“Who Does God Say I Am?” Part 6 – You Are Created, Called, and Equipped!
/Today’s Peace Quotes
Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
~ Francis of AssisiPeace is not the absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.
~ Ronald ReaganPeace begins with a smile.
~ Mother Teresa
Any time I preach or lead a group, regardless of age, I start the same way. I’m going to say three short sentences. Please repeat each sentence, with enthusiasm.
God made me. God loves me. God has plans for me.
This has been a wild week, exhausting in several ways. Let’s start with the many positives and see how they connect with Matthew 5:14-16 (NLT).
“You are the light of the world – like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”
I’m here to shout, God’s name has been praised repeatedly this week!
Monday, our food pantry received a donation of a pre-owned refrigerator / freezer which doubled our capacity to store cold items. That was quite timely because the same day we also received a donation of 100+ pounds of frozen meat – items which are always desirable but we could never afford to purchase on our own. Throughout the week, several businesses across Susanville pledged their support to our food pantry, all of which have exceeded our expectations.
While all of this was happening, some of our members made an effort and connected with the families whose homes burned last Saturday night. Families whose lives went from stable to unstable in moments. (I emphasize “made an effort” because, in addition to their “thoughts and prayers,” they put their faith into action.) Their conversations led to contact information exchanged and donations of a tent and sleeping bags, not to mention the compassion that was shared. We hope to continue those conversations in the coming weeks.
Finally, this past Friday we had a dozen volunteers and 20 people come to our food pantry – that’s a 2,000% increase from last week. Those 20 people represented 77 hungry mouths at home. Because of how abundantly we’ve been blessed, we were able to share that abundance with each and every person who came to us. The winds blew hard last Friday but could not extinguish our light on a hill.
Speaking of light, I drove past the church Wednesday night and was able to see it lit from within. If you have not yet seen this, it’s beautiful.
I share all of this with you because I want you to know how God is blessing our response to what we believe was and remains God’s call for us to restart our food pantry after a nearly 20-year hiatus. In the spirit of Isaiah 60:19, we are following God’s lure as each step is illuminated before us.
I firmly believe that God equips all of us with a variety of gifts and talents, skills and abilities, starting at birth and continuing through our lives. I also believe that when our spirits are truly in tune with God’s Spirit, God gives us the provisions necessary to fulfill God’s call on our lives – individually and corporately. And I believe our early successes with the food pantry are NOT a reward for “good behavior” but rather God steadily equipping us with more and more resources as we continue stepping in faith into this call to ministry.
In our excitement, Matthew 9:12-13 provides us with a dose of humility when Jesus says, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” Taken in a literal way, that Scripture quote sounds like a clear directive, but Jesus wants us to understand the meaning, the why, behind the words. Once we understand the why, we can focus on putting the why into action no matter who we are or where we are.
During all the work to make the food pantry a success, I’ve enjoyed sharing conversations with our volunteers who are all great people. Part of that greatness is that we recognize how messed up we are – each and every one of us. (I prefer “messed up” to “sinners.”) The lyrics to a recent contemporary Christian song titled “Alone” from Hollyn include these words that I just love: “Yeah man, I got issues, I can't even lie; My only saving grace is knowing I got You inside.” We all have issues. And God still calls us, invites us, welcomes us into a co-working relationship with Him to bring the Kingdom of God into our lives and into the lives of others. The seemingly never-ending headlines this week regarding racial injustices and travesties across our nation make it unavoidably clear how messed up we are – we got issues, I can’t even lie.
As if dealing with the Covid-19 virus was not enough, the recent murders of black men and women across our nation have been profoundly troubling. In Jeremiah 31:25, the Lord says, “For I have given rest to the weary and joy to the sorrowing.” Some days it’s hard for our hearts, minds, and souls to find rest and joy with all of this happening.
And yet, in my emotional and spiritual exhaustion, I do find rest and joy knowing that millions of people across our nation and around the world are trying to learn more about systematic oppression and their role in it so that we can begin the hard, ongoing work of righting wrongs.
God offers us rest in the knowledge that none of us is responsible for fixing everything. And we can find joy in knowing that millions of people like us are doing their part to fulfill the call of Micah 6:8, “The Lord has told us what is good and is required of us: do what is right, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.”
Several of you have asked me a variety of questions about how we can or should respond. To help answer those questions and the desires many of you have to educate yourselves about the issues at hand, I’ve created a new page on our website: https://www.susanvillemethodist.org/racism .
This is a work in progress and is intended to be a starting point, a foot in the door, for people to being exploring the issues around race relations. My hope is that it will inform and inspire conversations among ourselves and our friends. At some point this week, please take time to watch some of the videos on this page and perhaps read an article or two. Education and conversations are two important and interlocking ways we can participate in God’s call for us to be the light of hope, healing, and peace.
After you scroll through that long page, you may be thinking, “Wow, this must have taken a lot of work to create. But we’re just Susanville United Methodist. Who’s going to see this?”
Yes, it did take a lot of time to create that page, and let me tell you how bright our light is shining.
In the past 30 days, over 300 individual people have visited our website.
In just the past 48 hours, our page on race relations has been viewed 84 times.
Folks, our light is shining and it is bright!
People are seeing our light and are headed our way.
Let’s be ready to greet them with the same open arms God offers us.
Let’s be ready to welcome them – in their own time, at their own pace – into our family, into God’s family.
Let’s be ready to offer rest to the weary and joy to the sorrowing.
Because I truly believe that, as we’ve seen with the food pantry, God wants to build on our 140+ years of serving Susanville. God wants to use us – to be co-workers with us – to share the Good News of God’s love with more and more of our community. Let’s be ready!
Amen? Amen!
Today’s readings all focus on our belief that we are ALL Created, Called, and Equipped by God.
NRSV = New Revised Standard Version
NLT = New Living Translation
We Are Rewarded Matthew 16:25
NRSV
25 For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.
NLT
25 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.
We Are Renewed Jeremiah 31:25
NRSV
25 I will satisfy the weary, and all who are faint I will replenish.
NLT
25 For I have given rest to the weary and joy to the sorrowing.”
We Are Guided Isaiah 60:19
NRSV
19 The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you by night; but the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.
NLT
19 “No longer will you need the sun to shine by day, nor the moon to give its light by night, for the Lord your God will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.
We Have Eternal Provision John 6:35
NRSV
35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
NLT
35 Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
We Are Sent with God’s Spirit John 20:21-22
NRSV
21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
NLT
21 Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
We Are a Light of the World Matt 5:14-16
NRSV
14 “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
NLT
14 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
We Are Called and Sent Matthew 9:12-13
NRSV
12 But when he heard this, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.”
NLT
12 When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor – sick people do.” Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”
Words of life for all of God’s people. Thanks be to God!