AfterWords: Stories that Shape Our Lives—God Provides

 

Exodus 16:1-5,13-18

We come back to these stories of the ancient Israelites again and again because these stories serve as a mirror—we find ourselves in these stories.

Today’s reading has the Israelites “starving to death.” Not really, but they think they are, and they’ve already managed to forget everything God has done for them. They have forgotten the miraculous plagues that led to their freedom (frogs, flies, locusts, and more), they have forgotten that they were able to simply walk out of Egypt to begin their journey to the Promised Land, and they have forgotten that God has just recently saved them from the Egyptian army as they walked through the Red Sea on dry ground. Do they really think that the God who brought through all of that would let them die now?

This spiritual amnesia is rather common among God’s people. We today forget about God’s provision and care just as our spiritual ancestors over 3000 years ago did. Even the people who walked with Jesus lost sight of God’s provision and care. Jesus sat them down and taught them again:

“…I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? … So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ … But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. (Matthew 6:25-34)

Jesus’ message for them and for us is simple: 1) Get your eyes off of yourself; look to God and look to others as you strive to live the Kingdom life. And, 2) Trust God—trust the God who made this world, who made and cares for the birds and the flowers; trust that the One who created you will sustain you. Trust is the opposite of worry. So, when we feel ‘worry’ creeping up on us, we need to stop, take a breath, and determine to trust God—in everything! After all, when has worry ever helped us effectively deal with any issue of our lives?

Let us set our sights on God and God’s Kingdom…and let us trust the One who made us to sustain us. Yes, that’s a better way of living.

Sunday, October 5, 2025
“God Provides”
Watch/Listen: HERE

AfterWords: Stories the Shape Our Lives—Finding Holy Ground

 

Exodus 2:23-25; 3:1-12

“Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Besides the many and amazing benefits of taking off our shoes and standing on God’s earth, we find here the idea of “holy ground.”

Barefoot enthusiasts call the act of walking unshod on the earth “grounding,” and if there is anything we crave today, it’s grounding. Everything seems so unstable, constantly changing. Theologian Paul Tillich gave us the understanding of God as the “ground of being,” that underneath all that exists is God. If we’re looking for grounding, what better place to ground ourselves than in God?

In today’s reading, Moses finds his grounding in God. As Moses stands on “holy ground,” God calls Moses to a life-changing work, God reveals himself to Moses, and God poured his own strength into Moses’ life. Everything changed for Moses. What is holy ground?

Wouldn’t we love to find holy ground? Can we find that holy ground? Since many of the examples in Scripture find this kind of holy encounter in the wilderness, the desert, or somewhere far away from our human-made constructs, do we have go far away in order to encounter God on holy ground? Well, first we need to understand that holy ground is any place we remember who God is, who we are, and where we ground ourselves in the faith.

So, thankfully, we can stand on holy ground today—right where we are. Unlike other events and places in the Old Testament, holy ground is not limited by geography or time. Jesus gives us a hint at this in the “Sermon on the Mount” wherein he tells us to find a place of escape, silence, a place apart to pray (Matt. 6:6). Jesus—the barrier breaker—removes forever the suggestion that holy ground is only for special people in special places.

Whenever we have a chance to shut out the noise of culture, the ding-ping-ring of our cell phones, the shouts of people around us, and we can focus on God and God’s word enough to remember who God is, who we are, and re-ground ourselves in the faith—that is when and where we get to stand on holy ground.

For some, holy ground is a bedroom, a living room, a front porch, a rear deck, a gym, a drive to work, or a morning walk. Wherever and whenever we can shut out the world, we can be on holy ground. When we take time to ground ourselves in God, God has the opportunity then to call us to life-giving tasks as he did Moses. God can reveal himself to us as he did Moses. God can replace our fear with his strength as face the challenges of our days as he did Moses. Holy ground—the gift of divine encounter God offers to all. May we find holy ground today and every day. Amen.

Sunday, September 28, 2025

“Finding Holy Ground”

Watch/Listen: HERE

AfterWords: Stories that Shape our Lives—Scoundrels & Saints

 

Genesis 27:1-4, 15-23

Reading parts of Genesis is like reading a soap-opera! Jacob, grandson of Abraham, shows a different side in today’s reading. Abraham is the faithful, God-fearing man who walks away from everything in Ur to live into God’s call and promise. Jacob, son of promise, is not the one to write home about. He bargains to win his twin brother’s (Esau) birth-right, he steals Esau’s blessing from their father Isaac, and then he swindles his uncle for a thousand goats and sheep. Sheesh! This guy really lives into his name: Jacob… “deceiver.”

The reading for this week focuses on the “blessing” Esau was to receive and Jacob steals. What is this idea of “blessing?” In the Old Testament, when a father confers blessing on his first-born son, he is effectively transferring all his goods and authority to that son. All other sons and all daughters are left out of this. So, if you were not the first-born male of your family, there was no inheritance for you…unless your oldest brother wanted to pass along something to you.

Blessing—while off balance in the Old Testament culture—is not a bad thing. I mean, who wouldn’t want to receive blessing? And, who wouldn’t want to receive blessing from God whom Jesus calls our “Heavenly Father”? His blessing would be the best, right?

Part of the Good News is that we can receive God’s blessing—anyone and everyone. Jesus teaches us in Matthew 5 about how to get in on the blessing—on the “goods and authority” that God has and wants to pass on to us:

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴ Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
⁵ Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
⁷ Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5)

These blessings are for us—kingdom, comfort, the land, satiety, mercy, glimpses of God, divine family. All ours, all conferred on us as we embrace attitudes and actions of poverty, brokenness, meekness, hunger, mercy, purity, peace, and just persecution. These are the counter-cultural ways of walking in the Jesus way.

The story of Jacob, thankfully, ends well. Jacob is changed as God gives him a new name: Israel. He is reunited with his brother…and his brother not only forgives him but welcomes him home. We find in this story the truism: Every saint has a past. We also find in our study today a new truism: Every scoundrel can have a future. God’s way and God’s blessing can change our lives. This is good news for us.

Sunday, September 21, 2025
“Scoundrels & Saints”
Watch/Listen: HERE

AfterWords: Stories that Shape our Lives—Letting Go

 

Genesis 22:1-14

This significant event from the life of Abraham opens with the words, “Some time later God tested Abraham….” These words leave us a bit unsettled. God tested Abraham? Will God test me? And the test? Well, that involves Abraham sacrificing his only son, Isaac, the son we find promised at the beginning of Genesis 12.

These words shake us because—if we’ve been in the faith for a while—we have seen in the New Testament these words: “Nobody being tested should say, “It’s God that’s testing me,” for God cannot be tested by evil, and he himself tests nobody” (James 1:13, NTFE). So how do we reconcile this? Is this an OT vs. NT issue?

Translation is the problem. The Hebrew word nasah can be translated as ‘test,’ but a better translation is ‘proof’ or ‘prove’: “Some time later, God proved Abraham.” And this makes sense when we realize that Abraham has been in the “school of trust” ever since his call in Genesis 12. So, what we really find here is God proving Abraham…or letting Abraham prove his trust in God.

God asks Abraham to take his son into the hills and sacrifice him. For the next seven verses, Abraham is silent. He goes through the motions—gathers kindling, secures fire, gets rope, takes his knife…and travels with Isaac. But, in verse eight, we find that Abraham proves his faith, his trust God who has called him and in God’s promise. Abraham knows his son will not die, and in response to his son’s question about a lamb for sacrifice, he is able to answer with confidence: “‘God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.’ And the two of them went on together” (Genesis 22:8). They go on together because Abraham wants his son, too, to see God’s provision. And God does provide. Abraham is able to “let go” of his son because he trusts God.

A similar “proof” happens in the Gospels when a rich young man comes to Jesus in his pursuit of “eternal life.” After the young man affirms his commandment-keeping, Jesus tells him, “‘One thing you lack…go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’ At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth” (Mark 10:21-22). Here we find someone who is unable to let go, not yet ready to trust. And he walks away from the promises and blessings of God.

Too often we hold on to possessions, to ideas, to dreams, to self-perceptions, to any number of things we think we must have, we think we can’t live without. Like Abraham, we must be truly willing to let go of those things in order to know and live into the promises and blessings of God. If we insist on holding on, we, too, will go away sad. Today, we can decide to trust, we can take that step of trust by truly letting go of whatever it is we have held onto. Let go…and live into the promises and blessing of God.

Sunday, September 14, 2025
“Letting Go”
Watch/Listen: HERE

AfterWords: Stories that Shape Our Lives - "On the Eighth Day...."

 

Genesis 1-2

Origin stories are important. We want to know where we come from. My own story—as far back as we know—starts in the Scottish Lowlands. My people were farmers (and horse thieves…but only English horses!). Knowing their journey from Scotland through Ireland and then to the New World in 1743, and then their migration from Pennsylvania down the Appalachians into north Georgia by the late 1800’s—this is helpful for me and forms my self-understanding. The origin story in the opening chapters of Genesis is even more important. In this story of Scripture, we find that our world and all of Creation are God’s handiwork. That God makes this universe on purpose confirms that the universe and every one of us has purpose. This is good news!

Also a part of this story is God’s taking rest. After creating the universe, our world, and us humans, God rests. Here, God sets the pattern for us—we work, and then we rest. Unfortunately, in the early ages of God’s people, the scholars and religious leaders decided what was work and what wasn’t. They took a one-size-fits-all approach to work and rest. Thankfully, in our Christian era, we now know that work is important and rest is important, but just as one person’s trash is another person’s treasure, one person’s work is another person’s rest. Rest is designed for renewal and re-creation, after the expenditure of our days at work. My work includes lots of screen time and human interaction; my day of rest includes escaping screens and people 😊. Your work may be solitary or physically taxing; your rest may include getting together with others and sitting in front of screen. I cannot tell you what your rest is, and you cannot tell me what my rest is. One of our tasks as followers of Jesus is to really determine and understand what is “rest” for us…and find that day of the week that we can rest…renew…and re-create our lives.

Finally, we may have wondered (or not) what happens on the eighth day—that day after the seventh day: Did God just keep resting, or what? When we read Scripture, we see that God goes back to work. The world is now made, so what is the work of God? After Noah’s flood, God remakes the world. God creates a new people through Abraham. And God begins the amazing work of redeeming our broken and tarnished world. In Isaiah, God says he is “doing something new” (Isa. 43:19); in Jeremiah, God points out that he is remolding our lives, reshaping our lives (Jer. 18:6). Paul declares that “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, that person is a new creation: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Cor. 2:5).

God continues to work in our world and in our lives. Where you are and who you are today is not where you will be or who you will be. God continues the good work of renewal, redemption, and re-creation in us and even through us. Thanks be to God!

Sunday, September 7, 2025
“On the Eighth Day….”
Watch/Listen: HERE

AfterWords: Simple Stories, Profound Truths—Lessons in Grace

 

Jonah 1:1-17

Like other stories we have looked at (David & Goliath, Daniel in the Lions’ Den), the story of Jonah is often read in our children’s Sunday School classes or shared as a Bible story in Vacation Bible School. We adults do not linger long over this story. Perhaps it seems too incredulous? A man swallowed by a fish? Yet, we find a profound truth in this ancient story.

Jonah runs from God’s call to preach in Nineveh, is caught in a storm on the sea, tossed into the sea and swallowed by a fish. He prays to God, is spit out on land, and goes to preach in Nineveh. The Ninevites repent and the city is spared, and Jonah is angry because they didn’t get what was coming to them. He pouts, sits outside the city frustrated. The story seems to have no clear conclusion and ends with God asking him if he really has any right to be angry. Too often, the story is presented as a  morality tale: Obey God or suffer the consequences. Is this really message of the story?

One of the reasons I think we do come back to this story again and again is that we find ourselves there in the person of Jonah—we sense a call from God, and we run away. We aren’t all called to preach a message of repentance to large, pagan cities. More often, we sense a nudge from God to do some act of kindness, and we turn our attention to other things. We sense a whisper from God’s Spirit, and we close our ears and do nothing. Whatever shape our “running away” takes from whatever “call” comes to us, too often we turn away from God’s invitation to join in God’s work of redemption, healing, and salvation.

A significant piece of this story is found when Jonah is on the ship headed to Tarshish. The storm comes upon the ship and everyone is in fear for their lives. Jonah is the one who is running from God, but his act of rebellion is affecting the people around him. Even though we often talk of faith as being “a personal thing,” this story from Scripture shows us, reminds us, that how we respond to God can and often does impact the people around us—family, friends, coworkers, classmates, neighbors.

Most of us at some time or another have run away from God, ignored God’s prompting in our lives. We have become Jonahs. And, like Jonah, the place to stop and begin our journey anew in the right direction is in prayer. Jonah prays, and God sets Jonah again on the right path. That act of prayer opens Jonah—and others—to what this story is really about: grace. Jonah experiences grace. The sailors on the ship experience grace. Nineveh experiences grace. This is how God is, and we see the very same thing in the Gospels when Peter turns away from Jesus. When he turns back, he finds grace.

This is the message of Jonah: No mater the storms of life, no matter how far we go, no matter anything, God’s grace—the unearnable, undeserved love and favor of God—awaits us when we turn our lives again to God and join God in the work of changing, saving, redeeming, healing, befriending the world around us. 

What have you been running from? What ‘nudge’ have you ignored? What whispers have you closed your ears to? Today, stop running, pray, and join God in the joyous, life-giving opportunities God has for you.

Sunday, August 31, 2025
“Lessons in Grace”
Watch/Listen: HERE

AfterWords: Discipline of Daniel

 

Daniel 6

For those who were in worship with us this past Sunday, all I can say is, “Wow!” Our children really stepped up as they led our worship service. Besides all of those who helped in service leadership and music, Anna and Julian shared from their hearts how God had been there for them just as God was there for Daniel when he was thrown into the lions’ den.

“Daniel in the Lions’ Den” is one of those stories that we often tell our children, a story we too often associate with Bible School or children’s Sunday School. However, God has a profound truth for all of us in this story. Daniel serves as an example for us. Daniel refuses to allow anything—even the threat of death—to keep him from his discipline of prayer. How easily are we swayed from our practice of spiritual disciplines?

When we join the United Methodist Church, we take our “church vows”: to pray, to be present, to give, to serve, and to tell our story of faith. We call them vows, but really these are spiritual disciplines—things we do that bring us closer to God, closer to one another, and closer to becoming who God wants us to be. How do we measure up beside Daniel in maintaining our disciplines?

Prayer? “I don’t have time today.” Too often, it an occasional ‘emergency parachute’ for difficult times. For Daniel, he would not begin his day without it—no matter the cost.

Presence? “If it’s convenient…” is some people’s attitude too often. We forget Christians around the world dream of the freedom to gather. We forget that men and women who have to work on Sundays long to be in worship this morning.

Giving? The evil one whispers, “You might not have enough. Wait! Don’t give yet—let’s see how things go.” But God promises to bless those who “bring the tithe” into the storehouse.

Serving—Using our Talents? “Hey…you show up…isn’t that enough?” Too many are reluctant to commit. Yet, God gives us talents and gifts that we might serve Him and others.

Story—Telling Others of God’s Love and Grace? Well, if we’re not doing the first four, we probably won’t have many stories of God’s love and grace. If the only story we have is the story of our coming to faith, then we’ve never grown out of being spiritual babies. We were “born again” as Jesus calls it in John 3, but we’re still in diapers. When we pray, show up, give, and serve, we gather story upon story of God’s love and grace and provision.

Daniel is for us an example of holding to the disciplines of faith no matter the cost. Daniel knew putting God first meant everything else in his life fell into order.

Sunday, August 24, 2025
“Discipline of Daniel”
Watch/Listen: HERE