Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Despite Rejection

Pastor Sherry’s message for January 26, 2025

Scriptures: Jer 1:4-10; Ps 71:1-6; 1 Cor 12:12-31a; Lk 4:14-30

Did you know that Abraham Lincoln…

“…was defeated seven times for elective office before winning the Presidency of the United States. He certainly defied the odds. And he did not give up.

“Then there was Vincent van Gogh. Van Gogh earned all of $85 from his paintings during his lifetime. One hundred years after his death, just one painting alone, Dr. Bachet, sold for the incredible sum of $82.5 million.

“Then there was this itinerant, middle eastern preacher who lived some 2,000 years ago — his ideas were definitely rejected by the people of his hometown, as well as the religious leaders of his time and country. Yet he continued his ministry as he understood it to be — Divine Defiance?

“The point is clear. If Abraham Lincoln, Vincent van Gogh, or Jesus of Nazareth had let rejection rule their lives, and let it keep them from doing and saying what they felt sure to be right — our world would be incredibly impoverished today.”

(Dianne O’Connell, “Divine Defiance,” www.esermons.com, 1/20/2025)

Consider how often these three must have felt discouraged, frustrated, or ready to give up?: Yet, what great examples to us of the importance of persevering in the face of repeated rejection.

Two of our Scripture passages today illustrate this theme of persevering despite rejection:

A.: Our Old Testament lesson is from Jeremiah 1:4-10, and recounts the divine call to Jeremiah to become the Lord’s prophet.

Jeremiah was probably between 17-20 years old when this takes place.  He was already serving God as a priest in his home town of Anathoth, located just North of Jerusalem. King Josiah was about 22 then, in 626BC, and reigned until he died at age 39.: He and Jeremiah were contemporaries, and likely became friends. Jeremiah served all during the remainder of Josiah’s reign, and continuing also during the reigns of kings Jehoahaz and Jehoiakim (sons of Josiah), Jehoiachin (Josiah’s grandson), and Zedekiah (a third son of Josiah).

Josiah, a good and godly king, had led his people in a revival to turn their hearts back to God; but his sons and grandsons were another story.

Because of their idolatry and wicked behavior, God allowed the last to be defeated and carried off into slavery by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.

Notice how God calls Jeremiah into His service: verse 5: Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.: This is amazing and also a bit intimidating, isn’t it?: It implies that God knows us before we are even conceived, and that He has a plan for our lives—He has given us life for a purpose.: The Lord tells Jeremiah He had determined–even before the young man’s birth–that he would become a prophet and deliver to His people whatever God told him to say.: Jeremiah is a humble young man who replies to God, (v.6): I am only a child, meaning, Yes, I will do it, but I am young and lack much life experience.

In other words, I wouldn’t know what to say!: God’s response must have been very reassuring (v.7): Do not say,’ I am only a child.’: You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you.: The Lord assures him He will tell Jeremiah what to say; and He promises to take care of him, even though He was calling him to prophesy divine judgment on Judah and her heretical kings.

If we skip ahead 40 years to the end of Jeremiah’s life and career, we would find that he apparently never made a single convert; after King Josiah, the people ignored or ridiculed his preaching entirely.: He was rejected by his people because of his message, hated, beaten, put in stocks, imprisoned, and charged with being a traitor. He was later called “the prophet of the broken heart” because God’s judgments on his people—and their rejection of God–were so distressing to him.: Actually his emotional response to his rejection mirrored God’s own saddness.: Once, King Jehoiakim cut his hand-written, prophetic scrolls up.: He destroyed them by throwing them into the fire (but God just retold the contents to Jeremiah so he could write them again).

I don’t know about you, but though I would have been proud to speak the Lord’s words to His people, I would also have been exceedingly distressed to have had been so unsuccessful in changing peoples’ behavior.: Jeremiah may have been just as distressed, but he persisted!: He may have been disappointed, but he kept on giving out God’s messages.: He may have been discouraged, but he never gave up!: I think that he stands as an excellent example to us:: He trusted in God’s promise to him and he persevered despite what he probably considered his limited impact.

And, as Paul writes in 2 Timothy 4:7: I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.: Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.: Those lousy kings after Josiah are no longer remembered by anyone, but Jeremiah’s two books of the Bible (Jeremiah and Lamentations) remain available today, 2700 years later!

With what in your life are you struggling today?: With a relative, a co-worker, or an unfair boss?: With an illness or a chronic condition?: With a lack of money or a lack of peace? Jeremiah’s obedience to God, and his perseverance in the face of repeated rejection, inspire and encourage us 

(1) to put one foot after the other, continuing to try to do good where we can; and (2) not to give Satan the victory by caving in to dejection and perceived defeat. 

B.: The same is true of Jesus (as per our Gospel lesson, Luke 4:14-30).: Jesus reads His job description from Isaiah 61:1, and tells His friends and neighbors in Nazareth that they are witnessing the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophesy in Him.: At first, they were impressed with His knowledge and wisdom–until someone spoke up who reminded everyone that Jesus was the carpenter’s son.: This person had placed Jesus in a box and would not consider that He might in fact have become “more than a carpenter.”

His former neighbors were eager to see Him work some miracles, but they were unwilling to alter their perceptions of Him.: John Mark tells us in Mark 6:5: He could not do any miracles there, except lay His hands on a few sick people and heal them…due to their lack of faith.

Jesus really gets them riled up when He reminds them (v.24): I tell you the truth…no prophet is accepted in his hometown.: Then He further incenses them when He gives them two examples of “outsiders,” Gentiles whom God had provided for, rather than bless Israelites.: There were many widows in need in Israel during the famine and drought of Elijah’s day, but God sent the prophet to minister to a Phoenician woman.: He provided her with a continuous supply of food, and even resurrected her son when he died.: There were lots of Israelite lepers, but God chose to heal the Syrian general, Naaman.: In other words, Jesus is warning them that God will not bless them if they do not believe in His Son.

By this point, they are so enraged that they attempt to kill Him by tossing Him off a cliff.: The fact that He could just disappear from an angry mob should have stretched the box in which they had confined Him.: Surely Jesus was disappointed with their rejection of Him.: He was obviously willing to heal many, but their contempt and anger, their lack of faith, limited what His heavenly Father would allow Him to do there.: Just as with Jeremiah, His own did not believe Him.: So, He moves His base of operations to Capernaum.

I think what is most instructive for us is that is the example Jesus gives us in the face of rejection:: (1) Respond honestly, if given the opportunity.: He was admitting to them that He was the Messiah by saying He fulfills the Isaiah 61:1 passage.: He did not deny the truth even thught hearing it incited them to violence against them.: Don’t deny the truth as you know it, but also (2) don’t reply with anger, name-calling, or physical intimidation.: Years ago, I worked for a woman pediatrician in Tallahassee who gathered several social workers into her practice.: She worked with kids whose conditions did not resolve through the usual medical interventions, so instead, she involved the kids in counseling. I was there to supervise several interns she had working toward licensure, and I counseled some of the parents.: The longer I was there, the more it became evident to me that one of the women I was supervising (though she was married to a man) was having a lesbian affair with the doc.: The woman was good with the kids she counseled, but she viewed their parents as the enemy.: I repeatedly told her she needed to align sufficiently with the parents to change the social and psychological environment they created for their children. She resisted this vehemently.: I told her I could not then recommend her for licensure.: Our boss—and her lover—then demanded I do so despite my reservations.: I had to resign and leave that practice. As my Christian therapist friends helped me move my office, I walked out the door and “shook the dust off my sandals.” (3) Like Jesus, I remained calm, and moved on. The Lord provided me another location to do what He had gifted me to do…and He will do the same for you.

We cannot allow rejection to rule our lives.: We will not win over everyone we encounter.: Let’s remember how Lincoln, Van Gogh, Jeremiah–and even President Trump, whether you like him or not—as well as Jesus, all persevered despite being repeatedly rejected.

In Galatians 6:9, St. Paul encourages us (NLT): So: let’s not get tired of doing what is good.: At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.:  We are not meant to just, “Be calm and carry on,” but to continue to do our best to please God and to trust in Him.

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

©️2025 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams  

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

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

Recognizing Everyday Saints

Pastor Sherry’s message for November 10, 2024

Scriptures: WMC, 11/10/24; Ruth 3:1-5, 4:13-17; Ps 42; Heb 9:24-28; Mk 12:38-44

I heard this story just the other day.  It appears to describe a large Catholic parish in the Midwest:

“A priest once asked one of his parishioners to serve as financial chairman of his parish. The man, manager of a grain elevator, agreed on two conditions:  (1) No report would be due for a year, and (2) No one would ask any questions during the year.

“At the end of the year he made his report. He had paid off the church mortgage of $200,000.  He had updated the church’s interior. He had sent $1,000 to missions [he could have been more generous here], and he had put $5,000 in the bank’s savings account.

“How did you do all this?” asked the priest and the shocked congregation.  Quietly he answered, “You people bring your grain to my elevator. As you did business with me, I simply withheld 10 percent [in other words, he overcharged them by 10%] and gave it to the church. You never missed it.”

(Contributed by James S. Hewett, http://www.Sermons.com, November 5, 2024)

Now please don’t get alarmed.  I am not going to launch into a sermon on tithing, or your monetary giving to our church.  Too many people just happen to visit a church on the very day the pastor encourages everyone to contribute more money.  They walk away believing the church is only interested in digging into their wallets.  My son attended a non-demoninational church of 22,000 members in Texas.  He said at one point the pastor preached on tithing every week.  I guess he had a large facility and an equally large staff to support, so money was uppermost in his mind.

Because of this, however, I hardly ever say anything tithing.  Instead, I will let today’s Gospel passage speak for itself.

Instead, I want us to focus today on what our Bible passages tell us about how we might go about recognizing everyday saints.

Last week, I distinguished between canonized saints and “everyday saints.”

Canonized saints are those holy people who led obviously Christian lives, may have died for their faith, and often performed some sort of miracle.

Reports about their lives are scrutinized by the Catholic Church.  And if they meet the 3 criteria, they are recognized as true “saints of the Church.” 

Conversely, “everyday saints” are those of us who love Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and who try to model our lives after Him and what we learn from Scripture.  Keeping this 2nd category in mind, let’s examine the passages appointed for today to see how they help us recognize “everyday saints.” 

A.  Our OT lesson is from portions of Ruth 3 and 4.   You may remember that Ruth was from Moab, one of the perennial enemies bordering Israel.  The Moabites originated from the incestuous relationship of a drunken Lot and one of his two daughters.  The girls had seen the destruction of Sodom and feared they would never marry or bear children.  So they got their father drunk and slept with him.  Naturally this was abhorrent to our God (Genesis 19:30-37).  The Moabites also tried to hire a false prophet, Balaam, to curse Israel.  He was not a follower of the Hebrew God, but he obeyed God when He told him he could not curse His Chosen People. (Numbers 22 and 23).  So Ruth was from a nation that Israel despised and avoided.

Nevertheless, she had met and married one of the sons of the Israelite woman, Naomi.  From Bethlehem, Naomi had moved to Moab, with her husband and two sons, to escape a famine.  They had located food in Moab, and jobs, but all three men got sick there and died.  Naomi was once again faced with poverty and starvation and decided to return home to Bethlehem.

She tells her 2 devoted daughters-in-law to return to their Moabite relatives.

One, Orpah agrees and, though sorrowful, leaves her; the other, Ruth, loves Naomi dearly and loyally accompanies her into Israel.

What might this tell us about Ruth, a woman we might term an “everyday saint”?  For one thing, she’s compassionate: She puts her mother-in-law’s needs for companionship and help ahead of her own comforts.  Those of you who have cared for aging parents now or earlier have done the same, haven’t you?   Additionally, she’s loyal enough to accompany Naomi to a land where she might always be considered a despised outsider (Think of what a member of Hamas would experience today if such a person attempted to become a Jew).  Ruth is certainly courageous, willing to leave all she’s ever known to go where she might be treated hostilely.  And, perhaps most important, she has become a follower of Naomi’s God.

As we pick up in today’s reading, Naomi plays matchmaker for Ruth.

Naomi owned land in Bethlehem, land owing what we might call “back taxes.”  Back in Genesis (38: 13-30), the Lord had made provision for widows through the concept of a Kinsman Redeemer.  This male relative could claim the widow’s land if he paid what was owed, and he could marry the dead man’s widow (to continue her dead husband’s line) if she agreed.

Another, closer relation wanted the land but not the foreign widow.  But Naomi knew the kinsman-redeemer, Boaz (who foreshadows Jesus as our Kinsman Redeemer), had signaled he liked Ruth a lot.  So, Naomi has Ruth get all dolled up and approach the sleeping Boaz at a harvest festival.  By placing the blanket at his feet over hers, she signaled to him that she wanted to marry him.  (This may seem a little strange to us today, but that was the custom then.)

They do marry, and happily pick up in chapter #4 where Ruth bears Boaz a son, Obed [servant of the Lord], who will become the grandfather of King David.  Because of Ruth’s faith and character, the Lord establishes from her son, Obed, the line of Jesse, the stump of Judah, from whom Jesus later comes.  The Lord so values Ruth for her faith and character, that He places her—a hated outsider (like Hamas)—in the lineage of the Messiah.

B.  Psalm 42 was written by some sons of Korah.  Though their father had been discredited and killed for leading a rebellion against Moses (Numbers 16), God spared his sons and grandsons.  Those descendants of Korah who had been spared their father’s fate become gate-keepers and choir members in the Tabernacle.

This psalm is called a maschil or a teaching psalm.  Its primary message is that we are to hope and trust in God despite our negative circumstances.  The sons of Korah are certainly evidence that punishment for evil in one can result in good behavior in others, and that people do often recognize and appreciate God’s grace.  The instruction in this psalm consists of realizing that we worship a God of grace and mercy.

C.  The writer to the Hebrews (9:24-28) wants us to be clear that we realize that Jesus’ sacrifice of Himself for our sins was sufficient.  It was enough to clear our debt to the Father for our sins, past, present, and future.  Jesus’ atoning death on the cross was complete, sufficient, and perfect.  We don’t’ have to do anything to assure our salvation except say yes to Christ.  He did all the heavy-lifting, for all time.

Our response to Him should be one of gratitude.

D. Finally, in our Gospel (Mark 12:38-44), Jesus condemns the Pharisees for being fakers, posers, and hypocrites, caught up in appearing righteous to others, while missing out on a legitimate, honest, humble relationship with God.  Everyday saints are sincere.

They don’t just try to look good, but their hearts are good.  They desire to please God more than to please people.  And they, like the widow who gave her last coins to the Temple treasury, are fully trusting and fully committed.

So what are the characteristics of everyday saints?  The Book of Ruth shows us that everyday saints are compassionate, loyal, risk-takers, and courageous.  They are also committed followers of God/Jesus.

Psalm 42 teaches us that everyday saints are grateful to God, trusting in Him, through bad times as well as the good.  As Paul later on states, (Romans 8:28): For we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, and who have been called according to His purpose.

Our Hebrews passage reiterates the powerful message that Jesus has done all that needed to be done to assure our salvation.

As He assured us from the Cross, It is finished.  Simply said, we are saved if we agree to believe in Him.

Finally, we demonstrate we are everyday saints if we are humble and sincere.  This means we don’t “put on airs” or fake our devotion to God.  This means we are not religious hypocrites.  Others will recognize we are everyday saints if we practice the Christian virtues our passages outline today

You may be thinking, “That’s a tall order to be compassionate, loyal, courageous, committed followers of Jesus, grateful, trusting, and sincere.”  Yes it is if we try to practice each of those virtues at once.  But we can consider which ones we already do pretty well, and then pick one we are less likely to demonstrate.  For this next week, try to practice one that is not yet true of you.  Psychology teaches us that it takes 23 repetitions to replace a bad habit with a good one. 

May the Holy Spirit empower you to cement these virtues in your life. Lord, make it so!  Amen!   

©️2024 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

How to be Good at Life

Pastor Sherry’s message for September 8, 2024

Scriptures: Pro 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23; Ps 146; Ja 2:1-17; Mk 7:24-37

The story is told of a rancher in Colorado who received 9,374 notices from a magazine company that it was time to renew his subscription.  This was, of course, a mistake.  The company had changed its software responsible for tracking subscriptions.  Their new software obviously had a colossal glitch!  Imagine if you had been the one to receive 9,374 mailings from the same company?  Would you have been annoyed?

Stupefied?  What had it cost the company to send out so many?  Would you have felt furious?  After delivering 25 separate political and charitable solicitations to my mailbox one day recently, my mail carrier said he would be glad when the November 5th election was over.  (Me too!)

What’s hilarious to me, however, is that the Colorado rancher finally sent the magazine company a letter in which he signed up for a subscription!  He had never even been a subscriber!  But in his letter, he wrote, “I give up!  Send me the magazine.”  Their infernal persistence, like “Chinese water torcher,” had won him over.

(Borrowed from www.sermons.com, 9/5/2024)

Interestingly enough, this tactic is what also wins people over to Christ.  However, it is less about what we say to them and more about how we live our lives, daily, persistently.  Do they see us behaving in ways that are kind?  Do they experience us as listening to them uncritically, or without interrupting them to give our advice?  Do we respond to them with a warm smile, hug, or handshake?  Are we a consistent friend, rather than one who likes the person one day but turns on them the next?  Is our faith evident to them, especially when we go through tough times?  There is an old saying you may have heard before: “You may be the only Bible someone else ever reads.”  As Christians, we have a responsibility to so good at living life that we inspire others to follow Jesus.

Once again, our readings today all focus on living a wise life, one that reflects well on us and is a strong witness to others of the benefits of loving Jesus. 

A.  The book of Proverbs contains many pithy sayings that teach us how to be good at life.  Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23 urges us not to play favorites:  (Verses1-2)—>No matter our differences in race, creed, gender, economic status, or whatever, we were all created by God.

This is an important way in which we are all the same.  All of humankind shares this in common.  Nevertheless, as J. Vernon McGee says, “God created us all but He is not the Father of us all.”  Only those who love His Son may call Him “Father.”

(Through the Bible Commentary on Proverbs, Thomas Nelson, 1991, p.190.)

Verses 8-9 state that wicked people will come to a terrible end, but generous people will be blessed as they bless others.  And verses 22-23) assert that anyone who exploits the poor and the needy will be punished by God.  Remember, our God sees all and knows all.  There are no deeds kept secret from Him.  Our God wants us to live lives that are radically different from our culture due to our love and respect for others.

B. Our Psalm (146) implies that we are good at life when we habitually praise God for His goodness.   This psalm is considered one of several Hallelujah Psalms.  Literally, the word, Hallelujah, means, Praise ye the Lord!  We praise the Lord because He has given us life, and He has saved us.  Verse 3 reminds us—>Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men [or women] who cannot save.  We also praise God because unlike human agents, He is always trustworthy.  And He relates to us with love, justice, and mercy.

The book written by James, Jesus’s half-brother, contains 12 practical teachings on how to be good at life.  Our passage today (James 2:1-17) highlights two of these:  In verses 1-13, he tackles the issue of showing favoritism to the rich and influential.  He warns us not to do this because it springs from evil motives (We honor them so they might reward us somehow).  It also violates God’s command to love our neighbors as we love ourselves (Leviticus 19:18).  And, as Jesus taught in His Sermon on the Mount, if we are not merciful to others, God will not be merciful to us—>(Matthew 6:14-15)—>For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.  We are forgiven in the measure to which we forgive others, just as we are blessed in the measure to which we bless others.  This is God’s economy.

In his second lesson from our passage today (vv. 14-17), James defines genuine faith.  Real, true faith in Christ demonstrates itself in loving actions toward God and others.  In an article entitled, “The Results of Faith,” a commentator on James—Mark Norton–writes—>”Believers ought to be examples of heaven on earth.”   

(Cited on the website www.Filament.com , in his article on the book of James, 9/2024.)

D. As He always does, Jesus demonstrates in today’s Gospel lesson (Mark 7:24-37), authentic Christian responses to two “outsiders” considered “unclean.”  The first person is an unnamed Syro-Phoenician woman.  Some claim she was Greek; others say she was a Canaanite (she lived in present-day Lebanon).  Whatever the case, she was not a Jew. This is important because, as Jesus says, He came to save the Jews (the children of Israel) first.  She is desperate to have her little girl freed from demonic possession, so she seeks out Jesus.  She is humble but also quick witted.  Like the magazine company I spoke of at the beginning of this sermon, she is also persistent.

Jesus appears to be insulting her, equating her with dogs.  Jews then viewed many Gentiles as unclean and as dogs.  Jesus appears to be stating what He knew His disciples may have been thinking.  But she does not take offense.  Instead, she enters into His metaphor and replies that even the puppies get to eat what the children drop from the table.  He rewards the faith of this outsider and heals her daughter.

Next He encounters a man in the Decapolis, a region known for its 10 cities. It had originally belonged to the tribe of Manasseh, but they so intermingled with non-Jews that the area in Jesus’ time was primarily occupied by Gentiles. A deaf mute is brought to Him to heal (due to the faith of his friends?).  Jesus heals him using His saliva, which was thought by folks then to have healing properties.  The man receives both his hearing and his speech is restored to normal rhythm and cadence that he had not been previously able to comprehend.

By healing these two outsiders, those considered by the Jews to be unclean, Jesus was extending His love and mercy to Gentiles. His half-brother, James, would say the Christian who is living the good life is kind to those not like him/herself.  This is how we love others as we love ourselves.

We can learn how to be good at life—living the good life, a life pleasing to God—by following the lessons spelled out for us in God’s word:  (1) Proverbs—>Don’t play favorites but love everyone as you love yourself.  (2) Psalm 146->Adopt the habit of praising God daily for creating and saving you.  (3) James 2—>Again, don’t give special attention to the rich and famous, but demonstrate your faith in Jesus by performing acts of kindness to all sorts of people daily.  And (4) Mark 7—>Our Lord did this.  So should we.  This week, let’s try hard to be good at life. Amen!

©️2024 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

True Wisdom

Pastor Sherry’s message for August 18, 2024

Scriptures : 1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14; Ps 111; Eph 5:15-20; Jn 6:60-71

The story is told of…a Dean at a college Faculty Meeting who encounters an angel.  The angel informs him that the Lord has noticed his “exemplary and unselfish behavior” and wants to reward him. He is given the choices of … “infinite wealth, wisdom or beauty.”  Without hesitating, the dean selects infinite wisdom.

“Done!” says the angel, and disappears in a cloud of smoke and a bolt of lightning. Now, all heads turn toward the dean, who sits surrounded by a faint halo of light. At length, one of his colleagues whispers, “Say something.”

The dean looks at them and says, “I should have taken the money.” 

(Betsy Devine and Joel E. Cohen, Absolute Zero Gravity, Simon & Schuster, 1992, p.29.)

Compare that story with the following examples of the wisdom of children:  

Patrick, age 10, said, “Never trust a dog to watch your food.”

Michael, 14, said, “When your dad is mad and asks you, ‘Do I look stupid?’ don’t answer him.”

 Michael, wise man that he was also said, “Never tell your mom her diet’s not working.”

Randy, 9 years of age said, “Stay away from prunes.”  One wonders how he discovered that bit of wisdom.

Kyoyo, age 9, said, “Never hold a dust buster and a cat at the same time.”

(Rick Stacy, 6/16/02, as reported at www.sermoncentral.com, 8/22/24.)

These takes on wisdom make us chuckle, don’t they?  But they beg the question, “What is true wisdom?” J.I. Packer (the brilliant Anglican Bible teacher and theology professor who lived from 1926-2000) once defined wisdom as “the power to see and the inclination to choose the best and highest goal, together with the surest means of attaining it. “ To see and to choose the best, the highest, and—realizing that with God the ends don’t justify the means—deciding to pursue the best in the best way.

(J.I. Packer, Knowing God, IVP, 1973, p. 80.)

Our Scripture passages today all comment on true wisdom:

A.  Let’s begin with our Old Testament reading, 1 Kings2:10-12, 3:3-14.  The context is Solomon’s ascension to the throne of his dying father, King David.  Solomon, the 10th of David’s 19 sons, has outlived Amnon (the rapist) and Absolom (the embittered rebel).  Though he was God’s choice to be the next king, and David’s choice to succeed him, he had to have David’s 4th son, Adonijah—a usurper– killed to secure his right to reign.  He also ordered Benaiah, his army general to kill Joab, David’s 2nd cousin—the guy who killed Absolom against the king’s orders–and Shemai, who had mocked, insulted, and even cursed David on his retreat from Jerusalem.  David would not allow his soldiers at the time to kill Shemai because he believed God might be saying something true through the vocal traitor.

So, interestingly, Solomon initiated his reign by assassinating his father’s enemies—loyalty to his earthly father–but he was not as loyal to his Heavenly Father.  Scripture does not report that he consulted the Lord about these political killings.  Additionally, he worshipped at “high places” which in those days were typically shrines to pagan gods.  It appears that Solomon “covered all his bases” by believing in the One True God, but also offering sacrifices to pagan gods, just in case.

Furthermore, Solomon was not a warrior or a man’s man, as his father had been. He had been raised among the women of David’s household. He seemed to understand women and to enjoy them.  And, since he went on as king to acquire 700 wives and 300 concubines, we can say from this side of the Cross that he most likely had a sexual addiction.

Nevertheless, he started out fairly well with the Lord when he admitted he lacked the experience to rule, and then requested the gift of wisdom.  The wisdom he had in mind was “political wisdom” or the kind of discernment that resulted in making wise decisions in matters of state.  Over time, however, it became evident that he lacked spiritual wisdom.  He practiced idolatry; he began his reign with several murders; and he broke covenant with the Lord. 

However, because the Lord had promised King David that Messiah would come from his lineage, God was willing to offer Solomon grace, and blessed him with secular wisdom, wealth, and honor among men. He is not, though, a sterling example to us of a truly wise man.

B.  Psalm 111 is a hymn of praise to God for His works of creation and redemption.  His works reveal His character:  He is righteous, compassionate, gracious, faithful, just, trustworthy, long suffering, upright, holy, and awe-inspiring.  And He wants us, His followers, to be people who mirror His character.  Verse 10, the final line of the psalm, makes the point that—>Fear [awe, reverence] of the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom.  All who obey His commandments will grow in wisdom.  Solomon actually reiterated this thought in Proverbs 9:10Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom.  Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.  We might assume that he had learned by old age that dismissing God, or simply including Him among other gods, is a big, unwise mistake.

C.  Paul, in Ephesians 5:15-20, exhorts us to (v.15)So be careful how you live.  Don’t live like fools but like those who are wise.  Paul assumes we have choices in the ways in which we live.  We can choose to get drunk and to act foolishly; or we can refrain from this kind of behavior and instead remain within the will of God by…

1.) making the most of every opportunity;

2.) understanding what God would want us to do;

3.) being fillied with the Holy Spirit;

4.) making music in our hearts to the Lord;

5.) and giving thanks to God for everything.

This really sounds like the Doxology, doesn’t it?

Praise God from whom all blessings flow;

Praise Him all creatures here below;

Praise Him above, ye heavenly hosts;

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. 

D.  By the end of this lengthy teaching of Jesus in which He calls Himself the Bread of Life (John 6:60-71), many of Christ’s crowds of disciples foolishly decide they cannot continue to follow Him.  They mistakenly thought He was encouraging cannibalism—eating His flesh and drinking His blood—and were disgusted.  Since “flesh and blood” is a euphemism meaning the whole person, He was intimating His bodily death to come on the Cross.  He was also referring to His later institution of Holy Communion, where bread and wine become a life sustaining means of intimacy with our Lord. They missed that He meant that He, not physical food, satisfies our spiritual hunger.  So, as He watches the crowds melt away, He asks the Twelve Are you also going to leave?  Peter answers for them all (except Judas who does not fully believe). Peter wisely recognizes that Jesus is God. There is no one else who can lead them into eternal life.

So how do we attain true wisdom?  Solomon had wisdom of a sort, but by not being as dedicated to the Lord as his father David had been, he missed the mark. Because of His promises to David that the Messianic King would be a descendant of David’s, God was willing to offer grace to Solomon. But true wisdom comes from worshipping God and Him only.

Similarly, our psalmist asserts that wisdom derives from trusting in the Lord, and committing ourselves to follow Him (trust and obey).  James reminds us in James 1:5If you need wisdom, ask our gracious Lord and He will give it to you.  He will not rebuke you for asking.  Just like Solomon, we too can ask for wisdom.

Paul believes we are wise when we live our lives in an “Attitude of Gratitude” to God for all He has done for us, despite how frustrating our current circumstances may be.

And Peter demonstrates wisdom when he says (John 6:58) Lord, to Whom would we go?  You have the words that give eternal life.  We believe, and we know that You are the Holy One of God.  This is true wisdom.  May we each desire it and achieve it!  Amen! 

©️2024 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Empowering Faith

Pastor Sherry’s message for June 23, 2024

Scriptures : 1 Sam 17:5-50; Ps 9:9-20; 2 Cor 6:1-13; Mk 4:35-41

I have borrowed the following illustration from a pastor named Vince Gerhardy (“Sucked In, Washed Up, Blown Over,” www.sermons.com, June 18, 2024).  It’s about a traumatized Parakeet named Chippie:

“The problems began when Chippies’ owner decided to clean Chippie’s cage with a vacuum cleaner. She removed the attachment from the end of the hose and stuck it in the cage.  The phone rang, and she turned to pick it up.  She’d barely said, “hello,” when “ssssopp!” Chippie got sucked in.

“The bird’s owner gasped, put down the phone, turned off the vacuum cleaner, and opened the bag.  There was Chippie—still alive, but stunned.

“Since the bird was covered with dust, hair, and all the stuff you find in a dust bag, she grabbed him and raced to the bathroom, turned on the tap, and held Chippie under the running water.  Then, realizing that Chippie was soaked and shivering, she did what any compassionate bird owner would do…she reached for the hair dryer and blasted the pet with hot air.  

“Poor Chippie never knew what hit him.

“A few days after the trauma, a friend who had heard about Chippie’s troubles contacted his owner to see how the bird was recovering.  ‘Well,’ she replied, ‘Chippie doesn’t sing much anymore—he just sits and stares.’”

The poor critter had a severe case of parakeet PTSD.  He’d been “Sucked In, Washed Up, and Blown Over.”  Trauma like that would steal away anyone’s reason to sing!

I imagine the disciples felt a lot like this when they encountered a fierce storm on the Sea of Galilee, while Jesus lay asleep in the stern (Mark 4:35-41).  We know what happens:  They panic, wake Jesus up, and He immediately quiets the storm.  Then, interestingly to us I think, He rebukes them for their lack of faith.  They had let the rough seas and the high winds replace what faith they had with fear.  

Now, remember we think John Mark wrote down Peter’s reminiscences for a mostly Roman audience.  So his Gospel is action-packed to appeal to men of action like Roman soldiers.  Soldiers would likely relate best to Jesus if they understood His authority.  So Mark’s Gospel begins with stories of Jesus that demonstrate His power.  The disciples had observed Jesus reveal His power over evil spirits, and over physical illnesses like fevers, paralysis, and leprosy.  They had witnessed Him debate and stymie the Pharisees.  They had heard Him declare Himself the Lord of the Sabbath.  But, to be fair to them, perhaps they had not yet perceived His power over and ability to control tumultuous nature. 

What if you had been in the boat with them that day?  Would you too have let your fear overcome your faith?  You know fear is a negative faith; it is faith in a negative outcome.  We who trust in Jesus are not to fear.  We worship the God of all hope.  We may go through tough times, but we can trust that the Lord is with us as we do.  If we believe in Jesus, we are not to be crippled by fear. 

Our Old Testament lesson (1 Samuel 17:4-50) provides us with a great example of how to overcome legitimate fear with faith.  The context is an ongoing war between the Philistines and the Israelites.  (By the way, did you know that the Philistines, perennial enemies of Israel, are the ancestors of present day Palestinians?)  The Philistines had invaded Israel and had amassed their army at Socoh, 15 miles west of Bethlehem.  They were now engaged in a stand-off against the Israeli army led by King Saul.  Daily, their champion, the giant Goliath, cursed and ridiculed them, trying his best to egg them on the send out one Israelite champion to fight him.  Mano-a-mano might not have been so intimidating except that Goliath was over 9 feet tall.  His chest armor weighed 125 pounds; the metal point of his spear weighed 15 pounds.  Archaeologists believe they have located the remnants of his bed, which is 13 feet long.  The guy was a beast!  He was totally intimidating!

Additionally, for 40 days, Goliath taunted the Israelites and not one of God’s chosen people volunteered to face off with him.  Three of David’s elder brothers were there–Eliab, Abinadab, and Shammah—and they hadn’t volunteered.  Neither King Saul nor his son Johnathan had been willing to take Goliath on.  Saul did offer a huge reward as an incentive for some warrior to step up and win: significant cash; Saul’s daughter, Michal, in marriage; and the promise of no taxation for life for the family of the warrior who might be brave enough.  Still no one came forward.  Do you think anyone was praying?  Praying for a brave soul or praying for God to intervene?

Into this tense situation, the young man, David (16-17 years old) arrives with food provisions for his brothers.  (In those days, there were no suppliers who traveled with the armies, provisioning them with rations.  Either your relatives sent you food, or you took everything not nailed down as your army passed through a locale.)  David hears Goliath’s taunts and is appalled (v.26)—Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?  Do you hear the faith that David has in God?

He recognizes that Goliath is not just a big, oversized bully.  Goliath is an enemy of God’s people and an enemy of God Himself.  David’s brother Eliab—probably jealous or perhaps even feeling guilty—lashes out at David and misperceives his brother’s motives.  David’s not conceited, thinking of how Goliath’s taunts demean him.  David is righteously outraged that a nonbeliever should be defaming God.

Saul tries to put him in armor with which David is not familiar.  He cannot believe that a teen could possibly pull this off.  But David lists his credentials (vv.36-37)—Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear [while guarding sheep]; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God.  [Now listen to his statement of faith] the Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.  

When teaching psychology in college some years back, I encountered several young men whose bravado had led to serious consequences for them.  Two of them were in wrecks while driving cars on dirt roads going 120 mph.  Both had been thrown from their cars and survived, by God’s grace.  The truth is that the amygdala, a tiny, pea-sized organ in our midbrain—that tells us to fight, flee, or freeze when confronted with danger–is not sufficiently connected to the frontal cortex in young men until they reach the age of 25.  Our frontal lobes are the seat of logical thinking and accurate risk assessment.  This weak connection is what is responsible for young men taking unnecessary risks prior to age 25.  Car insurance companies have known that young men are more likely to be involved in wrecks prior to their mid-twenties and have therefore charged them high insurance premiums until age 25.  They had based their decisions on statistics but, until recent brain research, did not understand why.  The amazing thing in this story is that David is not suffering from inadequate risk assessment.  He recognizes the threat Goliath represents, as he has had experience with killing other apex predators.  Instead, his faith in God the Father outweighs or overwhelms his fear.     

He takes his slingshot and gathers 5 smooth stones.  He confronts Goliath verbally first, saying (vv.45-47)—You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.  This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head.…All those gathered here will know that is it not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give all of you into our hands.  

Such confident faith in God!  By the way, Biblical scholars think the stones David had were about baseball size, and hit Goliath at about 100 mph.  That kind of strike to the head would kill anyone.  Scholars also believe the extra stones were just in case Goliath’s four sons came for David after the giant’s death.

But look at what happens:  Praise God, David is victorious! The Philistines turn tail and run.  The Israelite army pursued them all the way back to their cities and killed many of them.  David’s unwavering faith in God—despite any fear he had—carried the day!  Real courage is feeling fear rather than denying it, but choosing empowering faith to overcome it. 

Our Psalm (9:9-20) provides further commentary on David’s unfailing faith in God’s protection.  King David appears to have written this psalm later on in his life, as an older, more experienced ruler.  In it, he celebrates God’s vindication of His people.  Some scholars even believe the older, more settled King David was thinking back to this battle with Goliath as he composed it.  David clearly views God as his protection, using images for the Lord like refuge and stronghold.  He is making statements about God drawn right out of his own experiences with the Lord:  In verse 10 he states—Those who know Your name will trust in You for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You.  Additionally, the mature David has seen how those who oppose God reap what they sow (vv.15-16)—The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug; their feet are caught in the net they have hidden…the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.

Then we have Paul, in 2 Corinthians 6:1-13, remind us that because we are “in Christ,” we are not to live carnal lives but to demonstrate our faith with our behavior.  We are servants of Christ who endure and persevere through tough times.  We live out purity, love, kindness, understanding, and patience.  We remain truthful even if others slander us.  How do we have the ability to do this?  We are empowered by the Holy Spirit, due to our faith in Jesus.

Like that traumatized parakeet, we may feel at times like we have been sucked in, washed up, or blown over, but we do not give up or give in to fear.  Instead, we hold on to our faith.  We continue to trust in our God.  We do not allow any fear to overcome our faith, but rather call upon our faith to empower us to overcome any person or circumstance we fear.  Amen!  May it be so! 

©️2024 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Wise or Foolish?

Pastor Sherry’s message for May 12, 2024

Scriptures: Acts 1:15-26; Ps 1; 1 John 5:9-13; John 17:6-19

Happy Mother’s Day to all of our mothers!  “Former president Jimmy Carter spoke at Southern Methodist University and related an incident that occurred after he left the White House. A woman reporter came to Plains, Georgia, to interview his mother [Lillian Carter] in relation to an article about Mr. Carter and his family. His mother really didn’t want to be interviewed but was being gracious. So when the reporter knocked at her door, Mrs. Carter invited her in. The reporter asked some hard questions and actually was rather aggressive and rude.

“I want to ask you a question,” she said. “Your son ran for the presidency on the premise that he would always tell the truth. Has he ever lied?”

Mrs. Carter said, “I think he’s truthful; I think you can depend on his word.”

The reporter again asked if he had ever lied in his entire life.

His mother said, “Well, I guess maybe he’s told a little white lie.”

“Ah, see there!” the reporter exclaimed. “He’s lied! If he told a white lie, he has lied.”

The reporter was still not satisfied and asked, “What is a white lie?” And then Lillian Carter said, “It’s like a moment ago when you knocked on the door and I went to the door and said I was glad to see you.””

(Brett Blair, http://www.eSermons.com. Adapted from an unknown source.)

Isn’t that just a great story?  Former President Carter’s mother was honest, but also protective of him.  Ms. Lillian was a true southern lady: she was neither rude nor unkind, but she still conveyed her distain for the pushy reporter.  We hope for this from our mothers, don’t we?  They are very well aware of our failings and foibles, but–because of their love for us– they would never admit these to an “outsider.

I think this is the attitude of Jesus in today’s Gospel reading (John 17:6-19).  Jesus is headed to the Cross and so He prays over His disciples to His Father.  He knew He would be leaving them shortly, due to His imminent death, so He was asking His Father to protect them.  He reminds God that He did not lose anyone the Father had placed into His hands [anyone who believed in Him].  He had kept His disciples safe, all except for Judas, His betrayer.  By his choice, Judas rejected Jesus, then (due to guilt, shame, and despair) took his own life.  Jesus refers to Judas as (v.12) the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.  How sad for Jesus to know, the whole time He and Judas were developing a relationship, that Judas would betray Him. 

Notice, Jesus is not praying for the world here, but rather about the 11 He had spent 3 years training (plus all of us who have believed in Him down through the ages).  He is headed to the Cross but He is praying for us.

What a gift to have Jesus pray to the Father for us!  He is still doing this to this day.  He sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven and intercedes for us daily.  What a gift to us if our mother and father prayed for us daily!  I remember reading some books back in the early 1990’s by a woman named Stormie Ormartian.  She wrote The Power of a Praying Wife, and The Power of a Praying Mother.  In the latter book, she prayed for the spouses of her newborn children, from their birth until they eventually married.  She saw her children joined to godly spouses due to her long term prayers.  What a gift to our children and grandchildren if we pray for them daily! 

Additionally, Jesus asks His Father not to remove us from the world—even though we, like Him, don’t belong to this world–but rather to keep us safe from the evil one.  He prayed for our protection. President Carter’s mother, Lillian, in a Christ-like way, was trying to keep her son’s reputation safe from an antagonistic reporter.

Our Lord—and our mothers—want us to withstand the seduction of the evil one and make wise choices for our lives.

In Psalm 1, our Lord spells out the biggest most profound decision we will ever make: to choose to be follow God or to reject God.  The psalmist couches this choice as that between godliness/righteousness and that of ungodliness/wickedness.  Do we choose the way of sinners or the way of those who love and obey God?  Proverbs 1:7 reminds us that—the fear of [awe, reverence for] the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.  Choosing to revere our God is the wise choice.  Choosing to reject our God is foolish.  Those are the two choices before us. 

The psalmist goes on to assert that the person who chooses to follow God is blessed or experiences true happiness. This blessed person resists becoming ungodly: The blessed person resists listening to the advice of the ungodly, such as, “Go ahead, seek revenge;” or “Hey, steal what you want…no one is looking, and even if they catch you, you won’t serve any time.;” or “You deserve love, even if it means cheating on your spouse, abandoning your children, etc.”  The blessed person resists hanging out with sinners.  We might befriend them so as to lead them to Jesus.  But if we linger with them too long, they begin to win us over to their way of thinking and of living. The blessed person resists joining in with mockers or atheists.  Atheists don’t just deny God’s existence, love, or power.  They are more dangerous than this; they are actually antagonistic to God.

The blessed person, instead, meditates on God’s Word, written and in the flesh (Jesus).  This is where he/she derives guidance to live a godly life. Such persons are fruitful, productive, lively, thriving. The ungodly, by contrast, live meaningless lives. They do not impact others for good, and in the end, are blown away like chaff by the wind.

The psalmist concludes by stating, For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.  This is consistent with Jesus’ prayer of John 17:6-19, isn’t it?  Jesus prays for those of us who love Him that the Father will protect us from the evil one.

The Apostle John, writes in his first letter (1 John 5:9-13), He [or she] who has the Son has life; he [or she] who does not have the Son of God does not have life.  It’s the same choice as that in our psalm, isn’t it?  If Christ dwells in us—due to our faith, due to our having chosen to follow Jesus, due to our being born again—we are wise, godly, and blessed. 

If not, we are foolish and, as Scripture calls it, wicked.

The disciples were attempting to comply with this in their choice of a successor to Judas (Acts 1:15-26). You see, in the Hebrew way of thinking, 12 is the number of completion; eleven is therefore incomplete. They looked for other followers of Jesus worthy of being the 12th man on the leadership team.  Texas A&M Aggies football fans who attend the games in their home stadium call themselves “the 12th man.”  There are 11 players on the field forming their team, but the fans in the stands make the 12th.  

Peter, the other 10, and 109 or so other followers of Jesus are in the “Upper Room,” waiting on the impartation of the Holy Spirit (Pentecost—remember, next week, wear red, the color of fire and of the Holy Spirit), and develop criteria for the 12th man:  (1) He had to be someone who had followed Jesus from the beginning of His public ministry; and (2) He had to be someone who like them had witnessed and believed in the Resurrected Christ. They came up with two names, Joseph Barsabbas (also called Justus) and Matthias.  They drew lots and discerned that Matthias was God’s choice.  The Holy Spirit made the decision. It was not based on human favoritism or bias. The disciples looked for and ratified God’s choice. They trusted in God to make the final decision.

When we trust in God, we communicate with Him, and we obey, in faith, what we discern He says to us.  This is wisdom.  I once served on a call committee for my church.  We had narrowed down the candidates for our new pastor to two men.  We make our decisions by unanimous vote, assuming that if the Holy Spirit were leading us, we would all agree.  The vote was locked up for 3 meetings, 11 for one fellow, and 1 for the other.  People got angry at the lone hold-out, who was me (this happened before I left for Seminary).  They wanted to vote to change the unanimous agreement requirement so they could vote in the fellow they all liked.   I reminded them that such a vote would require 100% agreement and I would not cooperate in changing the rules until after this pastor decision had been made.  Someone asked me if I would consider voting by lots.  I agreed because I had faith that God’s will would prevail.  Someone else put 12 purple-wrapped candies in a basket along with 12 gold-wrapped candies.  No one could see what we were choosing because the basket of candies was passed over our heads.  As God would have it, all 12 of us picked the color designated for the guy for whom I had held out.  We were all blown away!  We did call that pastor and he lead us into a deeper faith and a deeper knowledge of Scripture.  He was a blessing to our church.  People who operate this way are blessed.

In honor of Mother’s Day, I want to share a Biblical example of a Godly woman, Abigail.  We find her story in 1 Samuel 25:1-44.  She is described as both (v.3) beautiful and intelligent.  But, she was married to a harsh and mean-spirited man, Nabol (his name in the Hebrew actually means fool).  Nabol was wealthy, owning 1,000 goats and 3,000 sheep, but he was also selfish and greedy.  David had been anointed king but was being chased about the wilderness by the jealous King Saul.  David sent emissaries to Nabol to ask for food from his flocks to feed his growing army and his followers.  He reminded Nabol that his men had protected Nabol’s flocks from both human and animal predators.  Nabol’s response was arrogant, inhospitable, and dangerous (vv.10-11)—Who is this David?  Who is this son of Jesse?  Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days.  Why should I take my bread and water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where? 

YIKES!  Is this the way this fool insults his future king?  David hears the report from his delegation and is steamed!  He assembles 400 soldiers and lights out to set Nabol straight.  He has vengeance on his mind.

Abigail hears from a servant that Nabol has offended the future king. She wisely knows she needs to remedy this or her foolish husband is toast. She gathers several donkeys’ loads of food and wine and heads to intercept David and his men.  She falls at David’s feet, amazingly accepts the blame for her husband’s foolish actions, and offers the hospitality her husband should have provided.  Furthermore, she urges David not to sully his reputation by taking revenge against Nabol.  David commends her for her grace, wisdom, and generosity, and accepts her gift of provisions.  But God takes Nabol’s life 10 days later.  David doesn’t kill him but God protects His anointed.  David then proposes to Nabol’s widow and Abigail becomes the wife of the future king.

Can we aim to be like this?  Righteous, wise, godly, like Abigail?  Or will we be foolishly reckless and contemptuous, like Nabol?  Let us pray that we each make the right choice, the wise choice.  Amen!

©️2024 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams 

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

SMART SHEEP

Pastor Sherry’s message for April 21, 2024

Scriptures  Acts 4 5-20; Ps 23; 1 Jn 3 16-24; Jn 10 1-18 

The story is told about a woman calling for help from a small plane. She and her husband were flying a small plane to dine with friends, perhaps from Live Oak to Cedar Key.   Once airborne, the husband got sick and fainted.  Scared witless, she radioed for help, saying she didn’t know how to fly. Lots of people provided lots of advice as to her location, her altitude, how to find out how much fuel remained, and how to turn on her landing lights. A flight instructor out at a nearby airport heard the radio chatter. He jumped into his plane and took off. He wisely waited for a lull in radio traffic, then told others who he was and to stop transmitting. He introduced himself to her and told her he would try to coach her down safely. When he saw her plane, he told her to turn her landing lights off. Then he came alongside her and taught her the basics of flying. He also called ahead for an ambulance for her husband and then helped her to land safely. The woman and her husband were saved because she obeyed the voice of the flight instructor.

Our Psalm and Gospel readings both reference us as sheep, and the Lord as our Shepherd. At first blush, referring to us as sheep is not very flattering  they are notoriously helpless, often grazing their way lost; they are skittish, fleeing when frightened; they are prone to over-eating (along with goats, they will even eat kudzu); and, if they fall into running water, their heavy coats will become waterlogged and they will drown.   However, they do recognize the voice of their particular shepherd.

Do you know there are over 700 references to sheep and shepherds in Scripture?   In the Old Testament, the Good Shepherd was God, the Father 

1.) 23rd Psalm The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want (Peterson expresses it this way in The Message  I don’t need a thing!).

2.) Psalm 100  …we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

3.) Isa: 40

:11  [God] tends His flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart; He gently leads those that have young.

4.)   In Ezekiel: 34, God the Father lambasts the kings, prophets, and priests of Israel, calling them bad shepherds. He accuses them of abusing, neglecting, and even preying upon His sheep. He promises to save His flock.   In verse 23, He declares  I will place over them one shepherd, My servant David, and He will tend them and be their shepherd.   Now Ezekiel lived about 400 years after King David, so he wasn’t talking about David per se.   Instead, he was prophesying about Jesus (who, like David and out of his lineage) is a Shepherd-King.

In the New Testament, the Good Shepherd is Jesus, God the Son   Our Gospel today is from John 10 1-18.   Scholars say this is the climax of John’s Gospel because Jesus identifies Himself as “The Good Shepherd” (v.11), thus calling Himself one with God the Father. In verse 14, Jesus says  I am the Good Shepherd; I know My sheep and My sheep know Me. God the Father called Himself “I am that I am.”  Every time in John, when Jesus makes an “I am” statement, He is admitting that He is God.

We find Him in today’s passage teaching in the Temple during the season of Hanukkah.   He identifies for His audience the bad shepherds  They victimize God’s sheep; they are thieves and murderers; and they are not willing to die to protect their sheep. Then He describes what a Good Shepherd does. Back in Jesus’ day, sheep from several flocks were gathered into a sheepfold at night (a kind of roofless barn bordered by a rock fence). The shepherd would lay across the opening to this structure to make sure the sheep stayed within and that predators would remain outside. So He is saying that He is willing to lay down His life for the benefit of His flock [us].   Unlike a hired hand, he does not flee when confronted with danger.   He is invested in the welfare of His sheep [gain, us].

How do we know we are the sheep of the Good Shepherd?

First, we are baptized into His flock (we become children of God).

Second, we learn to hear His voice  our God communicates with us through our spiritual ears, a kind of knowing that just comes into our heads. He also speaks to us through His written Word; by His Holy Spirit (the still small voice); in our dreams–We know many Moslems have come to Jesus in recent years because He has appeared to them in their dreams– through song lyrics, bumper stickers, billboards; sometimes through other people, even including overheard conversations; and often through our particular circumstances. He speaks to us and He wants us to communicate with Him in return. We talk with Him by praying—it’s just having a conversation with Him. We also talk with Him through our worship and praise. 

Third, we come to realize we are each known by Him. He has known us from before we were born. Psalm 139 says  O Lord, You have searched me and You know me.   You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar.  You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways.   Before a word is on my tongue, You know it completely, O Lord…for You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb…When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body.  Jesus adds, in Luke 12 7  Indeed, the very hairs of your head are numbered!  God knows us intimately, better than we know ourselves  He knows our every action; our every plan; our thoughts, even before they are fully formed; our words, even before we utter them. This is such a paradox    all of us are members of His flock, but He views us individually as well (I once saw a humorous bumper sticker that read, “Jesus loves you, but I’m His favorite!”).  

Fourth, if we are smart sheep, we follow Him. Shepherds in Jesus’ day led their flocks, from the front. They did not push from behind. They whistled and called the sheep by name. The shepherd’s job, as Psalm 23 says, was to lead them to green pastures (healthy, plentiful food), beside calm, clean waters, to calm them down and settle their fears, and to protect them from predators.  When we follow Him, we go where He wants us to go, we do what He wants us to do.   Because He is the Good Shepherd, we can trust in His intentions for us.  He wants only the best for us, as Jeremiah 29 11 says  ”For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord.   “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you; plans to give you a hope and a future.”

When we follow Him… we are to be obedient. Most of us are not too keen on obedience; we prefer to do things our own way (We have all heard toddlers say, “Me do it!”).   This kind of independence starts young.   Beth Moore shared that her 3 year old daughter once stood on the third step of the staircase, with her hands on her hips, and defiantly declared, “I am the boss of me!” But Jesus is clear, saying in John 14 23-24  If anyone loves Me, He will obey my teaching.   My father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.   He who does not love me will not obey my teaching.

We obey His teaching by putting our love into action! Christian love cannot be just a sentiment, a feeling. Christian love must be a Love Relationship–with the members of this body; with the people of this community; with those who do not yet know Jesus. Jesus blesses us when we obey His commands and love one another.

Fifth, smart sheep know Jesus is Lord!   Our Acts passage demonstrates, once again, that Peter and John were so emboldened by the Holy Spirit, that they were brave enough to confront the Jewish religious leaders (the Sadducees), despite their power to jail them. The Sadducees did not believe in a resurrection and did not want them teaching the Jesus had been resurrected.   His resurrection did not fit their narrative, so they denied it. After discussion these leaders let them go, but warned them not to continue to teach anyone about Jesus.   Peter replies, (vv.19-20)  Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God.   For we [Peter and John] cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.   In so many words, what Peter means is, “I know Jesus is Lord so I will obey Him in spite of your threats or intimidation.” 

John writes in his epistle (1 John 3 16-24), Christian love means being willing to give your life for the welfare of another (verse 16). Christian love is not just words, but actions (verse 18)!   Smart Sheep demonstrate this by the way we go about loving others.

Just as the lady in the plane lived to tell the story because she listened to and trusted in the flight instructor, we too are best off when we do what our Lord asks of us.  Like the flight instructor, He keeps us on course and guides us to safe landings.  But better than that flight instructor, He knows us intimately and loves us.   This week, let’s remind ourselves that we have a shepherd Who knows and loves us, intimately; Who cares for us generously and graciously; and Who desires that we serve and bless those around us.   For His love’s sake, we want to be smart sheep!

©️2024 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Smart Sheep Hear the Shepherd’s Voice
Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Good Friday, 2024 

Pastor Sherry’s message for March 29, 2024

Scriptures: Isa 52:13-53:12; Ps 22; Heb 10:16-25; John 18:1-19:42

Our Scripture passages today are all very solemn, fitting this day we remember the death of our Lord, Jesus Christ, on the Cross:

A. The Passion narrative according to John, takes us through…

(1) Jesus’ arrest.  He had made Himself disappear suddenly, in the past, when He did not intend to be captured.  This time, knowing what He was to do, He allowed them to capture Him.  Did you notice, they fell back when He identified Himself as Jesus of Nazareth?  Were they frightened?  Did they glimpse a hint of His divinity?  He seemed firmly in control as He calmly surrendered.  They had sent a group of 500 men to capture Him, armed with clubs and weapons.  But He wouldn’t allow a fight to ensue.  He tells them to let His disciples go.  Luke tells us He even healed Malchus’ ear, after Peter cut it off.

(2) Then to Annas,’ the former high priest’s place.  Out of favor with the Romans, Annas was still the religious power broker of Jerusalem—sort of like George Soros today.  Biblical scholars say Annas was both brilliant and satanic.

Many credit him with this plan to eliminate Jesus, waiting until the cover of night, when all those who loved and believed in Jesus would be at home.  Jesus challenges him honestly, (v.23)—If I said something wrong, testify as to what is wrong.  But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike Me?  Jesus, again calmly but firmly, reminds them they are out of line:  by Jewish law, no court trial could begin at night/be held at night; no one could strike a person on trial without a verdict; Jewish Law also prohibited sentencing a man on the day he was brought to trial.  But this was Annas’ Kangeroo Court, and side-stepping the law to suit one’s agenda is not new.

(3) Annas sends Him to Caiaphas, the Roman’s choice for “high priest,” Annas’ son-in-law (an early example of nepotism).  John reminds us that in Chapter 11:50, Caiaphas had said to the Sanhedrin, You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.  Caiaphas did not realize at the time that he was speaking prophetically.  In fact, Jesus knew He was laying down His life for the sins of Israel and for us.

Caiaphas and Annas find Jesus guilty of blasphemy, because He admitted He is the Son of God.  This was and is the truth, but they did not believe Him.  They would have liked to have stoned Him, but the Romans forbade any nation to invoke capital punishment but them.

(4) So Jesus is sent to Pontius Pilate.  Pilate tries every which way to free Jesus.  He knows the Jewish religious hierarchy are just jealous of Him.  Hoping to placate them, he has Jesus scourged (39 lashings with a whip).  He offers to set Him free due to the Passover Holiday.  He can find nothing wrong with Jesus, but hands Him over to be crucified when the Jews threaten to tell Caesar that Pilate has let go a man claiming to be king of the Jews.  Pilate is a political animal who wants desperately to leave Judea and return to Rome, so he capitulates, despite his conscience.

(5) And so, trading the sinless Son of God for a murderous rebel, the Jewish leadership have their way and Jesus is crucified.  Ironically, the sign on His cross identifies Him as King of the Jews: It is written In Hebrew or Aramaic, the language of religion; in Greek, the language of culture and education; and in Latin, the Roman language of law and order.  The Jews want it adjusted to read, “He claimed to be the King of the Jews,” but Pilate will not bend.

(6) Notice that John does not tell us much about the crucifixion.  He reports that the soldiers gamble over who will get His clothes.  John relates 3 statements Jesus makes as He is dying:  He asks John to care for His mother, Mary; He says He is thirsty; and, lastly, He asserts, It is finished (meaning He had completed the work of salvation He was sent to do).

(7) Finally, we learn He was taken down and buried just before the Sabbath began at sundown.

B. All 4 of the Gospelers were pretty circumspect about Jesus’ 6 hours on the Cross.  They highlight Jesus’ dignity. They did not want us to focus on Christ’s agony.  J. Vernon McGee says the Father deliberately made darkness come over the land from noon until 3:00pm so watchers could not see Jesus’ intense suffering as He took on all the sin of the world, past, present, and future; and as the Father turned His back on Him.

To get a sense of what the crucifixion was like for Jesus, we have to turn to Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22. 

A. Isaiah 52:13-53:12 is the 4th and final Suffering Servant Song, Messianic Prophesy (called the Gospel in the Old Testament).  Isaiah tells us Jesus will be raised high, lifted up (on the Cross) but also highly exalted (when it is all over).  No one would think so as they observed Him carrying His Cross.  He will in fact startle [not sprinkle] the whole world—render them speechless—because it will be through the loss of all things that He gains all things.  Such a paradox!

700 years before Jesus’ birth, Isaiah accurately predicts the kind of death Jesus will endure.  An ordinary man to begin with—not a fellow with Rock Star looks–He will be 

1.) verse 3—despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering…

2.) beaten beyond recognition;

3.) pieced, crushed, oppressed, afflicted;

4.) killed in the worst possible way, like a common criminal, hung between true felons;

5.) He will die childless—“cut off,” to the Hebrews, evidence of a tragic, futile existence due to no progeny to carry on the family blood line; 

In fact, people will think He got what He deserved, but He didn’t…

1.) Verses 4-5—Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows….the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.

2.) Verse 9—He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death, because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth.

3.) The Father will richly reward Him—verse 11—After the suffering of His soul, He will see the light of life [resurrection], and be satisfied…Therefore I will give Him a portion among the great, and He will divide the spoils with the strong.  God intends to reward Him as though He were a king sharing in the spoils of a great victory, because He went willingly to death, and because He interceded for our sins. 

B. Psalm 22 reveals to us Christ’s thoughts on the cross: He feels forsaken by His Father.  The Father was with Him when He was arrested.  The Father was with Him during His ridiculous trials.  The Father was with Him when He was beaten.  The Father was with Him when He was nailed to the Cross.  But the Father turned His back on Him when He became sin for us, from noon until 3:00pm.

He admits to feeling like a worm—a Coccus worm, in the Hebrew. This particular worm emitted a substance used to make red dye, symbolic of Jesus’ blood poured out for us.

From the Cross He feels surrounded by His enemies: The soldiers are many bulls…the strong bulls of Bashon.  His tormentors from the foot of the Cross—scribes, Pharisees, the hostile mob—resemble (v.13)— roaring lions tearing their prey; and (v.16)— dogs have surrounded Me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet.  Nevertheless, He trusts in the love of His Father.

Biblical Scholars tell us Jesus fulfilled 28 prophesies of the Messiah from the Cross.  You can recognize them and count them from our Psalm and Isaiah passages.  The sinless Son of God laid down His life for us, paying the penalty for our sins; reconciling us to God the Father; and clothing us in His righteousness.  These sacred writings prove to us that Jesus—and only Jesus—was and is the Messiah, the Son of God.

Today through Sunday, Let us ponder His sacrifice and offer Him our gratitude and love.

©️2024 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams 

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Spiritual House Cleaning

Pastor Sherry’s message for March 3, 2024

Scriptures: Gen 20:1-17; Ps 19; 1 Cor 1:18-25; John 2:13-22

Yesterday, my son moved out of my guest room into a modest house in Lake City.  After 2.5 years, it was time for him to be on his own again.  Fortunately for him, the landlord had had the place cleaned.  It’s really a sweet place in a quiet neighborhood.  I think he will be happy there.

When we finished lifting and carrying clothes and boxes, I was too tired to clean the guest room and put it back to the way it looked before he came.  My daughter could tell you, I would have had the vacuum and dust cloths out, and the cleaning frenzy would have commenced.  As it was, at 77, I had just enough energy left to come home, take a hot shower, and fall into bed.

Our Gospel today depicts Jesus in a cleaning frenzy.  Unlike me, He was totally energized to clean up His Father’s House.  Let’s not forget that since He too is God, it was His House as well.  And He was incensed that the religious authorities had allowed what He saw going on there.

In our Gospel lesson (John 2:13-22), Jesus goes head to head with the Temple leadership to effect a physical and a spiritual house cleaning.  The religious establishment had authorized both the buying and selling of sacrificial animals, and a coin exchange–for a fee—on the Temple Grounds.  Some worshippers came from long distances without animals of their own.  So those “pilgrims” without animals had to purchase one or two to make their sacrifice.  Additionally, they had to pay a ½ shekel Temple Tax.  The fact that no Roman coins could be used–because they had Caesar’s face on them (a graven image which Jewish law prohibited), as well as the inscription, “Caesar is Lord” (which constituted blasphemy to the Jews), meant that they also had to exchange their money, for a fee.

Jesus was incensed with all of this for a number of reasons:

1.) Those selling the animals unfairly marked them up. They knew people didn’t have a choice, and they gouged them for the convenience. 

2.) They also charged an outrageous fee for the coin exchange.

3.) The animals were smelly and noisy and distracting in what was a house of prayer and a place of worship.

4.) But perhaps worst of all, the marketplace took over the only area in the Temple where Gentiles could gather.  Essentially, they were prevented from worshipping in the only space allotted to them.

So Jesus cleared the area in no uncertain fashion.  He formed a whip and used it to drive away the animals.  He also overturned tables, no doubt scattering money everywhere.  He shouted (v.16) How dare you turn my Father’s House into a market!  Of course, then “The Jews” (John-speak for the religious establishment) want to know what gives Jesus the right to clear the Temple and upset their very profitable businesses.  They said, Give us a miraculous sign—prove You have sufficient authority to do this.  Jesus responds rather cryptically, telling them (v.19), Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days.  They think He is speaking of the Temple building and scoff at Him.  We know He was speaking of His body (predicting His resurrection)—a pretty authenticating sign!  But they were so haughty—so sure their understanding surpassed His—that they did not believe Him.  Don’t you imagine that when He left, they went right back to doing business as usual?  

They must have forgotten verse 6 of Psalm 138—God is close to the humble, but distances Himself from the proud.  It’s dangerous to think we always have all the right answers.  Pride caused most of the Pharisees, Scribes, and Sadducees to miss who Jesus was.  They’d made an idol of their understanding of the Scriptures. Because Jesus didn’t fit their preconceptions, they missed out on the opportunity to develop a relationship with the Son of God.  Let’s not make the same mistake. Let’s make sure we clean our spiritual houses of the sin of pride.

Let’s take a look too at our Old Testament lesson from Genesis 20:1-17.  Just last week, we were praising Abraham, the Father of our Faith, for his trust in the Lord.  Abe is such a great example of trusting in the Lord’s provision of the Promised Land; trusting in God’s promise of descendants without number; and benefiting from God’s blessings of health and wealth. Where he seemed to have wavered in his faith, however, was in being certain that God would protect his life.  Apparently, his wife Sarah was very beautiful.  I’ve heard another pastor humorously refer to her as a “Biblical babe.”  Unfortunately, whenever Abraham encountered a foreign ruler, they appeared to covet her.  Back in Genesis 12, when Abraham moved to Egypt due to a famine, the Egyptian pharaoh heard of Sarah’s beauty and took her from him. Abraham in a sense brought this on himself because he lied, telling Pharaoh she was his sister (she was his half-sister), instead of his wife. He was afraid Pharaoh would kill him in order to clear the way to marry her.  In this situation, he didn’t depend on the Lord!

Fortunately for both of them, God protected them anyway. He afflicted the Egyptians with “serious diseases” until Pharaoh gave Sarah back to Abraham and told them both to leave.  So, this had happened before. You would think that Abraham would now trust God to protect him from rulers tempted by Sarah’s beauty.  But no, in today’s lesson, the two encounter Abimelech, a Canaanite king. Like with Pharaoh previously, Abraham again lied and said Sarah was his sister, not his wife. The same thing happened as Abimelech coveted Sarah and took her, intending to add her to his harem. 

Once again, God intervened—not with disease—but with a dream containing a death threat. Abimelech believed God’s message from the dream and immediately returned Sarah to Abraham. But the pagan king was also outraged and demanded to know why Abraham lied to him and put him and his people at risk.  Abraham, the great model to us of faith, had not trusted the Lord to keep him and Sarah safe from another lusty king. Abraham, who God judged as righteous due to his faith, has now lied twice.

What do you make of this?  I think we can safely say that Abraham was a good man but not a perfect man. There was and is only one perfect man–that’s our Lord, Jesus.  Like us all, Abraham’s great faith wavered from time to time.  Don’t we all have times when our faith is stronger or weaker  than usual.  We too may have areas in our lives where we find it very hard to trust God.  Nevertheless, since he was God’s choice as the patriarch of the Jews—since God meant to accomplish great things through him—the Lord guaranteed his safety.  Similarly, I think God has grace for us in those areas we have not yet surrendered to Him.

Remember, we are in the season of Lent.  These two readings today focus on two aspects of human behavior that God wants us to clean out of our spiritual houses:  (1) Pride (and even the misuse of His house of worship), and lying.  Lent is a time for evaluating our behavior, recognizing our sins, and asking God’s forgiveness.  Maybe you are not overly proud and you don’t lie.  But each of us is probably guilty of some other sins we could name.  Soon, in our preparation to receive Holy Communion, we will say a general prayer of confession.  Let’s take a moment now to call to mind our sins and confess them to Jesus, in our hearts, right now.  Let us also be comforted by what the Apostle John promised in 1 John 1:8-9—If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  Amen and amen!

©️2024 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams