John 2:1-12 – Transfiguring the Common into the Amazing

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John 2:1-12 – Transfiguring the Common into the Amazing

Our lives are not just about us and what makes us happy or not, comfortable or not. God offers us opportunities to bless others, to solve other people’s problems as a continuation of how God blesses us and solves our life problems.

When God calls us into action, even if we don’t feel like it, even if we don’t understand why... we need to respond with obedience.

Wherever you are in life, no matter what you have or have not done, God can take you as you are – raw and unfiltered – and make you pure, healthy, and spectacular, NOT for your own benefit or glory, but so that you may be an abundant blessing to others.

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Esther 4:13-17 – Esther’s Call Story

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Esther 4:13-17 – Esther’s Call Story

Esther saved an entire community of Jews because 1) she was sensitive to God’s leading and 2) after much prayer and fasting, she was willing to risk her title, her status, and even her life to speak for and defend people unable to speak for and defend themselves. Following God’s call was not “safe” for Esther, but she trusted her faith and her loving Creator.

Esther’s story pushes us in several ways. I encourage you to spend this week thinking about her story and how you connect with it. Think about how God has blessed you with resources, with skills and abilities, as well as with the relationships and influence you have with others. Even if you don’t audibly hear God’s voice, how is God leading you, calling you, to use these skills and resources to benefit others?

Using who we are and what we have to bless others is the work of being the hands and feet of Jesus; it is the work of building the Kingdom of God in our homes and in our community.

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Genesis 12:1-9; 15:1-6 – Abraham’s Call Story

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Genesis 12:1-9; 15:1-6 – Abraham’s Call Story

firmly believe that God has positioned and equipped us with everything we need to get to the next step. We need to be using all of our senses to detect God’s leadings. We need to trust that, as a loving creator, God wants the best for us and for our community. We need to share our life and faith stories with each other so that we can be encouraged, we can encourage others, and we – working and talking together – can more clearly understand where God is leading us next.

Two weeks ago, we sang Amy Grant’s, Thy Word, a song inspired by Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” We can take only one step at a time. Even the great Jesse Owens ran and jumped one step at a time. When we make ourselves available to God and seek God’s leading, we also need to muster the courage to trust God’s leading light and take that next step. If we do so, if we emulate Abram’s unwavering faith in and commitment to God, then we allow God’s life-changing, world-changing Spirit to move in us and through us. When God’s Spirit is freely moving, our lives and our community will be forever transformed and thus better able to accept the Good News of God’s love and experience the Kingdom of God here and now.

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The Advent of PEACE – Luke 1:26-38

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The Advent of PEACE – Luke 1:26-38

In this season of Advent, this season of looking forward with anticipation, today’s story presses us to ask ourselves – individually and as a church…

  • How is God inviting us to birth God’s loving presence into our community?

  • Will we steadfastly remain connected with God, continuously praying for God’s leading?

  • Can we overcome our own doubts and insecurities?

  • Will we work to prepare ourselves for an unknown future?

  • Can we deflect external negative criticisms?

  • Is our skin thick enough to be servants of God?

Like Elizabeth and Mary, despite the inevitable growing pains ahead, can we joyfully await the advent of a new season in our own lives and in the life of our church? Do we have the courage and bold humility to see ourselves and our faith community as instruments of God’s peace?

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The Advent of HOPE – Matthew 1:18-2:2

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The Advent of HOPE – Matthew 1:18-2:2

Today’s story shares the advent of a new era, a new way of understanding the Good News that God’s love, peace, and hope is for everyone. Matthew’s story reminds us that, like Jesus, we can expand the Kingdom of God when we share this gift with ourselves and others, especially people who may be feeling a bit Scroogish or Grinchish this time of year.

Matthew’s story reminds us that we are all God’s children, all God’s family and thus, no matter what we have or have not done with our lives, we are all accepted and loved by the Creator of the Universe.

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Waiting for God – Matthew 25:1-13

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Waiting for God – Matthew 25:1-13

The Kingdom of God involves waiting… in a good way. While you wait for God’s promises to you to be fulfilled, are you willing to find and wait with people who care about you, who will support you, and who will wait with you?

As much as we must trust God when we’re called into action, we must also trust God when we are called into alert waiting as we prepare for what’s next. Let us all actively wait in prayer and fellowship so that we’ll be attentive and prepare for God to speak to us and lead us into the next chapter of our lives, individually and as a congregation.

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Here I Am! A Life of Obedience – Genesis 22:1-19

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Here I Am! A Life of Obedience – Genesis 22:1-19

Today’s text is an ancient Bible story – the legend of Abraham obeying God’s command to sacrifice his son Isaac. It’s a troubling story that challenges how we understand our relationship with God. It challenges how we approach Scripture and how we let it guide our thinking. And it challenges us to reexamine our desire to follow God’s lead while also using our God-given common sense. In today’s case, the main point is that when God speaks to us, we need to listen and follow God’s lead. And when we do, God provides what we need.

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