Will Those Who Come After Us Find Christ’s Faith In Our Lives?

Good Morning Friends,

Well, another school year has almost ended. We have graduation ceremonies on Friday and then Trinity Sunday which I wrote about earlier in the week and after that on Monday we will celebrate Memorial Day. Interestingly Memorial Day is a holiday originally created out of the Civil War to honor those who gave their lives for their country. It is kind of sad that the Civil War seems to still divide us after all these years. And of course, other Wars have followed, and we are to honor those fallen as well with a degree of sadness. Unfortunately, many are a bit confused by an appropriate response to a history they did not make. Many do not realize, the proper way to truly honor others even in the way we display the American flag on Memorial Day. You see, it is flown at half-mast until noon then raised to full mast. Wikipedia puts it this way: “The half-staff position remembers the more than one million men and women who gave their lives in service of their country. At noon, their memory is raised by the living, who resolve not to let their sacrifice be in vain, but to rise up in their stead and continue the fight for liberty and justice for all.” For Christians, the Holiday can have an additional significance, for many have died in service armed with the Word instead of weapons. Sadly, there are some years where more students die in school shootings than in the armed service. Here we are prompted to ask a question of self-reflection on the nature of service. I wonder, Will Those Who Come After Us Find Christ’s Faith In Our Lives?

Scripture: The end of all things is near; therefore be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers. Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received. Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking the very words of God; whoever serves must do so with the strength that God supplies, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ. To him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen. Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed.

1 Peter 4:7-13 (NRSV)

Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve. On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see whether perhaps he would find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it. Then they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling and those who were buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves; and he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. He was teaching and saying, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” And when the chief priests and the scribes heard it, they kept looking for a way to kill him; for they were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was spellbound by his teaching. And when evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city. In the morning as they passed by, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. Then Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and if you do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you. So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. “Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.”

Mark 11:11-26 (NRSV)

By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain’s. Through this he received approval as righteous, God himself giving approval to his gifts; he died, but through his faith he still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken so that he did not experience death; and “he was not found, because God had taken him.” For it was attested before he was taken away that “he had pleased God.” And without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. By faith Noah, warned by God about events as yet unseen, respected the warning and built an ark to save his household; by this he condemned the world and became an heir to the righteousness that is in accordance with faith. By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old—and Sarah herself was barren—because he considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, “as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.” All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them.

Hebrews 11:4-16 (NRSV)

Message: Friends, we need help. We need endurance as we face times of great difficulty as believers. Life itself is difficult with many battles. And our great propensity to sin results in bad things happening. The consequences of sin are all around us… death, disease, disasters, suffering. We try the best we can to address the symptoms of sin and fall short. However, as believers in Jesus Christ, not only are we faced with the difficulties and challenges of life in general, but we also share in the sufferings of Christ. The battles we fight are both external and internal. As believers, God continues to refine us and mature our faith so that over time we become more and more like Christ, reflecting His character. To become like Christ means we will share in His suffering, but it also means we share in a love that covers a multiple of sins. Friends, we must endure the testing and trials in this regard before glory and joy is revealed. So, have patience, for God is working to perfect it all. Like those who came before us we are naturally inclined to desire comfort and pleasure but must press on in the fight. Of course, we should look back and remember the fallen, those men and women of faith preceding us. They lived their lives in obedience and faith until the very end, suffering persecution, sometimes unto death. But we, as we honor their conviction and perseverance, and draw courage from their memory, we need to discover that the best way to respect the dignity of their lives is to press on in the faith ourselves. Like those before us we too must resolve to be found faithful as having abided in Christ.

And So, retreat is not option. Many just quit. But our God never gives up. So, whether you are just starting the race or are nearing the end remember that Jesus Christ was all in, and he gave His life so that we can have freedom from sin and death. In this, of all things, we need to be true, even at the price of suffering. The future depends on it.

Pray we count the cost but engage in the challenge regardless, because of love. Pray we recognize the good hand of providence in our attitude towards God, in our relationship with one another, and in our interaction with the world outside. Pray we reflect on the finisher of our faith. Pray we realize that God gives grace to the humble. Pray we love one another. Pray we remember the fallen. Pray we resolve to embrace a life full of love. Pray our graduation mark the beginning of a new year of growth. Pray we not so much be retired but be found faithfully inspired to glorify God. Pray we remember and more importantly that Christ remembers us.

Blessings,

John Lawson