Jesus Will Always Love You

The message given at the Maundy Thursday service in the United Methodist churches of the Wheatland Parish on April 9, 2020.  The Bible verses used are John 13:1-30.

            What would you do tonight if you knew you were going to die tomorrow?

            It’s a pretty sobering question, right?  I mean, we all know that we’re going to die sometime.  But we try not to think about it too much.  We know it’s true, but it’s not the main focus of our lives or anything.  And it should not be.  God does not want us to live in fear that we might die tomorrow.  God wants us to live our lives.  God wants us to go out and do things that serve God and that show love to people.  God wants us to do the things that God put us here to do in the first place.

            And yet, we know that there are people who are going to die tomorrow.  In some cases it’s expected, but in some cases it’s not.  And while I certainly hope that it’s not anybody who’s watching this right now, there’s no guarantee that it will not be.  There’s no guarantee that it will not be me.  Our life on earth does not come with guarantees.  It never has.

            So, think about it.  What would you do tonight if you knew you were going to die tomorrow?

            Well, let’s look at what Jesus did.  Because, at the time of our Bible reading for tonight, Jesus did know that he was going to die tomorrow.  He knew everything that was going to happen to him.  So, what did he do?

            Well, first, he gathered his closest friends around him.  You might think he’d have wanted to be with his family--I’m sure at least some of us would want that.  But as we read the gospels, we really get the impression that Jesus was closer to his friends, the disciples, than he was to his family, with the possible exception of Mary.  And knowing what was going to happen to him, he would not have wanted Mary to have to be there and see all that.  He’d have wanted to spare his mother.

            So, Jesus gathers his closest friends.  They’re all together, just them, in the upper room.  We don’t know how big that room was--probably not very big, really.  And Jesus does two things for his disciples.  And both of those things are designed to show Jesus’ disciples how much he loved them.

            First, they have a meal together.  The last meal Jesus would have on earth.  This really was, in a sense, the condemned man having his last meal.  And we sometimes don’t think about this, but in that society, the act of sharing a meal had tremendous significance.  It was a symbol of caring, a symbol of love.  Just sharing a meal, any meal, with the disciples, in and of itself, would’ve shown Jesus’ disciples that he loved them.

But of course, this was not just any meal.  This was the Passover Seder.  It was a very special meal, full of religious significance.  The Passover was and still is a very special time for Jewish people, which of course Jesus and his disciples were.  All the disciples would’ve been aware of that significance, and of course Jesus himself was, too.

And then, we come to verses three through five.  Jesus gets up from the table.  He takes off his outer clothing.  He wraps a towel around his waist.  He pours water into a basin.  As far as we know, Jesus does not say a word.  He just gets up and does these things.

And the disciples are watching this.  Maybe, at first, they did not notice.  They could’ve been visiting with each other, or busy eating, or whatever.  But when Jesus starts taking off his clothes, they notice.  Those who notice first start elbowing the others, making sure they see what’s going on.  Again, as far as we know, nobody’s saying anything.  The disciples are just watching, wondering what Jesus is going to do next.

Jesus takes the basin, and goes around and starts washing the feet of the disciples.  And I’ve mentioned this before, but washing someone’s feet was one of the dirtiest jobs there was back then.  Think about it.  Nobody wore shoes the way we think of them.  Nobody even wore socks.  At best you might have some sandals, or you might be barefoot.  And you were mostly walking on dirt.  Even some of the houses had dirt floors.  And what was not dirt was rocks.  And there were lots of animals around, so you needed to watch where you stepped, if you know what I mean.  So feet were in pretty bad shape.  They’d be dirty, they’d be calloused, sometimes they’d be a little misshapen.  To have to wash someone’s feet was a really lousy job.  It was not a pleasant job at all.

And Jesus did that for his disciples.  Jesus goes around, washing everybody’s feet.  Probably by the time he got to the end, that water was getting pretty dirty.  Maybe he dumped out the water and got some fresh at some point, we don’t know.  And other than Peter, the disciples just sit there silently, watching this, allowing Jesus to do what he’s doing.

We speak of this, quite often, as an act of servanthood.  We say that Jesus was showing them that they were to serve each other.  And of course, he was doing that.  Jesus told the disciples that he was setting an example for them, and that they should do for each other what he was doing for them.  But what Jesus did was more than just an act of servanthood.  It was an act of love.  Jesus was not just telling the disciples that they should serve each other.  He was telling them that they should love each other.

            Jesus shared a meal with the disciples and washed their feet because he loved them.  And on this last night, the night before he was going to die, he wanted to show them how much he loved them.  And he wanted to show them in a way that would ensure that they would never forget how much he loved them.

            But here’s the thing.  And we know this, but we just don’t think about it very often.  

            Who was there with Jesus?  It was the twelve disciples, right?  It was Peter, James, and John.  It was Nathanael and Philip and Andrew.  It was Bartholomew and Matthew and another James.  It was Thaddeus and Simon the Zealot.  And--it was Judas Iscariot.

            Judas.  The man who would betray Jesus.  The man Jesus knew was going to betray him.  The man to whom, later in the evening, Jesus tells to go ahead and do what he’s going to do, letting Judas know that he knows what Judas is going to do.  

            Judas was there.  Judas shared that last meal with Jesus.  Jesus washed Judas’ feet.  Jesus, the night before he died, showed love to the man he knew was going to betray him.  

            You think that was easy for Jesus?  I don’t.  Yes, Jesus was the fully divine Son of God, but Jesus was also fully human.  That means Jesus felt all the same things you and I would feel in this situation.  

            Could you do it?  Could you share a meal with someone who you knew was going to betray you?  Could you wash the feet of someone who you knew was going to betray you?  Could you show love to someone whose betrayal was going to lead to your death in a very painful and humiliating way?  I don’t know that I could.  In fact, I very much doubt it.  Even if I knew that it had to be that way, even if I could be obedient enough to God to let it happen--and I don’t know that I could do that, either, but even if I could--I don’t think I could’ve shown love to Judas the way Jesus did.

            Jesus told us to love our enemies.  It’s one of the hardest things Jesus told us to do.  We don’t want to do it.  I don’t want to do it.  But Jesus did not ask us to do anything that he did not do himself.

            When you think about it, the love Jesus showed to Judas was incredible.  He would not have had to.  Jesus could have stopped Judas from doing what he did, of course.  But even without doing that, even with Jesus having made up his mind to be faithful to God the Father and go through with dying on a cross, Jesus would not have had to show love to Judas in this way.  I mean, Jesus could’ve just pulled Judas aside before they started the meal and said to him what he ultimately did say, “What you are about to do, do quickly.”  I know what you’re going to do, so just go do it.  Don’t go through this charade of eating the Passover meal with me.  Don’t pretend you’re still one of us.  Just go do it now.  Get out of here and get it over with.

            Jesus did not do that.  Jesus allowed Judas to be part of his last night on earth.  And Jesus showed love to Judas, even knowing what Judas was going to do.

            Maybe, tonight, there is someone watching this message who feels unlovable.  I don’t know why--it could be for a lot of reasons.  But I suspect a lot of us have felt unlovable at some point in our lives.  We’ve done things that we’re ashamed of.  We’ve done things we regret.  Maybe it was a long time ago, maybe it was recent.  Maybe it’s something going on right now.  Maybe we’ve tried to forget it and ignore it, and maybe we’ve found out that we cannot do that.  But many of us have something, either in our past or our present, that makes us feel unlovable.

            We’re not.  There is nothing any of us can have done that makes us unlovable.  Not to God.  Jesus loved even the man who was going to betray him.  Jesus loved him enough that he would wash that man’s feet.  Jesus loved him enough to do something most people would not do even for their good friends.  If Jesus could love Judas that much, Jesus can love you, too.

            Jesus loves you.  Jesus has loved you all your life.  And Jesus will continue to love you.  No matter what you say.  No matter what you do.  The Apostle Paul told us that nothing, not even death, can separate us from the love of Jesus Christ.  That’s true, and it always will be true.

            Knowing that he was going to die tomorrow, Jesus showed love.  He showed love even to the person who was going to betray him.  And Jesus wants to show that same love for you.  Jesus loves you.  He always has.  And he always will.

Jesus' Farewell Address

This is the message given in the Wednesday Lent service in the Gettysburg United Methodist church on April 8, 2020.  The Bible verses used are John 14-17.

            We’re not going to have a very long message tonight.  Instead, what I’m going to do is let Jesus himself give the message.

            What I mean by that is that in John chapters fourteen through seventeen, Jesus gives what could be called his farewell address to his disciples.  So what I’m going to do tonight is read you Jesus’ farewell address, and then just make a couple of comments afterward.  I’m not going to use the screen—after all, Jesus did not have a screen.  What I want you to do is imagine you are in the story.  Imagine you are one of the disciples, listening to Jesus.

            This comes after the last supper.  It comes after Judas has left them to go and let the Jewish authorities know where Jesus was.  It comes after Jesus has told Simon Peter that, before morning, Simon Peter will three times deny knowing Jesus.

            The disciples don’t know what’s coming next.  But they know they’re in a dangerous situation.  They know something’s about to happen, even if they don’t know what it is.  So, Jesus starts talking to them.  Here’s what he says:

            “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.  My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.  You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?  Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”

Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

“All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

“You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me, but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me.

            “Come now; let us leave.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other.

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.  They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’

“When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.

“All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you, but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because people do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

Jesus went on to say, “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.”

At this, some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”

Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.

“Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”

Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.”

“Do you now believe?” Jesus replied. “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:

           “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

“I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.

           “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

“Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

That was the end of Jesus’ farewell address.  After that, he went out to the Garden of Gethsemane, where he would be arrested.

Did you put yourself into the story?  Did you imagine yourself as one of Jesus’ disciples, listening to all this?  How did you feel?  What did you think?

I doubt if the disciples really understood everything that Jesus was telling them.  After all, as we’ve seen before, the disciples hardly ever really understood what Jesus was telling them.  But they knew Jesus was leaving.  They did not know how that was going to happen, but they knew he was leaving.  And they knew the one thing they were supposed to do:  love each other.  That was it, really.  Obey Jesus’ teaching and love each other.  And don’t worry about the consequences.  Jesus said, people may hate you, but that’s okay.  People hate me, too.  Don’t worry about it.  The Holy Spirit will be here to protect you.  You don’t know what the Holy Spirit is, but just know that the Holy Spirit is from God.  So you don’t have to be afraid. 

And that’s really the lesson for tonight.  So let’s do it.  Let’s obey Jesus teaching, love each other, and not worry about the consequences.  The Holy Spirit is here, and the Holy Spirit is from God.  We don’t have to be afraid.

Life on a Roller Coaster

This is the message given in the Sunday night service on April 5, 2020, in the Gettysburg United Methodist church.  The Bible verses used are Philippians 2:1-5.

            The last week of Jesus’ life was really a roller-coaster.  We start with the high of Palm Sunday, today.  Then we did down, to the Last Supper, to the Garden of Gethsemane, to Jesus being arrested and beaten, to Jesus being killed on the cross.  But then, we go up, higher than we’ve ever been, as the tomb is empty and Christ is risen!

            And yet, when you look at that incredible roller-coaster, Jesus remains pretty much the same.  Jesus does not get overly excited when he enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and hears the cheers of the crowd.  And Jesus does not get overly depressed when he arrested and beaten.  Not that he liked it, obviously--it was a really hard thing to go through.  But Jesus does not complain, he does not get mad, he does not say, “Why me?”  Jesus accepts everything that happens, the good and the bad, and stays on an even keel.  Maybe that’s part of what the author of the letter to the Hebrews meant when he wrote that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

            I think that tells us a lot about Jesus.  It tells us who we was, and it tells us who he is.  And that’s what our reading from the book of Philippians tells us, too.

            It starts by telling us that Jesus was, in his very nature, God.  And we know that, of course.  And the thing is, Jesus knew it, too.  Jesus, at least once he was baptized and started his ministry, knew exactly who he was.  He knew that he was, in fact, the divine Son of God.  He knew that he was, in fact, God--God the Son, part of the Trinity.

            We say that, and we kind of nod our heads in agreement with it, but think about what that really means.  Think about the incredible power Jesus had while he was on earth.  And think about how tempting it must have been for him to use that power.  

            Really think about it.  What would you do, if you had Jesus’ power?  Would you use it for your own benefit?  Would you use it to acquire money and control and power for yourself?  Would you use it to let you just sit back, take life easy, and not have to do much of anything?  Or, would you try to use it for good?  Would you heal everyone, and feed everyone, and get rid of injustice and oppression and all the other bad things in the world?

            I don’t know.  I don’t know what I would do, if I had Jesus’ power.  There are so many options, more options than we can imagine, really.  But there’s one thing that I don’t think I would do.  I don’t think I would let that power go unused when someone betrayed me.  I don’t think I would let that power go dormant while I was arrested for no real reason.  I don’t think I would just allow that power to lapse while I was being beaten and mocked.  And I’m pretty sure I would not allow that power to go unused while I was being killed in a very painful way.

            But Jesus did.  That’s what the Apostle Paul is talking about when he says Jesus “did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage.  Jesus could’ve used his power for himself in so many ways.  Certainly he could’ve used it to avoid death.  But he did not.  Jesus purposely and deliberately refused to use his power, and instead allowed himself to be killed on the cross.

            Why?  Paul tells us that, too.  He says, “Rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!”

            Jesus was obedient.  He was obedient to God the Father.  That’s why Jesus was able to stay on an even keel throughout everything that happened.  Jesus knew who he was, but he also knew what he was supposed to do.  Jesus knew that everything that was happening, was happening because God was allowing it to happen.  And Jesus knew that if he stayed obedient to God, God would see him through everything.  Jesus was able to stay calm, to handle everything, to stay on such an even keel, because he trusted that, no matter how hard things got for him, God was in control.  He trusted that God had good reasons for allowing things to be the way they were, and that God would use it all for God’s glory.

            And we think, well, but Jesus knew he was going to be resurrected.  And he did.  He told the disciples that.  But that did not make the pain any less.  It did not make what he went through any easier.  That’s why Jesus prayed so hard in the garden of Gethsemane.  He was begging God, please, if there’s any other way to do this, do it that way.  If there’s any other way to save human beings other than me having to go through this, do it that way.  Jesus knew how hard this was going to be.  But ultimately, Jesus was still obedient to God the Father.

            It was because of Jesus’ obedience to the Father that Jesus was ultimately raised to sit at the right hand of the Father.  It’s not me saying that, it’s Paul.  After he says Jesus was obedient even to death on a cross, he says this:  “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave 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, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

            Jesus had incredible power while he was on earth.  And he knew it.  And he was tempted to use it for his own good.  That’s what Satan was trying to do when Jesus was fasting in the wilderness--trying to get Jesus to use his power for himself.  But Jesus refused.  And that refusal was good for his entire life on earth.  No matter how much he was tempted--and he was, all his life--Jesus refused to use his power for himself.  He was humble.  He was obedient.  He trusted God the Father.  And his obedience and trust resulted in our salvation and in Jesus being exalted to the highest place and being acknowledged as Lord.

            That, of course, was what people were doing on that first Palm Sunday--acknowledging Jesus as Lord.  But they did not have Jesus’ humility or obedience.  They wanted Jesus to use his power.  They wanted him to use his power for them, of course.  They wanted him to use it to take control and establish a kingdom on earth.  And, of course, they thought that when he did that, they’d get the benefit of his power.  They did not want Jesus to be obedient to God the Father--they wanted him to be obedient to them.  They wanted Jesus to do things their way, rather than trusting him to do things the way God the Father wanted him to do them.

            And are we really all that different?  We pray to God.  And many times, we pray for God to use God’s power.  And we want God to use God’s power for us.  We might not think about it that way.  We might truly believe that what we’re asking God to do would be the best for everybody.  We might honestly think that all we’re asking God to do is what’s just and right.  But, no matter how honest and sincere we may be, when we pray that way, we’re not trying to be obedient to God.  No matter how well-intentioned we might convince ourselves that we are, the truth is that many times, we’re trying to get God to be obedient to us, rather than the other way around.

            Now, don’t get me wrong.  It’s okay to ask God for things.  Again, Jesus asked for God to do things differently when he was in the Garden of Gethsemane.  But ultimately, we need to be obedient to God.  And that means accepting what God wants.  Accepting it even when it’s not what we want.  Accepting it even when it’s going to be really hard.  Accepting it even when it does not make sense to us.  Being able to pray, under all circumstances, “Thy will be done.”  And trusting that, no matter what God’s will may be, God will stay with us, and God will see us through it.

Our lives can be a roller coaster, too.  That’s true under all circumstances, as I’m sure everyone knows.  But it seems like it’s even more true now.  There’s something going on that’s never happened before in our lifetimes.  It’s causing major changes in the way we live our lives.  We try to deal with it, and we do, but it’s not always easy.  We go back and forth between wishing things could be the way they are and accepting that they won’t be for some time yet.  And we know that even when we’re able to go back to having in-person worship and group meetings and community events and all the rest, we won’t really be going back to the way things were.  The world will be different.  Maybe in big ways, maybe in small ways, but it will be different.  We’re going to stay on this roller coaster for a while.

The only way we can deal with that is to do what Jesus did:  be obedient to God.  Trusting that, no matter what happens, it’s happening because God is allowing it to happen.  Trusting that, if we stay obedient to God, God will see us through everything.  Trusting that, no matter how hard things get, God is still in control.  And trusting that God is going to use it all for God’s glory.

And if we do that, God will exalt us, too.  If we can stay faithful, and continue to love God and trust God, God will bless what we do.  God will bless us.  And by our faith in Jesus as the Savior, we will receive our reward in heaven.

The Best and the Worst We Can Be

The message given in the Wheatland Parish on Sunday, April 5, 2020.  The Bible verses used are Matthew 21:1-11.

            Well, this is certainly a different Palm Sunday.  Normally, we have kids here.  We have them walking around the sanctuary, waving palm branches.  It’s something we look forward to every year.  And today we cannot have that, because we don’t have any kids here.  We don’t have any adults, either, other than the ones necessary for our livestream.  We do have some palm branches, and thanks to Ellen Logan for that.  But we are definitely not celebrating Palm Sunday the way we usually do.

            But when you think about it, why do we celebrate Palm Sunday at all?  I mean, think about it.  What are we really celebrating?  Yes, we’re celebrating Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem.  And I’m sure that was really cool at the time it happened.  But the thing is, we know all the things that happened next.  We know that before the week was out, really in just a few days, Jesus would be arrested.  And some of these same people who were shouting “Hosanna” to Jesus as he entered Jerusalem would be shouting “Crucify”.

            So what, really, are we celebrating?  Why is Palm Sunday such a big day to us?  It’s got to be more than because it’s a cute spectacle for the little kids.  So what is it?

            Well, let’s look at it.  Jesus comes into Jerusalem, riding on a donkey colt.  We’re told that this was to fulfill what a prophet had said.  That prophet was Zechariah, who had said the king would come into Jerusalem in this way.  And most of the people who saw Jesus riding into Jerusalem in this way would’ve known what that meant.  They would’ve known that by coming into Jerusalem in this way, Jesus was claiming to be the king.

            And they got excited.  They believed, at least in that moment, that Jesus truly was the king.  And again, they were shouting “Hosanna”, which is a word that means save.  It was also used as an exclamation of praise.  So the people were praising Jesus and proclaiming that he was going to save them.  For that one day, at least, they were absolutely convinced of who Jesus was.  They know, without a shadow of a doubt, the Jesus was, in fact, the Messiah, the Savior, the divine Son of God.

            And maybe that’s what we’re celebrating on Palm Sunday.  The fact that, for one day, we all got it right.  For one day, everybody around knew who Jesus was.  For one day, everybody who was there accepted Jesus as the Savior.  Yes, it did not last.  Yes, some of them turned on him later.  But at last for one day, for one moment, everyone agreed on the divine Sonship of Jesus Christ.

            What we got, for that one day, for that one moment, was a glimpse of the world as it should be.  We got a glimpse, perhaps, of the new earth that we’re promised in the book of Revelation.  Jesus Christ, being honored.  Jesus Christ, being worshiped.  Jesus Christ, given the honor and glory he deserves.  Jesus Christ, being given the honor and glory that he always receives in heaven.  For that one day, for that one moment, he received it on earth.  

            You know, I’ve wondered sometimes what Jesus felt when he was riding into Jerusalem that day.  Jesus, of course, knew what was going to happen.  He’d told the disciples about it.  He knew that he would be dead before the week was out.  He knew some of these same people who were cheering him would be demanding that he be crucified.  So how did he feel?  How would you feel, if you were Jesus?  How would you feel, if you heard a big crowd cheering you on, and you knew it was all meaningless?

            I’ve thought in the past that maybe Jesus did not feel much of anything.  Knowing that it was meaningless, maybe he was just doing what he knew the scriptures required, what he needed to do to make the Old Testament prophecies come true.  And maybe he was doing it part of it, but I don’t think Jesus was doing it just for that reason.  I think Jesus truly appreciated the cheers of the crowd.  I think Jesus was actually pleased about the reception he got.

            Jesus was not fooled by it, obviously.  But I think Jesus knew that what he was seeing was the best of what human beings can be.  He was seeing humanity being what it can be.  He was seeing human beings truly knowing the greatness and the holiness of God and of His Divine Son.  He was seeing human beings truly showing faith.  And I think Jesus was happy to see that.

            And I think you and I should be happy about that, too.  I think that is something to celebrate.  Because you and I are not very different from those people who were cheering Jesus on when he came into Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday.

            Sometimes we say that as a bad thing.  Sometimes we focus on the end of the week, when the people were shouting crucify, and we say that we probably would have done the same thing.  And maybe we would have.  But we also would have done the same thing as the crowd on the first Palm Sunday.  We would have been cheering for Jesus.  We would have been proclaiming Jesus to be the Savior, the Messiah, the Christ.  We would have been shouting “Hosanna” right with the rest of the crowd.  And that’s a good thing.

            You see, sometimes we talk about faith as if it was a constant thing and an all-or-nothing thing.  If you have faith, then you always have faith, and you have one hundred percent faith.  And if you don’t have faith, then you never have faith, and you have zero percent faith.

            But for most of us, that’s not how it is.  We have faith, but we also have doubts.  We have times when our faith is really strong, when we are completely confident that God is there, that God is going to act, and that everything’s going to go the way it’s supposed to.  And we have other times when our faith is weak, when we wonder where God is, when we wonder if God is doing anything, when we wonder if God is ever going to do anything.  And in fact a lot of us, if we’re really honest, have times when we wonder if God really exists at all.  We may not talk about it.  We may try to not even think about it.  But in the back of our minds, buried deep down, that thought is there.

            And Jesus knows that, of course.  Jesus knew it then.  Jesus knows it now.  Jesus knows how our faith goes through ups and downs.  And Jesus knows that there are other forces at work, too.  In Jesus’ day, it was the Pharisees who were trying to turn people against him.  In today’s world, there are all kinds of forces in society who try to turn people against him.  And of course, Jesus knows Satan’s role in all this, too.  Jesus knew that Satan was active when he was on earth.  And, even though we may not talk about it much, Jesus knows that Satan is still active today, too.  Satan has not gone away, much as we might wish that was the case.  And Satan is still working to turn us away from Jesus, just like Satan was working when Jesus was on earth.

            And Jesus understands.  That’s the thing to remember--Jesus understands.  Jesus understands how hard it can be sometimes for us to keep our faith strong.  Especially in times when it seems like the whole world has gone sideways and things are falling apart, Jesus understands why we have a hard time continuing to believe.  Jesus understands it all.

            And Jesus forgives.  That’s the most awesome thing of all--Jesus forgives.  Jesus forgave the crowd for shouting “crucify”.  Jesus forgave Pilate.  Jesus even forgave the chief priests and the Pharisees.  Even while he was in miserable pain, dying in agony on the cross, Jesus asked God the Father to forgive the people who were killing him.  Jesus knew, in his own words, that the people who were killing him did not know what they were doing.  Jesus was seeing human beings at their absolute worst.  And he still understood, and he still forgave.

            But on Palm Sunday, Jesus saw human beings at their best.  Jesus saw human beings worshiping him as they should.  Jesus saw human beings at our best.  Jesus saw human beings as we can be, as we should be.  Jesus saw human beings recognizing that they needed salvation.  And Jesus saw human beings recognizing who the Savior was.  Jesus saw human beings humbling themselves before the divine Son, crying out to him for salvation, and rejoicing in the knowledge that they could receiving that salvation.  Jesus saw human beings showing complete faith in God and accepting him as the Savior.

            Jesus has seen human beings at our best.  And Jesus has seen human beings at our worst.  He saw it during the last week of his life, and he continues to see it today.  And Jesus loves us just as much in both cases.  Jesus loves us at our best, and Jesus loves us at our worst.  It’s such an amazing thing.  But it’s true.

            As we experience Palm Sunday, and as we experience the days to come--Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday--may we remember that.  May we remember that Jesus loves us just as much when we’re at our worst as when we’re at our best.  On this Palm Sunday, that truly is something we can celebrate!

God's Perfect Grace

The message from the Wednesday night Lent service in the Gettysburg United Methodist church.  The Bible verses used are Mark 10:17-31.

            What is your least favorite saying of Jesus?

            I cannot hear if you’re answering the question, but I hope you’re thinking about it.  And if you are, I suspect the one we read tonight would be on the list.  It might not be number one, but it would be pretty close.  Jesus said to this man, “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

            Most of us don’t like that one at all.  And so we try to come up with ways to say it does not apply to us.  We say, well, he said this to a rich man.  I’m not rich.  Jesus did not mean this to apply to someone like me.

            And that sounds reasonable, right?  When we think of a rich person, we think of someone like Bill Gates.  By American standards, probably no one watching this broadcast is rich.

            But that’s by American standards.  You know what the median income in the world is?  Well, I did not know either, I googled it.  It turns out the median income in the world is $9,733.  By that standard, pretty much everyone watching this broadcast is rich.  That makes it a little harder to argue that Jesus’ statement does not apply to you and me.

            But if Jesus was talking to us, what did he mean?  Did he mean it literally?  Did he mean that each one of us should sell every possession we have and give the money to the poor?

            That does not really make sense, either.  I mean, Jesus did not even demand that of the twelve disciples.  Peter says, “We have left everything we have to follow you,” but he did not say, “We have gotten rid of everything to follow you.”  In fact, in Matthew Chapter Eight Jesus goes to Peter’s house, which means, of course, that Peter had a house and presumably had some stuff in the house.  In John Chapter Twenty-one, after Jesus has been resurrected but before he has ascended to heaven, Jesus and the disciples take Peter’s boat and go fishing, which means that Peter had a boat and fishing equipment.  So if Jesus did not demand that the twelve disciples sell all their possessions, I don’t think he demands it of you or me, either.

            But of course, that sets up the question:  what does Jesus demand of us?  What is Jesus telling us we need to do?  If Jesus was, in fact, talking to you and me, what is it that you and I need to do to fulfill what Jesus requires?

            Well, let’s look at the context.  The man comes to Jesus and asks, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”  And there’s nothing in the context that indicates this is intended as a trick question.  This is not like those times the Pharisees are asking Jesus questions to try to trap him into making a statement they can use against him.  The way the situation is presented to us, this man is sincere.  He really wants to know.  He understands that eternal life is important, that it’s something he needs to get, and he wants to know what he needs to do to get it.

            But that question, even though it’s sincerely asked, is the problem.  This man had the idea that the way you get eternal life is by doing stuff.  He thought that if you just do enough of the right things, then God will approve of you and you’ll get eternal life.  He does not see that salvation is a matter of faith.  He does not understand that salvation is found only in Jesus Christ.  Instead, he’s looking for a checklist.  He’s does not see that salvation is a matter of the heart and of the soul.  Instead, he thinks salvation can be found just by doing enough good things, by being a good-enough person.

            So, Jesus takes this man on his own terms.  He says, okay, you want a list of things to do, I’ll give you one.  We’ll start with the commandments.  Do all those.

            And the man says, but I already am.  I’m already following all those commandments.  What more do I need to do?

            Which is one of the problems of a works-based faith.  And maybe it’s why God does not base salvation on what we do.  Because when we try to earn our way into heaven by doing good things, we can never feel like we’ve done enough.  We always think there might be something more.  After all, if salvation was based on works, we’d have to judge our good works against those of the holy, righteous, perfect God.  And there’s no way we could ever measure up to that standard.

            And this man knows he does not measure up.  So he asks Jesus, what more do I need to do.  And Jesus gives him the answer we quoted earlier.  “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.  Then come, follow me.”

            What Jesus was saying to this man is, look, if you want to get to heaven by the things you do, then you have to be perfect.  You have to live a perfect life.  You have to live up to the standard of the holy, righteous, perfect God.

            And the man knew he could not do that, because no one can do that.  And, we’re told, he walked away sad.

            But what if he had not reacted that way?  What if, instead, he had humbled himself before Jesus?  What if, instead of just walking away, he had fallen to the ground before Jesus and said, “Lord, I cannot do it.  I cannot keep all the commandments perfectly.  I cannot give away all my possessions and follow you.  I wish I could.  I really want to.  But I just cannot.  I’m not good enough.  I’m not worthy of following you.  Have mercy on me!”

            Do you think Jesus would’ve had mercy on him?  I do.  I think Jesus would’ve forgiven him.  I think Jesus would’ve told him to get up, to know that his sins were forgiven, and to follow him. 

            Because that’s what Jesus really wants from us.  Jesus wants us to confess our sins.  Jesus wants us to confess our weakness.  Jesus wants us to acknowledge that we are unworthy of following him.

God does not want us to try to be perfect.  God wants us to do the best we can, but God knows perfection is not possible for you and me.  If you and I could get to heaven by doing enough good things, Jesus would not have had to come to earth.  Lent, Good Friday, Easter--none of that would’ve been necessary.  All we’d have had to is focus on doing good things.  God could’ve given us that checklist that the man wanted from Jesus.  It would’ve been simple.  Simple, but impossible.

            God never asks us to do the impossible.  The difficult, sometimes, but not the impossible.  That’s why we don’t get to heaven by living a perfect life, because you and I are not capable of living a perfect life.  God does not want us to try to be perfect.  In fact, God wants us to do the exact opposite.  God wants us to admit that we are not perfect and that we never will be.  God wants us to humble ourselves, confess our sins, and ask for mercy and forgiveness.

            And you know what happens when we do that?  We become perfect.

            Not in the sense of never sinning again.  Not in the sense of doing everything exactly right.  Certainly not in the sense of being holy and righteous that way God is.

            So, in what sense do we become perfect?  We become perfect because God sees us as perfect.  Because that, really is what grace is.  Grace is God knowing exactly who we are, knowing exactly what we’ve done, knowing exactly how far short we fall from being who we should be, and yet seeing us as perfect anyway.  God does that because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, taking the punishment that should have come to us for our sins, enabling God to see us as perfect even though God knows perfectly well that we’re not.  That’s grace.  And when you think about it, God’s grace really is amazing.

            And that’s why salvation is based on faith in Jesus Christ.  If salvation was based on living a perfect life, we never could be saved.  But salvation is based on our faith and God’s grace.  And our faith does not even have to be perfect.  There are very few people who have prefect faith, either.  Most of us have doubts.  Most of us have times when our faith is weak.  A lot of us, in fact, are like the man who said to Jesus, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.”  We want to believe, and we do believe, but at the same time we struggle with our faith.  And yet, God accepts that.  God accepts our imperfect faith and perfects it with God’s perfect grace.

            What do we need to do to have eternal life?  Believe.  Have faith.  Don’t try to be perfect.  Do our best--grace is not a license to sin--but don’t try to do more than that.  Do our best, believe in Jesus Christ as the Savior, and let God’s grace take it from there.  And God’s grace will do that, because God’s grace really is amazing.

Life in the Spirit

This is the message from the Sunday night service in the Gettysburg United Methodist church on Sunday, March 29, 2020.  The Bible verses used are Romans 8:6-11.

            “The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.”  The Apostle Paul, who wrote the letter the Romans, made that distinction between the flesh and the Spirit pretty often.  So did Jesus, for that matter.  In Galatians Paul tells us about the acts of the flesh versus the fruit of the Spirit.  As Christians, we are supposed to live our lives according to the ways of the Spirit, not the ways of the flesh.

            And we hear that, and we kind of nod our heads.  It sounds good.  Live by the ways of God.  Live as God would have us live.  Set aside our human concerns and focus on divine concerns.  Sounds logical.  Makes sense, if you’re a Christian.

            It sounds good, but actually living it is a lot trickier.  Because those ways of the flesh are pretty important to us.  And it’s perfectly understandable why.  I mean, this flesh thing is the only thing you and I have ever lived in, right?  And this world is the only world you and I have ever lived in.  It’s out entire reality, in a lot of ways.  It’s our only frame of reference.  It’s all we’ve ever known.

            And so we get pretty protective of this flesh we live in.  We do what we can to keep it going.  Most of us try to eat right.  We try to get some exercise.  We try to get enough rest.  We don’t always succeed at those things, but even when we don’t we feel like we should.  That’s why nobody ever lost money promoting a diet or exercise program.  We’re all trying to keep this flesh we live in going as long as we can.

            That’s also why we get so scared when something like the coronavirus hits.  And don’t get me wrong, this is not a criticism of anyone.  I’m not saying we should not be concerned about it or we should not take precautions to keep away from it.  That’s why we’re livestreaming this service, instead of having people here in person.  My point is simply to emphasize how important this human body is to each of us and how much it scares us when our human body is threatened.

            And again, that’s understandable.  I’m not saying it’s wrong.  But here’s the thing:  each of us, at some point, is going to die.  And you know, that was true long before the coronavirus came along.  No matter how much we eat right and exercise and get our rest and get physical and get screened and everything else, at some point each of us is going to die.  This human body was only designed to last for so long.  Maybe eighty years, maybe ninety, maybe even a hundred or more.  But no matter how hard we try to prevent it, each of us is going to reach our expiration date.

            Now, again, obviously, I’m not saying that we should do anything to make that date come sooner.  God put us here for reasons.  There are things we’re supposed to do while we’re here.  And in fact, as long as we are here that means there is still something we’re supposed to do.  But the fact remains that, at some point, we’ll run out of time to do those things.  It will be time to leave here, move on, and find out what comes next.

            And so, while this flesh we live in is very important, our Spirit is even more important.  And so, as the Apostle Paul says, you and I need to live in the realm of the Spirit.  That’s the only way we can please God.  We need to have our minds governed by the Spirit.  That’s the only way we can have life and peace.  We need to have God’s Holy Spirit living in each of us.  That’s the only way we can truly belong to Christ.

            So, here’s the question--how can we do that?  How can we get past the importance of our flesh and get to where we truly live in the realm of the Spirit, so that we can please God?  How can we get to where our minds are governed by the Spirit, so we can have life and peace?  How can we have God’s Holy Spirit living in us, so we can truly belong to Christ?

            Well, I think it starts with a decision on our part.  I say that because God has already made His decision.  We know God wants us to live in the realm of the Spirit.  We know God wants our minds to be governed by the Spirit.  But God’s not going to force it on us.  We have to make the decision that we want that.  We have to make the decision that we want to live in the realm of the Spirit, that we want our minds to be governed by the Spirit, that we want to have God’s Holy Spirit live in us.

            Now, maybe it seems like it’s obvious that we should want that, but think about it.  If we really want that, then the chances are that we’re going to need to make some changes in our lives.  And I don’t mean to imply that we’re all bad or evil or sinful or anything like that.  I mean, yes, as Paul writes in the letter to the Romans, we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God, but that’s not what I’m talking about here.

            What I’m talking about is that any time we want anything, at least anything that’s important, the chances are that we’re going to have to give up some things to get it.  When Wanda and I decided that I’d become a pastor, that meant I had to give up some things.  So did Wanda.  We both had to be willing to give up our employment.  I had to be willing to go back to school for three years.  We had to be willing to leave a town that we really liked, and leave friends who we really cared about.  Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s all been worth it.  I have never spent one minute regretting the choice we made.  I truly do believe we are where God wants us to be and are doing what God wants us to do.  But still, there were things we had to give up to get to where we are.  

            Now, the things Wanda and I had to give up were not bad things.  There was nothing inherently wrong with the jobs we had.  There was nothing wrong with the town we lived in--we still like going back to visit there.  There was nothing wrong with the people--we still keep in touch with a lot of them.  But still, we had to give them up, because God had something different in mind for us.  It was a great place to live, with great people--but it was not the place God wanted us to be.  It was for a while, but then it was not.  And we had to give it up.

            I’m sure you can think of examples like that in your life, too.  Times when you knew you needed to make a change in your life, but you knew you would have to give up some things to do it.  There may have been nothing inherently wrong with those things, but you had to give them up anyway.  Because anything worth having requires that of us.  It’s just the way life works.  

            And God’s Holy Spirit requires us to give things up, too.  And again, there may not be anything inherently wrong or bad about those things.  There may be nothing wrong or bad about the way we’re living our lives.  But even so, there is probably something, or some things, that we need to give up.  Because God has something different in mind for us.  And if we want to live in the realm of the Spirit, if we want to have God’s Holy Spirit living in us, we need to give up those things in order to have that.

            So it starts with a decision on our part that we really want God’s Holy Spirit living in us.  But it does not end there.  Because, this is not something you and I can do by ourselves.  We have to do our part, but we cannot do it by ourselves.  Because giving up things, things that we like, people that we like, a way of life that we like, is hard.  Even if we fully believe it’ll be worth it, it’s still hard.  And if we try to do it on our own, the chances are we’ll slip back.  No matter how good our intentions are, we will probably slip back.  We are not strong enough.

            So that brings us to the other thing we need to do.  If we want to live in the realm of the Spirit, if we want God’s Holy Spirit living in us, we need to pray.  

            Because, as I said earlier, God wants this for us.  God wants us to live in the realm of the Spirit.  God wants us to have our minds governed by the Spirit.  And so, when we pray, when we ask God to help us do this, God will give us that help.  God will strengthen our resolve.  God will help us resist the temptation to slip back.  God’s Holy Spirit will show us what God wants for us, and God’s Holy Spirit will help us get it.

            But here’s the thing.  And this may be the best thing at all.  What do we get for all this?  Paul tells us.  We get peace.

            And is that not what we all need right now?  Would you not like to feel at peace with everything that’s going on?  At this time when the world has gone sideways, when our lives are in an uproar, when we cannot do the things we normally do, we need peace.

            And what is peace, really?  It’s not things going the way we want them to.  It’s knowing that we’ll be okay no matter how things go.  It’s still okay to want things.  It’s still okay to ask God for things.  But if we’re living in the realm of the Spirit, we’ll have confidence that we’ll be okay whether God does those things or not.  We’ll truly mean it when we say, “Thy will be done.”  We’ll trust that God is in control, whether it’s obvious or not.  We’ll know that God is taking care of things, even if we cannot see God working right now.  

            But we don’t just get peace.  We get life.  Life in the realm of the Spirit.  And that helps us have peace, too.  Because we know that there is another life after this one.  We still want to keep our lives here, of course, and that’s okay.  We should want that.  But we know that, even under the best circumstances, this flesh we live in is still only temporary.  And no matter how long we live, it’s not very long compared to eternity.  But when we live in the realm of the Spirit, we know this life in the flesh is not the only life.  We know we will go on to eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ.

            So, will we make that decision?  Will we decide that we want to have our minds governed by the Spirit?  Will we decide we want to live in the realm of the Spirit?  And will we pray and ask God to help us make that decision a reality?

            Life in the flesh is important, but life in the Spirit is more important.  May we all find the life and peace that comes from living in the realm of God’s Holy Spirit.