Posted on by Cheryl Norman w/a Mary Jo Delaney

How Soon We Forget

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

©️2026 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman w/a Mary Jo Delaney

Who Does God Choose to Use?

Pastor Sherry‘s message for August 23, 2026

Scriptures: Ex 1:8-2:10; Ps 124; Ro 12:1-8; Matt 16:13-20

This story falls under the category of “Truth is Stranger than Fiction”:  Back in the mid to late 300’s, there was a slave named Moses the Black” (who lived from 330-405AD).  He was a tall, intimidating Ethiopian, who stole from his Egyptian master.  The master also suspected of him of murder.  Rather than sell him off, the master fired him and threw him out.

So, Moses the Black joined a gang of thugs.  Almost immediately he became their leader, and for years his band of hoodlums terrorized folks along the Nile River Valley.  At one point, he evaded the law by hiding out in a desert monastery.  He thought he was pretty clever to take refuge in a church, but the joke was on him, as he encountered Jesus there, and then gave his life to Christ in that place.

Even more incredible is the fact that four of his former gang members—not realizing he was there—decided to rob the monastery.  Moses the Black completely overpowered them (citizen’s arrest), tied them up, and dragged them before the abbot.  Because he didn’t slit their throats, the thugs were so moved that they too gave their lives to Christ, and became monks as well.  Legend has it that he was martyred, as an old monk, by a different band of robbers who did not know who he was. The former robber, murderer, adulterer had been transformed by God into a Christ-following teacher and priest. Notice, however, that even though God so transformed him, he still reaped what he had sown: He had lived by the sword, and he also died by the sword.

(Wikipedia, 8/19/26.)

But isn’t it interesting who God chooses to do His work? Last week, we noted that it was a non-Christian German painter, Count Zinzendorf (1700-1760), numerous Moravian Christians, and John Wesley Joseph, Jacob’s favorite son; St. Paul; and even some pretty unlikely persons, like you and me!  This week, our OT lesson, Exodus 1:8-2:10, introduces us to Moses’ backstory. Moses was born to an Israelite family, from the tribe of Levi, working as slaves in Egypt.  Almost 350 years after the death of Joseph–the one God had used to save the fledgling Israelite nation as well as Egypt from a massive famine–a new Pharaoh (Ahmose? Rameses?), from a different line, came to the throne of Egypt. He looked around and saw how numerous the Israelites had grown. Here is the outworking of God’s promise to Abraham: his descendants would outnumber the stars, or the grains of sand on a beach.  From the 90 family members who joined Joseph in Egypt, the Israelites had grown to what scholars believed were about 2 million Hebrews by the time Moses led their exodus. They had indeed become a “great nation,” and the new Pharaoh was afraid he and his countrymen could be overwhelmed and overcome by them.  So, he decides to contain any threat by enslaving them.  He works them hard and harshly, but still they seem to multiply.

As the story unfolds today, Pharaoh is concerned that the Israelites are reproducing too rapidly.  So he calls in the head Hebrew midwives and tells them to go ahead and deliver girl babies, but kill the boys (this is once in history that it paid to be female).  The midwives are wise.  They fear/respect God more than Pharaoh. They refuse to practice male infant genocide.  Pharaoh then notices that male Israelite infants are surviving and wants to know why.  The wise midwives claim Hebrew moms are very hardy and complete the birthing process without calling upon them. This is no doubt a lie; but it seems to prevent Pharaoh from exacting revenge.

Moses is born in the midst of this birth-control strategy. As a male, he should have been euthanized; but his mom, Jochabed, rears him to 3 months. Then she places him in a carefully water-proofed basket, and sets him adrift on the Nile–a true act of faith (Nile crocks are ferocious, but we don’t know if they were so numerous then). In an amazing twist of fate—like Moses the Black, thief and murderer becoming a monk—Moses the Hebrew is spotted and rescued by Pharaoh’s eldest daughter.  Childless, she decides to raise the baby as her own son.  Miriam, his sister, has been watching over him and suggests a woman to nurse him—his biological mother, Jochabed, for pay!  How ironic—and how like our God—to keep Moses safe on the river, and to place the future deliverer of Israel within the very household of Israel’s chief oppressor.  A Hebrew slave will learn the Egyptian language, culture, and military strategies. God has once again placed one of His own (like Joseph) into a position of authority and influence.  Additionally, “Moses is ‘brought out’ of the river [so that] one day, he will ‘bring out’ the nation of Israel from Egypt.”

(John Faiurless & Delmer Chilton, The Lectionary Lab Commentary, Year A, The Lectionary Lab, 2013, p.207.)

Whether Pharaoh realizes it or not, God is also demonstrating that Pharaoh will be impotent to destroy God’s people or His program (shoring up the lineage of Jesus).

   Psalm 124 is a Psalm of Ascents, sung by Jewish pilgrims on their way to the Temple Mount to celebrate one of the major feasts.  They praise God for His protection of them now and in the past, even mentioning saving them from (v.6, crocodile) teeth.  They worship Him saying (v.8, NLT)–>Our help is from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.

                                                                                                                                                                                                        In our Gospel lesson, Matthew 16:13-20, our Lord commends Peter for both recognizing and testifying to who Jesus really is.  Remember, Jesus is still outside the borders of Israel, in a Roman resort town (Caesarea Phillipi), 2 days’ walk north of the Sea of Galilee.  Peter, inspired by the Holy Spirit, asserts that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God—a Deliverer even greater than Moses.  Jesus praises him.  He calls him “Peter,“ or “Rocky.”  Jesus Himself is “The ROCK”—but it is on faith like Peter’s, and believers like Peter that Jesus will establish His Community, His Church.  In addition, Jesus proclaims that…

(v.18) the Gates of Hades/Hell will not overcome it.  The deaths of believing individuals will not extinguish the flame of the Church.  Historically, the Church has always grown during times of persecution.  Nonbelievers are so impressed with the peace or the commitment of martyrs that they too come to believe in Jesus.  Just as Satan did not kill off the Jews through either slavery or Pharaoh’s schemes, no one person, or group of persons, can thwart God’s plan and program.  Furthermore, Jesus gives Peter (the apostles, the early church, and us) (v.19) the keys of the kingdom of heaven authority to preach and teach the Gospel.  Some claim Jesus was hereby making Peter the leader of His Church, and giving him the power to forgive or fail to forgive sins.

Others interpret this somewhat differently:  Only God can forgive sins.  But, iI we, as Jesus-followers, loose or proclaim God’s truth on earth, the powers of heaven will support our efforts.  God’s word will not return to Him empty (Isa 55;11).  Souls will be brought into God’s Kingdom.  But if we bind it on earth (forbid or fail to proclaim), the Church will not live into its destiny.

Last week, I asked us to consider who gets saved.  This week, the issue under consideration is who does God choose to work in His program of redemption.  He appears to pick the unlikely:

1.) The reprobate, Moses the Black, becomes a major force for Christ in the 4th century Church as a teacher, pastor, and martyr.

  2.) Moses–born to Hebrew slaves–is nurtured and educated under Pharaoh’s own nose, then used by God to free His people.

3.) Peter, who takes his eyes off Jesus, resorts to violence in the Garden, denies Him three times, and fails to show up at the Cross to support Him, is selected by God as a leader in the 1st Century Church.

4.) Paul assures us in Romans 12:13-20 that the Holy Spirit has given to each of us gifts to be used for the upbuilding of God’s Kingdom here on earth.  

The beauty of all of this is that God chooses unlikely, even weak and flawed people to carry out His program of redemption.  He trains us up.  He places us strategically—like Joseph, like Moses–right where He wants us.  Back in the 1960’s there used to be a popular poster in offices that showed flowers in a pot with the caption, “Bloom where you are planted.”  That poster irritated the stew out of me!  Like many of my generation, I wanted to change either the place where I was, or take myself elsewhere.  The idea of blooming where I was planted seemed to me either too restrictive and like giving up.  I have since come to realize that the Lord places us where we are for His reasons.  We-folks like you and like me- are meant by Him to join Him in His Kingdom purposes where we find ourselves. 

The wonder of it is that He puts so much trust in us.  This week, let’s agree to assist Him in His goal to bring the lost to Jesus.  This week, look for opportunities to tell those who don’t know Jesus Who He is; how He loves them; and how knowing Him has impacted and improved our lives.  The best thing you can share with a nonbeliever is how you have seen Him work in your life.

Thanks be to God who gives us the victory thru our Lord, Jesus Christ! 

.©️2026 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman w/a Mary Jo Delaney

We Want a Hero!

Pastor Sherry’s message for 8/27/23

Scriptures: Ex 1:1-2:10; Ps 124; Romans 12:1-8; Matt 16:13-20

I attended 4th grade in NOLA (New Orleans, Louisiana). My dad was in the navy and we were stationed there for two years. My teacher was a sweet, pretty young woman, newly married. I can’t remember her name but I do remember that she exercised no classroom control. The boys in particular behaved very badly and she could not get them to shape up. They neither listened to nor respected her. The ceiling of our classroom was covered with their spit-balls. Normally, as an Adams, I was assigned a front row seat. But to avoid having sloppy, germy spit balls hit my face, neck, shoulders, or arms, I asked to be allowed to sit in the back row. I really learned to hate school that year.

From the vantage point of having taught high school and college classes for years now, I suspect this woman started off too soft, too friendly. We teachers are trained to start out “tough” or “strict” and then to loosen up control once the class has learned to be respectful and cooperative. You cannot start off lax and then tighten up later. Such a move causes resentment. She was so frustrated that she often punished the whole class—also not an effective move—by making us copy down dictionary definitions of dozens of words. She left at the half year point. I now suspect she “escaped” into a convenient pregnancy.

She was replaced by a retired Marine drill sergeant named Mr. Sterling (notice, I have remembered his name). He was tall and fit and tolerated no nonsense. Anyone who acted out was dealt with immediately and firmly. They might have to sit on an invisible bench—something you could not require of a kid now—or memorize the teen times tables. Mr. Sterling got those bad boys into order in no time. Because of him, our classroom grew to be safe again. He eliminated flying spit balls and group punishment—what a relief, on both counts. And if the class was good, he would tell us another installment of an exciting story, ending each day in a cliffhanger to be continued tomorrow, if we were cooperative. Looking back, it’s obvious that he was a wise man and a good teacher. He seriously became my hero.

We need and long for heroes to rescue us from painful circumstances, even death, and to help us become more than we might ever expect. If you’ve lived through a near death experience and a rescue, you know such an experience impacts your life in lasting ways.

A. In our Old Testament lesson today, we encounter 3 heroes:

First we have the very brave ladies who led the corps of Hebrew midwives, Shiphora (whose name means beauty) and Puah (splendor). We are told that a new pharaoh (coming some 200-250 years after Joseph’s administration) had not heard of Joseph and what he had done for Egypt. Additionally, this ruler was very worried about how numerous the Jews had become. As herdsmen, the Israelites had been left alone to multiply their numbers in the fertile delta region. (Egyptians avoided herders and herd animals, regarding them as “unclean” and uncouth.) God had foretold to Jacob in Genesis 46:3–Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt for I will make you into a great nation. So, the phenomenal growth of the Israelite people while sojourning in Egypt is the outworking of this promise. This Pharaoh, however, viewed them as a threat to Egyptian security.

He could have released them to return to the Promised Land, but decided instead to enslave them. This would eliminate any threat and Egypt could benefit from their free, hard labor. Israelite labor built 2 treasury cities of bricks. We know from modern philosophy that absolute power corrupts absolutely. Pharaoh first provided them with straw to make their building bricks—straw was the binding agent necessary to help the bricks remain firm. But later, to hopefully reduce their numbers, Pharaoh made them locate their own straw, while keeping their quotas the same. We would call this today “management by intimidation” or “management by spreadsheet.” Nevertheless, the Israelites continued to multiply, as if Egypt were a giant hatchery or incubator for them.

Pharaoh then instituted an edict that male babies born to Hebrew women were to be euthanized just after birth. The midwives were to kill all newborn males. But Puah and Shiphora revered God, the God of life, and refused to obey Pharaoh’s commands. When Pharaoh noted his male enfant genocide edict was not being enforced, he demanded to know why. The ladies fabricated the excuse that Hebrew women were so resilient that they gave birth, on their own, before the midwives could even arrive. Much like King Herod would later have his troops do to toddlers who could have been Jesus, Pharaoh had his troops throw male Hebrew babies into the Nile. Psalm 124:6 says—Praise be to the Lord, who has not let us be torn by their teeth….This could very likely refer to the teeth of Nile crocodiles who would feed on these poor infants. How cruel! Satan was working hard, even this early in Jesus’ lineage, to prevent Christ’s birth. These two midwives were truly heroes (heroines)!

Now enters our next hero, Moses. He was born to the Levite couple, Amram and Jocebed. Jocebed hides him for 3 months. Then, probably fearing he’d be heard crying and discovered by Pharaoh’s soldiers, she places him in a water-tight basket and floats him on the Nile with prayer. She also sends his older sister, Miriam, to keep watch. Miriam sees Pharaoh’s childless daughter draw Moses out of the river. As our God would have it, Miriam and Pharaoh’s daughter just happen along at the opportune time. Sister helpfully offers to find a Hebrew slave to nurse the baby—none other than her and his mother! Don’t ever think God lacks a sense of humor, or of justice. In an amazing turn of events, Jocebed, the slave, is paid to feed her own rescued son! We know, from this side of the Cross, that Moses, whose name means draw out or brought out, would be used by God to bring or draw out His Chosen People from slavery in Egypt. Moses goes on to become the hero of the Exodus.

B. Finally, in our Gospel lesson (Matthew 16:13-20) we have the greatest hero of all, Jesus! Jesus leads His disciples to Caesarea Philippi, a Roman resort town about 2 day’s walk north of Capernaum. He asks them what people make of Him, (v.13)—Who do people say the Son of Man [the title Jesus used to refer to Himself] is. People aren’t sure. Some say He’s His cousin, John the Baptist, back from the grave; others say He’s Elijah; still others believe He is a prophet like Jeremiah. These are all famous prophets.

But then He asks them, knowing they have been with Him for 2.5 years, (v.15)—But what about you? Who do you say I am? They have the most experience with Him. They should be able to say. Impulsive Peter accurately pipes up, You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Jesus commends him for having heard that from the Holy Spirit. We know, again from this side of the Cross, that Jesus Christ is the long awaited Messiah. He has rescued us from the penalty for our sins and from everlasting punishment in hell. He is truly our hero!

Why search for and honor heroes? First, they provide us with examples who give us hope. They help us to see that people can behave bravely or in the interests not just of self, but altruistically, in the interest of others (love one another). They teach us that we can rise above our usual self-focused behavior. They encourage us to be brave and to do the right thing, even if it threatens our own life. Secondly—or perhaps even more important—they rescue us from dire circumstances. The two leaders of the midwives, Puah and Shiphora, were used by God to save many male Hebrew babies. Moses, born to Hebrew slaves, ends up being nurtured and educated under Pharaoh’s own nose then used by God to free His people. Jesus asks the disciples, Who do the people say the Son of Man is? We want and need a hero. We know that Jesus is our Redeemer, our Savior; our Divine Rescuer. He has paid the penalty for our sins. Like Mr. Sterling, He will establish order and peace in His Second Coming. We owe Him our love, our thanks, our praise! He is our Hero!

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

*Please be sure you are prepared for Hurricane Idalia and pray the Lord diminishes its strength before it hits any Florida community. Blessings and peace! *

©️2023 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams