Surprised by Joy
February 28, 2021 • Rev. James M. Holland • Galatians 1:11–17
The Fight of Your Life
May 2, 2021 • Rev. James M. Holland • Galatians 5:16–21
While our culture, increasingly dissatisfied with the mundane, continues to encourage us to seek out the new and the novel, more often than not the Bible tells us, in our dissatisfied moments and struggles, to remember. This is a constant theme in the Psalms, for instance, as often when the psalmist is in deep lament the thing that brings him out of his malaise is to remember what God has done for him. There is never a Pollyanna answer to our suffering and sin, rather we are told to behold who God is and what he has done. Remember who you are. Paul does the same thing in Galatians as he encourages some believers who started well, but now find themselves in a quagmire of trouble. In our passage for Sunday we see a realistic exposition on how to thrive in the new life we have in Jesus. I say realistic because becoming more like Jesus (which is to find real freedom) is not a straight line, nor do we always feel like we are actually making progress. It is also a fight––the fight of your life. While we do have a great inheritance in Jesus, we still carry our sinful nature with us. It is an ever-present reality and an imposing reality. And yet the Bible says we have everything necessary for finding abundant life in Jesus, even and especially among the ruins of the culture around us. This is so important because we are told everywhere in Scripture to continue to “build gardens in Babylon,” which is an apt metaphor for what Christian growth looks like. He actually calls transformation in an ordinary believer “the fruit of the Spirit.” I stepped into this passage on Monday morning after dealing with some particular “besetting” sin in my life that had me literally in the fetal position. I was bewildered, wondering if there was any hope for me. And this passage was like smelling salts for my weary soul. And, yes, there is hope for me and all who are weary and heavy-laden! Join us Sunday, live and in person or via livestream. Also join us for Sunday School! This will be our last week for both Children’s and Adult Sunday School as we move into summer rhythms. Blessings, Jim
Grace and Peace
February 21, 2021 • Rev. Joshua Smith • Galatians 1:1–10
Man, it was a welcome change to cancel things for reasons other than the pandemic! This was a week filled with surprises and adventure for our family, which is another way of saying, inconveniences and extreme discomfort. It’s always both, isn’t it? The thrill and wonder of record-breaking flurries alongside the burdens of heartache and grief. Snow angels and frostbite. Our family lost a dear mentor this week as well as a cousin in his early twenties, just days apart. We were unable to travel and mourn with family and friends the way we wanted to, but we’re also grateful for technology that provided some consolation and connection. We had to change our plans for birthdays and miss out on our Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday plans entirely. But there was sledding and cake! Not a day goes by that we aren't grateful for our whiteboard calendar, so easily amended. I was reminded of a bit in C.S. Lewis’ fantasy novel Perelandra this week as we once again had the terrible privilege of explaining to children that plans had changed. In the book, Dr. Ransom finds himself a tourist on a beautiful, newly created planet, unburdened by sin. At one point he has a conversation with one of the unfallen humans about how he’s looking for a certain kind of fruit he’d stumbled upon earlier. The alien Eve then responds wisely, “You could send your soul after the good you had expected, instead of turning it to the good you had got. You could refuse the real good; but you would make the real fruit taste insipid by thinking of the other...” Boy, I wish our own Eve and that guy I see in the mirror every day could have learned this lesson the easy way. We ruin the good God has provided for us by insisting in our hearts that we have a right to the good we had expected. This year, our Lenten season dovetails with a stretch of the New City Catechism focused on the Law. Bummer upon bummer, am I right? Surely, we’ve had a whole Lenten year filled with fasting from our favorite things! Can’t we just take a break from the downers? I’m sympathetic to this view, personally. And yet, I also wonder if there isn’t a deeper kind of joy awaiting us if we can simply receive the given good. Our new series on Galatians is called “Grace Is Everything,” and I can’t wait to begin this conversation about how the Law, like so many other things, can be a good means of grace as long as we don’t try to replace the gospel with it! I truly believe there is genuine, abundant grace hidden just under a layer of soft, powdery inconvenience, if only we would grab some mittens and a shovel and begin to dig. Speaking of inconvenience, we have some faithful members clearing out the parking lot on Saturday and plan to have it ready for in-person attendees at worship, but we’ll make a final call on Saturday and let you know. Our service this weekend will be livestreamed at the very least. We also get to install two elders to our active Session, so we’re excited to celebrate with you all! - josh