Holy Hump Day (March 29) with Pastor Robert

Today’s Focus:

Special Athens First UMC Crosses Video

Sermon (March 26/Lent) by Rev. Robert McDowell

     For this season of Lent through Easter Sunday, we are focusing on the theme, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.” The inspiration for this 7-week sermon series comes from the hymn of the same name. This hymn was written by Isaac Watts in 1707. 

     Charles Wesley, one of the founders of Methodism during the 1700s and who is also known as one of the greatest hymn writers, offered high praise for this hymn by saying that he would be willing to give up all of his own hymns if he could have written this hymn.  Many hymn scholars will tell you that this just might be the greatest Christian hymn ever written. 

     We began this series 5 weeks ago by focusing on surveying the temptations that come our way and how we might overcome those temptations. For the 2^nd week, we surveyed our faith and how we can even allow our doubts to lead us in having a stronger faith. Two weeks ago, we surveyed our spiritual thirst and how Jesus is the living water that fills and renews us. 

     Last Sunday, we surveyed our hearts by looking at the Old Testament story of when God selected the next King of Israel not based upon outward appearances but upon the openness of the person’s heart. 

     The person that God ended up choosing to become the next King of Israel was David who became known as a person after God’s own heart. That story of how God chose David invites us to survey if our hearts are loving, gracious, generous, compassionate, willing to serve, and open to who God is calling us to be. 

     For today, we are invited to survey our grief. What does it mean to survey our grief? 

     Lent is a season on the church calendar where we have the opportunity to think about the mystery of life and death. It’s a season in which we confront the reality of death. This season even begins with what we call, “Ash Wednesday” where we have ashes smudged on our foreheads reminding us that we are dust and to dust we shall return. 

     That’s such a strange thing for us to do each year, especially since we live in a culture that seeks to avoid talk of death at any cost.  We don’t like to talk about pain or loss and especially not death. We often forget that life is short until it confronts us with full force. 

     Last fall, I had the opportunity to travel to my hometown in south central, Pennsylvania. My brother and I visited the cemetery where our parents are buried. We then walked a little bit farther and my brother pointed out a tombstone of a teenager who had died in a car accident several years prior and he told me that he had officiated for that funeral. He said how he had built a relationship with this teenager through the church’s ministries and how difficult it was for him to end up officiating the funeral of this young person. 

     Since we can’t avoid the reality of death and loss in our lives, it’s helpful to reflect on the importance of grieving. Our Gospel reading this morning from John, chapter 11 offers us this opportunity because it’s a story about death and loss and the deep grief of two sisters whose brother had died. But it’s also a story about Jesus’ grief because Jesus was very close to these two sisters and their brother as well. 

     This story is known for having the shortest verse in the Bible, at least for the King James Version. John 11:35 has just two words, “Jesus wept.” And when people in the crowd saw that Jesus was weeping, they said, “See how he loved him! (meaning Lazarus)

     I think this shortest verse in the Bible reinforces the full humanity of Jesus. Jesus was fully God and fully human which is the wonderful mystery of the incarnation, God becoming one with us. And part of being fully human is to feel the pain of grief and loss.

     This story in John, chapter 11 is perplexing because for some reason, when Jesus is given word that his dear friend, Lazarus was ill, he decides to stay two days longer instead of leaving immediately to be with this family who were dear friends to him. 

     I wonder if Jesus delayed two days because he needed that time to be in prayer for Lazarus as well as for himself since he would be going to Bethany which was near Jerusalem. That would be a dangerous place for Jesus to be since the religious authorities were seeking to kill him. So maybe that helps us a little with the mystery of why Jesus waited two days before going to Bethany. 

     So, after those two days, Jesus and the disciples do go to Bethany and they meet Mary and Martha who are now grieving because their brother, Lazarus had died. Martha is the first of the two sisters to greet Jesus and she says those famous words that many of us say in times of death and loss, “If only.”

     Martha tells Jesus, “If only you would have been here, my brother would not have died.” When Mary greets Jesus she uses those same words, “If only you had been here.”

     These “if only” statements are signs that we are grieving. We want to change the past so that we don’t have to go through the pain of grief.

     This scene of Martha, Mary, and Jesus offers us the opportunity to survey our own grief because we all face the reality of loss in our lives whether it be a death of a loved one, a loss of a friendship, or a surrender of something that was very dear to us. There are all kinds of losses in our lives, some bigger than others, but all important for us to recognize so that we can begin the healing process. 

     A former church member made an appointment me to see me a few months ago to talk about the grief she has been experiencing over the death of her 50 year old son to cancer. I think that even after all of these years since I’ve been her pastor, she still felt connected to me because of a chance meeting that we had three years earlier when I was visiting someone from our church who was in one of the Columbus hospitals. 

     I was walking through the large lobby of this hospital when I heard someone call my name and it was this former church member. She said, “I’m so glad to see you, Pastor Robert because my son is a patient here and I could sure use your prayers.” So there, in that hospital lobby, with a crowd of people walking around us, I prayed for her and for her son. 

     About a year later, I heard that her son had died. And then this past fall, she contacted me to see if we could meet to talk about how she was handling her grief. At one point during our conversation, she mentioned that what has been helping her in her grieving process is a book on grief entitled , More Beautiful than Before: How Suffering Transforms Us. The author is Steve Leder, a Jewish Rabbi, he serves the largest Jewish congregation in Southern California which has 10,000 members.

     So after our time together, I bought that book and started reading it and I’m glad I did because it gave me a lot more to think about regarding grief. In is book, Rabbi Leder makes the basic point that the suffering and grieving we experience in life can teach us important things about ourselves and about our faith. 

     He shares how he always thought he did a great job in counseling the people in his congregation when they were going through a time of suffering but it wasn’t until he had a debilitating car accident leaving him temporarily paralyzed from the waist down that he was able to better appreciate the suffering of others. 

     Not only was he dealing with a painful physical recovery, but he also faced depression and the temptation of taking too many pain pills.

     It was during that time of tremendous physical and emotional suffering, that he learned to reach out and find support from others, something that he never really had done in the past. He has a quote in this book that talks about the importance of reaching out to others when you are suffering and going through a time of grief. 

     “The people who matter don’t mind, and the people who mind, don’t really matter.” Let me share that again. “The people who matter don’t mind, and the people who mind, don’t really matter.” In other words, there are people who are willing to help even though there might be some who might not. There is always someone who will help. 

     Our suffering, pain, and grief are opportunities for us to reach out to receive help. And that’s exactly what this former church member was doing when she came to see me. She was seeking spiritual help through her grieving process.

     And this leads me to this other insightful quote from Rabbi Leder’s book where he says, “No one who is in pain, despite what they might say at the time, does better by enduring their pain alone.” That’s also worth repeating: “No one who is in pain despite what they might say at the time, does better by enduring their pain alone.”

     We need each other to help us get through the tough times, whether it’s a friend, a doctor, a therapist, a pastor, a neighbor, a small group, a Stephen Minister who offers one to one peer support through our church, or whoever it might be. There’s always someone who is willing to help. You don’t have to go it alone.

     Rabbi Leder has other powerful thoughts in helping us to survey how we navigate through the pain, suffering, and grief that we experience in our lives. Here are a couple of other quotes from his book:

     “Success doesn’t teach us as much as suffering.” “Success doesn’t teach us as much as suffering.” It’s through our suffering that we learn about ourselves, about what’s important in our lives, and it also helps us to become more empathetic and compassionate toward others who are going through a time of grief or suffering in their lives.

     And this leads me to this thought from his book where he says, “Nothing is ever worth the suffering we are experiencing, but neither is our suffering worthless.” “Nothing is ever worth the suffering we are experiencing, but neither is our suffering worthless.”

     So, these are just some thoughts that I picked up from my time with this former church member last fall and by reading this book by Rabbi Leder. She came to me for help that day and she ended up helping me just as much as I did for her.

     These are thoughts for us to survey especially during this season of Lent, a holy season in which we are invited to offer to God our suffering, our pain, and our grief.

     What I find most helpful about our Gospel reading for today is in being reminded that Jesus is like us in so many ways. That shortest verse in the Bible, “Jesus wept” helps us to see that even the Savior of the world needed time to survey his sense of loss and pain at the death of his dear friend. He needed to spend those two extra days before going to Bethany to be in prayer in facing that difficult time. 

     Have you noticed how before Jesus heals someone or brings them back to life, he doesn’t just snap his fingers and the miracle happens? Jesus first offers a prayer at Lazarus tomb in addition to the two whole days that he had already spent in prayer before he even arrived. 

     It was only after Jesus surveyed his own sense of grief, pain, and sorrow, and pray for guidance, direction, and strength, that he was able to bring Lazarus back to life. No wonder that Jesus told Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life,” because he truly is. 

      As we survey our grief, remember that, “Nothing is ever worth the suffering we are experiencing, but neither is our suffering worthless.” Remember to reach out to others for help. “The people who matter don’t mind, and the people who mind, don’t really matter.” 

      And remember to reach out in faith to the one who weeps with us, who walks with us through our suffering and pain, and who is the resurrection and the life.

When I Survey My Grief

Sermon Discussion Question

Psalm 130 & John 11:1-45

March 26, 2023

During this Season of Lent, our sermon series is based on the hymn “When I Survey the Wondrous” cross written by Isaac Watts in 1707. He based this hymn on Galatians 6:14, “May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to, and I to the world.” This is usually sung during Lent and Holy Week because it emphasizes the importance of dying to things that are keeping us from having a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.

What are some things that you would like to “die to” in this Season of Lent so that you can grow in your relationship with Jesus Christ? 

So far during this series, we have surveyed our temptations (February 26), our faith (March 5), our spiritual thirst (March 12), and our hearts (March 19.) For this Sunday, we are focusing on surveying our grief. This is based on our Gospel reading from John, chapter 11 where we find the shortest verse in the Bible based on the King James Version where verse 35 says that “Jesus wept.” This story of Jesus weeping at the death of his good friend, Lazarus reminds us that Jesus wasn’t only fully God. Jesus was also fully man. 

How does this reminder from John’s Gospel that Jesus also grieved at the loss of a loved one help you in facing your own griefs?

When Mary and Martha first saw Jesus after their brother, Lazarus had died, they each told him, “If only you would have been here sooner, he might not have died.” We sometimes use those two words, “if only” in dealing with our grief. It’s natural to use those two words in wanting to go back to the past instead of moving into a new future reality. 

Have you ever used those words, “if only,” in dealing with grief? How is that helpful or not helpful?

Recently, a former church member met with Pastor Robert to talk about her grief in the death of her 50 year old son from cancer. She said that the book, More Beautiful than Before: How Suffering Transforms Us, by Jewish Rabbi, Steve Leder has been really helpful to her throughout her struggle with grief. This book offers some worthwhile quotes that may be helpful to us as well.

1st Quote about Grief from Rabbi Leder: When wondering if you should reach out for help in your time of grief, remember that, “the people who matter don’t mind, and the people who mind, don’t really matter.”

How can this thought help you to find healing in the midst of your grief?

2nd Quote about Grief from Robbie Leder: “No one who is in pain, despite what they might say at the time, does better by enduring their pain alone.” 

How can this thought help you to find healing in the midst of your grief?

3rd Quote about Grief from Robbie Leder: “Nothing is ever worth the suffering we are experiencing, but neither is our suffering worthless.”

How can this thought help you to find healing in the midst of your grief?

The story of Jesus and Lazarus concludes with Jesus bringing Lazarus back to life. John tells us this story to give us a little preview of what will happen on Easter morning when Jesus will defeat sin and death by rising to new life. Jesus’ resurrection was different from Lazarus coming back to life because Lazarus would eventually die later. Jesus’ resurrection meant that he would never die again. This is why Jesus tells Mary and Martha in our Gospel reading, “I am the resurrection and the life.”

What helps you to remember that Jesus is the resurrection and the life and how can that help us as we experience loss and grief in our lives?

Close your time by offering this prayer from Sunday’s worship service:

God of love, we confess that we often neglect to patiently wait upon you when our hearts are weighed down with grief. When sorrows fill our hearts, our tears make it difficult to see any hope or relief. As we survey our griefs during this season of Lent, teach us to join the Psalmist who said, “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Hear my voice!” As we wait upon you, we give thanks for the gift of your abiding presence and promise in days of pain and grief. Thank you for sending us Jesus who knew our griefs, who died our death, and who rose for our sake. Amen.

Online Worship (March 26) Athens First UMC

Welcome to our 

March 26 (4th Sunday Lent)

online worship service!

Athens First UMC

2 S. College St., Athens, OH 45701

[Live-Stream Begins @ 10:25 AM]

Online Worship (March 26) Athens First UMC

Welcome to our 

March 26 (5th Sunday Lent)

online worship service!

Athens First UMC

2 S. College St., Athens, OH 45701

[Live-Stream Begins @ 10:25 AM]

Holy Hump Day (March 22) with Pastor Robert

                                             

Today’s Focus: Need Some Peace? Place Your Palms Upward

Sermon (March 19/Lent) by Rev. Robert McDowell

 

   For this season of Lent through Easter Sunday, we are focusing on the theme, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.” The inspiration for this 7-week sermon series comes from the hymn of the same name.

     This hymn was written by Isaac Watts, one of the most recognizable of all the hymn writers. He was born in England in 1674. His hymn, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” was published in 1707.

     We began this series 4 weeks ago by focusing on surveying the temptations that come our way and how we might overcome those temptations. For the 2^nd week, we surveyed our faith and how we can even allow our doubts to lead us in having a stronger faith. Last Sunday, we surveyed our spiritual thirst and how Jesus is the living water that fills and renews us.

     For today, our appointed scripture readings in this season of Lent invite us to survey our hearts. Our Old Testament reading from I Samuel refers to the importance of surveying our hearts. I love this story from that reading of when God called upon the prophet, Samuel to find the right person to become the next king of Israel.

     It was a very dangerous assignment because Saul was still king at the time. He wasn’t ready to retire and move to South Carolina. Think of the prophet Samuel as the Bishop who has the very difficult task of finding the right pastor for the right church. 

     In this case, Samuel’s short list of a replacement included eight sons of a man named Jesse who lived in Bethlehem. Eight sons. That’s a decent short list to have. 

     And what made this even easier for Samuel was that the first son that he saw, Eliab was very impressive looking. Why even bother with the other seven? Eliab just looks like he would be a great king. He just had that confident and majestic way about him, plus we are told that he was tall.

   I guess there is such a thing as heightism in the process of hiring someone for a job. Research has shown that employers may reject and ignore shorter candidates even if their resume is similar to that of a taller person and they are just as qualified. Heightism is when the employer consciously or subconsciously associates positive workplace traits like confidence, competence and ability with tallness. 

     So for example, in a study done in the United States back in the 2000’s, only 14.5% of all men were were six feet or over. But among CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, that number was 58%. That does sound to me that there might be something to this.

     We also use a lot of heightism phrases that suggest that we may be biased toward people who are taller than others. We use phrases like “drawing the short straw” to indicate failure. We also say “short-changed” or “falling short” as ways of describing not having enough of what it takes. 

     And on the other hand, we have phrases like “standing tall” and “fulfilling tall orders,” and “tall oaks from little acorns” and “head and shoulders above the rest” to indicate that it is better to be tall than short in our society.

     Whether he was aware of it or not, it seems that Samuel was definitely focused on the physical trait of height in looking for a new king of Israel. You know, now that I think about it, whenever I have to state my height when I get my driver’s license renewed, I always round up to the next inch. 

     For my weight, I round down to the next pound or two. I rationalize it by saying that I was holding my winter coat when I was on the scale. Or I was wearing heavy shoes that day. 

     Hall of Fame basketball player, Jerry Lucas spoke at one of the churches I served. Jerry is 6’9”. Here’s a photo of the two of us together. In case you were wondering, I’m the guy on the right. Now if you were picking players to be on your basketball team, which one of us would you choose?

     But height isn’t the only physical trait that catches our attention. There’s also a certain body build, family pedigree, national origin, skin color, and a whole host of other physical traits that consciously or unconsciously can impact who we assume God may be choosing over someone else. 

     In one of the churches I served, the pastor who preceded me and the pastor who followed me were both body builders! This always reminds me of how pastors are all unique and how God can use each one of us to live out our calling. 

        But back to our I Samuel story. What a proud father, Jesse must have been.  He had it all.  He was a prominent man in his community and probably well off.  And just look at his picture-perfect family.  We’re introduced to Jesse’s first son, Eliab.  And he’s just the first of several sons introduced to Samuel.  I mean, any of his sons probably would have been a good pick to be the next King of Israel. 

     This is the family that would definitely want to send out Christmas cards with a family photo and a description of how each son is either in law school, studying to be a doctor, or getting ready to compete in the Olympics.  This is that kind of family! 

     Samuel immediately thought Eliab was the one.  “Well that was easy.  Eliab, the Lord has chosen you to be…Wait a minute, what was that Lord?  What do you mean he’s not the one to be the next King?  He’s perfect.  Why wouldn’t you want him?”

     But the Lord tells Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” And one after the other, each of Jesse’s impressive sons are rejected by the Lord. 

     “Do you have any other sons,” Samuel asks Jesse. “Well, yeah, but he’s our youngest, kind of a loner. Just likes to hang out with the sheep.” “I want to meet him,” Samuel says.

     So they call for young David to come and meet Samuel.  Compared to his brothers, David is more of a delicate and ruddy-skinned boy. 

     “This is the one who is to be King,” the Lord whispers in Samuel's ear. And Samuel immediately anoints David as king in the presence of his brothers, and we are told that “the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David.” For God sees what we cannot see. 

     The reason that the Lord doesn’t worry about our outward appearances or how tall we are is because when God calls us, it’s the Holy Spirit that empowers us to do what we are being called to do.  We can step out in faith because it’s not about our strength or our looks.  It’s about the Holy Spirit at work in our lives. It’s about what’s in our hearts and if our hearts are open to God.

     I was preaching at a church one Sunday morning.  I’ll never forget this. It was a Sunday that our church was focusing on the importance of prayer and praying for others.  We had these little heart post-it stickers where we invited the congregation to write a prayer request on that heart sticker and then stick it to a large prayer door that was in the back of the sanctuary.

     There was someone in the congregation that day who felt called by God to take this idea beyond our church walls after worship that day.  After worship, this person went to the prayer door and peeled off several of those heart post-it notes that still didn’t have any prayer requests on them. 

     This person in the congregation then went to the hospital and gave several patients one of those heart stickers in which this person had written the words, “Praying for you,” and then had the name of our church listed.

     But this person wasn’t done.  From the hospital, he then visited one of the local nursing homes giving people these heart post-its with the same message, “praying for you.”  That person responded to God’s calling that Sunday morning.

     God was able to bless all of these people in the hospital and at the nursing home that day through this person even though he was only half as tall as I am. And in addition to that, he was only 7 years old! God is looking for people who have loving, caring, and open hearts. 

     As I’ve been thinking about how God told Samuel to not focus on outward appearances but on the heart, this scripture reading that is often read during Holy Week kept coming to my mind. It’s from Isaiah, chapter 53 where the prophet says, 

     “He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by others; a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity; and as one from whom others hide their faces. He was despised and we held him of no account. Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

     The person that is described in this Old Testament scripture reading points us to Jesus who was despised and rejected and held of no account, but who is also the one who died on that wondrous cross for the sins of the world. 

     During these weeks of Lent, let’s survey our hearts so that our hearts would be more loving, more gracious, more generous, more compassionate, more willing to serve, and more open to who God is calling us to be and to what God is calling us to do. 

When I Survey My Heart

Sermon Discussion Question

I Samuel 16:1-13

March 19, 2023

During this Season of Lent, our sermon series is based on the hymn “When I Survey the Wondrous” cross written by Isaac Watts in 1707. He based this hymn on Galatians 6:14, “May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to, and I to the world.” This is usually sung during Lent and Holy Week because it emphasizes the importance of dying to things that are keeping us from having a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.

What are some things that you would like to “die to” in this Season of Lent so that you can grow in your relationship with Jesus Christ? 

So far during this series, we have surveyed our temptations (February 26), our faith (March 5), and our spiritual thirst (March 12.) For this Sunday, we are focusing on surveying our heart. This is based on our appointed Old Testament reading from I Samuel, chapter 16 where God instructs the prophet Samuel, to go to the home of Jesse who had 8 sons to select one of them as the next King of Israel. Samuel thinks he has found the next King based on physical appearance but God tells him to choose the person based on their heart.  

What do you think God meant when he told Samuel to choose the next King based on that person’s heart instead of on physical attributes like height and strength?

Pastor Robert shared a story of a young boy in his church who went to worship one Sunday morning and felt God calling him to take heart post-it stickers and give them to patients at the hospital and residents of a local nursing home. He had written the message, “praying for you”  on each heart he gave away and then included the name of the church. This story reminds us that God can use anyone who has an open heart in responding to God’s call in their lives.

As you survey your spiritual heart, what helps you to have a loving, gracious, generous, compassionate and serving heart?

This story of God choosing the next King of Israel based on their heart and not on physical appearance, reminds us of Isaiah, chapter 53 where God is more concerned with the spiritual heart of the person rather than any physical qualifications. Read this scripture passage and notice how it reminds us of Jesus who offered his very life on behalf of others. “He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by others; a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity; and as one from whom others hide their faces. He was despised and we held him of no account. Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

What are specific ways that you see this scripture reading describing who Jesus is?

Offer this prayer from Sunday’s worship service:

Savior, like a shepherd lead us. Lead us to green pastures and still waters. Lead us to right paths for your name’s sake. Lead us in this 40-day season of Lent to your wondrous cross and empty tomb. Prepare our hearts to heed your voice and respond to your calling in our lives. Help us to see ourselves the way that you so clearly see us as a blessed, beloved, and beautiful child of God. Remove anything in our hearts that is out of alignment of who you are calling us to be. With hearts open to your mercy and grace, we offer this prayer. Amen. 

Online Worship (March 19) Athens First UMC

Welcome to our 

March 19 (3rd Sunday Lent)

online worship service!

Athens First UMC

2 S. College St., Athens, OH 45701

[Live-Stream Begins @ 10:25 AM]

Holy Hump Day (March 15) with Pastor Robert

       Today’s Focus:

   ☘️ The Story of St. Patrick ☘️

Online Worship (March 12) Athens First UMC

Welcome to our 

March 12 (3rd Sunday Lent)

online worship service!

Athens First UMC

2 S. College St., Athens, OH 45701

[Live-Stream Begins @ 10:25 AM]

Holy Hump Day (March 8) with Pastor Robert

Today’s Focus:

“Surveying My Faith”

Sermon Discussion Questions

Sermon (March 5/Lent) by Rev. Robert McDowell

 

    For this season of Lent through Easter Sunday, we are focusing on the theme, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.” The inspiration for this 7-week sermon series comes from the hymn of the same name.

     This hymn was written by Isaac Watts, one of the most recognizable of all the hymn writers. He was born in England in 1674. His hymn, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” was published in 1707.

     We began this series last Sunday by focusing on when Jesus was sent into the wilderness and faced three major temptations that were presented to him by the devil. 

     The first temptation was for Jesus to turn stones into bread but instead Jesus resisted by relying on God’s Word. The second temptation was for Jesus to jump off the Temple and command angels to come and save him but instead Jesus resisted by not putting God to the test. And Jesus was able to resist the third temptation which was to inherit all the kingdoms of this world in exchange for worshiping the devil.

     By resisting all of these temptations, Jesus was able to set the course of his ministry by leaning on God and fulfilling the purpose for which he was sent, to offer his very life for the sake of the world. When we survey the temptations that come our way and lean on God to resist those temptations, we too can live out who God has called us to be.

     For this Sunday, we are invited to survey our faith, and for this we turn to our appointed reading from Genesis, chapter 12 where we have the story God calling Abram, who had no children at that time to step out in faith and become the father of a great nation. Abram must have been wondering how God was going to pull this off since Abram and his wife were unable to have children at the time. 

     In addition to Abram and Sarah who stepped out in faith in our Old Testament reading, we also have our Gospel reading from John, chapter 3, where Nicodemus also stepped out in faith when he met Jesus one night to ask him some very important spiritual questions. It was risky for him to do this because of how other religious leaders would have reacted to him doing this. 

     Both of these scripture readings invite us to survey our own faith. Like them, are we willing to step out in faith?

     I envy people who make faith seem so easy. There are just some people who have absolutely no problem in believing that God created the world in 6 days or that God parted the Red Sea so that the Israelites could escape from slavery in Egypt or that Mary the mother of Jesus was a virgin when Jesus was conceived. 

     And when I ask them why they just seem to believe all of these miracles that we find in the Bible, the response I usually get is a very simple one where they say, “well, it’s easy because the Bible says that these things happened so they must be true and that’s good enough for me.” And that’s all well and good but doesn’t that beg the question, “But how do you know that the Bible is true?”

     I mean, it is a book that was written over many centuries, in different languages, and by many different authors. And then it wasn’t until three centuries after the last of these books were finally written that the early church fathers finally settled on which sacred books would be included in what we know today as the Bible. I guess, my point is that the bible didn’t just fall from heaven one day. It was a work in progress. 

     I said that I envy people who make faith seem so easy, but actually, now that I think about it, I really envy people who have a faith in God even though they still have many unanswered questions about their faith. I envy them even more because these are people who because of their unanswered questions could just stop going to church or reading their bible altogether, but they are still hanging on to their faith. 

     I find that refreshing, actually. I find that honest and genuine. And I wonder how many churches make room for people like that who might not believe everything we say when we recite the Apostles’ Creed or who are skeptical when a scripture is read in worship about one of Jesus’ healings.

     Recently, I watched an interview of Noel Gallagher who is a prolific music composer and musician. He was asked if he believed in God because he is known to be an atheist. I was expecting him to just say that he is still not a believer but he caught me off guard with his response.

     He said that his wife and father-in-law go to church every Sunday but that he doesn’t attend with them. But he also said that even though he isn’t a believer, that there are a lot of times where he feels that attending church and going through the rituals every week would be a source of comfort to him. I just thought that was a really interesting response because I respected his honesty and his openness to the idea that maybe church wouldn’t be so bad after all!

     It seems to me that there are more of these kinds of stories of faith in the Bible rather than stories where people just believe because the Bible says you should believe.  

     So when Abram and Sarah would later laugh at the thought that Sarah would give birth even though she was barren, that to me feels real and genuine. And when Nicodemus sneaks out in the night to ask Jesus some spiritual questions, that feels real and genuine to me.

     These stories that we find in the Bible remind us that God is more than willing to meet us where we are than what we might think. And so, if you’re not sure if every single story in the Bible is factually true or if it really happened at all, you’re not alone. God can meet you there. Still unsure if you even believe in God? You’re not alone. God can meet you there.

     Whenever someone says how faith comes easy for them because they simply believe the bible, I have to wonder if they are reading the same bible that I’m reading! 

     Have you read the psalms and not just Psalm 23? That’s a beautiful psalm of the psalmist faith in the Lord who is a loving shepherd, but we also get Psalm 22 right before it where the psalmist cries out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” This psalmist is basically saying, “why aren’t you answering any of my prayers? And why are you so far away from helping me?”

     I think these two psalms are back to back for a reason. Yes I love Psalm 23, but I equally love psalms like Psalm 22 because they are so real and genuine. God can meet us there in our doubts and our questioning even when we are shaking our fists at God.

     There is this wonderful ebb and flow that we find in the psalms ranging from, “everything is going great in my life and I love and worship only you, O God,” to another psalm that is more like, “my life is so crappy right now that I don’t even know if you even care anymore, O God.”

     These many different kinds of psalms are what feel real and genuine to me. They are not faking it. They are saying how they really feel in that moment.

      Maybe this is why God doesn’t give up on Abram and Sarah when they are called to begin a new nation. Maybe this is why Jesus doesn’t turn Nicodemus away who comes to Jesus in the cover of night. That feels genuine. That feels real. Jesus meets us where we are.

     So here’s the interesting thing about Abram and Sarah. Even though they doubted God, they ended up becoming the parents of a great nation that became the people of Israel. 

     And here’s the interesting thing about Nicodemus. He shows up again at the end of John’s Gospel because he ends up being the one who risked his life by asking for Jesus’ body after he had been crucified. 

     Faith takes time. Faith is about exploring. Faith means asking questions like we are inviting our 6^th through 9^th grade confirmands to do as they prepare for church membership. Faith allows for us to express our doubts where we join some of the psalmists in asking, “God, are you even hearing this prayer?”

     I like Nicodemus. He wasn’t afraid to ask Jesus questions like “what do you mean Jesus, how can somebody be born a second time? Everyone knows that you’re only born once.” 

     See what Nicodemus was doing there with that question? He was doing what we tend to do when we assume that spiritual truth is only about cold facts and taking things literally. Jesus was inviting Nicodemus to see faith in a much more dynamic, creative, and multi-dimensional way.

     “The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

     It sounds like this response from Jesus helped Nicodemus to look at his faith in a new way and would eventually lead him to be the one who took Jesus’ body from the cross to place him in the tomb.

     This is how it is with faith. When it’s real and genuine, it allows room for our questions and our doubts. And somehow, God can use that and lead us into an even deeper understanding of who God is.

     Jesus helped Nicodemus to see that eternal life isn’t so much about a destination, but it’s really a way of life in the here and now that continues into eternity. This way of life includes asking questions about things that are too mysterious to fully comprehend. It provides plenty of room to express our doubts and sometimes even our frustrations with God. 

     And maybe that’s why it’s not a coincidence that today’s invitation to survey our faith falls on this particular Sunday when we celebrate the Sacrament of Holy Communion. Sometimes, we don’t really need text book answers. What we’re really hungry for is the presence of the Risen Christ through the breaking of the bread and the sharing of the cup.  

     Come to the table with your questions and even your doubts and be born again. 

When I Survey My Faith

Sermon Discussion Question

Genesis 12:1-4 & John 3:1-17

March 5, 2023

Last Sunday, we began a new 7-week Season of Lent sermon series based on the hymn “When I Survey the Wondrous” cross written by Isaac Watts in 1707. He based this hymn on Galatians 6:14, “May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to, and I to the world.” This is usually sung during Lent and Holy Week because it emphasizes the importance of dying to things that are keeping us from having a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.

What are some things that you would like to “die to” in this Season of Lent so that you can grow in your relationship with Jesus Christ? 

For the 1st Sunday, our focus was on surveying our temptations. On this 2nd Sunday, we focus on surveying our faith based on our Genesis 12 and John 3 appointed scripture readings. When God called Abram and Sarah to begin a new nation when they were both up in years and Sarah was barren, they later have doubts if this would be even possible! When Nicodemus went to see Jesus, he went during the cover of night to ask him questions about faith. In both of these stories, we have examples of people who were willing to express their doubts and questions.   

Do you know of anyone who doesn’t have any doubts about their faith in God? If so, do you think they’re being honest? Why do you think some people find it easy to believe in God and the scriptures while others have doubts and questions?

Pastor Robert offered the example of the psalms to show that it’s OK to have doubts and questions about our faith. Psalm 23 which is known as the Lord is My Shepherd psalm is a beautiful expression of faith and trust in the Lord. And yet, the psalm before it (Psalm 22) is a psalm that expresses great doubt and questioning especially with the line, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” There are many other psalms that offer varying degrees of faith and belief as well as expressing doubts and questioning God.

Why do you think that the 150 psalms represent a wide continuum between faith and doubt? Which of these kinds of psalm resonate the most with you or does it depend more on what you are experiencing in a given moment?

In the story of Nicodemus when he goes to see Jesus during the cover of the night to ask him questions, he finds it difficult to grasp Jesus’ response to his questions about being born from above. Nicodemus responds very literally by asking, “How can someone be born a 2nd time?” Jesus is offering Nicodemus a new way of looking at his faith where it’s more about God’s Spirit making us new again spiritually. 

Why do you think it can be difficult to see our faith from a more dynamic, creative, and multi-dimensional way rather than a very literal and matter of fact way?

If you would have joined Nicodemus that night, what questions about faith would you have asked Jesus? 

Close your time by offering this prayer from Sunday’s worship service:

Faithful God, you know our fears and our doubts. You know our hopes and our dreams. You know when we have a strong faith and when we have a wavering faith. You know our brokenness and our sins. You know all of these dimensions of who we are, and yet you still love us. In this season of Lent in which we are surveying our faith, may we respond to your invitation to be born anew. Lead us so that we might grow in what it means to have a Loving, Learning, and Living faith. Amen.  

Online Worship (March 5) Athens First UMC

Welcome to our 

March 5 (2nd Sunday Lent)

online worship service!

Athens First UMC

2 S. College St., Athens, OH 45701

[Live-Stream Begins @ 10:25 AM]

Holy Hump Day (March 1) with Pastor Robert

Today’s Focus:

Happy 220th birthday, Ohio!