Change Is a Courageous Act of Faith

Joel 2: 12 & 13
JOHN 9: 1-16

February 20, 2022

Ironically, the first message on my phone today was a valuable reminder of the theme of today’s sermon. Actually, it is not that unusual for the first message on my phone’s screen to be a verse from God’s Word. When I wake up and turn my phone on there is almost always a partial reading from one of my daily devotions called God’s Minute. The irony is in the verse that was in the small window of my phone from the Gospel of Matthew today. You might call it a Holy Spirit kind of moment saying ‘Dave, today’s message matters … change is necessary when any person becomes a person of faith.’ Or, it might merely have been the luck of the draw but I think not because I believe that God is constantly reminding us how we are each to live for God as we press through our days.

It is clear that we need to get God into our system, which requires change from our non-faith days. It is important … ACTUALLY it is essential that we make every turn of life with Jesus Christ, committed to identifying ourselves with the Lord and knowing that by doing so we will go full throttle into eternal life with God some day …

And the words that showed up on my phone at 6am this morning were these: “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple, must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

Change is not easy … Making the necessary adjustments along life’s journey are required if we are to be winners at the end of our trips around life’s circling journey. And, I will argue that accepting and understanding the expectation of God requires each of us to change as a courageous act of faith because we must become part of God’s team even though so many around us live lives that lead to crashes and failure. We not only need to deny ourselves as Jesus taught His disciples but we must put aside the elements of our life that counter God’s teaching. Our life’s focus should be on the prize of what Paul wrote is “God’s upward call in Christ Jesus.”

Today as I noted in the announcements is the kick off of the NASCAR season and this afternoon’s Daytona 500 will be watched by millions across the nation. When my neighbor David Todd asked me to reference the race in today’s message I was wondering how it could fit in. A race that started back in 1959 with more than 50 cars jammed into the starting line up. That very first race was a photo finish and back in the days before modern technology it took three days to sort out the winner, Lee Petty but I am sure all of you knew that fact. He won $19,050 for driving 500 miles just off of the Florida beaches. NASCAR won’t reveal how much today’s winner will receive but it is estimated that last year’s winner, Denny Hamlin, took home a little over $2 million. As I researched the Daytona 500 I rediscovered memories from my life. Before 1979 the race was not broadcast live but was part of ABC’s show the WIDE WORLD of SPORTS. I had an aha moment … realizing that’s where I watched it as a kid with my brother seeing the highlights not the entire race.

But, what can you say about a car race where cars continuously go one way … at high speeds … never having to make a right turn always going to the left. Well, the first faith reality tied to an exhausting race … is that no one can make it to the finish line without a pit crew constantly checking tires and filling the car with fuel. It takes a village to win life’s race and that is true with our faith journey as well.

Friends, when we change for Jesus Christ … when we pick up our cross and leave our past behind … we need to realize that we do need others to pray for us and with us, to join us in mission, to worship with us, to sing praises to God with us … We need to check in with other people of faith to make sure everything is in proper alignment.

In James we read how we need to care for each other … “If any of you are happy they should sing! Pray for each other so that you may be healed.” I know I need the daily devotions that are sent to me using technology as a fuel injection into my day … it’s not that I wouldn’t read God’s Word but I can come up with as many excuses as the next person to skip it so I need the team; the pit crew of faith. Those of you who are in small group Bible studies whether it is with family members or one of our study groups here at St. Paul’s know the value in those discussions. And, of course … we need to stay focused on God’s ultimate pit crew Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to guide us … challenge us when we think about aligning with the world … and to rescue us when we have a flat tire or if we crash.

In Proverbs, I discovered a Scripture that should be in the pre-race conversation of every Daytona 500 driver. But friends, it is a Scripture lesson that is applicable to you and me as well if we are accepting the need to change and race for God and Jesus Christ. It should be part of our daily devotions. We don’t need to travel at high speeds nor have the best overall equipment because everyone is welcome on God’s team. This week as another church joined our RED BIRD mission team I talked with the pastor about how Red Bird is so special because anyone with any skill level can serve God and experience a mission trip.

If you have the courage to get onto life’s path for God and Christ then it is amazing what we can do … so perhaps these verses from Proverbs chapter 4 should be part of your ongoing daily fuel.

My son, pay attention to my words. Bend your ear to my speech. Don’t let them slip from your sight. Guard them in your mind. They are life to those who find them, and healing for their entire body. More than anything you guard, protect your mind, for life flows from it. Have nothing to do with a corrupt mouth; keep devious lips far from you. Focus your eyes straight ahead; keep your gaze on what is in front of you. Watch your feet on the way, and all your paths will be secure. Don’t deviate a bit to the right or the left; turn your feet away from evil.”

Drivers at Daytona know that if they deviate from their path a crash will happen. They need to focus on what’s in front of them. They need to keep their mind clear and listen to their pit chief who is speaking to them through their headsets guarding those directions in their mind and it is so true with people of faith.

Obviously, none of us is getting paid to drive a racing car. None of us gets paid to say we are a Christian. For those of us in worship today either online or here in person, we have heard God’s Word and more than likely are familiar with the fact that ‘The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ.” So, that brings us full circle into what we need to remember … who is our life dedicated to? Who are we going through life for? Have we chosen to follow Jesus because I hope that is each of your answers today … if we have made that decision then we need to pick up our cross and not put ourselves above God, which does not mean we cannot enjoy life. Following Jesus does not mean we erase our smiles and laughter moments … believing in Christ does not require us to be grumpy and damning … following Jesus means we always are in the mood to rejoice but … change is the courageous act of faith that we must take on.

In our reading from the prophet this morning we heard God’s call to people who called themselves faithful but who had lived lives away from God. “Yet even now, the Lord says, return to me with all your hearts … tear your hearts … return to the Lord your God for He is merciful and compassionate full of faithful love and ready to forgive.” An essential Gospel lesson that reflects the prophet’s teaching comes in the Gospel of Mark when Jesus is confronted by the self righteous Pharisee “legal expert.” Jesus is asked “which commandment is the most important of all? Jesus replies, “The most important one is Israel, listen! Our God is the one Lord, and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your mind, and with all your strength.”

This morning I am not going to even get into the second commandment because to get into this race for God … to make the decision that our goal is the checkered flag that we find in the upward call in Christ Jesus then we must listen … Jesus even uses listen in His response referencing Israel and not just the rule setting religious leader in front of Him … “The most important one is LISTEN … “ almost as if Jesus caught someone not paying attention. Are you paying attention to God when you leave church … when you turn off the worship stream … when you go out into your world … if Jesus was hear before you and was about to tell you what you needed to hear would you be fumbling with your smart phone or would you listen?

In his book, ‘Encountering God,” David Edwards writes “[1]We have a picture of the church. Many people are willing to sit beside Jesus and trust in Him for their salvation, but they do little else. Then there are those who are so busy doing church work, they don’t have time to pray or read their Bible. They find it hard to stop to worship and spend time with the Lord.” He argues that what we do for God and Christ must follow our loving and worshiping God and Christ because “we won’t have that must to give away if we’re not taking anything in. If we’re not spending time bowing before Jesus.” He asks, “when was the last time we lavished our love on the Lord?”

Solid questions and challenges … “RETURN TO THE LORD YOUR GOD” … declares the prophet Joel. “RETURN TO ME WITH ALL YOUR HEARTS with fasting” says the Lord.

Change is a courageous act of faith … we heard of the blind man who was healed today. He was challenged by the powerful who did not want to admit that Jesus was more than just a man. In fact, the rule setting Pharisees wanted to declare that Jesus could not heal the blind on a Sabbath day but that was their rule not God’s … God’s call to us needs to matter more than the world’s friends. We need to be healed and washed clean by God and Christ.

Yesterday I was wearing this mask when someone said, ‘I never thought about that as an act of loving my neighbor.’ Others have told me that in just wearing a mask that references loving one’s neighbors that they are receiving positive feedback from others both mask wearers and those who don’t wear them.

How is the world seeing you … is it time to go back to see if you can remember what it’s like to love God above all? To put everything in God’s hands … to wave ‘bye bye’ to the world and hello to God? To RETURN TO THE LORD YOUR GOD FOR HE IS MERCIFUL and COMPASSIONATE, VERY PATIENT, FULL of FAITHFUL LOVE, and ready to FORGIVE?

David told me how his father Albert Todd got him interested in NASCAR and its because of his dad that David will be excited about today’s race.

How many of you have shown your friends and family how much you love God and Jesus Christ? Have they ever witnessed you “lavishing love on the Lord” as Edwards ponders in his book?

That first Daytona 500 came down to a photo finish … three drivers but only one who actually won the race. God has repeatedly declared that God’s first commandment is for us to actually love and obey God. It’s a MUST requirement …

“YOU must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your mind, and with all your strength.”

 

I hope that when the day comes and all is finished here that it’s not a photo finish with the final determination being whether or not we loved God with all we had. We have heard it is a must requirement so as we renew our faith and bring revival to our churches out of the season of history we have been in … isn’t it about time we find the courage and the strength to refocus who we are leaving ourselves behind to follow Jesus by first loving God with all we have.

Just imagine the impact we could have on the world if everyone attending church today was seen in life’s race as loving God because the second part will come naturally then … loving our neighbors. AMEN

[1] ‘Encountering God by David M. Edwards published by BakerBooks.

© 2017- St. Paul's United Methodist Church, West Deptford, NJ