Rambling Rev

Scripture:  John 19:26-27

Jesus spoke 7 times while he was on the cross.  His first statement was a prayer to God.  His second was a promise to a dying thief.  His third statement was to His mother and to his disciple John.  He said to his mother, referring to John, “Behold your son.”  To John he said, referring to his mother, “Behold your mother.”  From that time forward, Mary looked to John as her son, and John looked to Mary as his mother.  In the midst of all He was accomplishing by dying on the cross, Jesus took the time and effort to take care of his mother.  In the darkest, most eventful time of His life on earth, Jesus made sure to do the right thing by his mother.  It was a high priority for Him, it is a high priority for us.  Paul also tells us in Ephesians 6:1-2, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “  We want to do right by our mothers on this special day, so we may have been wracking our brains trying to decide what gift to give them or what special thing to do.  Material things have their place, but relational, special things are of even greater value.  We want to be sure to give them both.  This morning there are some grade “A” gifts we can be giving our mothers to show our love for them. 

First, we show love to our mothers through affirmation.  In other words, tell her you love her.  Don’t just assume she knows – tell her.  Tell her again and again.  Don’t be like the man who said to his wife, “I told you I loved you on our wedding day, and if I change my mind I’ll let you know!”  For some reason males are often more reluctant to put their feelings into words than females.  Perhaps we think it is not masculine to talk about loving someone and caring for someone.  We may believe we need to be strong and tough.  When it comes to the women closest to us, our wives, our mothers, our girlfriends, we need to express how we feel verbally, and we need to do it often.  They need to hear it, and we need to say it.  After taking the time to tell her you love her, tell her that you appreciate her new hairstyle, her new outfit, or jewelry.  If you don’t tell her, she may think you don’t notice.  If you haven’t been paying attention, pay attention, and then affirm her on those things.  We show love to our mothers through affirmation.

Then, we show love to our mothers through affection.  When is the last time you gave your Mom a hug or a kiss without her asking for it?  When is the last time you gave her a neck rub or just sat on the couch right beside her?  She was the first one to touch you.  She wrapped you in her belly for nine months before you were born.  Her first priority was to hold you, to cuddle you, to stroke your head, to tickle your feet, to give you a finger to grasp with your small hand.  She changed your diapers, potty trained you, and held Kleenex for you to blow your nose.  She wiped food off your face more times than you care to admit.  Now she is older, and she could use your touch of affection.  Just a tight, long hug and a kiss on the cheek or forehead means more than flowers, candy, dinner out, or a diamond necklace or even a cruise.  Well, actually, flowers, candy dinner out, diamonds and/or a cruise WITH the huge and kiss would be ideal.  The point is that your Mom needs your affection, and it is one of the best ways to show your love to her.  “Well, pastor, I’ve never been a very touchy-feely person.  Our family isn’t that way either.”  If that’s the case, then she needs it even more!  Everyone needs physical contact to express care and love — none of us are exempt from it.  Several years ago a study was done in a hospital nursery.  There were two groups of infants.  One group was kept in a very safe, germ-free environment.  They were fed well, they had all the medical care necessary, they were kept warm with blankets and changed regularly.  The second group had similar care, except that they were held constantly.  Their hair was stroked, their foreheads were kissed, their little hands were touched.  The first group received no physical affection.  At the end of the trial period, the second group was doing far better than the first, even though medically there was no difference in their treatment.  The difference was made in the presence of physical touch and affection.  Infants need it, children need it, mothers need it.  We show love to our mothers through affection.

 Then, we show love to our mothers through acknowledgement.  Mothers have an extremely demanding job with absolutely no compensation for it.  Nothing in the business world compares to the physical, emotional and spiritual demands that exist in motherhood.  An old poem from years ago illustrates it well.

She rises at the break of day and through her tasks she races
She cooks the meals as best she may and scrubs the children’s faces
While schoolbooks, lunches, homework too, all need consideration
And yet the census man insists, “she has no occupation.”

When breakfast dishes all are done, she bakes a dessert maybe
She cleans the rooms up, one by one, with one eye watching baby
The laundry pile she then attacks, by way of variation
And yet the census man insists, “she has no occupation.”

She irons for a little while, then presses pants for daddy
She welcomes with a cheery smile returning lass and laddie
A hearty dinner next she cooks, no time for relaxation
And yet the census man insists, “She has no occupation.”

Mothers work hard – show them love by acknowledging all they do.  When you want to know if a mother has a paid vocation, never ask the question, “Do you work or do you just stay at home?”  Instead ask, “Do you work outside the home also?”  Many of today’s Moms do both.  One of the most dangerous things we can do it is to take Mom for granted.  Let’s acknowledge all she does.  It’s also very important on this day to acknowledge all our grandmothers and great-grandmothers have done for us and for our parents.  If we still have them with us, acknowledge the great work she has done.  On his radio program, James Dobson read a letter from an 80 year old woman on her birthday.  Here’s the gist of it:

To all my grandchildren:  I suppose my upcoming birthday started my thoughts along these lines.  This is a good time to tell you what I truly want are things I can never get enough of, yet they are free.  I want the intangibles.  I would like for you to come and sit with me, and for you to be relaxed.  We can talk, or we can be silent.  I would just like for us to be together.  I need your patience when I don’t hear what you say the first time.  I know how tiresome it is to always be repeating, but sometimes I must ask you to repeat.  I need your patience when I think too much about the past, with my slowness and my set ways.  I want you to be tolerant with what the years have done to me physically.  Please be understanding of my personal care habits.  I spill things, I lose things, I get unduly excited when I try to figure out my bank statements.  I can’t remember what time to take my medication, or if I took it already.  I take too many naps, but sleep helps to pass the day.  Well, there you have it:  time, patience and understanding.  Those are the priceless gifts I want.  Finally, in his letter, the Apostle Paul wrote, “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.”  It’s a wonderful feeling to know His eye is on the sparrow, and I know he cares for me.  I guess being old is not so bad after all!” Love, Grandma.

On this Mother’s Day, show love to your mother, and your grandmother and great grandmother, through acknowledgement.

Then, we show love to our mothers through attention.  Mothers are great listeners.  Even when we are adults, they are there as our sounding board.  Thing is, they love being our sounding board!  They are usually always on our side.  I’ve seen news coverage for several people convicted of murder and terrorism.  In just about every case, though everyone else is convinced the person is guilty, the mother is still insisting her son or daughter is innocent.  In the latest situation with the Boston bomber, the same is true.  The mother insists her two sons are innocent.  The point is that it is within a mother’s nature to always give their children the benefit of the doubt.  When no one else believes in us, our mother is still there as our biggest fan.  So its important now that we become their biggest fan.  We may say, “But she asks the same questions over and over.  She is always talking about some problem she has.”  Think a minute – were you ever that way?  Show love to her by paying attention to her.  God shows His love to us by paying attention to us, even with all our faults.  Surely we can do the same with our mothers, who have shown a godly attention to us over the years.

Then, we show our mothers love through appreciation.  An elementary science class had been studying magnets, and how metal objects are attracted to them.  At the end of the semester, the teacher put this question on the exam: “Six letters, starts with “M”, picks things up, what am I?”  Over half the children wrote “mother.”  Our Moms need our gratitude not just on this day, but on every day.  You won’t always have your Mom, so give her appreciation while you have her.  There’s nothing too good for her, you can’t repay her, but we ought to die trying before she does.  Moms won’t spend anything on themselves until the needs of her children are met.  She won’t devote her time to what she wants until she has taken care of you.  Let’s return the appreciation.  Here’s a math question – state your answer as a fraction.  If there are ten family members, including Mom, sitting around the table, and there is one apple pie, how much pie will be on each plate?  The answer is 1/9.  Pastor, you don’t know your fractions – there are ten people, and one pie.  The answer is 1/10.  No the answer is 1/9, because Mom won’t take a piece so that everyone else’s piece can be bigger.  On this Mother’s Day, we show our mothers love through appreciation.

 Affirmation, affection, acknowledge, attention and appreciation – they are all important.  For a Christian mother however, the single most greatest gift you can give is a gift not to her, but to God.  When you give your life to Christ, when you choose to follow Him, there is nothing that will thrill the heart more of a godly mother.  Cards won’t match it, dinners won’t match it, jewelry won’t match it.  When you give your life to Christ, when you ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins and give you new life, there is no greater joy you can give her.  So on this Mother’s Day, when many of you may have come to church not so much to worship God but to honor your Mom, give your life to Christ.  If you won’t do it for your own sake, do it for that special mother in your life.  She may be your own mother, she may be your wife, she may be your grandmother.  She has been praying for you, she has been asking God to draw you to Himself – step across that line of faith today and give Your life to Christ.  You may have strayed from God, and nothing would make that mother happier than for you to rededicate your life.  You may have been putting off joining this church – that special mother however, would love nothing more than for you to commit.  Will you honor that mother today, not just with the grade a gifts mentioned, but with the highest grade gift of all?  Will you follow Jesus, will you be obedient to Him in response to Him touching Your heart?  Regardless of your age, the godly mother in your life will be thrilled as you follow Jesus.

Scripture:  Deuteronomy 32:7, Hebrews 12:1-2
(preached at FBC Nitro, 5/27/2012)

On November 19, 1863 President Lincoln was making his way to a Pennsylvania battlefield.  He feared that he might be the last president of the United States.  The country teetered on the brink of self-destruction – the Civil War had taken an enormous toll on the nation.  The ceremony he would attend that afternoon would dedicate a cemetery for over 40,000 soldiers killed at Gettysburg in a three-day battle the previous July.  Lincoln’s remarks provided the beginning of what would later be known as Memorial Day.  He began by saying, “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal,…”  Less than two minutes later, he concluded, “The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here (referring to the sacrifice of the soldiers).  It is for us the living rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.  It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us – that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that for which they gave the last full measure of devotion – that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the earth.”

Over the next few years, many communities set aside special days to honor the fallen soldiers of the Civil War.  Some services were quiet and contemplative, others had marching bands and speeches.  All of them included decorating soldier’s graves with flowers and flags.  Most towns referred to the event as Decoration Day.  After World War I the day expanded to honor the American heroes of all wars.  Then gradually, the custom of decorating graves of relatives and friends became a part of the day.  Eventually the name of the holiday was changed to Memorial Day.  Originally, Memorial Day was always observed on May 30, regardless of the day of the week.  In 1971, the US Congress moved the date to the last Monday in May to provide a three-day holiday.  So the reason we have Memorial Day is to help us remember, because we have a tendency to forget.  We need to remember the lives, the legacies, and the lessons of the people upon whose shoulders we now stand.  We need to remember the men and women who secured our freedom with their blood.  Jesus himself said in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”

Memorial Day is not primarily a day to celebrate the unofficial arrival of summer or the end of another school year.  It is not primarily a day to enjoy the pools that have recently opened.  It is not primarily a day to focus on grilling and interacting with family and friends.  The primary purpose of Memorial Day is to remember.  Remembering the heroes of the past and learning from them is important – throughout God’s Word we are encouraged to draw inspiration from the past.  Memorial Day is meant to remember — there are at least four ways in which that is the case.

First of all, Memorial Day is meant to remember our fallen soldiers.  We’ve already heard about how the holiday began – it began with a focus on the sacrifice of the military.  Every generation of Americans has heroes who have defended freedom and have laid down their lives for their friends.  This Memorial Day weekend the traveling Vietnam wall will be at Oakes Field in South Charleston.  The wall is as long as a football and bears 58,277 names of soldiers who gave their lives for freedom in the Vietnam War.  It is not the only such monument that remembers.  Eight years ago the World War II monument was dedicated in Washington DC.  There is a field of 4,000 gold stars that honors over 400,000 lives that were lost in that conflict.  Then there are the sacrifices that have been made in Iraq and in Afghanistan and in other places around the world.  Listen to these words that were written by someone who remembered, “It is the soldier, not the reporter who has given us the freedom of the press.  The soldier not the poet gave us the freedom of speech.  The soldier, not the politician, has given us the freedom to vote, to assemble, and even to demonstrate.  It is the soldier, who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protestor to burn the flag.”  Memorial Day is meant to remember our fallen soldiers.

Then, Memorial Day is meant to remember our departed family.  Our passage says in Deuteronomy 32:7,  “Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations; ask your father, and he will show you, your elders, and they will tell you.”  When I was a child, Memorial Day was a big deal for our household.  In our family, there were four major holidays each year – Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and Memorial Day.  One of the traditions we had was to go to each cemetery where family members were buried.  We made sure the gravesites were decorated and well-kept.  We would hold hands and pray, giving thanks for the memory and the influence of those people who were no longer with us.  Our extended family was a large one, with several cemeteries involved, so that was the bulk of our day.  We had relatives who would travel several hours to return to the Charleston area so they could visit the cemeteries as well and participate in the same event.  Then, when we had finally finished making the rounds, we would enjoy a meal together, visit a bit, then the ones who had traveled would return to their homes.  We only had one day to get it all done, because Memorial Day had not yet been moved to the last Monday of the month.  We weren’t guaranteed a three-day weekend.  I remember that kind of practice, 45 years ago, was not just isolated to our family.  Other families did the same thing.  It was a tradition, and keeping some traditions is a healthy thing.  That is one we do not have to sacrifice with the passing of time and the changing of our society.  We are who we are because of our parents, our grandparents, our aunts and uncles who left their imprint on our lives and sacrificed so we can have the life we now enjoy.  Memorial Day is meant to remember our departed family.

Then, Memorial Day is meant to remember our church pioneers.  Our second passage says in Hebrews 12:1, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,…”  “Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses…”One of the principles of Bible study is that when we encounter a “therefore,” we want to look and see what it is “there for.”  The author of Hebrews in chapter 11 goes into great detail describing past heroes of faith who had died.  After that entire chapter, at the beginning of chapter 12 he writes, “therefore since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses…”  The cloud of witnesses refers to the people of God who have died.  The present-day congregation of First Baptist Church of Nitro owes a debt of remembrance to the church members who have preceded us.  None of us here possessed the initial vision of creating the Lock Seven Baptist Church, nor made the sacrifices necessary to bring it into reality.  These pioneers at the turn of the 20^th century were forward-thinking, cooperating with God’s Spirit to lead people to Christ and to make disciples in a local congregation.  They were people of energy and innovation, so much so that they used a railroad car as a meeting place for Bible study, prayer and fellowship.  In 1924 the name of the Lock Seven Baptist Church was changed to the First Baptist Church of Nitro.  Many of us here today can recall past church members who inspired us and who molded and shaped the spirituality of the church.  On this day, we remember them and give thanks to God for them.  Then we think not only of local church pioneers but also of pioneers among the broader people of God.  We find them in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.  Then when we study church history, we find them as well.  It’s important for us not to ignore church history, not to skip from the characters of the people to the present day saints.  There is a rich heritage and a wealth of inspiration to be found in men and women who have followed Christ in the 2000 years or so the church has existed.  We are all familiar with Martin Luther King Jr., but are we familiar with Martin Luther?  We’ve all heard of West Virginia Weslyan College, but we do we know anything about John Wesley?  We have several youth and some adults who are involved in missions and passionate about missions, but do we realize we are not the first ones who have felt that way?  William Carey, Adoniram Judson and Hudson Taylor were all pioneers in missions.  Many of us love good preaching, so we listen to podcasts of well-known preachers.  Are we are aware however, that Charles Spurgeon was so powerful in the pulpit that he still bears the name of the “prince of preachers?”  The point is that we enjoy many of the things we have spiritually because of the saints who have gone before us.  Someone may say, “Well pastor, I really don’t care about past Christians.  I just want to study my Bible.”  Do we realize that the Bible was not always available to everyone in the church?  There was a time when the Bible was only possessed by the priests.  John Wycliffe was a man who had a passion for God’s Word being in the hands of all believers, not just the clergy.  His vision resulted in the first translation of the Bible into English.  Memorial Day is meant to remember our church pioneers.

Then, Memorial Day is meant to remember our life-giving Savior.  If Memorial Day was just about recalling people who have died, it could get pretty depressing pretty fast.  Memorial Day is also meant to focus on our life-giving Savior.  Because of what Jesus has done for us by dying on the cross and being raised from the dead never to die again, we have hope of seeing again the people who have gone ahead of us in Christ.  Jesus also sacrificed his blood so that we might have freedom.  The freedom He gives us however, is not just political freedom but spiritual freedom.  He frees us from sin.  Romans 5:6-8 says, “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  Revelation 21:4-7 says of Jesus, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.”  Memorial Day is meant to remember our life-giving Savior.

As you look back to the past and remember, there is so much that has been given to you.  You have your nation.  You have your family.  You have your church, both local and universal.  You have your Savior.  The greatest thing you can do to leave a legacy for this present generation and for future generations, is to have a relationship with Jesus Christ.  Jesus offers to save you from our sin, but you must make the choice to allow Him to do so.  He is not really your Savior until you become His child.  Until you give your life to Him, all He has done has no benefit to you.  Jesus wants you to ask Him to forgive you of your sin and to be saved from it.  Will you do so?  You may need to rededicate publicly.  You may need to join this church family – as you do so, you will become a part of the heritage of this congregation. (Prayer)

Scripture:  Ruth 1:1-22
(preached at FBC Nitro, May 13, 2012)

I’ve never been one to read romance novels, but this last week I actually read one.  It’s in the Bible – it’s the book of Ruth.  This particular romance novel is as appealing to men as it is to women.  It is also true, rather than being merely fictional.  Ruth is set in the land of Israel during the time of the judges.  It was a period when, according to the Bible, “every man did what was right in his own eyes.”  It was a chaotic time, but this incident gives clarity and light in the midst of the confusion and darkness.  We see God at work in the lives of regular, ordinary people.  On this Mother’s Day, the entire book of Ruth has a great deal of guidance for all of us.  In particular for mothers it has a lot of direction.  There is a time for mothers to be happy and to be grateful to God for all He has done.  There is also a time for mothers to be sad, and to mourn people or things they have lost.  There is nothing wrong with having an aching heart.  On this special day, I would daresay that many of the mothers here this morning are grieving in one way or another.  There is pain down deep inside.  It is okay to feel that way – this story of Ruth gives us insight as to how to respond to grief as a mother.  At the very beginning of this book, a man named Elimelech dies.  He leaves behind his widow Naomi, a single mother in a foreign country.  As a widow in that day and age, she had no way to provide for herself.  She could only wait until her sons became old enough to care for her.  It’s not exactly clear as to how much time passed, but the two sons took Moabite wives for themselves, Ruth and Orpah.  Then, as if the loss of Naomi’s husband isn’t enough, her two sons die.  It’s tough for us to imagine the emotional toll these losses must have taken on her.  In addition to the emotions, there were the financial implications.  Naomi was now financially helpless.  There was no Social Security, she had no life insurance policies to cash — she is in a mess.  She’s likely too old to marry, doesn’t have any grandchildren, and is still working through all the pain of two sons dying in addition to her husband.  This mother has suffered loss in a number of ways, and she is doing what is natural to do – she is grieving.  So for all of us here this morning whom may be grieving in some way, but especially mothers, this passage has much to say.

First of all, we see that a mother deals with her grief through choices.  When we are grieving, whenever we are broken-hearted, sooner or later we have to make a decision as to whether or not we are going to move forward with our lives.  This last week I read about Gerald Sittser, a professor at a college in Spokane, Washington.  About ten years ago his minivan was struck by a drunk driver.  In a moment’s time, he lost three generations.  In the car with him were his mother, his wife, and his small daughter.  They were all killed.  He later wrote a book entitled “A Grace Disguised.”  In it he tells of his loss and his experience with grief.  He writes, “I felt like I was staring at the stump of a huge tree that had just been cut down in my backyard.  That stump, which sat all alone, kept reminding me of the beloved tree I had lost.  I could think of nothing but that tree.  Every time I looked out the window, all I could see was that stump.”  Some of us here this morning, some mothers here this morning, can only see a stump when you look through the window of your life.  It’s a painful thing.  Sittser however, doesn’t stop there.  He later says, “The experience of loss doesn’t have to be the defining moment of our life.”  Instead he says, “The defining moment can be our response to the loss.”  In other words, he says that we do not have the ability to choose what will happen in our lives, but we do have the ability to choose how we are going to respond.”  So how do we respond to crushing loss?  How did Naomi respond?  The first thing Naomi does is to make a choice.  Verse 6 tells us, “Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited his people and given them food.”

“Then she arose….”  She chose to get up and to begin to move forward.  She didn’t have a lot of hope, but she had a little.  With what little hope she had, she took a step forward.  That’s important.  Sometimes it is tempting to hold to the last remnant of our past and just remain frozen where we are.  In our depression over the loss, we lack the will or the energy to do anything at all.  We want to give up, we want to keep counting our losses, we want to wallow in our self-pity.  Naomi here didn’t run from her pain – she still felt it.  She did however choose to move forward in the midst of her pain.  She made the choice to live and to receive again from God.  We can make the same choice as mothers, and as people in general.  The first step forward for you might be to see a Christian counselor – that’s okay, you’re not crazy.  As a matter of a fact, if anything is crazy it’s when you are deeply troubled about something and you do NOT see a Christian counselor.  The first step forward might be to attend church regularly again – never underestimate the power of meeting together regularly with God’s people.  The first step forward might be just get out of bed or to get out of the house when you really want to withdraw.  Whatever it may be, God will give you the strength to make the right choice, just as He gave Naomi the strength.  A mother deals with her grief through choices.

Then, a mother deals with her grief through companions.  When Naomi makes the choice to head back to Israel, she wants Ruth and Orpah to stay in Moab.  They are still young, they could find husbands, life would be better for them there.  Ruth and Orpah start on the journey with her.  Naomi then basically says something rather strange, “Do you young women think I have sons in my womb that can be your husbands?  Even if I found a man and conceived sons, you’d have to wait for them to grow into men before you could marry them.  Stay in Moab!!”  In other words, “You are from Moab, you need to stay in Moab – the chances of you finding husbands are nil if you return with me to Israel.  What man in Israel is going to want a Moabite for a wife?”  Her words persuaded Orpah, so she kissed Naomi and remained in her homeland.  Ruth still wouldn’t leave her.  God had given Naomi a companion in Ruth that refused to leave her side, even when times were hard and even when it would involve sacrifice to do so.  Then Ruth responds to Naomi with what are now well-known words:  “But Ruth said, ‘Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you’” (verses 16-17).  Today we often hear these words as part of wedding vows, but initially they were spoken as words of deep friendship.  Ruth is so attached to Naomi that she not only commits to stay with her, she also commits to serve Naomi’s God.  Regardless of the hardships they both had experienced, Naomi had been blessed with a strong friend and mentor in Ruth.  If we are going to survive times of loss and tragedy, we have to give and to accept this kind of companionship.  As brothers and sisters in Christ, we cling to one another as Ruth clung to Naomi.  The tendency is to isolate ourselves, but strength and recovery are found when we extend ourselves.  The answer isn’t in closing ourselves off from from friends, but opening ourselves up to friends.  So Ruth and Naomi, arm-in-arm begin making the journey across the mountains to Bethlehem.  Verse 19 tells us of their arrival there, and the word spread quickly in such a small town.  She had left with a life that appeared to be full – she had left Bethlehem with a husband and two sons.  Now she returns with a Moabite daughter-in-law.  Moabites were not well accepted in Israel, and they were not allowed to worship in the Temple.  Still, Naomi had a loyal friend in Ruth.  A mother deals with her grief through companions.

As Naomi talked with the people of the small town, they asked, “Is it Naomi?  Could it be?”  There isn’t any indication here they were mocking her – apparently they were really glad to see her.  “She responded, ‘Don’t call me Naomi anymore.  Call me Mara, for God has dealt bitterly with me.”  A mother deals with her grief through confession.  At first glance it may seem that Naomi is not very spiritual, speaking in such a way.  She is being honest however, she is being transparent.  This time isn’t the first or the last that one of God’s people vented honest frustration to God and to others.  She’s in good company with Jeremiah, Job, Moses and David.  God is more pleased with our honesty, and others are more touched by it, than any kind of plastic piety.  When we are really close to someone, we share our feelings, positive and negative.  We cross into sin when we rebel against God or lash out against others.  Giving voice to our pain however, is something that actually can glorify God.  Naomi said what she did about God because she was convinced God is in charge of everything, that He is sovereign.  In verse 21 she says, “I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty…”  She thought God had taken everything from her, but that wasn’t the case.  Verse 22 continues, “So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabite her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab.”  She had Ruth with her, which was a treasure she didn’t have when she left.  Naomi’s grandchild through Ruth was Obed, who was the grandfather of King David.  Eventually Jesus the Son of God would come from her lineage.  God was in control of her life, glorifying Himself, accomplishing His purpose and taking care of her.  God is doing the same with your life today, whether or not you realize it.  It is okay to vent to God and to be honest with others – just continue to trust in Him and realize He knows more about your situation than you ever will.  A mother deals with her grief through confession, through confessing her own pain, and through confessing that God is still in control.

This morning on this Mother’s Day, how will you choose to respond to life’s hardships?  Will you respond by pulling back from God, or drawing closer to Him?  Will you pull back from the Christian friends God has given you, or will you draw closer to them?  The first step is to know Jesus as the Lord of your life and your Savior from your own sin.  The second step is to confess Him publicly through baptism.  The third step is to be a part of a church family – all of us need a spiritual home.  Will you respond to your grief in your own way this morning, or will you respond in God’s way?  The choice is yours.

Last night, Sunday November 27, was a very moving time for me as senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Nitro.  We extended a call to Matt Ash in the morning worship service to be our youth pastor, beginning Monday, December 12.  Everyone was upbeat in response to what God had accomplished by bringing us together with this gifted young man.  The events of yesterday evening however, touched me deeply and reminded me just how blessed I am to pastor this particular congregation.

At 6:00 p.m. we gathered together in the fellowship hall to enjoy soup and sandwiches, and to prepare for the Advent decoration service in the sanctuary.  We had all ages present around the tables – infants squirming, children finishing crafts, youth laughing and talking, younger and older adults serving food and interacting with one another.  Then as we moved to the sanctuary for the service, all ages were participating in the program.  Regina Cummings coordinated the activities, Tony Nutter led the worship, and various youth played instruments and ran the audio and video equipment.   Adults spoke and read, and the children sang and recited poems about Christmas.  Young Kaylee Babbitt inspired everyone with her stirring Christmas solo at the end of the evening.  Everyone came together for one purpose:  to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

What makes Christmas so special here at First Baptist Church of Nitro?  It isn’t the decorations or the music or the programming, although all those things have their places.  What makes Christmas so special for us is our spiritual family.

Most of us enjoy our physical families over the holidays – younger and older get together and celebrate the season.  Our spiritual family however, is in many ways characterized by deeper and more intimate bonds.  Children, youth and adults all come together to worship our Lord Jesus Christ.  Through Jesus we have life, life together and life forever.  Jesus bridges the generation gap, He makes it possible for us to be one despite all the differences that a variety of ages brings.  Although many things in our world have changed and are changing, Jesus never changes.  He is the One who brings us together as one family.

Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:1-6,
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

In short, Jesus brings us all together this Christmas season in a way no other person or possession can do.

More than any other time of the year, we make spending time with our physical families a priority during Christmas.  One of the greatest blessings we have here at FBC Nitro is our spiritual family – are you thanking God for them and making time with them a priority?  During Christmas, our diverse spiritual family is one of the greatest gifts of all.

Paul says in Ephesians 6:12, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”  Again he says in 2 Corinthians 2:11, “…so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.”  I never cease to be amazed at how Satan can work his way into our hearts and minds through methods we wouldn’t expect.  I could list a number of them here, but for this article I’d like to focus on what I call “demons of discontent.”  If the enemy can get us into discontented thinking and living, he has won a major victory and has robbed us of the power and peace that are ours in Christ.

We face demons of discontent in our personal life.  Most people know by now that I suffered an ankle injury in a freak accident while in the third month of a four-month training program for the Marshall Marathon.  At first I was ticked off that I couldn’t run.  Three weeks later I was even more ticked off to learn the ankle was broken and would require a non-weight bearing cast for a month.  While on crutches, I am pretty much rendered useless for many of the personal and professional activities I love to be doing.  As a result of focusing on my situation, I became discontent.

We face demons of discontent in our families.  “If my husband/wife would only do such-and-such, I would be happy.”  “My parents are making my life miserable.”  “My kids are driving me crazy!”  The family discontent makes its way into our hearts and minds, and our witness for Christ suffers.

We face demons of discontent in our schools and workplaces.  We find ourselves hating to face the beginning of another week, for that certain teacher or boss is simply unbearable.  Our classmates or co-workers are more than we can handle, and we have had it with them.  We may even spiritualize things by focusing on their lack of a godly lifestyle, and believe our frustration is motivated by “righteous indignation.”  Truth be told, it’s a demon of discontent.

We face demons of discontent in our church.  Yes, we face them in our church, especially in our church.  For some of us, we see too much change.  We wish things were the way they used to be, but they aren’t.  As we finally realize God has no plans of returning our congregation to what we fondly remember, we grow discontent.  For others of us, we don’t see enough change.  The congregation is too lethargic in its worship, too filled with inconsistencies in its structure, and too lacking in Biblical grounding and passion.  God isn’t changing things rapidly enough in His church to suit us, so we too become discontent.

What’s the secret then to defeating demons of discontent?  It’s pretty simple actually – we shift our focus away from ourselves and towards our Lord Jesus.  Philippians 4:6-8 describes the process:

Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse (TMSG).

So the choice is ours.  We can celebrate what God has done and is doing through Christ, or we can lament what He isn’t doing.  We can set our eyes on Jesus, follow Him and be content.  Or, we can turn our gaze towards ourselves and others, and allow demons of discontent to overtake us.  What will your choice be?

For the past several years, I’ve been a regular user of Facebook.  I never chat on the site (with the one exception of chatting with Josh while he was in Afghanistan), and never play any of the thousands of games.  For me, it is a posting of a workout in the morning, then a Scripture passage, and perhaps a comment on life throughout the day.  I read much, much more on Facebook than I type.  I’ve seen it as a great way to keep in touch with a multitude of high school, college and seminary classmates, as well as relatives, in-laws and church members.  Recently however, I’ve had misgivings about the whole thing — it seems to be a waste of valuable time and energy.

Relationships aren’t built on Facebook, they are built face-to-face with an investment of physical presence.  Granted, there is always a place for circulating the written word, such as websites, blogs, email, printed books and magazines.  Facebook however, is more about virtual interaction through an assortment of pictures, catchy phrases and tidbits of personal information.  The point is that if we spend so much time interacting through virtual presence, our ability to interact via physical presence is diminished.   I just have a growing feeling that physical relationships, the flesh-and-blood variety, are slowly being drained by this massive online community.

I have a similar feeling about texting — I have it on my cell phone, but use it infrequently.  Some people, especially younger generations, use it constantly and appear to suffer from a similar malady in flesh-and-blood interaction.

It is one thing to write a book, to send information via an email, or to post a message on a blog.  It is another thing however, to opt to exchange thoughts electronically, to choose virtual interaction over physical, personal interaction.  In our Internet savvy day-and-age, that choice is exactly the one we are increasingly making.

I remember as a child during the summer people would sit on their porches as the sun was setting.  The point was not just to get some fresh air, but to be open for interaction with others nearby.  Neighbors would go from sidewalks to porches visiting and talking.  Now the trend is to sit in the comfort and isolation of an air-conditioned house, typing messages back and forth with others in an electronic community.  There is no body language, no facial expression, no tone of voice, just impersonal flickers of light on a screen and tappings on a keyboard.

Although communication technology is an amazing thing, I can’t shake the sense that we are losing something valuable.  Perhaps it is the ability to be emotionally present where we are physically.  With the increasing popularity of electronic interaction, we invest ourselves emotionally where our bodies do not follow.  We’re less whole as a result — our lives are diminished, not enhanced.

There is something about human relationships that is meant to be limited to our physical presence.  Of course, that same kind of logic could apply to the telephone as well — we communicate with others where we do not go physically.  People talking incessantly on cell phones nowadays while driving, shopping or even going to the bathroom is a related topic that goes far beyond the scope of this particular post.

I don’t know where this whole sense of Facebook misgivings will take me — it will be a matter of prayer and further reflection.  In the meantime, I believe I’ll take a break from checking Facebook as often as I do.  Instead, I’ll read a good book, I’ll spend some time in prayer, or I’ll actually go next door, sit down, and talk with one of my neighbors.

Rules: Once you’ve been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person/people who tagged you. If I tagged you, it’s because I want to know more about you.

(To do this, go to “Notes” in the tab section on your Profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right-hand corner), and then click publish.)

1) I love vanilla ice cream.
2) I despise being micro-managed.
3) I like mornings. It isn’t a good morning without coffee, breakfast and devotions (in that order).
4) The greatest thing that happened to me was meeting Jesus.
5) The next greatest thing that happened to me was marrying Jeannie.
6) Godly friendships are awesome.
7) Institutional religion is dull and boring.
8) My wife amazes me.
9) My son inspires me.
10) Children energize me.
11) Keith Green was the greatest Christian musician/songwriter ever. Period.
12) I like dogs better than cats, but have two cats because they are low maintenance.
13) I put too much thought into writing, but love doing it. I’m even enjoying this silly list.
14) Young adults fascinate me – I thrive on their company.
15) I don’t follow the crowd or conventional wisdom. Never did, probably never will.
16) Sometimes I say really zany, off-the-wall things that no one really gets or understands.
17) Football is my favorite sport to watch.
18) I love tossing a Frisbee.
19) I buy books I never get around to reading.
20) Jesus did His greatest works beyond the four walls of church buildings. He hasn’t changed.
21) I’m a fitness freak.
22) I’m not a health food nut.
23) I spend too much money, especially on electronics.
24) I’d love to run a full marathon someday, and just finish it. Finishing the Boston marathon would be a dream-come-true.
25) I want to be a pilot when I grow up.