Uncategorized

Jesus Includes Everyone – Acts 10

/ Scott Russ / Leave a comment

​Have you ever had a really weird dream and then you woke up and thought, “What was that all about?” When we were in Belize there was one evening after dinner that our guests wanted to take our team out for these coffee flavored milk shakes. They were very tasty. I enjoyed mine as a sat next to others, enjoying the evening and having some great conversation. But little did I know that I was in for a ride once I fell asleep. All I remember is that I had some really weird dreams that left me dazed and confused when I woke up. That morning, when I went to go take my medication, I noticed that I forgot to take them the morning before. So, with the combination of being off my meds and drinking a coffee milkshake before I went to bed was not a good combination for my mind! It was the most restless sleep I had all week. As we look at Acts 10, we see that Peter also had some weird dreams one night. And I doubt it had to be because he forgot to take his medication or drank dairy before he went to bed. But before we get to that, let’s get the back story.

Acts 10 begins this way:

At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. 2 He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. 3 One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”

4 Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked.

The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. 5 Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. 6 He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.”

7 When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants. 8 He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa.

So, there are a couple of things to note here that are very important for us to get the full gravity of what is going on. The brand-new Christian movement thus far has been a movement within the Jewish community. And at this point, for all they knew, following Jesus was primarily a Jewish thing. Non-Jewish people were seen as gentiles, nonbelievers, people not to be trusted with the Gospel of Jesus. 

But then one day, far away from the Jewish Christian community, a Roman centurion had a vision of an angel. Now understand that Romans were considered the enemy of the Jewish people. They were the occupying force oppressing them. There was no way for a person of Jewish decent to look kindly at the Romans especially a centurion. Yet, an angel visits Cornelius and tells him to call for Peter to come visit him.

Now what is really cool here in this story is the way that God orchestrates a very important and vital “God moment” between two people. A vision is given to Cornelius and then a vision is given to Peter. These visions were given to create an opportunity for these two to come together. Why these visions? Because under any other circumstances these two most likely would never speak to each other because of all the social and political barriers separating them. 

Now a vision was given to Peter to nudge him in the direction of going to see Cornelius. The story continues:

9 About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance.11 He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12 It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. 13 Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”

14 “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”

15 The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”

16 This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.

17 While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon’s house was and stopped at the gate. 18 They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there.

19 While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three men are looking for you. 20 So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.”

21 Peter went down and said to the men, “I’m the one you’re looking for. Why have you come?”

22 The men replied, “We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to ask you to come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.” 23 Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests.

What a strange dream! Peter had a weird dream of all kinds of animals, kosher and non-kosher coming down on a sheet. And then a voice told him to get up and eat. This would have been a wonderful dream for me! Eat all this delicious food! But Peter objects! He is not going to go up against everything he has always believed when it comes to a kosher diet. He objects three times and for three times the voice tells him “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”

But you have to understand that for hundreds of years the Jewish people have been following, or at least attempting to follow, the laws given to Moses. In those laws are strict dietary laws that told them what they could and could not eat. Imagine this: on the DO NOT EAT list were thinks like pork and many types of seafood! There were kosher laws keeping them to a specific diet that would distinguish them from their Gentile counterparts. Peter would have found this dream to be offensive to everything he has been brought up to believe. He tries hard to stand on his principles and convictions. The dream then repeats itself three times. Any time anything is repeated three times in the Bible that attests to it importance and seriousness. God is driving home the point. Now Peter is understanding this dream in a literal sense, not yet understanding its figurative meaning. 

To summarize some of the story, the messengers find where Peter’s house is at and invite him back to Cornelius’s place. You can almost see the wheels turning in Peter’s head wondering if this has anything to do with his dream.  

When he gets to Cornelius’s house, Peter and Cornelius compare notes on their dreams and how they were given to each one of them to bring them together. 

What is kind of funny, and slightly offensive, is how Peter responds to Cornelius at first. He states, “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean. 29 So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?”

So, it’s kind of like Your people and my people, yeah well, we don’t really see eye to eye. I’m not really supposed to be associating with you. But God kind of twisted my arm on this matter. So, I came without objection! Thank you? I guess.

Cornelius then shares the details of his dream which encourages Peter to open up and share all he knows about Jesus. Peter begins to share by starting with stating, “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.” He then goes on to share everything he witnessed about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. He then concludes with, “All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Get that: God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right! Everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. His salvation has busted through the “Jews-only” wall and is now available to all people. Anyone who puts their faith in Jesus finds forgiveness for their sins and a new life through Him! 

This was mind-blowing, earth-shattering, hard-to-believe truth here. Peter’s reluctance, questioning, and fear got steam-rolled over by God’s grace offered to all people, even a Roman centurion.

So, now that they compared dreams and Peter was able to tell his audience all about Jesus, what was the results? The story ends this way:

44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles.46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.

Then Peter said, 47 “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” 48 So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.

Peter and his circumcised Jewish friends all of a sudden beheld the gifts of the Holy Spirit being fleshed out in the uncircumcised, non-kosher, politically incorrect Gentiles who were there, Cornelius and his family and friends all exhibited evidence of the Holy Spirit based on their faith. Now I’d like to park here for a moment and make sure you understand that Peter did not tell them to say a little prayer and then all is good, go on with life as usual. He tells them to put their faith in Jesus and do what is right. When we do this, there ought to be clear evidence of our salvation through the work of the Holy Spirit. So clear, that other people notice there is something different about you. Believe me when I say we are living in very dark times right now where faith, integrity, character, and a Spirit-filled life will stand out in the darkness. People will take notice of this and you may attract people to Jesus or you may face persecution of sorts. Keep in mind that there are Christians all around the world who fear for their lives simply because of their faith and the country they live in that is strongly opposed to Christianity. And also, be careful because in America right now there are many voices trying to speak out for Christianity that are very anti-Christ. Imposing our faith by force of will never work. Christian nationalism will fail because it is not of God. It is time we begin to look at the fruit of our lives to distinguish whether or not we are truly following Jesus and living Holy Spirit filled lives. Not that we become perfect all the time now. But there ought to be evidence of growth, that the fruit of the Spirit is developing in your life. 

With that said, I want us to focus on Peter’s initial reactions to being told three times to go witness to a non-kosher, non-Jewish gentile, who was a Roman centurion. This was an earth shattering, boundary-breaking moment in Christian history. This event did not sit well for a while with Jewish believers. Paul and Barnabus’s ministry to the gentiles started taking off as well. Suddenly, the very first Church Council was called for in Jerusalem where Peter, Paul, and Barnabus were challenged to share what they were experiencing. You can read all about this in Acts 15. 

So, let’s apply this to our current situation. Who are the people you think are beyond God’s grace and redemption? I want to open up and share with you about a group of people I used to struggle to love. That is the LGBTQ community. I was brought up to believe from pastors and teachers that to be gay was a sin. In fact, I taught this in my early years of Youth Ministry, and even during my initial starting years here at Epiphany. It was really easy for me to have a strong opinion because I believed at the time that the Bible was very clear on this subject and quite frankly, I did not know anyone, or at least I didn’t think I knew anyone, who was a part of that community. It is really easy to have a belief about a specific group of people especially when you don’t even know anybody personally from said community. As I grew up, I have had people, friends, pastors, and professors, twist scripture in such a way as to justify their racism, patriarchy, homophobia, and their hate for their political opponents. It was always about who is in and who is out. Who are the real Christians, and who are the heathens. 

A major turning point for me here at Epiphany was when the youth group was doing a mission trip to downtown Cincinnati in 2013. I had a gay couple, who you are all familiar with, ask to join us on the mission trip. Heather and Jen wanted to be a part of the trip and experience it with one of their kids. This was the first time for me that I ever had a gay couple want to be a part of a mission trip. At the time, I wasn’t sure what to think or how to approach this. Of course, they came on the trip and this began a new relationship for me. They were both very open and willing to have conversations with me about their faith and what it means to be gay. During this mission trip I was able to see them be used of God as they took part in ministry with our teenagers. This has only continued as they have both been involved in our contemporary music team for several years now.

Fast forward to approximately 5 years ago, we were in a position to hire a new director of Contemporary Music. This young kid came in and impressed us. His name was Corbin. At that time, he told us he was gay, wondering if that would be a deal-breaker or not. As he began working here, it became very evident that God was using him in a special way to lead our music ministries. A couple of years back, Corbin offered to go on one of our youth mission trips. Since then, he has attended the past 3 youth mission trips to Florida, Minnesota, and Belize. And I have gone with him on the Mexico mission trip as well last November. As I have seen him be used of God, I have come under the conviction that I love doing ministry with him, especially mission trips. It is clearly evident to me that God is also working in and through Corbin just like I have seen in Heather and Jen. In fact, both Jen and Corbin have felt a call to pastoral ministry as a result of their connection to Epiphany.

So, what do I do with the passages that seem to condemn homosexuality? Well, what I typically do when faced with an issue I am struggling with is that I grab a bunch of books on the subject and start reading away. Some books that have been very instrumental to me that have helped me better understand the LGBTQ community were these:

  1. God and the Gay Christian by Mathew Vines
  2. Torn by Justin Lee
  3. Changing Our Minds by David Gushee
  4. A Letter to My Congregation by Ken Wilson

These four books, along with others, help me better understand cultural context, translation and interpretation of Biblical texts that seemed to condemn being gay. They also helped me to look at other passages, like what we are looking at today, in which God’s inclusive and inviting nature breaks out into people groups that may or may not surprise us. 

I have seen the Holy Spirit use Jen, Heather, and Corbin to be a blessing to our congregation and also to others. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are evident in their lives. And just like Peter, I too have been astonished and amazed at seeing God’s salvation and grace poured out on a people group I used to condemn and be dismissive of. 

So, my question to you is who are the people in your mind that are beyond God’s redemption? Could it be those who think differently than you on politics, like the democrats or MAGA republicans? Could it be immigrants, or brown people in general that are being demonized and treated horribly by our government? Could it be people of a different race or culture than the one you are used to? Could it be a gay or transgender person? The world is full of people groups that may make you feel uncomfortable, strange, and even willing to condemn them. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the Bible is full of condemnation for certain people groups. 

Let’s consider this:

THE BIBLE IS CLEAR: Moabites are bad. They were not allowed to dwell among God’s people. 

Deuteronomy 23:3 states “No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord, not even in the tenth generation.”

But then comes the story of “Ruth the Moabite,” which challenges the prejudice against the Moabites.

THE BIBLE IS CLEAR: People from Uz are evil as stated in Jeremiah 25. 

But then comes the story of Job, a man from Uz who was the “most blameless man on earth.”

THE BIBLE IS CLEAR: No foreigners or eunuchs allowed.

Deuteronomy 23:1-2 states “No one who has been emasculated by crushing or cutting may enter the assembly of the Lord. No one born of a forbidden marriage nor any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord, not even in the tenth generation.”

But then comes the story of an African eunuch welcomed into the church in Acts 8. This right here is the very first sexual minority whom Peter led to the Lord and baptized.

THE BIBLE IS CLEAR: God’s people hated Samaritans.

But then Jesus tells a story that shows not all Samaritans were bad. 

THE STORY MAY BEGIN with prejudice, discrimination, and animosity, but the Spirit moves God’s people towards openness, welcome, inclusion, acceptance, and affirmation. 

So, let’s think this through: is the Bible clear on sexual minorities, or gay people? After much study, I don’t think so, but you might think differently. Let’s go back and remember the story of the African eunuch. He was most likely black and a sexual minority. We don’t know if he was born that way or surgically altered to be a eunuch. Were these issues for Peter to exclude him? Absolutely not. In fact, none of this was a part of the conversation leading up to his salvation and baptism. Were the African eunuch and Peter different? Yes! In many ways! But did their differences exclude God’s grace and salvation? Not one bit. 

And remember Peter’s reaction to Cornielius. When they first met, he said, “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean.”

But then after seeing all that God was doing through Cornielius, Peter concludes, “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritismbut accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.”

Get that: God does not show favoritism. God’s grace, love, and salvation are available to all people. All means all! No matter the color of their skin, or their sexual or gender identity, their economic status, national identity, or their political identity. Doesn’t matter if you are a Baby Boomer, Gen X, Millennial, 

Gen Z, Generation Alpha, iGen, or whatever generation you are a part of. God’s love is available to all people. His Holy Spirit is ready to transform anyone who puts their faith in Jesus. So, the next time you think about Cornelius, remember how different he was from Peter, yet God’s grace and salvation was just as available to him as it was to the Jewish community of believers where it all started.  

So, what about you? In Biblical terminology, we are all Gentiles. All of us have been on the outside at some point. Have you put your faith in Jesus? Have you received the guidance and gifting of the Holy Spirit in your life? If not, why not now? Jesus wants to enter into your life and transform you from the inside out to be more and more like him, doing good and making a difference in this world living together as kingdom people. If you have any questions, there are many people in this room as well as pastors and church leaders who would love to introduce you to the faith. May Epiphany continue to be a church for all people. Sharing God’s grace and love to all people. Just as God has lavished his love on us may we also be a people known for our love of others. May it be so for all of us. 

Benediction:

May we as a congregation of believers not give into the hate and division that our culture encourages against anyone who may be considered different from you. And may we not be people who use the Bible to discriminate, hate, and divide others that may be different than ourselves. May we never hate a group of people simply because our culture or government tells us to. Help us always to stand in God’s grace and his mercy offering a hand of welcome and an embrace of love to all people who want to know more about the Jesus we serve. Amen
 

Do Unto Others: Do Not Be Anxious

/ Scott Russ / Leave a comment

Welcome everybody! Today we wrap up our sermon series called “Do Unto Others.” In week one, I talked about the Golden Rule and what it means to be kind to each other, especially during this political season. In week 2, Jen spoke about how we can learn to disagree with one another with kindness. Last week, Mark talked to us about the Kindness Challenge by looking at the parable of the good Samaritan. Today, I want to recognize the reality that many of us are feeling anxious during this political season, and it is a challenge to lead with our faith.

         Recently, I went to get a haircut at Great Clips in Loveland. Whenever I get a haircut, I typically allow the person cutting my hair to lead with whether or not they would like to have a conversation. I can be friendly and have a conversation with my hair stylist, but I don’t want to impose myself and force them to listen to me ramble. Sometimes, I get a talkative person and we have a pleasant conversation. Other times, not much is said as she concentrates on doing her job, and I respect that. Now, I have different feelings about a dentist who wants to talk to me while their hands are in my mouth, but that’s for another story. Recently, I was getting my haircut, and I couldn’t help but overhear the conversation going on with another customer just behind me. It was an older gentleman. During the majority of the time he was getting his hair cut, he was really going off about his view of the state of our country. He was so tense and full of anxiety as he talked about how our country is a mess. He expressed worry for his grandchildren about what kind of country they are inheriting. I genuinely felt sorry for the guy. My thoughts went to the fact that this gentleman probably only had a decade or two of life yet, and I wanted so much to help direct his attention to investing in his grandchildren rather than getting so caught up in politics that he verbally vomited an angry word salad over this poor lady cutting his hair. He was so absorbed in his political views that he was missing the most important thing right in front of him: passing on his love to his grandchildren. The world is changing at a rapid pace. There is very little we can do to slow down or stop cultural trends. We can’t let ourselves get so knotted up inside about things out there that we miss out on those right in front of us.

         Another observation that concerns me is what was described by Russell Moore in the book “The After Party” which I am doing a small group book study on that just finished up this past Wednesday. Russell Moore was a prominent leader in the Southern Baptist denomination. He would be sought after for advice and counsel from many other pastors. He started to see a trend in which several pastors were coming to him about their congregation. These pastors were preaching from the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus tells his audience to love one another, including our enemies. Jesus also says that we are to pray for those who persecute us and turn the other cheek when it comes to those who attack us. Congregation members were coming to these pastors asking where they got those woke, liberal talking points. The pastor would tell them that they were reading the literal words of Jesus from the Gospels. Then, the pastors were told by these members that that doesn’t work anymore. This, my friends, is scary when we not only choose to ignore the words of Jesus Christ but also go so far as to disagree with Him. That begins to put us on shaky ground. That is when faith no longer becomes our primary identity and instead becomes a token of our life that we can compartmentalize from all the other areas of our lives. We then justify our hate and anger towards those we disagree with outside of the church. 

          So, today I want to give you a list of things to consider as we are in this political season. It is times like this that help to sharpen or dull our faith. These are opportunities to wrestle with what you really put your hope and faith in. These times reveal more about us than we might want to admit. We would rather argue against those we disagree with than to look deep down inside of ourselves and see where we might be wrong or lacking in our faith.

         So here we go! This list comes from two sources. The first is from one of the authors of “The After Party”, Curtis Chang. I supplemented this list with another source by pastor Brian Zahnd. The first and most important thing that I want you to remember from today is that Jesus is First! Jesus is not saving the world or this country through a political party. He is saving it through the work of the Holy Spirit and through his church. God’s saving work in the world has very little to do with which political party is in power. We are citizens of God’s kingdom first. That is our highest allegiance. Everything else in this world falls under that. We cannot simply abandon the Sermon on the Mount for our politics. We must live into the teachings of Christ the best we can. Hebrews 10:23 says, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” As the old hymn teaches us, our faith is built on nothing less than Jesus Christ and his righteousness! That must be primary!

         Second, we need to have a healthy understanding that politics won’t save us. It is an imperfect system run by imperfect people. What concerns me is when more and more Americans are becoming unchurched, they are still looking for a savior. And our politicians are becoming more of a Christological figure to some. Our preferred politician is going to save us and vanquish our enemies. This is very dangerous thinking. These are imperfect people who need Jesus just as much as we do. They need to be in our prayers that God’s grace will guide and direct them.

         Third, focus on the “how” over the “what.” The “WHAT” focuses on political debates and policies that each party is promoting. But what is so much more important is in “HOW” we treat others. The bottom line for politics is power. But the bottom line in Christianity is LOVE. Therein lies the rub. I know for me, it is easy to judge a person I don’t know by the signs or flags in their yards. Especially some of those who just don’t have a sign in their front yard for their preferred political candidate but have built a literal shrine to their favorite candidate. This shows misplaced hope in an imperfect person. If they win, we think they will fix everything. If they lose, we despair and think it is the end of the world.

         Fourth, politics isn’t about purity. What I mean by this is that we cannot just associate with people who only think just like us. As I pointed out in my previous sermon, Jesus made friends with tax collectors and zealots. He was known for hanging out with sinners and accused of being a glutton and a drunkard with the people he sought out. It is more vital for you to be filled with love for everybody than for your political party to win everything. To isolate ourselves from people who only think just like us is unhealthy. It is through the diversity of thoughts and opinions that we are able to consider other people’s points of view that might differ from ours. Don’t give into a “US vs. THEM” mentality. We are all made in the image of God and are loved by God, from the least to the greatest. 

         Fifth, guess what? We are all going to be groaning on November 6th. Half of our country will not be happy with the election results. Since some have made politics into the new religion of our country, some may even resort to violence if it doesn’t go their way like we saw last time. But look at what Paul says in Romans 8:22-24. He states, “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved.” We are all in a state of groaning with the anticipation of Jesus finally renewing all of creation, including ourselves. This state of groaning will never be satisfied by who sits in the White House. We will always find imperfections and faults with whoever holds power in our country or any others. It is the hope that we have in Christ that He will finally make all things right.

         Sixth, the relational stakes are higher than the political ones. Our relationships with each other, our families, and our neighbors are by far more important than whether our political team wins an election. Friendships, families, and churches should not be splitting up over political differences. If we keep Christ at the center, everything else should fall in as a distant second to that. Every election cycle I have lived through has always been ramped up as the most important election ever! If we don’t get this election right, then it is the end of America as we know it! Let me tell you something. There is a great podcast called “Presidential.” I have listened to every episode. Each episode focuses on a president, beginning with George Washington and ending with Barack Obama. The podcast was leading up to the 2016 election. One thing I learned by listening to this podcast is that we have had some heroic presidents, and we have had some real scoundrels. Yet, through God’s grace, we have weathered through all of them for over two centuries. Now, I am convinced that some of our past presidents would have never been able to survive the 24-hour cable news cycle or social media in our present age. But that is the reality of what we have to deal with today. We need to be aware of what is influencing us, and make sure it is not causing us to love less or feel hopeless. I know this is cliché, but it is true, with fewer and fewer people going to church or having faith, you might be the only representation of Jesus to those around you. Are you showing love, grace, and hope to others? Are you building up your relationships rather than dividing them? And as we get closer to election day, let’s remember what Paul says in Romans 12:15, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” There will be all kinds of feelings about the results of the election on the day after. Depending on who you are with, it may be an opportunity to rejoice or mourn. But it is not appropriate to show pride or contempt towards others. It is an occasion to be sympathetic to their feelings and help point them to Jesus, who is the true Savior of the World.

         Seventh, anxiety can lead us astray. There are so many things that are ramping up everybody’s anxiety. As I’ve mentioned, we have 24-hour cable news sources that have realized that to drive up ratings, they need to play on people’s fears, anxieties, and anger. This is poisoning the minds of many, many Americans. It is not healthy to walk around in a constant state of anger and anxiety. I am here to tell you that no party is perfect, no candidate is perfect, they are all flawed. They will let you down. Once again, our ultimate hope is in Jesus, and from that springs up joy within us. We have a tsunami of anxiety and anger directed at us on our televisions, on our phones, on our social media. For some of us we need to make hard choices about who and what exactly are discipling us. Are we allowing the Holy Spirit to change us and transform us to be more like Jesus, or are we allowing the media we consume to put us in a state of anxiety and anger against those we disagree with? This is a dangerous path that many have gone down recently. Paul reminds us in the letter to the Philippians, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” So, let’s make it a practice to take our anxiousness to God in prayer and allow the Holy Spirit to flood our souls with His peace. Remember, God’s peace transcends our own finite understanding, and it will guard our hearts from the troubles of this world.

Eight, we need to remember that institutions do matter such as the church, the government, the schools, and others. It is up to us to get involved and help create institutions that encourage a thriving life for all. We can’t take on a fatalistic or nihilistic approach to our institutions. We must do what we can to help, whether it’s becoming a teacher, a school board member, a parent volunteer, or an administrator. We can volunteer at our local election site or serve at a church using the gifts that God has blessed us with. There are so many institutions that we need to be actively involved with so that we can help make a difference in this world. Don’t isolate yourself and become anti-institutional. Instead, find a way to plug in and make a difference in your community. The fate of the kingdom of God does not rise or fall on our political contests. But we are called to be salt and light in the world. The only way we can do that is by becoming active and getting involved in our area of influence.

Ninth, cancel culture is not Biblical. What I mean by this is that we can’t just cancel people out of our lives simply because we disagree with them. If it is the radio, TV, or your phone that is bothering you, then yes, turn it off or change the channel. But when it comes to our neighbor, the Bible calls us to radical hospitality. The Christian response to disagreement is love, not exclusion. So, if your political passion is making it hard for you to love your neighbor as yourself, then you need to dial it down a bit. Look at your priorities and make sure you are keeping Jesus as the center of your life.  

And then, finally, we cannot forget to sing together! When the disciples were with Jesus on the night of his arrest before his crucifixion, they were all feeling the anxiety and tension in the room. The Gospels tell us that they participated in the Last Supper and then sang together. When we sing together, we connect in a powerful way that transcends our differences. This is one of the reasons we gather together for worship. Where else do people from so many different ways of life come together all around the world and sing songs, lifting up our voices in recognition of God’s love and hope for us? So, let’s invite the band to come up and lead us out with a song that will inspire us toward love and good deeds.

Benediction

Go out into the world being light in the darkness by showing God’s love to a fallen and imperfect world. Go out and vote, if you haven’t already, but let’s give our anxiety over to God, trusting that He is continuing to build his kingdom through us even despite all the empires around the world.

Kingdom over empire.

Hope over fear.

Love over hate.

May you go in peace and be the peace of Christ. Amen.

Living the Golden Rule: Kindness

/ Scott Russ / Leave a comment

Well, here we are! Another divisive political season is among us. And it is time for us as the church to check ourselves and ensure that the Holy Spirit keeps us in step with our actions and behaviors as so many other forces are vying for our attention and time. Our scripture passage today comes from the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus tells us to do to others as you would have them do to you. And this rule alone sums up the Law and the Prophets. If we are honest with ourselves, we all want to be treated with dignity and respect. We want people to always give us the benefit of the doubt. We never want to be judged off of our worst moments. We, as Christians, all desire kindness and grace from God and others. Now, if that is what we would like given TO us, it must also be our Christ-like response TOWARDS others.

         Does this mean that I do not speak up for what I believe in? No. We can all debate policy, ideas, justice, and laws. We should stand up for what we believe in. But all too often, we do this with anger and rancor, using harsh language against those who think differently than us. There are a lot of examples in our politics and news that call the other side names that are demeaning, mean, and darn right unchristian. We can have our views. But we still need to be people of goodness and kindness.

         When you look at our country, it is easy to assume that we are consumed by division – there are red states and blue states. In fact, there is evidence that people are moving to different parts of the United States based on their political affiliation. To surround yourself with people who only think exactly like you on political issues is not healthy. I learned this in my theological thinking. It was easy for me, growing up in Northeast Ohio at a conservative, fundamentalist, non-denominational church where I believed all Christians thought just like me. It wasn’t until I moved to Lynchburg, Virginia, that I noticed a different brand of Christianity that was far more into politics than I was used to. There was a very divisive tone used from the pulpit against anyone who thought differently than a conservative Christian Republican. This was the heyday of Jerry Falwell, leading the Moral Majority. While I was at college there, I was taught exactly how to think about the faith from a conservative point of view and how anyone who thought differently was wrong. Looking back, I wrestled with what I believed to be indoctrination as opposed to teaching me how to think critically about the Bible.

         Then, I moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, to attend seminary. It was there that I was taught that the Bible was far more complex and nuanced. It was one class in which we discussed the different views on hell and the afterlife. The professor explained that there were four different views on hell, explaining how each theological position was supported. After he was done, I immediately asked which view was the correct one and why the others were wrong. The professor said that that was not up to him to tell us; it was something we all had to wrestle with and come to terms on our own, knowing that there were good people throughout church history who believed in each of the four views. This blew my mind! This was the moment that my mind was opened and given permission to think for myself.

         Years later, as a youth pastor, I attended one of my first youth conferences. At this conference, the main speaker encouraged us to consider attending some of our breakout sessions by choosing topics and speakers that may not necessarily align with our thinking. Once again, this was huge for me. It would be easy to hear speakers who only affirmed exactly what I believed. However, I chose to hear from others who had a different position on topics than I had grown up with. This practice helped me to see that there are good people who believe in Jesus and have different views or takes on issues that I was blind to see from a one-size-fits-all view.

         The point of these stories is that life is far more complex and nuanced than we realize. It is naive to think that we could isolate ourselves with only people who think exactly like us, and vilify those who don’t. Yet, if we subscribe to certain talk-radio hosts, podcasters, or cable news networks, it is easy to fall into that “us vs. them” mentality of seeing the world in only black and white, or in our case, blue or red categories, when the reality is that there are many more shades of purple in our political spectrum. When we have real, honest conversations with people, we find out that we have far more in common than we do with what keeps us apart.

         Let’s consider the disciples for a moment. Whether you realize it or not, the Bible is very political, especially when we consider some of the disciples. We find a list of disciples whom Jesus called in Luke 6:12-16. It says:

Now during those days he went out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night in prayer to God. 13 And when day came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles: 14 Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, and James, and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, 15 and Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of Alphaeus, and Simon, who was called the Zealot, 16 and Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

          I want to point out two specific disciples who followed Jesus. Jesus called Matthew to follow him while working as a tax collector. Back in the days of the Gospels, Israel was under Roman occupation. Rome would hire out Jews to help collect taxes from the oppressed Israelites. For many people, this was seen as an act of betrayal to the Israelite nation. On the opposite side of the political spectrum was a group called the Zealots. These we people who were violently opposed to the Roman occupiers. They would see the tax collectors as betrayers worthy of death. This is where the disciple Simon was coming from. He was a zealot. Knowing this, what was Jesus thinking about inviting these two into the inner circle of his disciples? They were polar opposites on the political spectrum in Israel at the time. They have been taught to hate and vilify each other. Yet, there was something about Jesus that transcended their politics and gave them a greater purpose. They were able to see each other as brothers in Christ and work together as Jesus’ disciples. They subscribed to a higher purpose that transcended their political views.

         And it is this that I believe we are called to as Christ-followers. I know for a fact that we have Republicans, Democrats, Independents, Libertarians, and people who will choose not to vote or write in someone else, sitting right here in our church. But the thing that we all have in common is Jesus Christ and what he has done for us, and what he calls us to be through the Holy Spirit. While we can do a whole sermon series on the nine Fruit of the Spirit, I want us to zero in on the fact that KINDNESS is one of them.

         I am reminded of the passage in Micah 6:8 that says:

What does the LORD require of you

But to do justice, and to love kindness,

And to walk humbly with your God?

So, in Micah, we are encouraged to stand up for justice and what we believe is right, but to do that with kindness and humility, not with anger and demonization of those who think differently than you. Be kind to others. Show respect and love, understanding that we are all created in God’s image.

         I am also reminded of a passage that has greatly impacted my view of God Himself. Paul is writing his letter to the Romans, making the case that we should be careful not to judge others to lift ourselves up. When we do, we are showing contempt towards God and all He has done for us. Paul states:
Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?

         So, get that and let it sink in: God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance. Of all people who have the right to judge us, it is God himself. If we are honest with ourselves, we don’t stand a chance compared to God’s perfect holiness. Yet, it was His KINDNESS, FORBEARANCE, and PATIENCE with us that drew us in to experience his love and acceptance. God’s overwhelming patience and kindness towards us is truly something to wrap our minds around, especially during this political season. Let us be people who reflect the kindness that God gave to us and lavish it out to others.

         If your family is like my family, you have people on both sides of the political spectrum. And even though conversations at Thanksgiving and Christmas may raise one’s blood pressure a bit, we still deeply love each other and try to show kindness to each other. If someone is in need, our homes and resources are available to each other. Don’t ever shut people out of your life simply because they think or voted differently than you. Instead, let us be people of compassion and kindness towards all.

It is time for us to realize the importance of our faith impacting all areas of our lives. While I am a big believer in the separation of church and state, sometimes I wonder if we are misunderstanding the purpose of that belief. We live in a country where the government cannot impose a specific religion on the people. But this does not mean we separate our faith from our politics in the context of the church. Now, what I am not saying is that we should endorse a candidate or tell everyone which party to subscribe to. But we should allow our faith to be the grid through which we sift our thinking of politics. Our faith should help to shape our thinking on politics. Now, do all Christians think the same way? No. Absolutely not. There are good Christians on both sides of the political spectrum. I subscribe to the fact that both parties reflect good and bad ideas for this country. And it is important that we all pray and wrestle with who we think has a better vision for our country moving forward. But we must ground our thoughts and ideas about politics in the goodness and kindness of God towards us and others.

I’m reminded of what Paul told the Galatian church when they were getting all divisive over what it meant to be a “real” Christian. Paul went after the categories they were trying to force everyone into and said the Galatian believers need to think differently in chapter 3. Paul states:

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

I would extend this passage to the American church to say there is neither progressive nor conservative, Republican or Democrat, instead, we are all one in Christ. I honestly believe the only thing that will ever save our country, or any country for that sake, is for the church to be the church. The church needs to rise above the anger and hate that is becoming so prevalent in politics all around the world and be the best representation of Jesus Christ to others. We need to be people of kindness and grace towards all.

         Many of the mission trips I have taken teens and adults on connect us with a local church in the area where we go. I do not ask that they make sure we sign up with a church that thinks exactly like us. There have been times we have been connected to a conservative, rural or suburban church, while at other times, we have been partnered with progressive urban churches. My hope is that I can help teens and adults consider different perspectives of Christian thought that we may agree or disagree with respectfully, but we can still keep Jesus central to what holds us in common. For at least one week out of the Summer! We ought to be able to come together and show grace and kindness to each other, understanding that we all come from different walks of life, but ultimately, Jesus is the center of all our lives.

         There is one final challenge that I want to give you for this month. Let’s all commit to praying for our current president and those who are running for president and vice president for the next term. I am not necessarily telling you how to pray. But I am asking you to pray, recognizing that these are real people, many of whom are members of churches, so some of them are brothers and sisters in Christ! The problem is that some of us allow our political views to shade the spiritual reality of these people. All of them need our prayers. We want to see God impact their lives and lead them well. Their success is reflective of our success. Also, we must be reminded again and again no matter who is in the White House, Jesus is still on His throne, and His kingdom will not be shaken.

         So, KINDNESS is our keyword for this month. It is a reminder to you that our faith overrides our politics when it comes to our relationships with others. So, here is the deal: we have t-shirts, stickers, and yard signs for you with the reminder that we are to do unto others by being kind. There is a suggested price for these things, but I would love to see many of you wear your t-shirts this month, put your yard signs out, and stick that sticker somewhere you will see it every day as a reminder that we are to treat all people with kindness and grace. We are neither Republican nor Democrat, but we are all one in Christ Jesus. Let’s make it a practice to live by the golden rule, especially during this time.

May it be so.

A Ghost Story – Matthew 14:22-33

/ Scott Russ / Leave a comment

Well, we spent three weeks talking about gratitude leading up to Thanksgiving as we skipped right over one of my most favorite holidays: Halloween! I always look forward to the month of October because a lot of the streaming channels offer up a bunch of new scary movies throughout the month. This year was no different. There were scary movies and shows galore! I picked out the ones that intrigued me, and I enjoyed them! I did discover something about myself this year, however. I do much better when I allow myself to be afraid when I know this is all fake: Actors are doing their thing, and directors are using creative camera angles and music to stir up a feeling of fear, dread, and tension! But I have a much harder time watching something if I know it is based on a real event. My mind wrestles with all these questions of how this could happen and what about the real-life victims. But one movie that was a blast to watch that came out in the ’80s was a film by Steven Spielberg named “Poltergeist.” In this movie, we meet a family that discovers their house is haunted! They deal with ghosts and all kinds of weird stuff! It is a classic, in my opinion.

         We like manufactured fear. When we know that these are actors, props, music, lighting, and camera angles that are supposed to manipulate us to be afraid, we love it! Well, at least most of us do! There is a BIG difference between fake fear and real fear.

Over the past few weeks in youth group, we have been talking about our mental and emotional health, especially in how we handle emotions of joy, sadness, fear, disgust, and anger. These are all normal feelings we deal with all the time. Today we are going to talk about FEAR.

I recently participated in an online conference by the Fuller Youth Institute focusing on Post-Pandemic Youth Ministry. In one session entitled “5 Critical Changes in Post-Pandemic Youth Ministry”, speakers Kara Powell and Brad Griffin explained that one of the biggest challenges with teens today is helping them with instability because of all that has happened with coming out of a pandemic. This caused a lot of instability, bringing about a crisis of anxiety, depression, and suicide. Quoting from the April 23 edition of the New York Times in an article entitled “It’s Life or Death: The Mental Health Crisis Among U.S. Teens,” states that “Three decades ago, the gravest public health threats to teenagers in the United States came from binge drinking, drunken driving, teenage pregnancy, and smoking. These have fallen sharply, replaced by a new public health concern: soaring rates of mental health disorders.” When we let fear get the best of us, it can cause a lot of damage leading to anxiety, depression, and suicide. There is a lot to be said about this crisis that many are going through and how we are handling it. We have been confronted with many things that have stoked fear in and among us: the pandemic, the economy, inflation, politics, war, the threat of nuclear war, mass shootings, racism, nationalism, antisemitism, and any number of phobias. We are in a crisis as a nation. If our kids aren’t doing well, neither are we.

So, what do we do when we are faced with genuine fear? How do we manage that? I want us to look at a ghost story in the Bible. Yes! I said ghost story! At least, that is what the disciples of Jesus thought. Let me give you some context. Jesus begins his ministry with his baptism. He calls out those whom he chooses to be his disciples. Then Jesus begins doing ministry with the disciples. He heals people of disease and deformities; he miraculously feeds thousands of people with only a few loaves and fish; and now, in the context of the passage we will look at, Jesus found out about his cousin John being beheaded by Herod. So, Jesus is exhausted from ministry and mourning the loss of his cousin. He wants to be alone and process all that is going on. We pick up our story for today in the gospel of Matthew 14. It tells us that:

Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

So, we notice here that Jesus chose not to go with the disciples into the boat and instead opted for some time alone to process his thoughts and pray. But we also see that things did not bode well for the disciples. Keep in mind that a handful of these guys were fishermen by trade. They are very familiar with the weather and its effect on bodies of water, especially when boats are in it!

         At a previous church which was in a town right on the shores of Lake Erie, I got invited one time to go on an early morning fishing expedition. I was excited to go! Most of my early years have involved being very close to the Great Lakes. I love the lake culture up North. With my experience growing up near the lake, I was confident in my abilities to go on this fishing trip. I chose to ignore the other guys who were taking Dramamine pills to help prevent the possibility of motion sickness. Inside my mind, I was laughing and mocking them, feeling very confident in my lake experiences from my past. I had no fear! Bring it on! No pills for me!

As we went on our trip, I did happen to notice that the boat did seem to be rocking quite a bit. The water was choppy. I went below deck a couple of times to use the restroom, and in those moments, I noticed that the boat rocking seemed even more pronounced. Something started coming over me that I didn’t quite understand. I went back on deck, trying hard to brush it all off. The LAST thing I wanted to happen was for me to get sick in front of all these guys. Well, sure enough, after some time went by, I increasingly felt sick. I tried to ignore it, but I soon leaned over the boat’s edge, barfing into the lake. It was quite embarrassing while all the Dramamine guys were laughing at me. And that was just a somewhat choppy lake. This was not even a full-blown storm.

So, as we look at our story, these former fishermen were in a boat in the middle of a lake when a storm came upon them. Nowhere to go, dealing with the winds and the waves. Then something very unusual happens! Something that throws them all off because it is nothing that they ever expected and anticipated. Let’s pick up the story:

25 Shortly before dawn, Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said and cried out in fear.

Jesus does something that defies logic and science. He walks out on the water towards the boat. Since this would not be a logical option for the disciples to consider, they immediately conclude that something paranormal is happening, and they think they see a ghost approaching the boat. Nowhere to go. Nowhere to run. They are trapped.

One time while in college, I was invited by some friends to go to a haunted house and hayride. We split into groups when it was our turn to go through the house. I was with a girl who was a friend of mine. From what I remember, most of this haunted house was pitch-black darkness as you tried to find your way through it. But suddenly, I saw a lighted area coming up. As we entered the hallway and began to walk through it, there was a person dressed up as Freddy Krueger, the Nightmare on Elm Street bad boy. There was a rail that separated us as he leaned towards us, swiping at us as we walked by, holding on to each other tightly. As we left him behind us, thoughts started going through my mind as all the Nightmare on Elm Street movies began to repeat themselves throughout my mind. Just when you think Freddy Krueger is gone, he always finds a way to get you when you least expect it! With that going through my mind, I casually glanced behind me to ensure the creepy, bad guy was not stalking us.

Sure enough, as if it were in slow motion, he leaped over the rail that was separating us from him, and he began to run toward us. I immediately did what any Alpha Male would have done. I dropped the hand of the girl and began running as fast as I could, leaving her in my dust. Little did I know that the next hallway we were to go down was all painted black, so I did not notice the turn, and I ran full steam into a black wall. I landed on the ground, and both lenses popped out of my glasses. The girl casually caught up with me with a look of surprise and disgust! So that’s how it is, huh?!?

As we look at the disciple’s situation, they did not have anywhere to go. They were trapped. A ghost was approaching the boat. What were they to do? Jesus finally speaks up as he might be sensing that things are not right with the disciples, who were all pointing at him and panicking. The Scripture says that:

27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

Jesus identifies himself and tells the disciples not to be afraid. Easier said than done. There must be questions and doubts going through their minds as they wrestle with this new information. Peter was the first to reply with a strange request. He says:

28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

There are so many other things Peter could have requested to know whether this was truly Jesus. He could have asked for the secret handshake! He could have asked Jesus a question only he would know the answer to. What number am I thinking of right now? What is the air speed velocity of an unladen swallow? African or European? Any question would have done better than what Peter ended up doing. Peter says, “If it is you, tell me to come out on the water!” When you think about it, this is either crazy or gutsy!

Jesus responds:

29 “Come,” he said.

Now I want us to appreciate what Peter is doing here. How many disciples are staying in the boat and holding on for dear life? All of them! How many would have never thought to jump out of the boat? The rest of them, except Peter! How many tried to stop Peter because this seemed like a crazy test? None. 11 disciples held on for safety and security, never once thinking that going out to Jesus was even an option.

Trust me! Peter gets a lot of flak in scripture for shooting his mouth off, denying Jesus three times, and arguing with Jesus against going to the cross. But I love what Peter does here! If it is really you, tell me to come on out! And Jesus tells him to come. Let’s see what happens with the rest of our story:

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water, and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

31 Immediately, Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

So, there is a lot to unpack here. Peter does the unthinkable and impossible here. He lands his feet on the water, maintains his balance without sinking, and begins to walk out to Jesus. A miracle is occurring that is defying science as we know it. Peter is walking out to Jesus. But then, Peter looked around at the winds and the waves, and that is when fear gripped him as he began to sink. He cries out to Jesus, and Jesus catches him and brings him back to the boat. This had to be an outstanding and unbelievable event for all the disciples but especially Peter.

Now, let’s wrestle with the question of did Peter fail. Was he the loser in the story here? In the book “If You Want to Walk on the Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat,” by John Ortberg, the author states that,

“I suppose in a way he did. His faith wasn’t strong enough. His doubts were stronger. ‘He saw the wind.’ He took his eyes off of where they should have been. He sank. He failed. But here is what I think. I think there were eleven bigger failures sitting in the boat. They failed privately. Their failure went unnoticed, unobserved, uncriticized. Only Peter knew the shame of public failure. But only Peter knew two other things as well. Only Peter knew the glory of walking on the water. He alone knew what it was to attempt to do what he was not capable of doing on his own, then feeling the euphoria of being empowered by God to actually do it. … And only Peter knew the glory of being lifted up by Jesus in a moment of desperate need. … The worst failure is not to sink in the waves. The worst failure is to never get out of the boat.” (23).

See, I fear that we have more in common with the other disciples than with Peter. We like our safety and security. We like comfort. We resist opportunities to put ourselves out there where we must put our full trust in God and what He wants to do with our lives.

Our story picks up when Jesus and Peter enter the boat, and the weather dies down. At this point, the disciples recognize that Jesus is much, much more than just a good teacher who can do some miracles, but that he is truly the Son of God. In other gospels, we see Jesus rebuke the winds and the waves, and the elements obey him. This had to really push the boundaries of what the disciples thought about Jesus. Many were hoping for a political leader to overthrow the Romans and establish the Jews as their own people. Little did they know that Jesus’ mission was much, much bigger than that. He came to be the Savior of the whole world, which had to be accomplished through the cross.   

Jesus said to Peter, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

I think that many of us find ourselves in the same situation that Peter is in. We see the winds and the waves around us, and it causes fear. You might have looked at the election results, and some of it brought on a sense of anxiety and dread. Or maybe you are heading into the holiday season with much fear and anxiety. It is so easy to get caught up in all that is going on in our communities and country and think that if we just had the right person, all would be better! When we focus our eyes on the winds and waves of politics, work, and family, we will always sink.

So, what about you? What makes you afraid? What are the storms going on in your life that have you feeling anxious, nervous, and afraid? You may have a very basic fear that we can all relate to, like the fear of being hurt, physically or emotionally; a fear of the death of a loved one; a fear of war. Whatever our fears are, we need to teach ourselves how to focus on Jesus and give over any fears we might have to Him. Peter was able to do the impossible with his eyes focused on Jesus. When he focused on his surroundings, he began to sink and become afraid.

Church, this is what we need to do! We need to stop treating Jesus as just some part of our life. We need to realize that He is the author of our life, and He created us for such a time as this! We are here for a purpose. He designed us for a reason. There is a lot in life that can cause us to live in a constant state of fear and anger. We can give into those fears, or we can trust our whole life over to God, who is our Rock, our Light, and our Salvation! Do we truly believe this? How can we keep our focus on Jesus and what he is doing with our lives instead of caving into the fears that are all around us?

         In the book I previously mentioned, the final chapter is titled “How Big Is Your God?”. The author John Ortberg writes:

“I strongly believe that the way we live is a consequence of the size of our God. The problem many of us have is that our God is too small. We are not convinced that we are absolutely safe in the hands of a fully competent, all-knowing, ever-present God. When we wake up in the morning, what happens if we live with a small God? We live in a constant state of fear and anxiety because everything depends on us. Our mood will be governed by our circumstances. We live in a universe that leaves us deeply vulnerable. … When human beings shrink God, they offer prayers without faith, work without passion, service without joy, suffering without hope. It results in fear, retreat, loss of vision, and failure to persevere.” (192-193).

Is your conception of God big enough for you to step away from your sense of safety and security and trust Him in all areas of your life? Or have you dwindled down your idea of God to the point where He is merely an accessory to your life, only available when you need Him? We need a much bigger vision of Jesus and how he comes into our lives. Remember the reaction the disciples had once everyone was in the boat and everything finally calmed down. They worshiped Jesus and realized then that he was truly the Son of God. Even their previous idea of Jesus needed to expand. He was more than a teacher. He was more than a good person. He was more than a leader. He was God in the flesh. He calls us to step out in faith and trust Him with the impossible. Are you doing that with your time? Your giving? Your work? Your family?

What needs to change for you to step out of your boat and give up all your fears and anxieties to Jesus, trusting that He will guide your path; that He will do amazing and incredible things with your life once you surrender to him? Let’s commit ourselves to expanding our view of Jesus to understand that he is with us in our pain, grief, and fears. He tells us to FEAR NOT and follow him. Are you looking at the winds and waves of our culture, or are you focused on Jesus, who is our Rock, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever? As Christ-followers, we must find our foundation in him and stand firm with courage, knowing that our faith will produce good fruit when we trust in Him.