Good Morning Friends,
This coming Sunday people will gather for world communion as a sign of unity and last Sunday we were glad to be back at Church Services considering the two-year anniversary of a major hurricane named Ian that flexed its power with two landfalls in the United States and the near miss of Hurricane Helene last week of our home. It was a stormy time that brought people together and separated them as well. And at times like this, whether it is budget battles, wars or storms, anxiety can run high. But perhaps the most powerful message for unity in the building and cultivating community that our world needs to hear is not to look at me and the power I have, but to face the truth of Christ in the face of the truth of the events in our lives. At some level we know that pride stems from evil. Some people still face power outages and road closures and death or isolation of family and friends. Millions of people need a path to and a connection with a higher power at this very moment. So, we hope for the unity and peace that Zechariah prophesied knowing that claims that we have it all figured out are boldfaced lies. Perhaps it is better to shine a light on the mess that is sure to be part of our lives and believe that God will in time put it all in its proper place. Better to put the Kingdom of God first and live a life of I am second. And of course, that is not always easy. So, What Kind Of Chaos Is God Ordering In Our Lives On The Journey?
Scripture: Thus says the Lord of hosts: Peoples shall yet come, the inhabitants of many cities; the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, “Come, let us go to entreat the favor of the Lord, and to seek the Lord of hosts; I myself am going.” Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to entreat the favor of the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days ten men from nations of every language shall take hold of a Jew, grasping his garment and saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”
Zechariah 8:20-23 (NRSV)
When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; but they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But he turned and rebuked them. Then they went on to another village.
Luke 9:51-56 (NRSV)
A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.”
John 4:7 (NRSV)
After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. Job said: “Let the day perish in which I was born, and the night that said, ‘A man-child is conceived. “Why did I not die at birth, come forth from the womb and expire? Why were there knees to receive me, or breasts for me to suck? Now I would be lying down and quiet; I would be asleep; then I would be at rest with kings and counselors of the earth who rebuild ruins for themselves, or with princes who have gold, who fill their houses with silver. Or why was I not buried like a stillborn child, like an infant that never sees the light? There the wicked cease from troubling, and there the weary are at rest. “Why is light given to one in misery, and life to the bitter in soul, who long for death, but it does not come, and dig for it more than for hidden treasures; who rejoice exceedingly, and are glad when they find the grave? Why is light given to one who cannot see the way, whom God has fenced in?
Job 3:1-3, 11-17, 20-23
Message: Today’s lectionary scripture makes me think of the story of the Good Samaritan and the Samaritan Woman at the Well and the reality that to live is to suffer. And about 60% of the people in the pews, I am told, can recount the story of the kind acts offered to that victim of bandits by that Samaritan. The sad thing in the story is that so many others with greater financial resources and religious qualifications passed that wounded traveler without helping. As with the story of the Good Samaritan, people in the pews even know about the story’s message related to being a good neighbor and the lawyer who prompted the tale by asking how to have eternal life. Fewer know the powerful story of the woman at the well and how she became an evangelist for Christ. But both accounts are relevant in understanding today’s text that paints a picture of just how prejudiced the disciples were to the Samaritans as well as how messed up they really were. We always think of John as a softy apostle, but his fiery disposition can be seen in this passage. He was so angry at those who rejected Jesus that He asked Jesus if he wanted them to bring fire down from heaven and consume them. It is as if he was channeling Job’s response to his situation and firing both barrels at once. It is no wonder why James and John were called the “Sons of Thunder.” But Jesus rebukes this kind of insensitivity and unforgiving spirit. For unity and rebuilding and revival to succeed another approach is needed that overcomes our anger. We too are to get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling, and slander, along with every form of malice that turns our lives into messes. We are to be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave us. That is how we are to face life’s storms.
And So, at the heart of the matter we ought not be so quick to judge those who are different from us, those who are separated from us by walls of racial, political, or religious prejudice for we all face the same storm. It was the hated Samaritan who stopped to help the wounded. It was the despised woman at the well that shared the Gospel. Friends, there are Good Samaritans everywhere and they come in every color and creed imaginable. You see, it was Job’s perseverance in the face of suffering that allowed God’s grace to be exacted. There are, no doubt, many Good Samaritan Americans today. As America deals with heightened tensions of immigration, balancing budgets, hurricanes, and murders, let us not be quick to push everyone who is different from us into the camp of those who are to be distrusted, hated, and despised. Let God deal with the mess of our lives, for the problem might just be the person in the mirror. Know that it is out of the wrestling with the mysteries of providence, without letting them alienate us from God and each other that we gain the insights and the resolution to choose God even in the suffering we all face. We are meant by the Father not to live in fear, but to soar. Perhaps fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but trust in the Lord is wisdom in its maturity. Here perfect love, the perfect love God has for you, casts out fear even as people face suffering.
Pray we realize that God is not the storm that destroys but came into the tempest of the world to save us. Pray we use our tongues wisely. Pray we speak the truth to one another with love. Pray we be peacemakers offering justice and kindness. Pray we build unity through acts of love and never scheme against each other. Pray God is with us gathering us together to dwell together and be joined together and framed together and built together as we strive together. Pray we plant gardens that cultivate preparedness, promptness, perseverance, and politeness. Pray we are unselfish, loyal, and loving, as well as thankful. Pray we build a reputation that God is with us working for the good of all and the success of the flock, family, and Kingdom of God. Pray we have a peace that is not so much a response to death but a peace in forgiveness received and offered that draws us all closer to God. Pray over the next few days that we each have opportunities to step out in the hope of peace found in service and love to each other.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 