We all have so many things we want to see life and culture, family, loved ones and friends turn the corner back into the days Graced with So Much of God's Favor. We don't want to hear how many friends Johnny Carson or Obama or Late Night TV has. Not how well-connected means a joyful, unafraid life. We look to today and find what Joy God has given us - so much sincerity. So much honesty. No bravado of all is sunny in the garden always. But knowing God will give us Strength to feel His Holiness near us, giving us the ability to all things with Jesus Christ as the Lord, Shepherd and Bishop of our souls.
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Because we all have so many things
we want to see life and culture, family, loved ones and friends turn the corner back into the days Graced with So Much of God's Favor, we are all praying for God to be gracious to us, like the Blessing in Numbers 6. Culture is colliding. Is this right - is this wrong - who will 'win.' And because of these questions, in social media, not in Church Services, people get into it. And 'it' is the appropriate word.
We are in a time similar to the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, when family is threatened, trade or income is threatened and weather is just scary. And this is echoed in the revival of John Wesley and his brother, Charles Wesley. Gin Lane, when hard liquor found itself invented, it was as strong as the Opium Wars in China. And more sweeping than the Opioid addiction we have seen in our lifetime.
So close to home, this occurs, we know Both Wesley brothers were both Anglican and Methodism or Methodist. Both. And they lived and worked not only in England, but in America, arriving in Savannah in 1735.
Gin Lane. This is when your mother isn't getting you to school, or fed or bathed, on time due to her addictions. Your dad is gone because of substance and money. Your home offers no hope. Your family is embarrassing. You have no business showing your face in Church because Holiness does not surround you and your lips have been taught to be unclean. So unclean. And your dad or uncle or grandfather hates the Christians for being rude, cold, embarrassing and demeaning.
And some of this you'd have to agree with, because, God is God of Love and anyone falling short of making God's mercy - is a hypocrite. Even if they feel divine on perfect judgement. And the cycle of hopelessness is made perfect.
The nature of Church is this: God's Word.
When we look at what the choices are for Christians, the Churches growing
adhere to the Word of God. Israel has peace when the Word of God is the Leader.
How to do this? Read the Lectionary every Church Service. And include the part of the Lectionary in the Sermon. A wide portion.
Ta da.
And in a time of re-awakening, not everyone who shows up is going to be Marilyn Munster.
In fact, some of the people who look like Grandpa, and underneath all the dressed up splendor, is not going to be all that - spiffy. Some might look like Jesus' great-great-grandmother Rahab. Or be as kind as Grandfather. Son of Heli. And that son of Perez, we all know the story.
When Augustus sent the Taxation Census to Pregnant Mary and Joseph and the rest of the Realm, Augustus was making marriage legal to slaves - of any age, childhood or not, or sex. To those cut off from inheritance for the ease created in easy divorce, the drop this bad idea marriage. And Jesus was aware of the laws surrounding the day. Very aware.
Jesus is never recorded in dragging out even the demonic from Church. But He would send them to the pigs for a joyride. Love the person. Jesus never threw out a drunk. He never ran down a witch. He didn't grab up the woman caught in adultery and throw her to the ground. Jesus didn't like Religious Posturing and Power, nor inappropriate Power Seeking or Money Grabbing. Not even in demons acting up. Jesus stated what was sin, Jesus then quit talking about the sin, and spoke of the goodness of repentance. He didn't want muck raked up for conversational theory. He stated what was sin. Jesus was not known to point to a name or a person and scream out this that portion of the Bible to embarrass them. Jesus Christ just opened the Heavens and earth to a new opportunity to be truly clean, declared righteous.
John Wesley didn't personally embarrass people. Why? Not only is this the opposite of Jesus, in Gin Lane, any thrown insult will land very, very close to home and heart.
Jesus said, I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.
Let's take this out of fictitious characters and speak about life. 3 Names.
The first is Leon Trotsky, the man Lenin followed to incite Russian Revolution. Leon Trotsky said if they destroyed the Church and threw out the Scripture, the truth, then the moral compass was so BENT, the people would do or listen to anything in fear based cowardice. This is what we stand for when we stand for the Lord. We create a harbor, a safe place, where Love can dwell and children and family have the hope of a future.
The next name is Irma. Irma was a neighbor of ours, during my pre-teen years, in a small town. And she went to Church with us every week. Communion, worship, The Love of the Lord. Then coffee donuts and long tables where everyone spoke to each other for an hour. A whole lot of coffee and a lot of donuts. Irma lived about 5 houses from us. And Irma loved Charlie's Bar. Irma was approaching 70 years old, or older, and she was a public alcoholic. Irma was sweet and fun and kept the alcohol for later in the evening, starting or thereabouts between home and Charlie's Bar. Nothing about Irma wasn't fun or sweet. And Irma would appear for a visit. My parents drank and my father was an alcoholic, but he was more the type found in the movie, "Second Hand Lions." My father employed the work force of the county, they forged steel hand tools for Sears and Roebuck. He was the President of the company, based out of Dallas. People generally treated my family with kindness. And Irma would appear at least, as my father said, "Three sheets to the wind." Not at Church. Just our house.
And they had a ritual with Irma. Hello, Hello, Hello, glad to see you, come in, come in. Take your coat. My mother was just about to fix hot tea. Would Irma like tea or hot coffee? And Irma would stay for at least an hour. All that was missing were the donuts. My parents loved to talk about history, art, anything fun. And we would sit and have tea. Everyone was having a good time.
After about 3 years, one day, I was in High School, one of the louder mouths, was laughing, "Hey, Did You Hear, Drunk Irma Died! She fell in a Snowbank, OUTSIDE HER OWN DOOR! AND DIED!" I whirled around and I said, are you right, did this happen, oh, not Irma, Older Irma, on our street? She died, no, she didn't die! Oh, Not Irma. And Burst into Tears. Which of course made idiot, the loud mouth, embarrassed. And he said, what kind of mother do you have that you are friends with IRMA? Your mother must be an idiot. He did, of course, know my mother, who was nothing of the sort. I said, "My Mother is a Christian and Irma was at Church with us every Sunday of every Sunday and Our Church Loves IRMA. And you are an idiot. What kind of mother raises an idiot like you? Maybe your mother can go to Irma's funeral and prove she has some compassion. I doubt YOU want to go."
He was astonished Irma went to Church so much. And I said since you have been up and down the hallway proclaiming, this, go home and ask your family if you are going to Irma's funeral. It will be at the Episcopal Church on 4th Street. Which ended the conversation. It helped I had tears coming down as we said all this.
And now, today ish. We were in another small church. I did needlepoint not so perfectly, and we had been doing this for 2 years in our group of 12 ladies. We were introduced to "Arenosa." Names have been changed to protect the innocent. Within about 2 weeks, it was obvious we were dealing with someone who drank. And she didn't show up all the time. Our Pastor's wife sat down and said, ok, we all understand the drill. This is alcoholism and I think you all can handle this. She had remembered the history of Irma, from conversations. No one said much because it wasn't comfortable at all to be around Arenosa. Arenosa also drunk dialed and screamed. She had odd stories about childhood and children. And it began to be obvious that the White House Biden Military Appreciation Day of public nudity wouldn't offend Arenosa. In fact, she was like my mother's good friend, who began to call people at home from Bible Study to pressure people to accept the current political opinions or be warned of public Comments.
What happened? Prayer. And eventually, The Lord made His path so filled with goodness, that goodness prevailed. In both situations. Yet, Gin Lane has to be invited to allow Goodness to Prevail.
There isn't a reason to hope for Revival and throw out the Munsters.
Because Jesus said we are all too far from being God and His Glory. It's above our pay grade. Jesus said stick to His Word. We should and we will.
Today, we have some Blessings. The people who are asked how and why and what of recovery of this worldwide Pandemic - don't promise easy fix the planet. Don't promise they are braver or more perfect. And in the honest imperfection of the Word of God, find we need God Himself to give the Way. The Truth. The Life.
Today we witnessed the Power of God to lift us past what hurts. To sing praises to God, makes us so Strong. Real Comfort, the Love God gives us. And this was from Amy Grant and drew all the people up. Authentic. Sincere. God is Love.
Find our Blessings and don't forget the Wheat and look at the problems.
Romans 12:9
Love must be sincere.
Hate what is evil;
cling to what is good.
2 Corinthians 6:6,7
In purity, knowledge, patience, and kindness;
in the Holy Spirit
and in sincere love;
7 in truthful speech
and in the power of God;
with the weapons of righteousness
in the right hand and in the left
1 Peter 4:8
Above all, have fervent and unfailing love for one another,
because love covers a multitude of sins
[it overlooks unkindness
and unselfishly seeks the best for others].
2 Timothy 1:3
I thank God, whom I serve,
as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience,
as night and day I
constantly remember you
in my prayers.
1 Timothy 1:5
The aim of our charge is love
that issues from a pure heart
and a good conscience
and a sincere faith.
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♔ Lord Jesus Saves †
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