February 26, 2017
Epiphany 8A

“No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” Matthew 6:24-34

“Do not worry?? You’ve got to be kidding. Most days, life feels like one worry strung after another like lights on a morbid Christmas tree. Worries at work (a colleague who’s mad at me). Worries at home (a child struggling at school). Worries about…well, you name it (the economy, the book deadline I’m so far from reaching, the friend whose child was just diagnosed with cancer…). Do you see what I mean? Worries attend us like bees to honey. And I don’t think it’s just me. I think we live in an incredibly anxious culture. The evening news certainly depends upon worries at home and abroad to attract viewers. Commercials are constantly inviting us to worry about one more thing — usually about ourselves! — the sponsored product should supposedly solve. More and more houses seem to sport home security signs in their front lawns. And whenever I go to the airport I’m greeted outside by an electronic sign that reads, “See Suspicious Activity — Call 1-800…) and inside by an ominous voice informing me that, “The threat level, as determined by the Office for Homeland Security, is Orange.” (I don’t even know what “orange” is, but I’m betting it’s not good.) And there it is: everywhere you turn, everywhere you look, there are visible reminders of just how much there is to worry about. So how in the world, then, can Jesus possibly ask us — really, command us! — not to worry?” (David Lose, workingpreacher website, February 20, 2011, Picture this)

Being transformed by the love of Christ takes time – it does not happen over night. We are not to be the seed that falls on the rocky ground, and sprouts immediately, but withers in the heat of the day. Cultivating our “good soil” that the seed of G-d’s words is planted into takes time – and prayer. How do we cultivate that soil? By striving first for the Kingdom of G-d, or, better understood, living into and allowing the “reign of Christ” to change us – so that we learn to trust – learn to be grateful – learn to count our blessings – learn to share our abundance. Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister during WWII once said, “When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which never happened.”

How do we stop worrying? I don’t know. I just know that worry only accomplishes one thing – inactivity. When worry consumes us, it is easier to lie on our bed and become motionless then it is to live the active life of faith. The important thing is to find ways to get our minds off the things that worry us – and place our minds on the things which G-d has blessed us!

Worrying will not make us confident. What will give us strength is being confident that Jesus will today provide our daily needs, and, with that gift, we stop worrying and offer ourselves to G-d and to others. Oh, we may not stop all our worrying immediately, but one day, Jesus will change your thinking. One day, something or someone will do or say something that will open your heart and your mind to the realization that, In Christ, we belong to G-d, and G-d will provide, has provided, and will continue to provide our whole life through – so that we can truly live, in Jesus, with confidence.

Pastor Dave

February 25, 2017
Hiram R. Revels, 1st African American member of Congress

On this date, February 25, 1870, Hiram R. Revels is sworn in as the 1st African American member of Congress (Sen-R-MS).

“Hiram R. Revels was a minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME),a Republican politician, and college administrator. Born free in North Carolina, he later lived and worked in Ohio, where he voted before the Civil War. He became the first African American to serve in the Congress when he was elected to the United States Senate to represent Mississippi in 1870 and 1871 during Reconstruction. During the civil war Revels had helped organize two regiments of the United States Colored Troops and served as a chaplain. After serving in the Senate, Revels was appointed as the first president of Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College (now Alcorn State University), 1871-1873 and 1876 to 1882. Later he served again as a minister.” (wikipedia)

In the Gospel of John, Jesus performs seven significant miracles that John refers to as “signs.” These signs form the backbone of the first half of the book, and each sign is meant to reveal something about the person of Jesus.

He turns water into wine (John 2:1-11)
He heals the royal official’s son (John 4:46-53)
He heals on the Sabbath – a man ill for 38 years by the Sheep Gate (John 5:1-29)
He feeds the 5000 (John 6:1-14)
He walks on water (John 6:16-24)
He heals the blind man (John 9:1-12)
He raises Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-44)

Jesus is using these moments to teach his disciples, the people of the first century in Palestine, and us today what it means to be the “Messiah” – a different kind of Messiah. He is Lord of the Sabbath. He has authority over nature. He can feed many with a blessing and the help of others. And he has authority over disease and even death itself. Most of his signs were the first of their kind. The blind man says “Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind.”

Hiram Revels was the first African American member of congress. First he was a pastor in the AME tradition. The he helped form regiments for the United States Colored Troops during the civil war. Finally he was the first president of Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College (now called Alcorn State University). Here is a man not afraid to follow his calling in so many areas, and to be a true role model for all of us – a role model for blazing new trails, no matter the difficulties or road blocks. I like to imagine if we asked Hiram where he found the courage and the strength, he would say “The Lord provided”.

My prayer for you today is that you have the courage to follow your passions, live out your dreams, and listen to where G-d is calling you. Hopefully G-d will lead you to many “firsts” in your life as well.

Pastor Dave