Our music should be an expression of who we are, a people loved and redeemed by God. That’s not saying that everything has to be religious. But the story of our life, every aspect of our life, is shaped by the grace of God, and that has to reflect the songs we sing and listen to all of our days.

Just as the light of day spreads out over the earth, so God’s glory is exalted over all the heavens. In light of the greatness of our God, we know we can trust him with whatever we’re going though. We can turn to him in times of trial because we know the Object of our faith is not a “religion,” but God in his steadfast love and faithfulness. As Lamentations 3:22-23 (the source of one of our favorite hymns) remind us, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

We want to be a place where God’s will is done. We want to be, like that little country church in the movie, a place where people can look at us and declare that here – even in a strip mall in a small rural community – is the kingdom of God.

We’re part of a long tradition. We’re continuing a story that began thousands of years ago, and part of our Christian culture includes the contributions made by those faithful believers who have gone before us – the songs and hymns of that great cloud of witnesses who left us the wonderful gift of song.

What do you believe should be on a list of essential facts that every Christian should know?

“Yes, I’ll sing the wondrous story

Of the Christ who died for me

Sing it with the saints in glory

Gathered by the crystal sea.”

Camp meetings kept us united. No matter the denomination, at camp meeting you could learn about your church’s missionary work; you could hear the essentials of the faith proclaimed in a lively and memorable way; you could visit with believers from all over the state, all over the country and sometimes all over the world. At camp meeting, you learned that the church was bigger than just your local congregation.

Walking through the neighborhood early this morning, I thought about power in the scripture. Jesus promised his disciples in Acts 1, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.” That word for power is dunamis, a Greek word that comes down to us in our word, “dynamite.”

We can all serve in God’s kingdom. The only requirement is a willing heart . . . even one that’s been beating for a while.

In the NRSV, Psalm 20:9 reads: “Give victory to the king, O Lord; answer us when we call,” or in the Message, “Make the king a winner, God; the day we call, give us your answer.” I think you see the problem: Whether King George or King Charles is on the throne, after 1776 it was highly unlikely anyone in the United States would be praying for the king!

Prayer does nothing to turn back the clock, but it does help me sort things out, set my agenda, reduce stress, solve problems,  and a host of other benefits. But really, it’s not about the benefits as much as it is about the relationship. We say our mission is “Loving God . . . Loving Others.”  If you love someone, you’re going to spend time with them - quality time, not just “punching the timecard” time. Prayer is the primary way we build a relationship with God.

Worship changes us. Prayer changes us. Nineteenth century theologian Soren Kierkegaard wrote, "Prayer does not change God, but it changes him who prays," and C.S. Lewis echoed the same thought when he wrote, “I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping. It doesn't change God. It changes me.” 

Could God rule this world more efficiently without us? Absolutely! But that’s not the way he has chosen to work. God works in us and through us, and in making us fellow participants in his redemptive work. God entrusts his creation to us. “Our little worlds” (to borrow from Bob Ross) begins with our own hearts and then stretches out in all directions around us to embrace our families, our friends and co-workers, our communities, our nation and out to the world beyond. 

From the very beginning the rule of this world was always a joint project between God and humans. In Genesis 1 God says, “Let us make humankind in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion . . .” and this commission is echoed in Psalm 8, where we read: “You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet.” As N.T. Wright has pointed out, “God is a power-sharing God: he wants to work through human beings.”And that’s where prayer comes in. 

Although we don’t believe that words are things, we do have magic words that are very effective. Abracadabra might not really work, nor “hocus pocus” (which also comes from a real Latin phrase, but you can look that one up yourselves), nor “Presto!” (which is Italian for “Quickly!”). But we all do have words that can magically open doors for us, make people smile and even restore broken relationships. Not necessarily magic words, but certainly simple ones: Please. Thank you.  I’m sorry. I love you. It’s kind of amazing when you think that by the time you’re Olive’s age you’ve learned the most essential vocabulary of life! 

Happy birthday! It’s not your birthday, you say? Well, it is . . . sort of. Sunday is Pentecost, which is often called the “birthday of the church.” It was on Pentecost that God breathed his Spirit into the church, making it the living, dynamic, many-membered Body of Christ on earth.

The New Testament scholar, N.T. Wright, when asked what he thought would surprise the apostle Paul the most if he were to visit the church in the 21st century, said, “That the church is so divided and that it doesn’t seem to bother us.” But if we look at the New Testament, it’s pretty clear Christianity is a team sport. In the world of the New Testament, the Greek philosophers tended to look inwardly, and as modern Americans, we pride ourselves about individualism and pulling ourselves up by our own bootstraps . . . but Christianity is about forgiveness and generosity and taking care of the needs of others – it has a very outward focus. When we get too self-focused, with too much spiritual navel-gazing, we end up like the old  cliche “too spiritually minded to be of any earthly good.” 

E pluribus unum: out of many, one. That’s the traditional motto of the US, and it envisions our country as a melting pot where a variety of peoples, cultures, or individuals assimilate into a cohesive whole. It’s a beautiful dream . . . but instead of melting, our country seems bent on smelting, the process of separating. One of the great triumphs of the gospel is that the church is one family, regardless of background. Christian unity doesn’t get the attention it deserves, but when you think about all the divisions in the world today, can you think of a more important message?

Last week I invited you to get a little nerdy with me,  but  it’s more than just being nerdy. I believe this is the way Jesus wants us to read the Word. After all, Jesus told his disciples in Mark 4:24, “Pay attention to what you hear; the measure you give will be the measure you get . . .” Pay attention. Look for clues that point beyond the surface level of a story. Listen for echoes from the past. . . 

here’s a difference between reading the Bible and studying the Bible. When I’m reading the Bible, I’m going for the story, the bigger picture. Reading the entire Bible in a year gives us the eagle’s eye view of the Bible and allows us to see the overarching story of God’s love for His creation. First, and this sounds obvious, but a Bible study is a study of the Bible. Over the years, I’ve looked at lots of studies that were anything but!