Ephesians 2:1-10 Goodness

 

Today is Pentecost, the day that Jesus sent his Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the gift of Jesus that keeps reminding us of who Jesus is, his life and teaching, and the hope that we have in belonging to Jesus. This all flows out of the kindness, the goodness of God. The word for goodness, agathos in Greek, includes the idea of generosity and doing what’s right. All these different aspects of the fruit of the Spirit are all interconnected and intertwined with each other.

Last week we saw kindness as being the opposite of meanness, goodness goes in a slightly different direction. Goodness is a deliberate choice of right over wrong and the constant fight against all moral evil while choosing and following all that is morally good. Goodness is an active choosing of Jesus’ way over our way or Satan’s way. This is why goodness is connected so closely to doing, it’s actively living out Jesus’ way in our lives as Jesus tells us in Matthew 5, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” It’s all about pointing people to God through how we live, through the things we do. As Paul reminds us, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

We do good works, not save ourselves, but out of gratitude to God who is “making us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God has raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Jesus Christ, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness, or goodness, to us in Christ Jesus.” Paul doesn’t want us to think for even a second that anything we do saves us from our sin. It’s Jesus all the way. As Richard Carlson writes, “Our works have not saved us, but they are part of the goal God had in mind in saving us. Hence good works are not simply the by-products of our conversion but were pre-planned and pre-prepared by God.”

These good works show the change that the Holy Spirit makes in us through Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. When God created humanity in his image, we were created good and very good. Sin changed that, this is why God sent Jesus and the Holy Spirit, to reverse the effects of sin in us and begin the process of making us good and very good once again. This is what we call sanctification. This is a life long process, which is why we’re reflecting on growing the fruit of the Spirit in us, no matter how old we are, because we all have growing to do.

Pete Armstrong talks about Barnabas, the only one willing to take a chance on the angry murderous Saul after Saul became a follower of Jesus, “We have all been around exciting people who are passionate about the wrong things. What did Barnabas encourage them towards? “He encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts” (Acts 11:23c). Perhaps this was his way of saying: Remember this day always. Remain true even when temptation comes. Remain true when the culture goes against you. Remain true when you are threatened with your life (a reality for the early church and for many believers around the world today). Barnabas had a beautiful way of encouraging them toward the truth of the Lord, who loves us with all His heart.” Phillip Yancy marvels at the love and grace of God, “God wants something more intimate than the closest relationship on earth, the lifetime bond between a man and a woman. What God wants is not a good performance, but my heart. I do “Good works” for my wife not in order to earn credit but to express my love for her. Likewise, God wants me to serve ‘In the way of the Spirit”: not out of compulsion but of desire.” Good works flow out of our love for God, but also out of our newfound love for our neighbours.

What are these good works that God has prepared for us to do? Is everything nice we do a good work? We can go to the GEMS for some insight from the Old Testament, Micah 6:8, “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Baking cookies for your neighbour, mowing their lawn, or shoveling their driveway after a snowstorm are good things. But maybe we need to go deeper into what the good works God has prepared for us to do are. Are there things in our community that are broken, systems that hurt rather than help? Are there gaps in our community that those who are poor, oppressed, in need of help and compassion fall through unseen and uncared for? The Bible has always been concerned for the entire community, not simply the wealthy and comfortable. God’s goodness is about righteousness and justice, about standing up against moral evil and actively engaging in building God’s shalom and kingdom in our community. Imagine investing your life in doing God’s good works with him!

We have some amazing people and organizations doing good works in our community right now: YU Turn and Stepping Stones, the Broomtree Foundation, the foodbank, along with government organizations such as FCSS and Neighbourlink. There are great needs in our community because of the economic climate in our province and COVID. Family breakdowns and abuse are up, drug and alcohol abuse are up, many more people are struggling with mental health. There are no shelters in Lacombe for those who are homeless, there is no emergency woman’s shelter in Lacombe, or a parent in crisis support group. Bethel is a church that loves doing, it is a church filled with loving servants, but perhaps we need to be more deliberate in how we serve, in the good works we’re engaged in.

Jesus challenges us when it comes to doing good in Luke 6:31–35, “Do to others as you would have them do to you. “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.”

Doing good to people we don’t know, for those who we don’t care for, even those who have hurt us is the challenge of Jesus. It’s easy to take care of each other. To discover God’s good works for us takes listening to our community, watching what is or isn’t happening around us, getting to know the people of our community by serving in places like the Broomtree, YU Turn, FCSS, and other organizations in Lacombe that are working to make our city a better place to live. It takes spending time getting to know our neighbours, the clerks in the grocery stores, the other parents at the swimming pool or lake, talking to those serving in our local government about the needs they see and how they see we could bring more shalom, justice, and health into our community. These are the kinds of good works that cause others to wonder about the God we follow, this is how we can be part of how God changes lives and communities.

This kind of effort as a church and as individuals reveals how God’s goodness is shaping us, how the goodness of the fruit of the Spirit is growing in us and using us to lead others to Jesus. Us doing good works reveals God’s goodness. Paul writes to Titus, “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”

Nadia Bolz-Weber writes, “We are gifted by God for good works. We are subjects of not only God's grace, love and mercy, but also of God's gifts. Sometimes we even say yes to God's yes, which is when the gospel is unleashed in our lives and challenges our self-reliance. This is when things get really exciting.” It’s good to live an exciting life partnering with God to transform lives and our city through God’s goodness and the good works he’s prepared for us to do.

 

 

Romans 11:11-24 Kindness

 

In Romans 9-11, we see Paul’s heart for the Jews. He’s happy for Gentiles who are coming to Jesus and the faith communities that are growing like crazy, but Paul’s not seeing his many of own people respond to Jesus as their Messiah. Paul’s wondering if God’s plan is to use the Gentiles to bring the Jews to Jesus by stirring up jealousy in the Jews. At the same time, Paul’s warning the Gentiles to not get too smug about being grafted into Jesus. It’s only by God’s kindness that they’ve been grafted into Jesus, not because they’re so special in themselves. Paul encourages the Gentiles to instead pray that God will extend his kindness to the Jewish people too.

When you read through Scripture, kindness is a key attribute of the character of God. The Hebrew word hesed is often translated as kindness, though it’s much more, it’s about long-lasting loyalty and commitment. The Greek word christotes is translated as kindness. Our society feels like it’s becoming meaner and harsher. Social media can be an ugly place and kindness can be hard to find. The saddest part is that there are Christians on social media that are as mean and unkind and sarcastic as non-Christians. Instead of changing the culture on social media, too many Christians have become part of the social media culture.

It’s going to take Christians who are serious about Jesus to be part of the change on social media. I am challenging everyone who’s on social media, whether it’s Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok or any of the other platforms, to commit to only being an encouraging presence of kindness who builds others up. This includes politics. If you cannot say something nice about those in government or anyone else, offer up a prayer for them instead. Be a presence of kindness rather than hate and meanness. Kindness is about desiring what is best for the other person, it’s about showing tender concern, it’s about who you are as a person, part of your character. Kindness is sacrificial, focusing on being a blessing. Ephesians 4:31–32, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

While many non-Christians would like to know Christians and learn about what we believe, many non-Christians also see Christians mostly act negatively. John Atkinson writes, “What we do and say affects the non-Christians around us far more than it does the Christians. Pastor Lee Strobel said one of the most profound things I have ever heard. I'm paraphrasing because I can't remember the exact quote, "for those of us who call ourselves Christians, we need to know that the hypocrisy meter is scanning our lives." In other words, those who have chosen not to believe are looking for us to fail so they can justify their non-belief.”

Kindness is having a generous spirit, a desire to say or do something that makes a person feel valued, cared for, and cherished. That’s what we saw in the video. In Romans 11, Paul tells us that the kindness of God is the foundation of our salvation. Scott Hoezee writes, “Paul sees kindness as a fierce strength of God. Kindness is the spring from which saving grace flows into our hearts.  Kindness is a disposition of God—that as a Fruit of the Spirit we are to imitate—that makes him prone to reach out to lost sinners such as we all otherwise would be.  Yes, Paul also writes here, there can be a severity to God, too, and at the moment, Paul sees the Jews on the receiving end of that severity.  But there is little doubting which of the two Paul sees as being the core driving force for God: it’s kindness.  Kindness has already won the day and maybe, maybe, maybe even for Paul’s Jewish sisters and brothers it will finally win the day for them too.  But for the rest of us: don’t forget that kindness has saved you.  Let that set the tone for the rest of your life.”

Kindness is strength. It builds up and encourages those whom others ignore or mock. When we treat someone who has been cruel to us with kindness, we’re going way past being nice. Jesus tells the story of a Jewish man who is mugged and his own people, a priest and a Levite won’t stop to help him, but a Samaritan who is despised by the Jews stops, helps, and even uses his own money to help the man recover from the mugging. That’s kindness at work, that’s being like Jesus. Loving the unlovable reveals a deep and powerful kindness. Paul reminds us in Colossians 3:12 “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Kindness is central to who we are as followers of Jesus; rooted in God’s kindness to us.

Paul uses the image of branches grafted into the tree or vine to show God’s kindness to us. It’s the same image Jesus uses in John 15, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful… This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” Paul reminds the Gentile believers that they’ve been grafted into the church, into Jesus; not because they’re special, but because of Jesus’ kindness. Paul reminds Titus, “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”

If we’re getting our life from Jesus, drinking from the life we receive from being grafted into Jesus, then we should be looking more and more like Jesus, and one of the ways is kindness, growing more kind as we grow in faith and life. Kindness needs to be practiced if we’re going to grow in kindness. It doesn’t just happen. Kindness is practiced and lived out in relationship with each other and with those in our community. Tom Long says, “kindness is what allows us to see every person as an image-bearer of God…” I love this, kindness is rooted in how you see other people, recognizing them as worthy of kindness because they’re created in the image of God and loved by God.

To grow in kindness, turn to Jesus’ life. Learn from him what kindness looks like. Allow the Spirit to soften your hearts and experience Jesus’ kindness to you. Kindness is intertwined with the love, joy, peace, and patience we’ve already reflected on. When you talk with or about someone you deeply disagree with, how does it go? How do you describe them, do you truly care about them, want what is best for them; do you encourage and build them up, do you have compassion for them?

Sunday evenings we’re listening to the Report on Healthy Sexuality, reflecting on issues such as pornography, gender, the LGBTQ, and marriage. These are issues where there’s deep disagreement between the church and our society, and within the church. How we relate to each other is a witness to our faith and Christian character. Genuinely loving and listening in order to understand those who disagree with us on these and other moral and ethical issues lets them know that we really care about them, that we desire what’s best for them, and that we desire to be faithful to God. While we may disagree, this doesn’t mean we have to see them as enemies.

Wesley Baines writes on Beliefnet.com about “Oskar Schindler’s choice to be kind to 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust. An ethnic German and a Catholic, Schindler bought a Jewish-owned enamelware factory called Rekord Ltd., changing the name to Deutsche Emalwarenfabrik Oskar Schindler in 1939. Schindler employed Jewish workers from the nearby Krakow ghetto—a Jewish ghetto created by the Nazis, from which they exploited Jews for forced labor. But while these Jews were basically slaves in Schindler’s enamelware factory, he went to great lengths to ensure they were protected.

Schindler repeatedly bribed SS officers to not deport his workers to extermination camps, adding an armaments manufacturing division to his factory so that he could claim his Jewish workers essential to the war effort. When Krakow was liquidated, and many of its Jewish inhabitants sent to their deaths, Schindler let his workers stay safe within the walls of his factory overnight so that they would not be taken.

Later, Schindler convinced the SS to convert his factory into a branch of Plaszow concentration camp, and brought in Jews from other camps as well, protecting them from the brutality of the Nazis at great personal risk, even going so far as to falsify armament production numbers so as to continue safeguarding his Jewish workers, only shutting down operations the day that the Soviets liberated the local concentration camps. Schindler’s act of kindness saved the lives of over a thousand people.”

Dr. George Cladis writes, “we’re called to be an agent of God’s kindness in the world, exhibiting the richness of God’s grace and presence to those around us. Kindness in Scripture implies a sustained relationship. It isn’t that hard to practice our faith on Sunday mornings at church…but what about the rest of the week? Imagine if we took what we believe into our unique spheres of life, and spilled out the kindness of God there?” This week, go, invest yourself in living out Jesus’ kindness wherever he leads you.

 

James 5:7-12 Patience

 

When I think of patience, I think of the prayer, “Lord, please give me patience, and give it to me now!” In many ways, I relate to that prayer. Patience can be hard and some people struggle with a lack of it more than others. It seems rather ironic that this sermon is coming on the first Sunday back into lockdown! Patience is defined as the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset, or annoyed without losing your temper or becoming irritated. Patience is keeping a spirit of calmness and peace in times of turmoil, upset and stress.

Patience seems to be getting harder and harder to practice. There are a lot of reasons for why patience seems harder now: we keep moving in and out of isolation as COVID is now in our own community and each time we’re a close contact we need to isolate ourselves from contact with others. We’re already practicing physical distancing and this is creating stress and loneliness affecting mental health. We’re living in closer quarters than normal, constantly being asked to be flexible, and there’s change on change in so many of our routines. This challenges our ability to be patient with others, ourselves, and even God. On this Sunday when we honour mothers, I honour how much patience so many of you have had to grow in this past year! Being a mother, teacher, counsellor, referee and more has called for much patience and grace this past year!

Patience is part of the Fruit of the Spirit, and maybe one of the hardest parts to grow in. This is where the church comes in. Melissa Slocum writes, “Our ancient Christian faith teaches us much about the path to holiness. It is usually countercultural, slow, includes some suffering or persecution, and requires persistence, patience, devotion to God through prayer, and devotion to God’s people through service. Like prayer, patience is a discipline that we learn, practice, and get better at over time.” Just like fruit on a tree doesn’t appear overnight and needs to be cultivated, pruned, and nourished, so too, patience is something that is grown, cultivated, and nourished as well. The only issue is that many people don’t bother because it’s hard. They use excuses such as, “This is the way I was born,” or “God made me this way,” or even, “Impatience is a positive thing because it gets right to the heart of the issue and we get stuff done.”

I love how James uses the farmer as an example of patience. Part of the reason is that they don’t have a choice, they have to practice patience otherwise they will drive themselves crazy. But it still doesn’t always come naturally. Growing up, I remember one farmer saying that growing patience was part of growing his faith because it was part of growing his trust in God, trusting that God is in control. That doesn’t mean he didn’t work hard at farming, but he recognized what was in his control and what wasn’t.

When James talks about patience, he does so with the knowledge that Jesus is coming back. We read this and wonder, because James is writing this about 2,000 years ago, but the idea is still relevant today, we don’t know when Jesus is returning, so we need to go about our work as mature Christians, this is why James warns us against grumbling against each other. Grumbling shows a lack of maturity and a lack of trust and faith in God. This hurt when I first read it; it shows me how much growing up I still have to do at times.

Rev. Frederick Buechner writes, “So to wait for Christ to come in his fullness is not just a passive thing, a pious, prayerful, churchly thing. On the contrary, to wait for Christ to come in his fullness is above all else to act in Christ's stead as fully as we know how. To wait for Christ is as best we can to be Christ to those who need us to be Christ to them most and to bring them the most we have of Christ's healing and hope because unless we bring it, it may never be brought at all.” Rev. Buechner reminds us that when we live with the expectation of Jesus’ return, we are more invested in being more like Christ to others, and I would add, more engaged in inviting others to join us in following Jesus as Lord and Saviour.  

Melissa Slocum gets to the heart of the importance of growing the fruit of patience in our lives, “Teens live in the in-between world where they are no longer children but not yet adults. They are constantly encouraged to be patient and told to wait until they are older. But are we as adults giving them good examples of how to be patient, or of what to do while they wait? Teaching patience requires wisdom, discipline and, yes, patience. While we wait patiently for answers to prayer or direction for our lives, we cannot simply be idle. As Christians we are called to engage with the world by serving the least, the last, and the lost; and we are commanded to maintain our individual spiritual disciplines of prayer, presence, gifts, service, and witness.”

Do our teens, children, and community see a people who are patient and gracious to one another, living out this part of the fruit of the Spirit with each other? What kind of a witness are we? Do they see us practicing patience in life, especially at this time when there are so many people in the news acting out in defiance against the various levels of government, do they see us treating each other respectfully even in our disagreements over many of these same issues, or do they see grumbling people? Listening to each other in order to understand the other person is a strong step in growing patience. Does our community see us concentrating on serving the least, the last, and the lost as we take our eyes off of our own wants and concentrate on who Jesus is calling us to be in making disciples for him? Being aware of what’s going on around you, helping someone else gets your focus off yourself and helps grow patience. Take time each day to write down 3 things you are thankful for; gratitude helps grow patience. Practice gratitude instead of grumbling.

James goes on to use the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord as an example of patience; James connects the ability to persevere in hard times to having learned how to be patient because they knew that Jesus was coming back. But it made me think, how were the prophets able to be patient and persevere through the persecution and even martyrdom? Heather Hughes says, “Patience requires hope because we need to know how a story ends in order to keep going through the painful parts.” This is where the prophets’ and our patience come from, we know the end of the story! Then I realized that their patience was rooted in hope, the hope of knowing that Jesus was coming back and that when he does, he’s going to set things right. Trust in Jesus helps grow patience, knowing the Jesus won against Satan and sin when he died and was raised up from the grave for our sins, and that we will all be raised up from the grave into a new life; a life where our struggles are over and we’re able to live into who we really are as Jesus’ followers, as God’s children.

Living into God’s patience and our hope in Jesus helps us to also grow grace into our hearts and souls. God himself practices patience, Peter reminds us 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.” God’s patience comes out of his love for us and wanting everyone to come to repentance, back into a good relationship with him again. Yet, as I think about my own struggle with impatience, I realise that the times I’m most impatient is when I feel disrespected. Each time we sin, we disrespect God, so when you think about God’s patience, thank him for his grace to you.

I love how the song goes, “Amazing grace, my chains are gone;” the chains of sin and impatience and grumbling begin to break because of Jesus; the chains of impatience and immaturity are broken and we grow in patience and grace with each other. This helps us to become more who we are called to be as followers of Jesus; Paul calls us in Ephesians 4 to, “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

Remember who we are, God’s children, followers of Jesus called to be like Jesus and make disciples who look like Jesus. We do this by loving each other, living with patience with others. Richard Mouw puts it this way, “God did not give up, either on human beings or on the larger creation that he loves. He set out to call to himself a redeemed people who would show the world how he originally intended human beings to conduct their lives. And finally, he sent Jesus to save individuals but also to reclaim the whole creation.” Patience is part of the Fruit of the Spirit that reveals the maturity of our faith and our love for God and others.

Psalm 34 Peace

 

The Hebrew word for peace is shalom. Shalom is one of those words that is wonderfully deep with meaning, a word translated often as peace, but a peace that is filled with wholeness and health, especially in right relationships with each other. Peace is not simply the absence of conflict, but is flourishing of who you are, for both yourself and the community. Peace is about a lack of anxiety and worry, and for followers of Jesus, this comes from trust in God and a healthy relationship with God marked by obedience, worship, and praise. When someone from a Jewish background greets you with "Shalom" they are offering you a blessing for health and wholeness that is centered in God.

A lot of things can take away our sense of peace: for some people, a spider takes away their sense of peace, for others it might be traffic or politics. Those in the presence of suffering for long periods of time can lose a sense of peace, stress is a peace killer, and today there’s FOMO: fear of missing out that prevents many from having peace. Anger poisons peace. Life can be hard for many reasons and can make it hard to experience peace.

Psalm 34 leads us to peace even though the actual word "peace" or "shalom" is only mentioned in verse 14 where we’re called to seek peace and pursue it. It’s about healthy relationships with God and others. Psalm 34 hi-lights how God’s people experience peace. In verse 4 we read, “I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.” God knows how easily we become afraid, even when we don’t admit our fear to ourselves.

There’s a lot going on around us that can create fear, young people often find it hard to find decent paying jobs, many who have jobs are not always certain they’ve be able to keep them in this economic climate, education is becoming more expensive, and there’s the pandemic. There’s those who have health issues, relationship issues, emotional and mental health struggles and it can feel like there is fear around every corner. Fear prevents us from experiencing peace, so David calls us to seek the Lord and he will deliver us from all our fears.

In verse 9, we’re told to “Fear the Lord, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing.” It sounds a little ironic to be told to fear the Lord right after being told that the Lord delivers us from our fears, yet it’s good to fear the Lord. Think about who God is, creator of the universe, creator of life, King of kings, Lord of lords, more powerful than any other being in the universe, more powerful than Satan, our great enemy. We should be afraid of God, but it is a fear that is also shaped by awe and wonder, by trust and love. Because God is great, because of who he is we can have peace because everything is under his control; there’s nothing and no one more powerful than our God.

In verse 10, we are reminded that when “we seek the Lord, we lack no good thing.” God provides for his people. David trusts that when God’s people need his help, that God will be there for his people. In verses 15-22, David reminds us that God is actively listening to us, paying attention to us, and is close to us. Verse 19 says, “The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all,” and then in an echo to Jesus’ crucifixion, “he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.” We will face trouble, but we can experience peace in our hearts and souls, knowing that God sees and gives us what we need to make it through. In Matthew 6, Jesus tells us to “seek the kingdom of heaven and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to us.” Jesus is talking about all our physical and spiritual needs.

Peace is about the state of your soul and spirit. You can be in conflict or trouble and still experience peace because you're centered on Jesus. Peace models grace, humility, forgiveness, and working hard at determining God's will in the situation. Peace isn’t something you wait for, God wants you engaged in life, but doing life his way and God says he will fill you with his peace. This is the sense of what Jesus is talking about in John 14, “All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." Jesus is telling the disciples that he's giving them the gift of the Holy Spirit so they'll be equipped to continue his work when he leaves, but with the peace of knowing that they’re not alone and God is with them, protecting and guiding them.

Jesus offers us peace. This peace is the ability to experience calmness when things are crazy bad around you, it’s about experiencing hope and knowing we don’t have to worry because God is working out all things for our good, even if the things don’t feel good. It’s knowing that God is consistent, not changing his mind about who he created us to be, he’s the calm cove in a storm, the rock that never crumbles. Peace is a gift, and like any gift, we can accept it or reject it. David tells us in verse 14, to turn from evil and do good. You grow in maturity when you allow the Holy Spirit's guidance to shape your actions, guiding you not only in what you believe, but also in how you live your lives. Doing good things brings peace, something I’ve often experienced. It means you’ve taken your eyes off yourself and are thinking of others.

Many of those who cannot find peace find it difficult to trust God, forgive others because they feel God is not fair. People struggle with worry and fear because they want life to go their way instead of trusting God, others allow anger to simmer inside, while others are unable to forgive. When stuff like this sits inside your heart, it poisons your spirit and soul, making it hard to seek or experience peace or pursue because ultimately, you've decided that Jesus is not strong enough or loving enough.

Jesus is the Prince of Peace of Isaiah 9, willing to fill you with his peace, but at some point, you need to say, "God, I now give you my heart and soul and allow you complete control of not only my life, but of my heart, mind, and feelings. I trust you that you know best for me and that in doing this I will find your peace." Jesus offers you peace; peace with God, peace within your own soul, peace with others as Jesus' peace soaks deep into your heart, soul and mind to shape you more into his image. It’s hard to do this on your own, mentors, mature Christian friends who live out peace in their lives, your pastor, all are people to turn to and ask to invest in you and help you grow Jesus’ peace in your life. It won’t always be easy because it will likely call you to change how you see God and yourself.

This doesn't mean that every relationship will work out, or that you won’t struggle at times. It doesn't mean there will be no more tears or even anger, but it does mean that because of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, God's Spirit is with you reminding you that God loves you, forgives you, and who accepts you as you are, but loves you too much to allow you to stay just like you are. Our peace does not come without sacrifice. Our peace with God comes through Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. To experience peace, become a living sacrifice to God, giving him your whole life and trusting that who he is calling you to be through Scripture. Submit yourself completely to Jesus. Peace flows out of the worship found in the opening verses of this psalm; we’re saved from our fears because we know God. Look for the beauty around you, let it help you experience God’s presence. Music, a creek tumbling down its bed, a mountain scene on a bright sunny day, children playing, a mother or father hugging their child, couples in love, a beautiful poem that stirs your soul all help connect us to God’s presence.

Grab your Bible and immerse yourself in the stories of God's relationship with humanity, join with others to praise God and hold nothing back, and develop a prayer life that’s more about listening to God and praising him than about your requests. Read and listen to God's acts of love and commitment, hear his promises to never abandon and leave, open your heart to the presence of the Holy Spirit, allow it to soak into your soul, and peace will begin to soak into your soul. You will discover joy in life and greater shalom in your relationship with Jesus and others.

 

Nehemiah 8:2-18 Joy in the Lord

The Fruit of the Spirit shows us what a mature faith and life looks like, and joy is part of a mature faith. I love the image of fruit as something healthy and tasty and good for our health and this is what faith should be like too. Joy is healthy, tasty and necessary for us to cultivate in our life. Galatians 5 tells us that “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” In order for us to become mature and healthy in our faith, we need to constantly pay attention to our soul and the state of the fruit in our soul.

Joy’s not really an emotion, it’s more an approach to life based on our relationship with God. The Bible connects joy and faith together, shaped by knowing what God has done for us and his commitment to us. We see this in Nehemiah's story of Israel's return to Judah after being gone 70 years. It hasn’t been easy; there’s opposition from the people in the land as they rebuild Jerusalem, the rebuilt temple is small and shabby, and there's sadness for how far they’ve fallen from the glory days of David and Solomon. The people are tired, they’ve been working hard with danger around them, but even their work doesn’t measure up to the dreams they had coming home. These past few weeks, I’ve heard of weariness all around me. This pandemic is weighing on everyone. In times of weariness, combined with loneliness, it’s difficult to feel joy.

It's near harvest-time and New Years, the same time of the year Israel first entered into the Promised Land hundreds of years earlier. That first year, Israel ate from the fruit of the land without doing the work. God provided for his people as they settled into the Promised Land. As part of the celebration, Ezra brings out the Book of the Law of Moses and reads it out loud to the people. While Ezra reads Scripture, the Levites teach the people, showing how the Law works in their lives. It's powerful. It’s also a reminder that if we’re not living the Bible out daily, it doesn’t mean a whole lot.

The people hear about the Feast of Booths when the people build booths to live in for a week to help them remember their time in the wilderness and how God protected, guided and provided for them for 40 years. It hits the people how much they've lost in their relationship with God. They’ve lost a sense of their history and the practices that point them back to God and who God has called them to be.

The peoples' reaction is sadness, not joy, but Nehemiah tells the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” I’ve heard some of you say, "We used to fill the sanctuary, we had so many families back then." There’s a longing in some of you for how things used to be, just like what the Israelites are feeling. Faith is a very emotional part of our lives; relationships are heart things, not head things, same for our relationship with God.

Nehemiah focuses them on the right now, on what God’s doing bringing them home. It's a new beginning, they’re getting back on track with God. God’s in control, even working in the king of Babylon's heart to allow Israel to rebuild their country again. This is a God thing! The time for weeping was back in Babylon. Now’s a time to look forward in hope because God is acting and inviting his people to join him. Our first worship service in our newly renovated church reminded us that God has plans for us and he calls us to join him in joyfully celebrating who he is and sharing this good news all around us.

Nehemiah says, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” It’s a time to feast, to celebrate God as God’s people. Everyone’s commanded to celebrate and to contribute to those who have nothing prepared or are poor; everyone celebrates together. Israel was punished with exile because they hadn’t cared for each other; the rich had taken advantage of the poor, the widow and the orphan. Everyone had been for themselves with little compassion or sense of responsibility for each other. God’s rebuilding a sense of community and responsibility among the Israelites; they’re all God's people together.

"Do not grieve for the joy of the Lord is your strength." Joy, one part of the fruit of the Spirit, isn’t always easy to experience or cultivate when life hasn't gone the way you’ve wanted or worked for. During times of deep sadness and distress, during times of loss or hurt or abuse, experiencing joy can seem impossible. But here God's people are reminded that joy’s important and rooted in knowing God and in being known by God, not by our circumstances in life. Joy comes from knowing that God saved them, provides for them, protects them, and chooses them as his people. Joy’s experienced in being God’s people together.

How can you experience joy, even if times are difficult? Nehemiah shows us it’s important to celebrate, even if we’re feeling sad, discouraged, or weary. The people are commanded to enjoy choice food and sweet drinks. Have you ever had a time when you were feeling sad or depressed and yet still were expected to attend a celebration? My mother died days before Christmas, yet I still participated in the Christmas Eve service at the Montreal Seafarer’s Centre and led the Christmas Day service at church. It wasn’t something I wanted to do, and yet, as we celebrated the gift of Jesus, I still experienced the joy of Christmas and the fellowship of seafarers and our church family. There was a strength that helped me go home and lead my mother’s funeral a few days later.

There’s something about coming together as fellow believers that blesses us in deep and unexpected ways. That’s the second point we see in this story. The people experience this all together: their joy grows as they remember and celebrate what God has done in the past, reassured that God is still with them and committed to them, even things look rough. Remembering in order to believe, remembering in order to know joy, is a key part of our faith. Joy is rooted in the hope we have in Jesus' death and resurrection from the grave. Through Jesus, our relationship to God is restored. Life can be hard; cancer, a cheating spouse, the death of a loved one, betrayal, abuse, pandemics and more, but Jesus promises to never leave us or abandon us. Grief and trials don’t last forever. "But I will still be glad because of what the LORD has done. God my Savior fills me with joy." Habakkuk 3:18. God is greater than any of your painful experiences. God uses those times to shape your character more deeply in Christ.

Hard times come and go. It's during those times that you discover how real your faith is and how much strength you receive from your faith through the Holy Spirit. I was surprised that at Mom’s funeral I could laugh at the memories that were shared. It happened with family and friends and Scripture reminding us that she’s with the Lord. There was joy because God was there and we knew the sorrow would soften. It never goes away completely, but God’s always with us. Looking back, there was joy, not happy, but joy through Jesus.

Generosity towards each other to make sure everyone can participate in the celebrations of our faith is a third way to grow joy. Nehemiah tells the people to send food and sweet drinks to those who unable to prepare. Randy Alcorn writes, “When we love God most, we will love others best.” Part of this is serving others, making sure they’re part of us. Alcorn says that part of the reward for generosity “is here and now, with the peace contentment, and joy we receive as we learn to be like God in our giving.” Joy in the Lord helps us to not just survive, but to thrive.

Looking for joy? Believe in Jesus and follow him with everything you are. Peter reminds us in his first letter, "you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls."  Joy is a way of approaching life with a focus on Jesus. "You always show me the path of life. You will fill me with joy when I am with you." Psalm 16:11. Israel’s joy comes in remembering what God has done for them and his commitment to them, today our joy is based on what Jesus has done for us and his commitment to us. The website, I Am Second, reminds us, “Choosing joy is a constant commitment you make when you follow Jesus. It's not always an easy choice, but you will find a joy that surpasses your circumstances by giving all your cares to Jesus. You can choose joy by trusting in the goodness of God.”

The Fruit of the Spirit: 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13 Love

 

From now until after Pentecost, we will be reflecting on the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5. It’s all about character and becoming more like Jesus. Paul begins his description of the Fruit of the Spirit with love. This feels so important today. We’re living in a time where there is much anger, bitterness, and frustration. Cyber bullying is real and something not only our youth and children face. This has led to a lot of hurtful words and actions, lots of lashing out, even in churches. There are a lot of hard conversations going on in society today: COVID, racism, economic systems, policing and more. The problem is that many of the conversations aren’t really conversations, but people entrenched in their own opinions talking past each other, and not always graciously. In John 13, Jesus told his disciples, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Just a heads up, love can be really hard at times.

Tracy Earl Welliner reminds us that we know what love looks like, “it’s a mother holding her baby and rocking him to sleep when he’s sick and now a teenager, it’s a man who looks at his wife with more love after 25 years of marriage than on his wedding day, it’s a woman consoling her friend after a diagnosis of cancer.” Paul tells us that without love, much of what many Christians believe is important is meaningless. We don't gain anything by doing the right things or having the right beliefs if there’s no love. Jonathan Sacks reminds us that the Old Testament calls us to love our neighbours once, but calls us to love the stranger 36 times. The test of our love is to love those who are different, "The supreme religious challenge is to see God's image in one who is not in our image." It's easy to love those just like you, it's much harder to love those who have different values, who like different things, or who do things differently than you like.

Jesus calls us to love God with everything we have and are and to love our neighbour as ourselves. We know from Jesus what loving him looks like; in John 15 Jesus tells us, "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love." Love commands action by those able to act. Love’s a response to others that shows grace, compassion and brings hope, healing, restoration, comfort, and peace. Love builds up, encourages, and even disciplines, because you desire what’s best for others. The greatest act of love is Jesus going to the cross to die for our sins and make us right with God. Paul describes love:

Love is patient. This is about not having an agenda in a relationship. Love means placing your expectations for what you want out of the relationship to the side to focus on the other person. So often love is self-centred, focused on how love makes you feel rather than on the other person. Patience means focusing on the other person’s needs before you concentrate on yourself. This may mean you have to wait for the benefits of the relationship for a while, maybe even a long while.

Love is kind. This is about being generous and considerate of others, wanting the best for them and helping them achieve it, even if it sometimes comes at the expense of achieving the best for yourself. Kindness, respect and grace go hand in hand. Kindness is having a certain attitude towards others, it's not an emotion. It's allowing the Holy Spirit to shape your soul, mind and heart so that kindness becomes part of who you are. Kindness will cost you time, probably money at times, and definitely heart space for others, but it builds relationships and trust.

Love does not envy. This means that you are genuinely happy for others and what they've achieved and have. Envy is about greed and a lack of trust in God, believing God is not giving you what you deserve. The cure for envy is found in your relationship with God and cultivating a spirit of contentment and trust in God.

Love does not boast. Love has no desire to make yourself look better than others. Love approaches others with humility, recognizing the gifts and talents God has given you, but knowing that they are to be used to build up the church and those God has placed in your lives. If you struggle with boasting, ask yourself “Why?” Is it because you feel that you don't measure up to others, or maybe you're jealous when others get the attention and you want approval or praise for yourself? Cultivate a spirit of contentment and trust in God, trusting that God has created you with the gifts and talents you need to become who God has created you to be, that he has a purpose and reason for placing you where you are.

Love does not dishonour others. Love recognizes that we’re all created in the image of God, that God loves all humanity. It's important that when we’re together, we build each other up and encourage each other. This is not about simply saying nice things to each other to make them feel good, it's about desiring that the other person continues to grow in their faith in God, in their hope and love, and in obedience to God. Honouring others means being honest in respectful, gentle, and sincere ways as we follow Jesus together.

Love is not self-seeking. Life’s not all about you! It's about following Jesus and living well in relationship with God and each other. You're not the center of the universe, God is. Love means that you work to bless others; not at what the relationship gives you, but at what you give to the relationship. It’s about sacrificial love for the other person. This is Jesus love.

Love is not easily angered. It's hard to love if your heart is ready to burst into flame at the slightest thought that you’re being slighted, ignored or disrespected. Fear will trigger anger. Today, some fear the virus, others fear loss of liberty and rights, others fear disunity. Anger makes it hard to be gracious and forgiving. Along with not being easily angered, love also keeps no record of wrongs. When you hold onto bitterness and anger, and the wrongs done to you, you have not forgiven and you reveal that you don't trust that God’s in control. Grace and forgiveness come from trusting God. Following Jesus is about working to be more like Jesus who, even while on the cross, forgave those who put him there. It's not easy. Love’s not always easy, but remember God loves you in spite of who you are and what you've done, and he forgives out of his grace to you. Anger and keeping records of wrong reveals a self-centered faith rather than a Jesus focused faith. In Romans 12, Paul writes, “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”

Love rejoices with the truth. It's important to know who defines what truth is. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life." When love rejoices in the truth, it rejoices in Jesus, in his work of salvation which has made us right with God and gives us eternal life with God, while living as Jesus taught. Love reminds us that Jesus calls us to tell the world of his love and make disciples for him.

Love protects; protects others whether it's their name, their feelings, or their stuff out of concern for them. You show your love for God by protecting his name from dishonour in how you live and in how you treat others. Love trusts. Trust is a choice and builds closeness and more trust, believing that God is your protector. Should someone break trust with you, God will work through your willingness to trust him, giving you the strength and ability to trust again. Trust comes because you believe God loves the other person and is working in them. Trust is shown in forgiveness and grace.

Love hopes; looks ahead with the goal of having good healthy relationships based in Jesus and the working of the Holy Spirit. Hope keeps us working for healthy Jesus centered relationships. Love perseveres, never giving up because God never gives up; it never fails because love’s not based on emotions, but is formed in your character as you follow Jesus. Love shapes us as a people of God; love needs someone else in order to be love. John Stott writes, “It needs the whole people of God to understand the whole love of God.” Love shapes our character as individuals and as a church.

Love reveals a maturity in the faith which is a sign of the Holy Spirit's work, shaping us into people and a church who are growing in the character of Jesus Christ. By being a people of love, we give the world a glimpse of the God of love.

Mark 16:1-8 Who Do You Say That Christ Is?

 

Christ is Risen, He is risen indeed! The grave is empty! We begin this day filled with joy and excitement, but that first Easter morning was a lot different. For Jesus’ followers and family, it began as a day filled with grief, uncertainty, and then fear. The way Mark ends his gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God leaves us a little confused and wondering, can the young man’s words in the tomb really be true? There’s the potential for room for a lot of doubt in how Mark ends his story.

Good Friday ended with Jesus in a tomb, his followers are hiding, and now, after having to leave Jesus’ body in the tomb over the Sabbath day, the women at the cross make their way to the tomb to clean Jesus’ body and anoint it with oils, creams and perfumes to honour this amazing man who has meant so much to them over the past three years. He had healed some of them, filled all of them with hope; encouraged and built them up, something most rabbis never even thought of doing for their female disciples. Now they’re filled with grief and shock. How could this have happened; how could anyone hate Jesus that much?

On the way to Jesus’ tomb, Mark adds a personal, and even humorous touch, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance to the tomb?” As one commentary puts it, the women have thought of everything they need to honour Jesus’ body, carrying everything with them, but it’s just now as they approach the tomb that they remember, “Oh no, there’s a big stone we need to get past.” It’s big enough that even three women are unable to roll it aside since it sits in a trench. They’ll need to roll it uphill in order to get into the tomb. This worry just adds to all the other emotions that are flowing inside them as they come closer to the tomb.

Now imagine the women’s surprise when they get closer to the tomb and see that the stone has been rolled away from in front of the tomb. As they approach the dark entrance, they receive a second surprise. Inside Jesus’ tomb, there’s a young man dressed in a white robe sitting there and Jesus’ body is gone. The women are alarmed, to put it mildly. Mark uses a word that shows their alarm is combined with a sense of awe and amazement. If this young man rolled the stone aside by himself, there’s definitely something superhuman about him.

The young man speaks, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’” The disciples, especially Peter, are told to go and meet Jesus in Galilee, a long way away from Jerusalem and the powers that be. Galilee is where Jesus was raised, as the young man reminds the women when he called Jesus “the Nazarene.” Jesus is heading back to a place where he can concentrate on being with his disciples and not worry about enemies and possible violence. In Galilee, Jesus can focus on connecting with his disciples, helping them to see and remember that everything that occurred needed to happen to reveal that he is the Son of God, Messiah, and king.

The women are silent, trembling and bewildered, yet there’s also awe and amazement. Can this be? Can Jesus really be alive, waiting for them to join him in Galilee? Can they trust this young man’s message, this angel’s message? The women are overwhelmed by everything that is happening. I remember back in Nova Scotia after great storms would sweep through the region and ships would be lost at sea. Family and community members would line the shores after the storms, hoping to see their loved one’s ship appear over the horizon and when a ship appeared, everyone would hold their breath until they could identify whose ship it was. When the ship was identified, the families of the crew would often sink to their news, weeping with joy that their loved ones were safe. I imagine the women feeling something like that here.

The women are silent. As they leave with a sense of fear mixed with the bewilderment, awe and amazement, there must have been so many questions. This is going to take faith to believe since they haven’t seen Jesus’ body. This echoes ahead to Thomas’ doubt after Jesus appears to all the other disciples except for him. It is difficult to believe. Jesus gets it. In John 20 we read, “A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

J. Warner Wallace wrote a book Cold-Case Christianity, where he applies his skills at understanding forensic evidence and comes to the conclusion that God, Jesus, and the resurrection is real. Lieutenant General William G. Boykin, Retired United States Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, writes “Today Americans are searching for truth. The most fundamental truth is the reality of a sovereign God. During his journey from agnosticism to apologetics, J. Warner Wallace uses his ‘cold case’ investigative techniques to prove the reality of the divine. READ his book. You will not regret it.”

The women face some challenges as they leave. This is going to take faith to believe since they haven’t seen Jesus. They’re going to have to take the young man’s word and go to Galilee to see Jesus. Mark ends with their silence, mentioning that they’re afraid. Are they afraid to have hope that Jesus is alive? Are they afraid to actually see Jesus? The last time they saw Jesus, they saw a dead body covered in blood, sweat, and grime after a horrible death. Are they maybe afraid that Jesus is actually waiting for them? Because if Jesus is waiting for them, he probably has plans for them. I remember one young lady I had talked to about profession of faith. I asked her why she was waiting and she said, “If I do Profession of Faith, then I’m admitting that Jesus is real and that he can put his claim on my life, my whole life.”

Jesus’ resurrection brings us back to our original question this Lent, “Who is Jesus?” Mark has been leading us to this moment, giving us everything we need to figure out the answer. He’s revealed who Jesus is through the experiences and confessions of the people around him. Mark has led us to the place where, when someone asks us, “Who is Jesus,” we’re able to say, Jesus is God’s Son, the Holy One of God, the son of Mary and a brother to his siblings, Jesus is the Messiah, the One who comes in the Name of the Lord, and the Son of God as seen through the eyes of a Roman soldier. We know, that because of the cross and empty grave, we are right with God again; washed clean and given new life in Jesus.

The young man in the tomb told the women, and the disciples, to go to Galilee to meet Jesus. Esau McCaulley writes, “The women did not go to the tomb looking for hope. They were searching for a place to grieve. They wanted to be left alone in despair. The terrifying prospect of Easter is that God called these women to return to the same world that crucified Jesus with a very dangerous gift: hope in the power of God, the unending reservoir of forgiveness and an abundance of love. It would make them seem like fools. Who could believe such a thing? Christians, at their best, are the fools who dare believe in God’s power to call dead things to life. ... As we leave the tombs of quarantine, a return to normal would be a disaster unless we recognize that we are going back to a world desperately in need of healing. For me, the source of that healing is an empty tomb in Jerusalem. ... "

As I reflect on these words, they echo forward to Jesus’ last command to the disciples to “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Easter is a reminder of the gospel news, that Jesus loves us to death and offers us new life and hope that our past doesn’t have to shape our future because Jesus has changed everything, destroying the power of Satan and sin in our lives through his resurrection. It’s a call to go meet Jesus and then go and share the good news of Easter!