Scripture:  John 18:33-37

In the middle of the 1920’s, dark clouds were gathering on the edges of the world stage.   The war to end all wars, was still a recent memory, it’s scars still being felt.  Across the world various nationalistic and ideological forces were on the rise.   For instance, In 1924 a communist led coup was fended off in Estonia, while the growing power of the Soviet Union violently put down a rebellion in Georgia.  Then in 1925 Mussolini came to power in Italy on a platform of fascism and nationalism.  That same year in Germany Adolf Hitler published his manifesto Mein Kampf, and in the Spring of 1925 the overtly racist and nationalistic Ku Klux Klan held a parade where more than 35,000 of them marched in their hoods and robes on the streets of Washington D.C.  It was at this time when nationalistic forces, allegiance to ideologies, and violence was gaining momentum that Pope Pius XI issued a Papal bull that declared the creation of the feast of Christ the King.  This special holy day was meant to remind Christians across the world that their primary allegiance was to Christ- not to a leader, not to a party, not to a political ideology, not to a flag, but to Jesus the king of kings and Lord of Lords. 

Unfortunately, throughout the 1920s and 1930s, nationalism and violent political ideologies continued to rise.  This led to more and more Christian denominations to think that Pope Pius XI had a point, and they also began to see the important of recognizing and celebrating Christ the King Sunday.  By the middle of the 20th century, it became enshrined in the lectionary, the three-year cycle of scripture readings, as the last Sunday before Advent.  Which means today is Christ the King Sunday. 

It is somewhat surprising that having a day to emphasize the kingship of Jesus only came to being less than 100 years ago.  Especially from our American perspective, it feels like something that belongs to medieval times.   As Americans, we tend to not think that highly of the idea of kings.  I mean we did kind of fight a whole war over the idea of being able to declare our independence.  The idea of a person having power and authority as birth right goes against the rugged individualism, self-determination, and emphasis on choice that is at the core of our cultural identity.  Yet this morning’s designation and this morning’s scripture is there to remind us that if we consider ourselves a Christian, then our knees should bend because we do have a king.   This morning’s scripture can challenge us to pause and consider what does it mean for us if Jesus is truly Lord of our lives. 

Referring to Jesus as Lord or even king is so common in our flowery religious language, that we lose sight of the fact that declaring the Lordship of Jesus was (and is) a deeply political statement.   In the Roman Empire there was supposed to be only one lord, and that was Caesar.  Caesar was the emperor.  The Senate, the representatives of the people, answered to him.  The military, the greatest fighting force the world had ever seen, obeyed his command.  In the first century, as far as the Romans were concerned Caesar was the sovereign ruler of the civilized world.

 This is what landed Jesus in front of Pontius Pilate in this morning’s scripture.  The Scribes and the Pharisees wanted Jesus dead, and they knew the only way they could get that done legally is if they got Jesus punished for treason- for declaring himself king instead of Caesar.  In this morning’s scripture Pilate is examining Jesus to see if he can find cause to execute Jesus for challenging the authority of Caesar. Jesus said my kingdom is not of this world and that he came into this world to be a king that testifies the truth.  Even a mighty king, an Emperor like Caesar was temporary, and even an empire like the Roman Empire eventually falls.   The kingdom of Christ is not of this world, because it is an eternal kingdom.  Pilate struggled to understand what Jesus was saying, because he was thinking only in terms of earthly political movements and conserving the status quo, but the kingdom of Christ is based in a truth that makes all things new in a world without end. 

Trying to come to terms with what Jesus meant when he claimed Jesus was king was difficult for Pilate, and I think it can be difficult for us as well.  Pilate struggled because Jesus was a king completely unlike that of the Roman Emperors.  We find it difficult to relate to Jesus as king, because in our modern context we really do not know what it even means.   As already mentioned, as Americans we do not like the idea of someone having full authority over us, so we tend to greatly minimize that part of following Jesus.  In the abstract we acknowledge that Jesus is the son of God and our Savior.  When it comes to how we relate to Jesus, we tend to overemphasize a personal connection.  I realize this really dates me, but I can remember a phrase from when I first started in youth ministry.  This was twenty years ago and at that time there was marketing and T-shirts.  that stated “Jesus is my homeboy.”   I think homeboy is about as far away from King as we can get.    The implication of calling Jesus our homeboy is that Christ is just another friend, another acquaintance, another part of our large social circle.   

Jesus as homeboy might be the most cringe example, but there has long been a push to emphasize Jesus as our buddy.  A common phrase from the 1970’s and the 1980’s sums the problem up well.  At that time, it was popular to say that “Jesus is my co-pilot.”  The implication is that we have just as much authority in our lives as Jesus.  The implication in the statement is that Jesus is our equal, or that we are the ones in control and we just hang out with Christ when it is convenient for us (like Sunday mornings at 9:00).   Jesus is unlike any king because in Jesus we have a savior who does understand us, who has walked our path, who knows our pain, and who will listen to our every trouble in prayer.  What a friend we have in Jesus, but our relationship with Jesus must be more than a friend.  Jesus walks along side us in life as a friend, but ultimately Jesus also sits on the throne as king. 

In this morning’s scripture Pilate tries to figure out what kind of king Jesus is, and if we want to get being a follower of Jesus right we also need to know what kind of king Jesus is.  Pilate wanted to know if he is the king of the Jews, but Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world.    Jesus is a king by birthright.   Jesus is of the line of David, but more importantly Jesus is the son of God, who came to rule all who are God’s people.  More than that Jesus is a king of character, a king of integrity, and a king of righteousness.  Jesus is honest, Jesus is patient, Jesus is kind, and Jesus is loving.  He is a king of action and a king of deeds.  He healed the sick, made the lame to walk, and the blind to see.  The demons fear him, but the outcast, the marginalized, and the forgotten love him. 

 He is a king on a mission.  He came to serve-not be he served.  He delivers the captives, set at liberty those who are oppressed, and he forgives the sinners.   He is a king of love, and it is out of love that he was obedient even to the point of death on a cross.   It is out of his amazing love that our king died for us.  Therefore, God exalted him to the highest place, and give him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.   He is the king of kings and the Lord of Lords.  His kingdom is not of this world, because this imperfect world cannot contain his perfect kingdom.   He sits at the right hand of God the Father.  He is faithful and true.  The alpha and the Omega.  The beginning and the end.   He is worthy of all praise and glory, and honor for ever and ever and ever.   That, my friends, is the kind of king that Jesus is.   And I must ask, is he your king? 

Jesus is our savior, and Jesus can be our friend, but Jesus must be our king.  He must be the Lord of our lives.   As Americans in the 21st century we have little concept of what it means to have a king, but history can serve as our guide.   In medieval times there was a ceremony that I think still teaches us about what it means to follow Jesus as our king.   When someone, usually called a vassal, swore to serve a king they did so through a ritual called homage.  In Homage the king promised the vassal that he would care for them, always look out and act in the vassal’s best interest and consider the life of the vassal equal to his own.  In return the vassal would bend the knee, put his hands between the king’s and promise that the will of the king would be greater than his own, and that his life was entrusted into the hands of the King.   In homage, the vassal was willing to follow the will of the king over his own desires.    Through his death and resurrection Jesus has proven that he cares for us to the point that he is willing to go up on a cross for us.   Jesus has proven himself as a king worth following. 

The way that we follow Jesus is that we keep his commands and do what he told us to do.    Jesus commanded to love God with all of our being.  The examples Jesus gave us to follow in that regard is to seek time alone with God, to rely on God to provide, and to truly pray not my will but your will be done.    Jesus commanded us to love our neighbor as ourselves.  The example Jesus gave us to follow is to have compassion for the vulnerable, to pay attention to the outcast, to serve the poor, to forgive the hard hearted, and to love those who are different than us.   Jesus is a king, but instead of being first he made himself last.  He was a servant to all and that is the example we should follow.   Those are the directions Jesus led us in and if we are not seeking to actively follow the lead of Jesus then we are not really following Jesus.

 When it comes from our American perspective, perhaps this is the biggest change in thinking we need to make in regarding Jesus as king.   We tend to think of leaders as a bit more temporary.  The leaders we follow change a lot.   The average tenure of a CEO of a company is only five years.  Professional sport coaches lead for even less time as they average only four and a half seasons.  And we decide every four years who the leader of our country is going to be.  We are used to short tenures in leaders.  If Jesus is our king, that means we are following him for the long haul.   This means that over our entire life Jesus reigns and has absolute authority.  His will be done, his kingdom come.  Not ours.  That means Jesus is not our co-pilot, Jesus is supposed to be our king.   Jesus is not just our king for an hour on Sunday morning.   If Jesus is our king, then he is the leader of our life every day and he is the Lord of all. 

​Over the next few weeks, we will almost certainly be singing carols like “Hark the herald angels sing, Glory to the newborn king” and “Joy to the world the Lord is come! Let earth receive her king!”.”   May those not just be songs that we sing because we like the tunes, but may they be declarations of our faith.  May Christ be the leader that you follow in your life.  May you follow his examples and keep his commands.   May Jesus be your King.  And may you give all praise, honor, and glory be to the king of kings and the lord of lords!  Jesus is the king who was and is and will come again.   Long live the king!
 
 

Scripture:  Hebrews 10:19-25
               As I may have mentioned before, I really love Star Wars.   One of the aspects that I like about the movies are the incredible soundtracks.  Every time a soundtrack for a movie, or a remastered release of a soundtrack, became available I made sure to get it on CD.  Unfortunately, I cannot do that anymore.  There are still new Star Wars soundtracks available.  For instance, all the Star Wars shows on Disney+ like the Mandalorian have official soundtracks, but they are now only available digitally.  The availability of media and the format it is available on has changed a lot.  In regard to music, I think Gen X, people in 50’s to late 40’s have it the worst.  For a lot of them their first music was on records, but they were encouraged to replace their records with a new music format, the 8-track.   Unfortunately, those did not last long before they had to replace their music with cassette tapes, but by the 1990’s those were largely replaced with CDs, which had a good run.  However, with the release of the iPod and then the iPhone portable CD players were faded out by digital music players.  For a lot of people today they no longer have music on physical media or even digital files but instead must pay a monthly fee for the privilege of streaming the music they used to own across a lot of different formats. 

It might be my age showing, but when it comes to media like music or movies or books, I really prefer having it in a physical form.  However, I imagine that is not the case for most of the people younger than me.  In our era of technological development, it seems the only constant is that something new is coming.  As soon as a technology starts to gain prominence in the marketplace, upstarts come along to supplant it, make it obsolete, and become the next new thing.  I suppose that is how it has always been isn’t it?  In recent decades the time it takes for something to be obsolete has become a lot shorter, but throughout human history we have consistently looked to innovate, push the envelope, and change the paradigm in a way that makes the way it used to be done obsolete. 

This applies to more than just media formats and other forms of technology.  For instance, over the past several years there seems to be a constant trickle of think pieces and editorials that put forth that church has become obsolete.  The arguments are with podcasts and online services, no one really needs to go to church anymore.  They can get the message of their choice, on demand, whenever they want.  Others argue that in our busy world asking people to give an hour for a worship service, especially on a Sunday morning, is unreasonable and unrealistic.  Often these opinion pieces are being written in response to some sobering statistics.  54% of churches report that when it comes to attendance they are declining.  One quarter of all Americans consider themselves as religiously unaffiliated, and this is not just a younger generation issue.  Of boomers, that is people between the ages of 59-78, that attended church before Covid, 22% of them do not attend any church now.  

These statistics are not great news, they can be troubling and disheartening.  It is easy to see why some have begun to wonder, if in American culture, church has become obsolete.  Which is why scriptures like this morning’s are so important.  This morning’s scripture does a great job of reminding us why we are Christians in the first place, and why it is so important we do not give up meeting together. 

Hebrews can be a tricky book of the bible, and it can be especially tricky to pull individual sections out of, because it is written in such a systematic way.  Many of the books of the new testaments are epistles, they are formal letters that follow a conventional format.  Hebrews, is not that.  Its composition is more like ancient speeches and public speaking rhetoric.  Hebrews builds a systematic case for the supremacy of Christ as the ultimate savior.   This morning’s scripture comes from a transition point in Hebrews where the primary argument for Jesus has been made and is being summarized before the sermon shifts to its last point.  

The main point being summarized in this morning’s scripture is a poignant reminder to us today, but for the original audience it would have been a new way of thinking.   Because Hebrews was written to an audience of a Jewish background, the argument is made from a Jewish perspective. Under second temple Judaism, the primary way people worshipped God and atoned for their sins was through bring a sacrifice to the temple, where the priests then made the sacrifices on behalf of the people.  Using this framework, Hebrews make the case that Jesus is our ultimate connection to God because Jesus is the ultimate priest and the ultimate sacrifice. 

In the ancient world priests were the intermediaries who were the middleman between people and the deities.  Hebrews offers up that it is Jesus who serves as the ultimate and final high priest because Jesus is able to fully unite us with God in a way that no other priest can.   In Hebrew 4:14-15 we find these words, “We have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way just as we are- yet he did not sin.”   Jesus, being both fully God and fully man, is able to understand us as we are, but also sits at the right hand of God the Father.  It is Jesus, who understands us, that connects us with God. 

Not only does Jesus connect us to God the Father unlike any other priest has ever been able to do so, but the sacrifice also that Jesus made on our behalf does more than just represent the punishment for our sins, it erases them.   Jesus, the high priest, by the sacrifice of his own blood, obtained eternal redemption for all who claim him.  Hebrews states this plainly right before this morning’s scripture in 10:10 where it states, “We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

These two points that Hebrews spends most of its space to make that Jesus brings us to God as both the ultimate high priest and ultimate sacrifice reach their conclusion in this morning’s scripture when the author of Hebrews wrote: “Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a since heart and with full assurance that faith brings.”   

The statements made in Hebrews were revolutionary for their time, but today the idea that Jesus forgives our sins, reconciles us with God, and connects us with our creator is foundational doctrine of Christianity.  Even though it is a fundamental part of what we believe, we still need to read scriptures like this morning’s from time to time because we need the reminder of the foundational truths we hold to.   This morning’s scripture makes the claim that because of Jesus we can draw near to God.  We can have assurance that God hears our prayers, that God forgives our trespasses, and that God leads us to love and good deeds.

This morning’s scripture reminds us that because of Jesus we can draw near to God with confidence.  This morning’s scripture urges us to hold unswervingly to the hope we profess.  That can be easier said than done.   It can be hard to hold to that hope, and it can be hard to remember who we are in Christ, because life can be hard.   It can feel like we are constantly lying to ourselves by saying, “we just need to get through these next couple of weeks, and then things will slow down.”   But it never seems to pan out that way.  We never get that breather we were looking for.   Because when it comes to living our day in and day out lives, It’s always something isn’t it?  There seems to always be a new complication, a new set of bad news, a new burden we were not ready for, or a new emergency we just don’t have the time for.  We can be left feeling empty, hollow, like we are just going through the motions.  We can feel like we don’t even know who we are or who we are supposed to be anymore.  Our modern world comes at us fast and we are left feeling constantly behind, constantly overwhelmed, and constantly so, so tired.  In the middle of all we go through, it is hard to remember the joyful truth of this morning’s scripture and it is hard to remember hope.

Thankfully, this morning’s scripture ends with an encouragement on how we can persevere all that life has for us, hold unswervingly to the hope we have, and remember ourselves as those redeemed by Christ.  This encouragement is for us to “not give up meeting together.”  Our faith is not supposed to just be me and my Jesus.  We were never meant to do this, any of this, alone.  Jesus himself surrounded himself with his disciples.   The experience of faith we read in the bible is always done in community.   When God founded the church in Acts, I think God knew what God was doing.  Christianity, following Jesus, is not a path we are supposed to walk alone.  By design we are supposed to be a Christian as a community. 

I understand the temptation not to do it.  I understand the temptation to think that my faith is between me and God, and I got Jesus so I am good.   I can appreciate how busy everyone is, and how nice it would be to just have a lazy Sunday morning.   I am a preacher’s kid.  In some capacity I have been involved in church my whole life.  I have seen the bad.  I know from painful experience that church people are not always nice people.   So I understand and I  can appreciate why some people are tempted to give up the habit of meeting together. 

And yet, I have also seen the good.   I have seen the beauty of we are.  I have seen how a faith community has come around it’s members who are in need and supported them.  I have seen how churches have included and made a place for those who have struggled to fit in any place else.   I have seen how two people who don’t see eye to eye on anything can still manage to look each other in the eye and pass the peace of Christ.   I have seen we can spur one another one towards love and good deeds, how together we can make a real difference in the world.   Yes, there can be some bad because all churches are full of imperfect people who struggle to get it right at times, but there is good in the church and it is a good worth holding to.  

I am convinced that as people of faith, we need each other in this life.   When the dark comes crashing through, it is within the community of faith that we are reminded that the light of the world has come.  When you need a friend to carry you, the body of Christ is there to pick us up off the ground.   When we feel lost, then we should be able to remind each other that we have been found.  It is in the community of faith that we best remember ourselves, remember the hope we have, and push each forward to being more Christlike. 

As a community of faith we should strive to be a place where we spur one another on toward love and good deed and always encouraging one another because even the our country is moving towards attending church less, the statistics also show that our culture needs us now more than ever.   There is a loneliness epidemic in our country, where 1/3rd of all adults report feeling lonely.   Those between the ages of 50-80 report the highest levels of loneliness.  Loneliness is more likely to impact men, where 15% of all adult men report not having a single real friend.  While Jesus is the only one who can truly satisfy the longings of our souls, this morning’s scripture reminds us that we should not be alone, that we are part of a community of faith.   We proudly will sing what a friend we have in Jesus, but may we strive to be a church where we can say what a friend we have in each other.   There are a lot of hurting people in our country and our community who need a friend, and as a community of faith we should be the place that can meet that need for them. 

​This morning’s scripture reminds us of who Jesus is.  It reminds us that it is only Jesus that has the power to reconcile us with God.  It reminds us that this is possible, that forgiveness is possible, because Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice of himself on behalf once and for all.   This morning’s scripture reminds us of the hope we have in Christ and it encourages us to hold to that hope unswervingly.   It reminds us that in order to do that, we have each other.   So may we not give up on meeting together.   May we encourage each other.   May we help one another.  May we be the body of Christ, where no one needs to feel alone.  May we be a place where others can found.   May we be welcoming and inviting to all.  May people come to know they have friend in Jesus, because the first found a friend in us. 
  
 
 

Scripture: Psalm 127

One of the unspoken requirements that I had to agree to when I got married was to be a White Sox fan.  Since I did not have a huge stake in Major League Baseball, that was fine with me.  I do not know how much any of you follow baseball, but this was a rough season to be a White Sox fan.  This year the White Sox set a major league baseball record by having the worse win/loss record in history.   They only won 41 games while losing 121 of them.    While every team has the goal to win, and every fan has high hopes that this year is going to be the year the reality is that it often becomes clear for some teams that this is not going to be their year.  Those years when the losses pile up and the team never quite comes together are often declared building years.  In a building year the focus becomes less on winning and more on preparing for the future.  It is a time for young players to get experience, for the team to focus on being a team, and for necessary changes to be made.   A good building year can make the difference.  While I know it is not popular to point out in this area, IU football is a good example of this.  Last year they had a mediocre 3-9 season, but the players learned, new players were smartly recruited, and a head coaching change has led to what so far has been an undefeated season. 

Sports teams have building years, but I think the concept applies to more than just sports teams.  It can apply to our personal lives.  Often the goals we set for ourselves are not immediately achievable.  To meet those goals often requires intentional work, the gathering of experience, and making some necessary changes.   Often meeting our personal goals requires a building year or two before we get there.  The same can be true corporately as a faith community.  Better living into our mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world can require building years.  It can require intentionality, a willingness to learn what works, what does not work as well as it used to, and an openness to change if necessary.   This morning’s scripture reminds us of the final and most necessary piece of what it takes to build to something new: “Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain.” 

This morning’s scripture comes from a particular part of the Psalms.  If you happened to read along in your bible, then you might have noticed that Psalm 127 is labeled a Song of Ascents.  There are fifteen songs of Ascent found in Psalm 120 through 134. These psalms have a strong worship focus, but they also tend to focus on daily living.  There is a focus on the concerns of everyday people like family and harvest.   With one exception all these Psalms are short which would have made them easy to memorize.  The length of the psalms and their down to earth focus as long led biblical scholars and commentators to understand that the psalms of ascent are called that because these are the songs that pilgrims sang as they journeyed to Jerusalem to worship God at the temple on days like the Passover. 

This morning’s scripture reading is a little different from the other songs of ascent.  It is the only one attributed to Solomon, the King of Israel that followed David and was famed for his wisdom.  Which might explain why it reads like something that sounds like it came out of Proverbs instead of Psalms.  In fact, it almost feels like this Psalm is composed of two completely different wisdom sayings that have been smushed together.  That feeling is an unfortunate byproduct of translation because when we translate this Psalm to English, we lose a lot of the poetry.  In Hebrew this Psalm is composed of two stanzas each with four poetic lines, and each being exactly fifty-seven syllables.  This scripture is not two crammed together thoughts, but two thoughts connected and balanced with one another.  

The first of these thoughts is centered on the importance of centering God.   If our plans for the future, the dreams we want to build on, the work we seek to do is not centered on God then it is done in vain.  All our efforts and short-term gains in the end are fleeting.  This does not mean that we sit back and do nothing.  The scripture does not say the builders do not build or the guards do not watch.  It states without God, their work is for nothing.   As Eugene Peterson, author of the Message paraphrase, wrote about this scripture in his book A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, “Psalm 127 insists on a perspective in which our effort is at the periphery and God’s work is at the center.” 

The second of these thoughts shows how the theory of the first part is put into practice.   Verse 3 states that children are a gift from God.  This verse should not be read or understood as a judgement upon those who cannot or choose not to have children.  Rather it should be understood within the context of this scripture.   Verse 3 states that “children are a heritage from the Lord.”  The Hebrew word translated as heritage is a complex word.  The other times it is used in the Bible it gets translated as inheritance and is often in reference to the land God promised the Israelites.  The word is one that implies access to life and happiness.  It is a word that looks towards the future.   The idea is that not only are children a blessing to one’s own life, but in the context of the Israelites living in the land that God promised them, children as a heritage from God is part of how God builds for the future. 

This morning’s scripture belongs to a very specific context.  It was a song sung by ancient Israelites on their way to worship God.  It reminded and encouraged the worshippers ascending to the temple, that God should be the center of all their efforts, because unless the Lord builds the house-unless the Lord builds for the future-it is all in vain.  As an illustration of how this is true, the Psalm then lifts up the example of how it is God that provides children, who were necessary to secure the ongoing future of Israel.  We are not ancient Israelites.  The way that we worship God, our social structures, and our context are radically different.  Despite the Psalm’s context not directly applying to us today, I think the greater truths of this scripture are something we can still learn from and take to heart.  This scripture helps us keep in mind what we need to build for the future.  I think this is a message that we here at Trinity United Methodist Church need to hear, because I think we are in a building year. 
 
I think that is true, because of what I have heard from you.  Back in September I met with several of you over the course of six different listening sessions, so that I could learn more about this church and I could hear what your hopes and dreams were for us going forward.  Across all six sessions the most consistent thing I heard from you is that you want to grow.  The number one dream for the future that I heard in every single one of these sessions is that you want to grow.  The dream is that these pews will be full once again.  In listening to you as a congregation, I am confident that you are all in agreement that you want to grow, you want to build towards something more than we are now.  That is a great goal to have, that is something worth pursuing.  As we think about what it means to grow, as we think about how we are going to be strategic in this building year-I think this morning’s scripture should inform our actions in a couple of ways.  

First, we must remember that unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain.  It is a laudable goal for a church to want to grow, but we have to be clear about our motivations.   What we want is an easy question to answer: More people in the sanctuary every Sunday.   The harder and vastly more important question is why do we want that?  If the reason why we want to grow is based solely on survival, if the motivation is to get more people so that we can keep on existing just for the sake of existing, then I fear we are building and laboring in vain.  If the reason we want to grow is just to grow because we think that bigger automatically means better and more successful, then we are building and laboring in vain. 

If we want to grow, if we want the Lord to build this house, then our reasons for doing so need to be in the right place.  The reason we want to grow should be because we believe that people need Jesus.  The reason we want to grow is because we believe that the more of us that seek to become more like Christ, then the more effective we can be in transforming this world into a more kind, compassionate, and just place.  The reason we want to grow must be grounded in sharing the grace and reconciliation offered by Jesus so that more people can know the life changing love of God.  The reason we want to grow should be because we are passionate, we are fired up, and we are all in realizing the kingdom of God here on earth. If our hope is built on Jesus Christ, if our motivation is share Jesus so that all the people can be saved, then we can do the work with confidence knowing that the Lord will build the house.  

The second way this morning’s scripture should influence our actions is that it can inspire where we direct our efforts.  This morning’s scripture lifts up children as an example of building to the future.  If it is our dream for the church to grow, then we too, should prioritize young people everywhere.  To reiterate our motivations for doing so should not be out of survival or growing for the sake of growing.  Our motivation should be that young people need Jesus just as much as anyone else.  One of the things that I find most encouraging is that by and large it seems that you as a congregation get that and believe that.   Coming out of the listening sessions, when I asked you all what your biggest dreams were for this church.  The second answer, right after growing, was ministry with young people.  Based off the conversations I have had with many of you over the past few months, I have a strong impression that you all want to love young people, you want to share Jesus with young people, and you desire to see the gospel make an eternal difference in their lives.  

That is all good and worth celebrating.  Yet, I am as aware as you are of our current situation.   We currently do not have a lot of young people, to use the analogy this morning’s scripture uses our quiver is a little low right now.   There are fewer young people than we would like to see and there are more holes in the pews than we prefer right now.  That is our current reality, but there is not a single reason why that must be our future.  We are in a building a year.  Make no mistake, building years take work.   Building years require putting in effort just to figure out the best way forward.  Building years often require making changes.   Building years require learning and stretching outside of our personal comfort zones for the greater purpose of making disciples and transforming the world.

​   There is no way to sugar coat it, all of this is work.   It requires the hard work of introspection, self-examination, and making the necessary changes in our own lives and hearts so that our motivations are truly in the right place.  It also requires the hard work of showing up, of volunteering, of giving from our of time, talent, and resources to invest in a mission greater than ourselves.   Because we are in a building year there is work to be done, but if our motivations are in the right place, if our desire to grow is rooted in sharing God’s love and furthering God’s kingdom then we can be confident that we do not labor in vain.   We can be confident that any growth we eventually see is because it is the Lord that builds the house.  We can be confident of this because  our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.  Friends, it is on Christ the solid rock we stand so may we be willing to get to work. 
                
               

Scripture: Psalm 146

In recent years there has been a big rise in people working from home.  This is because it became a necessity during the height of the pandemic, but it has continued because many workers, especially younger ones, have found they prefer it this way.  The results speak for themselves.  One study found that employees that work from home are 47% more productive than those that work in an office.  However, there are some unintended downsides to this, such as a loss in social skills.  One survey of young adults, ages 18-27, found that for those who work or attend school remotely 50% reported feeling like their social skills have decreased.  This is not just a young person issue.  The findings of a 2020 study found that for most people social skills begin to deteriorate in their late 30’s and into their 40’s.   Social skills, like all skills, deteriorate if we do not actively develop and use them regularly.   Even though remote work is not going anywhere, all people still need the ability to interact face to face, which is why a lot of professional focused media has focused on this.  For instance, Harvard Business Review, the job finding website Indeed, a professional educators website, and more have all published articles in the past two years about how to introduce yourself to someone else. 
While these articles have different authors, they essentially all say the same thing.  Introducing yourself, according to these articles, requires three steps.  First, focus on the present, establish who you are and what it is you do.  Second, focus on the past and explain where you have come from and what you have accomplished.  Third, focus on the future and push the conversation forward with what clearly stating future expectations are goals.   All the articles are confident that this is the secret formula to a perfect introduction that is not long and rambling but also not too abrupt and short.  While the order may not be quite right, this morning’s scripture serves as an appropriate introduction to God.  This Psalm gets to the point of who God is as revealed by scripture.   This morning’s scripture should give us a better understanding of who God is, but as God’s people it should also help us see who we can be. 

It is not by random chance that this psalm serves as an introduction to God is.  Psalm 146 through Psalm 150 are a set of psalms that all go together.   Each of these songs begin and end with Hallelujah which means Praise the Lord.  These Psalms are a unit that go together to express all the reasons why God is worthy of all our praise.  It makes sense then that the first psalm in the series would serve as the introduction.  This introduction to God does not follow the recommended past, present, future format recommended by all of the articles.  This is because God does not change life shifting shadows.  God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.   So, what this scripture states about who God is, is just as relevant today as it was when it was first written.  There are four major things that this scripture states about who God is. 
 
First, verse 6 state that God is the maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them.   Understanding God not just as our creator, but the creator of all, is a fundamental way we understand God.  After all, Genesis 1:1 begins with in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  We believe God is the Creator, but I am not sure we always appreciate how remarkable of a creator God is.  This morning’s scripture states that God created the sea and everything in it.  Do you know how much is in the sea?   It is estimated that there are over 30,000 species of fish in the oceans.  It is an estimate, because one thing scientists are sure of is that we have not found them all yet.  That is just fish, that says nothing about all the creatures that God created that live in the ocean, or the creatures that live on land because then there is even greater diversity.  For instance, there are more than 17,000 different types of butterflies on our planet, and it is estimated there are more than 350,000 different species of beetles.   That says nothing of the more than eight billion people alive today, all who have been hand crafted by God and are fearfully and wonderfully made. 
That does not even touch the heavens, whose size and scope is almost beyond our comprehension.  Our galaxy alone, the Milky Way, is believed to have more than 100 billion stars, and the low-end estimates put the number of galaxies in the universe at over 200 billion, each with billions of stars.  If you were to count every single grain of sand on every beach on earth, that number would be less than the number of stars in the universe.   All of it is created by God.   God as a creator is more imaginative, more productive, and more awe-inspiring than we can wrap our mind around.   God is an infinite creator of infinite creativity. 

 The scope and scale of God’s creative nature, can be incredibly intimidating, which is why the next thing this scripture teaches us about God is so encouraging.  Verses 7-9 of Psalm 146 make it clear, that even though God is a creator on a massive scale, God cares about people.  God cares about us.   This morning’s scripture points out that God cares for the righteous; that is those who seek to follow God.  This morning’s scripture also points out that God has great care for more than just those who already love God.  Verse 9 states, “The LORD watches over the foreigner, and sustains the fatherless, and the widow.”
 
In a tightknit and patriarchal culture foreigners were the perpetual outsiders while widows and orphans were the most vulnerable and marginalized members of society.  This morning’s scripture states that God cares for the very people who are easily forgotten, vilified, or taken advantage of.   Throughout the scriptures, from the Torah to the prophet, to the teaching of Jesus, and then the early church we find this is a consistent message.  God is on the side of the powerless and disadvantaged.  This morning’s scripture tells us how God is there to help those who can not help themselves.   It states that God upholds the cause of the oppressed and God frustrates the way of the wicked.  This is because God is a God of justice.   God is a God of love who cares for all the people that God created, because that is an essential part of who God is. 

The final aspect of who God is that this scripture reveals to us is that God is forever.   God is faithful forever and God reigns forever.   This morning’s scripture begins by pointing out the folly of putting our trust in human leaders, who cannot save.   They are fleeting, but God is not.   This morning’s scripture states that God gives sight to the blind, that is to say God meets the needs of those in need.  It also states that God lifts up those who are knocked down.    Because God is forever, those are not fleeting promises.  

This Psalm does a wonderful job at summarizing some of the aspects of who God is that we see in scripture.  It gets right to the point in stating that God is the Creator of all, God cares for the vulnerable, and God is forever.  This scripture seeks to communicate to us who God is, and if we take what it states to heart then this can shape how we interact with God and how we interact with the world.   Keeping in mind that God is forever, can really help ground us and keep us from getting consumed with worry and dread.   We may feel knocked down, we may feel things are not right, but we can trust that the Lord lifts up those who are down.   We can trust that God is never early, God is never late, and that God is going to do exactly what God states because God is forever.   Because God is forever, and because God is the one who saves, then our anxieties can be tempered.   Because no matter what the results of this Tuesday are because The LORD reigns forever; God is God of all generations. 

This morning’s scripture tells us that God is a God of justice. Because this is part of who God, is we can have confidence that in the end good wins out.  I think the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said it best, “the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends towards justice.”   If part of who God’s nature is to have special care for those who are vulnerable, then as people who seek to follow God we should too.  God upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food for the hungry, so we should as well.  We care for those in need because God cares for those in need.   We act with love and compassion to those who can not help themselves, because that is the attitude that God has towards them and us.  

Finally, when we consider the vastness of God’s creation and the creative nature of God, when we consider that God created stars beyond number yet still loves us on an individual level, then there is really only one response we can have:  Praise the Lord!   Praise the Lord, O my soul!  I will praise the Lord all my life.  I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.   Friends, how can we not?  

​This morning’s scripture gets right to the point of who God is, and if we take it seriously it also tells us who we should be.  We should be God’s people, whose hope is in the LORD, because God is forever faithful.  We should be God’s people, who seek to love the oppressed, the disadvantaged, the marginalized, and the needy because God loves those people.   We should seek to be God’s people who declare Hallelujah!   This scripture tells us who God is, and by the grace of God may it define who we are.   May we praise the Lord!  Praise the Lord!