Praise the Lord for
new day. Sweet summer is here. The temperature will be reaching the mid-nineties
this week. The Lord blessed us with a wonderful Lord's day yesterday. We
gathered for sumptuous breakfast early morning yesterday. Women of the church
prepared a healthy breakfast. Dr Rodger Summers from Binghamton University
spoke. Dave Hettinger preached during the 8:30 AM worship. I preached at the
11:00 and at Wesley at 9:30. I was asked to speak at the Baccalaureate service
at one of our area High Schools. The service was held at 7 PM. It was high honor
for me to speak to the graduating class of 2012, their parents, teachers, and
administration.
Dr. Summers spoke during the
Men's breakfast gathering about the Lord's faithfulness. Dr. Summers is
wrestling with some health concerns in his own life. In the face of it and in
the midst if he spoke about the blessings and the faithfulness of Jesus. It was
great joy to be together yesterday all day magnifying the Lord and being in His
presence, basking in His grace and love. After listening Dr Summers share his
testimony in the midst of suffering I was contemplating on health and on
suffering in the light of Jesus and His power. Laureen shared that they were
praying for a woman who was suffering with cancer. The Lord has answered the
prayer. The woman is fully healed. Thanks be to Jesus. When we are in the middle
of some struggle it is easy to think that there are only problems. When we face
evil or tragedy, it is easy to focus on these and only see what is wrong in the
world. It is easy to despair and to believe that the world is so messed up that
there is no hope for us.
Dr. Larry Crabb, a Christian psychologist, wrote in Decision magazine (October, 2005): “I could wish with all my heart that it could be done differently. But when suffering comes, which we don’t orchestrate but which God providentially allows, it really is a profound opportunity to believe that God is doing what is central in His heart. One thing I think we need to recognize is that God is not committed to giving me a comfortable life. If He were, He could be doing a better job! He has the resources, and I have a few suggestions — which He doesn’t seem terribly open to. So I presume He has a higher goal. Either He is not very good, or I have to redefine what His goodness means. And obviously it is the latter.”
As Christians, we believe that God is up to something — something wonderful — even when we don’t always see it — even when we don’t always like it. Even when it seems like the world is going to the devil, our Risen Lord is doing something. He knows what he is doing, and he is in control — even when what he is doing seems to us like it is insignificant and not always impressive. A friend of mine wrote recently: “If we are confused, that is what we are supposed to be. The confusion is temporary. We shall see. The lesson, the purpose, shall reveal itself in time — its own time. It will all make perfect sense — later.”
The parable told by our Lord in Mathew 13 tells us that it doesn’t have to be something big to be something which can change the world. Suzanne Guthrie, writing in Christian Century (May2, 2001), tells this story: “A friend of mine who served in the military during World War II (and is now a nun) was once at a conference with two men, a German and an American. As they wiped dishes one evening after dinner they exchanged stories about the war. The American told of the horror he felt as a young pilot during a particularly savage bombing of a city in Germany. He had orders to bomb the hospital, which he would know by the huge red cross painted on the roof. The second man — after regaining his composure — revealed that his wife had been giving birth to their baby in that very hospital when it was being bombed. My friend tiptoed out of the room as the two men fell into each other’s arms weeping. Imagine being in heaven, at the end of the world, where we might fall weeping upon one another, waves of reconciliation breaking upon us as we adjust ourselves to this dimension of pure love.”
In the end, that single reconciliation may be more powerful than all the bombs dropped in all the wars the world has known. This is where the world is headed, and it is in God’s direction, happening in God’s way. It is where God intersects the world and the finite is touched by the infinite. The yeast is permeating the dough. This is what God is doing in secret, hidden ways that the world does not see or appreciate. God is taking the world somewhere. It doesn’t seem like much is happening sometimes, but it is not about appearances; it is about the unseen power of a God who will never give up on redeeming the world. The yeast is unseen, but it powerfully effects every part of the dough. The mustard seed is not seen as it germinates underground and puts down its roots, but in the end it is large enough for the birds to perch in. The treasure is hidden in the field and must be found. The oyster must be opened, or the markets searched, to find the pearl of great price. What appears to be is not always what is.
So, what would our lives look like if we really believed this and lived as though this were true? We would live lives of hope, joy and expectation. We would trust God even when things seem to be as bad as they could be. We would believe that God is at work, even when the world is upside down. We would believe that it does not matter how things look and that God really is bigger and more powerful than any personal problem we have. We would praise God no matter how large any world problem is that looms over us, because we would believe that God is quietly working out his sovereign will. We would want to be a part of what God is doing and join in his redemptive work, by giving ourselves to others and being a witness to his grace and faithfulness. Our Lord is in the business of deliverance, redemption and renewal. Let us continue to believe him Trust him. Let us be joyful and not afraid.
Chalmers Smith wrote the great hymn that says,
Immortal, invisible,
God only wise,
In light inaccessible
hid from our eyes,
Most blessed, most glorious,
the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious,
thy great name we praise. . .
We blossom and flourish
as leaves on the tree,
And wither and perish,
but naught changeth Thee.
Dr. Larry Crabb, a Christian psychologist, wrote in Decision magazine (October, 2005): “I could wish with all my heart that it could be done differently. But when suffering comes, which we don’t orchestrate but which God providentially allows, it really is a profound opportunity to believe that God is doing what is central in His heart. One thing I think we need to recognize is that God is not committed to giving me a comfortable life. If He were, He could be doing a better job! He has the resources, and I have a few suggestions — which He doesn’t seem terribly open to. So I presume He has a higher goal. Either He is not very good, or I have to redefine what His goodness means. And obviously it is the latter.”
As Christians, we believe that God is up to something — something wonderful — even when we don’t always see it — even when we don’t always like it. Even when it seems like the world is going to the devil, our Risen Lord is doing something. He knows what he is doing, and he is in control — even when what he is doing seems to us like it is insignificant and not always impressive. A friend of mine wrote recently: “If we are confused, that is what we are supposed to be. The confusion is temporary. We shall see. The lesson, the purpose, shall reveal itself in time — its own time. It will all make perfect sense — later.”
The parable told by our Lord in Mathew 13 tells us that it doesn’t have to be something big to be something which can change the world. Suzanne Guthrie, writing in Christian Century (May2, 2001), tells this story: “A friend of mine who served in the military during World War II (and is now a nun) was once at a conference with two men, a German and an American. As they wiped dishes one evening after dinner they exchanged stories about the war. The American told of the horror he felt as a young pilot during a particularly savage bombing of a city in Germany. He had orders to bomb the hospital, which he would know by the huge red cross painted on the roof. The second man — after regaining his composure — revealed that his wife had been giving birth to their baby in that very hospital when it was being bombed. My friend tiptoed out of the room as the two men fell into each other’s arms weeping. Imagine being in heaven, at the end of the world, where we might fall weeping upon one another, waves of reconciliation breaking upon us as we adjust ourselves to this dimension of pure love.”
In the end, that single reconciliation may be more powerful than all the bombs dropped in all the wars the world has known. This is where the world is headed, and it is in God’s direction, happening in God’s way. It is where God intersects the world and the finite is touched by the infinite. The yeast is permeating the dough. This is what God is doing in secret, hidden ways that the world does not see or appreciate. God is taking the world somewhere. It doesn’t seem like much is happening sometimes, but it is not about appearances; it is about the unseen power of a God who will never give up on redeeming the world. The yeast is unseen, but it powerfully effects every part of the dough. The mustard seed is not seen as it germinates underground and puts down its roots, but in the end it is large enough for the birds to perch in. The treasure is hidden in the field and must be found. The oyster must be opened, or the markets searched, to find the pearl of great price. What appears to be is not always what is.
So, what would our lives look like if we really believed this and lived as though this were true? We would live lives of hope, joy and expectation. We would trust God even when things seem to be as bad as they could be. We would believe that God is at work, even when the world is upside down. We would believe that it does not matter how things look and that God really is bigger and more powerful than any personal problem we have. We would praise God no matter how large any world problem is that looms over us, because we would believe that God is quietly working out his sovereign will. We would want to be a part of what God is doing and join in his redemptive work, by giving ourselves to others and being a witness to his grace and faithfulness. Our Lord is in the business of deliverance, redemption and renewal. Let us continue to believe him Trust him. Let us be joyful and not afraid.
Chalmers Smith wrote the great hymn that says,
Immortal, invisible,
God only wise,
In light inaccessible
hid from our eyes,
Most blessed, most glorious,
the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious,
thy great name we praise. . .
We blossom and flourish
as leaves on the tree,
And wither and perish,
but naught changeth Thee.
Great Father of glory,
pure Father of light,
Thine angles adore Thee,
all veiling their sight;
All laud we would render:
O help us to see
‘Tis only the splendor
of light hideth Thee.
pure Father of light,
Thine angles adore Thee,
all veiling their sight;
All laud we would render:
O help us to see
‘Tis only the splendor
of light hideth Thee.
In Christ,
Brown
Super
Summer Music Festival
Saturday, June 30, 2012 at 6:30 PM
Location: First United Methodist
Church
53
McKinley Avenue, Endicott
Sponsored by: Union Center United Methodist
Church
Musicians include: Aric Phinney, Yancey
Moore,
David
Berry, Emma Brunson, Dianne Glann.
Weekly
Television outreach:
Friday
7:00 PM
Time
Warner Cable Channel 4.
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