I am not him!  But it also assures me (and you) that God never deserts us; that He loves us even if we are Scallywags; and that He cares for us, faithfully.

Do you know that scholars believe Jacob’s Ladder is really an image, a prediction of Jesus?  Jesus, you see, mediates between us and God.  Jesus is our only way—our ladder, if you will–to heaven.

So what are the lessons we can draw from Jacob?  (1) If we think God doesn’t know where we are, or what we are thinking, we are grossly mistaken!  (2) Our God appears to enjoy overturning human convention and Human expectations.  He can do great things with the least likely.  He’s not discouraged by our rebellion, sinfulness, or unbelief.  (3) He clearly sees us as we are—there’s no hiding from Him, or fooling him–as well as who He wants us to become.

 There is an ancient Hebrew poem that I think sums this up very well:

Wherever I go…only Thou!

Wherever I stand…only Thou!

Just Thou!  Thou, Thou,

Thou!  When things are good,

Thou!  When things are bad…

Thou!  Thou, Thou, Thou!

©2020 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

 

Posted on by Cheryl Norman w/a Mary Jo Delaney

Truth Stranger Than Fiction

Pastor Sherry’s message for July 5, 2020

Scriptures: Gen 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67; Ps 45:10-17; Ro 7:15-25a; Matt 11:16-19, 25-30

A nine year old boy was asked by his mother what he had learned that day in Sunday School. “Well mom,” he said, “our teacher told us how God sent Moses behind enemy lines on a rescue mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.  When he got to the Red Sea, he had his army build a pontoon bridge and all the people walked across safely.  Then he radioed headquarters for reinforcements.  They sent bombers to blow up the bridge after the Israelites were saved.   Pharaoh’s chariot guys all drowned.

Mom asked, “Now, Joey, is that really what your teacher taught you?”

“Well no, Mom,” the boy declared in exasperation, “but if I told it the way the teacher did, you’d never believe it!”

 

Today, we have another Old Testament story that defies logic, unless you believe in a God of miracles.  Remember Isaac, the miraculous “child of promise,” born to parents aged 100 and 90?  Last week, we examined how God demanded that Abraham sacrifice this child to Him, but also rescued Isaac at the last minute by providing a ram to take his place.

Isaac is one of the 4 patriarchs of our faith, but Scripture only gives us a very few glimpses of him.  Nevertheless, we can infer that he was a good son, because he was obedient to his father Abraham—even given the threat of death.  And today’s passage reveals him as a man of faith, praying to God as his bride arrives on a camel.

Let’s examine the story in more depth, as I believe it reveals some principles we can live by today.  Abraham is concerned that Isaac have a wife…(v.1) now Abraham was now old and well advanced in years….He calls his trusty servant (Eliezar?) and tells him to journey to NW Mesopotamia (Syria) to find a good woman from among his extended clan (the people he left behind to follow God).  He does not want Isaac to marry a pagan Canaanite woman.  Nor does he want Isaac to journey outside the Land.  The servant prays to Abraham’s God and suggests a fairly complex sign by which he might recognize God’s choice of a bride for Isaac:  (1) She will offer him water to drink; (2) She will even draw water for his 10 camels; And (3) She will offer traditional ancient middle eastern hospitality including water for the feet; food/refreshments; and overnight accommodations for him and his animals.

When he arrives at the appropriate village, the servant encounters a beautiful young woman who does exactly that.  She gives him water.  She draws water for his animals.  She invites him home to meet her family and to partake of their hospitality.  This woman is Rebekah, Abraham’s great-niece, the virgin granddaughter of his brother.

Now of all the towns the servant could have visited, what are the chances that he would run into Abraham’s kin?  What are the chances that they would still even be alive?  God has clearly superintended this journey.  The servant recognizes this and offers praise and thanksgiving to God: (v.26)–Then the man bowed down and worshiped the Lord, saying, ”Praise be to the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master.  As for me, the Lord has led me on the journey to the house of my masters’ relatives.”

This woman, Rebekah, is clearly God’s choice for Isaac.  The servant tells her the story of how he decided to approach her—he’d asked God for a sign.  She doesn’t seem to have difficulty believing him. And he gives her a ring and two gold bracelets, as proof of Abraham’s wealth.  Her brother, Laban, shows up, hears the story, and also invites the servant home.  Once again, the servant shares his instructions with everyone.  Probably Rebekah is somewhere, outside the tent, listening in as the story is retold.  Everyone seems to agree she is God’s choice of a bride for Isaac.  Additionally, the servant has also filled them in on Isaac’s miraculous birth and his divine rescue.  The family appears to be impressed with the costly gifts he has bestowed on the maiden, signifying that Abraham is indeed as wealthy she the servant has claimed.  The bride-price is agreed upon, but by the next morning the family appears to back off a bit.

In an intimation of things to come—Uncle Laban will later renege on his agreement with Jacob, Rebekah’s as yet unborn son–the family urges the servant to wait another 10 days before departing.  Maybe they want to drive the bride-price up a bit.  No doubt concerned for Abraham’s age and health, the servant urges an immediate departure, with no delay.  Interestingly, the family suggests that Rebekah be consulted.  From what she’s heard and experienced, the young woman is ready to go! Maybe she fears her wily brother will somehow interfere with her opportunity.  Whatever the case, she is prepared to go off with a servant she barely knows, to a country she’s never seen, to meet a husband she’s only heard of.  What a brave young woman and what an adventure!

What principles might this story hold for us today?  1st, we note the faithfulness of the servant.  He’s given his word to Abraham to do his best; but otherwise he has no stake in the outcome.  Nevertheless, he works hard to fulfill his word.  He prays for the Lord’s favor.  He diligently repeats his instructions from Abe.  He obviously does not want to mess up!

This servant also moves at the leading of God, rather than his own fleshly desires or his fears.  He is willing to carry out the task his master, Abraham has given him and he appeals to Abraham’s God for help.  This is the antidote to our sinful fleshly desires, as given expression by Paul in Romans 7:15-25a.  The antidote to our self-will is obedience—obedience to Christ, cooperating with the transforming power of His Holy Spirit.

The example of this unnamed servant is about 4,000 years old.  2,000 years later, Jesus will say, Let your yes mean yes and your no mean no.

We are to keep our word.  Like Eliezer, we are to say what we mean and mean what we say.  This is the kind of behavior that helps others to trust us.

Second, I am struck with the willingness of Rebekah.  She doesn’t know Abraham from Adam’s house cat.  She is looking at marrying a dude she’s only just heard of and never seen. She will be making her home far away from her family, probably never seeing them again.  What convinces her to take the risk of leaving everything she has ever known?  Perhaps it was hearing the servant relate the miraculous nature of Isaac’s birth. No doubt she also heard the story of his almost-sacrificial death, and been impressed with the fact that—while he could have overwhelmed his father’s strength, and taken himself off the altar–he instead chose to be obedient to and respectful of his father.  Maybe she rightfully understood that Isaac was special to God and wished to link her future to such an esteemed man.

And, if she were a woman of faith, she might have been able to see and understand how God had indeed chosen her to be Isaac’s mate.  After all, the servant had asked for a complex set of signs; and, without any prior knowledge of them, she had fulfilled each one.

I don’t know if you have ever experienced God providing you a sign, but I have.  My best buddy in seminary came from the Chicago area.  She was trying to verify if God was truly calling her to seminary.  She was walking the shores of Lake Michigan and asked God to affirm her call by proving a green rock among all the gray ones.  She was amazed and delighted to minutes later encounter a green rock—the only green rock–on the shore.  Not only that, the green rock was shaped like a triangle.  She understood this mean she was to attend Trinity out of the other 10 seminaries in our denomination.  Similarly, I asked God for direction as to which seminary He wanted me to attend.  I was living in Tallahassee, Florida, then.  Rarely does anyone in Tallahassee ever hear of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where Trinity is located.  For weeks, my daughter and I were inundated with what we called our “Pittsburgh signs”:  PA license plates, bumper stickers for the Steelers or the Penguins; movies we rented that had been filmed in Pittsburgh or which featured the city; and magazine articles in doctor’s or dentist’s offices on some aspect of life in Pittsburgh. We laughingly told God we got it and He could stop the signs anytime. We were not too surprised when they dried up immediately!

Several years after arriving at seminary, my best buddy and I attended a healing conference.  We shared a motel room while there and I awoke one night to hear her crying.  She was in crisis, doubting her call, and worried she would graduate with a Masters of Divinity, but be unable to locate a Bishop willing to ordain her.  By this time I knew her well, was convinced she was called to ordained ministry, and—coming under conviction–told her she was not to look to the left or the right, or to listen to the opinions of people, but to keep her eyes on the Cross of Christ  She was to trust that the Lord had indeed called her. The next morning, while serving us communion, the lead pastor of the healing ocnference spoke directly to her and said, “You are not to look to the left or to the right, or to listen to the opinions of people, but to keep your eyes on the Cross of Christ.  You have been called into ministry and Jesus will see you through.”  She felt affirmed by this marvelous sign and so did I.  These experiences taught me that we can ask God for signs and He will and does respond.

Our Genesis lesson today has a happy ending.  It’s actually a love story!  Rebekah gets on her camel and rides to Israel and to Isaac.  The evening she arrives, Isaac is out praying.  He sees her and is intrigued.  She sees him, leaps off her camel (she’s impressively energetic, isn’t she?), and wraps herself in her veil, thus indicating she is a single woman.  The servant then relates the entire saga to Isaac.  Isaac obviously sees Rebekah as God’s answer to his prayers (& his father’s plans).  Verse 67 tells us, Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah [now dead], and he married Rebekah.  So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

In a number of ways, this story is stranger than fiction, but I believe the lessons are pretty clear:  (1) We want to be faithful to God; (2) We can ask Him for a sign; (3) We want to say yes to whatever He arranges for us; and (4) We can trust that there is a reward for our obedience.  Our God is good.  He desires our love and devotion to Him.  He takes good care of those who love and obey Him.  Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!  Alleluia! Alleluia!

©2020 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman w/a Mary Jo Delaney

My Way or God’s?

Pastor Sherry’s Message for June 28, 2020

Scriptures: Gen. 22:1-14; Ps 13; Ro 6:12-23; Matt 10:40-42

It appears that this has become the my summer of sermons beginning with songs. For example, two weeks ago, I cited a great hymn about the Trinity. Then last week, I quoted the lyrics from the theme song to the TV show, “Friends.”  This week, I want to remind you of the old Frank Sinatra hit, “I did it my way.”  You may remember that the song is a retrospective view of a man’s life as he considers his mortality:

For what is a man, what has he got? 

If not himself, then he has naught.

                                    To say the things he truly feels, and not the words of one who kneels.

                                    The record show I took the blows, and did it my way.

These are the words of someone who is totally self-possessed, totally self-reliant, and very proud!  These are the words of a person who has decided to live life on his own terms, without regard for God.  The song is from the 1970‘s—in fact, Sinatra quipped that it was our real national anthem in 1974.  Upon reflection, we realize it could easily still be so today.

If we let those lyrics sink in, we realize they celebrate a God-less perspective.  Last week, I talked about how Abraham faced a difficult choice:  Honor God (and his wife, Sarah) and run off Ishmael; or disobey God and keep his first born son close by (and ultimately threaten Isaac, the “child of promise.”  Abraham passed the test (and God took care of Ishmael).  This week, our Old Testament passage has Abraham face another test, his 4th.  YIKES!  In his 1st test, God told him to leave his home and family, in Ur, and go where the Lord would lead him. His 2nd test was Lot’s request that they divide the land to accommodate their growing herds, whereupon Abraham allowed the choicest land to go to Lot. The 3rd test was to set aside Ishmael to protect Isaac.  And now, almost beyond belief, is God’s demand that he sacrifice that same child.

Doing life his way must have looked pretty good to Abraham by this point.  He is now about 136 years old, and Isaac is either about 15 or some scholars believe he is as old as 30 (as Christ was when He began His public ministry). There will be no more children after Isaac from Abraham and Sarah.  Abraham is also probably aware that child-sacrifice is abhorrent to God.  Who knows what he was thinking as he and Isaac trudged toward their destination?  Nevertheless, amazingly, Abraham submits his will to God’s.

Would we be so faith-filled or so obedient, do you think?  This Old Testament lesson (Genesis 22:1-14) is again a rich fore-shadowing of Jesus:  God sends Abe and Isaac to the region of Moriah.

This is the same ridge as the Temple Mount in Jerusalem (constructed much later).  It also appears to be the same ridge as Golgatha, the site of the Crucifixion. There is to be a sacrifice of an only, precious son.  It is a 3 day journey for them,  as would be Jesus’ journey from death to resurrection.

God, at the last minute, provides the sacrificial animal.  This is a male sheep, fully grown (a ram) because the Bible records only one “Lamb of God,” Jesus Christ!  This story vividly demonstrates Abraham’s faithàvv.7-8àIsaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”  “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.  “The fire and the wood are here,” Isaac said, “But where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”  Abraham answered, “God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.”  It also establishes the precedent for substitutionary atonement, wherein Jesus took our place as He paid the penalty for our sins.

The test was “Will you do what I ask even if it costs you. What is most precious to you?”  Remember last Sunday Jesus said (Matthew 19:37) we cannot love any person more than we love God?

Abraham is the Father of our faith because he—like Jesus later—did exactly what his heavenly Father asked of him.  It should be obvious that this was a gut-wrenching choice.  It should also be obvious that many of us would not have been willing to submit to God’s will in that situation. Many Biblical scholars hypothesize that Abraham believed God could resurrect Isaac–if it came to that—or somehow restore him.  Actually, he had implied to the two servants that he and his son would meet back up with them.  And he trusted that God would keep His promise to bring forth many nations from Abraham’s and Sarah’s bodies.

This is the best response to any test God may send us.  It is to trust in what you know about God’s nature, even if you don’t understand what He is doing or why.  Our best response is to trust in who God and in what He has promised us.

Our other passages today provide essentially the same message:

This is what David is saying in Psalm 13.  He is weary of being pursued by a murderous King Saul, so he turns to God in prayer, admitting he is afraid even to sleep.  But, by vv.5-6, he has reassured himself of God’s goodness and trustworthiness, and we get the sense that he relaxes.

Paul, in our Romans 6 lesson, reminds us that we all must choose whom we will serve.  He says we either serve ourselves—our sinful nature—or we serve God.  Additionally, if we choose to serve God, we cannot, by our own strength, successfully live a Christian life style.  We need to approach the task with faith like Abraham’s.  We need the assistance of the Holy Spirit at work in and empowering us.

Jesus, in Matthew 10:40-42, also commends the role of faith and obedience.  We participate in God’s work when we do even small acts of service to others.  Additionally, we are not to be overwhelmed by the size of the task.  Instead, we recognize in faith that God has called us to a given task; then we recognize in faith that God will enable us to do what He has called us to.  Finally, trusting in the Holy Spirit rather than in ourselves, we partner with Him to put forth our best effort.

Think today of the times and ways that God has tested you:

Perhaps you have given back an overpayment at the cash register.  Maybe you have held yourself back from taking from social services or the government what you know you don’t truthfully deserve. Possibly you are scrupulous abut providing a full day’s effort for a full day’s pay.  Or, perhaps

if a group of folks were looting the Dollar General Store up the road, rather than joining in with them—even if you thought the police wouldn’t arrest you—you gather friends to intervene and prevent further unlawful mayhem and destruction.  And we are all presented with the choice, aren’t we, to cheat on our taxes or our spouse?

There appear today to be many, many opportunities to do

the wrong thing.  But as followers of Jesus Christ we don’t go the way of the crowd.  We don’t even do it “my way” (according to our will, our flesh).  No, to please our loving Father and our Lord, Jesus Christ, we choose to do things God’s way.  This week (and always), let’s pray for the strength and courage to make choices, every day, that please our God.

©2020 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

 

Posted on by Cheryl Norman w/a Mary Jo Delaney

Faith: The Antidote to Fear

Pastor Sherry’s Message for March 29, 2020

Scripture Readings: Ezekiel 37:1-14; Psalm 130; Romans 8:5-11; John 11:1-45

         Wow!  The fears that are being expressed across our nation, during the current threat of the Chinese Coronavirus, are just about overwhelming, aren’t they?  If you watch the news for any length of time—or check into social media–you will find your heartbeat accelerating, your sense of dread rising, and your desire to begin to hoard supplies snowballing. Along with this is a growing tendency of many to lose hope.  I spoke this week with a relative who lives in Seattle.  This person does not appear open to believing in God, but trusts in science and in the government to keep her safe.  She feels that neither has done so; thus, as a result, she is very angry and very frightened.  But for those of us who trust in God’s love and His power (rather than exclusively in science or in the efforts of humankind), we realize that our God is the God of all hope—and, as a result, we do not need to lose heart or hope, even in these perilous times.

         Our Scripture lessons appointed for today all stress this truth:  We can believe that our God can do something about every situation about which we feel powerless.  Take a look at the Ezekiel passage.  (You may want to read it now.)  The prophet Ezekiel is foretelling the restoration of the nation of Israel.  At the time of his writing, the Israelites had been taken captive by the Babylonians and had been exiled away from the Promised Land.  God is saying through His mouthpiece that He intends to revive them spiritually and to bring them home.  In a sense, they are dry, desiccated bones lying about in a disconnected disarray.  But God has the prophet speak life into them, and miraculously they reassemble in stages, from scattered fragments, to cadavers (reunited bodies, but without life), to a restored and living army or assembly.  Notice, it is God who gives them life.  He works through commands He gives to the prophet to relay, but the work of reviving life is His.  Our God has the power over life.  Should we really worry about a virus taking us out?  No!  And even if it does, we have eternal life and will simply cross over into an existence so much better than what we experience now.

         As Paul relates in his letter to the Romans (chapter 5, verse 6), The mind of sinful man [and woman] is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.  In other words,we are unable—without divine assistance—to overcome sin in our lives.  Or, as Peterson writes in his modern paraphrase, Those who think they can do it on their own [overcome sin by their own efforts] end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life.  Those who trust God’s action in them find that God’s Spirit is in them—living and breathing God!  Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open into a spacious, free life.   Again, God can do in our lives—when we trust Him—immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us….(Ephesians 3:29).  So, we want to be smart.  We want to follow the recommendations that have come down to us from our President and our Governor about how to minimize our risk of infection now.  But, we do not want to lose heart!  We do not want to panic!  Those of us who know and love Jesus have… the peace of God which transcends all understanding (Philippians 4:7).  This peace is not centered on what is going around in the world or in our country, but upon our relationship with the Rock, who is Christ Jesus.  He is our peace and He longs to give us His peace.

         Our psalm (130) encourages us to bring our fears to the One who can do something about them.  In verses 1-2, he says, Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD; O Lord, hear my voice.  Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.  As you read or recite this, don’t you get the sense that the writer knows that our Lord hears his cry?  It is true that He knows and hears our pleas for safety and health in this current crisis.  We can convey those to Him with faith.  Like us, the Psalmist recognizes he is a sinner who has been forgiven through God’s grace.  He trusts that God hears, attends, and will answer and protect him.  In verses 5-6, he describes waiting on the Lord’s answer, not in an anxious, worried way, but with hopeful expectation.  I believe we can similarly await effective treatments for this dangerous virus, and may already have found several.  We can pray for a hedge of God’s protection around our healthcare workers as they contend with ameliorating symptoms and attempting to save lives.  Like Israel, we are to put our hope in the Lord (v.7),…for with the LORD is unfailing love and with Him is full redemption….

         Finally, our Gospel lesson gives us an example of a person (one of three mentioned in the New Testament: Jairus’ 12 year old daughter, the son of the widow of Nain, and now Lazarus, Jesus’ friend) who had died and was raised from the dead by Jesus.  A number of Christian scholars point out that these folks were not truly “resurrected” because when that happens the body is actually transformed or transfigured into something immortal in preparation for entering into eternity.  These three—and there may have been more not cited in the Gospels—were brought back to life, in this world, in their normal, everyday, mortal bodies.  And, sadly for them, they faced death again, at a later time, because those bodies came with expiration dates.  In verse 4, Jesus tells His disciples regarding Lazarus’ demise, This sickness will not end in death.  No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.  In other words, the Father meant for Jesus to demonstrate to the large group of Jerusalem Jews grieving with Mary and Martha that Jesus had the same power over life and death that the Father has.  What this strongly suggests to us is that nothing—not even the Chinese Coronavirus—comes into our lives without God’s permission; and, if God permits it, it is somehow going to be for His glory.  I believe God is already at work, inspiring talented doctors and scientists to develop treatment protocols and medications to control and defeat Covid-19.  Further I believe that when this is said and done, we will be able to look back and see God’s hand at work in ways we might not have anticipated.  Already, commentators are projecting that the pandemic will permanently alter the way we deliver college education; bring back “supply chains” of important resources to America from abroad; and draw families into closer, face-to-face communication.   With so many manufacturing concerns voluntarily retooling from their usual products to those required by hospitals and clinics now, there may be a resurgence of American patriotism and a renewed sense of togetherness despite our differences.  No one wants anyone to die, but I do believe there will be God-ordained benefits to be derived from this that will serve the greater good.

Jesus tells Martha (verses 25-26), I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die…. If we have Jesus, we have life! The great author, Fyodor Dostoevsky, learned this firsthand and it permanently changed his life. As an educated young man from a wealthy family, he flirted with communist and revolutionary thought in czarist Russia. Czar Nicholas 1st learned of his leanings and had him arrested, tried, and sentenced to death by a firing squad. Dostoevsky was blind-folded, dressed in burial clothes, bound, and led into a public square where he was tied to a post. The young writer next heard the rifles being cocked. The order was given, “Ready, aim,” but just at that moment—when the command “fire” was expected–a message arrived from the czar to commute the death penalty to 4 years of hard labor. Dostoevsky later wrote that he never totally recovered from this experience. On the train to prison in Siberia, an unnamed Christian gave him a copy of the New Testament, which he devoured. He then turned his life over to Christ. Despite witnessing great evil among some of his cellmates, he developed the belief that humans are only capable of loving if they believe they are loved. His greatest works are all novels which treat the issues of sin and repentance, grace, and forgiveness. In other words, coming so close to death radically altered his sense of what is important in life. How would you change your thinking or your life style if you knew you only had a moment or days to live? Dostoevsky has left us a record of how he changed. Wouldn’t you love to know how Lazarus was impacted by a second chance at life?

         Our God intends for us to live each day as persons who do not fear death or viruses.  We are to live as persons who know that God’s love is more important and more powerful that anything this world can throw at us.  Our faith in God is our antidote to fear.  Can we try to live this week and beyond—despite news reports and what others may say or write—as if we truly believe this?  Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord, Jesus Christ!

Copyright Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams 2020

Posted on by Cheryl Norman w/a Mary Jo Delaney

Fear Not!

Pastor Sherry’s Message 

Scripture Readings: Sam.16:1-13; Ps 23; John 9:1-41

One of my heroes of the faith is a man named Charles Simeon (1758-1836).  He was an Englishman who was about 18 at the time of our Revolutionary War.  An Evangelical, Bible-believing, Anglican pastor and college professor, he had graduated from Eton & from Cambridge University.  Having had an encounter with Christ through his own Scripture readings on Easter Sunday, Charles had converted to Christianity at age 19.  He was definitely a unique person as there were apparently no other Christians at the University for the next 3 years.

Two years after graduating from Cambridge, in 1782, he was appointed by his Bishop to be the lead pastor at Holy Trinity Church–the most prominent church in Cambridge at the time.  Though typically Bishops then appointed clergy rather than their being “called” by individual congregations, Charles was a young man (24) for such an important position. As it turned out, many parishioners there didn’t want him because he believed in Jesus and he preached the Scriptures.  It was the era of the Enlightenment, when many intellectuals in England—and in this university city–had abandoned their faith in God in favor of trusting only in science.  They preferred an associate pastor, a Mr. Hammond, a guy who preached more to their liking.  So unable to get the Bishop to agree with their choice, they began a campaign to run Simeon off. For 12 years,

  1. They locked their pew doors so that anyone who came to services had to

stand in the aisles.

  1. They refused to let Simeon preach the Sunday afternoon service for 10

years.

  1. They slandered
  2. In addition, Cambridge students
  3. Derided his belief in the truth claims of the Bible;
  4. Ostracized the students he did convert;
  5. Disrupted services inside & created noisy demonstrations in thestreets to keep worshippers away;
  6. And threw tomatoes at Simeon as he entered the church yard.
  7. Cambridge University named him Dean for 9 years, even though his peers snubbed/avoided him because he was a follower of Jesus Christ.

What is truly astonishing to me about him is that he remained in that parish for 54 years (ages 24-77)!  He did not appear to be afraid of what they might do to him to drive him off; instead he simply out-persisted his antagonists!  Over the years he was there, he turned many hearts to Jesus through his patient endurance & faithful Gospel preaching (his sermons have been preserved in 21 volumes).  Though they had begun his tenure by hating and reviling him, by the time he died, the entire parish & University turned out for his funeral.  He had become beloved by town, gown, and parish.  He had served as a model of humility and perseverance. What sustained him through the first 12 years of energetic resistance? He never married, so it wasn’t a reassuring, supportive spouse.  So Who or What helped him to patiently persist all those lonely years?  The same Jesus, and the same Holy Spirit, who sustain, protect, and encourage each of us.

Right now, we are in voluntary quarantine due to the Chinese Corona Virus.  Let’s examine what the Scripture lessons appointed for today have to tell us about facing such threats without fear.

  • In our Old Testament lesson, Samuel anoints David King of Israel in about 1025BC. Now Israel had a king already, King Saul; but because he did not have a healthy respect for or a reverence for God, God had rejected him as the leader of His people.  So God sends the prophet Samuel to anoint someone else to take Saul’s place.  Afraid of Saul’s anger and vengeance, Samuel journeys to Bethlehem under a religious pretext.  Notice, the prophet doesn’t know God’s choice; he has to have Jesse parade 7 of his eight handsome sons before him (David was the baby of 10 kids, including 2 daughters).  The 7 older sons are tall and handsome, but God rejects them all.  The Lord tells His prophet, Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.  It’s only when David is sent for, that God says, “Yes, this is my choice.”

Why is David God’s choice as King?  We tend to judge people by their looks, how much money they have, and/or their influence or status.  But God is mainly concerned with heart attitudes.  It’s due to David’s heart (his character) that God chooses him.  Later, he proves he is…

a.) courageous by killing Goliath, the giant, with just a slingshot;

b.) humble by assisting/serving the very man he is to replace;

c.) not vengeful because he refrains from killing Saul, even when Saul is

determined to kill him;

  • and commited to God, even though it takes another 15 years before

he actually begins his reign as king.

Please be aware that the prophet Samuel was very worried about going to Bethlehem.  Like us, facing this Chinese Coronavirus pandemic, he had the backing, the fortification, the defense of God’s presence with him.  We do not need to be afraid!  We do not need to panic, even if the culture around us seems to be freaking out.  We know Jesus, so we can know (and feel) peace.

  • In the 23rd Psalm, we learn that King David trusted God to lead, guide, & provide for him. Verse 4 relates to the issue of fear:  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You [God] are with me.  David had experienced God’s protection over and over again, and so have we.  I wonder if,  when we get to heaven, we will learn of the many threats against us–brought about by the Evil One–from which God will have rescued us?  To God be the glory, great things He has done!

 

Additionally, like Charles Simeon 2800 years later, King David spent 15 years in the school of hard knocks.  If you look at the lives of many Biblical Greats, we see the same pattern:

  • Abraham & Sarah anxiously wait 25 yrs. for the birth of Isaac;
  • Moses shepherds 40 yrs. before leading God’s people out of Egypt, then wanders about with them for another 40;
  • Joseph endures 7 yrs. as a slave & another 7 in prison before God raises him to second in command after Pharaoh.

The question is:  Why does God allow this sort of thing to happen to those who put their trust in Him?  We were given the answer in last week’s Epistle reading from Peterson’s The Message:  (Ro 5:3-5):  We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with  troubles [suffering], because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us [patient endurance], & how patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue [character], keeping us alert for whatever God will do next.  In alert expectancy [hope] such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged.  Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives thru the Holy Spirit!  In other words, God allows us to undergo suffering [like the Chinese CoronaVirus and its attendant quarantine] because our patient endurance of it molds and shapes our character.  Unless we get really angry with God, it makes us more dependent on Him.  We become acquainted with the Holy Spirit and we learn to listen to His voice for guidance.  As a result, our faith deepens.  Charles Simeon admitted he had a terrible temper and a sharp tongue prior to his 12 year struggle with the resistance at Holy Trinity Church.

 

3.)Our Gospel lesson relates the story of the man born blind.  What might his testimony have to tell us about facing fear?  For one thing, he’s cheeky, gutsy, and grateful.  Prior to meeting Jesus, he is an adult who has had to beg for his living.  Imagine never, ever having seen colors or dimensions; or not being able to observe the behavior of people or their facial expressions.  What about missing out on perceiving your mother or your father’s faces?  He encounters Christ and receives sight, for the first time ever. Wow!  What joy!  Though he might now have some concerns about how to make a living, on the whole, this is something to be thrilled about!

However, look at the response of the others around him:  Some of his neighbors doubt his identity and his healing.  The Pharisees grill him.  Like police with a suspect under a naked light bulb, they demand to know, “Who healed you?”  “Why was the One who healed you working on the Sabbath?”  In other words, they are trying to discern, “Is Jesus a good guy or a sinner?”  They don’t believe the man’s own account, so they call his parents.  Now, these parents are shrewd.  They know the attitude of Pharisees toward Jesus, and they’ve heard that the Pharisees are throwing Christ-followers out of the synagogue,.  So they refuse to commit themselves and send the issue back to their son:  “Hey, don’t ask us!  He’s a grown up!  Ask him!”  The Pharisees call the man back again, and want him to renounce Christ.  He won’t do it! [Good for him!]  Essentially he says, “This is my story and I’m sticking to it…I’m sticking with Him too!  And then they do excommunicate him.

This man is very brave in the face of economic and social ruin.  Excommunication from the synagogue in those days meant you were a pariah.  You could not talk with practicing Jews; you would not be invited to their homes; you had no way to make a living nor to worship God.  Yet this guy braves it all.  His reward?  He gets to see and he gets to see Jesus!

Truthfully, how much do we have to fear from the Virus?   In Whom do we trust?

When we consider the examples of Charles Simeon, from history, & of King David and the man born blind from our Scriptures, we are encouraged to Take heart!  The spiritual temptation, when we go through hard times, is to cringe,  to withdraw, and to lose faith in God’s power or desire to act on our behalf.  These individuals each urge us to keep our faith and keep our heads!  We want to trust in our God and in His loving protection of us.  We want to remember that our God uses hard times—like what we are going through now–to improve & refine us:

  • He knocks off our prickly edges, and hammers out our imperfections;
  • He molds and shapes us into the image of Jesus;
  • He softens our hearts and helps us to love as He does.

So, as Moses writes (Deuteronlmy 1:29), let us remember, Do not be terrified, do not be afraid [of the virus].  The Lord will fight for you!  Let’s remember to keep the faith and not surrender to fear.  Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen. 

Copyright 3/22/20201 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams