For Hacktoberfest 2019 I updated the Code4Kids Level 1 Camp source files. We learned quite a bit from our second go-around with this camp. Some of the projects were dropped because they were too complicated, so I replaced them with much more straightforward projects.
View on GitHub
I also dropped the concept of badges. I thought the students would be more motivated if I “game-ified” the camp and celebrated their progress like a game awarding experience points. We never needed the badges to increase motivation, however, as all the students were engaged throughout the entire week of the camp! Since we’re so tangible throughout the camp, I think the students were able to see and celebrate their progress without resorting to game-ification.
The multi-day cardboard maze project was a big hit! Instead of just drawing a maze and watching the robot follow it, this year we had the students build their own maze with cardboard pieces. As we learned new skills, we returned to the maze to try them out. For example, we first drew lines inside the maze to see if the robot could make it out. Then we added color codes to help the robot know which way to turn when it was confused. Then we programmed the robot with visual code blocks to get through the maze. It provided an iterative learning experience that helped them transfer knowledge across domains. Big hit! And many thanks to Roberta for cutting four hundred pieces of cardboard to make it happen!
November 24, 2019 - "Words to Remember: Every Day" by Rev. Cody Sandahl
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Sermon begins at the 3:12 mark after the music
Lay Reader = Proverbs 3:1-15
My child, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments; 2for length of days and years of life and abundant welfare they will give you. 3Do not let loyalty and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. 4So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and of people. 5Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. 6In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. 7Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. 8It will be a healing for your flesh and a refreshment for your body. 9Honor the Lord with your substance and with the first fruits of all your produce; 10then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine. 11My child, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, 12for the Lord reproves the one he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights. 13Happy are those who find wisdom, and those who get understanding, 14for her income is better than silver, and her revenue better than gold. 15She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her.
Introduction
This is our last week looking at the Words to Remember – the verses in the Bible that are worth memorizing or otherwise writing on your heart. When life goes sideways on you, these are the verses that can help bring you comfort, peace, and guidance.
Next week is the start of Advent, and we’ll be able to say it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. But for our last week in this series, we’re asking what we should do in our everyday life. How can we follow Jesus no matter what’s going on in our lives right now?
We’ll read two texts today. The first comes from the Old Testament prophet Micah. Micah was from a small town in Judah, and his prophecies reflect the faith, moral, ethical, and social problems that disproportionately affected the rural parts of the country. He alternates between prophesying judgment on one hand and salvation on the other.
Our second text today is one you know well – Jesus telling us the Greatest Commandment. Here he picks two verses from the Old Testament and puts them side-by-side to illustrate God’s character and God’s expectations for faithful living.
Micah 6:6-8
6“With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? 7Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” 8He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Matthew 22:34-40
34When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, 35and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” 37He said to him, “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38This is the greatest and first commandment. 39And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
Walking
As I look out West to the Rocky Mountains, sometimes I think about Lewis and Clark laying eyes upon these majestic mountains for the first time. They had seen the Appalachian Mountains before, but you know what we would call the Appalachian Mountains if they were here in Colorado? Foothills!
I specifically wonder if they thought they were closer than they really were. The mountains are so large, they look close even when you’ve still got a couple hours left to drive, right? And that frustrates me in this phase of life. Because skiing is pretty much my top activity on earth – although leaving earth to go to space would probably top it. And I’m fine with snowshoeing, too, if the situation calls for it.
But it’s like the mountains are teasing me out there – I can see them. They look so close. But I know they’re far away. They’re tantalizingly close, but I have to make a special trip to get there. And as we all know, that special trip had better not be on a weekend or I’ll be sitting on I-70 the whole time!
As many of you know, my family moved to a different house this year. It’s an upgrade in almost every way except for one: it’s twelve extra minutes away from the mountains! But it does have some nice features. For instance, at my previous house we had to drive to find good sledding hills for the boys. Which means we went twice.
In our new house, we can walk around the corner to a decent sledding hill. We already made it out there in that random October snow storm. I bet there will be a lot more sledding since we can just walk around the corner.
There’s a big difference between the places you can walk and the places you can drive. Are you with me? Wherever you can walk is part of your daily life. Wherever you can drive is part of your horizon.
That’s what Micah is talking about when he says, “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.”
Many of the great pillars of the faith were said to “walk with God.” Adam walked with God. Noah walked with God. Abraham walked with God. They weren’t just close enough to drive their camels to God. They were next-door neighbors. God wasn’t a nice add-on. God was primary. God wasn’t a support to their plans. They were a support to God’s plans. They walked with God.
And Micah says we should, too.
I sometimes talk about the tree rings of faith. These are ways of thinking about how far your faith has come – how far you’ve walked with God and humbly conformed to his will, not your own.
The first tree ring is Exploring Christ. This is when you can say, “I believe in God, but I’m unsure about who Jesus is.” If you’re not sure if Jesus was really the Son of God, you might be Exploring Christ.
Once you’ve passed that tree ring of faith, you start Growing in Christ. That’s when you can say, “I am getting to know Jesus personally.” You believe Jesus is the Son of God. You start praying to him. You start asking him for guidance sometimes. You’re Growing in Christ.
If you continue to let Jesus transform your life, you’ll find yourself at the next tree ring of faith: Close to Christ. That’s when you can say, “Jesus is a part of my daily life.” You’re no longer visiting Jesus – you’re walking with him in your neighborhood. You’re probably doing something to take in God’s Word through the Bible regularly. You might have a journal or other way of tracking what Jesus is telling you and where he’s leading you. You’re Close to Christ.
And the final tree ring of faith is when you are Surrendered to Christ. That’s when you can say, “Jesus is greater than anything else in my life.” When Jesus gives you direction that is uncomfortable, you do it anyway because Jesus is worth it. You’ve walked with God so often you actually moved into his house. Not asking God to move into your house, you’ve moved into his house. You’re Surrendered to Christ.
I aspire to this tree ring of faith when I talk about my personal priorities. In order, my priorities are God, Family, Church. It can get fuzzy where the line is between God and Church, but sometimes the Church expects something of me but God doesn’t. If it hurts my Family, I probably won’t do it. But other times God wants me to do something and my Family doesn’t want me to. If I’m sure that God is leading me in that direction, I’ll try to do it anyway.
That’s what happens in your life if you keep walking humbly with God. Now most people stall out at some point. Sometimes people even move backwards. A lot of people get stuck in the Growing in Christ tree ring. The transition from Jesus being an occasional input to Jesus being a daily fixture in your life is a hard one.
Some researchers looked at this particular transition in faith. And they found a few things that helped people move from Growing in Christ to Close to Christ – from making special trips to consult God to walking with God regularly. If that’s you, pay attention to this.
One of the biggest catalysts is praying for guidance in your life DAILY. Not sometimes, not even frequently. DAILY. Pray for Jesus to guide you and lead you. That draws you closer to walking humbly with God.
Another catalyst is reflecting on Scripture frequently. We’ve talked about this over the last couple of weeks with the spiritual journaling, so I won’t belabor it again right now. But if you didn’t get a journal two weeks ago, I got a new shipment. Take one! They’re free! Go to fpcl.org/bible for a tutorial.
Another catalyst is having meaningful spiritual conversations with non-Christians. Interestingly, when we are able to talk about our faith – even when we don’t have all the answers – it actually causes us to grow. I can’t tell you how many times the act of teaching something makes me learn it better. I’m going to lead a class in mid-January called “My Gospel,” and this class will help you understand your own Gospel. Your own Good News. Your own stories of Jesus in your life. After that class, you’ll be ready to have those meaningful spiritual conversations.
The last major catalyst is actually through your giving. Jesus talked about how we earn, spend, and give more than he talked about heaven and hell. Jesus said that “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” That’s why your giving is a catalyst for spiritual growth. One of the most tangible ways to trust Jesus more in your life is to trust him more with your finances. When you intentionally step out in faith with your finances, your faith follows suit.
Now, Micah makes it pretty clear that you can’t buy off God, so it’s about the heart, not the amount. If you’re looking to buy off God, it’s not gonna work. If you’re looking to change your heart to be more trusting of God, changing how you earn, spend, or give is an excellent choice.
So if you’re stuck in that very common range between Growing in Christ and Close to Christ, those are ways to kick-start your faith growth again. Those are some ways to help you move from driving to God on occasion to regularly walking with Jesus in his neighborhood. That’s what it looks like to walk humbly with your God.
Kindness
So that’s walking humbly with God. But Micah also mentions “loving kindness.” And I gotta tell you, I had some negative memories arise within me on this one. When I was in high school, do you know what “nice” and “kind” really meant? “No, I’m not going on a date with you.” It’s kind of like the title of a song by the band Cake: “Friend is a Four Letter Word.”
I mean, think about some of the people we admire throughout history. What words would we associate with them? Bold! Courageous! Visionary! Brilliant! How many of them have the word “kind” as their calling card? Not many.
So what is “kindness” that Micah would lift it up as one of the three ways we can walk with God every day? Well it’s actually a much richer word in Hebrew than it is in English. This word is used to describe how God behaves toward us. So this isn’t just hold the door open for someone kindness. This is “I brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of slavery!” kindness. This isn’t just bring your spouse a cup of warm water in the winter kindness. This is “I went to the cross for you!” kindness. This isn’t just help someone to cross the street kindness. This is “Before I formed you in your mother’s womb, I knew you!” kindness.
Really, this means seeing yourself as bound to God and bound to the other people whom God has created and redeemed. This is, as Jesus summarized, “love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind…and love your neighbor as yourself.” The stakes are a bit higher.
When you tutor at Whiz Kids, that’s God’s kindness because it shows that you are bound to that child. When you have a conversation with a difficult person at the community dinner, that’s God’s kindness because it shows that you are bound to them. When someone is sick or no longer able to drive and you go to their house – maybe just to sit with them or talk about anything other than what’s ailing them – that’s God’s kindness because it shows that you are bound to them. That’s loving kindness.
Justice
And finally we get to where Micah started – doing justice. There are two aspects to this. The first is to, “behave justly.” If you want to know what God considers to be unjust, keep reading in Micah 6. The next few verses call out businesses that cheat their customers. They call out those who use violence to accumulate their wealth and power. They call out those who lie to accumulate wealth and power. Those are examples of injustice. If you want a lot more examples, go read the book of Amos. Pretty vivid depictions of how God despises injustice. That’s “behaving justly.”
The second component is “creating justice.” It’s not enough to be honest yourself. If you know someone else in your company is being dishonest with customers, it’s not OK to just let it slide. We are called to create justice. As Edmund Burke wrote two hundred years ago, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” The only thing that has changed in the last two hundred years is that Burke should have said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men and women to do nothing.” Otherwise his phrase has aged quite well.
Whenever you see “justice” mentioned in the Bible, the reference point is usually God’s Covenant. If you wonder if something is unjust, ask yourself whether God would recommend it to everyone. Ask yourself if you can see someone in heaven doing that. Ask yourself if Jesus would look at it and nod his head approvingly. We are called to personally behave in a way that makes Jesus nod in approval and also work to create businesses and governments and communities that behave in ways that make Jesus nod in approval.
For the followers of Jesus, there is no such thing as “the end justifies the means.”
Summary
Sisters and brothers, Micah gives us a nice, short summary of how God expects us to behave every day. Jesus gives us a nice, short summary of how God expects us to behave every day. There are a handful of other nice summaries of how God expects us to behave every day.
I find this comforting. When you don’t know what to do, you can do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with my God. When you’ve lost your job and you don’t know how to make ends meet, you can still love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and you can love your neighbor as yourself. When your health is failing, you can behave in a way that makes Jesus nod.
No matter your circumstances, no matter your challenges, no matter how murky your future or how trying your present, this is a roadmap that can be used today. And that’s really all we need – enough for today. And if you keep doing that today and tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that…eventually you’ll find yourself walking with Jesus in his neighborhood, or maybe even living in his house. Amen.
November 17, 2019 - "Words to Remember: Shaking in my Boots" by Rev. Cody Sandahl
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Sermon starts at the 3:30 mark after the music
Lay Reader = Isaiah 41:8-16
8But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend; 9you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, “You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off”;
10do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand. 11Yes, all who are incensed against you shall be ashamed and disgraced; those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish. 12You shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall not find them; those who war against you shall be as nothing at all. 13For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Do not fear, I will help you.” 14Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you insect Israel! I will help you, says the Lord; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel. 15Now, I will make of you a threshing sledge, sharp, new, and having teeth; you shall thresh the mountains and crush them, and you shall make the hills like chaff. 16You shall winnow them and the wind shall carry them away, and the tempest shall scatter them. Then you shall rejoice in the Lord; in the Holy One of Israel you shall glory.
Introduction
With Advent approaching, we’re almost done with our series looking at the Words to Remember – the Bible verses that are worth memorizing or otherwise writing on your heart. When life goes sideways on you, these Bible verses can provide you with the hope, the encouragement, the direction to keep going.
Last week we heard how Jesus calls us friends, and the best way for us to be good friends with Jesus is to stay in regular contact. That left me with a good problem – all the devotional journals are gone! Hopefully those who took me up on that offer are actually using them! And if they disappeared before you could get one, I have another shipment arriving this week. Remember if you need some guidance on that journaling practice, check out fpcl.org/bible.
This week we are wondering what our faith is supposed to look like when we’re afraid – when we’re shaking in our boots. Our main text today is from Peter’s letter to a series of small churches scattered around Asia Minor in modern-day Turkey. Peter was probably in Rome during the reign of the emperor Nero. Nero’s reign was the first to intentionally persecute Christians because of their faith.
So the faithful Christians in these scattered cities had some major questions. Is God allowing this persecution because we’ve done something wrong? Is our faith worth this suffering? What will happen next? Can I continue living with this overwhelming fear?
If any of those questions resonate with you right now, I encourage you to go read the other four chapters in 1 Peter. Peter offers deep insight and encouragement for those times. We’re going to focus on the end of his letter, where Peter kind of wraps it up and summarizes what he’s been saying. Listen to what he says to these Christians who were shaking in their boots.
1 Peter 5:1-11
Now as an elder myself and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as one who shares in the glory to be revealed, I exhort the elders among you 2to tend the flock of God that is in your charge, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion but willingly, as God would have you do it—not for sordid gain but eagerly. 3Do not lord it over those in your charge, but be examples to the flock. 4And when the chief shepherd appears, you will win the crown of glory that never fades away.
5In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you must clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 6Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. 7Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.
8Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. 9Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.
10And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. 11To him be the power forever and ever. Amen.
Fear
Well this is a very short sermon. Our first text from Isaiah 41 says it pretty clearly. It’s written on the cover of your bulletin. “Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be afraid, for I am your God.” There you have it. God is good. Don’t be afraid. Ready to move on? No?
Anyone ever feel afraid even though you know God is good and trustworthy? Anxiety is one of the defining traits of like half of my extended family, so I’ve had plenty of time to think about this particular question of faith.
The Greek word Peter uses here for “anxiety” means “worried to the point of distraction.” Not just a little bit worried. Worried to the point of distraction. When you are so worried that it interferes with what you need to do or what Jesus says you’re supposed to do – that’s the kind of anxiety Peter is talking about.
One of my former students has a long history of anxiety and self-doubt. When she was going to share her story at youth group, she was sure that everyone would hate it and hate her. When I trained her to be a small group leader on the mission trip, she was afraid everyone would be disappointed to be in her group. As an adult now, when she was going to job interviews at schools she texted me that it wasn’t worth going because they wouldn’t like her. Maybe you can identify.
But she also has a long history of moving forward even with the fear. Despite much hand-wringing, she did share her story at youth group. Despite paralyzing fear, she did lead a small group on the mission trip. Despite her fear that she wouldn’t measure up, she did go to the job interviews. And so I told her that bravery isn’t “not feeling fear.” Bravery is doing what you need or want to do even though you’re afraid. So from that perspective she’s very brave.
That’s kind of what it looks like to cast our anxieties on the Lord, as Peter recommends in our text today. Before you can cast your anxiety on the Lord, first you have to be feeling anxiety, right? So our faith isn’t about avoiding fear. No, we’re to be faithful and trusting even though we’re afraid and anxious.
Many of the Psalms show this tension. Psalm 44, for instance, has this wonderful statement of faith: “I do not trust in my bow; I do not count on my sword to save me. You are the one who gives us victory over our enemies; you disgrace those who hate us. O God, we give glory to you all day long and constantly praise your name.” That’s nice, right?
But it also has this anxiety-filled plea as well: “Wake up, O Lord! Why do you sleep? Get up! Do not reject us forever…Rise up! Help us! Ransom us because of your unfailing love.”
Telling God to get out of bed is pretty gutsy, if you ask me. So the next time you wonder if you should pray what you’re really thinking or feeling, go read Psalm 44. If God can handle that prayer, he can take your prayer, too.
So the first thing we should know about fear, about anxiety, about those times when we’re shaking in our boots – it’s OK to feel anxiety, but we are supposed to remain faithful through that fear. Give it to God in prayer. Like Psalm 44, tell him you want him to get out of bed. He can take it. Just don’t let your fear prevent you from doing something God has placed before you.
Humility
But Peter gives us some other advice for being faithful when we are shaking in our boots. He spends several verses talking about humility and humbling ourselves. In fact, he says “clothe yourselves with humility.” Choose to put it on as frequently as you put on your clothes.
But we should probably acknowledge what a wise person said about this concept. “If we were all clothed in our humility, many of us would be scantily clad.”
So why does Peter talk about humility when we’re afraid? Well, when I was a freshman in college I would show up five or ten minutes before the class on a big test day, and I would do what everyone else was doing: cramming! But I noticed something. Two somethings, actually. First, many times my brain would get stuck on something I had just read in that final cramming session and I couldn’t get past it to something deeper in my memory. And second, I couldn’t point to a single time that I got a question right because I had spent five more minutes reviewing my notes. So after my first year, I decided to just sit there with my notes closed and trust my prior preparation. If I wasn’t ready by now, five more minutes wasn’t going to make me ready. By that point, the test result would be whatever it would be.
I also received a great gift in a backwards way in college. I took contemporary moral problems in the philosophy department. Interesting class. We studied abortion. Capital punishment. You know, the easy stuff. But the professor hated God and every form of religion, so she told us we would fail if we used faith or religion on any of our papers. I had a difficult time separating morality and faith, so I got a C for the first time in my life. But that was a gift, because it meant I didn’t have to pressure myself to get perfect grades. That ship had sailed. It’s like getting a ding on a new car – it’s never going to be perfect again so it takes a little pressure off.
So those two doses of humility helped me be less anxious. I had to humbly admit that five or ten more minutes of studying wouldn’t change my eventual grade. And I had to humbly admit that the difference between an A-minus and a B-minus was rather negligible in the scheme of life. It’s not like Becca wouldn’t have married me if I had a slightly lower GPA.
So there’s this tension in our faith. Peter has both sides of this coin right next to each other in verses six and seven. “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time.” So we’re supposed to be humble because God’s got things in hand even if we get a bad grade or lose a job or whatever goes wrong. The universe doesn’t cease to exist because something bad happens to us.
But on the other hand, Peter says, “Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.” So we’re supposed to trust God because he cares about us. So we matter to God, but the universe doesn’t hinge on our wellbeing. That’s an interesting tension.
I lead a men’s Bible study here at the church, and we’ve been meeting for several years. We have some deep conversations. We have some not-so-deep conversations. We study the Bible. We share about our lives. It’s good. Jesus cares about that group. I care about that group.
But would anyone lose their faith and start worshiping Dagon, the god of the Philistines, if the group stopped meeting? Not likely.
Would the church shut down if the men’s Bible study stopped meeting? Not likely.
Or many of you remember when the gas station across the street had an underground leak and made a potentially explosive situation underneath our church. Did that disrupt ministry and worship? Yeah, of course. But we’re still here. I’m sure a lot of plans were drastically impacted by that development. But here we are. It wasn’t the end of the church.
So in humility, Peter encourages us to realize that the things that we think are essential might not be quite as important as we think they are. Perhaps we are deifying our preferences rather than keeping God’s plan in mind. But, Peter reminds us, God cares about us and wants us to cast those same anxieties on him.
When you’re feeling anxiety, tell God about it. Ask for the Holy Spirit to show up. Ask for Jesus to do something. Cast your anxieties on him. But also remember in humility that you don’t have the same perspective or priorities that God has. Even if it goes as badly as you fear, the universe probably won’t end.
Preparation
But let’s rewind to that first college story I told. Instead of cramming for the last five or ten minutes, I said I trusted my prior preparation. I’m quite sure that many of my fellow students were cramming precisely because they had not done any prior preparation.
And our texts from Isaiah and Peter encourage that kind of preparation. We can actually prepare our hearts before we’re filled with anxiety. It’s a lot easier to trust God in fearful times when you’ve trained your heart to trust God already.
In our Isaiah passage, God says, “I will make of you a threshing sledge, sharp, new, and having teeth.” When we seek God during the normal times in life, we sharpen our faith for the times we’re afraid. Peter says the same thing as well. “Discipline yourselves, keep alert,” he says.
So when you are trusting Jesus with your time with your devotional journal, you’re actually preparing your heart for difficult times.
When you are trusting Jesus with your decisions throughout your daily life, you’re preparing your heart for difficult decisions later on.
When you are trusting Jesus by sharing your prayer requests with others, you’re preparing your heart to depend on the community of faith when you really need it.
Summary
Sisters and brothers, it’s OK to feel afraid. If the psalmist can accuse God of sleeping on the job, we can tell God how we’re actually feeling, too. Cast all your anxieties on the Lord, for he cares for you.
But in humility, also remember that the universe won’t end even if our fear comes true. God still has the world in his hands.
And we can prepare our hearts and souls to trust God when we’re shaking in our boots by investing in our relationship with Jesus on a daily basis. That’s what makes us ready to stand firm in our shaking boots.
How ready are you to trust God in the midst of your fear? Amen.
November 10, 2019 - "Words to Remember: New Life" by Rev. Cody Sandahl
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Sermon begins at the 2:04 mark after the music
Lay Reader = Romans 12:1-5
I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect. 3For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, 5so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another.
Introduction
We are nearing the end of our series looking at the words to remember – the Bible verses that are worth memorizing or otherwise writing on your heart. We still have the handouts sitting around the church if you want to remind yourself of the important Bible verses we have covered in this series.
Last week we asked, “Where is God when I’m hurting.” And we were reminded that there is another in the fire – Jesus is with us at all times. And we also were reminded that God uses us to help restore other people’s joy when they’ve been through the wringer.
This week we are wondering how our lives should be different as a result of our faith in Jesus. Let me illustrate. Did you know that your body’s intestines can be 20-25 feet long? Interesting! But is that knowledge going to change anything about your day? Probably not. Or maybe you’re slightly less hungry for lunch now.
By contrast, what if God revealed the upcoming winning lottery numbers, and I shared it with you. Would that change your day? You’d probably go grab a ticket, right?
Or on a snow day, if you hear there have been thirty-seven wrecks across Littleton, and you don’t technically need to go out that day, does that knowledge affect your day? Hopefully you’ll stay home!
So is our faith in Jesus more like knowing the length of our intestines – interesting but superfluous to our decisions throughout the day? Or is our faith more like knowing the condition of the roads or knowing the winning lotto numbers ahead of time – it changes what we do and how we act?
1 Timothy 1:1-7
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, 2To Timothy, my loyal child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 3I urge you, as I did when I was on my way to Macedonia, to remain in Ephesus so that you may instruct certain people not to teach any different doctrine, 4and not to occupy themselves with myths and endless genealogies that promote speculations rather than the divine training that is known by faith. 5But the aim of such instruction is love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith. 6Some people have deviated from these and turned to meaningless talk, 7desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make assertions.
John 15:9-17
9As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. 10If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. 12“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. 16You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. 17I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.
Friends
I think the term “friend” is undergoing some change in its meaning. For instance, I pretty much only use Facebook to post my sermons, books, and songs, and to see the pictures my mom posts after we see them. I do not initiate friend requests on Facebook. I accept if someone I actually know sends me a friend request. And despite those limitations, I have 652 “friends” on Facebook. Now, I do actually know those people, and many more.
When we talk about meaningful, rooted relationships here at the church, we say that we want people to know how to pray for you specifically this month. So if I apply that Rooted Relationships definition to my Facebook friend list, it shrinks down a bit. That would drop down to less than ten who could pray for me specifically this month. And maybe a few dozen who could pray for me generally.
How about you? Who are your meaningful friends? Who could pray for you generally? And who could pray for you specifically right now?
So here’s another Bible trivia opportunity. In the entire Old Testament, how many people do you think are called “friends of God?” Any guesses? Two! Moses and Abraham. That’s it! God wasn’t keen on running up his Facebook friend count, apparently.
So imagine how shocked Jesus’ disciples were when he told them, “I have called you friends.” No longer servants or slaves, but “friends.” In the same category as Moses and Abraham. That’s surprising, right? That’s good!
But there’s a catch. This friendship comes with a hope and an expectation. Jesus says, “You are my friends if you do what I command you.” Friendship with Jesus is not defined by knowing about Jesus. It’s not defined by your relatives or your blood line. It’s not defined by your knowledge of Greek and Hebrew. “You are my friends if you do what I command you,” Jesus says.
And in case you’re wondering what Jesus commands, Jesus lays it out pretty plainly, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” That’s a rather high bar, to love others just as Jesus loves. I don’t think I’ll ever get there. But perhaps, over time, I can grow closer to that standard.
Chatting
Here’s another way to think about this. Of those 652 Facebook friends, I said there were probably less than ten who could pray for me specifically right now. But there are quite a few others who could have prayed for me specifically at some point in my life. Of my high school friends, I only stay in close contact with one. Of my young professional friends, I only stay in close contact with a couple. Of my seminary friends, I only stay in close contact with one. The close friends have stayed close friends because of regular contact.
And the same is true of our friendship with Jesus. It’s hard to do what Jesus commands if we aren’t in regular contact. It’s hard to love like Jesus loves if we aren’t in regular contact. It’s hard to be friends with Jesus without regular contact.
So how do you stay in regular contact with Jesus? How good of a friend are you being with Jesus? If you’re a parent, how are you helping your children stay in regular contact with Jesus? Do they see you staying in regular contact with Jesus?
I saw some research a couple of weeks ago that only 20% of churchgoers do something to take in the Bible on a daily basis. Only one in five churchgoers are staying in regular contact with Jesus. Only one in five churchgoers are doing the most important thing that friends of Jesus do – staying in regular contact.
How about you? Are you staying in regular contact with Jesus? Are you being a friend of Jesus, or a distant acquaintance? Are you the kind of friend with Jesus that just calls to chat? Or are you the pesky neighbor who only shows up when they need something? What kind of friend are you being with Jesus?
I mean, I think I’m a pretty good friend with John Elway. Did you know we have a friendship? It’s true! I’ve watched him on TV. I’ve cheered him on. I know many of his stats. I’ve even read his Wikipedia page. And his name’s on the dealership when I get my car serviced. We’re practically besties! No, we’ve never met. No, I don’t have his cell phone. No, he’s not one of my 652 Facebook friends. But still – I know a lot about him, and I’ve watched him on TV, so I think we’re good friends.
Obviously I’m kidding, but I think that’s what we do with our relationship with Jesus sometimes. We show up to worship, so we sing about Jesus sometimes. We hear someone else talking about Jesus. Maybe we learn some info about Jesus at a Bible study or Sunday school class on occasion. But are we friends with Jesus. Are we chatting with Jesus? Are we in regular contact? Is Jesus an integral part of our lives? As a result of that relationship with Jesus, are we increasing in our love – just as Jesus loved?
Friendship isn’t just about accumulating knowledge. In our text from Romans, Paul said, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.” As one of my ministry compatriots used to say, “it’s about transformation, not information.”
Or in Paul’s letter to Timothy that we read, Paul encourages Timothy to have sound doctrine. But he reminds him, “But the aim of such instruction is love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith.” Not just knowledge – love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith. Transformation, not information. Friendship, not knowing someone by reputation or their Wikipedia page.
Developing a Friendship with Jesus
But maybe we should back up a bit. Maybe you’re not sure that you want a friendship with Jesus. Is it worth your time to stay in regular contact with Jesus? I don’t stay in regular contact with everyone – only when we mutually value that regular contact. So is Jesus worth your time on a regular basis – not just one hour on Sunday morning? I mean, we had a pretty rough week in my family. Charlie had three visits to the ER last week. Don’t worry – he’s OK now. But I guarantee you my brain was whispering to me, “You’ve had a rough day. You’re tired. You don’t have the energy to do your spiritual journal tonight. Just do something mindless. There’s a new Star Wars novel!” Other than that part about the Star Wars novel, has your brain ever whispered to you like that?
What can we say back to that little voice? Well Jesus himself says what he’s offering. “I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.” So when I’m exhausted and I don’t want to spend the five to fifteen minutes it takes to do my spiritual journal, I remind myself that my heart is filled with joy by staying in regular contact with Jesus. No novel can do that beyond the time I’m reading it. No TV show, no video game, no movie can fill my heart with joy no matter what life throws at me. Only a friendship with Jesus can do that. GK Chesterton called this kind of joy, “the gigantic secret of the Christian.” That’s our ace in the hole. You can’t get that elsewhere.
Another thing I tell that little voice that tempts me to do something – anything – other than my spiritual journal? I tell that little voice that I waste a lot more time than it takes to stay in regular contact with Jesus. Picture a close friend or a relative with whom you’re in regular contact. If you called them on the phone every day for five to fifteen minutes, would they know what’s going on in your life? Would you know what’s going on in their life? It doesn’t take all that long if you’re doing it frequently.
So in five to fifteen minutes, I can read some of the Bible – the Word of God – I can ask Jesus for some advice to help me be more like him in my life, and I can pray for the Holy Spirit to help me actually do what Jesus is telling me. It doesn’t take a lot of time. Jesus wants to chat with you! The Holy Spirit wants to help you! You don’t have to beg God to speak to you. You don’t have to say some magical fomulaic prayer to get Jesus’ attention. Just seek him intentionally and regularly. Be a good friend with Jesus.
So when that little voice tells you that you don’t really need to connect with Jesus today, remember that it’s incredibly valuable and it takes very little time. There’s no real excuse, even though we all let that little voice win plenty of times.
Summary
Sisters and brothers, if you have a way that you can intentionally and regularly stay in contact with Jesus, I’m encouraging you to commit to it more regularly. You don’t lose by doing that – you win.
If you don’t know where to start and you want to, I just added a section to our church’s website that trains you to use the same method I use. It’s not magical – it works for me and a lot of other people, but it might not work for you. But if you just want somewhere to start, head over to fpcl.org/bible. It’s in your insert as well. And I ordered several of the journals as well, and I want to give the journal to you if it helps you get started. I hope we can be a church where far more than 20% of the people regularly connect with Jesus by reflecting on Scripture and praying for guidance.
And if that doesn’t work for you and you’re still stuck, let me know. I’m happy to grab coffee or lunch and help you figure out another idea. Don’t just slide away from your friendship with Jesus! Take me up on that offer!
Is Jesus an acquaintance or a friend? He says you’re his friend. Are you willing to invest a little time to be a good friend in return? Amen.
November 3, 2019 - "Words to Remember: Hurting" by Rev. Cody Sandahl
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Lay Reader = Isaiah 40:27-31
27Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God”? 28Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. 29He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. 30Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; 31but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
Introduction
We are still in our series looking at the words to remember – the Bible verses that are worth memorizing or otherwise writing on your heart. When life goes sideways on you, these are the verses that can bring you hope and comfort and peace.
Last week we talked about how we can notice the Holy Spirit’s presence wherever love is produced, and that kind of love looks like joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and the rest of that list in Galatians 5. This week we are wondering where God is when we’re hurting.
But I want to start off by addressing what I believe are two big misunderstandings. Romans 8:28 says that “we know that all things work together for good to them that love God.” That’s the King James Version. That makes it sound like God only lets good things happen to you, or things that you think are bad are actually good for you.
But here’s a little different word order from the New International Version that I believe captures the meaning much better: “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.” Instead of making everything that happens to you good, this points out that God is working for your good at all times. This is a key distinction in my mind.
For example, as a result of our son’s epilepsy and developmental delays, I have developed greater compassion for other people. That’s a good thing. But God didn’t send epilepsy to Charlie so that I would have greater compassion. Epilepsy isn’t good. It’s still bad. But in the midst of that bad thing, God has also worked to bring good things as well. That’s a big difference.
Or if we dial it back a little bit, if you tell a lie, and somehow other people wind up better off because of it, is God suddenly in favor of lying? No! Thou shalt not bear false witness! It’s one of the Ten Commandments!
Or has anyone watched the Chernobyl series? Or maybe you’re just generally familiar with the nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl. After the meltdown, an exclusion zone was created where people couldn’t live. Villages were forcibly evacuated, and no one can move back. And interestingly, life has found a way even with high levels of radioactivity. In fact, the wildlife in the Chernobyl area is doing better than other parts of the country. So, given that nature has bounced back to be even more robust than it was before, does that make a nuclear meltdown good? No! It’s still bad! Ask the families of the workers who lost their lives trying to contain the meltdown if they think it was good. But just because something is bad, that doesn’t mean it’s hopeless. God can bring about good things in other ways, but the nuclear meltdown was still bad. Are you with me?
OK, so bad things are still bad even if God brings about good in another way.
Second misunderstanding: “God will never give you more than you can handle.” I’ve done this before, so I’m testing your memory. Do you remember: is that in the Old Testament or the New Testament? Neither! It’s not in the Bible!
I mean, let’s imagine that this is true. That would mean there’s like a quota of bad things for the day. And God has to divvy those bad things up based on the internal strength of the people in the world. Cancer? Oh, Johnny can handle that, but Martha’s too brittle inside. Let’s skip her for that one. But she could handle hives! Let’s go with hives for Martha. If that were the case, we should all strive to be as spiritually weak as possible so God would deem us incapable of handling bad things in life!
My family used to have index cards with all the household chores on them. And we had draft day, where we would each select a chore in turns. So empty the trash always went early in the draft – it’s easy and quick. Scrub the toilets? A little further down in average draft position. Wash all the windows in the house? Last pick. That was the Mr. Irrelevant of the Sandahl Family Chore Draft. There isn’t a “bad life stuff” draft up in heaven divvying things up based on the strength of people’s respective shoulders.
So we have two misconceptions out of the way. Bad things are still bad, but God often brings about good in another way. And the amount of pain in your life is not in proportion to the strength of your shoulders. Got it?
So now let’s talk about what the Bible actually says about when we are hurting. This is a part of Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi. This church did not have a lot of resources, but they were exceptionally generous. And in this section, Paul is trying to thank them for their support in the midst of a trying time while also acknowledging that they really couldn’t afford the gift they sent to him.
Philippians 4:10-14
10I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned for me, but had no opportunity to show it. 11Not that I am referring to being in need; for I have learned to be content with whatever I have. 12I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. 13I can do all things through him who strengthens me. 14In any case, it was kind of you to share my distress.
Help
Well Veterans Day is coming up soon, so I’m curious. Raise your hand if you’ve served in the military? Thank you for your service! Thank you. All right, of those who served in the military, how many of you thought your packs were too light and you wished you had twice as much weight? Any takers? Depending on your role, US soldiers carry between 60 and 100 pounds of gear already. Weight of equipment is a major problem.
And the military has a few different ways it’s trying to tackle it. They’re trying to make some things lighter. But then that usually starts people thinking of new features to add and it winds up heavier. So that’s not helpful.
Another option is autonomous robotic mules. Just load up your robo mule with your extra ammo and let the metal beast carry your burden! But you better hope it’s not too steep of an incline. And you better hope you don’t come under fire and lose access to your equipment. And you better hope the robot doesn’t run out of energy before you do. The robo mule may not actually be helpful given its limitations.
So a third option is an exoskeleton. Basically give each soldier extra strength with a robotic skeleton that they wear. Who wouldn’t want to be able to lift twice as much, right? But there are some problems here, too. The early exoskeletons have to be plugged in. So, you can be a super soldier within a thirty foot radius. But the bigger problem is the lag time. They have difficulties moving fluidly. In fact, sometimes researchers have found that it takes more energy to walk around in the robotic exoskeleton. You can lift a ton of weight, but moving around will tire you out faster. That may not be super helpful given that soldiers move around quite a bit.
And this interests me when we’re talking about our faith when we’re hurting, because these attempts to solve the problem sometimes wind up making things worse. And I think we can ask this of our faith as well. When we’re hurting, when things aren’t going well, when we’re struggling or suffering or drained or depressed, is our faith propping us up, or are we dragging our faith behind us like an anchor? Is your faith helpful or harmful when you’re hurting?
That’s where I think Paul’s words in our text today are interesting. Whereas the robotic mule and the exoskeleton are useful in some scenarios and harmful in others, Paul says that his faith in Jesus is helpful in all scenarios. When he had very little in his life, his faith was helpful. When he had plenty in his life, his faith was helpful. When he was well-fed, his faith was helpful. When he was hungry, his faith was helpful. When he could give to others, his faith was helpful. When he needed assistance from others, his faith was helpful.
And he ends it with “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Now, this is another verse that causes some misconceptions. Given the context we just heard – that his faith has been useful in good times and bad times – Paul is definitely NOT trying to say that his faith turns him into some superhero who can smash down walls and leap tall buildings in a single bound. Paul is NOT saying that his faith makes everything turn out just dandy.
He IS saying that his faith gives him the strength to stand no matter how much weight life piles on. He IS saying that his faith gives him the willpower to keep moving forward no matter how strong the headwinds are. He IS saying that he can bear any burden in life because it is truly Jesus who is bearing the burden in his soul.
And he IS saying that his faith gave him guidance when he had enough resources to have lots of options. He IS saying that his faith gave him opportunities to help others when he had the ability to help. He IS saying that his faith gave him perspective when life was going well. His faith was useful in the pain. AND his faith was useful in the prosperity.
How about you? In your life, has your faith been a help or a drag when you experienced pain? Has your faith been a help or a drag when you experienced prosperity? Has your faith been a life jacket or a dead weight?
Paul said his faith was the most important thing in his life in every circumstance. And he wasn’t just spewing untested phrases, he had lived those circumstances.
He went from respected leader of the Jewish people to a pariah for the Messiah. He was beaten and stripped and arrested at times. Other times he was supporting himself with his skill as a tent maker. In some church circles he was seen as a beloved apostle. In other church circles he was seen as a Gentile-loving heretic. And so he knows what he’s talking about when he says, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” His faith was the greatest help in his life.
Another
There’s a powerful moment in the book of Daniel. The Babylonian king gets mad because three faithful Jewish men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, wouldn’t worship his statue. So he has them tired up and thrown into a blazing furnace. But they don’t die. In fact, the king asks his advisers in confusion, “Was it not three men that we threw bound into the fire?” They answered the king, “True, O king.” He replied, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the middle of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the fourth has the appearance of a god.”
There’s a lot to like about that story. Actually the three Jewish men acknowledge to the Babylonian king that God is able to save them, and he may or may not, but no matter the outcome they’ll worship God alone. That’s faithfulness at its best.
But when God does decide to keep them alive, he does it in an interesting way. He could have saved them from the fire, but he didn’t. Instead, someone who sounds a lot like Jesus is standing with them in the fire as they are not consumed. The king had them bound, but in their faithfulness they were unshackled. The king had them marked for death, but in their faithfulness they were not overcome. The fire still came! But it did not consume them because Jesus was with them in the fire.
There’s a song on Christian radio right now that uses the imagery of this moment from the book of Daniel. The chorus says, “There is another in the fire, standing next to me. There is another in the waters, holding back the seas. And should I ever need reminding what power set me free: there is a grave that holds no body, and now that power lives in me.”
If your life is trying to tie you up, if you are hurting, if you are feeling the heat right now, remember what Paul said about those times: “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Remember what Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego discovered: there is another in the fire, standing next to you. Remember what we heard in Isaiah in our first text today, “he gives power to the faith, and strengthens to powerless…they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”
Sometimes God helps you avoid the flames. But when the flames do come, Jesus stands with you in the fire so that it does not consume your soul.
Through Us
But I also find it interesting that Paul says he is strengthened by the support of the Philippian church. He says their consideration caused him to “rejoice greatly.”
Jesus is often the only one who can truly stand with someone in the fire, but other people are often the ones who can help another rejoice once again. Paul didn’t really need the gift of the Philippians church, and he felt a little strange accepting it because he knew it hurt for them to give him the gift. But their compassion for him, their consideration of his plight, their willingness to demonstrate their love for him – that led him to rejoice greatly.
So if you’re not in the fire right now, if you’re not barely surviving thanks to the grace of Jesus right now, is there someone who could use your compassion and consideration? Is there someone who might “rejoice greatly” at your thoughtfulness toward them?
Summary
Sisters and brothers, for people who believe in Jesus, we can count on two big promises. Thanks to Jesus, when we no longer draw earthly breath we know that death doesn’t get the last word.
But as long as we draw breath, we can also count on Jesus being with us. There is another in the fire, standing next to me. There is another in the waters, holding back the seas. If I ever need reminding what power set me free: there is a grave that holds no body, and that power lives in me.
There is another in the fire. And he might be inviting you to help someone else out of their fire, too. Amen.