In my house we don't necessarily have assigned jobs. That is to say that both my wife and I are willing to do just about any job that needs to be done around the house. Having said this, there are certain jobs that I do, and certain jobs that she does most of the time. One of those jobs is the laundry.
As a young man I learned to do the laundry from my father, and while in college I did all my own laundry, and so when I got married, I figured I would continue helping with/doing the laundry. I would often put as much laundry into the washer as I could fit (I figured less loads was a good thing) and then since there were a lot of clothes in the wash I would fill the cup to the top with detergent. After the washer had completed its cycle, I would move the clothes into the dryer, set it to its highest heat setting (because that dries so much faster), and let it do its thing. Once the clothes were sufficiently dry I would remove them and go about the task of folding. Many times I didn't quite know how to fold my wife's clothes, or where to put them, but I tried my best. It went on this way, for nearly two years of marriage before my wife finally asked me (very nicely) NEVER to do the laundry again!
It turned out that she didn't appreciate my filled to capacity washer loads (along with way too much detergent), she wasn't a fan of the dryer shrinking and ruining her clothes because I dried them on the wrong setting, and she especially disliked the way I folded and then "hid" her clothes! I remember apologizing many times for this miscommunication and exclaiming "if only I had known!"
"If only I had known!" I'm sure you've said or thought this a time or two yourself. The people of Israel were likely saying it as well while Ezra was reading the law to them (found in Nehemiah). The book of Nehemiah, is primarily concerned with telling the story of how the people (returning from exile in Babylon) rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem and re-established the capital city as the home of God's people. Having said this, the passage linked above speaks to not the physical renewal of the city of Jerusalem, but the spiritual renewal that also needed to take place within the lives of the people living in that city.
The people spent several (read 5-7) hours being read to from the law (the first five books in of the Bible). Throughout that reading there were likely several places where the people realized they were not in accordance with God's law (Nehemiah 8:9 says that the people were moved to tears and were mourning). If the story of Nehemiah is followed beyond the above passages, we can find that in chapter 9 the people are instructed to confess and repent of their sins.
This lesson is not merely a history lesson, or an interesting story, but truly is a lesson that can be applied for us today. Instead of quoting hours worth of biblical laws, I would like to direct your attention to one in particular (Matthew 5:21-22). This passage deals with Jesus' teaching regarding anger, and his assertion that simply being angry with another person makes us liable to judgment.
In the next few minutes, I would like you to ask God for spiritual renewal. As you're asking for this renewal, realize that in order for renewal to really become a reality in your life, you need to remove the junk that's in the way. Think of a person that you've been angry with in the past (could be recent or long ago), then ask God to forgive YOU for being angry with that person.
Anger can take hold of our lives, and control us. If we are to truly become new creations, and live as the people we are called to be, we must remove those obstacles and things that burden us. I would invite you to start small, and ask God to forgive your past anger, and liberate you from that burden. I no longer try to do the laundry in my house, becuase now I know that my "help" is not so helpful. Hopefully now you've begun to realize that whether for a good reason, or not, anger is not only, not so helpful, but it can actually cause you harm.
Grace & Peace,
Pastor John
Friday, January 29, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Sermon Sampler (January 17th) - Is this a Good Time?
Have you ever gotten a phone call at just the wrong time? Maybe just as you're sitting down to dinner, or just as your leaving the house? Growing up in my home these calls always came from telemarketers. You know people trying to sell us new windows, or offer us a deal too great to be turned down! Now, as an adult, I still receive these calls, but often they are not from people trying to sell me something, but rather they are from people who need something from me.
One such call came a few years ago, just as my wife and I were planning on heading out for a romantic dinner. The person on the other end of the line was a young man in need of food. This particular young man had a pregnant girlfriend and two young children living with him, and the family had no transportation, no money, and no food. Despite the call coming at a bad time, and even though I wasn't really sure what (if anything) I was supposed to do, my wife, our infant daughter, and I got into our car and went to the grocery store. We bought roughly $50 worth of groceries, and headed out into the middle of nowhere to deliver this food to the young man and his family.
The whole way there we were still unsure if this was the right decision, but upon reaching the home and delivering the food we were convinced we had made the right choice. The house was a wreck, the children were poorly dressed, and the young man and his girlfriend were obviously uncomfortable with the whole situation. The need was clear, and the looks, words, and tears that followed showed the gratitude was sincere. It's hard to explain, but in that moment, as we were bringing groceries to a family that welcomed them like the best Christmas or Birthday presents ever, I knew that God was truly using us to offer some small portion of grace to this family!
The above story is one of bad timing, uncertainty and God's grace shining through it all. A similar story of poor timing and grace is told in John 2:1-11 (better known as the Miracle of Water to Wine or The Wedding at Cana). In John 2:1-11 we are told that Jesus, his mother, and his followers are attending a wedding in Cana. During the wedding celebration the wine runs out, and Jesus' mother comes to him with the problem. Jesus' response is at best a mild protest, and at worste potentially disrespectful. Basically he tells her it isn't really their problem, and that it's a bad time for him. Interestingly Jesus' mother doesn't argue or complain, but rather turns to the servants at the wedding and tells them to do whatever Jesus tells them to do!
Jesus just gets done telling his mother that it's not his problem and that it's a bad time for him, and yet she replies by telling others to do whatever he tells them to do. She is completely unfazed by his reply, and instead makes room for Jesus to address the situation however he sees fit. Of course the story continues and Jesus has the servants fill up 6 large stone jars with water, and then he turns the water into wine (thus his first miracle). But I would like to spend a moment or two longer on Jesus' statement about bad timing and his mother's response to that statement.
It is true that time is precious, and that many of us wish we had more of it, but time is also all about priorities and making time for what's really important. Jesus points out that it's a bad time, and yet his mother allows him the space to provide none-the-less. The same should be the case in our lives. Often we feel like we don't have time for God, or that there's never really a good time for God. The truth of the matter is that sometimes we need God in our lives precisely during those "bad" times. Sometimes we need to stop what we're doing and ask God to get involved when we feel like we have no time or when we feel too busy to breathe!
It might just be possible that you miss out on being profoundly blessed by God (in one way or another) because your schedule is too full to fit God into it. So the question really shouldn't be "is this a good time" but rather "how can I make time." Make time for God, and you'll be amazed at how God responds!
Grace & Peace,
Pastor John
One such call came a few years ago, just as my wife and I were planning on heading out for a romantic dinner. The person on the other end of the line was a young man in need of food. This particular young man had a pregnant girlfriend and two young children living with him, and the family had no transportation, no money, and no food. Despite the call coming at a bad time, and even though I wasn't really sure what (if anything) I was supposed to do, my wife, our infant daughter, and I got into our car and went to the grocery store. We bought roughly $50 worth of groceries, and headed out into the middle of nowhere to deliver this food to the young man and his family.
The whole way there we were still unsure if this was the right decision, but upon reaching the home and delivering the food we were convinced we had made the right choice. The house was a wreck, the children were poorly dressed, and the young man and his girlfriend were obviously uncomfortable with the whole situation. The need was clear, and the looks, words, and tears that followed showed the gratitude was sincere. It's hard to explain, but in that moment, as we were bringing groceries to a family that welcomed them like the best Christmas or Birthday presents ever, I knew that God was truly using us to offer some small portion of grace to this family!
The above story is one of bad timing, uncertainty and God's grace shining through it all. A similar story of poor timing and grace is told in John 2:1-11 (better known as the Miracle of Water to Wine or The Wedding at Cana). In John 2:1-11 we are told that Jesus, his mother, and his followers are attending a wedding in Cana. During the wedding celebration the wine runs out, and Jesus' mother comes to him with the problem. Jesus' response is at best a mild protest, and at worste potentially disrespectful. Basically he tells her it isn't really their problem, and that it's a bad time for him. Interestingly Jesus' mother doesn't argue or complain, but rather turns to the servants at the wedding and tells them to do whatever Jesus tells them to do!
Jesus just gets done telling his mother that it's not his problem and that it's a bad time for him, and yet she replies by telling others to do whatever he tells them to do. She is completely unfazed by his reply, and instead makes room for Jesus to address the situation however he sees fit. Of course the story continues and Jesus has the servants fill up 6 large stone jars with water, and then he turns the water into wine (thus his first miracle). But I would like to spend a moment or two longer on Jesus' statement about bad timing and his mother's response to that statement.
It is true that time is precious, and that many of us wish we had more of it, but time is also all about priorities and making time for what's really important. Jesus points out that it's a bad time, and yet his mother allows him the space to provide none-the-less. The same should be the case in our lives. Often we feel like we don't have time for God, or that there's never really a good time for God. The truth of the matter is that sometimes we need God in our lives precisely during those "bad" times. Sometimes we need to stop what we're doing and ask God to get involved when we feel like we have no time or when we feel too busy to breathe!
It might just be possible that you miss out on being profoundly blessed by God (in one way or another) because your schedule is too full to fit God into it. So the question really shouldn't be "is this a good time" but rather "how can I make time." Make time for God, and you'll be amazed at how God responds!
Grace & Peace,
Pastor John
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Oxford Children's Christmas Program
Here is a picture from the Oxford Children's Christmas Program. The program was based on different ways that cultures around the world celebrate Christmas. In this picture the younger kids are singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, while the older children hold up decorative stars they made. 
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