Worship Preview 3.8.26 "Lent 3: Where Are We Going?"

WORSHIP THIS SUNDAY: 10:30am.“Lent 3: Where Are We Going?” 

Scriptures: Psalm 32:1-11, Luke 9:46-50, Luke 13:31-34 (compared with Mattthew 23, 25 and Revelation 18). Rev. Christopher Eshelman preaching.

Last week I framed the sermon in terms of the car trip question: “Are We There Yet?”  I talked about wanting to jump ahead. Yet faith isn’t about jumping to the end, it’s about the journey and walking with our savior, Jesus. We can be assured of the end – yet not the timing. In light of recent events, I want to go a bit deeper with that question and ask: “Where Are We Going?”

Sometimes fundamentalist will frame that as a fear induced frame – Heaven or Hell?! Those who disagree with them, clearly, are destined for Hell. We often fall into binaries like that – we say, as a former President Bush did, in another time of chosen war – “you are either with us or against us.” But Jesus teaches his Disciples differently – in Luke 9, when they have encountered someone beyond their group casting out demons in Jesus’ name, they want to stop them, “because he is not one of us.” Jesus counters: “Do not stop him… Whoever is not against you is for you.” Earlier in that chapter, Christ has given them power and sent them forth, he’s taken Peter, James, and John up the mountain where he is transfigured – and yet the disciples lose the larger picture and lapse into arguments of about which of them is the greatest and trying to control others.

You’ve likely heard the phrase “there are two sides to every story.” I want to urge you to consider how limiting that is! There are far more than “two sides.” When we deny that, we fall into lockstep tribalism, partisanship, and nationalism. Last week I defined nationalism as being about control and fear, contrasting that with a healthy patriotism that flows from love of country and neighbor. Patriotism seeks to build up, celebrate, and invite. Nationalism seeks to control by demeaning and excluding. It is a distortion – and nationalism often uses a distorted kind of faith to accomplish its goals. When we fail to see the diversity of God’s creation, we fall into the trap – we start saying yes to the very temptations Jesus rejected in the wilderness! One form of control is false binaries – “us vs. them.” One way of thinking about that to avoid the trap is to realize that, Yes, God created day and night – but does that mean dawn and dusk are not Holy or of God? Is dawn a perversion of day? Or is it a moment of such powerful beauty that generations of Christians have gathered for Easter Sunrises services, as we will again this year at 7am on April 5^th.

When faith is about controlling and improving ourselves, it is Christ-centered – the moment it becomes about controlling others, we’ve lost the plot. Which brings me to the Pharisees. How often are they held up as the negative example. Modern Christians will say things like “Don’t be a Pharisee.” And often in Scriptures, they are depicted as opponent of Jesus – yet in Luke 13, some Pharisees come to warn Jesus that Herod wants to kill him. I have suggested that one of the reasons the Pharisees are so often challenging to Jesus is that they think (perhaps with good reason) that he is one of them. We often fight the hardest with those we are closest to! Luke 13 suggests this deeper relationship – or at least that there are more than 2 sides to the story! Certainly, we are called to challenge and even rebuke one another, but never with an air of superiority or self-righteousness, rather we are called to follow in the humility and service Jesus exemplifies. One key way of making sure we stay on that narrow path is confessional prayer. Psalm 32 is a call to and instruction about such prayer and we’ll take a deep look at its lessons for us in this Lenten season. We’ll also reflect on Jesus’ lament over Jerusalem in Luke 13.

In light of world events, we need clarity about our path, our choices, and about how we use and apply Scripture. During the sermon, Pastor Christopher will revisit a series he gave on the Book of Revelation a couple years ago, connecting Psalm 32 and Luke 13’s lessons. It’s worth reflecting on what chapters like Revelation 18, or Matthew’s account of the lament over Jerusalem in chapter 23 of that Gospel tell us about what really angers God. The question “Where Are We Going?” isn’t about fear or controlling others, it’s about being sure we are choosing our own steps wisely. Let us not fall into the mistakes of the Disciples, arguing about who is greatest and trying to limit access to Jesus, rather, let us confess our shortcomings, repent of them, and joyfully walk on the Way of Christ, guided by the humility, grace, and love of Jesus, the pioneer and perfector of our faith.

You are invited! Wherever you are on the journey, you are invited to bring your hopes, your fears, your doubts, and your full self to worship Sunday at 10:30am. Let us walk in the way of Christ! Amen!

UPCOMING EVENT: FEEDING FAMILIES IN HIS NAME: Wednesday, March 11 - A free, no obligation meal is served “to-go” style from underneath our portico from 5:15pm to 6:15pm each Wednesday (note our new official start and end times), prepared each week by our members as well as several area churches and community groups. We aim to provide 400 meals per week.

FELLOWSHIP LUNCH POTATO BAR: 11:30am Friday, March 27^th. Our last fellowship lunch for this winter will be hosted by United Women in Faith and they will offer a potato bar for a freewill offering to benefit their mission and ministries. Mark your calendar and bring a friend!

MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID TRAINING – Open to the community! On Saturday, April 18^th we will host the Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center staff for a day of learning about how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental health and substance abuse challenges among adults. No cost, lunch provided with registration.

Register by calling Angie Smith at (620) 212-4404 or email adsmith@sekmhc.org.