Wingfoot Church

Humans have been searching for something more as long as we’ve been around. But what if we actually don’t want to find what it is we’re looking for? In Psalm 19, David is searching the night sky only to discover that not only is it God who is out there, God is pursuing David. And when God finds you, everything changes.

Psalm 23 is probably the most well-known but misunderstood Psalm. When was the last time you truly felt like you lacked nothing? When we feel like we don't have what we need, we feel worried. But Psalm 23 meets us in the middle of our worry with the promise that we have a shepherd who is watching the horizon for us so we can trust him in this moment. 

Psalm 13 is a type of song known as a lament. Lament is what suffering sounds like. When was the last time you were in church and sung a song about suffering? Probably not recently. We tend to avoid songs like this, but over 40% of the Psalms are laments, meaning that a huge part of life is wrestling with suffering. But when we avoid it, we either lie about ourselves or silence the voices of people who are suffering. But if we are willing to enter into it, we'll discover something incredible about the God who reveals himself in Jesus. 

In every story about a king and a kingdom, one of the central questions is this:  Who's wearing the crown? Because whoever's wearing the crown has all the authority. Psalm 2 is a song written for a coronation - someone is becoming king. But the Psalm challenges us with this reality: we all want to wear the crown, to be in charge of our own life, but only one person is rightfully given the crown. You can either lay down your crown now or your crown will come off eventually. So the question is: who's wearing the crown in your life?

At the heart of the Bible is a book full of music called The Psalms. The Psalms are a mixtape collection of songs and prayers written by people as they tried to understand God in the everyday challenges of life. Psalm 1 introduces the mixtape with this question: Who's song is on repeat in your head and your heart? Psalm 1 shows us that there are only two songs you can listen to, so which one are you listening to the most? 

What do we do with doubt? Sometimes we treat doubt as an enemy, but the reality is we're all prisoners to our positions and opinions. It's only through processing doubt that we are able to learn and grow. This is what the writer of Psalm 76 is experiencing. His doubt, which goes unanswered, leads him to God. Jesus shows us in John 6 and in his life, death, and resurrection that this is how God works. 

Some barriers to embracing Jesus are about our beliefs - what we believe and why we believe them. But some are more about what we do when we're together. Singing is one of those things. There's a lot of music when followers of Jesus gather and to an outsider it might seem weird or even cult-ish. But the reality is we're all singing to someone or something. The real question is "Who are you singing to and why?"

If you read the New Testament - the story of Jesus and his first followers - you might be surprised to find that the term "Christian" is only used three times, and two of those three times it's used by someone who doesn't follow Jesus to describe people who do. It's a label put on a group of people by people who don't understand their experience. Instead, followers of Jesus used the phrase "in Christ" to describe the transformation that happened when they met Jesus. So what does that transformation mean and how does it happen to you? That's what we'll look at in Colossians 3:1-4.

Behind this question is a longing we all have to belong. You'd think people who follow Jesus whose message was love would be loving and welcoming, but far too often this isn't the case. Why not? In Luke 19, Jesus tells a parable that gets to the heart of why. When the basis for our belonging is on our behavior - whether that's our actions, our attitudes, our opinions - we create a IN group and an OUT group. But as the tax collector knows in Jesus' story, the basis for belonging isn't on behavior, but on grace. And if belonging is based on grace, it creates true community.

It seems like if God is really out there, he could be more obvious about it. Why not text everyone and let us know? But what we really want behind this question is a moment where we and everyone around us know that God is there and it's not crazy to believe in him. The kind of moment the prophet Elijah had in 1 Kings 18. But when we find him in 1 Kings 19, he still doubts. The problem with chasing moments of spiritual highs is that you'll never be certain it's God and you'll never be satisfied. But in Jesus, God climbs a mountain for us and declares his love to us in a way for all of history to know. This is the moment he wants to meet you in.