God is Ready; Are You?
PSALM 51: 7-12
JOHN 6: 24-35
AUGUST 4, 2024
JOY to THE WORLD … the LORD HAS COME!
No, it isn’t Christmas in July again but one of my lifelong and ongoing and everlasting questions that has been in my mind this week is focused on faith, joy, and the lives of church going folks. Actually, I have been wondering and wondering quite a lot about the human condition and why so many of those who are classified as adults and self label as Christians seem to focus on minutia in such intense ways that the world’s little things take away any visible reflection of joy in the Lord, not showcasing a peaceful life that goes beyond human understanding, and live in ways that diminish the possibilities for any positive impact or change because of faith to be noticed by observers. You know things like encouraging others, forgiving others, caring for the hurting, and bringing others to discover faith in their lives because they see joy showcased all the time!
After seeing a social media post from a gentleman from the church I used to pastor I was challenged to consider what part of “Love all your neighbors” this person who you will find in church on most Sunday’s, did not comprehend. Jesus didn’t encourage us to pick and choose only those like ourselves to love … Jesus was very clear; Jesus did not want us to be focused on becoming like those in specific groups in the world or even that we should consider aligning with the world’s loudest voices … we are called to be His followers. He even provided us with the lesson of the Good Samaritan as the answer to the questions “what must one do to receive eternal life and who is my neighbor.”
Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. put that lesson of Jesus into a clear understanding when he said, “I imagine the first question that the priest and the Levite asked was:” If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me? But by the very nature of his concerns, the Good Samaritan reversed the question: “If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?”
You see it comes down to this truth … is it about me or is it about living as God has taught us to live? You heard Jesus’ teaching in today’s Gospel lesson, “This is what God requires, that you believe in Him whom God sent.” James clarifies what this mean when he writes, “You must be doers of the Word and not only hearers who mislead themselves.”
God is always ready for us to change but are we willing or even interested in changing because true faith comes from change. Believing is something reflective in the lives we lead; we “become doers of the Word.” We won’t be perfect, but we can change the reputation we carry out in the world …. We can control how others see us … we choose who are we aligned with. I certainly hope that for each of us our focus in our lives comes from the teaching of Jesus Christ. That others see our joy and love through our faith!
During Vacation Bible School this week the children certainly knew how to express joy … and on Thursday they sang with joy and enthusiasm. All week long it was impossible to miss that one very young redhead whose smile was worthy of celebration and every time I saw her or took a photo of her I was wondering why we adults seem incapable at times of focusing in on joy … sharing joy … showing joy in our faces … living with joy in our vocal tone and doing our very best regardless of the circumstances to only use words that are joy-filled and reflective of our faith in God and Christ.
Perhaps it was a conversation I had with one of the many people who were gathered at Jefferson’s ICU outside of the corridor that led to Hope Titus’ room. Hope who has been through so much pain and suffering … Hope who has been such a fighter and Greg has been there right by her side showing his love but if you know Greg you know he is always offering positivity to anyone he speaks with. You wouldn’t know … what he has been going through. It makes you wonder … or perhaps they offer us a lesson.
In that hospital conversation I was asked about God’s expectations for us. You know for people who accept that God is real, and that Jesus is God’s Son … our Savior. This individual was there for Hope … and was there for Greg and was there for themselves. They were sharing their frustration with people’s attitudes in this world. They were deeply saddened that so many people seem to focus on the negative … on others’ problems and faults … they told me they were wondering why joy was missing.
I told them that most importantly God has never gone away. That God gave us all choices and options on how to live life but that when we focus on God’s love … when we accept God’s love through Jesus Christ … and when we let God’s Holy Spirit guide us rather than our own human nature then we can find peace but more importantly it is then we find love and joy and yes, even forgiveness while receiving salvation.
Then the hardest question came from this stranger’s lips … “Pastor, why does it seem that people who go to church … are the ones who are first to criticize and complain and never seem willing to forgive and move on.”
I sighed … and I shared the story of the little red headed girl at this week’s Vacation Bible School. I reminded him of Jesus’ very specific lesson that we as people of faith need to remember … After the disciples were attempting to rank who was the greatest in heaven and which one of them was the best … Jesus called a little child over to sit in the midst of those men expressing selfish desires and said to them, “I assure you that if you DO NOT TURN YOUR LIVES AROUND and become like this little child, YOU WILL DEFINITELY NOT enter the Kingdom of heaven. Those who humble themselves like this little child will be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
I told Greg and Hope’s friend that God is always ready for we humans to come to God but the challenge is whether we are willing to give up our ranking amongst other adults … to give up our power … or the pleasure we find in putting some people down while raising others up … whether we are willing to find the simple joy in our faith like children. Whether we are willing to play with others like children do without a hint of prejudice or bias or hate. Kids until adults teach them differently don’t hold onto grudges … they are willing to try new things … they are focused on joy with whomever crosses their little paths.
And, I thought about that red headed girl. I also remembered today’s Psalm from David where David pleads to be purified. “Purify me” the king said. “Purify me and I will be clean; wash me and I will be whiter than snow!” David goes on to express a desire to hear the results of faith resonating around him. It is that reflection of faith in Jesus Christ that Paul wrote it two of his letters we have preserved in our Bible. Paul wrote, “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice!” David urged, “Let me hear joy and celebration again … rejoice once more!”
So here we are on a Sunday … in church. One would think with all of the recent social media conversations about Holy Communion that every church would be filled today but I see a few empty seats here. Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me … will never go hungry. The bread of God is the One who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
“God sent His Son … they called Him Jesus” the song begins. A song of faith but a reminder to each of us today about who we are and our journey. God is always ready but if this hymn is as special to you as it is to me you know that the next lines are: “He came to love, heal and forgive.”
God is ALWAYS ready for us. The heavenly host is ALWAYS ready to party when one new person comes to actually CHANGE because they actually BELIEVE that God’s teaching through Jesus Christ is how they will live their lives. You know have FAITH … a FAITH that results in the Holy Spirit’s taking charge and then when the Spirit nudges us to take an action to help someone or to not say something that might hurt someone … we follow the Spirit of God.
As Christians we are called to live lives that follow the pattern of Jesus’ life … to be “like little children humbling ourselves” rather than acting like we are all powerful and in control. We allow God to control our words and actions. Jesus said, “Don’t work for food that doesn’t last but for food that endures for eternal life, which the Human One will give you.”
Today we come to the Table of the Lord … as you all know by now, I value this simple meal of faith … this Sacrament of the church … as a worshipful moment to reconnect with God and Christ. If we CHOOSE to allow God to work through the bread and the cup in our lives God will … but that is your choice because you can leave here and reject God instantaneously if you want to and embrace the world again.
My friend Sinead who is a remarkable woman of faith stated that she “loves to heart and comment on as many posts as I can because I believe it is important for people to feel acknowledged and a little less alone in the world.” It is a simple way of showing love not division … reflecting faith not alliance with the world.
So it is my prayer that together today we join David in declaring to God “Create a clean heart for me! Put a new faithful spirit deep inside me! Return the joy of your salvation to me and sustain me with a willing spirit!” And, then together friends let’s live our lives reflective of our faith … showcasing joy in our lives so that when people ask why we can declare it’s because of the Lord God who is always there for everyone … they only have to choose to take on God’s love and apply that love in their lives as validation of their faith in Him. AMEN