October 2020

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First Reading = John 14:23-29

23Jesus answered him, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me.

25”I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 26But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. 27Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.

28You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I am coming to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. 29And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe.

Introduction

We are continuing our series where we are learning how to practice peace, how to grow and cultivate peace in our lives. Last week we talked about focusing on the things that are actually in our hands.

For our text today, we’re actually going to skip over the healing. That’s right, even though healing a man covered with leprosy is impressive, we’re going to skip right over it. We’re going to focus on the very last verse in this story. I bet you already know that Jesus healed lepers. But did you know he did what he does in our final verse today? Let’s find out.

Sermon Reading = Luke 5:12-16

12Once, when he was in one of the cities, there was a man covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.” 13Then Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I do choose. Be made clean.” Immediately the leprosy left him. 14And he ordered him to tell no one. “Go,” he said, “and show yourself to the priest, and, as Moses commanded, make an offering for your cleansing, for a testimony to them.” 15But now more than ever the word about Jesus spread abroad; many crowds would gather to hear him and to be cured of their diseases. 16But he would withdraw to deserted places and pray.

Jesus Regularly Paused

Since we’re recognizing All Saints Day today, I’ve been thinking about the families I have met with over the years while planning funerals. I ask families if there are any trademark phrases or stories that really capture the essence of their dearly departed. And often times someone will call out a memorable phrase, and everyone else goes, “Oh yeah!” For example, I can still audibly hear my great grandmother saying, “Well you didn’t eat much!” Or my grandmother who is still alive says, “Endeavor to persevere!”

As you think about some of your dearly departed loved ones, do any of those memorable phrases or notable habits come to mind?

In our text today, we get one of those, “Oh yeah!” moments for Jesus. We just heard Luke 5:16, “But he would withdraw to deserted places and pray.” Let me add Mark 1:35 to that, which says, “In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.” And let me add Matthew 14:23 to that, which says, “And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray.”

Matthew, Mark, and Luke all remembered that Jesus regularly, habitually, went off by himself to pray. So they tossed it in as a kind of “oh yeah!” line in the midst of their narratives. It wasn’t the main action like healing a leper, but all three of them thought it was important to share this habit that Jesus had of going off by himself to pray. Jesus had a habit of taking a breath, taking a pause, taking a time away from the infinite demands on his life and ministry.

In fact, Matthew, Mark, and Luke all highlight the same three components of Jesus’ habit of taking a breath: he went to a place, to be silent and alone, and he prayed. In the midst of his whirlwind three years of ministry, Jesus regularly paused to take a breath by going to a place, to be silent and alone, and pray.

Finding A Place

So let’s take those in order. Our first tool for taking a deep breath and practicing peace is to find a place.

In our text today, we heard that Jesus went to deserted places. Even on the night he was going to be betrayed, he withdrew by himself to the Garden of Gethsemane – an orchard outside of town. He connected with God in places that were deserted and often wild.

But that doesn’t have to be your place. Sometimes I connect with God well in a crowd when all of the noise just blends into background energy. Like a Panera or Starbucks. Maybe for you it’s a trail. Maybe it’s your basement.

What’s a specific place you can connect with God without being distracted?

When we got the most recent snow, I went out on a hike late at night while the snow was still coming down pretty hard. It was about 7 degrees plus wind and snow, so I was pretty bundled up, but I connect with God when I am hiking through the deserted snowy landscape. Usually it’s just my boot tracks, but this time a fellow crazy person had left tracks with their fat tire bike. Maybe they were connecting with God in the deserted snowy landscape as well.

I’ve also invested in my ability to just sit on my porch. We got an infrared heater that I hung on the ceiling of our covered patio. When I’m sitting directly underneath it, I can look at the distant mountains behind my house even if it’s below freezing. Being alone outside, and especially if it’s a snowy landscape – that’s my place.

What’s your place to connect with God? Do you need to invest in that space like I did with the heater or by getting better snow gear? What’s your place?

Silent and Alone

For our next tool from Jesus, we’re gonna have to go there, people. Let’s talk about the “s” word – silence. Jesus was silent and alone. A few years ago, Pastor Carol led a mostly-silent retreat. Our group was…not the most skilled at the silent part. What’s so hard about silence?

Sometimes when my younger son is asking me a million questions and my older son is banging on coffee cans, silence sounds mighty nice! Archelaus, an ancient king of Macedon, was in the barber’s chair. And his barber, a typically gregarious fellow, asked the king how he would like his hair cut. And the king responded, “In silence.”

So silence can be golden. But you can also have awkward pauses. When you’re public speaking, every second of silence feels like an eternity. When my children are suddenly very quiet, I’m afraid something’s wrong! What’s so tough about silence?

The spiritual author Richard Foster took his best guess on this question. He said, “We are so accustomed to relying upon words to manage and control others. If we are silence, who will take control? God will take control, but we will never let him take control until we trust him. Silence is intimately related to trust.”

I love that ending – silence is intimately related to trust. It’s kind of like if you have a really long silence on a first date, that’s bad. But it’s not always bad if you have a long pause after you’ve been married for a long time. It’s a sign of trust. Or your spouse is mad at you. I’ll leave that as an exercise for the hearer.

So I believe part of our struggle with silence is that it requires us to trust. We have to trust that the world will keep spinning even if we aren’t exhaling our words. We have to trust that it’s OK to just be still instead of always doing something. We have to trust that God will be present, as he was for Elijah, in the sound of sheer silence. And we have to trust God enough to let him set the agenda in our silence, for we have no words with which to guide the conversation.

The Hawaiians use the term Haole for non-natives. It’s not a compliment. A native Hawaiian once told Max Lucado that the term means “no breath.” And it was associated with the European immigrants because, “our forefathers thought the settlers were always in a hurry to build plantations, harbors, and ranches. To the native Hawaiians they seemed short of breath.”

So if you feel like you’re always in a hurry, stop and take a breath. If you feel like you’re short on breath right now – short on the breath of God in your soul – spend some time in silence.

If you haven’t spent a lot of time in silence, it’ll probably feel like slamming on your brakes in your car. It’ll be jarring. But as you develop a habit of silence, as Jesus did, it becomes a welcome respite rather than a jarring stop. If you’re out of breath, embrace some silence like Jesus did.

Obviously if you chose one of those Panera or Starbucks kind of places to connect with God, you’re not going to be silently alone there. You might need a different structure to be silently alone.

And I don’t want to skip over the “alone” part, either. If you’re an external processor, you want to talk about the things you’re thinking, right? That’s great! But sometimes you also need to let God do the talking instead of you. Sometimes you need to let God be your sounding board instead of a friend.

Pray

So we’ve heard about finding your place. We’ve heard about being silently alone. Jesus’ third tool was praying.

Seeing a beautiful sunset is nice. It might even give you a little tingle of momentary peace. But connecting that sunset with your Creator through prayer cultivates peace throughout your entire life. It’s prayer that can take that beautiful sunset and turn it into beauty in your soul.

There are different forms of prayer, but when you’re trying to take a pause, to take a breath, to take a break, I would recommend saying or thinking as little as possible. Let God do the talking. Receive God’s words instead of hurling your words at God.

I’ve used cultivation as a metaphor for this sermon series. So imagine that you are the corn. Can you will yourself to grow taller? Can you stress your way to growing more kernels? Can you force your way to the top of the plant so that other ear doesn’t steal your sunshine? No.

You grow as you receive sun, as you receive the rain, as you receive nutrients from the soil. So try to pray in a way that receives from God rather than throwing things at God.

There’s a song called “Word of God Speak” that captures this image, I think. The chorus goes, “Word of God speak. Would you pour down like rain, washing my eyes to see your majesty. To be still and know that you’re in this place. Please let me stay and rest in your holiness. Word of God speak.”

Let God’s words rain down. It might be a gentle rain. It might be a drop or two. It might be a deluge! Receive God’s words in prayer. In fact, while I was typing those words, the Holy Spirit squirted me with some of God’s words and told me to send a note to a specific person that I had neglected to do the last two times the Holy Spirit had prompted me. So I stopped right then and sent the note.

So when you find your place, and you are silent and alone, and you pray to receive the nourishing rain of God’s words, watch out! You’re in a splash zone! It’s like Shamu at Sea World – if you sit in God’s presence you might get wet with the Word of God! And like Shamu splashing you at Sea World, that would be a good thing to hear from God.

Summary

Sisters and brothers, if you want to cultivate and practice peace in your life no matter your circumstances, Jesus shows us how important it is to take a breath. To take a pause. To find a place, to be silent and alone, and pray to receive God’s words like nourishing rain.

Where’s your place? Where do you connect best with God? How can you intentionally go to that place this week?

Do you have opportunities for silence and being alone with God? How can you seek those opportunities this week?

When was the last time you just sat and received God’s words in prayer instead of throwing your words at him? When can you sit and listen to what God is speaking this week?

Taking a breath sounds easy, but it takes work. Jesus had to send the crowds away. Jesus had to tell his disciples to stay behind. He had to manufacture his own deep breaths and pauses. We might have to manufacture those opportunities in our lives, too.

But if you do…if you place yourself, silent and alone, in God’s splash zone, I bet you’ll get a little wet with the Word of God.

Wouldn’t that be a breath of fresh air? Amen.

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First Reading = Hebrews 12:11-17

11Now, discipline always seems painful rather than pleasant at the time, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. 12Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, 13and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed. 14Pursue peace with everyone, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. 15See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springs up and causes trouble, and through it many become defiled. 16See to it that no one becomes like Esau, an immoral and godless person, who sold his birthright for a single meal. 17You know that later, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, even though he sought the blessing with tears.

Introduction

We are starting a new series called Practicing Peace. A few weeks ago, I sat down at my computer and prayed, “OK God. I’ve been drawing a blank on the next sermon series for weeks. I got nothing, so can you give me something? And just for reference, I only have 30 minutes before I have to help with the kids again.” And immediately I heard – almost audibly – “practicing peace.” And within 30 minutes, the entire outline of this series flowed out. So you can interpret that how you will, but to me I’m going to give the Holy Spirit credit rather than myself.

I like this series at this time for a few reasons. First, it’s focusing on peace. I’ve heard – maybe it’s just a rumor – but I’ve heard that people aren’t feeling very peaceful right now. I’ve heard – maybe it’s just a rumor – but I’ve heard that people are feeling anxious right now. Feeling like things are out of their control right now. Have you heard that rumor? Are you feeling that topsy-turvy, out-of-control, anxious feeling right now? We’re going to try to help you find peace.

And the second big reason I like this series right now is that we’re going to practice peace. Peace is something you can cultivate like a field of corn. Peace is something you can get better at like baseball or painting or playing Scrabble. So we’re going to give you tools each week that you can use to cultivate and practice peace in your life.

Peace doesn’t always come easy. Sometimes you gotta work at it! We’re going to give you the tools to work at having peace in your heart and your mind and your soul and your life. I hope that sounds appealing. I hope that sounds useful. As I’ve shared before, my mom is a mental health therapist. And anxiety is one of her specialties. So some of these tools for practicing peace are the ways she helps her anxious clients. Thanks, Mom!

So in this anxious time, we’re going to practice, work on, cultivate peace in our lives.

Our first text today is from Jesus’ most famous sermon – the Sermon on the Mount. The sermon is a series of some of Jesus’ most memorable phrases and images and stories. One of my life missions is to highlight the humor in the Bible. So I want you to listen to Jesus’ hyperbole here. Think about the size of a log, the size of a speck, the size of an eye, and see if you can hear the humor in Jesus’ contrast to start our text today.

Sermon Reading = Matthew 7:1-14

“Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. 2For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. 3Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? 4Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye. 6“Do not give what is holy to dogs; and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under foot and turn and maul you.

7“Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. 8For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 9Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone? 10Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake? 11If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

12“In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets. 13“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. 14For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

In My Hands

Well after high school, my family moved to Port Aransas – an island in the Gulf of Mexico. And Port Aransas was famous for its fishing. Now, I didn’t grow up fishing. I seem to have some sort of electromagnetic field that makes computers work and chases fish away. It’s weird. But when you live in Port Aransas, you have to try fishing. So my family went out on a deep sea fishing tour.

It was…memorable? That’s about as generous as I can go on that. First off, my weird field was in full effect – only two fish were caught on the entire trip. Sorry to everyone else on the boat. That was my fault. I should’ve wrapped myself in tin foil or something.

Second, I wasn’t accustomed to being that far out in the ocean with its ups and downs…and ups and downs…and ups and downs. And, did I mention there were ups and downs? I was a little seasick, but I was holding it together until we pulled up to an oil rig. The smell of the oil mixed with the smell of the person sitting next to me smoking mixed with the hot sun mixed with the ups and downs…and ups and downs…and ups and downs…well, that did me in. I’ll spare you the details.

When you’re seasick on a deep sea fishing tour, what are your options? Well, I couldn’t tell the waves to stop. That wasn’t in my power. And I couldn’t tell the captain to put her back ashore. That wasn’t in my power. And I couldn’t just will myself to stop being seasick. That would’ve been nice.

They say you should get into the middle of the boat and focus on a fixed point like the horizon. That’s within your power. But I did something else. I chose to go to the middle of the boat, take a Dramamine pill, and fall asleep for the next several hours. I woke up just as we were bumping the dock as we returned to port. Brilliant timing! Best fishing trip ever!

Those two fish, by the way, were caught while I was sleeping, thus proving that my electromagnetic field is weaker while I’m asleep.

It’s interesting to think about that scenario. Because some things were in my hands, and other things were out of my hands. I couldn’t control the weather or the waves or the location of the boat or the fact that I was feeling seasick. Those were out of my hands. But I could decide to take a motion sickness pill and go to sleep. And if you ask me to join you on a deep sea fishing tour, it is within my power to say, “No thank you!”

In our text today, Jesus draws a contrast between the things that are in our hands and the things that are out of our hands.

Do Not Judge

Jesus starts our text with something that is out of our hands: “Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get.” The image of measuring here is from the marketplace, where merchant’s scales would determine the correct payment.

And you see throughout the Old Testament that God hates – that’s literally the word – God hates dishonest scales. When a merchant uses a scale that puts others at a disadvantage, Proverbs 11:1 even says that’s an “abomination to the Lord.”

Jesus isn’t saying that we don’t make judgments about right and wrong. We do that all the time. But he IS saying that we don’t pronounce the final sentence on people. For a lighter example, imagine that someone cuts you off in traffic. What goes through your head? “Well that bleep-ing bleep! I can’t believe that bleep!” That’s pretty normal. We assume that the person who cut us off is a bad person because only a bad person would cut us off in traffic.

Now let’s imagine a different scenario. Let’s imagine that you’ve had a rough day, so you’re not paying attention to your speed. And your reaction time’s a little slower than normal. And you’re thinking about an uncomfortable conversation you’re going to have to have when you get home. And, oh by the way, WHOOPS! You just cut off someone in traffic.

Are you a bad person because only a bad person would cut someone else off in traffic?

We are often very quick to say that when someone hurts us, it’s because they’re a bad person. But when we hurt someone else? Well there were extenuating circumstances!

So here’s the scary thing. Jesus is saying that whenever we pronounce final judgment upon a person, the measure we use for them is the measure we will receive. If that person deserves to go to a special place in hell because of a decision they made…the measure we use for them is the measure we will receive. If the person who cut us off in traffic is a bleeping bleep…the measure we use for them is the measure we will receive.

Jesus does not need our notes on how to judge someone. That’s out of our hands.

Not Personal

So here’s the first tool. Instead of feeling personally attacked and therefore pronouncing judgment upon a person, let’s ask this question instead. We’ll start with the car example, and then we’ll ratchet it up from there. Would that person have driven the same no matter who was in the lane next to them? Yes! They didn’t personally target you on the highway. It wasn’t personal.

Let’s take this up a notch. Think of something that annoys you or angers you about a family member. Would that family member do the same thing even if you switched yourself out for someone else? Would your father-in-law say that no matter who their child married? Would your uncle say that at Thanksgiving no matter who else was at the table? A LOT of the time, the answer is yes. It’s not personal. You’re just the person who happens to be sitting or standing there.

The power of this tool comes from the second step. Once you’ve identified which things aren’t actually personal and therefore aren’t actually in your control, you can focus on the things you can control. If your uncle is going to say provocative things at the dinner table no matter what, then you can’t influence that. You can’t control that. You can’t stop that. It’s not in your hands.

Focus instead on what you can control: having a healthy reaction. Instead of wringing your hands about what they’re going to say next time, focus instead on how you’re going to respond in a healthy way to a very predictable provocation. That’s in your hands.

If you tend to get a little aggressive in traffic, you can focus on what you’re going to do the next time you’re in traffic. Someone’s going to cut you off some day. Someone’s going to slam on their brakes some day. It’s not about you. It’s not really about them. Traffic stinks. How can you respond differently next time instead of laying on the horn and yelling obscenities at them? Because you can’t control their driving, but you can control your response. And Jesus says the measure you give will be the measure you receive.

If that’s too abstract, here’s a different way to picture it. Sometimes our dog gets bored. And sometimes she remedies this situation by bringing us a stuffed animal that belongs to the boys instead of her. She knows! She’s baiting us to see if we’ll chase her!

In a similar way, another tool is to imagine the times when someone else pushes your buttons as them fishing for a response. You’ve already heard how much I like fishing, but imagine you’re a fish. And you see this bobbing, dangling, dancing, oh-so-tempting lure. If you take the bait, you get caught. You can’t control whether someone fishes for a response – that’s out of your hands. But you can choose whether you take the bait – that’s in your hands.

So one way to practice peace in your life is to focus on the things that are in your hands. It’s not your job to tell God how to judge someone’s faithfulness or faithlessness. Someone else’s actions aren’t in your hands. You can’t control what someone else says or does or how they drive. But you can choose how you respond. That’s in your hands.

Work On Yourself

Now for the next part of our text, let’s put Jesus’ image into a modern context. Let’s imagine that we’re standing next to each other. And you suddenly cry out in pain, because an eyelash has gotten into your eye and it’s really painfully scratchy. Being the helpful person that I am, I offer to get the eyelash out for you. Oh, did I mention that I’m in a mascot suit? Yeah, I can’t really see. And my hands are those giant three-digit mascot hands. Do you still want my help with that eyelash? Probably not!

That’s the kind of ridiculousness Jesus has in his image about the speck and the log. Can you imagine someone walking around with a tree limb sticking out of their eye? That’s a strange image, right? I could imagine a dotcom commercial from 2000 doing that!

I believe Jesus’ point is that it’s easy to see someone else’s flaws. But that also means they can see yours. So another way to practice peace is to work on ourselves. Again, that’s in our hands. You can still be helpful, but you’re not helpful to someone else if you’ve got a tree branch worth of issues sticking out of your eye. You’re not helpful to someone else if you’re in a mascot suit and they have something in their eye.

Jesus’ image ends with the other person wanting your help with that speck in their eye. But that’s only possible when we have worked on our own hearts, worked on our own souls, worked on our own minds, worked on our own words, worked on our own actions.

A while ago I asked a pastor friend of mine for some time to pick his brain on some ministry issues. And I ended our conversation by asking him, “Do I have any blind spots in this? Is there something I’m missing? Is there something I need to do better?” I was asking him to point out the speck in my eye. I wanted his help, because as I got to know him I respected his mind, his heart, his soul, and his character. I asked him to check my eye for specks or logs, because he had obviously put in the work on himself over the years.

So the goal in our text today is to become the kind of person that other people want to ask for help or perspective.

Have you ever been driving your car and a passenger decides to be a backseat driver? Maybe I’ve even just touched on one of the sticky points in your marriage! Do you like hearing someone else’s commentary on your driving? No one likes a backseat driver! So Jesus is telling us not to be backseat drivers for other people’s lives. Work on your own life first. Become the kind of person that others want to ask for help.

This can cultivate peace in your life because it again places your energy and focus on something that’s in your hands. You can work on you. You can’t always tell someone else what they should do. Or at least you can’t guarantee they’re listening. And you can’t guarantee they’ll want to be around you anymore after you backseat driver them a few times.

So work on you. Work on your character. Work on your mind. Work on your thoughts. Work on your heart. Work on your soul. Work on the words that come out of your mouth. Work on your actions so that they reflect the love of Jesus Christ. Become the kind of person who others want to ask for help or perspective. That’s in your hands.

Summary

Sisters and brothers, Jesus in our text today is telling us that we often lack peace in our lives because we’re trying to be backseat drivers. Sometimes we’re trying to be backseat drivers to God, giving him our notes on how he should judge someone.

Sometimes we’re trying to be backseat drivers to other people, pointing out where they missed a spot even while we’re sitting on a pile of our own dirty laundry.

Other people’s words are out of our hands. Other people’s actions are out of our hands. Other people’s lives are out of our hands.

To practice peace in your life, focus on the things that are in your hands. You can’t control what someone else says or does, but you can choose how you respond. You can’t make someone stop fishing for a fight, but you don’t have to take the bait. That’s in your hands.

You can’t make someone listen to you. But you can work on yourself and try to become the kind of person others want to ask for help and perspective. The kind of person you’re becoming – that’s in your hands.

So to practice peace this week, I encourage you to release the things that are out of your hands and embrace the things that are in your hands. And if you want my perspective, I’m happy to help you with that eyelash from within my mascot suit. Amen.

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First Reading = Matthew 6:19-33

19“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; 20but store up for yourselves treasures in  heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not  break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light; 23but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole  body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness,  how great is the darkness! 24“No one can serve two masters; for a  slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the  one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.  25“Therefore I tell you, do not  worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or  about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the  body more than clothing? 26Look at the birds of the air; they  neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father  feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? 28And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, 29yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 30But if God so clothes the grass of the  field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will  he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Introduction

This is our last week looking at our divine design. If you feel like you’ve made a little progress on discovering your divine design but you’re not there yet, I do have a multi-week intensive course I can offer with a ton more useful tools that we haven’t covered in any of our sermons, Bible studies, or discussion groups. If you’re interested in a more intensive course on discovering your purpose and your divine design, email me at cody@fpcl.org.

Next week we’re trying something different for our sermon. It’s going to be a Biblical, pastoral conversation rather than a formal sermon. Blakeley Winslow and his wife Melissa are part of our church, and Blakeley is a campus pastor at School of Mines. Blakeley and I are studying Mark 16 on our own, and then we’re going to record our conversation about the text. I’m pretty excited about this, I think it will be a nice change of pace.

But first, let’s wrap up our time with Jeremiah. A couple of weeks ago we heard Jeremiah’s letter to the exiles, and in that letter God promised to restore them after 70 years. God instructed them to multiply and thrive in their exile. God’s mid-range promise was to restore them after 70 years.

Today, we see God’s long-range promise. Another way to think about this is to think about legacy. What’s God’s legacy? This text gets quoted in the New Testament because Jesus fulfilled these promises in ways no one would have ever guessed when they heard it at the time. Let’s hear what God said about his plans for his legacy through Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 33:14-26

14The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 15In those days and at that time I will  cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute  justice and righteousness in the land. 16In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.”  17For thus says the Lord: David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel, 18and the levitical priests shall never  lack a man in my presence to offer burnt offerings, to make grain  offerings, and to make sacrifices for all time. 19The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 20Thus says the Lord:  If any of you could break my covenant with the day and my covenant with  the night, so that day and night would not come at their appointed  time, 21only then could my covenant with my  servant David be broken, so that he would not have a son to reign on his  throne, and my covenant with my ministers the Levites. 22Just as the host of heaven cannot be  numbered and the sands of the sea cannot be measured, so I will increase  the offspring of my servant David, and the Levites who minister to me. 23The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 24Have you not observed how these people say, “The two families that the Lord chose have been rejected by him,” and how they hold my people in such contempt that they no longer regard them as a nation? 25Thus says the Lord: Only if I had not established my covenant with day and night and the ordinances of heaven and earth, 26would I reject the offspring of Jacob  and of my servant David and not choose any of his descendants as rulers  over the offspring of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will restore  their fortunes, and will have mercy upon them.

Legacy as Story

In my office here at the church, I have two drink coasters. They’re thick. They’re heavy. They’re old. And emblazoned in the middle of them in brass is the state of Texas. Now, my wife will confirm that I am most definitely NOT a sentimental person. I’m very practical. But I have these two old Texas-themed coasters because they are part of my family story.

My grandfather, Charles Sandahl, was in the Texas House of Representatives from 1953-1963. And somewhere along the way he walked out of the Texas capitol building with these coasters. While he died when I was pretty young, I have very fond memories of him. My oldest child is named Charles. He’s like a touchstone for my internalized family narrative. He had perseverance. Intelligence. And apparently a penchant for stealing coasters from the Texas House of Representatives.

I always like to confirm my family stories before I share them with you, so I texted my dad to confirm the origin story of these two coasters. And…he didn’t remember. He said it sounded like the kind of thing my grandfather would have kept from his time in the House, but he couldn’t confirm it. So either these two coasters represent six or seven decades of family history. Or, they’re just Texas-themed coasters. I don’t know for sure.

Do you have any family heirlooms? Any furniture or objects that have been passed down through the generations? Why do you keep it? It’s probably not the best fit for your house. You could probably get something better. But you still have it. Why? Because of the story.

My coasters are only noteworthy if they’re part of a story. Otherwise they’re just coasters. The story determines the legacy. The story determines whether they’re coasters or heirlooms.

In our text today, God lays out a story. A big story. A legacy. We see in verse 20, “Thus says the Lord: If any of you could break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night would not come at their appointed time, ONLY THEN could my covenant with my servant David be broken.”

God’s story won’t be broken by the destruction of Jerusalem. God’s story won’t be broken by the destruction of the Temple. God’s story won’t be broken by his people going into exile in Babylon. God’s story won’t be broken by the Persians in the book of Esther. God’s story won’t be broken by the Jesus’ crucifixion. God’s story won’t be broken by persecutions throughout the ages. God’s story won’t be broken by the Spanish Flu in 1918. God’s story won’t be broken by the horrors of World War II. God’s story won’t be broken by COVID-19. As God says in our text today, unless you can move the earth from its orbit around the sun, unless you can move the moon from its orbit around the earth, unless you can reshape the heavens themselves, you can’t break God’s story. God’s story won’t be broken. Can I get an Amen on that?!? God’s story won’t be broken.

And you and I are a part of that unbreakable story. You and I are a part of God’s legacy. You and I, we’re not just coasters. We’re family heirlooms. We’re part of the story. We’re part of God’s legacy. None of the weird things thrown at us by 2020 change that.

I mean, most years it’s hard to identify with the defeated and exiled Israelites in the book of Jeremiah. But this year, we should totally get where they’re coming from. Their context was different, but we have quite a few similarities. They weren’t at church in-person. Their church had been destroyed. And they weren’t even at home – they were in a foreign land. Some of their most cherished traditions were interrupted. Some of their core ideas about their identity were shaken. They wanted it all to be over. They wanted to get back to normal as quickly as possible. But God told them it would be 70 years, and even then things would be different.

I guess it’s a little perspective for us. We are experiencing several months of significant disruption to “normal.” Our church worship services are at lower capacity, meeting less frequently, it’s harder to see people, we probably have some number of months of disruption ahead of us on some level. It’s very annoying! It’s very challenging! It’s very draining! I’m ready to hear Auld Lang Syne to bring in 2021.

But we’re reading about a time when God’s people had no place to worship because it was destroyed. We’re reading about a time when God’s people couldn’t see each other at all because they were in Babylon or they were dead from the siege. We’re reading about a time when God’s people couldn’t expect light at the end of the tunnel for 70 years!

Even then – I said even THEN – God’s story wasn’t broken. God’s people weren’t broken. Are we made of that kind of stuff? Can we remain faithful even through our own version of exile? God’s story hasn’t been broken by anything 2020 has thrown at it. We’re still part of that story. We’re still part of that legacy. We’re still family heirlooms, not coasters.

Choosing a Legacy

This chapter of Jeremiah is an invitation. It’s an invitation to see our own story as part of God’s unbreakable story. It’s an invitation to see our own legacy as contributing to God’s eternal legacy.

God has a legacy as the Creator of all things good. God has a legacy as the one who gave us another chance after Noah and the flood. God has a legacy as the one who chose one family, Abraham and Sarah, as the cornerstone of his eventual people. God has a legacy as the one who took a bunch of slaves out of Egypt and forged the Chosen People. God has a legacy as the one who took a shepherd boy and turned him into King David. God has a legacy as the one who sent prophet after prophet to speak the truth to his people. God has a legacy as the one who preserved a remnant to start over once again during the time of Jeremiah. God has a legacy as the one who sent his son to fulfill the promises made in our text today. God has a legacy as the one who sent the Holy Spirit to empower the followers of Jesus after his death and resurrection. God has a legacy as the one who has preserved the church through its faithfulness and its follies, through its exhibitions of the kingdom of God and its temptations to be like the kingdoms of man. God has a legacy as the one who created you and me. God’s legacy isn’t done, and his story is unbreakable.

Where will you fit your legacy inside God’s legacy? Where will you fit your story inside God’s story? That’s the invitation given to us through our text today.

One morning in 1888 a famous man named Alfred opened the newspaper to a disconcerting headline. It was an obituary. His obituary. Alfred’s brother had recently died, and the newspaper got confused and thought Alfred had died. As a famous man, it would have been newsworthy if he died. The newspaper’s mistaken obituary proclaimed Alfred “the merchant of death.” Alfred NOBEL was the inventor of dynamite. In addition to its many uses in construction, mining, and engineering, his chemistry discovery also increased the deadliness of cannons. That’s what made him rich and famous.

Alfred Nobel was shocked by this framing of his legacy, and he responded. He said, “Every man should get the chance to rewrite his own obituary.” And that’s what Alfred did. He gave away most of his wealth and established prizes in chemistry, physics, physiology, medicine, economics, literature, and PEACE. The Nobel Prizes are still awarded today – in fact they’ve been rolling out over the last couple of weeks.

Alfred Nobel made a conscious decision to alter his legacy. He made a conscious decision to tell a better story with the rest of his life. He decided he wanted to get ahead on what he wanted to leave behind.

What do you want to leave behind? What legacy do you want to have? How does that fit within God’s legacy and God’s story? And how can you get ahead on what you want to leave behind? Neil Cole said, “Finishing well is not what we do at the end of our lives; it’s what we do every day of our lives.”

Ultimate Contribution

Alfred Nobel demonstrates the first tool I want to give you as you think about how your legacy could be a part of God’s legacy. The first tool is thinking about your ultimate contribution. Nobel was shocked to see that his ultimate contribution was becoming the merchant of death. So he decided to make a different contribution to the sciences and to peace. What’s your ultimate contribution?

Your ultimate contribution might be a community to grow. That might be your role as a parent, or a philanthropist, or a mentor. If that community honors God, it’s part of God’s legacy, too.

Your ultimate contribution might be a culture to enrich. That might be your ability to invent, or paint, or entertain. If the culture you enrich honors God, it’s part of God’s legacy, too.

Your ultimate contribution might be an organization to lead. Maybe you’re a founder, or a stabilizer, or a multiplier. If that organization or its mission honors God, it’s part of God’s legacy, too.

Your ultimate contribution might be an idea to conceive. That might be a new discovery, or a new way to present or compile knowledge, or communicating truth. If that idea honors God, it’s part of God’s legacy, too.

Your ultimate contribution might be a change to activate. You might be a role model, or a catalyst, or a leader. If that change you embrace honors God, it’s part of God’s legacy, too.

What’s your ultimate contribution?

Some of you might be thinking, “I’ve already lived a lot of my life. I think I’ve already made my ultimate contribution.” That might be true. Is there a way to reinforce that contribution? Or does God have a different contribution in mind for this phase of life? Maybe you created an organization that honors God earlier in life. That might be your ultimate contribution. But maybe God now wants you to invest in others as a mentor or being a role model to younger generations.

Three workers were making bricks. The first worker was asked what he was doing. He said, “I am making bricks.” Fair enough. The second worker was asked what she was doing. She said, “I am building a wall.” Interesting. The third worker was asked what he was doing. He said, “I am building a beautiful cathedral.” All three were making bricks. But the third worker saw how those bricks were part of a grander story. That’s an ultimate contribution.

What’s Stopping You?

Our second tool is pretty simple. We’ve spent most of this series trying to equip you to think of what you can do to live God’s dreams for you during this phase of life. So here’s a different angle: what’s stopping you?

Really, think about that. If you want to make a contribution to your legacy inside of God’s greater legacy during this phase of life, what’s stopping you? I don’t mean that rhetorically. I mean that literally. Write it down.

Is it a lack of ability? Is it a lack of opportunity? Is it a lack of willpower or motivation? Is it a lack of health? Is it a lack of transportation? Is it a lack of funds? Is it a problem with a relationship? Is it hard to do anything because you’re depressed? Is it a distraction? What’s stopping you? Write it down!

My mom is a counselor, and she asks that question sometimes. She told me that most people have one of two reactions by actually writing down the barriers that stop them from making the change they want to make. Either they realize that the barriers are much smaller than they imagined, or they realize there are ways around those barriers. The act of writing down what’s stopping you moves them from pure anxiety to actionable obstacles.

So what’s stopping you?

Summary

Sisters and brothers, you and I are part of God’s unbreakable story. We are part of God’s unbreakable legacy. The people were pushed to their very limit, but nothing the Babylonians could muster could break God’s story. Many people are being pushed to their very limit, but nothing 2020 can muster can break God’s story.

How can your remaining story be a part of God’s unbreakable story? What contribution can you make that honors God? And what’s actually stopping you from making that contribution?

No matter how useless you feel, no matter how defeated you feel, you aren’t just a coaster. You’re a precious family heirloom because you’re a part of God’s unbreakable story. Amen.

View the Sermon

First Reading = Luke 14:25-35

25Now large crowds were traveling with him; and he turned and said to them, 26“Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. 27Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. 28For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? 29Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, 30saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. 33So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions. 34“Salt is good; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? 35It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; they throw it away. Let anyone with ears to hear listen!”

Introduction

We are continuing our series using the experiences of the prophet Jeremiah to try to help us discover our own personal, unique, divine design. If you have been using any of the tools we’ve mentioned in the sermons or been going deeper with one of our groups, I bet you’ve gained a few insights on what kind of life God dreams for you during this phase of your life.

Now, if you rewind a few weeks (and I know all of you can remember all of my sermons for several weeks), perhaps you’ll remember that I said your divine design doesn’t have to be something as grand as Luke Skywalker destroying the Death Star. But let’s run with Luke Skywalker for a moment. Do you remember his first response when Obi Wan invites him to join him on the adventure? Luke refuses! He says he can give Obi Wan a ride to a nearby city, but that’s it. It’s all “too far away.” It’s only when his uncle and aunt are killed by the empire that he actually commits to his journey. His first instinct was to DO NOTHING!

And we are often prone to do the exact same thing: nothing. If you’ve gotten a clearer glimpse of the true you, if you’ve gotten a clearer understanding of God’s dreams for you during this phase of life, NOW WHAT?

In our text today, Jeremiah’s prophesies of doom were coming true right before the eyes of the people who had mocked and derided him for so many years. The Babylonians (called the Chaldeans in the text) have encircled Jerusalem and the city is out of food. The king asked Jeremiah what they should do since he had called this way ahead of time. And Jeremiah told him that God wouldn’t save them, so just surrender and get it over with. The king didn’t like that. So he locked Jeremiah up yet again. But in his confinement in the middle of a brutal siege right before the Babylonians would break into the city and destroy everything, the word of the Lord came again to Jeremiah. It’s a strange one. So strange, that even Jeremiah wasn’t sure it was from God until it came true. What was too weird for even Jeremiah to believe it? Let’s find out.

Jeremiah 32:1-15

1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year of King Zedekiah of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar. 2 At that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and the prophet Jeremiah was confined in the court of the guard that was in the palace of the king of Judah, 3 where King Zedekiah of Judah had confined him. Zedekiah had said, “Why do you prophesy and say: Thus says the LORD: I am going to give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it; 4 King Zedekiah of Judah shall not escape out of the hands of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be given into the hands of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him face to face and see him eye to eye; 5 and he shall take Zedekiah to Babylon, and there he shall remain until I attend to him, says the LORD; though you fight against the Chaldeans, you shall not succeed?” 6Jeremiah said, The word of the Lord came to me: 7Hanamel son of your uncle Shallum is going to come to you and say, “Buy my field that is at Anathoth, for the right of redemption by purchase is yours.” 8Then my cousin Hanamel came to me in the court of the guard, in accordance with the word of the Lord, and said to me, “Buy my field that is at Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, for the right of possession and redemption is yours; buy it for yourself.” Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord. 9And I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel, and weighed out the money to him, seventeen shekels of silver. 10I signed the deed, sealed it, got witnesses, and weighed the money on scales. 11Then I took the sealed deed of purchase, containing the terms and conditions, and the open copy; 12and I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel, in the presence of the witnesses who signed the deed of purchase, and in the presence of all the Judeans who were sitting in the court of the guard. 13In their presence I charged Baruch, saying, 14Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Take these deeds, both this sealed deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware jar, in order that they may last for a long time. 15For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land.

Change Investment or Environment?

Well have I got a deal for you?!? What would you say if I told you I could make you lose weight without dieting or exercising? Magic, you say? No no! All you need is Ayds!

Everyone wants Ayds, right? Don’t you want Ayds? Oh, I guess I should clarify. I’m talking about A-Y-D-S, the dieting candy that claimed to reduce your appetite. Even though some of you remember Ayds the dieting candy, I bet you were thinking of something else in your mind. AIDS the disease, right?

When AIDS the disease began to enter the public consciousness, Ayds the candy experienced a massive drop in sales. It’s kind of like how Corona beer hasn’t done well in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

But this is fascinating. The marketing team approached the executives and told them they needed to change the name of Ayds the candy. And here was the response: “We had the name first. Tell them to change the name of the disease.” I didn’t make that up! In fact, someone told me about that and I had to look it up to confirm it! “We had the name first. Tell them to change the name of the disease.”

Eventually as the sales continued to plummet they agreed to change the name to Diet Ayds. That didn’t help, unsurprisingly. The executive wanted the rest of the world to rename a disease so he didn’t have to change the name of their product.

Now, we might laugh at that example. We might slap our foreheads at that. Why didn’t they change something? Why didn’t they invest in a new name and new marketing and new branding? Why did they poke their heads in the sand and just hope that the world would change instead of investing in a new name?

We might laugh at them. But most of us have done the same thing in our faith. Have you ever prayed for God to change your circumstances? Have you ever prayed for God to change something in our city or state or country or world? Those are fine prayers. But here’s the catch. Did you do anything different in your life to be a part of what you prayed God would do? Did you change your own investment, or just pray for God to change the world around you?

There was a song a few years ago that started off like this. “I woke up this morning; Saw a world full of trouble now; I thought, “How’d we ever get so far down?” And “How’s it ever gonna turn around?” So, I turned my eyes to Heaven, I thought, “God, why don’t You do something?” Well, I just couldn’t bear the thought of People living in poverty, Children sold into slavery. The thought disgusted me. So, I shook my fist at Heaven, I said, “God, why don’t You do something?” He said, “I did.” Yeah. “I created you.”

If God dreams for you to invest in the faith of your children or grandchildren, please pray for God to make it happen. And then ask God to help you know how to change how you invest your own time to aid in the process.

If God dreams for you to develop or reclaim a more Christ-like character trait – love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, self control, whatever – please pray for God to cultivate that trait in your heart. And then ask God to help you know how to change how you invest your own time to aid in the process.

It is totally fine to pray that God would change the environment around you or change something within you. But that has to be partnered with a willingness to change your own investment in the process.

I’m from Austin, and do you know what happens when it snows in Austin? There’s a quarter inch of snow! It’s the Snowpocalypse! Here in Littleton my kids have gone to school after eight inches of snow fell. What’s the difference? Investment! Austin has zero infrastructure for snow. Littleton does. If it’s starting to metaphorically snow a lot more in your life, might I suggest investing in some metaphorical snow plows and road salt? How can you change your investment if you want to change your environment?

Today Reveals Your Belief About Tomorrow

Do you remember a few weeks ago when we got that random snow? Did you shut off your sprinklers for the winter, or did you keep them on? Did you abandon your plants and flowers, or did you try to save them? Did you pack up all of your shorts and short-sleeved shirts, or did you keep them handy? I’m guessing that you saw that storm as a random blip, not a sign that winter was coming in August and was sticking around for good. Am I right?

You believed that snow storm was a blip rather than an indicator of how the next several weeks would be. And because of that belief about the future, you probably didn’t give up hope on your shorts or your plants or your grass just yet.

Will Mancini said, “How we behave today is the best indicator of what we believe about tomorrow.” If you left your sprinklers on, if you kept your warm weather clothes handy, if you tried to save your plants, your behavior showed what you thought about our weather in the near future. Are you with me?

If we’re going to understand the utterly shocking actions from Jeremiah in our text today, we have to understand what Will Mancini said. “How we behave today is the best indicator of what we believe about tomorrow.” So let’s see what Jeremiah did today and what it said about tomorrow.

But first, I’ve got another deal for you! I know you didn’t like my offer of Ayds, but I have something even better to offer you. I have this land, you see, and I need to unload it fast and cheap! This land can be had for just pennies on the dollar! It’s in a beautiful mountain town far from the hustle and bustle and distractions of modern society. And did I mention it’s real cheap! Are you interested? One, small, really negligible caveat: it’s in Taliban-held territory in Afghanistan. Still interested? No? Please? Come back!

That’s the kind of land Jeremiah’s cousin Hanamel offered him in our text today. Jeremiah’s family came from Anathoth. That was the land given to their tribe and clan and house by the Living God! Land wasn’t just land to the Israelites. It was part of their identity as the Chosen People. So Hanamel tracked Jeremiah down in prison and told him about the family land that had recently come available for purchase…due to a death in the family. But, it should be mentioned, they were in the middle of a deathly siege. And one of the main encampments of the Babylonians was located in…you guessed it…Anathoth!

Hanamel was offering Jeremiah the chance to purchase land that was occupied by a foreign army intent on killing everyone inside the city where Jeremiah was imprisoned. Can you say hard pass on that offer?

In our text today, Jeremiah wasn’t even sure if God had really told him to purchase this crazy plot of land until Hanamel showed up with the exact same words God had foretold. He followed God’s directions, purchased the land, and this is how Jeremiah explains it:

“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Take these deeds, both this sealed deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware jar, in order that they may last for a long time. For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land.”

Jeremiah’s behavior today – buying a plot of land currently being used by a foreign army as it destroyed Jerusalem – revealed his belief about tomorrow. This battle would be lost. But one day – some day – maybe a long time from now – houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land. Talk about changing your investment! Wow! He could have just prayed that God would give people extra hope to emotionally survive this defeat. But instead he changed his investment. He bought a field to give people hope. So…umm…now are you ready to buy that mountain land in Afghanistan from me to be like Jeremiah? Please?

What can you do today to show what you believe is possible tomorrow due to God’s dreams for you during this phase of life? What can you do today to reveal what you believe is possible tomorrow with God?

Tools

We’ve tried to give you tools to move ideas into your actual life each week, so here are some ways to think about changing your investment to participate in what God is doing.

The first tool is inspired by the Psalms. There are different kinds of psalms for different phases of life. Some psalms are about just surviving. Others are about reviving. And others are about thriving. So the first tool is to think about the major areas in your life – maybe that’s family, personal fulfillment, work, faith, God’s dreams and your dreams. Think about the major areas or themes of your life and think about where they are right now within that psalm framework.

For example, is your family surviving right now? Are you looking for some semblance of hope while you are standing in the darkness? Or is your family reviving right now? Are you looking toward the hope you’ve found walking closer and closer to that light at the end of the tunnel? Or is your family thriving right now? Are you celebrating your hope while you’re standing in the light? Think about the different areas or themes in your life, and are they surviving, reviving, or thriving right now? If it’s surviving, how can you cultivate the hope of the Lord even in that darkness? If it’s reviving, how can you invest in keeping the renewal process going strong? If it’s thriving, you might invest your time elsewhere or you might want to invest in celebrating what’s working. After all, businesses say that what gets celebrated gets repeated!

So that’s the first tool – ranking the major areas in your life by whether they’re surviving, reviving, or thriving, and asking how you can invest in Godly hope from that point.

The second tool to consider is to consider your resources. Is there a resource you can leverage to increase some other needed resource?

What kind of spiritual capital do you have? Wisdom, power, and authority.

What kind of relational capital do you have? Friends, family, or followers.

What kind of physical capital do you have? Time, health, and energy.

What kind of intellectual capital do you have? Knowledge, intelligence, creative capacity.

What kind of financial capital do you have? Cash, assets, investments.

Once you know where you are blessed and where you are lacking, how can you leverage what God has given you to invest in God’s dreams for you during this phase of life? For example, you might need financial capital to afford to get trained in something or to afford to go see someone. Or you might need to leverage your friends to find and grow in wisdom.

That’s the second tool – considering your various resources and how you can leverage them in pursuit of God’s dreams for you during this phase of life.

The third tool is a bit different. My family was just in Michigan to see my wife’s family. That’s a long drive, and we had to stop in Omaha overnight. When we pulled in, we were low on gas. But we were tired, so we decided to just wait until morning to get gas. The next morning, we pulled out and started back on our merry way. Until the car started showing a warning message. We forgot to fill the tank! Luckily we were in a populated area instead of that stretch of Colorado where there isn’t a gas station to be seen for miles!

The third tool is to consider where you need replenishment. What fills your tank? Sometimes you have to fill your tank before you can use your tank. Time to be refilled usually doesn’t come easily in our society. It doesn’t seem productive or useful, so it’s often the first thing to go. If you’re feeling totally burned out right now, and that’s kinda going around during 2020, you might need to intentionally invest in some life rhythms that refill your tank. You might need alone time. Or you might need friend time. You might need time to be creative. Or you might need time to do nothing! If you don’t know what fills your tank, try things out and see if you feel more energetic or refreshed or at peace than before you did it.

Summary

Sisters and brothers, we can certainly pray for God to change our environment or change things within us. But we should also be willing to invest our own time and resources in making that change happen. When we change our behavior today, we cultivate the hope that God’s tomorrow will happen.

You might want to consider what areas of your life are surviving, reviving, or thriving. You might want to consider your various resources and how you can leverage them for God’s dreams. Or you might want to intentionally invest in replenishment.

Let’s break it down even simpler. Instead of just surviving for another day, I encourage you to choose at least ONE way you are going to invest in the future that God dreams for you, or for this church, or for this community.

I have a lot of things I need to figure out. So I know that I need to invest in time to quietly converse with the Holy Spirit in discernment. I don’t have the time to do that. But I need to make that time if I actually want to figure these things out. So that’s what I’m going to do this week – I’m going to make the time for quiet conversation and discernment with the Holy Spirit. With so many things unclear, I need to listen to the Creator who has a much better perspective than mine.

What can you do to invest in the future that God dreams for you, or for this church, or for this community?

It’s interesting to think about Mancini’s quote: “How we behave today is the best indicator of what we believe about tomorrow.” It’s interesting because God has been investing in you for your entire life! God has invested in you every day because of what he believes about your tomorrow. Let that sink in.

God, your Chief Investor, believes something about your tomorrow. God, your Chief Investor, sees you as a valuable investment. What can you do to prove him right? Amen.