Be Ready | A Sermon on Luke 12:35-40

Introduction
So far this Lent, we’ve moved from Determination to Commitment to Perseverance.  Today we will here Jesus call to Be Ready.

Luke 12:35-40
³⁵ “Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning, ³⁶ as though you were waiting for your master to return from the wedding feast. Then you will be ready to open the door and let him in the moment he arrives and knocks. ³⁷ The servants who are ready and waiting for his return will be rewarded. I tell you the truth, he himself will seat them, put on an apron, and serve them as they sit and eat! ³⁸ He may come in the middle of the night or just before dawn.^[a] But whenever he comes, he will reward the servants who are ready.

³⁹ “Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would not permit his house to be broken into. ⁴⁰ You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.”

Be Ready
Jesus tells this story to exhort His followers to be ready.  Be ready for what? [His return…]
He said, “Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning…”   It almost reminds you of the Passover back in Exodus.  God told the Hebrews slaves to be dressed and ready to go, for the Lord was about to delver them and they needed to have their sandals and and be ready to leave.

Jesus and His followers lived in a time before electricity, a time when you traveled on foot.  Imagine the Master of the home staying out late at a wedding feast—well past his bedtime.  It’s dark and he’s tired from a long wedding celebration—maybe up to a week of socializing.  Then the master has to walk home—maybe a long, long distance.  By the time he arrive home, he will be tired and thirsty.  

And as he approaches his home, he might find a dark home with no lights.  The servants he pays to help him are sleeping.  He has to wait for them to find lamps, fill them with oil, trim and adjust the wicks, and then light them.  And since there are no lighters at this time, they have to strike flints to get the lamps burning.  Can you imagine?  Then, they must dress (you can't greet tyhe master in your PJs).  So the master has to wait for them in the dark while they come to the door and open it.  Then he has to wait for them to go collect water from a well and make some refreshments (there aren't Ritz crackers in the pantry; everything is made from scratch).  He’s tired from the journey, but he has to wait because his servants have been lazy and aren't prepared.

If he has good servants, the master may find a home brightly lit home with lamps in the windows and perhaps along the pathway guiding him to the home.  His servants have been waiting diligently for his return.  They are already dressed to serve.  They've kept their lamps burning so the windows are illuminated and they can quickly answer the door.  They open the door as soon as their master arrives.  They already have refreshments on the table waiting to sooth him after his long journey.

Which servants would you want on your payroll?  Which servants do we want to be?  And since this parable is about the return of Christ in the Last Days, He is the Master, and we are the servants, what should we do if we want to be servants who are ready for our Master’s return?

Be Alert
We need to be alert.  Being ready means being proactive, not passive.  We see the example for this when we are seated and served at a restaurant.  A waiter or waitress  has "wait" is in their job title. A bad wait staff doesn't pay attention to you.  You have to constantly get their attention when you need them.  But a good waiter or waitress is attentive without being intrusive.  They pay attention to your needs from a distance and serve you before you even need to ask for help.

As you wait for Jesus return, are you watching & listening for signs about how you can serve? Are you obediently working?  Are you praying and listening the God's Word in Scripture daily? Are you sensitive to nudges from the Holy Spirit?  Do you look for reasons to serve, not excuses why you can’t 

Spiritual Maintenance
Jesus uses the image of a lamp.  The lamp He referred to would have been a clay vessel filled with olive oil that burned a flax wick inserted through a narrow spout.  These were finicky; the wicks need adjustment, drips must be cleaned up, you must keep at least one lamp burning or else you had to use flints to light the lamp, which could be tricky.

If we are going to be ready spiritually, our spiritual flame needs maintenance.  How do you tend your spirit from flickering out?

Tend Your Flame

Some ways you can help tend your spiritual flame, is through worship--gathering together with outer believers to honor and adore God.  It helps keep your prorities straight and invigorates your spiritual passion.  

Prayer and Scripture train you to share your life with God and be ready to hear His voice.  Don’t wait until you have an emergency to pray.  I mean, you can; but how much better is it if you have a daily/ongoing relationship with God.  Then we you need Him for a major issue, you already have a relationship and know you can trust him.

Through self-Examination, we evaluate our life and ask:

• If Christ returned tonight, what would you be ashamed of?
• What spiritual flame in your life has been flickering?
• Where have you been lounging in spiritual pajamas instead of wearing servant’s clothes?

Repent of your sin; be reconciled with God and your neighbor.  These are also essential acts that hel you tend your spiritual flame and keep your lamp burning bright.

Jesus’ Return is Good News
One thing I don’t want us to lose sight of is this:  The Master’s return is a good thing!  When we follow Jesus as Lord, His return is not an occasion for dread or fear.  When we stay alert and are ready, we know we belong to Him.  We know there is grace.  Jesus is not looking for reasons to be angry, but for reasons to reward.

We want to be found faithful.  And we know Christ will bless us when He comes.  Jesus Himself will sit us down and serve a heavenly feast.

Luke 13:29 says, “People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God.”  And Revelation 19:9 says, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”

Closing Meditation
Ask yourself:

If Christ returned tonight, what would you be ashamed of?

What spiritual flame in your life has been flickering, almost ready to go out?

Where have you spiritually been lounging in pajamas instead of wearing a servant’s clothes?

Count the Cost | A Sermon on Luke 14:25–33

Introduction
On Ash Wednesday, we read how Jesus was determined to go to Jerusalem to fulfill His purpose to die on a cross to atone for our sin.  During the Sundays in Lent, we’ll study the stories of Christ’s ministry as He made His way to Jerusalem.  Today, we see that following Jesus is costly.  And we are invited to decide if it is worth it.

Luke 14:25-33
²⁵ A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, ²⁶ “If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. ²⁷ And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.

²⁸ “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? ²⁹ Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. ³⁰ They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’

³¹ “Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him? ³² And if he can’t, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away. ³³ So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.

Hate is a Strong Word
Jesus said, “If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life.”

Hate is a strong word.  In fact, it’s a word our culture often condemns outright.  So, when Jesus uses that word, it stops us in our tracks.  But Jesus isn’t calling for hostility.  He is using strong language to make one thing clear: our allegiance to Him must be supreme.

Driving through Jackson, I often see signs that say, “Love is stronger than hate.”  I appreciate the sentiment.  We need more love and kindness in our world.  And love is powerful—especially if we mean the kind of love Jesus offered. 

But the love Jesus gave—the kind of love His followers are commanded to give—demands that Christ takes first place in our hearts.  Everything and everyone else must come in second.  And if we must choose between Christ or anything else, we must choose Christ.

Furthermore, if we love Jesus, we will hate sin, because we see what sin does.  Sin destroys people and rips our world apart.  Sin required the Savior we love to die on the cross.  He died so that we may live.  He died to destroy sin.  Therefore, let us hate sin.

The sacrificial love of Christ is more powerful than hate.  But His love requires everyone to decide if they will follow Him or follow someone or something else.

Count the Cost
When I answered call to ministry, I knew I would have to go back to seminary to get my master's degree (it was the requirement at the time for my denomination).  I called Candler School of Theology at Emory University (the closet approved seminary for me) and asked how much it would cost.  They said, "$7,000".  Now, my entire 4-year undergraduate bachelors degree in the 1990s cost $7,000.  So I asked, I asked, "Is that for the whole degree or per year?"  They said, "$7,000 per semester."  Understand, it was a minimum of 6 semesters to get my seminary degree.  

After I hung up the phone, I prayed, "Lord, there's no way I can afford to do this--especially if I'm about to quite my job as an engineer.  But I'm determined to follow Your call to ministry.  But if I'm going to do this, You're going to have to make a way."  And He did.  Over the next few years, God made a way through scholarships, grants, and generous churches to help pay my way through seminary.  I had almost no debt from seminary after I finished.  

When large crowds were traveling with Jesus, He didn’t say, ‘What can we offer to keep them interested?’  He didn’t redesign His message to be more appealing.  He raised the bar.  He said, “Don’t follow until you count the cost.”

In our time, the church has often tried to attract people by offering programs, events, activities—and many of those things are good. They serve real needs. They build community. They open doors.

But if what ultimately draws someone to church is comfort, entertainment, or convenience, there will always be something more comfortable, more entertaining, and more convenient somewhere else.  This is why attendance at many churches in America today has declined (or shifted to mega churches where they can offer a more entertaining, attractive experience.)

If we build disciples on attraction alone, we shouldn’t be surprised if people become consumers—shopping for the best experience.

But Jesus did not call consumers.  He called disciples.  He did not say, ‘Compare your options.’  He said, ‘Carry your cross.’  Jesus words today remind us what we are invited into.

We follow a crucified Christ.  We should invite others to decide if that’s who they want to follow too.

Jesus says, ‘Count the cost.’  He would rather have fewer genuine followers than crowds who disappear when the road gets rough.

Closing
Today, Jesus wants to protect us from shallow faith.  He says, “Don’t follow Me casually.  Don’t follow Me emotionally.  Don’t follow Me halfway.  Sit down.  Count the cost.  Decide if I am worth it.”

The truth is:  Jesus counted the cost first.  He knew what Jerusalem would cost Him.  He knew what the cross would require.  He knew what obedience would demand.  And He did not turn back.  He believed you are worth it all.

Discipleship is costly.  But it’s worth it.

An Invitation to the Altar
I want to invite you to do something physical today, because sometimes your body needs to move in the direction your heart is choosing.

If you need to count the cost…
If you need to recommit…
If you have been following casually…
If you have been consuming instead of surrendering…
If you have been near Jesus but not fully His…

Come to the altar.  Come kneel.  Come pray.  Come sit and count the cost.

Maybe your prayer is:
“Lord, I have been distracted.”
“Lord, I have been divided.”
“Lord, I have been delaying.”

Or maybe your prayer is simply:  “Jesus, You are worthy of it all.”

This altar is open and you are invited to come.

 

 

Abide in Me | A Sermon on John 15:1-11

Introduction
I am so ready for Spring to be here.  I’m ready to get my garden going.  I want to try out my luck with this red Georgia clay in Jackson, Georgia. 

Jesus told many parables about farming and gardening.  He also had a fondness for spending time in gardens.  The Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives was one place he frequenting for quiet reflection and prayer.  And it was a contrast to another garden from the beginning of the Bible, The Garden of Eden.  In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve had everything they needed, but they chose to disobey God's one command not to eat the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  Jesus also had a choice in the Garden.  He didn't want to die the painful death on the cross, and He prayer, "Lord if it is possible for this cup of suffering to pass for me, let it.  But not my will, but Thine be done..."  Jesus chose His Father's will over His own.

I want to share a gardening story Jesus told.  

John 15:1-11
¹ “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. ³ You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. ⁴ Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.

⁵ “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. ⁷ But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! ⁸ When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.

⁹ “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. ¹⁰ When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!

A Simple Lesson, Hard to Live
You don’t have to be a master gardener to understand what Jesus is saying.  If you cut a branch off a plant, it won’t bear fruit.  It will die.  

Jesus is saying if you don’t stay connected to Him, you cannot bear worthwhile fruit.  Just like those branches, you will dry up and die.  

For me, that is simple to understand, but hard to live because I often feel pressure to perform. And there’s often this nagging anxiety in the back of my mind:   “Am I doing enough?  Am I successful?”  And I often feel like I have to prove myself to others.  Do you ever feel like that? 

That’s often the way you feel when you are doing things in your own strength.  You feel the heavy burden because whether you succeed or fail is all up to you.

But that has never been God’s plan–not from the beginning of the Bible until the end.

Scripture has always been about trusting God to make it happen while we are faithful to Him.

What did Adam and Eve do to survive in the Garden of Eden?  Nothing.  Everything was provided.  They just had to be faithful to God.

How did the Israelites escape slavery in Egypt?  Was it by their own might?  No.  It was by the mighty hand of God who brought 10 plagues on the Egyptians.

How did the walls of Jericho fall down?  Was it a great battle plan?  No!  It was a ludicrous battle plan. (Walk around the walls of the city a bunch opf times and then blow trumpets.)  God is the one who did the fighting.

How did Israel survive as a kingdom?  Was it because they had a mighty army? No!  They were an insignificant, tiny kingdom surrounded by superpowers.  But they thrived when they were faithful to God and suffered when they weren't.

Psalm 33:16-17 - “The best-equipped army cannot save a king, nor is great strength enough to save a warrior.  Don’t count on your warhorse to give you victory—for all its strength, it cannot save you.  But the Lord watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love."

Zechariah 4:6 - “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.”

Are you Abiding?
What about you?  Are you abiding in Jesus or trying to do everything on your own power?

When we try to do things in our own power:

• There is pressure to perform
• A subtle anxiety about outcomes
• A need to prove fruitfulness
• An inward heaviness, even while doing “good” things

But when we Abide in Jesus:

• There is peace beneath the activity
• Freedom from comparison
• Openness to interruption
• A quiet confidence that Jesus is at work

Jesus wants us to grow spiritually and be fruitful for His Kingdom.  But we cannot grow or really be fruitful by our own effort apart from Christ.  We must abide in Him.

Jesus said in John 15:5 - “Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”

How Do You Abide in Jesus?
So how do we stay connected to Jesus?  There are a number of Holy H.A.B.I.T.S. that can help us stay connected (to abide) in Jesus.         

Hang Time with God - We need to spend time with God and prayer & Scripture are 2 essential ways we spend time with Him.

Accountability with Other Christians - We need other people to keep us in check.

Bible Study - Scripture is the most reliable and unchanging revelation of who God is.  We need to study  Scripture to really know God. 

Involvement in the Church - A true relationship with God requires relationships with other people.

Tithing - Tithing is the spiritual practice of financial giving God gave us to strengthen our trust in Him.

Service - Jesus said He came not to be served, but to serve and that we should follow His example.

Back to the Garden
Imagine you are in a garden working.  You have just planted some seeds.  You hope these seeds will grow to become a healthy patch of sunflowers 5-6 feet tall with beautiful broad yellow flowers and a dark brown center.

See the dark garden soil at your feet where you just planted the seeds.  Can you make those seeds grow?  Suppose you concentrate really hard, can you make flowers grow just by gritting your teeth and willing them to grow?

Of course not.  We can’t.  Only God can make flowers grow and bloom.  We can plant the seeds, but only God can make them grow.  However, there are things you can do in your garden that will create an environment where growth is more likely to happen.  

What can you do?  You can water your garden.  You can fertilize the soil.  You can tend the garden every day and pull out any weeds.  You can protect the young flowers from bugs and pests and disease. But it is God who makes a garden grow.

It is the same with your spiritual life.  You cannot make yourself grow spiritually–even if you grit your teeth and try real hard.  Only God can make you grow.  However, you can create an environment in your life where growth is more possible.  You can pray.  You can read the Bible.  You can worship and spend time with other Christians, and tithe, and volunteer.  These things help you abide in Christ.  And then Christ can make you grow.

Jesus Searches for the Lost | A Sermon on Luke 15

Introduction
If we say we are Christians, then we follow Jesus.  We obey His teachings, follow His way of life, and do what He did.  Jesus said He came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10).  If we follow Him, searching for the lost should be our top priority because:
Jesus searches for the lost; and so should we.

Luke 15:1-2
¹ Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. ² This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them!

I want to pause here, because this is a key to understanding what comes next.  Jesus is going to share three stories for the Pharisees and teachers of religious law (who were considered the most religious, most righteous people of Jesus’ day) because they were complaining about the sort of sinful people Jesus associated with. 

Luke 15:3-7
³ So Jesus told them this story: ⁴ “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? ⁵ And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. ⁶ When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ ⁷ In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!

Jesus Searches for Lost Sheep
A lot of people struggle with this parable.  Leave 99 sheep for the one that’s lost?  I think we struggle because we’re worried the 99 will be in danger if left unattended.

A clue to understanding this is that Jesus actually asks his listeners what they would do.  “If a man has a hundred sheep and one gets lost, what will he do?”  It’s a rhetorical question.  Everyone Jesus was talking to knew the answer.  They would leave the 99 and search for the lost.  They knew the 99 would be safe because:  they were together, they were probably in a sheep fold, they may have other shepherds guarding them.  IE, they are safe.

But that one lost sheep was in great danger.  Predators search for lost sheep that are weak and vulnerable all by themselves.  If you ever want to know a good reason why you need to be part of a church, it’s because we are very much like sheep.  We need the safety of the flock.  We are in great danger when we get off by ourselves.  1 Peter 5:8 says: “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”  You need the safety of the flock.

But if someone wanders off and gets lost, Jesus goes searching for them because:  Jesus searches for the lost; and so should we.  Now, there’s a second story.

Luke 15:8-10
⁸ “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins^[a] and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and search carefully until she finds it? ⁹ And when she finds it, she will call in her friends and neighbors and say, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin.’ ¹⁰ In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”

It’s an Urgent Search!
The silver coin Jesus is talking about was a drachma.  It was worth a full day’s wages.
So I figure in Butt’s County, that’s about $230! 

Some things are worth more than their monetary value.  About 6 months after my youngest child was born, we took a vacation to Hilton Head, SC.  This was back before smart phones with video cameras on them.  So we had one of those camcorders.  Do you remember those?  I took it on the vacation to capture some family memories together.  And we went on a put put adventure.

I was determined to get the best score.  On one of the wholes, I set the camcorder down so I could concentrate on the put.  And sure enough, by the end of the 18 holes, I had the best score!  (Proud Dad moment, right?  Yeah, who cares, right?)  Well, as I was celebrating, I realized I didn't have the camcorder anymore!

It was lost.  And that thing wasn't cheap!  But even worse, even more precious than the camcorder was the tape inside it.  It was the same tape that had the footage of my youngest daughter's birth and the first 6 months of her life! 

I frantically zoomed backwards through the miniature golf course, hole by hole until I found the camcorder (and the precious, irreplaceable tape inside).  And the relief I felt reminded me of the woman who found the coin in Jesus' parable. 

But how much more valuable is a human being?  And not just their physical body, but their eternal soul inside!  But thank God:  Jesus searches for the lost; and so should we. 

Now just in case anyone didn’t think Jesus was serious about seeking and saving the lost, He told a 3rd story.  And remember, Jesus is telling these stories to the “Church People” of His day–the ones who were the most religious, who always went to worship, and lived good lives.

Luke 15:1-32
¹¹ To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. ¹² The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.

¹³ “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. ¹⁴ About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. ¹⁵ He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. ¹⁶ The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.

¹⁷ “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! ¹⁸ I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, ¹⁹ and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’

²⁰ “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. ²¹ His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.^[b]’

²² “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. ²³ And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, ²⁴ for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.

²⁵ “Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, ²⁶ and he asked one of the servants what was going on. ²⁷ ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’

²⁸ “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, ²⁹ but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. ³⁰ Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’

³¹ “His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. ³² We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’”

Who’s Really Lost Here?
We usually focus on the younger son in this story.  We even call it the story of the Prodigal Son who wanders off, comes to his senses, and then comes home (& the Father welcomes him back).   But Jesus wasn’t actually focusing on the lost younger son.  He’s focusing on the good son.  Because, remember who is Jesus talking to in this chapter?  He’s talking to religious people.  They are the “good sons” in the story, because they feel like they’ve always done the right things.  And they look down on Jesus for associating with notorious sinners, prostitutes, & tax collectors.  Meanwhile they view themselves as God’s chosen people–holy & pure (even though they weren’t).

And these “good people” are “lost” because they think they’re holy, but they’re not.  They are sinners in need of God’s saving grace.  But they are also blind because they think they are righteous.  Their self-righteousness keeps them from coming to the party for the lost who were found.  Their holier-than-thou attitude will lead to their eternal death if they don’t wake up!

And Jesus is a master story teller.  He doesn’t tell how the story ends.  Does the older son ever go in to celebrate with his brother?  Does he join the party?

We don’t know.

Jesus leaves the question unanswered.  And He looks at the Pharisees and teachers of religious law and with the questions in His eyes:   “Are you gonna keep standing out here in the cold dark night or are you gonna come inside and celebrate the Father’s extravagant love that welcomes everyone who was once lost, but now is found?”

Closing
Three different stories:  A Lost Sheep, A Lost Coin, and a Lost Son.  And all are found because:  Jesus searches for the lost.

So what are we going to do?  What are you going to do?  

…Jesus searches for the lost; and so should we.

Holy Ground | A Message from Pastor Chris

We had to cancel our regular Sunday worship services at Stark Methodist Church because of the threat of a winter ice storm.  During the shutdown, the Lord gave me a special message to share with my congregation (and with you). 
Here's my special message.

Well, hello, Stark Methodist family.

Unfortunately, we had to call off church today. With the winter storm moving through and the potential for icy conditions, we wanted to be extra careful and make the safest decision for everyone.

Even though we couldn’t gather in person, I did want to share a word with you this morning. And I hope you’ll stick around until the end, because I also want to share a song with you—one that I wrote and will play for you on my guitar today.

This is not the sermon I planned to preach this Sunday. Lord willing, I’ll share that message next week when we’re back together at Stark Methodist. But all week long, another word has been stirring in my heart, and I believe this is what God wanted me to share today.

It’s a word about the holy temple—the dwelling place of God.

I want to read to you from the Gospel of John, chapter 1, verse 14. These words may sound familiar, especially if you’ve heard them recently during the Christmas season:

“So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.”

This verse speaks of the incarnation—Jesus leaving the glory of heaven, taking on flesh, and living among us as one of us. But there’s something we often miss in this passage.

When John says that Jesus “lived among us,” the Greek word he uses actually means “tabernacled.” In other words, Jesus pitched his tent among us.

That’s a powerful image.

If you remember the story of the Exodus in the Old Testament, before Israel ever had a temple, they had a tabernacle. As they wandered through the wilderness living in tents, God instructed them to build a holy tent—a tabernacle—so that He could dwell among His people. God wanted to be with them.

Later, when Israel was settled in the Promised Land, they built the temple in Jerusalem—a sacred place where God’s presence dwelled in a special way among the people.

Now, make no mistake—God has always been everywhere. He is not confined to buildings, temples, or church walls. But because people are sinful, and God is holy, God graciously provided a way for His people to draw near to Him—through the tabernacle, the temple, and the rituals that made fellowship possible.

Without that holiness, God’s glory would overwhelm sinful humanity.

But then something changed.

In the New Testament, Jesus came and tabernacled among us. God didn’t just dwell in a tent anymore—He took on flesh.

And then Jesus did something even more astounding: He gave His life on the cross. Through His death and resurrection, our sins are fully forgiven. For all who repent, turn from sin, and trust in Jesus Christ, the barrier between God and humanity is removed.

Hebrews 4:16 tells us that now we can come boldly before the throne of God—without fear—because there is no longer any sin separating us from Him.

That brings us to another powerful moment in John’s Gospel.

When Jesus arrived in Jerusalem for the Passover, He went to the temple—the most sacred place in all of Israel. Millions had traveled there over the years to worship God.

And what did Jesus do?

He cleansed the temple.

Merchants and money changers had turned God’s house into a place of exploitation. People were being cheated, excluded, and burdened just to worship. Jesus made a whip, drove them out, and overturned their tables.

The religious leaders were furious. 

John 2:18-22

18 But the Jewish leaders demanded, “What are you doing? If God gave you authority to do this, show us a miraculous sign to prove it.”

19 “All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

20 “What!” they exclaimed. “It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and you can rebuild it in three days?” 21 But when Jesus said “this temple,” he meant his own body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered he had said this, and they believed both the Scriptures and what Jesus had said.

“What right do you have to do these things? Show us a sign to prove your authority.”

Jesus replied,

“Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

They scoffed—“It took 46 years to build this temple!”

But John tells us Jesus wasn’t talking about the building. He was talking about His body.

What temple could ever compare to the living, breathing body of Jesus Christ? The temple existed to worship God—and Jesus is God. Even the most sacred building could not compare to Him.

Now think about our own church.

The building at Stark Methodist is a holy and meaningful place to us. So many memories. So many moments where we felt close to God. It’s hard not being there today.

But that building is not the church.

It exists to point us to God—to shelter us, gather us, and help us worship. We don’t worship the building; we worship the living God.

Here’s the good news: in Christ, we have become the temple.

When we trust Jesus as Lord and receive His forgiveness, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us.

Remember Pentecost in Acts chapter 2? The believers were gathered, praying, waiting. Then came the sound of a mighty rushing wind. Tongues of fire appeared over their heads. Smoke filled the room.

Just like the pillar of fire and cloud in the Exodus—but this time, God’s presence wasn’t over a tent or a temple.

It was over people.

We are now the tabernacles of God.

If you believe in Jesus Christ, His Spirit lives in you. You carry God’s presence wherever you go—to your home, your workplace, your community. We are the church on the move.

That truth has been burning in my heart all week.

So I wrote a song, and I want to share it with you now. But before I do, let’s pray together.

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Prayer

Lord God, I thank You for these wonderful people of Stark Methodist and for everyone reading this right now.

If there is anyone who has not yet received Christ as Lord and Savior, I pray that today would be the day they turn from sin, trust in Jesus, and choose to follow Him. And when they do, Your Holy Spirit will dwell within them, making them a holy tabernacle—empowered to live for You and carry Your presence into the world.

Remind us, Lord, that we are the church. Not a building, but a people—called, redeemed, and sent.

Thank You for gathering us today, even though we’re scattered. Keep us safe, warm, and rooted in Your grace.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit we pray. Amen.

To listen to the song on YouTube, click this link - https://youtu.be/DJxvTOCs9go?si=kULkqdTJakcydav0&t=792