We are voices in the wilderness crying out, "Make straight the way of the Lord." Our mission includes calling those around us to repentance, leading them to reconciliation with God, overcoming rejection through the love of God, and finally rejoicing with those who hear that message. For when those we preach to recognize the Father as their Master, listen to the message of Jesus, and are moved by the Spirit to place their faith in God, the only thing left is to rejoice.
"One thing God has spoken, two things I have heard: 'Power belongs to you, God, and with you, Lord, is unfailing love'; and, 'You reward everyone according to what they have done.'" (Psalm 62:11-12)
The Lord's love never fails. It is what helps us when we face rejection. It lays the foundation for reconciliation. It is the motivation for the call to repentance. It is the source of our rejoicing. The Lord rewards everyone according to what they have done as well, and that is a strong motivation for us to preach repentance and reconciliation, for those who place their faith in Jesus, God's Son, will see eternity. Those who have not, will not. Take every opportunity, then, to share the love of God and the promise of new life with those you meet today.
As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him. (Mark 1:16-18)
After announcing His public ministry ("Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.") Jesus began recruiting the disciples. He invite Simon and Andrew to follow Him and be made fishers of men. They had little inkling, certainly, that this would be a path that would lead them to great heartache but even greater joy. For there would come a day when thousands would respond to the good news of Jesus Christ as Peter preached after Pentecost. There would come a day when Andrew would preach the gospel as well (traditionally Andrew is thought to have visited eastern Europe, although the Bible does not record where he went). That joy is now ours as we share the good news where ever we might find ourselves, inviting others to repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.
"What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short...For this world in its present form is passing away." (! Corinthians 7:29, 31a)
There is cause for great rejoicing as we share the good news of Jesus Christ. There is urgency as well. The time is short, Paul told the Corinthians. The world is passing away. And even if it does not pass away in our lifetimes, even if it is still here in its present form some two thousand years since Paul wrote to Corinth, our time is indeed short. We have been granted a season, each of us, to be productive in God's Kingdom, and we are called to "be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:15-16) As we joyfully share what the Lord has done for us, we actively redeem the time set before us, leading others to know our joy as well.
The Lord just brought me to a piece of Scripture that goes wonderfully with this week's sermon:
Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to tread on the heights. -Habakkuk 3:17-19
Difficult times test and stretch our faith like nothing else. This is an excellent verse, Trish, to remind us that although earthly things may fail us, the Lord does not and, given that, we are able to rejoice in spite of our circumstances.
"But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry." (Jonah 4:1)
Yikes! The thing that seemed very wrong to Jonah was the compassion the Lord showed to the people of Nineveh. He became angry because Jonah thought the Lord had made a mistake (at best). That might seem like a lot of moxie to you and I, but I prefer Jonah's upfront attitude about what the Lord did. It is better than my usual reaction, which is not to tell God how wrong He is, per se, but instead to just be passive-aggressive about the whole thing and nod my head regarding what the Lord says while thinking or doing whatever it is I want to do. It is not as if God is fooled in any case so we might just as well confront Him and tell Him what we are thinking. If we will do that, we may discover as Jonah did that God is perfectly happy to talk things over with us, and even give us the room to disagree (although that will not change His course or bend His will to ours). We are not told if Jonah ever overcame his anger, and as we will learn on Sabbath day there was a reason why Jonah reacted as he did. But we can find assurance for ourselves in that, when we thinking God is being unreasonable, He is open to reasoning with us in order to help us better understand why He chose to act as He did. There are limits to that, though. Just as Job...
"And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?” (Jonah 4:11)
Jonah knew that "The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love." That is why he did not want to go to Nineveh in the first place. And yet that is where he found himself, preaching the message of repentance to those who lived there. Unlike Jeremiah, this was not a mission of rejection. This was a mission of rejoicing. For everyone, that is, except Jonah. As we share the good news with those who come across our path, let's not forget to rejoice both for the opportunity and for the fruit, thanking the Lord because He is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.
Dear Jonah - so human. His Almighty God has called him to a mission - preach salvation to the enemy - and Jonah questioned with every fiber of his being. He rebelled and he ran - from an Omni-present God. And throughout this time of rebellion God was patient, loving, teaching, and ultimately protecting. Sounds like a father, doesn't it? We can be difficult, also, and God is still patient, loving, etc. The book of Jonah reminds me that God's love extends to the unlovable, the hated, the forgotten and "someone" must tell them of His Great Love - the way of salvation.
We are voices in the wilderness crying out, "Make straight the way of the Lord." Our mission includes calling those around us to repentance, leading them to reconciliation with God, overcoming rejection through the love of God, and finally rejoicing with those who hear that message. For when those we preach to recognize the Father as their Master, listen to the message of Jesus, and are moved by the Spirit to place their faith in God, the only thing left is to rejoice.
ReplyDelete"One thing God has spoken,
ReplyDeletetwo things I have heard:
'Power belongs to you, God,
and with you, Lord, is unfailing love';
and, 'You reward everyone
according to what they have done.'"
(Psalm 62:11-12)
The Lord's love never fails. It is what helps us when we face rejection. It lays the foundation for reconciliation. It is the motivation for the call to repentance. It is the source of our rejoicing. The Lord rewards everyone according to what they have done as well, and that is a strong motivation for us to preach repentance and reconciliation, for those who place their faith in Jesus, God's Son, will see eternity. Those who have not, will not. Take every opportunity, then, to share the love of God and the promise of new life with those you meet today.
As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him. (Mark 1:16-18)
ReplyDeleteAfter announcing His public ministry ("Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.") Jesus began recruiting the disciples. He invite Simon and Andrew to follow Him and be made fishers of men. They had little inkling, certainly, that this would be a path that would lead them to great heartache but even greater joy. For there would come a day when thousands would respond to the good news of Jesus Christ as Peter preached after Pentecost. There would come a day when Andrew would preach the gospel as well (traditionally Andrew is thought to have visited eastern Europe, although the Bible does not record where he went). That joy is now ours as we share the good news where ever we might find ourselves, inviting others to repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.
"What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short...For this world in its present form is passing away." (! Corinthians 7:29, 31a)
ReplyDeleteThere is cause for great rejoicing as we share the good news of Jesus Christ. There is urgency as well. The time is short, Paul told the Corinthians. The world is passing away. And even if it does not pass away in our lifetimes, even if it is still here in its present form some two thousand years since Paul wrote to Corinth, our time is indeed short. We have been granted a season, each of us, to be productive in God's Kingdom, and we are called to "be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:15-16) As we joyfully share what the Lord has done for us, we actively redeem the time set before us, leading others to know our joy as well.
1 Corinthians, of course... there is no ! Corinthians, although maybe when writing to reprove the Christians at Corinth Paul may have thought so...
ReplyDeleteThe Lord just brought me to a piece of Scripture that goes wonderfully with this week's sermon:
ReplyDeleteThough the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to tread on the heights.
-Habakkuk 3:17-19
Difficult times test and stretch our faith like nothing else. This is an excellent verse, Trish, to remind us that although earthly things may fail us, the Lord does not and, given that, we are able to rejoice in spite of our circumstances.
Delete"But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry." (Jonah 4:1)
ReplyDeleteYikes! The thing that seemed very wrong to Jonah was the compassion the Lord showed to the people of Nineveh. He became angry because Jonah thought the Lord had made a mistake (at best). That might seem like a lot of moxie to you and I, but I prefer Jonah's upfront attitude about what the Lord did. It is better than my usual reaction, which is not to tell God how wrong He is, per se, but instead to just be passive-aggressive about the whole thing and nod my head regarding what the Lord says while thinking or doing whatever it is I want to do. It is not as if God is fooled in any case so we might just as well confront Him and tell Him what we are thinking. If we will do that, we may discover as Jonah did that God is perfectly happy to talk things over with us, and even give us the room to disagree (although that will not change His course or bend His will to ours). We are not told if Jonah ever overcame his anger, and as we will learn on Sabbath day there was a reason why Jonah reacted as he did. But we can find assurance for ourselves in that, when we thinking God is being unreasonable, He is open to reasoning with us in order to help us better understand why He chose to act as He did. There are limits to that, though. Just as Job...
"And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?” (Jonah 4:11)
ReplyDeleteJonah knew that "The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love." That is why he did not want to go to Nineveh in the first place. And yet that is where he found himself, preaching the message of repentance to those who lived there. Unlike Jeremiah, this was not a mission of rejection. This was a mission of rejoicing. For everyone, that is, except Jonah. As we share the good news with those who come across our path, let's not forget to rejoice both for the opportunity and for the fruit, thanking the Lord because He is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.
Dear Jonah - so human. His Almighty God has called him to a mission - preach salvation to the enemy - and Jonah questioned with every fiber of his being. He rebelled and he ran - from an Omni-present God.
ReplyDeleteAnd throughout this time of rebellion God was patient, loving, teaching, and ultimately protecting. Sounds like a father, doesn't it?
We can be difficult, also, and God is still patient, loving, etc. The book of Jonah reminds me that God's love extends to the unlovable, the hated, the forgotten and "someone" must tell them of His Great Love - the way of salvation.
Good morning and good Sabbath! Today we will find that we don't get to pick, choose or refuse God's call. Are you ready? See you in church!
ReplyDelete