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

Look and live

Pastor Sherry’s message for March 10, 2024

 Scriptures: Num 21:4-9; Ps 107:1-3, 17-22; Eph 2:1-10; Jn 314-21

Most of us can relate to having a dear, eccentric relative of some sort who does or says unexpected things.  We are typically either entertained or embarrassed by their behavior.  And then sometimes they will surprise us by doing the sweetest, most thoughtful things.

My pastor friend had this experience recently.  He found out, in a round-about way, that his Aunt Mildred had paid for years for some sort of farm related accident insurance for him.  She’d never told him about the policy; but she shared with his mother that she worried if he ever wound up in the hospital needing expensive care, he might not have enough money to afford the treatment he needed.  His mother told him to be sure to let Aunt Mildred know if he had a serious accident.  He replied that, “…it did make me feel strange that the best way to make Aunt Mildred happy was to get hurt.” 

He’ s never had an occasion to use the insurance, but he said he was shocked to learn that she had been paying these premiums for him, month after month for years–having never asked him; having never told him; and not expecting anything from him—not even thanks.  He’s been humbled to realize that she has done this for him out of the kindness of her heart, “…because she loved me and cared about me, because she thought it was a good thing to do for me.”

(Fairless and Chilton, 2 Bubba’s and a Bible, The Lectionary Lab, Yr B, 2014, pp.15-117.) 

An unexpected gift like this is truly humbling, isn’t it?  It’s a kind of mini=preview for us of Jesus’ great gift to us of dying on the Cross for our sins.  We didn’t ask Him to do it.  In fact, if we were not believers, we might not even know He had done it.  He took it upon Himself to pay what we owed due to His great love for us.

Let’s see what our Scripture passages today have to say about  this marvelous gift:

A. Numbers 21:4-9 recounts the 8th and final incidence of the Israelites grumbling against God during their desert wanderings.

No doubt they were tired of trudging across desert terrain, of the unchanging wilderness landscape, and of the food—marvelous though it was!  Even a daily ration of steak or lobster would lose its appeal if that were all we had to eat.  So, they declare (v.5) We detest this miserable food.  They were sick of eating manna, despite the fact that it tasted good (like honey and coriander); was so nutritious that they had no diseases, cancers, or flues for 40 years; and they didn’t have to produce it by digging for it or hunting it down. They simply had to gather the flakes from the ground each morning.  Falsely asserting that they had it so good back in Egypt, they grumble one too many times.  YIKES!  They rejected what Jesus called the “bread of heaven,” food the angels eat.

Their behavior is what we might call “snarky,” or “snaky,” and certainly demonstrated a lack of gratitude to God.  So, in an apt judgment for their lack of appreciation, the Lord sets loose poisonous snakes among them.  No doubt these snakes bit the worst of the complainers first, and then struck fear into everyone else.  (I mean, think of it!  No chairs in the desert to jump up on to get away.  No guns to shoot the things!) But, when they beg Moses for help, God also graciously provides a curious snake-bite remedy:  He has Moses fashion a snake out of bronze and affix it to a wooden pole, which he raises up so it can be seen.  He then tells them that if they are bitten, they can look upon the snake on the pole and be healed.  Look and live!

This incident and God’s antidote are actually a foreshadowing, or a typology of Jesus: The snake represents the peoples’ sins, ingratitude,  rebellion, and blasphemy.  The snake—sin–is nailed to tree, branch, or cross.  (In the Hebrew, all three words are the same.  Any portion of a tree, even a twig, was called a tree.)  Jesus, on the Cross, exchanges our sins for His right-standing with God the Father.

B.  Today’s Gospel, John 3:14-15 references and interprets this Old Testament event.  Jesus says, Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.  In other words, as Jesus explains to the Pharisee Nicodemus—and to us—-it will be/was necessary for Him to go to the Cross and to die for our sins.  We are set free of the penalty for our sins (death) by looking on Jesus with eyes of faith.

John goes on to say, (3:16)For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.  Notice it says that God loves all, but only saves those who believe in Jesus.  Under the Old Covenant, we paid the price for our own sins.  We raised or purchased an animal for sacrifice.  Our sins were transferred to that animal, which the priest then slaughtered in our presence and burned on the altar.  We left sin-free until we sinned again and had to do the same thing over and over.  But under the New Covenant, we are forever saved by the power of God through our faith in the sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf.  Please don’t miss the symbolism:  Sin (not Jesus) is the snake!  But through Jesus, our sin is nailed to the Cross of Christ– nothing else has to die and we are pardoned.

C.  In Ephesians 2:1-10, Paul wants us to be mindful of the fact that we have no power, within ourselves, to save ourselves.  The pastor did not pay his premiums.  His aunt gifted them for him.  Paul writes, (verses 1-3, Peterson’s The Message, p.2127) It wasn’t so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin.  You let the world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell you how to live.  You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience.  We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat.  It’s a wonder God didn’t lose His temper and do away with the whole lot of us.  Some scholars believe that, without Jesus, we are all failures, spiritual zombies, lacking any ability to bring ourselves back to life.

But the great Good News is that (v.5)Instead [of doing away with or executing us], immense in mercy and with an incredible love, He [God] embraced us.  He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ.  He did all this on His own, with no help from us!  Or, as Paul goes on to explain in verses 8-9 (NIV)For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works so that no one can boast.

Another of my heroes of the Christian faith is Martin Luther, the German reformer in the 1500’s.  He had an exacting, critical father who wanted him to be a lawyer.  Luther aspired to be a Catholic priest instead. To his father’s huge disappointment, he did get ordained, but suffered from depression—probably somewhat due to having never received his earthly father’s approval.  Luther feared he could never be good enough to please God.  It is recorded that he read verses 8-9 in Ephesians 2 one day and had a “Eureka moment”!  He realized he didn’t have to work so hard to attain God’s favor.  No daily confessions—apparently he had attended confession 2-3 times a day trying to overcome his sinfulness.  No repeated praying of the rosary day after day, and no need to beat himself with a hand-held whip to atone.  Instead, he finally realized that God the Father is not like his continually disapproving and rejecting earthly father.  Because of his faith in Christ Jesus, he had God’s favor.  Because of our faith in Jesus Christ, we have God’s favor.

Again, Peterson paraphrases Paul so beautifully here (vv.4-7)Now God has us where He wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus.  Saving is all His idea, and all His work.  All we do is trust Him enough to let Him do it.  It’s God’s gift from start to finish!  We don’t play the major role.  If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing!  No, we neither make nor save ourselves.  God does both the making and saving.  God loves us, but His holiness and His perfect justice require that we confess our sins to and verbalize our need for Him.  He has the power and the grace to then forgive us due to Jesus’ atoning death on the Cross, and to (pardon) save us.

D.  Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22 spells out for us our appropriate response: In verse 1 the psalmist says we want to give thanks to the Lord because He is good to us and loves us. In verses 17-23 he exhorts us not to be rebellious and ungrateful, like the Israelites in the desert.  In essence, we are urged to recognize God’s saving grace.

The story of the pastor’s Aunt Mildred is really sweet, isn’t it?  Her unexpected gift hit my friend right in his heart.  But our God has gone one better.  He didn’t just pardon us.  He took our sentence, the death penalty, so that justice was fulfilled and we wouldn’t have to pay the price.  So now, we can look to Jesus, trust in Jesus, and live!  

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

©️2024 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams 

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Come and Hear for Yourself!

Pastor Sherry’s message for January 21, 2024

Scriptures: 1 Sam 3:1-20; Ps 139:1-6, 13-18; 1Cor 6:12-20; Jn 1:43-51

This weekend, I attended a Retreat put on by my former church in Gainesville, Florida, Servants of Christ Anglican Church. The retreat leadership had texted me in early October to ask me to come and graciously offered to pay my expenses. Later, I learned this was the same weekend of the inaugural conference in Florida of the Global Methodist Church. My head told me I should cancel the healing conference and attend the meeting of our new church peers. But I believe the Holy Spirit protested and insisted I attend the healing retreat instead. Sometimes that is exactly what happens: The Holy Spirit urges you to do one thing while your practical, cognitive mind argues the opposite. I have learned over the years to always obey the leading of the Spirit.

The retreat was held in Steinhatchee, Florida, a fishing village on the Gulf Coast. For the past week and a half, I had been experiencing pain in both hips—pain when walking and pain on trying to rise from a chair or to navigate steps. By the time I arrived Friday evening, I could hardly walk. By Saturday afternoon, when they held their healing service, I had figured out that my feet, my knees, and my hips all needed healing from pain. At night when I laid down to sleep, my legs throbbed. It occurred to me that Satan was trying to either handicap me or to take me out of active ministry. The team I approached for prayer agreed that he was attacking me from the ground up. They prayed that the Holy Spirit would then flood me with a healing anointing from my head down. I immediately felt relief, especially in my hips. No more pain! They had bound the powers of hell from inflicting pain upon me and they prayed that the Lord Jesus would heal and restore me. Like the woman with the 12 year issue of blood (Mark 5:21-43), I had the faith that the Lord had healed me. Since then, with any twitch or ache in my feet, legs, or hips, I have audibly affirmed that I have been healed and have observed that the pain then desists. Clearly the Holy Spirit wanted me to attend that retreat and I am so glad I listened.

This brings me to an important set of questions for you: Do you hear from the Holy Spirit? Do you hear from the Lord? Do you have a place where you can go to be alone and communicate with or hear from the Lord? Many people refer to this special place as their “prayer closet.” It’s separate from other spaces in a house. When you are there, you can count on not having your prayer time disturbed. It’s lovely if you can dedicate a small room or even a walk in closet for this effort. If not, your prayer closet may be your car or your shower; it may also be your garden or your daily jog or walk, or even when you do the dishes. The main point is to locate a space and visit it regularly so you can talk to God and hear back from Him.

In this vein, I want to focus on today’s Gospel, Psalm 139, and our 1st Samuel reading.

A. In our Gospel lesson today (John 1:43-51), Jesus is calling His disciples. In verses 35-42, just prior to today’s reading, Jesus calls the first 3: Andrew and Peter, Andrew’s brother–both from Bethsaida; and a third un-named one who Church tradition says is John, the Gospel’s author. In today’s passage–which takes place 1 day later–Jesus calls Philip. Philip then locates his friend, Nathanael, and tells him (v.45) We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. Nathanael responds rather sarcastically Nazareth! Can anything good come from there? Philip then invites Nathanael to come and see for himself.

Now let’s take a deeper look at Nathanael. He is also known in Scripture as Bartholomew. Confusingly for us, his names are used interchangeably in the New Testament. Scholars believe Bartholomew may have been what we would call his “last name.” Remember Peter had been known as Simon Bar Jonah, son of Jonah. Nathanael may have been called Nathanael Bar Tolmai, or son of Tolmai, which eventually morphed into Bartholomew.

We don’t know much about him except that he was honest–even perhaps to a fault—and skeptical. It appears he was from Cana, a rival village just over the hill from Nazareth, so he may have been calling on village prejudice when he doubted the Messiah could ever come from Nazareth. It is his honesty that impresses Jesus, Who calls him (v.47) …a true Israelite, in whom there is no guile/nothing false/no deceit.

Jesus is saying that, unlike the Jewish patriarch, Jacob, who was a schemer and a cheat, Nathanael is not. Jesus recognizes him as a guy who calls a spade a spade. He has integrity; he’s authentic; he is not an insincere fake.

Nathanael is naturally curious about how Jesus recognized him and read his character so correctly, since they had never met before. Jesus tells him that He saw him (v.49) …when you were under the fig tree. Fig trees grow out kind of round with branches that may dip to the ground. If a man crawled inside, he could lean against the trunk and be nearly hidden. Or, if the tree were older and larger, he could find respite from the sun and support for his back as he sat beneath it. This is where Jesus had a vision of him. Afterall Jesus, as God, is omniscient, knowing all things. Jesus knew this is where Nathanael had gone to study Scripture and to pray. As He does with any of us (see Psalm 139), Jesus knows our thoughts. There is no place we can run to and hide from Him. Nathanael had been studying Scripture in his “fig tree prayer closet,” seeking to know God better. So Jesus calls him as a disciple.

We can also safely assume, I think, that Nathanael had accurate insight or spiritual discernment. In verse 49 he says Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel. In that moment, in that brief interaction, Nathanael realizes Jesus’ true identity. Jesus is more than a Rabbi. Jesus, referring back again to the patriarch, Jacob, tells Nathanael he will …see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man (v. 51). The pre-incarnate Christ is the one Jacob saw in his dream of a ladder with angels ascending and descending. Here He is telling Nathanael that He, Jesus, is the ladder [the bridge; the mediator] between God and humankind. Philip invited Nathanael to come and see; but Jesus drew him near to see and hear for himself.

B. Oh, that we all might be such serious readers of Scripture, such dedicated followers of Christ. Our Old Testament lesson from 1 Samuel 3:1-20 describes another person who came forward and heard for himself. In gratitude to God, the barren Hannah, when she conceived and bore Samuel, obediently took him to be mentored and trained up for service to the Lord by Eli, the priest. Samuel was probably 3 years old when Hannah delivered him to Eli, as Hebrew women tended to nurse their babies for that length of time. Unfortunately, Eli was not a good father. His two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were notoriously evil men. They served at the temple, but had contempt for the Lord and for their father. Eli rebuked them but did not remove them from their priestly duties. Later, God Himself pronounced a death sentence on them and had them killed by the Philistines.

Despite his lack of success as a father, Eli functioned as Samuel’s mentor. Samuel was about 12 or so when God called him twice. Samuel thought he was being paged from sleep by Eli because he did not at this point discern the Lord’s voice. We are told in verse 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to Him. This does not reflect at all well upon Eli as a priest. Shame on him! Samuel has been serving God in His Temple at Shiloh for 9 years, but Eli has not taught him about God! YIKES! Telling people about God is the primary job of a priest. No wonder the Lord is going to strip the priesthood from Eli and his descendants. We find in this passage that God is initiating a long-overdue relationship with the young man who had been destined to serve Him since before his birth.

The third time God called him and Samuel mistakenly responded to Eli, Eli figured out that it was the Lord Who was summoning Samuel. Eli tells him to listen to and respond to God the next time He calls his name. Sure enough, God calls him a 4th time and this time Samuel says,(v.10) Speak, for your servant is listening. God then declares a judgment against Eli and his descendants. He also installs Samuel as his prophet, now replacing judges and priests as God’s spokespersons.

So what does this mean for us? Psalm 139 assures us that God knows us and knows our thoughts even before we express them. He seeks us out for relationship. He delights in responding to those of us who have sought Him. And He reveals Himself to those who are ignorant of Him.

If we want to have an intimate relationship with the Lord, we need to spend regular time communicating with Him. We need to locate or set up a prayer closet. We need to spend time reading and thinking about God’s Word.

In closing, I want to share a Christian song with you. It’s sometimes used at funerals—in fact, I would love to have it sung at mine—but it also refers to having attuned your ears to hear from the Lord. In 2010, I went with 9 others on a mission trip to Turkey. This song became our theme song. We sang it to a house church of 40 Iranian Christians, who had already worked a 12 hour day, and yet who crammed themselves into a hot, unairconditioned room in a town in Turkey to worship God and to hear from us. Please listen as we play this acapella version of “There’s a Stirring” from YouTube:

There’s a stirring deep within me

Could it be my time has come

When I see my gracious Savior

Face-to-face when all is done.

Is that His voice I am hearing,

“Come away my precious one”?

Is He calling me?

Is He calling me?

I will rise up, rise up.

Then I’ll bow down

And lay my crown at His wounded feet.

May we all come forth and hear (and respond to) the Holy Spirit when He calls us.

©️2024 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Waiting on Jesus

Pastor Sherry’s message for December 3, 2023

Scriptures: Isa 64:1-9; Ps 80:1-7, 17-19; 1 Cor 1:3-9; Mk 13:24-37

Waiting is difficult, isn’t it? Think of all the times you’ve had to wait…

1. Would you get the job you just interviewed for?

2. What about the results of that medical test or scan you just underwent?

3. Did that person you fell in love with also love you back—remember the agony of that wait?

4. Would your child get into the college or internship of their choice?

5. Would your house sell? Would the sellers of the house you want accept your offer?

6. How about that last month of pregnancy? Would that baby ever make an entrance?

7. What about waiting on a grant to come through or a check in the mail?

8. How about those hostages of Hamas, waiting to be set free, or their families, dying to know how they are?

9. Remember being a kid and having to wait for Christmas morning to finally arrive?

Most of us hate to wait. We wring our hands. We pace the floor. We lose sleep. We grumble and groan and complain. We engage in what addiction counselors are now calling “BEEPS” Behaviors, Experiences, Events, People, and/or Substances that help us self-medicate or suffocate our anxiety as we wait.

(Ed Khouri, Restarting, Life Model Works, 2010, p.32.)

If we’re really smart, we pray and ask God to help us wait, so that we can learn what He means for us to learn during this time; so that we may develop the spiritual fruit of patience.

Today is the first Sunday of Advent—a time of great anticipation as we wait upon the arrival of Jesus.

A. In Isaiah 64:1-7, the prophet reminds us both that God controls the entire universe and that our condition as humans is that of unclean sinners (vv.5-7). Verses 1-2 constitute a cry, a plea for God to come down to earth, to defeat Israel’s enemies (and ours), and to make things right.

Isaiah recalls times God did intervene on the behalf of Israel doing (v.3)—…awesome things that we did not expect. He also reminds them and us, (vv.4-5)—Since ancient times, no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God beside You, who acts on behalf of those who wait [there it is, wait] for Him. You come to the help of those who gladly do right, who remember Your ways. In other words, we can and should call upon God for help when we are troubled or anxious, when we are worn out with waiting. Isaiah assures us God will respond!

But notice, the prophet attaches this caveat: God rescues those who do the right thing, who remember to do as God would have us do.

I have told you before that I had some difficulty and fear around selling my house when I was leaving seminary. I had listed it in September of 2001, but then 9/11 took place and no one in SW Pennsylvania was buying or selling homes. By January 21, 2002, I had completed my degree but still had no buyers for my home. Worse yet, I had no job and no money. I was sick with a cold and would awaken all through the night whenever I became too congested to breathe. I would take something then return to bed, begging God in prayer to sell my house. Finally, at about 4am, I asked the Lord if I were doing something or not doing something that served as an impediment to Him taking action. I heard Him say, in my spirit, that I had not surrendered to being a lead pastor. He was of course right. I had thought to assist someone, as my gifts are in teaching and counseling, not in administration or leadership. I immediately agreed to surrender to His will, got up at 8:00am, and sent off letters to 4 small parishes in North Florida (I wanted to go home and I wanted a church small enough so I could know everyone’s names.) I put those letters in the mail at 10:30am on January 22nd. My realtor called at 11am with a couple interested in my house. They came at 5:00pm that day and signed a contract by 8:30pm. Additionally, I needed to close on February 7th as my next mortgage payment was due on the 8th and I knew I would be unable to pay it. My Jewish realtor said there wasn’t enough time to make that happen, but I replied that she did not know my Jesus. Sure enough, we closed on my house on the 7th, thanks be to God! I learned from this that God sometimes waits for us to change before He moves on our behalf. We have to be willing to ask if our wills are blocking His will and take action to rectify that.

Finally, Isaiah reminds us in this passage that we are like clay in the great Potter’s hands. We want to conform to His will. We want to allow Him to mold and shape us into the image of our best selves. When we wait upon God to act, God is working on our character, transforming us more and more into the image and likeness of Jesus. We may hate to wait, but God uses that time to do a work in us.

B. Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19, is both a prayer for God to relieve the peoples’ suffering—especially after an attack by brutal enemies—and a plea for God to lead them again. The psalmist, Asaph, a contemporary of King David, appeals to God as our shepherd king as He is enthroned in heaven. He is asking God to move on behalf of His people. In the desert wanderings, the ark and the cloud would move out for the days’ march. This signified that God was their leader. When camped, three tribes situated themselves to the north of the ark, three to the east, three to the west, and three to the south, with God at their center. When they moved, however, the tribe of Benjamin, along with the half-tribes of Joseph’s sons Ephraim and Manasseh (remember, Benjamin and Joseph were Jacob’s two favorite sons), would past like the Red Sea, allow the Ark to lead them, then follow directly behind. Then the other 9 tribes would all fall in behind them as well.

Asaph asks for God’s favor (v.3)—Restore us, O God: Make Your face shine upon us, that we may be saved (This is repeated 3 times). This is a poetic way of saying, smile at us. Demonstrate on your face that you enjoy being with us. Picture how people hold an infant and smile as they talk baby-talk to the new little one. Our faces often “shine upon” or look with great favor upon babies when we talk to them.

He also uses the images of eating and drinking tears to describe how much Israel has suffered. Some biblical experts believe there is no nation ever that has suffered to the degree that Israel has—and survived. (J. Vernon McGee, Commentary on Psalms, Chapters 42-89, Thomas Nelson, 1991, p.5.) According to Paul, as he writes in Romans 11, the Jews have suffered because they rejected Jesus as the Messiah when He walked among them. However, when “the time of the Gentiles” is over–or after the Church is raptured–and when the Great Tribulation begins, there will be a huge harvest of God’s original chosen people, as they finally recognize Jesus Christ as their Messiah.

Indeed, verse 17 predicts that Messiah, Jesus, will be standing at God’s right hand and will come (2nd Coming) to save them. We are to await that great day with hope and faith.

C. In 1 Corinthians 1:3-9, Paul refers to Jesus Christ a total of 5 times in 7 verses. The season of Advent calls upon us to be a waiting people. Who or what are we waiting for? Paul asserts it is Jesus, the end all and be all of our lives. And Paul assures us He will impart to us grace with which to await His 2nd Coming.

D. Finally, in our Gospel lesson (Mark 13:24-37) we are reminded, as we wait, of Jesus’ 2nd Coming. At the Incarnation, Jesus’ 1st Coming, God broke into human history, as a flesh and blood infant person. He came to preach, teach, heal, encourage, and to demonstrate to us God’s great saving love for us. When He comes again, it will be as the Great King of the Universe, and as a conquering military hero, to judge all the people of the earth. He will liberate all of the Christ-followers who are left from the effects of a fallen world.

His 2nd arrival will follow what the news media will probably proclaim as great heavenly catastrophes and climate change calamities: The sun and the moon will no longer give off light (the light source will be God the Father and Jesus). The stars will fall and planets will change their orbits. Non-believers will be horrified, terrified of what is to come. But Jesus will have already gathered to Himself the Church in the Rapture, and will at that time, then gather in those who have come to believe in Him through the Great Tribulation. Christ’s warning to us is clear: We are to be ready for when this happens…this afternoon or tonight, next month or next year. We don’t know the hour or the day, but while we wait, we need to get ready.

We hate to wait, so what can we do to help us wait with grace and peace? First it helps to understand that waiting can reveal to us our true motives. Are we committed enough to take some time. Or, are we so “me focused” that we are impatient and won’t postpone gratification?

Second, waiting builds the spiritual fruit of patience. The old saw goes, “Don’t pray for patience. If you do, God will put you in a situation that requires that you develop it.” God will and does answer that prayer, but you may wish He had taught you that virtue another way.

Third, waiting builds anticipation, so that we better appreciate those things that did not come to us immediately.

Fourth, waiting builds intimacy with and dependence upon God. Remember that waiting is the crucible of the saints! Back before pills were packaged, pharmacists used a mortal and pestle to pulverize substances into powder form, then sold the compounds they created in little bags. We are like those substances, with God grinding out our impurities as we wait. We are not alone in having to wait. In fact, waiting is a grand Biblical tradition: Abraham waited 25 years for Isaac; (his descendants waited 440 years to inherit the Land). Jacob, his grandson, worked for Laban 21 years before returning to “the Land” as Israel. Joseph was a slave in Egypt in Potipher’s house for 7 years, then in prison for another 7 before being raised second only to Pharaoh. Moses waited 40 years in Egypt, then another 40 years as a shepherd in Midian, before he led the nation of Israel out of bondage. King David was anointed by Samuel, then waited 20 years to become king. Jesus was 30 before beginning His ministry.

As I have said before, waiting molds and shapes our character. God uses it to train us to trust and to persevere. God uses the time to burn off or grind down our impurities (impatience, anxiousness, bad temper, Beeps). God uses it to make us dependent upon Himself. The result, if we wait and trust, is fantastic! The prophet Isaiah wrote in 40:31—Those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. They shall run and not grow weary; they shall walk and not be faint.

We have a God who keeps His promises! Let us wait upon Him and His timing with grace and in faith. In this season of Advent, let’s not grow anxious or impatient. But, instead, let’s trust in God’s goodness and loving kindness towards us, and in His perfect timing!

©️2023 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Render to God

Pastor Sherry’s message for October 22, 2023

Scriptures: Ex 33:12-23; Ps 99; 1 Thess 1:1-10, Matt 22:15-22

Today’s Gospel (Matt 22:15-22) recounts another confrontation between Jesus and Jewish leaders. The story is told that a…young woman…”was soaking up the sun’s rays on a Florida beach when a little boy in his swimming trunks, carrying a towel, came up to her and asked her, “Do you believe in God?” She was surprised by the question but she replied, “Why, yes, I do.” Then he asked her: “Do you go to church every Sunday?” Again, her answer was “Yes!” He then asked: “Do you read your Bible and pray every day?” Again she said, “Yes!” By now her curiosity was very much aroused. The little boy sighed with relief and said, “Will you hold my [dollar] while I go in swimming?” (As relayed by http://www.Sermons.com, 10/22/2023.)

This child was wisely trying to discover if the young woman was trust-worthy and honest enough for him to entrust her with his cash. But in our Gospel lesson today, the Pharisees and Herodians (a political party loyal to King Herod) were neither wise nor honest. They were unwilling to put their trust in Jesus. They really weren’t even all that interested in his input on an issue of doctrine. They were, in fact, hoping to trip Him up and make Him look bad enough to arrest.

If He supported paying a hated tax—and it was hated—they figured He could not have been their Messiah. Additionally, the coin used to pay the tax, a dinar, had Caesar’s image on it. Jews weren’t allowed to put the likeness of a human face on their coins—so this was already an offense to them. Even worse, the inscription on the coin declared that Caesar was the “Son of God” and “High Priest.” They firmly believed their Messiah would never condone such coinage. However, if He told them not to pay the tax, they could turn Him over to Rome as an instigator of rebellion. To defy Rome in those days usually led to painful death.

But Jesus is absolutely brilliant in His answer, isn’t He? He points out that the coin has Caesar’s image on it. Then without committing Himself to either choice they provided, He simply tells them to render (give or deliver) to Caesar what belongs to him and to God, what belongs to Him. Now the Romans had provided a unified coinage, good roads, and law and order throughout the empire. In other words, Jesus is saying that citizens should be expected to pay Caesar for such perks.

But, what has God provided them/us? How about life, for starters? A beautiful world in which to live? Skills and talents with which to make our way in this world? Family, friends, a nation to provide us with a sense of identity, and a sense of belonging in community? And let us not forget, Someone much bigger and more powerful than us to both give us standards to live by, and provide Himself as a divine entity to Whom we may direct our love and worship? Jesus raises the issue of what we should render to God, but He doesn’t specify His answer in this Gospel lesson, does He?

I think a case can be made that our other passages today provide some answers:

A. In our Old Testament lesson, Exodus 33:12-23, Moses expresses to God his wish to know Him (to see Him). We know Moses met with Him on the mountain top to receive the 10 Commandments, additional laws, and the design for the Tabernacle (Chapters 20-31). Did he see God up there? Not exactly. John 1:18 tells us that no one has ever seen God. So Who did Moses see whenever he visited the tabernacle to meet with the Lord? In John 14:9, Jesus says, Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. Jesus is the full revelation of the Father in human form. So, Moses was meeting with the Pre-incarnate Son of God, Jesus (in the Old Testament, He is often called “the Angel of the Lord”—not “an angel” but “the Angel”).

One verse before our lesson today reports The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Moses spoke with Jesus but did not see the face of the Father. In this passage, however, Moses expresses a desire to see the Father, face-to-face. He wants to know the Father more intimately. This is what Paul means when he says in Philippians 3:10—>I want to know Christ…. This is what Philip was referring to when he asked Jesus in John 14:8, Lord, show us the Father…. Rev. Dr. J. Vernon McGee writes (Commentary on Exodus, chapters 19-40, Thomas Nelson, 1991, p.120)—>”I believe every sincere child of God has a desire to know God.”

Now consider the Father’s response to Moses (v.20)—>You cannot see My face, for no one may see Me and live. He is going to pass before Moses, but He will shield the man from viewing His face.

Instead, Moses will see God “in his rearview mirror.” In other words, Moses has asked to become very intimate with God and the Lord has allowed it.

What does this mean to us? It means that if we pursue friendship with God as Moses did, our God will allow us this kind of intimacy with Himself.

We can render to God a desire to know Him intimately, to walk with Him daily, and to talk with Him often.

B. Psalm 99 celebrates God’s kingly might and His holiness. It calls upon all believers to praise the Lord. We are to praise Him because

1.) He reigns and is exalted over all the earth;

2.) He is holy and reigns justly. He does what is right, always.

(Wouldn’t we love to see this in our elected officials at all levels?)

3.) He answers prayers.

4.) He is present to His people of old and to us now.

5.) He forgives our sins, yet punishes us when we deserve it.

Verse 6 admonishes us to Exalt the Lord our God and worship at His holy mountain, for the Lord our God is holy. The psalm reminds us to render to our God worship and praise.

C. Paul commends the infant church in Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians 1:1-10), for living out the Christian virtues of faith, hope, and love. They had turned from idolatry to faith in Christ Jesus. This was their work produced by faith (v.3). They experienced considerable persecution for their faith, but persevered regardless. Second, they labored for the faith because of their love for Jesus (and Paul). Love compelled their obedience to God (and to Paul’s teachings about Jesus). Love for God is expressed by us in our obedience to Him. Third, despite persecution by nonbelievers, their endurance [was] inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ (v.3). Their hope was in Jesus’ 2nd Coming—so is ours! Their hope did not reside in human heroes, political movements, presidential candidates, or the alignment of the stars, etc. It rested firmly on Jesus.

Martin Luther, the Protestant reformer once stated, “Everything that is done in the world is done by hope.” The British poet, Alexander Pope, wrote, “Hope springs eternal in the human breast.” Our own statesman and past president, Thomas Jefferson, said, “I steer my bark [small boat] with hope in the head [God], leaving fear astern [behind].” Thomas Carlyle, a Scottish philosopher (1795-1881), asserted, “Man is, properly speaking, based upon hope, he has no other possession but hope, this world of his is emphatically the place of hope.”

So, like the infant church in Thessalonica, we can render to God…our faith in Him; our love expressed in obedience to Him and in loving gestures to others; and in our continued hope—despite the current world situation–in Jesus’ 2nd coming, when He will make all things right.

So what shall we render (give or deliever) to God? Render to God our desire for intimacy with Him. Today, if you use the term intimacy, many people would assume this is meant in a sexual sense which would be abhorrent to God. Instead, I am referring to intimacy in the emotional and spiritual sense–coming to know God as well as you do your spouse, your children, or your best friend. Render to God sincere worship and praise for His power, righteousness, mercy, grace, and love. Render to God faith, love, and hope. Amen! May it be so!

©️2023 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Kingdom Courage

Pastor Sherry’s message for November 19, 2023

Scriptures: Jud 4:1-24; Ps 90:1-12; 1 Thess 5:1-11; Matt 25:14-30

Chuck Swindoll recalls the story of a 70 year old man who was being celebrated aboard a cruise ship for having saved a young woman. These folks were on a week-long cruise from California to Hawaii. The man was out walking on the deck when he saw the young woman fall overboard. He saw she could not swim, so he immediately went in after her, staying with her until they were both rescued. That night, the captain insisted they honor the somewhat embarrassed gentleman, over dinner, for his heroic actions. Speeches were made and the story of the man’s bravery was told and retold. Finally, they invited the fellow to the mike to say a few words. In what was probably the shortest hero speech ever offered, the fellow spoke these stirring words:

“I just want to know one thing—who pushed me?”

(Chuck Swindoll, The Tale of the Tardy Oxcart, Word Pub., 1998, p.119.)

I love this story because it illustrates so well the fact that our God can make the most unlikely of us into heroes. Can you imagine jumping overboard—at age 70—to rescue someone you didn’t know? Perhaps you’ve heard of similar stories. Courageous persons don’t allow their fears to talk them out of doing the brave thing. They also usually involve trusting in God to see them through a tough situation.

Our Old Testament and Gospel lessons today give us two examples of God’s concept of Kingdom Courage:

In our Old Testament lesson (Judges 4:1-24), we have the only example of a woman called to lead the nation of Israel, Deborah the Prophetess. Scripture mentions several women prophets: Miriam (Moses’ sister) (Exodus 15:20), Huldah, who sent a message to the good King Josiah (2 Kings 22:14), Noadiah, a bad prophet who tried to thwart the rebuilding of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 6:14), and Anna, who recognized that the infant Jesus was the Messiah (Luke2:36).

Deborah was called and equipped by God to lead during the time of the Judges. Joshua had died at 110, leaving no successor (no human understudy to rise up and lead in his place). Even though the people had promised him many times they would remain obedient to God, within 40 years, they had taken up idolatry and forsaken the LORD. The Lord would then allow a Canaanite people—Amorites, Amonites, Moabites, Midianites, or even Philistines—to then oppress them. They would then call out to the LORD for His rescue. God would forgive them and raise up a judge to lead them in defeating their enemies. They would thank and praise Him; but shortly, once the threat was over, they would again forget about their loyalty to God. And the 40 year cycle would begin all over again. The book of Judges reports 7 such cycles and 7 judges. Deborah was the 4th.

Who was she? Scripture tells us she was…

1.) A wife to Lippidoth. We know nothing of him, except that he seemed to have recognized God’s call on his wife’s life and did not appear to try to frustrate her influence or power.

2.) “A mother of Israel,” out of the tribe of Ephraim. While this may mean she had children of her own, it also means she nurtured and cared for the nation.

3) A wise counselor people came from miles around to seek her wisdom and advice.

4.) A renown judge—like Judge Janine Pirou or Judge Judy. Instead of sitting at the city gates to hear cases as was typical in those days (V.5)She sat beneath a palm tree named for Her–the Palm of Deborah–located between the cities of Ramah and Bethel.

5) A legitimate prophetess—She was anointed by God, who told her what to say to His people. She foretold events accurately, and nothing she prophesied disagreed with Scripture.

6.) We learn in today’s passage that she was a warrior.

7.) She was also a poet—She wrote a song/psalm, describing what God accomplished through her leadership in Judges 5.

8.) Finally, she was a woman who loved and trusted God—I’d say she had Kingdom Courage.

The situation Deborah finds herself in is that the Canaanite King Jabin had oppressed the Israelites for 20 years. He terrorized them with 900 iron chariots and horses and his successful General Sisera. Sisera’s army had confiscated all the Israelite‘s iron weapons in their initial victories. The Israelites were left then with wooden and stone weapons, clubs, rakes, etc.—they were at a distinct disadvantage. God tells Deborah to call for Gen. Barak from the tribe of Naphtali. She did, telling him that God meant for him to lead the people into battle against Sisera: (v.6–The LORD, the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulon and lead the way to Mount Tabor. I [the Lord] will lure Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.

God told Deborah and Gen. Barak that He was going to give the Israelites the victory. The General doesn’t see how—he doesn’t really trust in God. He focuses on the fact that his troops are outnumbered 10 to 1. He also knows he has no horses or chariots and that Sisera’s army is much better equipped (with iron weapons) than his army is. Barak agrees, but only if the prophetess will accompany him. However, since he doesn’t really seem to trust her or God, she tells him God will give the victory (Gen Sisera) to a woman (Jael, the wife of a weapons maker).

This previously unknown woman, Jael, was married to a Jewish man named Heber. He was an iron weapons manufacturer and a turncoat who collaborated with the Canaanites against his own people. To expedite his transactions, Heber and his much more loyal wife, Jael, lived in tents near the Canaanite army and the proposed battle site. (Sorry to say, but the men in this account do not appear to have the same moral fiber, Kingdom Courage, or faith that the women do.)

Much of what happens in the ensuing battle is recorded by Deborah in her psalm, in chapter 5. From her victory song we learn the LORD sent…

1.) Soldiers from the 6 tribes of Naptali, Zebulon; Issachar; Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin.

2.) He also sent hail, sleet, and torrents of rain in which…

a.) bogged down the 900 chariots in deep mud;

b.) panicked the horses so they ran off;

c.) Canaanite archers couldn’t shoot their arrows in the sleet;

d.) and their swordsmen couldn’t wield their swords as well in the cold (remember this is essentially a desert-like land, where they are used to the heat, not the cold).

e.) Additionally, many enemy soldiers were swept away in a flash flood.

The battle belonged to the Lord. Israel’s army was able to kill all the enemy, except Sisera, who ran off in a desperate attempt to save himself. He escaped on foot and asked for sanctuary with Jael in her tent. In that culture in that day, the only man who was authorized to enter a woman’s tent was her husband. To hide out in a woman’s tent was outrageous. Remember, Jael is the wife of the Jewish weapon-maker. Sisera asked for water, but she gave him warm milk which we know would make him sleepy. Once he nodded off, she then executed this terrifying enemy of her people while he slept—and with the only weapon she had at hand. Interesting that, like the shoemaker’s daughter who has no shoes, this woman does not even have a metal knife at her disposal. Instead, she pounds a tent peg through his temple, killing him instantly, and fulfilling Deborah’s prophesy.

In her psalm, Deborah gives God the glory for their victory. Deborah trusted in God to free her people from oppression. She used her gifts of leadership in the face of overwhelming odds. Because of her faithful obedience and her Kingdom Courage, God gave Israel another 40 years of peace.

In our Gospel lesson, Matthew 15:14-30, Jesus provides examples of two courageous servants who utilize their talents for God and one who does not. Jesus says the master in the story leaves his assets in the hands of three servants. He appears to dole out his assets according to his trust in their abilities/motivation. One very able fellow gets 5 talents. Back then, a talent was equal to 1 years’ wages. For purposes of illustration, let’s say a years’ wages were $30,000; this guy has been entrusted with 5 times that or $150,000. The next gets 2 talents, or $60,000; and the third, 1 talent or $30,000.

When the Master returns, He expects them to account for how they invested His money. The fellow who had 5 talents invested them wisely and wound up earning double or $300,000! The guy with 2 also invested wisely and earned double, or $120,000. The guy with no faith or Kingdom Courage hid his 1 talent, so he gained nothing. At least he was honest and returned the $30,000. But the master was angry because he could have at least deposited the $30,000 somewhere and earned interest.

The Master commends the first two, Well done, good and faithful servant…Come and share your master’s happiness! But He has nothing but contempt for the third. This guy was either so lazy as to not use the talents, or too afraid to fail, so he did nothing. This guy gets thrown into the outer darkness, (v.30)…where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Many see this as a very hard teaching of Jesus. What they need to understand is that this is not a story of money or of wise investment practices. It is about utilizing the skills and gifts we have been given by God to build up His Kingdom. Notice, all are called to account: Those who use their gifts are blessed now and join Jesus in eternity. Those who do not are chastised and punished. I believe when we stand before God at His judgment seat, He will ask those of us who love His Son two questions: How well did you do at loving others? And how well did you use the gifts I gave you to advance My Kingdom?

So what is the point for us today?

First, like the 70 year old man pushed to rescue a woman at sea, God can make even ordinary people into heroes. Deborah was very gifted, but think about the housewife, Jael. She not only countered her husband’s disloyalty to Israel, but she was brave enough to kill a cruel enemy with a tent peg and a hammer.

Second, think about the two unnamed servants who took a risk and invested their master’s money. What about the risk and Kingdom Courage it takes us to step into our gifting? We need to not focus on our fears, but rather trust in God to help us achieve what He has put in our hearts. He expects us to use the talents He has given us to bless others.

Finally, God wants us to exhibit Kingdom Courage. He often uses ordinary people who trust in Him to accomplish His will. Do you trust God?

Are you willing to be obedient to Him, even when your situation seems difficult or impossible? If He can use an essentially unarmed army to defeat a vastly superior force, He can master any situation we bring before HIM.

What situation are you in that has you flummoxed, frightened, or frustrated?

Give it to the Lord, over and over until you see results (this is called “praying through”). Then ask God to give you Kingdom Courage to do any hard things that He may indicate He wants you to do.

Amen. May it be so!

©️2023 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman · 2 Comments

Family Reunion

Pastor Sherry’s message for August 20, 2023

Scriptures: Gen 45:1-7, 25-28; Ps 133; Ro 11:1-2a, 29-32; Matt 14:10-28

Amy Peterson writes, “…I started reading The Kindness of God by Catholic theologian and philosopher Janet Soskice. In her examination of the etymology of the word kindness, Soskice helped me see it for the first time as a strong virtue rather than a weak one. “In Middle English,” she writes, “the words ‘kind’ and ‘kin’ were the same—to say that Christ is ‘our kinde Lord’ is not to say that Christ is tender and gentle, although that may be implied, but to say that he is kin—our kind. This fact, and not emotional disposition, is the rock which is our salvation.” I paused after reading this sentence to try to take it in, to try to peel the sentimental layers off my definition of kindness and replace them with this fact: to be kind meant to be kin. The word unfolded in my mind. God’s kindness meant precisely that God became my kin—Jesus, my brother—and this, Soskice said, was a foundational truth about who I was. Not only that, but for speakers of Middle English, Lord had a particular meaning—a lord was someone from the nobility, the upper social classes. To say “our kinde Lord” was to say the difference in social or economic status between peasants and nobility was also erased through Jesus the “Lord” being of the same “kinde” as all, landowners and peasants alike. Jesus erased divisions that privileged some people over others.”

(Amy Peterson, Where Goodness Still Grows: Reclaiming Virtue in an Age of Hypocrisy, Thomas Nelson, 2020.)

The theme of our Scripture readings today is “Divine Kinship” or “Family Reunion.”

A. It begins with our Genesis reading (45:1-7, 25-28). After having lived in Egypt for about 22 years, Joseph has recognized his brothers and now reveals himself to them. Why would they not have recognized him?

By this time, he did not look Hebrew. They were bearded but he was clean shaven. Additionally, he was wearing an Egyptian wig (Egyptians shaved their heads, due to problems with lice, and were noted for wearing elaborate wigs). There was also his Egyptian style of dress and perhaps an arm bracelet and a jeweled collar signifying being a high Egyptian official. The last time they had seen him, he had been a gangly boy of 17; now he’s 39 years old and no doubt looked very different from the way he had in their last encounter. They also would have heard him speaking Egyptian/Arabic, but talking with them through an interpreter (even though he understood Hebrew). Finally, they were not expecting to see him again since slavery was usually implied a death sentence.

Unbeknownst to them, he has put them through two tests to see if they have changed in the intervening twenty two years. First, he has them leave Simeon behind and promise to bring back Benjamin, his full brother. He is checking to see how honest they are now. They had betrayed him. They had no doubt lied to their father. Will they sacrifice another brother to get what they want? Second, they return and bring back Benjamin, but Joseph has his favorite cup put into Benjamin’s bag of grain, and has his servants accuse their father’s new favorite of theft. Joseph wants to know if they have come to grips with what jealousy cost them in the past. Are they more loyal to Benjamin than they had been to Joseph? Have they developed more compassion for their aging and grieved father?

Apparently so because Judah, their leader, steps up and offers himself (and even his children) in place of Benjamin. Judah recognizes this dilemma is God’s punishment for what they had done to Joseph. He and the others cannot bear to imagine Jacob’s grief over losing Rachel’s only other son, Benjamin.

So, satisfied that his ten half-brothers have truly undergone a moral transformation, he reveals himself to them as their long, lost brother, Joseph. At first, they can’t believe it is him. Then they fear his retribution. But in a truly Christ-like way, he reassures them, [Peterson’s The Message, p.93] am Joseph your brother whom you sold into Egypt. But don’t feel badly, don’t blame yourselves for selling me. God was behind it. God sent me here ahead of you to save lives. There has been a famine in the land now for two years; the famine will continue for five more years—neither plowing nor harvesting [will take place]. God sent me on ahead to pave the way and make sure there was a remnant in the land, to save your lives in an amazing act of deliverance. So you see, it wasn’t you who sent me here but God. He set me in place as a father to Pharaoh, put me in charge of his personal affairs, and made me ruler of all Egypt. God uses Joseph to save his father, Jacob/Israel, his brothers, and his whole extended family (a total of 90 people). But Joseph’s wisdom also saves thousands, perhaps millions of Egyptians as well as untold, unnumbered, other Gentiles. What a fabulous and far-reaching family reunion!

B. In Psalm 133, King David continues the theme of family reunion. Verse 1 celebrates —How good and pleasant it is when brothers [and sisters] live together in unity! There is no back-biting, no sarcasm, no jealousy; no murderous rage, no hidden agendas. Instead, such family members experience love, support, and acceptance.

He goes on to mention two metaphors for how rich a blessing this could be: (1) a generous supply of anointing oil, representing empowerment of the Holy Spirit; and (2) abundant dew, highly desired and valued in an arid climate. As troubled and complex as were the kinship relationships in King David’s family, this psalm sets out his longing for this kind of God-inspired love, cooperation, and blessing among brothers and sisters.

C. In Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32, Paul continues his case for the Jewish people. True, most at that time, rejected Jesus as their Messiah. But Paul is adamant (v.1) that God has not rejected them, His Chosen People. They have rejected Him but He has not washed His hands of them. Instead, the Lord has a plan for bringing them to a saving knowledge of Christ.

Back in verses 25-26, he wrote —the harvest of the Jews will come after…the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved…. Just as God has been merciful to us, He too will have mercy on the Jews. Many students of the book of Revelation believe the main purpose of the Great Tribulation (assuming the Church has already been raptured) is to turn a massive number of Jews into Jesus-followers. What a grand family reunion that will be!

D. Finally, in our Gospel lesson (Matthew 15, also Mark 7), Jesus delivers a new doctrine and graciously responds to a Gentile woman.

The new teaching is on moral uncleanliness. Yes, it’s a good health practice to wash your hands before eating—but hand-washing has only to do with the physical. Instead, it’s what comes out of one’s mouth that demonstrates one’s spiritual condition. Our moral or spiritual cleanliness—our heart attitudes–are revealed by what we say. This is why we want to work hard to eliminate cussing and gossip and lying and slander from our daily speech. He calls the rule-bound religious leaders of the Jews blind guides, and appears—by this point–to have given up on appealing to them further.

In fact, He leaves the country for the first time, venturing North into Tyre and Sidon (cities in Phoenicia). No doubt He wants a time-out from his Jewish adversaries. But almost immediately, He encounters a persistent Syro-Phoenician, Canaanite, or Gentile woman. Remember, He says (v.24) was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel (not Gentiles).

She calls Him (v.22) —Lord, Son of David. She knows He is a descendant of King David. But she is an outsider, not a member of the family. She is an ethnic outsider; she is a religious outsider; and her gender, in those days, made her an outsider as Jewish rabbis would rarely have spoken directly to a woman.

But she has a demonized daughter that no one has been able to heal, and she is desperate. She is begging Him to heal/deliver her child. Jesus makes the point that she does not belong to “the family.” He came to feed the “children of Israel” (v.26)It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the puppies [the Hebrew word here means not adult dogs but the diminutive, puppies]. He is essentially saying, just as in a family, there is an order here —The children (Israelites) eat first; Then puppies get fed, but not from the table and not until the kids are done. He is not telling her she cannot expect help from Him, but rather that there is a set of priorities to His ministry.

She gets what He is saying, steps into His metaphor, and reminds Him (v.27) —…but even the puppies eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table. She knows she does not have a legitimate place at the Jewish table. But even as a nonfamily member, she has faith that Jesus can provide enough that some leftovers will be available to her and to her daughter. Notice, she doesn’t say, Give me what I deserve due to my goodness or my rights, as many today might demand. Instead, (as Timothy Keller asserts in his book King’s Cross , Dutton, 2011, p.89), she implies, “Give me what I don’t deserve on the basis of Your goodness—and, please, I need it right now.”

Jesus commends her faith (The Message, p.1775) —Oh, Woman, your faith is something else. What you want is what you get! Right then her daughter became well. She entered into His metaphor and responded with belief in Him. Because of her faith, He made her a member of His family.

There is no reason for us to ever feel like we are alone or outsiders. God’s family is made up of both Jewish and Gentile believers. Our weekly worship service is like a big family reunion. We who believe in Jesus Christ are members of God’s family. Come, every Sunday, to be with people who love Jesus and who love you. Amen!

©️2023 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

God Wants to Talk About You

Pastor Sherry’s message for August 6, 2023

Scriptures: Gen 32:1-31; Ps 17:1-9; Ro 9:1-5; Matt 14:13-21

In August of 2001, country singer Toby Keith released a song titled, “I Wanna Talk about Me.” It’s kind of a country rap showcasing a man’s desire to have some equal “air time” with his significant other. Here are a few of the lyrics:

We talk about your work, how your boss is a jerk,

We talk about your church and your head when it hurts.

We talk about the troubles you’ve been havin’ with your brother,

Bout your daddy and your mother and your crazy ex-lover. We talk about your friends and the places that you been,

We talk about your skin and the devils on your chin,

The polish on your toes, and the run in your hose, And Lord knows we’re gonna talk about your clothes!

You know talking about you makes me smile. But every once in a while, I want talk about me…

Wanna talk about I,

Wanna talk about #1, oh my, me, my…

What I think, what I like, what I know, what I want, what I see.

I like talking about you, you, you, you usually…

But occasionally, I want to talk about me!

I can’t think about this song without smiling. It sounds like his girlfriend is very self-focused, since it’s hard for him to get a word in edgewise. But if and when he gets the floor, what does he want to talk about? Himself! He wants to “talk about me!”

The song has become a metaphor in my family for thinking only of self. Someone cuts us off in traffic. One of us will smile and say to the others, “I want to talk about me.” Someone cuts in line in front of us at the grocery store, or at the post office, etc., and we’ll be thinking, “I wanna talk about me.” Have you noticed that, even when you politely let someone go ahead of you, often they don’t say thank you or even give you eye contact because…”I wanna talk about me.”

Let’s take a look at what the Lord has to say about this all too prevalent attitude in today’s world.

A. Psalm 17:1-9 was written by King David. Biblical scholars believe it dates from the time before he ascended the throne. God had lost confidence in King Saul and had had His prophet Samuel anoint David as the next King. The jealous and mentally unstable King Saul accurately viewed David as a rival to his throne and set out to kill him. In this psalm, David pleads with God for protection against Saul and any other adversaries.

Yes, David is worried about saving his own skin; but he also tells God (Peterson’s The Message, p.962)I’m not trying to get my way in the world’s way. I’m trying to get Your way; Your Word’s way; I’m staying on Your trail; I’m putting one foot in front of the other. I’m not giving up. David views the Lord as his (and our) protector. David trusts in God to provide him a divine rescue.

David knows we need to take our focus off ourselves and put it on God, first, and then on others. This is the shape of the Cross. The vertical reminds us to love God. The horizontal reminds us to love others. God would have us put our focus on loving Him and then on loving others. A healthy self-love comes third.

B. Our Old Testament lesson, Genesis 32:1-31, provides us with an object lesson in where our love/focus should be directed. Jacob is re- entering the Promised Land after having been an immigrant to Syria for 20 years. In that time, his Uncle Laban had cheated him at his wedding, substituting the less desirable Leah in the dark wedding tent for Jacob’s beloved Rachel. Uncle Laban also changed Jacob’s wages 10 times, always shifting things to Laban’s advantage.

Nevertheless, despite these numerous setbacks, the Lord has prospered Jacob: He leaves Syria with great wealth:

1.) 2 wives and 2 concubines (remember, this is before Moses’ time when the Law was given);

2.) 11 sons and 1 daughter;

3.) A large retinue of servants;

4.) and huge numbers of livestock.

Due to God’s blessings, Jacob returns to the Promised Land as rich as an Arabian prince or an oil sheik.

Focused on his fears that his brother might still want revenge (and is coming to greet him with 400 troops), Jacob sends Esau multiple, generous gifts to sweeten the deal:

1.) 200 female goats & 20 males (220 goats); 2.) 200 ewes & 20 rams (220 sheep);

3.) 30 female camels with young (30+ camels); 4.) 40 cows, 10 bulls (50 cattle);

5.) 20 female donkeys, 10 males (30 donkeys).

This represents approximately 600 livestock! And he still has other flocks with which to sustain his people. He divides his clan into two groups and directs them to separate encampments for protection

Then he prays. At this point, I want to shout out, “Good job, Jacob!” He reminds God of His promises to his grandfather, Abraham, to Isaac, his father, and to him. He admits he doesn’t deserve God’s love and mercy. But he does plead for God’s protection—like David will later—(Peterson’s The message, p.70) Save me, please, from the violence of my brother, my angry brother! I’m afraid he’ll come and attack us all, me, the mothers and the children. When he ran for his life 20 years earlier, his focus had been on himself—>“I wanna talk about me.” Now, after 20 years of trials, he has matured: His focus is still on self, but has enlarged to include family and the Lord.

God recognizes Jacob’s maturing faith, but then intervenes to strengthen it. In verse 24, Jacob finds himself engaged in a wrestling match with the pre-incarnate Christ. It’s like Jesus is saying to him, “Jacob, you are less self-focused than you were 20 years ago. But your faith still needs to deepen. In your life, you have wrestled with your twin, Esau…you have wrestled with your Uncle Laban for 20 years. But your first priority must be Me, God!” This then becomes a major turning point in Jacob’s faith: This is why we celebrate the “heal-grabber” as a respected patriarch. He persists. He does not let go of God. He has finally learned it’s not about struggling with God or others. It’s about yielding to God and holding on to Him. Once he comprehends this, Jesus blesses him and changes his name to IsraelGod-wrestlerHe who struggles with God and with men and has come through. (Some translations substitute the word overcome or prevail for come through, but actually none of us can overcome God.)

Our God wants to talk with each of us about us, and He does get the last word. He wants our focus to move from self to Him. He wants us to be generous toward other people, putting their needs above our own.

C. Look at Jesus’ example of this in our Gospel lesson, Matthew 14:13-21. Verse 1 tells us the Lord had just gotten word that King Herod had beheaded His cousin, John the Baptist. Jesus wanted or needed time by Himself to pray and to grieve His cousin’s murder. He tried to sail off to gain some alone-time with His Father. But He was accompanied by His disciples and, when the crowds saw Him depart, they raced around the lake to meet Him where He landed. I hope He was able to take a time- out to regroup and recharge emotionally and spiritually, but He seems hard- pressed for time and opportunity.

Notice He doesn’t act frustrated. Instead, (v.14) He had compassion on them and healed their sick. Additionally, after having taught them all afternoon, He tells His disciples to (v.16)…give them something to eat. They can’t feed this crowd, but Jesus can. He is saying to them, “Trust Me. I can make something from almost nothing [actually, He can make something from nothing]. I can take the little you bring Me and make of it much!”

D. And let’s not forget He does not break His promises. As our Romans 9:1-5 passage demonstrates, even though the Jews of His time rejected Him as their Messiah, He has not rejected them. Many Christians have taken it upon themselves to persecute the Jews because their religious leaders murdered Jesus. But God makes it clear through Paul that He has not forgotten that they are His chosen people. There is no place in the Christian life for us to disdain Jews. Through them, God has worked out His plan of salvation. Through them, God has brought forth the lineage leading up to Jesus. As we read last Sunday in Romans 8:31If God is for us, who can be against us?

God doesn’t want us to just “talk about me,” or be self-focused.

He wants us to focus on Him and on the needs of others. All through Scripture, He urges us to turn away from a concentration on self or selfishness. We are to follow Jesus’ and Jacob’s examples. He wants us to grab ahold of Him and hang on—no matter what. We are to surrender our wills to His, or as AA says, “let go and let God.” And then watch for His often surprising blessings.

©️2023 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Wherever I go, only Thou.

Pastor Sherry’s message for July 21, 2023

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

Some years ago, the magazine, Christianity Today, ran a true story about a woman in India, living in a concrete sewer pipe, with her husband and two kids. I never forgot it. Her name was Shivamma. She was a member of the Dalit caste, the lowest of the low (an “untouchable,” except for rape). She reported that she had been barren. A Dalit Christian named Bangarraju prayed for her in her home, the pipe. She conceived and bore two kids, a son and a daughter. The girl baby was badly jaundiced and not expected to live. Bangarraju returned and prayed for the child, and she was healed. Shivamma became a Christian she says because: “I realized that Jesus is the living God. We used to drink and every day we would fight, fight, fight. Jesus Christ brought peace to our family. I have no fear, because I have come to know the living God. I trust Him.” I love this story because God met her needs. As a result, she now trusts Him.

I believe this connects with another story concerning a debate between a Christian and an atheist. The Atheist began by writing on a white/dry erase board, “God is nowhere.” At his turn, the Christian speaker then erased “nowhere” and used the same letters to write, “God is now here.”

Our Scriptures today focus on the twin themes of God’s deep, intimate knowledge of us and His abiding and patient presence with us.

In our Old Testament lesson, we once again pick up the story of Jacob (Genesis 28:10-19a), the 3rd of the famous Hebrew patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. By now, Jacob has tricked his brother Esau out of both his birthright and their father’s blessing. Esau is so enraged that he has sworn to catch Jacob and kill him. Remember, Esau was a skilled hunter, and could have easily picked Jacob off from a distance with his bow. So, at his Rebekah’s suggestion, Jacob runs to Haran to take refuge with her brother, Laban (and the extended family).

Our passage finds Jacob 40 miles from home. He has run/walked at a rate of 3.5 miles per hour for 12 hours! He wants to put allot of distance between himself and Esau. He lays down to rest at Luz. It was then a pretty dreary place: a high desert plateau about 1200 feet above sea level, arid and rocky. How must he have felt as he bedded down for the night? No doubt he was a worried/anxious fugitive. He knows his brother, Esau, is skilled with a bow, spear, or sling. He must have traveled the whole way, looking over his shoulder. Additionally, this is his first night alone and away from his home and his people. He was also probably uncertain about his future. Traveling alone, he had a long, potentially dangerous journey ahead.

His mother had made the reverse trip, years ago, before his birth, but she had been accompanied by servant girls and the protection of several men in a camel caravan. She also traveled with the knowledge that she was likely fulfilling God’s will for her life. There’s no indication of prayer here on Jacob’s part—before, or during the first leg of his flight—so Jacob was probably much less sure of what might happen to him.

He beds down on rocky ground and God gives him a dream about a ladder to heaven. Angels traverse the ladder. Some are going up, signifying that they have access to heaven; others are going down demonstrating that they have access to earth. The Preincarnate Jesus stands at the top (His is “the voice from the top of the stairs”). In this memorable dream, God suddenly and unexpectedly breaks into Jacob’s life.

He’s hardly what we would consider worthy of a God-sighting—he’s in a serious conflict with his brother, has tricked his nearly blind father, and runs away. This is a sinful dude! Paul would say in Romans that he is operating out of his flesh or his carnal nature rather than his spiritual one. Nevertheless, Jacob has a spiritual encounter with God.

Much later, in John 1:47-51, when Jesus encounters Nathanael He said of him, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.” “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.” Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that.” He then added, “I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man. In other words, in the dream, Jesus is the ladder between God the Father and human beings. The ladder represents Jesus’ position as mediator between God the Father and us. It further confirms that we only get to heaven through Him–Jesus is truly the only way to the Father.

Additionally in the dream, the Lord reiterates to Jacob the promises He had made to Abraham, his grandfather and to Isaac, his father:

1.) Property the Promised Land, even though Jacob is leaving it;

2.) Progeny lots of descendants to populate the land and to bless all the people of the earth.

3.) Presence God will be with him. In the Ancient Near East, they believed all gods were attached to the land and did not travel with people outside national borders. When Daniel is later told by the angel Gabriel that he had been detained in relaying to Daniel the answer to his prayers by “the prince of Persia,” this “prince” was a demonic entity assigned by Satan to influence that territory (Daniel 10:13). God is affirming that He is not like these lesser, demonically inspired gods. Instead, He asserts, I won’t lose track of you outside the Promised Land (or in a sewer pipe outside some remote village in India, or even in Wellborn, Florida.) To God, this is all simply geography. As Psalm 139 tells us, He is not limited by where we located on earth.

4.) Protection In verse 15 God says, I am with you and I will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you.

Notice, God does not require anything of Jacob. There is no If…then clause, surrounding these promises with conditions. God has chosen a flawed patriarch through whom to work out His plan of salvation. As Psalm 139 affirms, God knows Jacob’s every thought and scheme. And He is reassuring Jacob there is no place any of us can go where God might lose track of us.

So, Jacob’s response when he awakens is to make a vow to the Lord. He demonstrates his new partnership with God by first setting up a memorial stone to commemorate his divine encounter. He anoints it with oil, an act of worship which makes it holy. The stones became an altar.

Then, he renames the place, Bethel or house of God/the gate of God. It is no longer Luz; it has become a shrine. He reiterates God’s promises to him from the dream. Even though he enters into a conditional relationship, from his side with God, his faith is developing. Jacob is what we would call “a work in progress.” As a result, he moves from the status of fugitive to that of pilgrim. Like grandfather Abraham before him he also promises God a tithe, 1/10th of all God intends to give him.

The next day, as Jacob continues on his journey, how do you think he felt? No doubt, he had been comforted and reassured. God is with him so he’s not alone. Neither are we! As Paul later writes in Romans 8:12-25, we are children of God. As sons and daughters of God, and heirs—all because of the saving work of Jesus on our behalf, we have the right to call Father God, Abba, the Aramaic, personal, intimate form of father, or Daddy. Like us, Jacob has God’s protection—neither he nor we need to be afraid. He doesn’t have to worry about his brother catching up to him and killing him, or of a hostile reception in Haran. We don’t need to stress over the hundreds of potential negative outcomes that assault our minds daily either. Jacob could be confident that God would prosper him and bring him back to the Promised Land. We too can be confident that God will be with us in the storms of life and will usher us into heaven when our journey here on earth is done.

So, where can we run from God’s love? No where because we know God is now here! Jacob’s story makes me glad I am not him. But isn’t it also so reassuring to realize that God never deserts us. He loves us even if we are not truly making decisions pleasing to Him, and He cares for us, faithfully. This story also reaffirms for us that our God appears to enjoy overturning human expectations. He can and does do great things with the least likely. He’s not discouraged by our rebellion, sinfulness, or even our unbelief or lack of trust. He clearly sees us as we are—there’s no hiding from Him, or fooling him. And He see us, too, as who He wants us to become.

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

Wherever I go…only Thou!

Wherever I stand…only Thou!

Just Thou! Thou, Thou, Thou!

When things are good, Thou!

When things are bad, Thou!

Thou, Thou, Thou!

Aren’t we grateful?! Amen!

©️2023 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams