Spiritual Parenting (Are you a Child; a Daughter or Son; or a Spiritual Mother or Father?) May 24, 2020 Good morning and Happy Memorial Day weekend! Welcome to the Sunday morning message for May 24, 2020, at Cross Creek Community Church in lovely Port Orange and New Smyrna Beach Florida. I hope you’ve already worshiped to the setlist music we’ve provided. It’s always so good to center ourselves in the Lord through His Holy Spirit before we ever bring His message from His Word to you. If you didn’t worship before, please do so afterwards. This weekend is more than just the kickoff to the summer, believe it or not! It’s also a weekend set aside to remember those who gave their lives for our country. President Trump said he would also dedicate this weekend to those who lost their lives to the covid-19 virus. We join him in praying for comfort for those families and friends this weekend. In fact, let’s pray. [Pray those words, and protection for those viewing…] I hope you’ll take time to watch the brief video “Freedom isn’t Free” on our FB page. Also, I highly recommend the Memorial Day Concert tonight at 8p. It’s always a very beautiful and moving tribute to the men and women of our armed services who’ve given their lives for us. And I hope you’ll think about Jesus Christ, most of all, through this whole weekend. I can’t think of anyone who’s ever given of their life more intentionally to save others, than Him. If you don’t know Him already, this Memorial Day, I hope you’ll begin… Many of us think of beloved parents, grandparents, uncles or aunts who have gone on before us who served our country in the Armed Forces, this special weekend. For many of us, they were our parents. We thank them for, remember, and honor, their sacrifice. Memorial Day falls between Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day, every year! We honor our moms. We honor our dads. And we remember, in between. So it seems only fitting that today we think about our spiritual parents, too. Who was it in your life that mentored you spiritually? Who coached you in how to know Christ and be filled with His Holy Spirit. Who taught you how to pray? How to tithe? Who showed you how to read the Bible? (Or as a child, read it to you?) Who trained you, supported you, corrected you, was there for you, and believed in you? Please let them know how much you appreciate how they invested in your life. Drop them a note. Give them a call. And let’s decide that we, in turn, want to invest in the lives of others, too. In our Dove Elders book, there’s a great story at the beginning of the chapter entitled “Investing in Spiritual Sons and Daughters.” It tells the story of a man named Don Finto, and a young man he spiritually fathered. His name was Michael W. Smith. Michael W. Smith, of course, is the contemporary Christian singer many of us have listened to and worshiped with for many years. In our family, he’s especially loved because he’s from my mom’s same hometown of Kenova, W.Va.! For over twenty years, Finto laughed, cried, worshiped, prayed and traveled with Smith in a father-son type of relationship. Smith said “I could write a book about Finto. He’s my daddy in the Lord. I don’t think I’d be where I am today if it hadn’t been for Don.” Do you have a daddy, or mommy, in the Lord? Someone who believed in you when no one else did? Someone who could see more in you than you could see in yourself? Good spiritual parents take responsibility for their spiritual children. They have compassion for them. If you’re still a child, spiritually, ask the Lord to place someone in your life who can pay close attention to you and nudge you towards spiritual maturity. Pray for someone who is spiritually mature who will sow into your life, eventually bringing you to the point where you can become a spiritual parent yourself. And if you are spiritually mature, and fit the criteria we’ll mention soon, please ask the Lord who He would have you be a spiritual papa or mama to. This is a time of year when graduates are honored too. We give a shout out to them today as well. Especially this year where graduations are like no other! Congrats Grads! When we spiritually parent someone and they eventually “graduate,” there’s no greater joy than to see someone you’ve sown spiritual seed into blossom and grow and produce great fruit for the Kingdom of God. There is no greater joy than to be used by the Lord to further His kingdom. The rewards of that work and commitment will last forever. The elders of our church are committed to doing this with the next generation of leaders. But everyone is expected to grow up spiritually, just as babies become children and then eventually, adults. God’s will is for everyone to become a spiritual parent. But you must grow up, first. Let’s let this Memorial Day 2020 be a time we look back on one day and say, that was when the Kingdom got a Big Boost as people looked at themselves through the lens of a pandemic and said, let’s make a big difference eternally! Let’s do this! Next Sunday is Pentecost Sunday too. As one Dove leader recently said, “Let’s stir faith and expectancy for breakthrough and miracles!” Where do you need breakthrough? Where do you need a miracle? Let’s begin to seek God for that right now! Did you know it takes an average of two months to develop a habit that sticks? We’ve been “sheltering in place” for the most part, for two months now. What habit have you developed that you want to keep practicing? Some of us have picked up the habit of rest. Some of us, Zoom meetings. Others of us, exercising outdoors. Probably most of us, frequent handwashing! (And all the medical personnel say… YEA! Finally!) What have you done to grow closer to God, to grow spiritually? What spiritual habits might you have begun practicing two months ago that you’ll keep? Practicing new spiritual disciplines? Reading the Bible? Prayer? Let’s take a little test. People love to take self-exams on Facebook all the time. (We might want to cut back on that as it opens us up to computer viruses…) The self tests tell people all kinds of wonderful things we want to hear about ourselves. So let’s take a little test this morning. Do you think you’re a Child, Daughter/Son, or Adult when it comes to where you are spiritually? If you’re a child you want “fed.” You don’t read the Bible for yourself, or pray, or practice many if any spiritual disciplines. You want to be read to. Sometimes. And prayed for. But rarely pray for others. And certainly not out loud. And spiritual disciplines? What are those? You are still learning what it means to follow Jesus. If you’re a son/daughter, you may have begun to read the Bible for yourself. You might even have memorized a Scripture or two. You may even know the books of the Bible in order. You probably pray. And maybe even for others. But if you’re a grown-up, spiritually, the Word of God lives in you! You’ve learned to apply the Bible to your own lives. When you are tempted or challenged, you know what God’s Word says and you know what to do (or not to do) to overcome! You love to tithe at least 10% of your net income because your heart is so thankful to the Lord for all He has provided for you. You enjoy giving offerings too. You love to serve others. You’ve learned to use the strength of spiritual discipline, of prayer, and the study of the Word. On April 1, we happily became officially engaged to Dove International. This humble, Spirit-filled, Bible believing family of God loves to see people grow to become spiritual parents. From one of the books, it says “God’s will is for everyone to become a spiritual parent.” (“Elders,” p. 166-67.) On Mother’s Day, when I finally got on Facebook later that morning, I invited everyone to pray about who they can spiritually parent. But I want to amend that invitation. Not everyone is ready to be a spiritual parent. First we need to identify where we are in our spiritual growth. Then, determine to get to the next level. And, eventually, that of a spiritual parent. Ask God to help, He will! {Pray…] Here are FIVE characteristics of someone who is qualified to be a spiritual mother or father. See which ones apply to you. Then ask the Lord to grow you in any which don’t: 1) Spiritual fathers and mothers are mature believers who have grown and become fruitful in their Christian walk; 2) They have a profound and thorough knowledge of Jesus through knowing His Word. 3) They are deeply acquainted with God and have a strong passion for Jesus. 4) They understand what it takes to be a spiritual parent and 5) Are willing to pay the price to become one. (From “The Biblical Role of Elders for Today’s Church.”) Just as a natural parent pours his or her life into their chlild, so a spiritual parent does too. Paying the price sounds like a Memorial Day thought. How willing are we to pay the price of investing into someone else’s life? First, let’s invest in our own, if we haven’t already! Let’s grow up in Christ and demonstrate the fruit of God’s spirit in our lives. Let’s get so much of the Bible into us that it oozes out. Let’s really get to know God and not be lukewarm about our faith or our savior. Let’s make it a priority! And then let’s help others along their faith journey too! Our vision statement for Cross Creek Community Church is to be a body of Christ with “fully devoted followers of Christ impacting communities for God.” We cannot impact communities for God if we are not fully devoted followers. Beloved online Facebook viewers, we warmly invite you to become a part of this church home if you don’t already have one. Just send a message to our webpage: http://crosscreekcommunitychurch.org, and we’d LOVE to follow up with you. If you are a part of this body but feel as if you might be a child spiritually, and want to grow, and need a spiritual parent, please let us know that too. We will be in prayer and look very forward to what the Lord is going to continue to do! Looking back through the twelve years we’ve existed as a body of Christ, it’s been amazing to see how the Lord has given us the vision and guided us along the way. We’ve always known we were to primarily serve southwest Port Orange and northwest New Smyrna Beach, Florida. In 2009 we began meeting on Sundays at Creekside Middle School as part of our vision to connect people to God through meeting needs. In 2012 we began our Day School for this same reason. And in 2017 God gave the vision of becoming part of Dove International, which happened this year on April 1. I can’t wait to see what He has for us next. Meanwhile, we yearn to see the people connected with this church grow spiritually. Be fully devoted followers of Christ. Impacting everyone around them with the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Knowing Christ gives us hope no matter what else is going on around us! In our Wednesday Zoom groups, we just finished the (4 ch) book of Colossians. It was one of Paul’s letters written from prison. In it he wants to make sure the church will be strong and healthy. He also wants them to grow spiritually. And impact others for Christ. Let’s look at the last chapter, chapter 4, verses 2-6, to begin with. [Read] Paul tells them, and us, to not just throw an occasional canned prayer to God, but to “devote” ourselves to prayer. The original language says to be “steadfast.” Prayer becomes as natural as breathing for us as we are continually in conversation with God. Listening. Talking. Even in between other things going on around us all the time. As Brother Lawrence taught over 400 yrs ago, we can “Practice the Presence of God,” 24 hrs/day! This is being steadfast. Devoted. Paul doesn’t end his statement there. He adds to it, “being watchful and thankful.” The thought is not complete without the last part. “Devote yourselves to prayer… being watchful and thankful…” As we continue to talk with and listen to God, (prayer), we need also to be alert, spiritually. And always thankful. God’s ways are so good for us. He isn’t some massive, accolade-devouring monster who must have shovelfuls of gratitude thrown into his mouth to stoke his furnace of benevolence. Oh no. He is a wise, loving and compassionate father who knows that when His children walk in gratitude, there is no room for complaining. Or negativity. Or so many of the other things that dry up our souls and make us bitter. When we are thankful we are compassionate, kind, humble, gentle and patient. (What we are to “clothe ourselves in” from Colossian 3:12.) In Colossians 4:3, many people are surprised that Paul asks the people of this church to pray for him and his companions. Because of pride, many of us don’t ask for prayer as often as we could! And what Paul asks for prayer for is also astounding. It’s not for himself. Or his comfort. Or even his freedom. It’s for God to open a door for their message so that they may proclaim the mystery of Christ. And, he adds, may it be clear. Would you pray that we, too, will have more open doors more often to share the good news of the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. And yes please pray that I may be clear. In our Wed. Zoom group this past week, we talked, individually, about why we believe in Jesus. It was humbling to hear of the love that others have for Christ. And the trust. And the hope in Him. So, as Peter tells us in I Peter 3:15, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” I love that Peter also adds to this: “But do this with gentleness and respect…” No matter what our beliefs, people of God need to have conversation, FB posts, emails and texts that are not harsh or disrespectful of others. In fact, Paul says pretty much the same thing in Colossians 4:5 & 6, “Be wise in the way you act towards outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” “Seasoned with salt” means that what we say should be “tasty” and should encourage further conversation. It goes nowhere if it is harsh, rude or boring. Let’s not be harsh, rude, or boring. God and His Kingdom are certainly none of that! The last page of the last chapter of the book of Colossians includes a list of several friends and church leaders who were with Paul. Let’s look at our final Scripture: Colossians 4:12 “Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.” Ephaphras, who we’ve mentioned before, was the pastor of the church at Colossae. He’s the one who brought news of the church to Paul, who then wrote this letter to go back to them, through him. When Paul said he was “one of them,” he was saying he was a Colossian too.” I love how Paul tells this church their pastor, or lead elder, is “wrestling in prayer” for them. That’s what good elders do. It is a joy for us to know that the Apostolic Leadership Council of Dove USA is praying for us several times a week now, too! Wrestling in prayer isn’t easy, but always yields results! What was Epaphras, the Colossian pastor, wrestling in prayer for them? We’re given the answer: That they would stand firm and be mature and fully assured. Stand firm. Be mature. Fully sure of our Savior. Happy Memorial Day weekend. May you honor those who have given their lives for our country, and those who have poured their life into you. May you also want to stand firm in all the will of God (notice that phrase said “all,”) for your life and go on to full maturity and full assurance in Him, too! He’s crazy about you! No one loves you like He does! So let’s “get crackin’” with spiritual growth… shall we? [Pray] Announcement about beginning I Timothy this week…Check out the Bible Project whiteboard 9 min video…
“What if This was the Beginning of the Rest of Your Life? (And, of course, it is!)” May 17, 2020 Good morning and welcome to Cross Creek Community Church. We worship and serve in the Port Orange and New Smyrna Beach, Fl., communities. Let me invite you to get your Bibles out and ready to read this morning. We get to look at a lot of Scriptures together today. Welcome to anyone joining us for the first time. We’re so glad you’re here. Be sure and check out our http://crosscreekcommunitychurch.org for more information about us, my monthly blogs, and so much more. We also have a great phone app: C C Connect. And of course for those who are already members and regular attenders you can also give of your tithe and offerings electronically through either means. {Apologies for last Sunday’s technical difficulties… we worked them out… Thank you for your patience and grace.} We are continuing to move forward, together, through this time of recovery from the covid-19 pandemic. As restrictions are lifted, and hair and nail salons reopen, and restaurants, and now, gyms, too, (at least in Florida), it is a time of celebration. But it is also still a time of care and caution. It is a confusing time. This is why Kelli Martin’s message from last week was so important. During this unsettled and uncertain time, it is imperative that we keep our eyes “on the cue ball.” Her analogy was that, as Christians, just as a good pool, or billiards, player keeps their eye on the cue ball for a better chance at a successful game, so we need to keep our eyes on Christ, for a better life. Especially during this time. The writer of Hebrews tells us essentially the same thing in chapter twelve verse two. In fact, the original language suggests that we are able to run this race, (this journey of a faith life), with endurance (or perseverance), by looking to Jesus - the founder and perfecter of our faith! Just before Hebrews 12:2 comes… you got it! Hebrews 12:1. And in Hebrews 12:1, we’re told we are encompassed, (or surrounded) by a great cloud of witnesses. Hebrews lists many of our ancestors in the faith, in chapter 11. We call it the “Hebrews Hall of Faith Fame.” You can add to the list people you know and love (and miss) who believed in Christ and are also among that great cloud of witnesses cheering us all on to the finish line! These “witnesses” have already finished the race and have gone on to Heaven ahead of us. It is this promise of Heaven which is an essential piece of our Christian faith that I want to peace with you about this morning. It is looking forward to seeing some of those witnesses someday that I want you to think about this morning. And it is the founder, or author, of our faith, Jesus Christ, (the Messiah, the Anointed One, the Son of God, the One who willingly gave His life for all of us), and our relationship with HIM, that I also want to talk with you about, and have you think about, this morning. So, let us pray! [Pray: 1) Con’d protection from the coronavirus. 2) Eradication of the disease. 3) Strength, wisdom and peace for all of us during this time of readjustment. 4) Financial provision - and gratitude to God for where that’s happened already! 5) His Spirit speaking to our hearts to receive His message from His Word today. “Ears to hear…” 6) Help us to grow in understanding of the truth and strength of our Christian faith which gives us HOPE of HEAVEN and seeing those “witnesses,” and most importantly of all, 7) our relationship with God!] So I want to ask you this morning: What if, on Monday, you were told that you were going to die soon? {Disclaimer of course we declare health and healing and fighting supernaturally, etc. But just for the sake of the question, indulge me just for a moment…} How would that change things for you, and those around you? What might you do differently? What might they do differently? Would there be more tenderness? Would hard hearts soften? Would stiff necks loosen? How might priorities change? As we’ve gone through these last two months of sheltering in place at home, or quarantining, what have we learned? What have we given up that we don’t want to take back? In what ways have we become more relaxed, more rested, more peaceful? What have we taken on that we will continue to practice? Many of us are much more rested now. Many of us have stayed home more than ever before. (Our pets, and organized drawers and pantries, are loving it!) Perhaps we can carry some of that forward. Perhaps some of us can choose to stay home more often. Spend more time with more people and pets who love us. Spend more time with the One who loves us most. Perhaps some of us can choose to work from home more. (This sure cuts down on carbon emissions and the skies over LA clearer than ever in decades; and canals of Venice clearer than in many, many years.) Perhaps we can (continue to) cook at home more, and save money, and eat healthier. The money we save we can send to places that have no food at all! (Marty’s request! Can make a note for this fund under comments for now; after Monday Sharon will have a designated line for “Food for Kadawa.”) Perhaps we can exercise in our neighborhoods more, and continue to get to know our neighbors better. Perhaps we can even be the church and meet some needs! Perhaps we’ve adopted a slower and more meaningful pace. (I know for you who’ve continued to work outside the home, and even added homeschooling too, this may not be true for you. Yet. ) The point is evaluation of our frenetic pace as a society has been brought to a screeching halt. And there are parts of it that are good for us. Let’s not lose that. Perhaps some have adopted a slower and more meaningful pace. Not being so busy all the time has translated into people who are more rested, relaxed and creative. More fully present to the others in their lives. Most of all, I hope you’ve taken up the habit of daily prayer and Bible reading. Of spending time with and getting to know God better. If you’ve had a busier time than usual in contrast to much of the rest of the world, I hope you’ll have a quieter and calmer time ahead of you. I hope you’ll carve out time to be with the Lover of your soul. The One who loves you most. I hope you’ll get to know Him, or get to know Him better. If you were told tomorrow you’d be leaving this earth soon, you’d want that relationship with Christ to be in place! You’d want that friendship with God to be familiar And you’d want to make sure the Holy Spirit knows you well. There’s a curious story in Acts chapter 19 about the “seven sons of Sceva” who were trying to imitate Paul. [Read Acts 19:11-15.] Are you known, even among the evil spirits, as someone who loves Christ? Or would they just look at each other if you tried to do something in Jesus’ name, and ask, who’s that?! Instead, may they tremble at the sound of each and every one of our names as we are known as people who know Jesus well and are filled to overflowing with His Spirit and His power! We can proclaim “in the name of Jesus,” and the devil must flee. James 4:7 & 8 says, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you.” Have you drawn near to God. Does He know you? If not, you might want to get busy on that. I will tell you right now, from personal experience, that it will be your relationship with God, and nothing else, which will be what matters should you be told you’ll be leaving this earth soon. Peace floods your soul as you know the One who has always been there for you will continue to be so. Assurance replaces doubt as you know if it’s your time to go, He’ll be with you all the way. Some of you have had or even now are walking through this experience. You know that our faith makes all the difference. And then, as you go through these-are-your-last-days-on-earth thinking, you think of Heaven. Our real home. And you think of all “the witnesses,” or people you have know and loved who have died who believed in Christ, and you look forward to seeing them once more! I want to invite you to take some time after this morning’s message to make a list of everyone you’ve loved who has died and were in Christ and are now one of those “cloud of witnesses” cheering us on. You’ll be surprised how the list will grow. You’ll be surprised how many there are you’ve forgotten about. And in the process you may grieve some. And that’s okay! We are a society who doesn’t allow ourselves to grieve. It’s not only okay, it’s healthy to acknowledge those feelings. Don’t stay there, but let yourself get them out. And then rejoice that you know where they’ve gone and you know where you’re going! It’s important to understand, this morning, that Christianity is the one true faith that gives us hope of eternal life because of Christ! When I do funerals it’s always a relief to be able to share the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Because of faith in Him, our loved ones have gone there to His Kindom in Heaven. Because of faith in Him, I believe I will too. Not only will I get to live forever after with Him, but I suspect I’ll get to see all those loved ones too! We won’t be reincarnated. We won’t be angels. (He already has plenty of those. Read Revelation 5:11.) We will be who we are in spirit, and also like Jesus when we get to our real home. Romans 8:29 tells us we’re slowly being “conformed to” Christ. The Greek word for this is “soom mor fos.” Notice how it sounds a bit like… morphing into something…similar! That’s the definition! We slowly become more and more similar to Christ as we get to know Him better and grow in our relationship with Him! God does the work, we just make ourselves available! How are you doing at making yourself available to Him? The beautiful thing about our faith is it’s not too late. You can start right where you are and begin that relationship with Him. You can choose today to begin to spend time daily in His presence and in His Word and in prayer, and get to know Him better. I John 3:1-3 says… [Read this…] This past week we read in Colossians ch 3 about how we are “God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved.” We spoke those words over each other. They are powerful. And they sound like John in the Scripture we just read. We have hope that we’re headed to Heaven. We have hope of seeing our loved ones in Christ again. And we have hope that we can continue to get to know God better. To get to know God better we have to regularly search ourselves and confess sin - anything that has come between us and God or others. The Holy Spirit is very good at gently bringing to mind any of theses offenses. Just ask. It’s good to begin that private time with God some mornings with a prayer from the end of Psalm 139 (:23,24) “Search me, oh God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me; and lead me in the way everlasting.” Then He gives us the courage to say we’re sorry, and to then turn away from that behavior. This is called purification. John wrote in I John 3:3 that all of us who have this hope of a Heavenly future “purify ourselves, just as He is pure.” After all, we can’t meet with God if we haven’t “purified ourselves,” because God is holy! He said, “Be holy, because I am holy.” (I Peter 1:16) Christ has already taken care of our salvation and sin’s control over us, but we still need to be in control over the sin that still tries to creep into our lives. We can recognize it, confess it to God, and then find forgiveness. Then we can hang out with God all we want! The Message tells us about sin in Romans 6 in a way you won’t forget. Here these words from Romans 6:12-14, The Message: “That means you must not give sin a vote in the way you conduct your lives. Don’t give it the time of day. Don’t even run little errands that are connected with that old way of life. Throw yourselves wholeheartedly and full-time … into God’s way of doing things! Sin can’t tell you how to live. After all, you’re not living under that old tyranny any longer. You’re living in the freedom of God.” Beloved, we’re living in the freedom of God when we belong to Christ. We’re Heaven-bound. We’re looking forward to Heavenly reunions. And we’re growing in relationship with the One who makes it all possible. You could say we’re “storing up treasures in Heaven.” (Matthew 6:19,20) If you’re told your time on earth is coming to an end, (aside from the obvious spiritually strong and mature response of… uh uh… wrong address…etc.,) you need to have lived in such a way that your heart is in the right place. And if this message is getting to you along those lines, it’s never too late to start! Jesus made it clear that having the wrong treasures, or priorities, leads to our hearts being in the wrong place. What we treasure the most controls us. Do you want God to control you? Or other things we’re spending too much time and attention on. This is the time to adjust our priorities. We’ve been forced to that already in many ways. Let’s not forget what we found to be most important during this pandemic: God. Time with God. Family. Friends. Faith. When we think our physical life is coming to an end, all the sudden our differences fade. They become unimportant. Our shared sense of purpose is greater than our differences. If you were told tomorrow that you only had a few weeks left to live, you would become more gentle. Patient. Humble. Kind. And compassionate. Let’s look together at Colossians 3:12-14 as we end out time together this morning. [Read] Have you gotten dressed yet today? It’s ok if you’re having “pajama church” right now. That’s one of the beauties of this format. You don’t have to go anywhere. We can share this time together, electronically, from the comfort of our own homes. But when you go to get dressed, I hope you’ll put on these clothes. And if you’re already dressed, I hope you’ll check to make sure you are wearing these, and wearing them well: 1) Compassion. (How do you look at others? With judgement? Or compassion.) 2) Kindness. (Are you mean to others? Or kind.) 3) Humility. If you are being told you’re not going to live much longer, suddenly you are SO GRATEFUL and humble for the good medical care you receive! You’re SO HUMBLY grateful for the love and prayers and support surrounding you. 4) Gentleness. (Are you harsh? Or gentle.) And finally, 5) Patient. As someone pointed out in our Wednesday Zoom group, we need Christ in order to be able to walk in these attributes. And yes, this is fruit from God’s Holy Spirit which develops within us as we get to know Him better, and slowly become more like Christ. So, What if Today was the beginning of the Rest of Your Life? Well, of course, it is! Let’s make it count. Let’s keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. Let’s remember we’re not home yet. Let’s be encouraged we’re being cheered on! And let’s get to know God and His Word better than ever. Let’s pray…
Do you know what God looks like? May 3, 2020 Good morning! On behalf of Cross Creek Community church, serving southwest Port Orange and northwest New Smyrna Beach, Florida, I’d like to warmly welcome you. We are also a newly engaged part of the Dove International family. Welcome! Also, Zoom... today first time... on website + app if know someone not on FB AND. Please think about what’s (at least) that one thing you’ll keep doing moving forward. Or not return to. Let us know. Message for 3/17. Today is May the 3rd. Whew! We made it through April! That’s something to celebrate! (“High Five” or “Elbow bump” someone nearby if you want to. Or high five yourself! Praise God for His Presence in our lives. He is our Sustainer and Healer. If we will fight through, we will win. He is for us. Come to a place where you believe with all your heart, and trust with all your might. He is the One who has sustained us, provided for us, healed us, and the One who walks with us. If we will believe this and re-establish it in our hearts and in our spirits today, we will have a phenomenal and glorious victory in the days that are ahead of us. (From SoP bulletin 5/3) And so, yes, “Happy May.” Let me be the first to bless you with this greeting for this month if no one else has. May you experience great peace and great joy this month. May you draw closer to God and others too. May you abound in love. PRAY. [Continued safety and protection for all watching the video, especially those on the front lines. Provision for those in need. Continued eradication of the coronavirus. ] Today we’re going to share some very important Scriptures. Get your Bible out, or pull it up electronically, and be ready to go to the first chapter of the New Testament book of Colossians. (If you don’t know where to go for a free electronic Bible, check out our FB pg for more info.) You may want to have something to write on and write with too, if you’re a note taker. Also, if you haven’t already, and you’re a believer in Jesus Christ, please gather some bread and grape juice, or something similar, to share in the Lord’s supper at the end of our time together this morning. Communion is a central part of Christian worship. If you’re not sure about Holy Communion, or the Lord’s Supper as it’s also called, or Eucharist, (which means “thanksgiving” - another name for it) please watch the marvelous John Smith video on our church FB page, later. (It’s the “featured video.”) John Wesley (founder of Methodism) is said to have taken Communion every 4 or 5 days. He believed you should take Communion "as often as you can.” Wesley believed regular and frequent taking of the Lord’s Supper was essential to Christian discipleship because Christ commands it. We will come to this table, in a little while, with reverence. It is not about us. It is about Christ. It is about remembering the depth and breadth of His love for us. It’s also a time for spiritual cleansing as we ask forgiveness from anything which has separated us from God or others. We’re told in John that if we’re faithful to confess, (to God), He’s faithful to forgive us. Let’s start this new month off right! Let’s share in this holy meal this morning and be forgiven, cleansed, healed and empowered, together. Now, I want to ask you a question. Do you know what God looks like? Here’s another, do you know what He is like? What are His attributes? An attribute is a quality or feature of someone, a characteristic. An inherent part of someone. If you saw a recent FB post about the way people end Zoom meetings… you’ll know that humor was an undeniable characteristic of Laurel and Hardy. Tony Fauci, the physician and immunologist who has served as the director of the Nat’l Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984, and on the President’s coronavirus task force, is someone most people would agree has attributes of knowledge and calmness. And then there’s Mother Teresa. It’s remarkable that she died 23 yrs ago, and yet continues to be quoted and admired and held up as an example of Christ-like living. Her attributes would certainly include humility and servant hood. Heidi Baker is still living, and demonstrates those attributes as well. Along with empowered living. So what about God? What are His attributes? What does He look like? And maybe even more to the point, how can someone like Him ever care about someone like me? Or you? The Bible tells us a lot about God. It is the story of God and people. There is Scripture that tells us that God knows every tear we’ve ever cried, (Psalm 56:8), and every hair on our heads. (Luke 12:7) We’re also told He takes care of the little sparrow. So how much more will He, and does He, take care of us? In order to trust Him it’s important to know who He is. The more we know about Him, the more we know of Him, the more we can relax and quit worrying and trust Him. In the book of Colossians Paul answers our earlier questions. In the first chapter, we’re told of just some of God’s attributes: He is someone with a lot of grace! (1:6). He is wise, and understanding. (1:9. You can talk to Him about anything. Anytime. He understands.) He is powerful. He is mighty. (1:11) He is generous. (1:12) He is a rescuer, a reconciler, and very loving. (1:13) We begin the Christian faith life by choosing to believe in Jesus. He connects, or reconnects us to God. But that’s only the beginning. Even the demons believe in Christ. What happens next is growing in a relationship with God. With Jesus. With His Holy Spirit. Yes, God is One substance in three forms: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Paul had not met the people of the church at Colossae when he wrote them the letter we now call Colossians. In fact, he didn’t even start their church. A man named “Epaphras,” who Paul describes as “our dear fellow servant,” started it about the same time Paul started the church at Ephesus. Paul writes to the Colossians, from prison, and says, “we’ve been praying for you!” Throughout the centuries, the words that follow continue to be prayed over other believers. Receive them now as I pray Colossians 1:9b-12 over you: “We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you might have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of His holy people in the kingdom of light.” Notice Paul says “we’ve” been praying… Christianity is not a spectator sport or lone ranger experience. We all have our part to play. And we share life in community. Even now, online, we are in community. God modeled for us living together in community as part of the Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It is my prayer this morning God continues to fill you with the knowledge of His will for your life. He gives us wisdom and understanding, (some of His characteristics, or attributes), through His Spirit, SO THAT we can life a life worthy of Him and pleasing to Him! It takes His Spirit within us to live the Christian life! We cannot do it on our own! No matter where you are or what you’ve done, come to Him anyway. He’ll take us just the way we are. But He loves us too much to leave us that way, thank goodness. The more we live to please Him, the more peace we have. So how do I live to please God, you may wonder? Paul tells the Colossians, and us, how to do this: 1) Bear fruit in every good work. {May’s words after watching the Colossians video overview… share God’s love…} 2) Grow in the knowledge of God. How do we do that? a) Get to know Him. Spend more time with Him. Hopefully, in this slower paced time in which we’ve been living, you’ve begun to do more of that. If not, start! b) Get to know more about Him, (as you would anyone else in any other relationship), through reading His Word. The Bible. {Again, we can help you with that if you’re new to this. Just reach out to our church FB page, or our website, http://crosscreekcommunitychurch.org, or app.- C C Connect.} c) Get more of Him. Be filled with His Holy Spirit - the One who knows Him best! At the end of the earlier prayer, we heard about our Heavenly Father who has “qualified us.” Through Christ, we’re “qualified!” Recently there’s bee great frustration with unemployment applications. And then there’s been the unfathomable news of 40% not being “qualified!” Well I’m here this morning to tell you that you will never experience this with God. He has “qualified us” to share in His Son, our Savior’s, Kingdom! Yes. Jesus is a King. And He’s more than just a king, too. So now we come to the second opening question. What does God look like? Let’s turn to Colossians 1:15-20 for the answer. This is such important Scripture. It’s believed that in the early church it was read as an affirmation of faith or sung as a hymn. Let’s read and hear this special section of Paul’s letter to the Colossians now. [READ] In case you missed it, the answer to the question of what God looks like is found in the very first sentence we read: “The Son is the image of the invisible God…” What does God look like? Jesus! Jesus is not only the Son of God, He is God. In verse 19 it says “God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him…” We also discover attributes of Christ in this chapter too. He is a Son. He is a King. (He has a kingdom.) He is the Firstborn. He is Creator. (Like His Father.) He is a Leader. He is “Super Glue.” (“In Him all things hold together.”) He is the Head of the Church. {Please… if anyone ever asks you who is the head of Cross Creek Community Church, please answer: Jesus Christ.} And He is the Ultimate Reconciler. It is through Him , and through His physical body we’re told, (:22) which we’ll share in the actual representation of soon with the bread and juice, that we are presented holy in His sight. Beloved friends, family, honored guests, you don’t have to try to earn God’s love. You don’t have to work yourself to the bone to please Him. In verse 22 we read that through Christ, (our belief and relationship with Him), we become “without blemish and free from accusation.” I don’t know about you, but I LOVE that thought! {Analogy of “the accuser…” etc.} Picture yourself before the judgement seat of God pure, without blemish, and declared “not guilty!” Right after that, though, is a phrase I’ve meditated on all week. We discussed it in our Wednesday night group, too. Paul says “if we continue in our faith, established and firm…” (:23) Let’s be firm in our faith. Unwavering. Confident. Established. Like we asked earlier about how we grow in the knowledge of God, I ask you this morning, how do we “continue in our faith?” What does it look like to be “established and firm.” I want to encourage you this morning that no matter where you are in your journey, you can be “established and firm.” Sit up. Have confidence. You are a Warrior! A child of the One True God! You are a King’s Kid! You’ve made your choice. You’ve said you believe in Jesus. {And if you haven’t yet, nows the chance...}You know God raised Him from the dead. You want Him to be in charge of your life, and you’re living for Him! {If any of this isn’t true… now’s the time for it to become so…} Now. Don’t look back. “Continue in your faith.” Keep believing. Spend time in prayer - talking and listening to Him. He is the Lover of your soul. He loves you and understands you better than anyone else ever has or will. Read His Word. Ask Him to fill you with His Holy Spirit if you haven’t already. Spend time with other believers to strengthen your faith. And share God’s love with others. Let’s turn now to receiving God’s love through the elements of bread and juice as we remember the sacrificial love of Christ through Holy Communion. Remembering is an important part of living in community. [Have Jon come and join me!] Hold back from eating and drinking until the words have been read, then we’ll all share in the meal together. [Have elements ready to go. Hold up the cup as you read… Likewise, the bread…] Hear more words from Paul, and Jesus, in I Corinthians 11:23-25 [Read] Then, [Pray - Holy Spirit’s Presence on the bread & juice… Forgiveness.. Cleansing… Healing… Empowerment…] Now release with Blessing! [Prayer that God’s purpose for everyone on the other side of this pandemic will be made clear, too, as we know He’s going to be doing mighty things through His people, His church.] 2 Cor 13:14
Waiting… Part 2 April 26, 2020 Good morning and welcome to Cross Creek Community Community Church. Last week I messed up with our Facebook Live video. We ended up having two videos for the one message: Part I and Part II. The message, in two parts, from God’s word, last week, was about… Waiting. God’s people, throughout the ages, have had to practice a lot of waiting. We looked at the book of Genesis from the Bible and the story of Abram who became Abraham, last week, and his story of waiting. He would end up waiting a very long time. His wife, Sarah, too. As we struggle with waiting for the coronavirus restrictions to be lifted, it’s encouraging to know we’re not alone. We’re not the first to wait. And we won’t be the last. Unlike Abraham and Sarah, however, and the birth of their baby, I don’t think we’ll have to wait 25 years for the restrictions to be lifted. Unlike the people of God, Abraham’s descendants and the promised land, I don’t think we’ll have to wait 500 years. But, meanwhile, we are still… waiting. So today’s message is entitled, “Waiting… Part 2.” It occurred to me not too long ago that the sound of the word “wait” (spell it out) is the same as the word “weight.” (spell it out). Of course they sound alike. But when we wait, (first word) especially for a long time, it feels like we are carrying a weight. (Second word) The longer we wait, the heavier it gets. Today I hope we can release the “weight” of the “wait” to our Heavenly Father, and be refreshed by His Holy Spirit, as we take this journey together, with Jesus. As I was thinking about, praying, studying and researching this message, the thought occurred to me that there are people who understand what confined waiting is all about, a whole lot more than we do. People who are incarcerated in prisons right now can’t even leave their cells! And the people in nursing homes right now can’t even leave their rooms! So I’d like to begin this sacred time together this morning in prayer for these two people groups, together. Won’t you join me in prayer? [Pray… For prisoners… for residents of nursing homes… other groups too we may not be remembering… of course safety/protection for all essential workers… and divine protection and health for all who watch this video too.] Please take some time to make a call, or send a card, to someone in a nursing home, or prison. If you need some ideas on how to follow up on this good work, please contact us through our website: http://crosscreekcommunitychurch.org. Meanwhile, as we wait, what does our attitude look like? Are we complaining and irritable and biting off everyone’s head off around us? Do we commiserate about what we don’t have, or what we can’t do… blah… blah.. blah? Or, are we waiting patiently, and biting our own tongue, instead of someone else’s head off, to keep silent when we’re tempted to complain? (These are analogies, of course. Please don’t bite your own tongue or attempt to bite anyone’s head off…) Paul wrote to the church in Philippi about not complaining. In Philippians 2:14 he writes, “Do all things without grumbling or arguing.” (NIV) The original language says “murmurings and disputings.” In other words, this is a good time for some self- or Holy Spirit- examination. “Lord, have I been complaining? Have I been arguing? Am I murmuring? Disputing?Bring it to mind if I don’t recall. And then help me apologize if needed to another, or others. And help me to apologize to You. And help me, Lord, not to go there again. May Your strength be made perfect in my weakness.” (2 Cor. 12:9,10.) Deep breathe. Ah… that feels good, doesn’t it? Let’s go a step further and pray, along with the Psalmist from 141:3 “Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil…” In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. Don’t we feel better already? And we haven’t even gotten to the main message yet! It all ties together. As we endure, or perhaps experience is a better word, this time of waiting, perhaps we are like a piece of clay being shaped. (Jeremiah 18) Silver being refined. (Isaiah 48) The Bible is full of analogies of God’s great work in us when we go through trying times. And also the need for correction and realignment. (Amos 7) Paul said in Philippians chapter 2, when he wrote about not grumbling, this is so that we may become “blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation. Then,” he says, “you will shine among them like stars in the universe.” (2:15) I love that phrase. Have you ever seen stars really shining? Perhaps out in a remote area. And in cold, crisp air. They sparkle and shine and are mesmerizing! God’s handiwork on display. We, too, are His handiwork. Are we shining right now? As people grow increasingly restless with wanting to be allowed to come and go as they please, and come and go where they please, are we patiently waiting without complaining, and shining in this present darkness? Do people look at our lives and see peace and light and hope in the midst of confusion and darkness and despair? Are we continuing to be purveyors of hope? We are “Easter people.” People who understand who is really in control of it all. People who know where they’re going no matter what our outcome may be. Peter wrote in his first letter, chapter 3, to “always be prepared to answer for the hope you have.” (3:15) We need to be people of God who shine like stars, as we patiently wait, and demonstrate continued hope and trust in the Savior to whom we belong. We do this without complaining. And we do it with gratitude. We don’t complain about what we do not have. We are grateful for what we do have. I invite you today to check the attitude of your heart. You, and everyone around you, will feel much better if your heart is filled with good things which then flow out of your mouth. Luke 6:45 says “from the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.” What’s the condition of your heart today? How’s your heart condition? We work hard to eat healthy, get enough rest, and exercise to have a healthy heart. But do we work just as hard on our spiritual life? On strengthening our heart with the word of God? Do we give ourselves a healthy diet of prayer and Bible study? Conversation with our Creator? The heart belief underlying all the uncertainty, fear and confusion surrounding us, which will bring us the greatest health, is that we believe God is Sovereign. He is the supreme ruler. His is the ultimate power. He is “Large and in charge.” We trust in Him no matter what, because we believe He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. If you’re struggling with doubt about that, ask Him to help you. He will. If all that’s true, you may be thinking, then why does He allow something like this coronavirus pandemic to even occur? Why didn’t He put a stop to it right away? The answer is that disease and death and all the rest are not from HIm. In the Garden of Eden, His original prototype for life, there were no pandemics. There was no death. There were no illnesses, rapes, murders, and all the rest of the bad and sad and painful things that hurt so much. In fact, James, (one of the brothers of Jesus), tells us in 1:17 that “every good and perfect gift is from above. Let’s look at verses 16 & 17: “Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting of shadow.” The “Father of Lights.” And we’re to “shine like stars in the universe!” That makes sense, doesn’t it? We’re His offspring! And He’s a loving Heavenly Father. He’s someone we can trust and on whom we can count. But then what happened in the Garden of Eden? Quite simply, sin entered in. And our original ancestors chose sin. They did the one thing God asked them not to do, for their own sake. They ate from the wrong tree. Because of the free will God gave us, He didn’t and doesn’t want us to be a bunch of robots just following Him because we’re told to. Like any good parent, He yearns for us to be in relationship with Him because we believe in Him, and love Him, and trust Him. Because we want to, not because we have to! So He gave them free will. They could choose either to believe in and be in relationship with Him, or not. They could choose to be obedient and not eat from the wrong tree, or not. {Altar call …} Have you been blaming everything on God? Have you been hanging on to anger towards Him? Perhaps blaming Him for someone’s death… or the way your own life has turned out differently than you thought it would? Are you still living in the past? Seeking your life among the dead? Are the things that haunt you - the mistakes of your past and the losses you’ve endured - binding your heart so that you feel dead in many ways, inside, too? If you feel like you don’t know what to do to make it right, if you feel lost and alone, or afraid, you’re not alone. We’ve all been afraid. And sometimes angry at God too. (He’s big enough to handle our anger BTW. Story of woman pulling into driveway yelling at Him…) Perhaps you’re simply looking for someone to save you. A savior. Perhaps that’s what you need. Perhaps that’s what we’ve all needed. Perhaps we’ve all needed to be saved from the endless tragedies that life throws at us. Perhaps we all need a savior to rescue us from scary pandemics, not enough to eat, not having a job, hardship and death. Is it really as simple as just asking Jesus into our hearts? Sometimes, our broken hearts? Sometimes, we wonder, would He even want a heart like this one? The answer is yes. He takes us just the way we are. There is nothing we’ve done He can’t forgive. Maybe we feel worthless. Maybe we think He can’t possibly want us. He can’t possibly forgive us. He’s always wanted us. He stands ready to forgive. But we have to ask. So right now let’s just take a minute to pause. To quietly have a conversation with God. To ask His forgiveness for whatever we think might have separated us from Him, or others. Then, if we haven’t already, let’s, yes, ask Jesus into our hearts. Pause. If you made this decision for the first time today, or just recommitted your life to Him, please let us know. Also, once we’re allowed on the beach in a group again, we’ll be doing ocean baptisms. If you’ve made the decision to believe in Jesus Christ, and want Him to be in charge of your life, and have never been baptized, let us know. We’ll follow up with you. We’ll instruct you. And we’ll welcome you to the family of God and to our church family too, with ocean baptism. And then we’ll celebrate! It’s always a glorious moment in our lives. When we belong to Jesus, we’re Overcomers. We’ve spoken about that recently. After the Last Supper and before His crucifixion, Jesus said to His followers (in John 16:33) “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Take heart! Buck up! Jesus is the Ultimate Overcomer, and we belong to Him! {Latest “EY” - Ernest and Young - commercial: “Adapt, Strategize, Overcome.”} There will come a point when things will return to a new normal. This will probably happen sooner rather than later. Even though it may not feel like it right now. We will probably be rushing around like chickens with our heads cut off, again, before we know it. Unless we determine not to live like that anymore. In the meantime, I urge us all to embrace this time and take the opportunity to really and truly draw near to God. How to you get to know someone better? By talking with them. Really, truly sharing your heart, and listening. If you’re really brave enough, write down these words, “Lord, what words of encouragement do you have for me today?” Then write down what comes to mind... James (4:8) promises us: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” I firmly believe God is not the author of bad things. But I also firmly believe He allows us to go through difficulties sometimes to help us develop and become more refined. Like clay. Like silver. Many of us have long appreciated Romans 5:3-5: “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” We are certainly persevering right now as we practice sheltering in place, quarantining, and other restrictions. But through it, know that you are developing character. And with this character, as Christians we do have great hope. We become as we overcome. As we wait, we become, as we overcome. We don’t like to suffer, but we know God is using life’s difficulties to build our character. The problems we are currently encountering are only developing our perseverance. This, in turn, is strengthening our character, deepening our trust in God, and giving us greater confidence about the future. We are growing in learning to trust an unknown future to a known God. And now we get this unprecedented opportunity to get to know Him better. Now’s our chance! Let’s take full advantage of this time of waiting to answer Jesus’ invitation to come to Him and spend some time together! All four of the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, tell the story of Jesus and His disciples miraculously feeding 5,000 men, (probably a total of over 15,000 people by the time you add the women and children), from five loaves and two fish. With twelve basketfuls of leftovers, I might add. But did you know that before this miracle happened, Jesus and His apostles “powered up” with time away and apart. Beloved friends, family, and honored guests, this is the time to get “powered up.” Get ready for how God is going to move through His people after we leave this unique time! Before this miraculous feeding of the thousands, and after the apostles returned and reported to Jesus all they had done and taught, He told them to take some “down time.” Jesus and His friends were probably grieving too. They had recently learned of John the Baptizer’s death. They had been busy with ministry. And they were about to be even busier. But first, Jesus said to them, these extremely important words from Mark 6:31 “Come with Me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” Come with Me - Jesus invites us to be with Him. by yourselves - no one else. Just Him, and us. One on one. to a quiet place - remove all distractions. That’s part of the beauty of this very strange time. Whether we like it or not, for a lot of us, a lot of distractions have been removed. and get some rest. - it is in the presence of God that our souls find the deepest peace and truest rest. The Divine Reset in which we currently find ourselves is the perfect time to do just that. Will you please make the time to meet with Jesus. By yourself. In a quiet place. And rest. [Pray] [Transition to the Colossians study and Wed. night online groups…]
Waiting April 19, 2020 Good morning. On behalf of the people, the leaders and the elders of Cross Creek Community Church, I warmly welcome you to our time together this morning on Sunday, April 19, 2020. Will you please join me in a prayer as we begin this special time together? [Pray - Make sure to include protection for those working during this pandemic, and protection for all who watch this video and their families and friends too.] Do you like to wait? Don’t we all just love to wait? I think I speak for most of us when I answer… no. I don’t think so. In this culture we do not like to wait. Other cultures are much better at waiting than we are. But generally, as human beings, we do not like to wait. What are some examples of waiting? (Go ahead… give us some examples in your comments if you’d like…) There’s waiting in line… at a grocery store. At a gas station. At a doctor’s office. Of course these are all problems we encounter in this country, which don’t even exist in other countries where they don’t have grocery stores, gas stations, or doctors’ offices. I generally don’t like to use the term “3rd world countries,” because I think sometimes the “more developed” countries are actually not as developed in other ways. Demonstrating patience is one of them. However, for the sake of illustration, I’ll use this term. I was with a couple of other women clergy friends, waiting to check into a hotel, a few years back, around 9 o clock at night. The reception area was very crowded. People were tired and the desk clerks looked harried. We waited. And waited. And waited. Earlier, we had decided to go straight to the opening afternoon conference session first, instead of checking in to the hotel ahead of time. That was the first mistake. (Note to selves, if you’re ever in a similar situation… check into the hotel first. But you probably already know that.) So there we were waiting to check in. Finally it was my turn. I went up to the frazzled registration person, tired but confident our room would be ready, as I had booked it six months in advance! Yes! Me. A procrastinator at times. I was so proud that I had done this so far ahead of time. (Second and third mistakes… pride and booking too far in advance!) Imagine my horror when she looked into my eyes and said, “Sorry. We have no rooms available.” “What?!” I said in reply. “How could you not have a room ready for us?! I booked it six months ago!!! And I’ve already paid for it too!!!” (Fourth mistake. Don’t pay ahead of time unless you absolutely have to… although this is up for debate… go ahead… tell us what you think…) Well, she said. Sorry. There were other parties that came in earlier and if you hadn’t checked in so late… That really did it! I’m afraid what came next was not what a person of faith says or does. My poor roommates… they were becoming embarrassed by now. And thankfully, some other friends were nearby who said we could hang out with them until we got a room the next day, etc. I don’t even remember how it all turned out now. I do remember that I was terribly impatient and rude and self-focused and many other things. I did apologize the next day, and later sent a card and flowers too. But that experience taught me many things. And one of them is to be more patient. (And keep calm. Deep breath. Recite Scripture. Etc.) We do not like to be kept waiting. Or to wait. It is tied up with our ego and pride. I’m sorry to say it, but when we are kept waiting, we feel that someone else doesn’t think our time is important. I’m also sorry to say it, but for those of us who run late, it’s also rude to the ones waiting on the other end. Even if we don’t mean to, our action is communicating to them that we don’t think their time is as important as ours. Gulp. As a child, we can hardly stand to wait. Sometimes hours can seem like weeks to us. As teenagers and young adults, we can’t wait to “grow up and get started” driving and dating and everything else that goes with all that. Waiting for a wedding feels like an eternity! (And then… suddenly… oh no! It’s only a few days away!) Waiting for a baby to come can be similar. And then sometimes being with a loved one and watching them die can involve a lot of waiting too. We also discover the sacredness of being fully present and not being able to “fix anything.” Waiting is a human condition with which we all deal. The Bible is filled with stories and Scriptures which teach us about waiting. And patience. We will look at some of that in a minute. But before we do, I think we all know right now we are being asked to wait before rushing into resuming “normal life” on the other side of this pandemic. Many of us don’t want to wait anymore. We’re tired of waiting. We’re tired of sheltering in place. We miss our friends. We miss social gatherings. We miss restaurants and going out to eat and shopping and movies. Going to the beach for something other than just exercise. Some of us even miss church setup. But we have to be cautious and wise and not cause the curve to rise back up if we’ve actually flattened it! (Ever notice how “The curve” has taken on a life of its own.”) As we struggle with waiting, and patience, let’s look into God’s word for stories of others who had to wait. We don’t have to go very far into the Bible at all before we stumble upon some of those stories. Think about Noah and his family. How long did they have to wait before the flood came and all their neighbors quit thinking they were nuts? And then there was the “forty days and forty nights” of the rain. (And yes there are prophecies about this pandemic ending after that amount of time, and a little boy’s dream about the end of this month - which coincides with that number too.) After the rain, Noah and his family and all the animals had to wait another year before the water had receded enough for them to leave the ark. Talk about stir-crazy. Think about that the next time you feel restless with keeping these restrictions! At least you’re not shut up with a bunch of animals… or … perhaps you are! In Genesis, after the story of Noah, and repopulating the earth, and the tower of Babel, there comes the story of Abraham. This stretches thirteen chapters from 12:1-25:18. Abraham, and his wife Sarah, had to do a lot of waiting. Let’s look together now at Genesis 15:1-8,17-18a. [Read] [Pray] The beginning of this chapter starts with “After this.” Much had occurred prior to this. And the opening words of comfort from God to Abram (his name at this point) were words of comfort in response to his fear. Please don’t miss for a minute the fact that the Bible is filled to overflowing with many words of great comfort for us. These words alone could be something to carry us through the rest of this remaining time of sheltering in place. As we wait. God says to us, “Don’t be afraid. I am your Shield, your Very Great Reward.” (15:1b) Why would Abram have been afraid at this point? He might have feared revenge from the kings he had just defeated. (14:15) He was afraid he would be killed by his enemies. Yes, even this great father of faith experienced fear. But God says to him, and to us. “Don’t be afraid.” No matter what lies ahead for us, and I happen to believe this will only make us stronger and wiser if we let it, God will stay with us. He is our Shield. All right. Are you ready for some revelation?! (Bryan Smith… drumroll please…) Shields are a form of defense. The very nature of a shield is to protect! It protects you from danger, risk or other unpleasant experiences. It prevents something from seeing you or attacking you. Think about that! During this time of this covid-19 pandemic, God is our SHIELD! He is protecting us! (How many people watching this video right now are alive, and not dead?! Exactly! You are not dead. You are alive. He is protecting you!) This Hebrew phrase for “I Am” (Ah… notice the “I Am,” more of the definition of who God is…) “your shield” means “protector, defender.” This verse means, “I will fight for you and I will be your champion.” As people of God, as people who have publicly stated belief in Christ and been baptized to demonstrate that belief, this promise stands true for us as well. In fact, we can trace back our spiritual lineage to Abraham too, through Christ. This same verse tells us the Lord is much more than a shield to us, though. He is also our exceeding great reward. God says to Abram, "You will have your son, and he will be a joy to you — but I will be the One who fulfills your deepest needs." God knows all about human nature. He knew that Abraham would have a great measure of joy when he got his son. Abraham could then say, "God did it! He promised this to me, and He kept His Word." Yet God also knew that Abraham would not be totally fulfilled when the child came. He would still have an inner hunger, a restlessness, an inexplicable need that no human could touch. Isn't this what happens to us when we finally get the thing we have wanted so badly? All along we think, "If only I can get this one thing, I'll be happy. It will make my life wonderful and end all my problems." No, it won't! Only the Lord Himself can fully satisfy our deepest need. (From David Wilkerson devotions.) He, and He alone, is our “exceedingly great reward.” Notice how verse 2 begins, “But Abram…” “But” signifies contrast. But… in contrast to God’s magnificent declaration to Abram that He is our, “very great, exceedingly great, reward, Abram goes the opposite way. But what about my childless state, my lack of a blood heir, he asks? According to the Jewish law, if there was no blood heir, the estate would go to his eldest servant. Abram loved Eliezer, but he wanted a son. Abram was 75 when he left Ur in obedience to God’s call on his life. He surely did not expect to have a son at this age. “But God” tells Abram in verse 4 he will have a son who will be his own flesh and blood. And, to top that, God takes him outside in verse 5 and says “count the stars, if indeed you can count them.” This is how many offspring you will have. A recent devotional said Abraham’s faith was so strong it included the fact that it was actually daylight when the Lord said these words to him. There’s no way he could have seen any stars. The sun had not yet set. We read that later on in verse 17. The stars must have been present but invisible at that moment. So, (don’t miss this…) God was asking Abram to have faith even when the fulfillment wasn’t evident. Could God be asking us to have faith even as we wait for restrictions to be lifted? Even as what is yet to be, remains unseen? Abram was willing to fully commit to God’s plan for him. Are we? How often do we expect our prayers to be answered on our schedule, rather than God’s? Perhaps, in this time of “Divine Reset,” this is an area in which we can grow. Perhaps we are being invited to let go of our timing, our expectations, and simply trust God. From the time God called Abraham to leave Ur, until Isaac would be born, would be twenty-five years. That is a long time to wait. Perhaps waiting a few more weeks, or even months if it has to be, may not seem so long in comparison to twenty-five years. Genesis 15:6 says “Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness.” This is so important it’s mentioned four times in the New Testament! Although Abram had been demonstrating his faith through his actions, it was his belief in the Lord, not just his actions, that made Abram right with God. (Romans 4:1-5) Let me just tell you right now that we can have a right relationship with God, too, by trusting Him. Our good deeds will not by themselves make us right with God. A right relationship is based on faith - the heartfelt inner confidence that God is who He says He is and does what He says He’ll do! [Repeat, if led] We will be sharing a Dove International study on Colossians beginning tomorrow, online, which you’ll hear more about at the end of this message. In this excellent study, we will discover more about who God is. Why is this important? Because just as with any relationship, the more we know about another person and find them trustworthy, the more we know we can trust them. So it is with God. At the end of chapter 15 in Genesis, we read the rest of the story of what happened that day between God and Abram. As the conversation had continued between God and Abram, (don’t miss that either… we can have conversations with God!) God reminds Abram of His promise to give Him (and his descendants) the land of Canaan. Abram asked how he could know he would possess it? In response, God directs Abram through a very specific ritual, formalizing the covenant promise. There was the list of animals we skipped over. Then, the sun set, we read in verse 17, and “a smoking firepot with a blazing torch” appeared and passed between the pieces.” Then in verse 18 we’re told “On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram,” and promised him the land of Canaan to his descendants. Remember, this was a man with no children yet of his own. So why did God send this strange vision to Abram? God’s covenant with Abram was serious business. It represented an incredible promise from God and a huge responsibility for Abram. God kept His promise. Everything God does is true to His character. And Abram became Abraham and followed through on his responsibility. What about us? Can we believe God will keep all His promises? Can we live like covenant people who are in relationship with an all-knowing, (omniscient); all-powerful (omnipotent) God who we can trust? We are covenant people willing to be patient and wait, no matter what, because we are in relationship with a covenant God who never breaks His promises. While we are in this time of waiting, this “holding pattern,” (for all you aviators), we can meditate on the following four promises from God that we can embrace: 1) He is always with us. (Therefore we will not fear.) 2) He is always in control. No matter how it looks. (Therefore we will not doubt.) 3) He is always good. (Therefore we will not despair.) It isn’t God who messes things up. It’s human beings. 4) God is always victorious. Remember Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world.” This is from John 16:33. This is after Jesus’ last supper with His closest friends, before His arrest, trial and crucifixion. He was offering comfort to His disciples then, and to us disciples today. For Abraham, it would be 25 years from the time he left his hometown until his son was born, but it would be about 500 years before the promise about the land to his descendants would come true. There was a little thing called 400 years as slaves in Egypt that had to happen first. Plus a few other things. But God kept His promise. The long wait was finally over. And it was more than worth it. It occurs to me that for us to wait, we need all the help we can get. We need God’s help. We need God’s grace. Yesterday I read a FB post from a Dove leader named Mim Hurst. It was about grace. In fact, it was after I read her post that the light bulb moment occurred! Grace is what it takes for us to be able to wait! I got her permission to share her words. Please listen carefully to these words. Here’s what she wrote: “What’s on my heart today is grace! Grace that is sufficient for anything we may face today. Grace for those that think differently than me. Grace to not judge others. Grace for our government officials that are faced with extremely hard decisions. Grace to accomplish. Grace to rest. Grace to hear and discern. Grace to wait. Grace. [Pause] In Romans 12:12, Paul tells the Romans words that still apply today: “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” We are to be patient. David knew a lot about waiting. He was anointed king at age 16, but didn’t become king until he was 30. During those long, fourteen years, he was chased through the desert by jealous King Saul. David had to wait on God for the fulfillment of His promise to be king. Later on after becoming king, he was chased by his rebellious son Absalom. We are in a time of what many call, and I agree, a “Divine Reset.” Let’s make good use of this waiting time by discovering what God may be trying to teach us. Here are the words David wrote from Psalm 27:14 “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” Let us pray. [Pray] Now, before you go, I want to share some exciting news about a special online study from Dove on Colossians we’ll be posting tomorrow... Waiting April 19, 2020 Good morning. On behalf of the people, the leaders and the elders of Cross Creek Community Church, I warmly welcome you to our time together this morning on Sunday, April 19, 2020. Will you please join me in a prayer as we begin this special time together? [Pray - Make sure to include protection for those working during this pandemic, and protection for all who watch this video and their families and friends too.] Do you like to wait? Don’t we all just love to wait? I think I speak for most of us when I answer… no. I don’t think so. In this culture we do not like to wait. Other cultures are much better at waiting than we are. But generally, as human beings, we do not like to wait. What are some examples of waiting? (Go ahead… give us some examples in your comments if you’d like…) There’s waiting in line… at a grocery store. At a gas station. At a doctor’s office. Of course these are all problems we encounter in this country, which don’t even exist in other countries where they don’t have grocery stores, gas stations, or doctors’ offices. I generally don’t like to use the term “3rd world countries,” because I think sometimes the “more developed” countries are actually not as developed in other ways. Demonstrating patience is one of them. However, for the sake of illustration, I’ll use this term. I was with a couple of other women clergy friends, waiting to check into a hotel, a few years back, around 9 o clock at night. The reception area was very crowded. People were tired and the desk clerks looked harried. We waited. And waited. And waited. Earlier, we had decided to go straight to the opening afternoon conference session first, instead of checking in to the hotel ahead of time. That was the first mistake. (Note to selves, if you’re ever in a similar situation… check into the hotel first. But you probably already know that.) So there we were waiting to check in. Finally it was my turn. I went up to the frazzled registration person, tired but confident our room would be ready, as I had booked it six months in advance! Yes! Me. A procrastinator at times. I was so proud that I had done this so far ahead of time. (Second and third mistakes… pride and booking too far in advance!) Imagine my horror when she looked into my eyes and said, “Sorry. We have no rooms available.” “What?!” I said in reply. “How could you not have a room ready for us?! I booked it six months ago!!! And I’ve already paid for it too!!!” (Fourth mistake. Don’t pay ahead of time unless you absolutely have to… although this is up for debate… go ahead… tell us what you think…) Well, she said. Sorry. There were other parties that came in earlier and if you hadn’t checked in so late… That really did it! I’m afraid what came next was not what a person of faith says or does. My poor roommates… they were becoming embarrassed by now. And thankfully, some other friends were nearby who said we could hang out with them until we got a room the next day, etc. I don’t even remember how it all turned out now. I do remember that I was terribly impatient and rude and self-focused and many other things. I did apologize the next day, and later sent a card and flowers too. But that experience taught me many things. And one of them is to be more patient. (And keep calm. Deep breath. Recite Scripture. Etc.) We do not like to be kept waiting. Or to wait. It is tied up with our ego and pride. I’m sorry to say it, but when we are kept waiting, we feel that someone else doesn’t think our time is important. I’m also sorry to say it, but for those of us who run late, it’s also rude to the ones waiting on the other end. Even if we don’t mean to, our action is communicating to them that we don’t think their time is as important as ours. Gulp. As a child, we can hardly stand to wait. Sometimes hours can seem like weeks to us. As teenagers and young adults, we can’t wait to “grow up and get started” driving and dating and everything else that goes with all that. Waiting for a wedding feels like an eternity! (And then… suddenly… oh no! It’s only a few days away!) Waiting for a baby to come can be similar. And then sometimes being with a loved one and watching them die can involve a lot of waiting too. We also discover the sacredness of being fully present and not being able to “fix anything.” Waiting is a human condition with which we all deal. The Bible is filled with stories and Scriptures which teach us about waiting. And patience. We will look at some of that in a minute. But before we do, I think we all know right now we are being asked to wait before rushing into resuming “normal life” on the other side of this pandemic. Many of us don’t want to wait anymore. We’re tired of waiting. We’re tired of sheltering in place. We miss our friends. We miss social gatherings. We miss restaurants and going out to eat and shopping and movies. Going to the beach for something other than just exercise. Some of us even miss church setup. But we have to be cautious and wise and not cause the curve to rise back up if we’ve actually flattened it! (Ever notice how “The curve” has taken on a life of its own.”) As we struggle with waiting, and patience, let’s look into God’s word for stories of others who had to wait. We don’t have to go very far into the Bible at all before we stumble upon some of those stories. Think about Noah and his family. How long did they have to wait before the flood came and all their neighbors quit thinking they were nuts? And then there was the “forty days and forty nights” of the rain. (And yes there are prophecies about this pandemic ending after that amount of time, and a little boy’s dream about the end of this month - which coincides with that number too.) After the rain, Noah and his family and all the animals had to wait another year before the water had receded enough for them to leave the ark. Talk about stir-crazy. Think about that the next time you feel restless with keeping these restrictions! At least you’re not shut up with a bunch of animals… or … perhaps you are! In Genesis, after the story of Noah, and repopulating the earth, and the tower of Babel, there comes the story of Abraham. This stretches thirteen chapters from 12:1-25:18. Abraham, and his wife Sarah, had to do a lot of waiting. Let’s look together now at Genesis 15:1-8,17-18a. [Read] [Pray] The beginning of this chapter starts with “After this.” Much had occurred prior to this. And the opening words of comfort from God to Abram (his name at this point) were words of comfort in response to his fear. Please don’t miss for a minute the fact that the Bible is filled to overflowing with many words of great comfort for us. These words alone could be something to carry us through the rest of this remaining time of sheltering in place. As we wait. God says to us, “Don’t be afraid. I am your Shield, your Very Great Reward.” (15:1b) Why would Abram have been afraid at this point? He might have feared revenge from the kings he had just defeated. (14:15) He was afraid he would be killed by his enemies. Yes, even this great father of faith experienced fear. But God says to him, and to us. “Don’t be afraid.” No matter what lies ahead for us, and I happen to believe this will only make us stronger and wiser if we let it, God will stay with us. He is our Shield. All right. Are you ready for some revelation?! (Bryan Smith… drumroll please…) Shields are a form of defense. The very nature of a shield is to protect! It protects you from danger, risk or other unpleasant experiences. It prevents something from seeing you or attacking you. Think about that! During this time of this covid-19 pandemic, God is our SHIELD! He is protecting us! (How many people watching this video right now are alive, and not dead?! Exactly! You are not dead. You are alive. He is protecting you!) This Hebrew phrase for “I Am” (Ah… notice the “I Am,” more of the definition of who God is…) “your shield” means “protector, defender.” This verse means, “I will fight for you and I will be your champion.” As people of God, as people who have publicly stated belief in Christ and been baptized to demonstrate that belief, this promise stands true for us as well. In fact, we can trace back our spiritual lineage to Abraham too, through Christ. This same verse tells us the Lord is much more than a shield to us, though. He is also our exceeding great reward. God says to Abram, "You will have your son, and he will be a joy to you — but I will be the One who fulfills your deepest needs." God knows all about human nature. He knew that Abraham would have a great measure of joy when he got his son. Abraham could then say, "God did it! He promised this to me, and He kept His Word." Yet God also knew that Abraham would not be totally fulfilled when the child came. He would still have an inner hunger, a restlessness, an inexplicable need that no human could touch. Isn't this what happens to us when we finally get the thing we have wanted so badly? All along we think, "If only I can get this one thing, I'll be happy. It will make my life wonderful and end all my problems." No, it won't! Only the Lord Himself can fully satisfy our deepest need. (From David Wilkerson devotions.) He, and He alone, is our “exceedingly great reward.” Notice how verse 2 begins, “But Abram…” “But” signifies contrast. But… in contrast to God’s magnificent declaration to Abram that He is our, “very great, exceedingly great, reward, Abram goes the opposite way. But what about my childless state, my lack of a blood heir, he asks? According to the Jewish law, if there was no blood heir, the estate would go to his eldest servant. Abram loved Eliezer, but he wanted a son. Abram was 75 when he left Ur in obedience to God’s call on his life. He surely did not expect to have a son at this age. “But God” tells Abram in verse 4 he will have a son who will be his own flesh and blood. And, to top that, God takes him outside in verse 5 and says “count the stars, if indeed you can count them.” This is how many offspring you will have. A recent devotional said Abraham’s faith was so strong it included the fact that it was actually daylight when the Lord said these words to him. There’s no way he could have seen any stars. The sun had not yet set. We read that later on in verse 17. The stars must have been present but invisible at that moment. So, (don’t miss this…) God was asking Abram to have faith even when the fulfillment wasn’t evident. Could God be asking us to have faith even as we wait for restrictions to be lifted? Even as what is yet to be, remains unseen? Abram was willing to fully commit to God’s plan for him. Are we? How often do we expect our prayers to be answered on our schedule, rather than God’s? Perhaps, in this time of “Divine Reset,” this is an area in which we can grow. Perhaps we are being invited to let go of our timing, our expectations, and simply trust God. From the time God called Abraham to leave Ur, until Isaac would be born, would be twenty-five years. That is a long time to wait. Perhaps waiting a few more weeks, or even months if it has to be, may not seem so long in comparison to twenty-five years. Genesis 15:6 says “Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness.” This is so important it’s mentioned four times in the New Testament! Although Abram had been demonstrating his faith through his actions, it was his belief in the Lord, not just his actions, that made Abram right with God. (Romans 4:1-5) Let me just tell you right now that we can have a right relationship with God, too, by trusting Him. Our good deeds will not by themselves make us right with God. A right relationship is based on faith - the heartfelt inner confidence that God is who He says He is and does what He says He’ll do! [Repeat, if led] We will be sharing a Dove International study on Colossians beginning tomorrow, online, which you’ll hear more about at the end of this message. In this excellent study, we will discover more about who God is. Why is this important? Because just as with any relationship, the more we know about another person and find them trustworthy, the more we know we can trust them. So it is with God. At the end of chapter 15 in Genesis, we read the rest of the story of what happened that day between God and Abram. As the conversation had continued between God and Abram, (don’t miss that either… we can have conversations with God!) God reminds Abram of His promise to give Him (and his descendants) the land of Canaan. Abram asked how he could know he would possess it? In response, God directs Abram through a very specific ritual, formalizing the covenant promise. There was the list of animals we skipped over. Then, the sun set, we read in verse 17, and “a smoking firepot with a blazing torch” appeared and passed between the pieces.” Then in verse 18 we’re told “On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram,” and promised him the land of Canaan to his descendants. Remember, this was a man with no children yet of his own. So why did God send this strange vision to Abram? God’s covenant with Abram was serious business. It represented an incredible promise from God and a huge responsibility for Abram. God kept His promise. Everything God does is true to His character. And Abram became Abraham and followed through on his responsibility. What about us? Can we believe God will keep all His promises? Can we live like covenant people who are in relationship with an all-knowing, (omniscient); all-powerful (omnipotent) God who we can trust? We are covenant people willing to be patient and wait, no matter what, because we are in relationship with a covenant God who never breaks His promises. While we are in this time of waiting, this “holding pattern,” (for all you aviators), we can meditate on the following four promises from God that we can embrace: 1) He is always with us. (Therefore we will not fear.) 2) He is always in control. No matter how it looks. (Therefore we will not doubt.) 3) He is always good. (Therefore we will not despair.) It isn’t God who messes things up. It’s human beings. 4) God is always victorious. Remember Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world.” This is from John 16:33. This is after Jesus’ last supper with His closest friends, before His arrest, trial and crucifixion. He was offering comfort to His disciples then, and to us disciples today. For Abraham, it would be 25 years from the time he left his hometown until his son was born, but it would be about 500 years before the promise about the land to his descendants would come true. There was a little thing called 400 years as slaves in Egypt that had to happen first. Plus a few other things. But God kept His promise. The long wait was finally over. And it was more than worth it. It occurs to me that for us to wait, we need all the help we can get. We need God’s help. We need God’s grace. Yesterday I read a FB post from a Dove leader named Mim Hurst. It was about grace. In fact, it was after I read her post that the light bulb moment occurred! Grace is what it takes for us to be able to wait! I got her permission to share her words. Please listen carefully to these words. Here’s what she wrote: “What’s on my heart today is grace! Grace that is sufficient for anything we may face today. Grace for those that think differently than me. Grace to not judge others. Grace for our government officials that are faced with extremely hard decisions. Grace to accomplish. Grace to rest. Grace to hear and discern. Grace to wait. Grace. [Pause] In Romans 12:12, Paul tells the Romans words that still apply today: “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” We are to be patient. David knew a lot about waiting. He was anointed king at age 16, but didn’t become king until he was 30. During those long, fourteen years, he was chased through the desert by jealous King Saul. David had to wait on God for the fulfillment of His promise to be king. Later on after becoming king, he was chased by his rebellious son Absalom. We are in a time of what many call, and I agree, a “Divine Reset.” Let’s make good use of this waiting time by discovering what God may be trying to teach us. Here are the words David wrote from Psalm 27:14 “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” Let us pray. [Pray] Now, before you go, I want to share some exciting news about a special online study from Dove on Colossians we’ll be posting tomorrow... Waiting April 19, 2020 Good morning. On behalf of the people, the leaders and the elders of Cross Creek Community Church, I warmly welcome you to our time together this morning on Sunday, April 19, 2020. Will you please join me in a prayer as we begin this special time together? [Pray - Make sure to include protection for those working during this pandemic, and protection for all who watch this video and their families and friends too.] Do you like to wait? Don’t we all just love to wait? I think I speak for most of us when I answer… no. I don’t think so. In this culture we do not like to wait. Other cultures are much better at waiting than we are. But generally, as human beings, we do not like to wait. What are some examples of waiting? (Go ahead… give us some examples in your comments if you’d like…) There’s waiting in line… at a grocery store. At a gas station. At a doctor’s office. Of course these are all problems we encounter in this country, which don’t even exist in other countries where they don’t have grocery stores, gas stations, or doctors’ offices. I generally don’t like to use the term “3rd world countries,” because I think sometimes the “more developed” countries are actually not as developed in other ways. Demonstrating patience is one of them. However, for the sake of illustration, I’ll use this term. I was with a couple of other women clergy friends, waiting to check into a hotel, a few years back, around 9 o clock at night. The reception area was very crowded. People were tired and the desk clerks looked harried. We waited. And waited. And waited. Earlier, we had decided to go straight to the opening afternoon conference session first, instead of checking in to the hotel ahead of time. That was the first mistake. (Note to selves, if you’re ever in a similar situation… check into the hotel first. But you probably already know that.) So there we were waiting to check in. Finally it was my turn. I went up to the frazzled registration person, tired but confident our room would be ready, as I had booked it six months in advance! Yes! Me. A procrastinator at times. I was so proud that I had done this so far ahead of time. (Second and third mistakes… pride and booking too far in advance!) Imagine my horror when she looked into my eyes and said, “Sorry. We have no rooms available.” “What?!” I said in reply. “How could you not have a room ready for us?! I booked it six months ago!!! And I’ve already paid for it too!!!” (Fourth mistake. Don’t pay ahead of time unless you absolutely have to… although this is up for debate… go ahead… tell us what you think…) Well, she said. Sorry. There were other parties that came in earlier and if you hadn’t checked in so late… That really did it! I’m afraid what came next was not what a person of faith says or does. My poor roommates… they were becoming embarrassed by now. And thankfully, some other friends were nearby who said we could hang out with them until we got a room the next day, etc. I don’t even remember how it all turned out now. I do remember that I was terribly impatient and rude and self-focused and many other things. I did apologize the next day, and later sent a card and flowers too. But that experience taught me many things. And one of them is to be more patient. (And keep calm. Deep breath. Recite Scripture. Etc.) We do not like to be kept waiting. Or to wait. It is tied up with our ego and pride. I’m sorry to say it, but when we are kept waiting, we feel that someone else doesn’t think our time is important. I’m also sorry to say it, but for those of us who run late, it’s also rude to the ones waiting on the other end. Even if we don’t mean to, our action is communicating to them that we don’t think their time is as important as ours. Gulp. As a child, we can hardly stand to wait. Sometimes hours can seem like weeks to us. As teenagers and young adults, we can’t wait to “grow up and get started” driving and dating and everything else that goes with all that. Waiting for a wedding feels like an eternity! (And then… suddenly… oh no! It’s only a few days away!) Waiting for a baby to come can be similar. And then sometimes being with a loved one and watching them die can involve a lot of waiting too. We also discover the sacredness of being fully present and not being able to “fix anything.” Waiting is a human condition with which we all deal. The Bible is filled with stories and Scriptures which teach us about waiting. And patience. We will look at some of that in a minute. But before we do, I think we all know right now we are being asked to wait before rushing into resuming “normal life” on the other side of this pandemic. Many of us don’t want to wait anymore. We’re tired of waiting. We’re tired of sheltering in place. We miss our friends. We miss social gatherings. We miss restaurants and going out to eat and shopping and movies. Going to the beach for something other than just exercise. Some of us even miss church setup. But we have to be cautious and wise and not cause the curve to rise back up if we’ve actually flattened it! (Ever notice how “The curve” has taken on a life of its own.”) As we struggle with waiting, and patience, let’s look into God’s word for stories of others who had to wait. We don’t have to go very far into the Bible at all before we stumble upon some of those stories. Think about Noah and his family. How long did they have to wait before the flood came and all their neighbors quit thinking they were nuts? And then there was the “forty days and forty nights” of the rain. (And yes there are prophecies about this pandemic ending after that amount of time, and a little boy’s dream about the end of this month - which coincides with that number too.) After the rain, Noah and his family and all the animals had to wait another year before the water had receded enough for them to leave the ark. Talk about stir-crazy. Think about that the next time you feel restless with keeping these restrictions! At least you’re not shut up with a bunch of animals… or … perhaps you are! In Genesis, after the story of Noah, and repopulating the earth, and the tower of Babel, there comes the story of Abraham. This stretches thirteen chapters from 12:1-25:18. Abraham, and his wife Sarah, had to do a lot of waiting. Let’s look together now at Genesis 15:1-8,17-18a. [Read] [Pray] The beginning of this chapter starts with “After this.” Much had occurred prior to this. And the opening words of comfort from God to Abram (his name at this point) were words of comfort in response to his fear. Please don’t miss for a minute the fact that the Bible is filled to overflowing with many words of great comfort for us. These words alone could be something to carry us through the rest of this remaining time of sheltering in place. As we wait. God says to us, “Don’t be afraid. I am your Shield, your Very Great Reward.” (15:1b) Why would Abram have been afraid at this point? He might have feared revenge from the kings he had just defeated. (14:15) He was afraid he would be killed by his enemies. Yes, even this great father of faith experienced fear. But God says to him, and to us. “Don’t be afraid.” No matter what lies ahead for us, and I happen to believe this will only make us stronger and wiser if we let it, God will stay with us. He is our Shield. All right. Are you ready for some revelation?! (Bryan Smith… drumroll please…) Shields are a form of defense. The very nature of a shield is to protect! It protects you from danger, risk or other unpleasant experiences. It prevents something from seeing you or attacking you. Think about that! During this time of this covid-19 pandemic, God is our SHIELD! He is protecting us! (How many people watching this video right now are alive, and not dead?! Exactly! You are not dead. You are alive. He is protecting you!) This Hebrew phrase for “I Am” (Ah… notice the “I Am,” more of the definition of who God is…) “your shield” means “protector, defender.” This verse means, “I will fight for you and I will be your champion.” As people of God, as people who have publicly stated belief in Christ and been baptized to demonstrate that belief, this promise stands true for us as well. In fact, we can trace back our spiritual lineage to Abraham too, through Christ. This same verse tells us the Lord is much more than a shield to us, though. He is also our exceeding great reward. God says to Abram, "You will have your son, and he will be a joy to you — but I will be the One who fulfills your deepest needs." God knows all about human nature. He knew that Abraham would have a great measure of joy when he got his son. Abraham could then say, "God did it! He promised this to me, and He kept His Word." Yet God also knew that Abraham would not be totally fulfilled when the child came. He would still have an inner hunger, a restlessness, an inexplicable need that no human could touch. Isn't this what happens to us when we finally get the thing we have wanted so badly? All along we think, "If only I can get this one thing, I'll be happy. It will make my life wonderful and end all my problems." No, it won't! Only the Lord Himself can fully satisfy our deepest need. (From David Wilkerson devotions.) He, and He alone, is our “exceedingly great reward.” Notice how verse 2 begins, “But Abram…” “But” signifies contrast. But… in contrast to God’s magnificent declaration to Abram that He is our, “very great, exceedingly great, reward, Abram goes the opposite way. But what about my childless state, my lack of a blood heir, he asks? According to the Jewish law, if there was no blood heir, the estate would go to his eldest servant. Abram loved Eliezer, but he wanted a son. Abram was 75 when he left Ur in obedience to God’s call on his life. He surely did not expect to have a son at this age. “But God” tells Abram in verse 4 he will have a son who will be his own flesh and blood. And, to top that, God takes him outside in verse 5 and says “count the stars, if indeed you can count them.” This is how many offspring you will have. A recent devotional said Abraham’s faith was so strong it included the fact that it was actually daylight when the Lord said these words to him. There’s no way he could have seen any stars. The sun had not yet set. We read that later on in verse 17. The stars must have been present but invisible at that moment. So, (don’t miss this…) God was asking Abram to have faith even when the fulfillment wasn’t evident. Could God be asking us to have faith even as we wait for restrictions to be lifted? Even as what is yet to be, remains unseen? Abram was willing to fully commit to God’s plan for him. Are we? How often do we expect our prayers to be answered on our schedule, rather than God’s? Perhaps, in this time of “Divine Reset,” this is an area in which we can grow. Perhaps we are being invited to let go of our timing, our expectations, and simply trust God. From the time God called Abraham to leave Ur, until Isaac would be born, would be twenty-five years. That is a long time to wait. Perhaps waiting a few more weeks, or even months if it has to be, may not seem so long in comparison to twenty-five years. Genesis 15:6 says “Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness.” This is so important it’s mentioned four times in the New Testament! Although Abram had been demonstrating his faith through his actions, it was his belief in the Lord, not just his actions, that made Abram right with God. (Romans 4:1-5) Let me just tell you right now that we can have a right relationship with God, too, by trusting Him. Our good deeds will not by themselves make us right with God. A right relationship is based on faith - the heartfelt inner confidence that God is who He says He is and does what He says He’ll do! [Repeat, if led] We will be sharing a Dove International study on Colossians beginning tomorrow, online, which you’ll hear more about at the end of this message. In this excellent study, we will discover more about who God is. Why is this important? Because just as with any relationship, the more we know about another person and find them trustworthy, the more we know we can trust them. So it is with God. At the end of chapter 15 in Genesis, we read the rest of the story of what happened that day between God and Abram. As the conversation had continued between God and Abram, (don’t miss that either… we can have conversations with God!) God reminds Abram of His promise to give Him (and his descendants) the land of Canaan. Abram asked how he could know he would possess it? In response, God directs Abram through a very specific ritual, formalizing the covenant promise. There was the list of animals we skipped over. Then, the sun set, we read in verse 17, and “a smoking firepot with a blazing torch” appeared and passed between the pieces.” Then in verse 18 we’re told “On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram,” and promised him the land of Canaan to his descendants. Remember, this was a man with no children yet of his own. So why did God send this strange vision to Abram? God’s covenant with Abram was serious business. It represented an incredible promise from God and a huge responsibility for Abram. God kept His promise. Everything God does is true to His character. And Abram became Abraham and followed through on his responsibility. What about us? Can we believe God will keep all His promises? Can we live like covenant people who are in relationship with an all-knowing, (omniscient); all-powerful (omnipotent) God who we can trust? We are covenant people willing to be patient and wait, no matter what, because we are in relationship with a covenant God who never breaks His promises. While we are in this time of waiting, this “holding pattern,” (for all you aviators), we can meditate on the following four promises from God that we can embrace: 1) He is always with us. (Therefore we will not fear.) 2) He is always in control. No matter how it looks. (Therefore we will not doubt.) 3) He is always good. (Therefore we will not despair.) It isn’t God who messes things up. It’s human beings. 4) God is always victorious. Remember Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world.” This is from John 16:33. This is after Jesus’ last supper with His closest friends, before His arrest, trial and crucifixion. He was offering comfort to His disciples then, and to us disciples today. For Abraham, it would be 25 years from the time he left his hometown until his son was born, but it would be about 500 years before the promise about the land to his descendants would come true. There was a little thing called 400 years as slaves in Egypt that had to happen first. Plus a few other things. But God kept His promise. The long wait was finally over. And it was more than worth it. It occurs to me that for us to wait, we need all the help we can get. We need God’s help. We need God’s grace. Yesterday I read a FB post from a Dove leader named Mim Hurst. It was about grace. In fact, it was after I read her post that the light bulb moment occurred! Grace is what it takes for us to be able to wait! I got her permission to share her words. Please listen carefully to these words. Here’s what she wrote: “What’s on my heart today is grace! Grace that is sufficient for anything we may face today. Grace for those that think differently than me. Grace to not judge others. Grace for our government officials that are faced with extremely hard decisions. Grace to accomplish. Grace to rest. Grace to hear and discern. Grace to wait. Grace. [Pause] In Romans 12:12, Paul tells the Romans words that still apply today: “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” We are to be patient. David knew a lot about waiting. He was anointed king at age 16, but didn’t become king until he was 30. During those long, fourteen years, he was chased through the desert by jealous King Saul. David had to wait on God for the fulfillment of His promise to be king. Later on after becoming king, he was chased by his rebellious son Absalom. We are in a time of what many call, and I agree, a “Divine Reset.” Let’s make good use of this waiting time by discovering what God may be trying to teach us. Here are the words David wrote from Psalm 27:14 “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” Let us pray. [Pray] Now, before you go, I want to share some exciting news about a special online study from Dove on Colossians we’ll be posting tomorrow...
Easter Brings Hope April 12, 2020 Good morning and Happy Easter, or Resurrection Sunday everyone! On behalf of Cross Creek Community Church and it’s people, it’s leaders, and elders, I warmly welcome you to this special time together online. Would you join me, now, for a moment of prayer. [Pray - HS Presence, health and peace and protection over everyone listening, and a special word from God for them today…] I want to start by personally thanking all grocery store workers, and everyone else who is still working during this time of mandated social isolation. Gas station attendants. Car maintenance technicians. Etc. You are brave. We are grateful. Thank you, also, teachers, for learning new online teaching techniques. And parents for home-schooling. I also thank all the truck drivers, and their families who are making do without them. Also all health care/hospital workers, especially those dealing with the covid-19 patients. Special prayers for you! You are brave. We are grateful. Also law enforcement; first responders; military; garbage removal workers; leaders making tough decisions; Everyone abiding by the sheltering in place rules too; and all the people of faith who are offering peace, prayers and hope to their family, friends and neighbors. Thank you. Just before this video, you watched and listened to that precious, priceless song entitled “I See the Light” which we shared just before going live. Thank you to all of who worked so hard to put it together. It was beautiful. We are grateful. Some of you may recognize the song from the movie “Tangled,” which came out several years ago. It was a modern, animated film version of the classic tale of Rapunzel. Perhaps the lyrics to the song express how we’ve been. Perhaps some of us have been feeling like “an outsider looking in.” Blind. Not seeing. Living life in a blur. In fact, once this virus passes and things return to “normal,” I’m wondering if, like a Facebook post I shared yesterday says, “which parts of normal are worth rushing back to?” Do we really want to live life in a blur, anymore? In other words, what have you realized about your life, over this last month since the pandemic was declared March 11, that wasn’t necessary? Or taken for granted? What have you learned, after we were told to “shelter in place” a week later, since then? What is really important? What really matters? {Pause} I suspect we may not want to return completely to “normal.” We may not want to be so busy and in such a rush all the time. {“Mr. Rogers Neighborhood.”} We may need to carve out more time for more rest more often. We may need to schedule regular “porch talk” with family and friends and neighbors. And take long walks in the neighborhood. And definitely continue washing our hands frequently! We may want to continue to spend less money, shop less, eat out less, and cook more at home. We will definitely want to keep our now cleaner and neater and more organized homes that way. What are you doing differently right now, than you were before, that you find you’re enjoying? Go ahead and post it right now if you like. It’s good food for thought for all of us to meditate on what we want to leave behind when we “return to normal,” and what we want to take with us, moving forward. In the song “I See the Light,” Rapunzel sings about how, before she met Flynn, she felt like an outsider looking in. She was blind. Not seeing. Living life in a blur. Then she met him, he set her free, and helped her discover the real world and who she really is. If that doesn’t ring a bell about how Jesus has affected our lives, I don’t know what does! Before we begin that relationship with Christ, we are locked up in our own little world. We live for ourselves. We do not see spiritually. We are not centered. In fact, we’re self-centered. Then we find Christ, and we find true freedom. We discover the real world of spirituality. We discover we’re spiritual beings having a human experience, not the other way around. We discover who we really are. We discover whose we really are. We are reconciled to God. We see the light. In John 1 we’re told that Christ is the Light, (He called Himself the Light of the world later on in this same book). “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” This current pandemic is a definition of darkness. And yet, Jesus’ light shines. It shines all the brighter because it is dark. The darker it is, the brighter it shines! People of Christ are the ones shining bright during this time. They are Easter people. This is Easter Sunday. Most of us are familiar with the story of what happened that first Easter morning. The women went to the tomb. Their hearts were heavy. They had just seen their hope in Jesus of Nazareth crushed. They witnessed Him dying a cruel death by crucifixion. It had been their hope that He would redeem them, and their people, and deliver all of them from their Roman oppressors; but now their dreams and hopes lay in the darkened tomb. In their hands they carried spices. The same spices brought to Jesus as special gifts upon the unique and miraculous occasion of His birth: frankincense, myrrh. His death had been forecast at His birth. His life had been foretold through the Jewish Scriptures for hundreds of year. He was the long-awaited Messiah. The Savior. The One from God. The anointed One. So how could it have ended like this, they must have wondered? When they got to the tomb, they were astounded! The big, huge, beyond-heavy stone which had been rolled in front to seal it, was rolled away! And the Roman guards who had been stationed there to guard it, lay there as if dead! (Slain in the Spirit.) You can read this in Matthew 28:2-7. The angel of the Lord, “whose appearance was like lightning and clothes as white as snow,” told the women not to be afraid. He told them He knew they were looking for Jesus, who had been crucified. Then he said, “He is not here, He has risen…” This is why, throughout church history, someone would call out “He is Risen,” on Easter morning, and everyone else would respond, “He has risen indeed!” {Do this, if led…} We know the story. But do we know what it means? Do we know WHY the empty tomb… Easter… brings hope?! Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:16-21. Let’s go there now. [Read] [Pray] When we are “in Christ,” when we’ve chosen to believe in Him and want Him to be in charge of our lives, when we’ve begun a relationship with Him, or perhaps returned to one… then we are “a new creation.” We are no longer on the outside looking in… we are in! We’re no longer blind or unseeing, we see! “Amazing Grace, how can it be?! I once was blind, but now I see!!!” What was I blind to before, that now I see? The importance of and power of forgiveness? The beauty and renewal of God’s creation? The importance and dignity of every human being no matter who they are? People matter to God. (Troy Ray) When we begin to live for, and with, Christ, we become new people on the inside. The Holy Spirit gives us new life. We are re-created. Part of what we’re discovering through all of this covid-19 sheltering in place learning is that God is doing a divine “reset.” (Heard on the worldwide communion this week.) What in your life needs to go? What needs to come in? How do we need to do “church” differently? How do we need to celebrate Easter differently? For many of us in ministry, this will be the most restful Easter we’ve had in decades! Some of us will even get to cook today. Others may even still be in pajamas right now! And those Easter lillies? Yesterday I had the privilege of delivering a few lillies (most were left at the door… any interactions were brief and six feet apart…). I have to admit there was more ministry going on, and love shown, through that simple act and gift, than any Good Friday sermon I’ve preached, or service I’ve attended, no matter how meaningful they were. God is doing a “divine reset,” and Easter brings hope that we will pay attention, and take notes, and come out of this looking more like the church is supposed to, than before! So in 2 Corinthians 5:17 Paul is saying we aren’t just “turning over a new leaf,” when we choose Christ, we’re beginning a new life under a new master! Easter brings hope! Are you tired of just always trying to do it your way and not getting anywhere? Try Christ! When we belong to Christ, like Rapunzel, we truly discover our “true you.” We discover who we really are. We enter into a new covenant. A new perspective. We begin to look at people differently. God’s way. The longer we belong to Christ, the more this happens. We learn to love God, and love people, (1st and 2nd greatest commandments) more, and better. We slowly become more like Christ. Paul says all this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself, through Christ, and gave us “the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them.” (:18,19) That’s what happened on the cross! That’s why Jesus came! He defeated the devil’s work and lies, and crushed sin underfoot when He went to the cross. He defeated death when He rose from the dead! And yes. His tomb was found empty. Which meant He had become alive again! He’s the only God who ever has! He was seen by up to 500 people after His resurrection and before He ascended up to Heaven. And now, because of Christ, when we face death, we do not have to fear. When we believe in Him, we know that even though our human bodies die, and they all eventually do, our souls will live forever. Many are familiar with John 3:16 - “For God so loved the world He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not die, but will live forever!” That gives us hope! But 3:17 is also important. God didn’t send His son to condemn the world, but to save it. That’s why we call Him Messiah. Savior. Knowing we belong to Him gives us hope. Hope is essential for all human beings. We must have hope for peace and joy in our lives. A life filled with hope is an empowered life! Knowing we belong to Him, whose tomb was found empty on Easter morning, empowers our lives! Solomon was the wisest man on the face of the earth when he wrote, in Proverbs 13:12, that “hope deferred makes the heart sick.” In other words, when we don’t have hope we are depressed. Discouraged. Hopeless. I pray that everyone who is listening today will shake off any of that if they’re struggling with it! [Pray!] And, instead, leave this time together today deciding to choose to have hope. What is it you’re hoping for right now? {Jon’s response and my personal testimony of battling with ill health off and on last 3 years…} One chapter earlier, in this letter to the believers in Corinth, 2 Corinthians 4:1, Paul wrote these words, “Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.” In verse 16, he says it again! Let’s look, together, at 2 Corinthians 4:16-18: “Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day… [Read the rest…] It is fascinating that this coronavirus is forcing people to talk about death. We are not a society that talks about death. In America our favorite coping device is denial. (Yes… kid’s joke… what was Cleopatra the queen of? That’s right. De Nile.) Death is inevitable. It’s good we’re finally talking about it. And so what better time than now to make sure we know where we’re going after we die! And what better time than now to truly begin to live our lives. To understand what matters most. Personally, I’m not thinking most of us will die just yet. We’re reminded in Psalm 139 God knows when we’re born and when we’ll die. We don’t have to worry about it. When Paul wrote the words we just read in 2 Corinthians, he had faced a lot of suffering, trials, and distress as he preached the good news. But he knew it would all be more than worth it. One day he would obtain God’s rest and rewards. We will too! That gives us hope! As we face great troubles, it’s easy to focus on the pain rather than the ultimate goal. But just as athletes concentrate on the finish line and ignore their discomfort, we too can choose what to focus on during this trying time. We can dwell on the negative, or find the beauty in the unexpected. Paul went through a lot. More than most of us ever will. You can read the list, also in this book, in chapter 11:16-33. Paul experienced excruciating life circumstances! Yet he proclaimed, unequvicably, that No matter what happens in this life, as believers, we have the assurance of eternal life - or life foreverafter. Blessed assurance. This brings hope. On this most unusual of Easter Sundays, smack dab in the middle of a worldwide pandemic, at home instead of out somewhere… In a world filled with trouble, Easter brings hope! As you move forward into possibly the most restful and relaxed Easter Sunday you’ve ever enjoyed, let’s remember our Savior, and celebrate His great love. And love on each other! …His great love which unleashes great hope all over us! He has set us free. And now, please just open up your hands to receive this blessing from Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Amen. Happy Easter!
April 5, 2020 [Greeting] [Prayer] In case anyone doesn’t know, today is “Palm Sunday.” It is the day remembered throughout the church, throughout the world, and throughout the centuries. It’s the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the first day of the week that would change His life, and all of history, forever. Crowds waved palm branches as He went by. Hence: Palm Sunday. In the first four books of the New Testament, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, also known as “the gospels,” we read a slightly different account of Palm Sunday in each one. These similar yet different readings are snapshots of the same event taken from four different angles. They all contain the same basic story, but some leave certain details out, where others include them. Mark and Luke don’t spell it out, but Matthew and John do. The act of Jesus riding a “donkey’s colt,” or previously unridden animal in the donkey family, was extremely symbolic! Matthew, (who was Jewish) and John, (who wanted everyone to know that Jesus was God), both include the Old Testament Scripture from Zechariah 9:9 to prove a point. Jesus was the long-awaited Jewish Messiah coming in to save the world! It wouldn’t be the way most people anticipated. But His journey through what we now call “Holy Week” had all been prophesied hundreds of years before, and it was all now coming true. Jesus was and is the Messiah. The Savior of the world. And He has come to save us all. Don’t miss this point. In the midst of all the bad news surrounding this virus, Jesus is still King! Jesus still saves! Jesus is, in fact, the One to whom we cling, and the One who is in charge! Easter has not been canceled! We may not meet in person next week, but we will still worship a Savior who has eliminated sin and death for all who believe! “Save us now! is what “Hosanna,” the word the crowd yells, means! The Jewish people who had gathered for the Passover Festival were looking for a Jewish leader to free them from the oppression of the cruel Roman government. Hosanna! Hosanna! Save us now! [Go ahead… wave your palm branches if you have some… if not… go out and get some and wave them afterwards…One of the benefits of living in Florida. We’ve got palm branches all around…] "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in he name of the Lord!” Blessed is He who is the Lord! Blessed is the king of Israel! Blessed is the king of the world! And of you. And of me. The King of the world, Jesus, knows how we feel. He was fully God and fully human. He left Heaven to come to earth to give His life to save ours. And He made sure to tap into the fully human part so that He would know exactly how we feel. He went through a rollercoaster of emotions that first “Holy Week.” And it was all to save us all from the oppression of sin and death. Jesus went from being celebrated to being spit on. He went from having everything He needed to having nothing at all. He went from being surrounded by friends and family and fans, to being alone and abandoned, except for a very few. What we are going through in this current pandemic, is a far cry from what Jesus endured. And yet we, too, are experiencing a roller coaster of emotions. We, too, are finding things changing day to day, and sometimes hour by hour. It’s a confusing time, to be sure. It can also be a frightening time. A puzzling time. A frustrating time. A time of rethinking priorities and downshifting dramatically. And yet, it’s also a time of increased rest and relaxation for many. (Pray for our parents of young children… this may not be quite the case for them!) It’s a time of discovering new ways of doing new things. Like online church. (Or, “Pajama church.”) Electronic connection and teaching and family gatherings online! Making masks out of bandanas or handkerchiefs or even paper towels. (Hang on to the paper towel ones… you may need those later.) Getting to really know our neighbors. Getting to really know those with whom we live. Getting to know God. Speaking of getting to know God better, let’s look at His Word now. [Invitation to read along as Scripture is read… make notes if something especially speaks to you…] [Read John 12:12-16] [Pray] The use of waving palm leaves to signify victory has been going on for a very long time. The Greeks ceremoniously crowned victorious athletes with palm leaves. But even before that, the Israelites had been given instructions by the Lord, through Moses, to celebrate, with palm branches! Besides enjoying one Sabbath day of rest each week, the Israelites also enjoyed 19 days, throughout the year, when national holidays were celebrated. In fact, if you include the weekly sacred day of Sabbath, the day of worship and rest, there were seven festivals the Israelites enjoyed. We know that seven is significant in the Bible. It represents completion. Or perfection. Perhaps during this time of enforced quarantine at home, we can begin to develop a habit of dedicating our Sabbath, the seventh day of the week, or the first, depending on how you look at it, Sunday, to truly be a day of worship and rest. Now let’s briefly look at the other six Jewish festivals and their significance to us followers of Christ, who was Jewish. Let’s meditate on the fact that God has ALWAYS been there for His people! There was, of course, the celebration of Passover. This is something Christians need to keep in mind as well. We are freed from the actual Jewish requirements because of, and through, Christ. (Hebrews 10:19 “a new and living way…”) But we still need to be reminded of how God delivers God’s people. Some people like to go through the parts of a Jewish Passover Seder meal and incorporate Christ into it. In Exodus 12 we find the story of the first passover. Basically, God told Moses and (his brother) Aaron, to tell the whole community of the people of God, on a certain day, to take the blood of a lamb and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of their homes. This was a prophetic action to be spared from the plague of death. A lamb with no defects had to be killed, at twilight, and its blood placed on the doorframes of each home. Then the families would have roast lamb. And those with more shared with those with less. God always made sure everyone was provided for. After the meal was finished, the Israelites were to burn anything left. Then they were to prepare to leave their homes. For the Lord was about to “passover.” What was the significance of the lamb? In killing the lamb, the Israelites shed innocent blood. The lamb was a sacrifice, a substitute for the person who would have died in the plague. This particular plague was that of the death of firstborns. The people of God, however, were spared. Then, they would flee. They would experience the miracle of the parting of the Red Sea, and leave the life of oppression that had held them captive for years. When we give our lives to Christ, we also leave a life of oppression and become free. In Exodus 12:13, the Lord says, “The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you.” Moses listened very carefully to the instructions from the Lord and then summoned all the elders of Israel and repeated them word for word. He ended this meeting with these words: “When you enter the land that the Lord will give you as He promised, observes this ceremony. And when your children ask you, “What does this ceremony mean to you,” (Or in traditional Seder language, “Why is this night any different?), then tell them, “It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes…” Perhaps we would do well, as followers of Christ, the Lamb of God, to also help our children to understand the significance of the celebration of Easter and the great gift of Jesus Christ when He went to the cross to become our special sacrificial Lamb. The bunnies and eggs of Easter are all signs of new life which is only possible to us through Christ. Let’s never forget it. Still today, Jewish people celebrate the festival of Passover and also Unleavened Bread to remember how God delivered His people. This year, Passover (& Feast of Unleavened Bread) will be April 8-16. Interestingly, it will occur during our Easter celebration of April 12. It often lands that way You see, Jesus Christ was the ultimate sacrifice for all of us and His totally innocent blood was shed for our sins so that we could choose to believe in Him and be forgiven and forever belong to God. But back to the Jewish festivals. There’s the Passover which we understand more than ever before, now. It’s that time of year. And some Christians are putting holy oil, or you can use olive oil, on the doorframes of their homes and praying for God’s protection for their families for this current plague, the coronavirus. Let’s walk in great confidence and trust in our God. Let’s remember how He has always been there for His people. He won’t forsake us now. So in our summary of Jewish festivals we have the weekly Sabbath; then there’s the Passover and Unleavened Bread - this was a Springtime festival. The festival of Unleavened Bread, lasting seven days, reminded the people they were leaving the old life behind and entering a new way of living. Perhaps that’s something that’s happening with us, now, too. Perhaps there are things we’re practicing now that we’ll want to continue after the virus crisis has passed. (Like washing hands frequently. Like not going out as much or spending as much money. Like more home cooked meals and family time at home together. Like more time with God.) Next comes the “Firstfruits” festival. This was in the Fall. This was to remind the people how God had provided for them. Again. This is significant for us. God is “Jehovah-Jireh.” The Lord our Provider. Look at what we have right now. Toilet paper may be in short supply, but we have homes. We have roofs over our heads. We have food to eat. We have water to drink. We have beds to sleep in. And washing machines, and electricity to run them, to wash our sheets from those beds when it’s time. (What do you think? Change sheets every two weeks? More? Less? Let us know…) Then there was the festival of Pentecost, or Weeks. It was also a festival of thanksgiving (usually after their first crops came in) where they were to show their joy. [Reminder of sending in tithe… showing thankfulness…] There was also the feast of the Trumpets. Another time of expressed joy and thanksgiving to God. [Boy do we need to plan a time of celebration and thanksgiving to God after all this has passed!] There was also the Day of Atonement which was all about restored fellowship with God. This special day celebrated the removal of sin from the people and the nation. Again, that is what Jesus accomplished on the cross for us. Finally, we come to the 7th and last Jewish festival. This was the Feast of the Tabernacles, or Festival of the Booths. Here it comes… wait for it… For this festival the Israelites were commanded to “take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, the fronds of palm trees…” (and a couple of other things), and you must rejoice before Jehovah your God seven days.” Yes, all the way back in Leviticus and Deuteronomy we find the use of palm branches. The palm branches were used as a mark of rejoicing. So on this Palm Sunday, we, too, can wave palm branches as a sign of rejoicing. It is a symbol of faith in God and celebration of His Goodness. Yes, even in the midst of this coronavirus pandemic. Yes, especially in the midst of this plague. You see, the word of God tells us He inhabits the praises of His people! (Psalm 22:1) So, yes, praise Him! Worship Him! Cry out to Him! [SIGNIFICANCE of John’s words! The original Zechariah Scripture says ... Rejoice. But John says “Do not be afraid.” DO NOT BE AFRAID!] Over 2000 yrs later, these words wring true! As this virus peaks next week, hold on to hope! Do not fear! Easter brings hope! As we go through this next week, you’ll have more time than ever to read all four of the Gospel accounts of those precious last days of Jesus here on earth! Parents, spend time reading Childrens’ Bible stories about what happened. Or watch some of the great childrens videos that are out there. For the adults, there are also great movies and videos chronicling what is known as “the Passion of the Christ.” This would be a good week for us to watch some of that. And for all of us, let’s share in the Lord’s supper together at home with the gifts of (unleavened) bread and grape juice this week. Especially on Thursday night. Perhaps even wash each others feet. Or your own! (And rub them with lotion. Wouldn’t that be nice?) Read the words from Matthew 26:20-30, or Mark 14:17-26. Luke 22:14-30, or John 13:21-30. Or maybe read all four. I suspect our time this week in remembering Jesus and taking the elements of the Last Supper will carry deeper meaning. And then there’s “Good Friday.” It wasn’t good. It was awful. It was horrifying and terrifying and heartbreaking for those who love Jesus. But it was “good” in that it saved us all. Read the accounts of just what Jesus went through for all of us. Read the Scriptures that teach us of the depth of the love of God. And then prepare to celebrate next Sunday. For all of us to be able to meet together each Sunday morning in this way is something for which to be very grateful! I’m so glad you’re here! I am praying for you. The people and leaders of Cross Creek Community church are praying for you. Some are even fasting and praying. We will beat this thing. It will not last forever. And it won’t be because of who we are, but because of what He’s done. It won’t be because of what we’ve done, but because of who He is. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! So, “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion, see, your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt…” (John 12:15) Let us pray… [Pray]
“Hurricane Fatigue” March 29, 2019 Welcome to Cross Creek Community Church. I am Pastor Rebecca Hyvonen, lead elder of this loving body of Christ. On behalf of the people of our church, our leaders, and our elders, I welcome you warmly. In case you didn’t know, our church worships and serves at Creekside Middle School, in Pt. Orange, Fl. And, in case you didn’t know, Volusia county schools are closed now until at least April 15. Guess what that means? You’re correct. We cannot meet there right now. And of course even if it was open, we could not meet because of social isolating restrictions. I want to thank all of you who are working on “flattening the curve,” and practicing social distancing and self-isolation too. This is a difficult and challenging time, but also a marvelous time in which churches are finding new ways to stay connected and reach others. Some are using UTube channels. We are not because we do not yet have our own worship facility. Some are using Zoom. We are not because we’ve heard from many of you that tell us you don’t want to be seen. Oh yeah, it’s ok for you to see me, but you don’t want us to see you! Yeah. You can stay in your pajamas, not brush your hair, and not put on makeup and yet still gather together! Enjoy! By the way, isn’t it great that when we are around others right now, six feet apart, of course, they won’t even know if we have bad breath?!?! Anyway, some churches use Skype. Some are using other venues. And some, like us, are using Facebook Live. Thank you, by the way, Facebook, for making this free live streaming available to us. And as you share this broadcast with others, Facebook friends, if they don’t have FB, but have email, you can send them the link! So. We are not able to broadcast from our worship facility which is why you are not seeing our praise team lead us in worship just before the message is brought to you. We are working on something, though, which might bring us some live music next week first, from our church office. But in the meanwhile, I hope you did some personal or family worship this morning before coming on FB live. I posted some music suggestions with which to worship prior to live streaming together this morning. We believe it is very important to begin with worship. And the more and longer worship, the better! This is what empties us of us, and helps us focus on God. This is what ushers in the presence, and the power, of the Holy Spirit. On that note, let us pray. [Pray - include prayer on eradication of Covid-19 virus...] Did you know that every semester, on college campuses across America, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of students who kill off a grandparent right before mid-term exams? No, grandparents aren’t actually murdered by their college attending grandchildren, but students use this excuse, “my grandpa, or grandma died,” to try to get out of taking mid- terms. It is a well-known phenomenon among educators known as the “dead grandmother problem.” This is actually the most tense time for college students each semester because this is when their grades will determine whether they continue in their class(es) or flunk out. I guess we could call it, “Crunch Time." There’s another phenomenon that happens in Florida when major hurricanes are approaching and the newscasters have been warning us for weeks. It’s called “Storm,” or “Hurricane Fatigue.” The waiting, the watching, the ever changing forecasts and ultimately an outcome over which we have no control, other than our own actions and preparation, is extremely stressful. I think we’ve begun to hit that time with all the covid-19 news we’ve been hearing for weeks. It’s now been 18 days, or 2 and 1/2 weeks, since this virus was declared a world-wide pandemic. It’s Crunch Time. And it’s Coronavirus Fatigue time. We may be feeling overwhelmed by all we’ve heard and seen. We may be going crazy with all the various scenarios we might be imagining. (Or are being imagined for us every night on the news!) We might be going a little stir crazy too with staying home so much! ( Check our Amy Iverson’s beautiful testimony on how God overcame that for her!) Anyway, this morning, I invite you to get rid of the fatigue! Shake it off! Don’t go there! Don’t give up. Don’t give in. You will make it through this. And you’ll come out better in many ways. I want to encourage you this morning not to live in fear! We are people of faith, not fear! You may have seen the following on a Facebook post recently: “Fear says, “What if?” But “Faith says, “Even if.” Dear friends. Please don’t go down the path of… what if? Please stand tall and firm and strong in Christ and say… even if! If you are in Christ… if you have declared with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, … you are saved! (Romans 10:9) You have nothing to fear! Elsewhere in Romans (8:38, 39) we’re told that even death cannot separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord! For it is with your heart that you believe, and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith, and are saved.” (10:10) These are classic Bible verses from Romans 10:9,10, also known as “TNT,” (because they’re dynamite!), This is the beautiful answer to the question “How do I become a Christian?” Salvation is as close as your own mouth and heart. The point is that with this deadly virus, we do not have to fear. We can choose not to fear. You see, if you are in Christ, you don’t have to fear death. Even if we die, we know where we’re going. We’ll be in our real home, Heaven, which will be far better than earth! “You called my name,” Lord, “and I ran out of that grave!” (Check out the scaled down version of this song, “Glorious Day” by New Song Cafe on http://worshiptogether.com ) Look fear in the face and tell it to flee! Sing these songs out at the top of your voice! “I’m no longer a slave to fear, I am a child of God!” And “the breakup song,” by Francesca Battistelli “Fear you don’t own me…” And then there’s “Tell the devil not today!” by Hillsong. Also meditate on the beautiful “There is no fear in love,” by Stephanie G. And of course, Zach Williams song, “Fear is a liar!” That’s right. Fear does not come from God. It comes from our enemy the devil who is also known as “the father of lies.” (John 8:44) So don’t believe fear. It’s a lie. When the Great Depression was at its peak, Franklin D. Roosevelt was sworn in as President on March 4, 1933. His words are forever remembered from that speech. He began with these words, “So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself." The only thing we have to fear, dear friends, is fear itself! Fight it! Don’t give in to it! There are so many things we can do right now to fight off fear. Turn the TV off! Take a walk. Get to know your neighbors! Help others! Yes it’s “crunch time,” but you don’t have to fear being kicked out of college; Yes it’s a stressful time, but you don’t have to worry about what the hurricane might do! And you can choose NOT TO give in to the fear and panic that so insidiously lingers over the television and other sources! For one thing, there have only been 1,711 deaths in the US as of yesterday, from covid- 19. There were 12-61,000 deaths in the US from the flu last year! (Hopkins) -5- Take a deep breath, people. Do it again. And turn off your TV! Go outside. Breathe in fresh air. Marvel at the beauty of God’s creation! And stay close to God. Pray. Listen. Stay in worship music that glorifies Him. And stay in His Word. I’d like to invite us to turn to the book of Hebrews this morning. We mentioned Hebrews 12:1,2 last week, where we’re told to “throw off everything that hinders us… and run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus…” Keep doing that. And now let’s look at Hebrews 10:19-25. [Pray] [Read] The writer of Hebrews begins this section with “Therefore…” This means… Hey! Sit up and pay attention! What comes next is important! We’re told here that we can have confidence… not just a little bit of head bowed, eyes squeezed shut, hesitant, quietly whispered possibility of a little hopefulness… but BOLD, CONFIDENT, STAND UP TO YOUR FULL HEIGHT WITH CHIN UP, STOMACH IN AND SHOULDERS BACK, CONFIDENCE! Because of the work done on the Cross by Jesus the Christ, for all of us, and because of His precious, priceless blood shed for our sins so that we CAN be fully forgiven and reconciled and reconnected to our Heavenly Father because of the love of His only Son… we can therefore enter the Most Holy Place! Because of Christ, there was a new and living way, (notice the word “life” is in living… life… the opposite of death… confident belief… the opposite of fearful worry…) opened for us through the curtain, that is, His body. Before Jesus went to the cross for all of us, the Most Holy Place in the temple was sealed from view by curtain. Only the high priest could enter this holy room, and he did so only once a year on the Day of Atonement when he offered the sacrifice for the nation’s sins. But Jesus’ death removed the curtain, and all believers can now walk into God’s presence at any time! We can go running boldly to the throne of God! In fact, Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." If you feel you are in a time of need… Run to the throne of grace! As Joyce Meyers says, “Don’t go to the phone, go to the throne!” -5- We can approach God boldly, free from guilty consciences, and in full assurance, because of the work of Jesus Christ! {You still with me?!} We can go to God without doubting, knowing that He will hear and answer us. We have personal access to God through Christ and can draw near to Him without an elaborate system. Believe it! Practice it! Share this good news with others! We can grow in our faith, overcome doubts, and deepen our relationship with God. Notice we’ve been reading and meditating upon Scripture from Hebrews chapter 10. Do you know what comes after 10? Yes! 11! Hebrews chapter 11 is known as the “Hebrews Hall of Fame,” or “Hebrews Hall of Faith,” or perhaps even “Hebrews Hall of Faith Fame! The author lists many great ancestors of our faith, who demonstrated great faith. We can too! This chapter begins with these words we may need to memorize if we don’t know them already: “Now faith is being sure of what hope for, and certain of what we do not see.” The NIV says “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Friends, we must exercise our faith. Like any muscle, it will atrophy if it is not exercised. Keep sure of what we’re hoping for. Be certain of what we do not see. Have confidence. Have hope. In the book of 2 Kings, there is a great story in chapter 6:15-17 of how God provided an army of angels leading horses and chariots of fire to protect the prophet Elisha and his servant. The servant did not see them, though. He only knew that when he went out earlier, all he saw was an earthly army, surrounding the city, with horses and chariots. He cried out to the man of God, Elisha, “What shall we do?!” Elisha responded, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “Open His eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. We spoke last week of how our God is “Yahweh Saobeth,” the Lord who fights our battles. We can trust in Him. We need not worry. We need not fear. We can have faith. Speaking of faith, please be in prayer for Cindy Gray as she has surgery this Wednesday at Advent hospital... And April 1 is also the day our church becomes officially engaged to Dove International. It’s also the day my husband begins early retirement... a great example of something good coming out of something bad! Also, if you know of anyone who just needs someone to talk to, or to pray with them, please be that person! Also the leaders of our church stand ready to help as needed. Finally, Hebrews 10:23 says, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for the One who promised is faithful.” And that is the crux of this message. We are in mid-term “crunch time.” We are experiencing “hurricane or storm fatigue.” Yet “we won’t be shaken.” We will be strong and courageous. (Joshua 1:9) We will “just keep swimming.” And encourage one another. It’s faith building, fear fighting, encouraging one another time! LET US HOLD http://unswervingly...this means full steam ahead without even looking to the left or to the right... no swerving... just pedal to the medal opening it up on the straightway ahead! (For more car racing analogies contact Chuck Fast) HOLD UNSWERVINGLY TO HOPE! And now, as you hold on to our hope, receive this blessing: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13) Amen!
Sunday, March 22, 2020 “Just Follow the Light.” Hey Everybody. It’s good to be connected this morning via FB Live. On behalf of the elders, leaders and people of Cross Creek CC, welcome! Grab your Bibles if you haven’t already. Or get ready to access it electronically. If you don’t have an actual, physical Bible, please contact our office and we’ll make sure to get you one. Now, would you join me in a prayer, please. [Pray] I don’t have to tell you that we are currently living in an unprecedented, uncharted, remarkable history-making time. It’s a crazy time. It’s a scary time. It’s also a creative and teachable and innovative time. And a faith-building time. I don’t have to tell you what’s going on. Unless you’ve been totally disengaged from the news, you know that our cities, counties, states, and countries are being overrun by the coronavirus. Or as one of our friends (Randall) calls it, the “Mexican-beer virus.” It’s also known as covid-19. That’s one syllable shorter so it’s easier to say. Whatever you call it, it’s a highly contagious virus that has been swiftly spreading across the world. There’s a website called http://worldometers.com which gives the latest statistics concerning coronavirus cases: As of this morning, there were 311,796 cases worldwide. A total of 13,071 deaths. And 95,838 people recovered! That’s over seven times more people recovered than dead, from the virus! China has had the highest number of cases. Italy the highest number of deaths. Antiqua, Barbuda, Chad, Niger, Papua New Guinea, and Somalia only have one case and no deaths. You can read the rest of the statistics for yourself. There are scientists working around the clock to create a vaccine for this virus. Meanwhile, however, we are being told to keep gatherings to 10 people or less. We’re being warned to “social distance” at least 6 feet from other people. And those over 60, and with underlying health conditions, are being told to “self- isolate.” China, Denmark, El Salvador, France, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Poland and Spain have implemented the world’s largest and most restrictive mass quarantines. In the U.S., Illinois and New York state joined California on Friday in ordering all residents to stay in their homes unless they have vital reasons to go out. Introverts are loving this. Extraverts are finding it very difficult. In Florida, public beach accesses are now closed. Public schools are closed too, until at least April 15. And Orange and Osceola Counties have now implemented curfews between 11pm and 5am. Restaurant in-dining has been closed. Gyms have been closed. And hair salons just got the order yesterday. (Oh dear… watch out as our true colors emerge over the next few weeks. Hello gray hair… or is it silver? And ok all you guys who have secretly wanted your wives to have longer hair… it’s happening!) It’s a crazy and unsettling and tense time. Yet it’s also a creative and less structured and intimate relationship-building time. The Bible has a lot to say about how to deal with such a time as this. God and His people have stories reaching back to the very beginning of it all, encompassing tough times. Showing how He is faithful. He is with us. Think about it. There was the flood in Genesis. Droughts and famine too. Esther’s people were about to be slaughtered. And Job lost everything. “But God…” as the Bible often says. But God provided a giant boat for Noah and his family, and it’s estimated …70,000 animals! …to survive the flood. And by the way, I saw a FB cartoon recently that said, “Noah only took 2 of everything.” Let’s practice that the next time we go shopping too!” I think it’s pretty much mandated now, anyway. Let’s not live in fear. Let’s not hoard supplies. Just get what you need. And share as needed. (Story of neighbor and bananas.) Anyway, then there was the story of Joseph. “But God” caused Joseph to rise up to second in command in Egypt, despite several soul-sapping, heart-wrenching episodes in his life. Ultimately, he was able to feed numerous people who would have otherwise starved, including his own family from another country. And because of God, Esther summoned the courage to speak up to the king, which could have resulted in her own death, to save the lives of her people. Job refused to blame God and, despite unhelpful advice from unhelpful friends, was “more blessed the latter part of his life than the former.” God will help us get through this time. We can draw close to Him and stay close to Him and He will give us His peace and His wisdom. We can trust in Him. We’re gonna be ok. There’s a current contemporary Christian song out right now, by Brian & Jenn Johnson, entitled, “You’re Gonna Be Ok.” I encourage you to listen to it, worship the One of whom she sings, and receive the peace this message of hope brings. For some of us right now, it may be all we’ve got to “just be strong.” It might be a fight “just to keep it together.” Maybe we even feel too far gone. But as these anointed songwriters tell us, “hope is never lost.” In fact, let’s just determine to “hold on.” “Don’t let go.” Vivid-19 is not going to last forever. The song tells us to “just take one step closer, put one foot in front of the other. We’ll get through this. We just need to “follow the light in the darkness.” That’s the key, my friends. That’s the hope. Follow the Light. You may recall that Jesus called Himself the “light of the world,” in John 8:12, in the Bible. In this dark world, to follow Him is to push back the darkness. The opposite of disease and death is life! In John 1:4 we’re told about Jesus, “In Him was life; and the life was the light of people.” To follow the Light is to follow Life. The opposite of death. Let’s be people of Light right now! Let’s be the ones in the neighborhood who are calm and at peace despite the storm around us. Paul told us in the book of Philippians to “shine like stars in the universe.” (Phil. 2:15. And by the way, Paul added that we will “shine like stars in the sky” as we “hold firmly to the Word of life.” That’s Jesus, I pray that during this tense time, you will begin, or grow, your relationship with Christ. He is here. He is waiting. He invites us to spend time with Him. Get to know His Holy Spirit. Be filled to overflowing with His Presence and His Power. We might have more of an opportunity for this than ever before, right now. More time at home. Fewer distractions. Turn the TV off, and turn to Him. Will you do this? Just pray. Listen. Read His Word. Play music that connects you to Him. Ask Him for more of His Spirit. He will answer your prayer. If you’re at home with children, find Christian videos to watch together. Read Bible stories. Act them out! (And post them on our FB page or website or app. We’d love to see them!) This may be an unprecedented time for most of us, and yet it is also a unique time for many things: more interaction electronically with more people; more opportunity to take the time to actually meet and talk with neighbors; more time to go outside and toss a football. I saw some of these things happening yesterday as I was driving to the office to practice the FB live. It’s not usually something I see very often. Neighbors talking with neighbors. Families taking time to play outdoors together. It’s hot right now in Florida and getting hotter this week. Welcome Spring, but hello Summer! And hey, all of a sudden, we’re not even minding this heat as much because we’re being told that covid-19 hates the heat! So yeah. It’s a good time to live in Florida. And in Florida we get a lot of light. Which also helps to combat depression. So Follow the Light during this stressful time. Put, and keep putting, your eyes on Jesus. The writer of Hebrews told us to do this. (12:2) They struggled with persecution and death as people were getting killed for their Christian faith. And yet this book is all about Christ, and our faith, and how it is ultimately what everyone is searching for. Let’s be light during this darkness which points everyone towards the Light of the World, Jesus the Christ. Let’s follow the Light. If you think about it, light is a major theme of the Bible. It was the first thing God made. (“Let there be light.” Genesis 1:3) It’s all over the Psalms: God actually turns darkness into light (18:28), God is our light and salvation (27:1). In Psalm 36:9 we cry out with the Psalmist, “For with You,” (O God), “is the fountain of life, in your light we see light.” Don’t miss this. Our God is the very source of life. The opposite of death. The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, wants to continue to breathe His life into our fears and our stress and our tension, and replace it with His Presence and His peace. The Hebrew word for “spirit” is “breath,” you know. “Ruach.” It also means life! With You, O God, is the very presence of Life! Breath into us Holy Spirit, even now! Fill us with Your Presence, once more, O Lord! Take a deep breath right now. [In through your nose, out through your mouth.] And do it again. Come on… let me see your shoulders move. There. Doesn’t that feel good?! This may be the first time you’ve done that in a while! You’ve just burned off 10 calories, too. And released some endorphins, which are natural anti-depressants. And now may you be refreshed and filled with God’s very own Holy Spirit as well, as we continue to meditate on the importance of following the Light. In the book of Exodus, Moses and his people were told to follow the light. Let’s look at Exodus 13:20-22; 14:19-20; and 13-14. (Yes that’s not in chronological order, but that’s for a reason which you’ll shortly see.) Pray. The tense, anxious, uneasy people of God followed the presence of the Lord through a very scary time. They kept their eyes on the cloud by day and the fire by night. When it came to be “crunch time,” (walking through the sea), the presence of God actually went around to the back of them to protect them from their enemy. People! We serve a mighty and protective God! If you haven’t already, read and re-read and proclaim Psalm 91 over yourselves, your family and your home! Your business too if you’re still working right now. Psalm 91 (from the NLT version) tells us that whoever lives in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty! We can cry out that He, alone, is our refuge and our fortress! Our place of safety! He is our God, in whom we trust. He will rescue us from every trap. He will protect us from deadly disease. He will cover us with His feathers, and under His wings, just like a baby chick and a mother hen, we will find shelter. Safe, warm, loving shelter. As we “shelter in place,” let’s do some visual imagery of ourselves under the wings of our loving Heavenly Father. Trust in Him. Trust in His promises. This is our armor and our protection. And don’t be afraid! Make the Lord your refuge. Psalm 91:10 says that if we do this, “no plague will come near your home.” And in fact, He’s ordering His angels even now, to protect us wherever we go. There’s more. Read it all for yourself. Please. Make it a prayer! And remember Exodus 14:13,14 through it all. The Lord will fight for us, we just need to be still. So people of Light, let’s do this! Let’s radiate His Presence. His peace. His calm. His faithfulness. His promises. Let’s read His Word. Memorize some Scripture. (How’s it going for you with last week’s homework assignments?) Listen to worship music. Help your neighbors. Share your resources. Let us know in this church if you are in need of anything, and we will help you. We are all in this together. Though six feet apart. And from home. So let’s keep in touch, and follow the Light! [Pray]
