A Simple Word for Complex People

In life, we move from chaos to chaos, just like Jesus did. But, it's helpful to be reminded in the midst of that journey of just who we are. Do you consider yourself a child of God, pleasing in God's sight? Or do you see yourself as an accumulation of victories and errors? 

Jesus went from fun, miraculous Jesus, to a darker, more sinister Jesus just six days ago. Peter, James, and John were still trying to make sense of all that when they saw this amazing sight on the mountaintop. What they would learn was that it’s sacrifice that transforms us from who we were to who we are designed to be. Crowds feed our egos, but crosses save our souls, and well-fed egos may be celebrated in certain circles in this life, but not in the Kingdom of Heaven. 

You keep looking to the next thing, the next development, or the next relationship, to claim you've made progress. But God says there is nothing lacking in you, just as there is nothing lacking in the heavens or on earth! Quit thinking you have deficiencies, and start embracing your current self as the person God created you to be.

God does not call us into prosperity. God calls us into purpose. Our purpose may become prosperous, but prosperity is not our purpose. We must be clear about that as followers of Christ. Where is Christ calling you to serve?

How much of your prayer time is dedicated to listening to God? Can God get a word in edgewise? God continues to speak, and God is speaking to you -- not the multi-millionaires with the slick hair and private jets. God is calling ordinary people to do extraordinary things. Can you hear his call?

Christians cherish their baptisms, but do we really understand them? Into what are we baptized? If we are only baptized into the church, our baptisms are meaningless. We must go deeper. We must go to a place where our brokenness becomes our beauty.

It's time for the church to reclaim its radical, divisive nature by loving those we have shunned and welcoming those we have rejected. And that starts by showing ourselves radical grace and forgiveness. 

This is the full Christmas Eve service for Trinity Congregational Church in Adams, WI. There were a handful of attendees in the meetinghouse, and many more listening on their car radios in the parking lot -- all in the name of Covid safety. Merry Christmas!

Mary, did you know? Of course she did. Being "favored" wasn't such a favorable experience for Mary, but doing God's work isn't often easy or glamorous. Mary knew that too. If Mary had favor, so do we. It may not be easy, but it will be a blessing.  

This was Jesus' "coming out" text in his home synagogue (Luke 4). His sermon that followed took Isaiah's prophecy and made the promise immediate: "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." As the church, our call is to make that hope immediate for those hurt as well. Are we?