The Greatness of God

With whom can we compare God? There is none. Only God is great. God is the creator and the ruler of all nations. Look at the stars. Who created these? God isn’t some material substance (water, mountains, gold) but rules over all things. He transcends. Other gods, nations and powerful rulers mean nothing compared to Him. Yet, this poses a problem. If God is Almighty, how did He let His people (the Israelites), be defeated by the Babylonians? It seems like their gods were stronger. The answer to this question is very important to understand. God is good. But we sin. That creates problems. When an entire nation (i.e. Israel) departs from the Lord, bad things happen. Yet, the good news is that God redeems because God is also good.

Why would anyone worship anyone or anything other than God Almighty? It is unwise to worship idols made with human hands. Isaiah made the contrast between God and us when he said people are like flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow. Yet in our hubris (exceeding pride), we fail to understand there is no comparison, only contrast, between humans and God. I could play “Chopsticks” on the piano but listening to a concert pianist play Bach or Beethoven is far more impressive. Our text today shows God is Creator, Counselor, immense, and the Holy One. He is also active and watchful.

- Pastor Tom Harrison

God’s Word and a Mighty Savior

The first two verses of our passage illustrate the contrast between God and us. I think of family and friends who have preceded me in death. We daily read the accounts of others who are like the beautiful flower of today that is gone tomorrow. The contrast between human flesh and the word of God is stark. That was true of the Israelites and their captors, the Babylonians. God does not want us to live in perpetual fear, anxiety or depression about our mortality. God has offered us a plan. The Bible reveals that plan in a sweeping narrative. We find guidance, comfort and peace from the Scriptures. We have a message to share with the world. We want to proclaim the good news that our Savior comes to us in a mighty way. God is transcendent. Yet, God is near. God is like a good shepherd with strength to defeat the enemy and tenderness to protect His flock. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He is both God and human at the same time. God has come to us in Jesus in both strength and humility. Jesus is both “the Lion of Judah” and the “Lamb of God.” John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, said he was “a man of one book” (the Bible). It was his authority and guide. When the Scripture is not our guide, we are our own authority. The written word points us to our need for a savior. - Pastor Tom Harrison

Comfort My People

Sometimes we experience brokenness in life, and we need tender expressions of encouragement. Life has a way of beating us up. Sickness, suffering and death are crushing companions. Our sin and the sins of others compound. We need comfort in times of sadness. Ecclesiastes 4:1 describes the pain: “Again, I saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power, and there was no one to comfort them.” Conversely, Psalm 23:4 says: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” In other words, we yearn for comfort. We need a powerful one who can overshadow our enemies, and overcome our greatest adversary, death. We take comfort in knowing that God came and dwelt among us and He will come again. Jesus said it was to our advantage for Him to go away because He would be sending another “Comforter” (King James version, but other versions call the Holy Spirit, the “Helper”). Isaiah 40:5 tells the most comforting news of all: “And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed.” We live with the hope of God’s will being fully revealed. We may not see it, but it is coming. Good news comforts us. Our comfort ultimately comes from God’s glory, not human achievement. This is not merely good news – this is the best news. Ever.

- Pastor Tom Harrison

Community

In “The Second Mountain,” David Brooks’ introduction describes how American culture has become hyper-individualized. For over 50 years, we have focused on the mountain of individual success. The result has been a drastic loss in community, identity, and service. People bury their faces in their screens. Robert Putnam’s book, “Bowling Alone,” describes how people are still bowling, but not in leagues. We are not with others like we used to be. Civic clubs and faith communities show declines in participation. Brooks quotes from a book called “Lost Connections,” how mental health challenges are “. . . at least as much about problems in life – protracted loneliness, loss of meaningful work, feeling pressured and stressed in the absence of community—as they are about one’s neurochemistry. Protracted loneliness causes you to shut down socially, and to be more suspicious of any social contact . . . You become hypervigilant. You start to be more likely to take offense where none was intended and to be afraid of strangers. You start to be afraid of the very thing you need most” (p.269). Brooks adds this line: “This sounds like a pretty good summary of American politics today . . .” I think loneliness is the biggest problem Americans are facing. The first time “not good” is found in the Bible regards being alone (Genesis 2:18). We do not have to be married to find a community. I think the church, even with all our faults, is still the best place to find community. I love Ananias’ courage as he prayed for the healing of Saul. Our readings this week show the moral joy of the early church.

- Pastor Tom Harrison

Faith

In “The Second Mountain,” David Brooks explains the strengths of his secular Jewish background. I’ve seen those strengths with my Jewish friends, too. He points out the power of ritual, community and Shabbat (p. 225-6). It is also rooted in action (p. 227). After his divorce, he began to investigate the Christian faith. Certain Christians have an offensive tenor and tone that makes it very difficult for people to be interested in hearing about Jesus. This often happens when Christians link following Jesus with a political agenda. My favorite chapter in his book is 21, “A Most Unexpected Turn of Events.” PLEASE read this chapter! Brooks’ tells of speaking with the late John Stott, an Anglican priest and scholar. I quote Brooks: “Stott’s voice…is friendly, courteous and natural. It is humble and self-critical, but also confident, joyful and optimistic. Stott’s mission is to pierce through all the encrustations and share direct contact with Jesus. Stott says that the central message of the Gospel is not the teachings of Jesus, but Jesus himself, the human/divine figure. He is always bringing people back to the concrete reality of Jesus’ life and sacrifice. It’s about putting on the mind of Christ.” (p. 227) He also quotes Stott: “It is your sin I am bearing, your curse I am suffering, our debt I am paying, your death I am dying.’ Nothing in history or in the universe cuts us down to size like the cross. All of us have inflated views of ourselves, especially in self-righteousness, until we visit a place called Calvary. It is there, at the foot of the cross, that we shrink to our true size.” (p. 228) Brooks understands being a Christian is all about a relationship with Jesus. Christianity rises and falls on the resurrection of Jesus. The Apostle Paul had “a most unexpected turn of events, too.” The story is not about us. That is why our mission is “Helping Others Follow Jesus.” HE is our story.

- Pastor Tom Harrison

Marriage Most everything worthwhile is hard. Most every couple who has been married for a long time say that while it’s been good, it’s also been challenging. Some have a more challenging time than others. Marriage, like life, is full of ups and downs. In his book, “The Second Mountain,” David Brooks explains how he fell off his first mountain of success and ended up in the valley of despair when he went through his divorce. Yet, by losing, he found there was more to life than just fame, fortune and family. He found a second mountain of significance. Tim Keller’s book, “The Meaning of Marriage,” is the book I give to engaged couples. It has great insight. One of its central ideas is that our identity must come from someone greater than our spouse – we belong to Jesus Christ. Our only source of love and meaning cannot revolve around another human being. That is idolatry. We must love the One who has the Name above every other name. When we know that identity, we live with abundance in our other relationships. We have something to offer and to give to others. Christian marriage unites two very different and imperfect people into a covenant, knowing the greater purpose of their union is not merely for their own blessing, but for the blessing of the world. The wonderful story of Ruth concludes with her legacy. She blessed the world by her commitment during a very difficult period in her life. Her great-grandson was David. Ruth is part of the genealogy of Jesus. - Pastor Tom Harrison

Vocation

God is at work in Genesis 2. Even before sin entered the world, God gave Adam the assignment to work the ground. God’s call upon human beings is we have the privilege to work. When sin entered the world in Genesis 3, the nature of work changed. What had been joyful became hard. Nevertheless, Nehemiah is a great example of a person called by God to go to work (repairing the walls of Jerusalem). The Good Samaritan modeled a great work ethic. The story of Martha complaining to Jesus about her idle sister, Mary, follows. The Apostle Paul stressed work and not idleness. When inspired in our work, great things are accomplished. The story is told of a reporter watching Mother Teresa of Calcutta as she cleaned the maggot-infested wound of a homeless man, only to say, “I wouldn’t do what you do for a million dollars.” As the story goes, she replied with a wry smile, “I wouldn’t either.” She felt God called her to her role. I feel called by God to ministry as vocation. My brother, on the other hand, is a Christian in the workplace who is not called to pastoral ministry. His call is every bit as legitimate as mine. Christians in the workplace are to live out good values. However, those who pay our salaries don’t pay us to be good people – they pay us to get the job done. Good attitudes/behavior + productivity is a package deal. I like the quote in “The Second Mountain” (p. 127): “Work is the way we make ourselves useful to our fellows. ‘There may be no better way to love your neighbor,’ Tim Keller put it, ‘whether you are writing parking tickets or software or books, than to simply do your work. But only skillful, competent work will do.’” - Pastor Tom Harrison

Valleys and The Second Mountain The late evangelist, Billy Graham, had this quote: “Mountaintops are for views and inspiration, but fruit is grown in the valleys.” Every person in the Bible had difficult times. Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Ruth, Hannah, David, Solomon, Elijah, Job, Esther, Daniel, Nehemiah, Joseph and Mary, Peter, Paul and Jesus all suffered. Yet, their stories point to the fact that our adversity can make us strong and resilient. In the chapter on “The Valley” in “The Second Mountain” (p. 26-37), Brooks explains how these struggles can move us beyond ourselves. Suffering can separate the trivial and insignificant from what is ultimately important. A proper response to suffering can teach us gratitude, generosity and compassion. The chapter on “The Wilderness” (p. 38-43) is about Moses. He illustrates someone who lived on “The First Mountain” of success, was kicked to the curb and found himself in the valley (wilderness). Then he found the second mountain of significance. He, like Jonah, was a reluctant missionary. The chapter on “The Committed Life” (p. 52-59) reminds us of one of the most amazing promises in the Bible – Ruth’s commitment to Naomi (Ruth 1:16-17). I think the core of “The Second Mountain” is found in chapter 8 (p. 60-82). We can have hopes, dreams and ideas, but nothing happens until we make a commitment to live in a different way. Like the saying goes: You can’t get 100% results with a 50% commitment.

- Pastor Tom Harrison

Better Together: Dedicate to the Lord

To dedicate something means to contribute or consecrate. It means to make a commitment, a gift or a pledge. In the Bible, sometimes people dedicated themselves to the Lord. At other times, they dedicated material objects for the purposes of God. Certain people and objects were set apart for special use. The Bible mentions an altar, silver and gold, the Temple, and a wall in Jerusalem as being dedicated to God. On two occasions when God’s people dedicated themselves and their gifts to God, the glory of the Lord appeared in spectacular fashion. The psalmists wanted this glory to last forever. Isaiah and Ezekiel yearned for God’s glory. The glory of God is what brought the shepherds in Bethlehem to their knees: “And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them.” (Luke 2:9) God initiates. We respond. God is glorified. God’s glory fills us with joy. Those who experience the glory of the Lord are truly and completely dedicated to Him. We are so grateful for His favor that we want to return His gifts. We want to offer more than token gifts to the Lord – we want to give significantly.

- Pastor Tom Harrison

Better Together: Be Strong in the Lord

In every facet of life, the pressures leaders face can cause them to lose their nerve. Leaders are sabotaged and triangulated. Leaders can lose their identity by trying to please all the people, all the time. I like the saying, “We have an audience of One.” We like to please people, but we are ultimately here to please the Lord. When we forget this truth, we will follow the wrong path.

It would have been easy for the Apostle Paul to have lost his nerve and quit. He did not quit. He put on the whole armor of God. That helped him persevere. However, he took more than a defensive posture. He stood firm. He attacked with the sword of the Spirit. He also stayed strong by the prayers of the saints and the presence of the Holy Spirit.

We are so much stronger when we are not alone. We need previous generations to coach, train and deploy us. We learn from our wounds and share our wisdom with others. Having wisdom and relationships is a major goal of life. Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit – the “comforter, the counselor.” We need the presence of God and the company of other believers. If Christians claim to not need the church, I want to ask, “Then how did you ever hear the gospel?” We are Christians only because others have passed the faith to us. We are commanded to pass it forward, too. We are stronger together.

- Pastor Tom Harrison