Mark 10:17-31

The story of the rich young ruler may not be one of our favorite passages of scripture. For one thing, most of us probably don’t think of ourselves as rich. Like Erma Bombeck, we have our own definitions of “rich.” Rich is . . . carrying a lap dog as an accessory. Rich is having a TV screen the same size as your SUV. Rich is having no idea of the actual cost of bread or gasoline or insurance because your accountant just pays the bill for you. How would you finish the sentence, “Rich is . . . ?”  

What if Jesus appeared to you right now and told you to sell everything you have, give the money to the poor, and then follow him? Would you be aghast? Our Bible passage says that the rich young ruler’s “face fell” and he went away sad over Jesus’ words. The Greek word used in this passage was also used metaphorically in Jesus’ day to refer to the gloominess of clouds covering the sun. This young man’s life was all sunshine and good times. He was wealthy. He was powerful. He was morally upright. If he were single, you’d fix him up with your daughter (no question about it). And then Jesus had to come along and steal his fun. 

Wealth is dangerous when we learn to overvalue things and undervalue people. It is important that we develop a sense of perspective about life. For some of us, accumulating things has blotted out the importance of the people around us. I think that I have money and possessions in their proper place until I read this story of the rich young ruler. And then I wonder if Jesus were to make the same demand of me at this very moment . . . “sell everything you have, give the money to the poor, and follow me” . . . would I make excuses? Would I be aghast? Would I walk away from Jesus and from abundant and eternal life (I certainly hope not). 

Wealth is also dangerous when we see our possessions as an end rather than as a means. When the accumulation of great wealth is our primary reason for living then we are in trouble. Wealth is simply a means to improve the world, to improve our community, to improve our lives, but when it becomes an end then it is dangerous. It’s not necessary for wealth to keep you out of the Kingdom of God, but wealth can be a snare that can stop your spiritual progress if it becomes an end rather than a means.  

At some point in our lives, we all have to choose who or what we will place our trust in. We all have to choose what we will value, what will take first place in our lives.

Jesus didn’t try to make this choice any easier. In every generation, following Jesus means giving up the things that our culture values. It means giving up our own security and comfort and control. But Jesus also ends this passage with the promise that whatever we give up for him will be returned to us a hundredfold, through the riches of knowing him and sharing eternal life with him. Learn from the loss of the rich young ruler. Decide now that following Jesus is worth more than anything else in life and discover the rich blessings he has for all those who put their total trust in him and live a life of generosity.

Grace and Peace,

Stephen

Job 1:1; Job 2:1-10

There are times in our life’s journey when many of us will whisper those desperate words, “I must hold on. I must hold on.” There was an interesting man in the Old Testament who certainly knew what it was to hold on. His name was Job. Listen as the author of this drama describes Job: “In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.”

Now this is an interesting twist right at the beginning of Job’s story. This drama takes place in a time when it was assumed that prosperity and good fortune came as the result of a righteous lifestyle. If you lived as God would have you live, you would be blessed financially and physically as well as spiritually. Do you agree with this theology? There are many who have this shallow approach to faith even today. I don’t know of many of Jesus’ original followers who occupied beautiful and ornate mansions—except after their death. And yet here we are introduced to a man who was chosen to experience unbelievable pain and suffering. And the reason he was chosen to experience these tragic circumstances was that he was “blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.”

You know the story. In the course of a conversation between God and the fallen angel Satan, God allowed Satan to strip away from Job everything he held dear—his family and friends, his health and his wealth. Nothing was spared except his life. His body was covered with awful sores. His friends accused him of some unknown sin, since it was an important piece of Old Testament theology that suffering was a by-product of sin. But Job knew he had not committed any sin. Even God knew that. And yet, there he was. Desperately holding on.

No one in this room has suffered quite like Job, but a few of us may have come close. It may be a problem with our health or a problem with someone we love, or a problem in our workplace. If that describes your life, only you know. Whatever that problem may be, there is a battle going on, and you are not sure that you can endure. 

What is the secret to holding on—when you are down to your last shred of hope, when there is no longer enough rope to make a knot to hold on to? Where do you find help at such times? Let me give you some simple steps that I am convinced will help:

First, learn to live one day at a time. 

The second key is this: Remember that you are loved.  

And finally, a third key:  Learn how to let go.

Grace and Peace,

Stephen

Mark 9:30-37

Would you consider yourself a competitive person? Or maybe I should ask, in what area are you most competitive? Maybe you’re competitive in getting the best grades in your class or the best parking spot at work. Maybe you compete to make the best pancakes in your family or tell the funniest knock-knock joke or to get up the earliest on Christmas morning. Humans are naturally competitive. We like to have an edge over those around us.  

That’s the problem with being a competitive person. You’re always chasing after some other person, after some other record. Someone will always be greater than you. You can waste a lot of energy, and lose a lot of joy, by always trying to stay a step ahead of the other guy.

Of course, Jesus understands our need to compete. He understands our desire to be the greatest. Fear and pride drive us to put our needs first, and to compare ourselves to others. But fear and pride are cannibalistic urges. They may drive us to achieve great things, but they also steal away the joy of achievement, and drive us further away from God and from others. Remember Jesus’ words in John 10:10 where he said that he has come to give us a more abundant life? When Jesus confronted his disciples in this passage, he wasn’t trying to shame them. He was trying to open their minds to the abundant life God had made them for.  

And that brings us to our Bible passage for Sunday, Mark 9: 30-37. I love how Jesus, who has the infinite knowledge of God, asks questions of us. He doesn’t ask because he is ignorant. Jesus asks us questions so we will be honest with ourselves. Sometimes when you say something out loud, you realize how crazy it is. So, Jesus asked his disciples, “What were you arguing about on the road? But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.” That’s hilarious, isn’t it? The disciples had seen Jesus feed a crowd of thousands, heal the sick and disabled, and heal a boy who was possessed by a demon. And yet they were arguing over which of them was the greatest in the group.

It doesn’t matter how our culture defines “greatness.” According to Jesus, the first rule for greatness is to go where The Greatest would go. And the second rule of greatness is that greatness isn’t about you. It’s about God working through you. 

Read through the Bible from beginning to end and look very carefully at who God used to do His work. God didn’t choose the strongest, the most powerful, the bravest, the smartest people to change the world. In fact, almost everyone God chose to use for His work would have been voted “Least Likely to Succeed.” So how did they end up being heroes of the faith? They let God use them for His good works. So what would happen if you and I did the same thing?

Why did God create you? Was it to collect paychecks and promotions and first place in the pecking order? Or was it to bring hope and life to a dying world? Greatness, as defined by The Greatest One of All, Jesus Christ, consists of two rules: Go where Jesus would go—to the least, the last, the lost and the lonely. And let God use you to serve those in need. Your life will have an eternal, immeasurable impact if you compete to be “the greatest” in the kingdom of God. 

Grace and Peace,

Stephen

Mark 8:27-38 

Jesus says to us, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.” In our culture, we have lost the understanding of dying to our self. That’s what the cross meant to early Christians. It was a symbol that Jesus was willing to give up everything—his power, his authority, his rights, his safety and comfort, his very life—to do the will of God and to restore our relationship with God. He chose to give up his own agenda, his own desires, his own comforts to show us how much God loves us. He chose death to give us eternal life. And he challenges his followers to follow his example.

We like Jesus. His teachings are inspiring. His miracles are exciting. But do we really want Jesus to live in us? Do we really want the responsibility? Most Christians are good with the Gospel stories of Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection. But dying to self and surrendering fully to the Lordship of Christ is another story. Being filled with the Holy Spirit and being a “flame thrower” (witness) for Christ, is a little much to comprehend. I wonder if it’s even possible to speak to this culture, this generation, about self-denial. After all, some of us grew up in the so-called ME generation. “I’ve got to find myself,” we said. “I’ve got to do my own thing. I will buy only the finest, because after all, ‘I’m worth it.’” We place so much emphasis on self: self-satisfaction, on self-actualization, on self-protection. How could Jesus ask us to die to our self? What’s so wrong about putting our self first?

The influence of social media has made our desire for image and wealth and self-gratification even more difficult. There are now businesses that sell fake backdrops to make it appear on your social media site that you are living a luxurious and exciting lifestyle, even if you’re living paycheck to paycheck. 

How strange these words of Jesus seem in this context: “If you would follow me you must deny yourself.” Deny yourself. How out of place such words may seem in today’s world.  The key to truly successful living is to deny ourselves in order that God may fill us to overflowing with His presence and power. As St. Paul says, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

There is the path to real success. If we who are followers of Jesus would but learn that one simple truth, we could turn this world upside down. Deny yourself. Take up the cross of the Master. No other lifestyle is ultimately satisfying. No other lifestyle can permanently change the world in which we live. 

Grace & Peace,

Stephen

This Sunday we will welcome several first responders to Misty Creek, and we will honor their service. We remember those who lost their lives when our country was attacked by evil on September 11, 2001. Many of us know where we were and what we were doing 20 years ago. We remember how we felt because to some degree we have felt that way ever since, and this pandemic, divisiveness, riots, killings, natural disasters, and anniversaries such as this one reminds us that nothing is normal now. August was a tough month. The horror in Afghanistan, destruction in Haiti, flooding in TN, Hurricane IDA wrecking Louisiana and the Eastern Seaboard.  

At the 9/11 National Day of Prayer in remembrance service, Billy Graham shared these words:

We’ve always needed God from the very beginning of this nation, but today we need Him especially. We’re facing a new kind of enemy. We’re involved in a new type of warfare, and we need the help of the Spirit of God. The Bible’s words are our hope: "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth gives way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea."

On 9/11 2001 we faced and enemy from without. Today, we face an enemy from within.

We must never forget 9/11.

We must never forget the heroes that day.

We must never forget those who ran INTO burning buildings. 

We must never forget those who said, “let’s roll!” 

We must never forget the endless stories of sacrifice. 

We must never forget the men and women who since that day have stood in harm’s way defending us and making it their mission to prevent such an attack from happening again. 

We hope you will join us for a cookout lunch on the grounds after the worship service this Sunday. 

Grace & Peace, Stephen

Mark 7:24-37

A few weeks ago, Karen and I went to see Jackson Brown and James Taylor in concert. We went with our friends Doug, Sherry, Kerry, and Martha. We had a marvelous time. The concert was one of the best I had ever attended. In 1977 singer songwriter Jackson Browne released a live album with the title song, Running on Empty.  The song was featured prominently in the film Forrest Gump as he runs across America.  In one part of the song, Browne writes, “Everyone I know, everywhere I go; People need some reason to believe.  I don't know where I’m running now, I’m just running on.” The meaning behind that phrase, running on empty, means to “have exhausted all of one’s resources.”  To be sure, there are those who start out with no plan but only a dream and that is enough.  But as life grinds on, dreams can fade, relationships do change and everyone has to move on.  And the question to consider is, “Will there be anything left in the tank when all this ends?”  Will you be running on empty? 

The Bible is full of stories where people are running on empty.  There is Elijah, who after a great spiritual victory, literally ran for forty days and ended up in a cave, empty (I Kings 19). There is Jonah who ran from a God-given assignment and ended up in the empty belly of a great fish (Jonah 1:17).  Or consider Peter, who lost his way and ended up at an empty tomb (John 20:3-4).  Jackson Browne goes on to write, “The friends he used to turn to, to pull him through, he looked into their empty eyes and sees them running too” (verse 4).  So what fuels your life to keep you living each day with intentionality? Consider this suggestion: Use your everyday life to bring about a positive change in the lives of others (like Forrest).

Mahatma Gandhi famously said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”  The good news is you don’t have to start when you are on empty, start now so you can stay full.  Be your best and deliver your best each day to make a positive impact on others to make the world a better place.

 Leadership coach John Maxwell writes, “If you have the heart to make a difference, there is always an answer.  But if you have a heart of indifference, there is never an answer.”  History is full of difference makers.  Each person had a story to share, a dream to pursue and a purpose to live.  It is not necessary to be a famous to make a difference; just be faithful, be intentional!

Grace and Peace,

Stephen

Ephesians 5:15-20

Wisdom isn’t going to get you a nicer car, or a bigger paycheck. Wisdom won’t win you any awards or make you the life of the party. And yet, there are so many verses in the Bible about the value of wisdom. In fact, the Bible makes it clear that the way of the foolish person leads to emptiness and even death, while the way of a wise person leads to joy, peace, and eternal life. The first thing Paul wants us to understand is that the foolish person lives as if there is no God.  If there is no God, life has no purpose.  If there is no God, then it’s perfectly logical for everyone to simply do his or her own thing. Do you remember that tragic verse in the book of Judges, chapter 21:25? In the King James Version, it reads like this, “In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” Can you imagine the chaos that ensued from people doing only what seemed right to them? How does that parallel with our world today?

The second thing Paul wants us to know is that wise folks know that every moment of their life is an opportunity to know God and live in God’s will. The wise person knows that he or she belongs to God, and his or her first priority is to understand the will of God. 

What would change about your life if you saw life through the eyes of God, and lived your life in the will of God? Would it change your attitude? Your relationships? Your priorities? Your work? Your future? How?

Grace & Peace,

Stephen

There are times when Christ wants us to stand up for ourselves.  Jesus doesn’t want us to be wimps. It takes a strong person to stand up to his or her peers and do the right thing. It is so much easier to do the expedient thing than to do the right thing. That’s true in school when bullying is taking place. That’s true at work when ethical corners are being cut. That’s true in the community when injustice of any kind is occurring. 

I say it takes a strong person to stand up to one’s peers. I wish I could say simply, it takes a Christian to stand up to one’s peers, but often Christians are content to be “nice” and “sweet” rather than people who stand up to evil. 

It’s hard to believe that we call ourselves followers of One who went to the cross because of the evil and injustice of the world, when we in turn are so timid about confronting evil. One thing nobody ever said about Jesus was that he was a really nice, sweet person. Jesus was a troublemaker. He said that he had not come to bring peace, but a sword. There was no neutral ground in his view of the world. You were either on the side of the kingdom or you were a child of Satan. You belonged either to the light or you belonged to the darkness. You were either hot or cold, but if you were lukewarm, he would spit you out of his mouth.

I’m deliberately speaking in strong terms because it is increasingly evident that too many Christians today are confusing humility with timidity. That’s a sad mistake. Jesus was humble, but he was not timid. You don’t drive money-changers out of the Temple if you are timid. 

But you say, “What about the beatitude that says,

“Blessed are the meek . . . ?” Scholars tell us that “meekness” in the context that Jesus uses it is closer to the word “obedient.” A tame horse is obedient, but it is not timid. A humble Christian is obedient to the commands of God but is not timid in the face of injustice. Jesus needs people who will speak out against evil and injustice. Jesus needs people who will boldly witness to their faith. I fear that the Christian community no longer has any real impact on our world simply because we no longer stand for anything of consequence. We are afraid of rocking the boat. We are afraid of offending our neighbor. We are afraid others will criticize us. 

This woman from our Scripture lesson was of great faith which made her a woman of great courage. Can that be said of you? What are some lessons we can learn from this courageous woman? Are you a woman or a man of great faith and, therefore, of great courage? Or are you satisfied to simply be another nice, sweet person who never ripples the waters, never stands up to your peers? Let us pray for the courage of our beliefs. Let us pray to be authentic followers of Jesus. For it’s in Christ’s name we make our prayer. 

Grace & Peace,

Stephen