This past week started the beginning of Lent. Lent is the time we spiritually prepare ourselves to celebrate Easter and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. This year we are studying God's miraculous power to heal and boldly praying that we might experience it. I encourage you to come to worship with the faith that God can heal you from all sickness, brokenness and woundedness. To listen to Sunday's sermon follow the link or you can read the text below (unedited). Be blessed... be healed...
http://www.mediafire.com/file/jhmz2yt1tlt/The Great Physician.mp3
“The Great Physician: Diving Healing”
Brimfield Faith UMC
February 21, 2010
Luke 7:18-23; Isaiah 53:1-5
INTRODUCTION - SKEPTICS
The scene we just watch is from the movie “The Green Mile.” The tag line of the movie “Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks) didn’t believe in miracles. Until the day he met one.” The story is about a death row inmate named John Coffey who has supernatural powers. In several scenes in the movie performs miracles. Those in the movie, like many people in America, are skeptical of miracles until we experience one. [CLIP – HEALING]
Even Christians, who embrace a faith based predicated on a virgin birth, Jesus’s miracles, and his resurrection, are skeptical about miracles and especially healing miracles. Depending on your experiences, the mention divine healing and miracles may stir different emotions and thoughts within you. There is a litany of reasons to be skeptical of divine healing. Supernatural healing is sometimes associated with the occult and new age religion. Sometimes we don’t believe the person claiming the miracle. I don’t know what specifically causes you do doubt divine healing, but as we being to talk about it I want to address two of them.
The first reason many of us are leery of divine healing is because of what we see on T.V. Ministers who claim to have the gift of healing are often a bit wacky. We have one of the best examples of it just down the road in Cuyahoga Falls at the Crystal Cathedral with the Rev. Earnest Angley. With the bad toupee, thick southern accent, and dramatic “be heaaaaaaled,” what’s not to be skeptical about. Angley is only one of many who populate the airwaves with their unique brand of Christianity and healing.
While people may have authentic encounters with God at Angley’s meetings, his personality does not exactly inspire the average Christian to have embrace the concept of divine healing. Instead it causes most of us to think, divine healing just isn’t for me. We think, “I would never pray for someone like that,” or “I would never go there to receive such prayer.” Unfortunately, we have observed bad models for divine healing and it has caused us to dismiss it.
The other reason we typically doubt healing is from insufficient theology and philosophy. Some Christians assert that divine healing ended when Jesus’ disciples died or once early church was fully established. This theological reasoning basically eliminates the possibility and necessity for God to act in miraculous ways today. Although many of us are not familiar that theological explanation, we are familiar with Enlightenment thinking. Whether we realize it or not, most of us probably learned the scientific method in school. The method is based on gathering observable, empirical and measurable evidence that is then subject to principles of reasoning. This approach to the world eliminates much of the spiritual realm and the possibility of the supernatural. Modernity has a way of becoming self-fulfilling prophesy. If you are taught not to believe in ghosts, spirits, or even miracles, you don’t look for them or ask for them. As a result, you never experience them. Although modernity has diminished, it still influences the way we practice and live out our faith. This way of thinking has left many Christians skeptical of any miracles, especially that of divine healing.
DOES GOD STILL HEAL?
There seems to be a disconnect between what we read in Scripture and what we experience in our lives. I don’t know about you, but this bothers me. If I am going to commit my life to the faith found in the Bible, then I expect to experience the same living God that is described within those pages. One of those encounters I long to have is that of divine healing. The pages of Scripture, especially Jesus’ ministry are littered with accounts of miraculous healings. Call me foolish but I think Christians today ought to have access to such power.
Most of us have plenty of misconceptions and misunderstandings about divine healing. As we embark on the journey of Jesus-Care over the next 40 days of Lent, I hope for us to overcome our doubts, fears, and misconceptions around divine healing. I hope for us to discover the God whom the Israel called, “The Lord, who heals you,” or YHWH-Rapha. By the end of the series, I hope for us to have new models of pray, new ways to seek divine healing, and for us to experience the fullness of God’s healing ministry.
This morning I want to answer the simple question: Does God still heal today? The short answer is YES! [Turn to your neighbor.] To show this, I want to demonstrate that it has always been in God’s character to heal in supernatural ways. As we begin that overview, I think it would be helpful to define divine healing. Divine healing means healing by direct intervention of the living God and his son Jesus Christ. While is seems possible for supernatural or miraculous healings to occur a part from God, divine healing speaks to those healings that come directly from God. Divine healing typically occurs in direct response to prayers of faith or an act of faith. Next week, we will talk about other ways that God facilitates healing but this morning, I want to address divine healing as a direct result of God’s power and action.
OLD TESTAMENT
The Israelites had numerous names to describe the nature and the character of God. One of those names was YHWH-Rapha, which is translated “the Lord, who heals you.” The Israelites from the beginning believed God has a desire to protect them and to keep them healthy. This name first appears inn Exodus 15:26, “26 He said, “If you listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.” It was generally understood that if you followed the ways of God, you wouldn’t get sick. But it wasn’t outside of God’s power and character to heal the sick when there wasn’t sin involved.
One of my favorite stories that depicts God’s healing nature in the Old Testament is found in 2 Kings 5. There is a man named Naaman, who was a commander of the army of the king of Aram, and who has leprosy. While he is not an Israelite, he seeks healing through the Hebrew prophet, Elisha. Elisha gives him orders to wash seven times in the Jordan River. Naaman doesn’t like this answer and in fact argues with Elisha about it. He think Elisha should be able to just wave his hand and heal him. He questions, why do I have to bathe in the waters of Israel? Finally Naamam humbles himself and wash seven times in Israelite wasters and his flesh is restored.
I like this story for a couple of reasons. One it shows a non-Israelite receiving healing from God; proof that God cannot resist healing people because it is part of his character. God truly has a desire to heal everyone. With divine healing, God has a need to remind us who is God and from where the power comes. For Naaman, this meant trekking down to the Jordan River seven times. For us today, it might mean that God actually goofballs like Earnest Angley. While I do not endorse, “Be heaaaaaled,” I do think God releases his divine healing in ways that stretch us. Ultimately, Namaan teaches us that God cannot resist healing those who ask. In the same breath, God will always remind us that it is he who heals. Divine healing will always point us to God. If we pray for someone and they are healed, it is because God worked through us. God loves to heal because it brings his people into deeper relationship with him. Divine healing is always about restoring people into the fullness of God and into right relationship with God, with others, and with the world.
NEW TESTAMENT – JESUS
Although healing is an integral part of God’s nature as YHWH-Rapha, there is not an abundance of healing miracles in the Old Testament. That changes when we get to the New Testament and to Jesus’ ministry. Isaiah sets the stage for this shift in chapter 53: “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.”
When we begin to read the New Testament, we see the ministry of healing come to the forefront. During one dialogue in Luke 7:22, Jesus responds to a question from John the Baptism about whether or not he is the messiah. Jesus says: “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.” Jesus considered his healing ministry to be an integral part of who he was.
Jesus was the incarnation of God, in human flesh, and we see God’s desire to heal people. Jesus understood the power that healing could bring to people’s lives. He removed the stigma that illness was punishment for sin. He make people physically well. He restored them spiritually. He specialized in making people whole again. Next week we will discuss at length the fullness of God’s healing ministry.
In Jesus, God makes a significant shift in his healing nature. He moves from being a God that heals to empowering others to be agents of healing. Jesus has such a heart for healing others that he equips and empowers his followers to be able to do the same. In Luke 9, it says, “When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.” Jesus doesn’t stop there. In Luke 10, he gathers an addition seventy-two followers and empowers them in the same way. God’s heart is to equip his followers with power to spread the kingdom of God.
CONCLUSION - HEALING TODAY
Through the power of the Holy Spirit inside of us, we have been empowered move in divine healing and power. In John 14:12-14, Jesus tells us: “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” I have news for you… The Holy Spirit is the same today as it was 2000 years ago when Jesus spoke these words. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. We still live in a broken, hurting world that needs God’s healing power and love.
In Jesus, God set a trajectory for healing that has not lessened over time but has increased. God calls us to do greater things than even Jesus did. If we trace the accounts of miracles throughout history, we will see decreases during certain periods for sure. Yet, there is never a time in history when there have not been accounts of divine healing. In fact, in the 20th century and now into the 21st century, there are more accounts of divine healing and miracles than ever before. The church in Africa and South America as well as other parts of the world is growing tremendously. They report that this growth is in large part from divine healings that have taken place. The atmosphere has never been riper for divine healing even in America.
Therefore, I believe it is our responsibility to be conduits for that healing. Jesus says, “You have not because you ask not.” If we want to experience God’s healing power, then we must cry out to God for it. It doesn’t mean we need to be wacky or weird but we need to ask from the depths of our spirits for God’s healing power. I believe God is calling us to be a people that intimately know God’s healing power. While I know there are many unanswered questions about tapping into the divine healing power of God, I hope today you can open your hearts to it. I believe God wants to heal you of your infirmities. I also believe God wants to use you as his healing instrument for others.
Let’s pray.
Pray for those who want to see God’s healing power. Pray for those who need healing.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Jesus-Care
“Jesus-Care: God’s Health Care Plan”
Tired of hearing about the national health care debate and Obama-Care? God has a unique universal health care plan available for all and free to everyone. During Lent, we will discover God’s will for the sick and hurting. Join us as we explore and experience the miraculous ways of the Great Physician and Divine Healer.
Tired of hearing about the national health care debate and Obama-Care? God has a unique universal health care plan available for all and free to everyone. During Lent, we will discover God’s will for the sick and hurting. Join us as we explore and experience the miraculous ways of the Great Physician and Divine Healer.
Soar Like an Eagle
This past Sunday was Scout Sunday at our church. We have several strong Scout programs in our church and a number of boys and girls participated in the service. They all did a fantastic job! The sermon was a message of God's love and the potential each us has been created with. If you missed it, download the audio or read text below.
http://www.mediafire.com/file/mommmt2kuny/Soar like an Eagle.mp3
“Soar Like an Eagle”
Brimfield Faith UMC
February 14, 2010
Isaiah 40:28-31; Ephesians 2:8-10
Thanks everyone for being here this morning. God is doing some powerful things in the life of this church and in the ministry of the Scouts. I am proud of the way the Scout programs are run and the quality of the young men and women that they produce. The Boy Scout Troop 259 has a distinguished reputation for producing Eagle Scouts. The award of Eagle Scout is the top award in the Boy Scout program. When a young man becomes an Eagle Scout, it should mean he has acquired certain skills, lives by a certain moral standard, and has achieved a level accomplishment. I like the Eagle Scout award and the scouting program because it helps to draw positive things out of our youth. Along those lines, I want to talk this morning about how we restore the God-given potential in each of us. To begin, I want to tell a story:
A man found an eagle’s egg and put it in a nest of barnyard hen. The eaglet hatched with the brood of chicks and grew up with them.
All of his life the eagle did what barnyard chicks did, thinking he was a barnyard chicken. He scratched the earth for worms and insects. He clucked and cackled. And he would thrash his wings and fly a few feet into the air.
Years passed and the eagle grew very old. One day he saw a magnificent bird above him in the cloudless sky. It glided in graceful majesty among the powerful wind currents, with scarely a beat of its strong golden wings.
The old eagle looked up in awe. “Who’s that?” he asked.
That’s the eagle, the king of birds,” said his neighbor. “He belongs to the sky. We belong to the earth—we’re chickens.” So the eagle lived and died a chicken, for that’s what he thought he was. (Anthony DeMello, Awareness, 1990)
Most of us believe that we are chickens. We spend out days running around with our heads in the ground, pecking for food, and squawking at each other. We don’t believe that we are created with a purpose or a destiny in our lives. As a result, we live pedestrian lives because we don’t know any different. We live and die chickens because our original purpose and God-given image has been tainted, marred and is barely recognizable.
We don’t have to live and die as chickens though, because in actuality humans are like eagles. We are like the eagle because we have been created in the image of God: an image that is glorious, beautiful, and holy. We have been created to love and be loved. We have been created be holy as God is holy. God understands that we are stuck thinking and acting like a chicken and has made a way for us to be restored to the ways of the eagle and to the image of our Creator.
BECOME AN EAGLE
If you want to stop being a chicken and become an eagle, there is only one way. It is through a relationship with the Creator of both the chicken and the eagle. God Almighty, the Creator the universe, who created each of us in his image. It is through a relationship with the living God that facilitates the restoration process.
Ephesians 2:8-10 reads, “8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” From these verses, we understand that the restoration process is a free gift given from God. We cannot facilitate the transformation from the chicken to the eagle on our own: for it is not by works for no one can boast. Instead, it is when we receive the Holy Spirit that we can start living like God intends us to live.
Similar to the story we heard, you can have all of the characteristics of an eagle but not live as eagle. For the Scouts, you can meet all of the requirements of an Eagle Scout but not live as a true Eagle Scout. True life transformation can only happen when we encounter the living God through relationship. It happens when we allow God to work in us and move in our lives. It is his Spirit that provides the missing piece to discovering the fullness of life. In verse 10, we are called God’s workmanship, created to do good works. In other words, we have been created to live like the eagle and bring glory to God’s name.
The process of learning to live like an eagle begins by trusting our lives to Jesus Christ. It is an ongoing process of faith, trust, obedience, and love. To continue the metaphor of the eagle, I want to talk about the defining qualities of the eagle in relation the defining qualities of a life with God.
TO SOAR
The first defining quality as the eagle is its ability to fly and to soar. When you look at a chicken, you don’t see a bird designed to do much flying. They have been bred to lay eggs and to be eaten. If you watch a chicken, they primarily hop around. Chickens can fly but typically will only do so out of fear. And then they go far enough to escape the danger. It’s not the chicken’s fault, they simply are not designed to fly.
The eagle, on the other hand, is designed, not only to fly, but to soar. It can fly as fast as 60 mph and can reach speeds of 100 mph when diving. The eagle also has the ability to climb into the thermal wind currents miles above the sky. When they climb up, they can then simply glide effortlessly for hours. Watching an eagle soar is one of the marvels of the world. Proverbs 30:18-19 even notes it: “Three things are too wonderful for me; four I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a woman.”
The way of the eagle in the sky is remarkable. Like the eagle, we are metaphorically created to soar. To soar is to be lead and strengthened by the Holy Spirit. In Isaiah 40:28-31, we gain insight into what this means: “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. 29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
We have been created to soar on wings like eagles. It is through God’s Spirit that we are empowered to live. Instead of trying to do things in our own strength, God calls us to rest in him, to trust in him, and to follow his leading.
SOAR W/O WORRIES
To be able to soar with Jesus means that we no longer have the same worries of the world. When the world is running around like chicken’s with their heads cutoff, we called to trust in Jesus. We don’t have to stress about life in the same way as others do. We can live with a renewed strength because God is with us. In Matthew 6, Jesus tells us to free ourselves from worry. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”
Jesus calls us to soar with God by placing the worries of the world in his hands. We do that by praying instead of worrying and leaning on God instead spinning our wheels. When we can start to cast our worries upon the Lord, we don’t need to feel compelled to lay awake at night wondering where your next pay check will come from or whether you’re going to get a promotion at work. Allowing stress and worry to run your life never improves a situation. Stress and worry do shorten our lives and drain our energy. When we seek to rely upon God, we will have the energy and ability to soar with God and to live an abundant life filled with peace, joy, and love.
CONCLUSION - OUT OF THE NEST
Learning to soar can be a difficult and something scary process, but it is an important one to embark upon. If we long to fully discover our potential in God, we must trust in Christ to learn us to soar. To be restored to the fullness of life, is not an easy process. It requires risk and the proverbial leap of faith. We have to stretch our wings and believe that God has more for us in this world.
In the story I shared, the eagle never realized his true nature. He died thinking he was a chicken and never got to experience the joys of soaring in the heavens. There is nothing more tragic than someone dying without ever discovering their full potential. God’s heart and desire is for us to spread our wings and learn to soar with him. Now that we realize we aren’t chickens, it is time to get off the ground and into the heavens. As I conclude I want to share one last tidbit about the eagle and its offspring.
Eagles have a unique way of ensuring their offspring get out of the nest and learn to soar. When an eagle builds a nest, it begins building the nest with sharp objects like stones, broken branches, and thorns. Then it lines the nest with really soft things like fur, feathers, and leaves. As the baby eagle grows and is ready to begin to fly, the eagle with gradually rip out the softer layers of the nest. Eventually, the nest is too uncomfortable for the baby eagles to stay in. At that point, the eagles stretch their wings, learn how to fly, and gain their independence from their parents.
In the same way, God wants to coax us out of the nest. He wants us to take that leap of faith and learn to soar. He wants us to discover our fullest potential and purpose in life. Is your nest starting to get uncomfortable? Is it ready to branch out? It is time to stop being a chicken and time to start step out of the nest and to soar like an eagle.
Let’s pray.
Raise your hand if you want a relationship with Jesus
and if you want to soar like an eagle.
http://www.mediafire.com/file/mommmt2kuny/Soar like an Eagle.mp3
“Soar Like an Eagle”
Brimfield Faith UMC
February 14, 2010
Isaiah 40:28-31; Ephesians 2:8-10
Thanks everyone for being here this morning. God is doing some powerful things in the life of this church and in the ministry of the Scouts. I am proud of the way the Scout programs are run and the quality of the young men and women that they produce. The Boy Scout Troop 259 has a distinguished reputation for producing Eagle Scouts. The award of Eagle Scout is the top award in the Boy Scout program. When a young man becomes an Eagle Scout, it should mean he has acquired certain skills, lives by a certain moral standard, and has achieved a level accomplishment. I like the Eagle Scout award and the scouting program because it helps to draw positive things out of our youth. Along those lines, I want to talk this morning about how we restore the God-given potential in each of us. To begin, I want to tell a story:
A man found an eagle’s egg and put it in a nest of barnyard hen. The eaglet hatched with the brood of chicks and grew up with them.
All of his life the eagle did what barnyard chicks did, thinking he was a barnyard chicken. He scratched the earth for worms and insects. He clucked and cackled. And he would thrash his wings and fly a few feet into the air.
Years passed and the eagle grew very old. One day he saw a magnificent bird above him in the cloudless sky. It glided in graceful majesty among the powerful wind currents, with scarely a beat of its strong golden wings.
The old eagle looked up in awe. “Who’s that?” he asked.
That’s the eagle, the king of birds,” said his neighbor. “He belongs to the sky. We belong to the earth—we’re chickens.” So the eagle lived and died a chicken, for that’s what he thought he was. (Anthony DeMello, Awareness, 1990)
Most of us believe that we are chickens. We spend out days running around with our heads in the ground, pecking for food, and squawking at each other. We don’t believe that we are created with a purpose or a destiny in our lives. As a result, we live pedestrian lives because we don’t know any different. We live and die chickens because our original purpose and God-given image has been tainted, marred and is barely recognizable.
We don’t have to live and die as chickens though, because in actuality humans are like eagles. We are like the eagle because we have been created in the image of God: an image that is glorious, beautiful, and holy. We have been created to love and be loved. We have been created be holy as God is holy. God understands that we are stuck thinking and acting like a chicken and has made a way for us to be restored to the ways of the eagle and to the image of our Creator.
BECOME AN EAGLE
If you want to stop being a chicken and become an eagle, there is only one way. It is through a relationship with the Creator of both the chicken and the eagle. God Almighty, the Creator the universe, who created each of us in his image. It is through a relationship with the living God that facilitates the restoration process.
Ephesians 2:8-10 reads, “8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” From these verses, we understand that the restoration process is a free gift given from God. We cannot facilitate the transformation from the chicken to the eagle on our own: for it is not by works for no one can boast. Instead, it is when we receive the Holy Spirit that we can start living like God intends us to live.
Similar to the story we heard, you can have all of the characteristics of an eagle but not live as eagle. For the Scouts, you can meet all of the requirements of an Eagle Scout but not live as a true Eagle Scout. True life transformation can only happen when we encounter the living God through relationship. It happens when we allow God to work in us and move in our lives. It is his Spirit that provides the missing piece to discovering the fullness of life. In verse 10, we are called God’s workmanship, created to do good works. In other words, we have been created to live like the eagle and bring glory to God’s name.
The process of learning to live like an eagle begins by trusting our lives to Jesus Christ. It is an ongoing process of faith, trust, obedience, and love. To continue the metaphor of the eagle, I want to talk about the defining qualities of the eagle in relation the defining qualities of a life with God.
TO SOAR
The first defining quality as the eagle is its ability to fly and to soar. When you look at a chicken, you don’t see a bird designed to do much flying. They have been bred to lay eggs and to be eaten. If you watch a chicken, they primarily hop around. Chickens can fly but typically will only do so out of fear. And then they go far enough to escape the danger. It’s not the chicken’s fault, they simply are not designed to fly.
The eagle, on the other hand, is designed, not only to fly, but to soar. It can fly as fast as 60 mph and can reach speeds of 100 mph when diving. The eagle also has the ability to climb into the thermal wind currents miles above the sky. When they climb up, they can then simply glide effortlessly for hours. Watching an eagle soar is one of the marvels of the world. Proverbs 30:18-19 even notes it: “Three things are too wonderful for me; four I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a woman.”
The way of the eagle in the sky is remarkable. Like the eagle, we are metaphorically created to soar. To soar is to be lead and strengthened by the Holy Spirit. In Isaiah 40:28-31, we gain insight into what this means: “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. 29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
We have been created to soar on wings like eagles. It is through God’s Spirit that we are empowered to live. Instead of trying to do things in our own strength, God calls us to rest in him, to trust in him, and to follow his leading.
SOAR W/O WORRIES
To be able to soar with Jesus means that we no longer have the same worries of the world. When the world is running around like chicken’s with their heads cutoff, we called to trust in Jesus. We don’t have to stress about life in the same way as others do. We can live with a renewed strength because God is with us. In Matthew 6, Jesus tells us to free ourselves from worry. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”
Jesus calls us to soar with God by placing the worries of the world in his hands. We do that by praying instead of worrying and leaning on God instead spinning our wheels. When we can start to cast our worries upon the Lord, we don’t need to feel compelled to lay awake at night wondering where your next pay check will come from or whether you’re going to get a promotion at work. Allowing stress and worry to run your life never improves a situation. Stress and worry do shorten our lives and drain our energy. When we seek to rely upon God, we will have the energy and ability to soar with God and to live an abundant life filled with peace, joy, and love.
CONCLUSION - OUT OF THE NEST
Learning to soar can be a difficult and something scary process, but it is an important one to embark upon. If we long to fully discover our potential in God, we must trust in Christ to learn us to soar. To be restored to the fullness of life, is not an easy process. It requires risk and the proverbial leap of faith. We have to stretch our wings and believe that God has more for us in this world.
In the story I shared, the eagle never realized his true nature. He died thinking he was a chicken and never got to experience the joys of soaring in the heavens. There is nothing more tragic than someone dying without ever discovering their full potential. God’s heart and desire is for us to spread our wings and learn to soar with him. Now that we realize we aren’t chickens, it is time to get off the ground and into the heavens. As I conclude I want to share one last tidbit about the eagle and its offspring.
Eagles have a unique way of ensuring their offspring get out of the nest and learn to soar. When an eagle builds a nest, it begins building the nest with sharp objects like stones, broken branches, and thorns. Then it lines the nest with really soft things like fur, feathers, and leaves. As the baby eagle grows and is ready to begin to fly, the eagle with gradually rip out the softer layers of the nest. Eventually, the nest is too uncomfortable for the baby eagles to stay in. At that point, the eagles stretch their wings, learn how to fly, and gain their independence from their parents.
In the same way, God wants to coax us out of the nest. He wants us to take that leap of faith and learn to soar. He wants us to discover our fullest potential and purpose in life. Is your nest starting to get uncomfortable? Is it ready to branch out? It is time to stop being a chicken and time to start step out of the nest and to soar like an eagle.
Let’s pray.
Raise your hand if you want a relationship with Jesus
and if you want to soar like an eagle.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Help or Hindrance
This past Sunday was our last week in the series, "Good God, Bad World." If you didn't catch it, feel free to download it by following the link or reading the text below.
http://www.mediafire.com/file/t2wuvqzyjiz/Help or Hindrance.mp3
“Help or Hindrance: Faith’s Role in Suffering”
Brimfield Faith UMC
February 7, 2010
1 Corinthians 15:51-58; Psalm 57
When I began preparing for this sermon series last year, I knew there were a number of people in the congregation that were capable of sharing powerful stories. Many of you have experienced pain and suffering in your lives that you have overcome. I love hearing pieces of Brenda’s story, because she shares with such honesty. Life hasn’t always been easy for her and her family, but they have clung to God through it all. I hope that it has been a point of inspiration for you hearing both Dawn’s and Brenda’s story. I want to continue to encourage testimonies of faith so if you have a story you’d like to share let me know and we’ll try to work it in.
Hearing about people experiencing and gaining from the things I preach about is always uplifting for me. I know many times when I preach a sermon series, I end up experiencing some aspect of it in my personal life. When I was preparing to preach this current series I was a little worried. To preach for five weeks on pain and suffering seemed a bit risky. Without fail over the past five weeks, I’ve observed pain and suffering up close. Since we began this series on January 10th, I have officiated three funerals. As a reference point, I officiated six funerals all of last year. By officiating each of these funerals, I was afforded the opportunity to apply some of the principles that we have been talking about each Sunday.
I have also had the chance to observe how different people mourn and react to loss. For example, at one of the funerals, several of the family members expressed their anger about the person’s passing. I affirmed their anger knowing that it is a healthy part of the grieving process. I hope over the past five weeks you have also gained some valuable insights into pain and suffering. In this final week of the series, I want to address the topic that I think undergirds the entire discussion of pain and suffering: the role of faith.
It is not always a given that faith will be a help in times of suffering. In fact, I think the question needs to be asked: Is faith a help or a hindrance when it comes to pain and suffering? Many people wrestle with faith in the face of pain and suffering. Therefore, recognizing that faith isn’t an automatic help for everyone in times of suffering, I want to touch on three ways that faith in God can help us through difficult times.
STANDING WITH US
#1. God stands with us during suffering.
Faith can help us through difficult times if we remember that God will always stand with us during suffering. It is important to remember that pain is not the punishment for our sins. Nor is it not a sign that God has abandoned us or forsaken us. Regardless of our actions, we can always turn to God in difficult times. We don’t have to fear that God won’t be there when we need him most.
One of my favorite concepts in the Old Testament is that of steadfast love. In Exodus Moses proclaims, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger,
and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin…” This is the same God that we serve today. We can know without a doubt that God will stand with us in every difficult time. Regardless of our actions, we can cry out to God in prayer and know that he will answer us.
The Israelites have experienced continual hardship in their history. Slavery in Egypt. Wandering through the wilderness. Occupation. Exile. In the Scriptures, they turn their backs on God repeatedly . They wander, disobey, rebel. Through it all, God is still there ready to take them back. He does the same for us. God is always faithful, abounding in steadfast love. He truly is as the Psalmist says, “our rock and our redeemer.”
WALKING WITH US
#2. God walks with us through suffering.
Not only is God faithful to stand with us, God walks with us through suffering. In the New Testament, God’s steadfast love goes beyond standing with us. In the incarnation of Jesus Christ, God walks with us through suffering. If God simply promised to never forsake us, we would agree that God is a good God. Yet, God by sending his son Jesus Christ to the earth proves his love in an entirely new way. Jesus walked through suffering and provides the example for how we can walk through suffering.
There is no other religion in the world in which God willingly gave up his seat in heaven and becomes human. We can lean on and walk with God in our sufferings, because God has experienced them personally. He sends Jesus to enter into the fallen world and to experience all of the pain of it. John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he spent his only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God allows Jesus to grow up surrounded by gossip, rumors, and shame. Jesus is rejected by his own friends and family. And finally he is crucified as an innocent man. There was nothing glamorous or easy about Jesus’s life.
In 1 Peter 2, Peter paints the picture of how Christ can walk with us through our suffering. He says, “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps. “He committed no sin,
and no deceit was found in his mouth.” When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.”
To think Christianity embraces the easy life is foolish. Instead, faith provides us the means of walking through pain and thriving in the midst of it. If we thought that becoming a Christian was going to help us to avoid pain and suffering, we were sorely mistaken. We serve a God that walked through incredible pain and suffering. The primary image of Christianity is that of the cross. While the cross may look pretty and elegant today, the cross of Christ was a bloody, inhumane, killing machine. It was a slow, painful, humiliating death. Every one of Jesus’ disciples was eventually martyred for their faith.
While this could be a deterrent to faith, I see this as a great asset. We serve a God that walks through suffering with us. This empowers us to live free from the fear of pain. We are able to thrive in all circumstances as Psalm 23 says: “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For you are with me; Your rod and your staff they comfort me.” We can continue on and find strengthen in all circumstances because God is right next to us at all times. Instead of evoking fear, suffering brings about transformation and to make us into new creations. God guides us, teaches us, and empowers us which allows us to benefit from pain instead of being robbed by it.
VICTORIOUS WITH US
#3. God is victorious with us over suffering.
Ultimately, we are able to continue to walk with God through all things because ultimately God is victorious over suffering. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15, “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” 56The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ endured great suffering on the cross but the story doesn’t end with the crucifixion on Good Friday. We are people who have an Easter Sunday faith. The resurrection happened and in the resurrection, God is victorious over sin and death. When we stand with God and walk with God through suffering, we also share in his eternal victories.
People who have endured great tragedy will tell you time and perspective can help to ease the pain. The further removed you are from a painful event the less that it hurts. The distance helps you gain a fresh perspective that helps to see purpose and meaning. The ultimate perspective in gained through the lens of eternity. Our suffering here matters but in the scope of eternity it will feel like the blink of an eye. When we are afforded that kind of time and perspective, suffering takes on a new face. We are no longer overwhelmed and overcome by the challenges of the here and now.
CONCLUSION
I begin every funeral service with the same words. I want to end this sermon and this series with those same words.
“Jesus said, I am the resurrection and I am the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, yet shall they live, and whoever lives and believes in my shall never die. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. I died, and behold I am alive for evermore, and I hold the keys of hell and death. Because I live, you stall live also.”
Faith can and does make a difference in how we process pain and suffering if we allow it. If we stand with God, walk with God, we will experience victory with God. Pain is no longer paralyzes us with fear. Suffering does not destroy our lives but instead transforms our lives. And that is how a Good God exists in a Bad World.
Let’s pray.
http://www.mediafire.com/file/t2wuvqzyjiz/Help or Hindrance.mp3
“Help or Hindrance: Faith’s Role in Suffering”
Brimfield Faith UMC
February 7, 2010
1 Corinthians 15:51-58; Psalm 57
When I began preparing for this sermon series last year, I knew there were a number of people in the congregation that were capable of sharing powerful stories. Many of you have experienced pain and suffering in your lives that you have overcome. I love hearing pieces of Brenda’s story, because she shares with such honesty. Life hasn’t always been easy for her and her family, but they have clung to God through it all. I hope that it has been a point of inspiration for you hearing both Dawn’s and Brenda’s story. I want to continue to encourage testimonies of faith so if you have a story you’d like to share let me know and we’ll try to work it in.
Hearing about people experiencing and gaining from the things I preach about is always uplifting for me. I know many times when I preach a sermon series, I end up experiencing some aspect of it in my personal life. When I was preparing to preach this current series I was a little worried. To preach for five weeks on pain and suffering seemed a bit risky. Without fail over the past five weeks, I’ve observed pain and suffering up close. Since we began this series on January 10th, I have officiated three funerals. As a reference point, I officiated six funerals all of last year. By officiating each of these funerals, I was afforded the opportunity to apply some of the principles that we have been talking about each Sunday.
I have also had the chance to observe how different people mourn and react to loss. For example, at one of the funerals, several of the family members expressed their anger about the person’s passing. I affirmed their anger knowing that it is a healthy part of the grieving process. I hope over the past five weeks you have also gained some valuable insights into pain and suffering. In this final week of the series, I want to address the topic that I think undergirds the entire discussion of pain and suffering: the role of faith.
It is not always a given that faith will be a help in times of suffering. In fact, I think the question needs to be asked: Is faith a help or a hindrance when it comes to pain and suffering? Many people wrestle with faith in the face of pain and suffering. Therefore, recognizing that faith isn’t an automatic help for everyone in times of suffering, I want to touch on three ways that faith in God can help us through difficult times.
STANDING WITH US
#1. God stands with us during suffering.
Faith can help us through difficult times if we remember that God will always stand with us during suffering. It is important to remember that pain is not the punishment for our sins. Nor is it not a sign that God has abandoned us or forsaken us. Regardless of our actions, we can always turn to God in difficult times. We don’t have to fear that God won’t be there when we need him most.
One of my favorite concepts in the Old Testament is that of steadfast love. In Exodus Moses proclaims, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger,
and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin…” This is the same God that we serve today. We can know without a doubt that God will stand with us in every difficult time. Regardless of our actions, we can cry out to God in prayer and know that he will answer us.
The Israelites have experienced continual hardship in their history. Slavery in Egypt. Wandering through the wilderness. Occupation. Exile. In the Scriptures, they turn their backs on God repeatedly . They wander, disobey, rebel. Through it all, God is still there ready to take them back. He does the same for us. God is always faithful, abounding in steadfast love. He truly is as the Psalmist says, “our rock and our redeemer.”
WALKING WITH US
#2. God walks with us through suffering.
Not only is God faithful to stand with us, God walks with us through suffering. In the New Testament, God’s steadfast love goes beyond standing with us. In the incarnation of Jesus Christ, God walks with us through suffering. If God simply promised to never forsake us, we would agree that God is a good God. Yet, God by sending his son Jesus Christ to the earth proves his love in an entirely new way. Jesus walked through suffering and provides the example for how we can walk through suffering.
There is no other religion in the world in which God willingly gave up his seat in heaven and becomes human. We can lean on and walk with God in our sufferings, because God has experienced them personally. He sends Jesus to enter into the fallen world and to experience all of the pain of it. John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he spent his only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God allows Jesus to grow up surrounded by gossip, rumors, and shame. Jesus is rejected by his own friends and family. And finally he is crucified as an innocent man. There was nothing glamorous or easy about Jesus’s life.
In 1 Peter 2, Peter paints the picture of how Christ can walk with us through our suffering. He says, “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps. “He committed no sin,
and no deceit was found in his mouth.” When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.”
To think Christianity embraces the easy life is foolish. Instead, faith provides us the means of walking through pain and thriving in the midst of it. If we thought that becoming a Christian was going to help us to avoid pain and suffering, we were sorely mistaken. We serve a God that walked through incredible pain and suffering. The primary image of Christianity is that of the cross. While the cross may look pretty and elegant today, the cross of Christ was a bloody, inhumane, killing machine. It was a slow, painful, humiliating death. Every one of Jesus’ disciples was eventually martyred for their faith.
While this could be a deterrent to faith, I see this as a great asset. We serve a God that walks through suffering with us. This empowers us to live free from the fear of pain. We are able to thrive in all circumstances as Psalm 23 says: “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For you are with me; Your rod and your staff they comfort me.” We can continue on and find strengthen in all circumstances because God is right next to us at all times. Instead of evoking fear, suffering brings about transformation and to make us into new creations. God guides us, teaches us, and empowers us which allows us to benefit from pain instead of being robbed by it.
VICTORIOUS WITH US
#3. God is victorious with us over suffering.
Ultimately, we are able to continue to walk with God through all things because ultimately God is victorious over suffering. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15, “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” 56The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ endured great suffering on the cross but the story doesn’t end with the crucifixion on Good Friday. We are people who have an Easter Sunday faith. The resurrection happened and in the resurrection, God is victorious over sin and death. When we stand with God and walk with God through suffering, we also share in his eternal victories.
People who have endured great tragedy will tell you time and perspective can help to ease the pain. The further removed you are from a painful event the less that it hurts. The distance helps you gain a fresh perspective that helps to see purpose and meaning. The ultimate perspective in gained through the lens of eternity. Our suffering here matters but in the scope of eternity it will feel like the blink of an eye. When we are afforded that kind of time and perspective, suffering takes on a new face. We are no longer overwhelmed and overcome by the challenges of the here and now.
CONCLUSION
I begin every funeral service with the same words. I want to end this sermon and this series with those same words.
“Jesus said, I am the resurrection and I am the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, yet shall they live, and whoever lives and believes in my shall never die. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. I died, and behold I am alive for evermore, and I hold the keys of hell and death. Because I live, you stall live also.”
Faith can and does make a difference in how we process pain and suffering if we allow it. If we stand with God, walk with God, we will experience victory with God. Pain is no longer paralyzes us with fear. Suffering does not destroy our lives but instead transforms our lives. And that is how a Good God exists in a Bad World.
Let’s pray.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Tranformers
This week we talked about how we thrive in the midst of pain. You can follow the link to download the sermon or read the text below. Be strengthened in the Lord!
http://www.mediafire.com/file/zwiexeeally/Transformers.mp3
Genesis 45:5-8; Romans 8:26-30
The butterfly is one of nature’s most beautiful illustrations of the power of transformation. We all know that the butterfly doesn’t begin as a beautiful butterfly. Instead it begins life as a caterpillar. Caterpillars aren’t exactly one of life’s most majestic creatures. They are typically small worm like creatures that crawl around on a hundred little legs and eat as much plant material as possible. Caterpillars often have a bitterness to them that deters birds and other predators from eating them. Most people consider caterpillars a bit of a nuisance because of the damage they can cause to plants. [pictures of stages]
If life wasn’t bad enough for the caterpillar, they then become a pupa. Pupal stage lasts from a few weeks up to a two years. On the outside is this dull cocoon that seems lifeless but inside amazing changes are happening. What started as an ugly little caterpillar now grows legs, wings, eyes and all the parts of a butterfly. Finally, the beautiful butterfly emerges.
Over the last several weeks we have been trying to answer the question, how can a loving God allow suffering in the world? I share the story of the butterfly because I think it speaks to our ability to overcome painful situations. We can learn much about surviving and thriving in the face of pain through the transformation of the butterfly. The process of the butterfly is similar to the five stages of grief that we talked about in the context of coping with pain. Those stages are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.
The stages of denial, anger and bargaining can been seen in the life of the caterpillar. People caught in the caterpillar stages of pain find themselves crawling around in denial. In their anger they often consuming everything eventually becoming bitter. The caterpillar stage of the grief process is important but not one we can remain in. Last week, we discussed how we move through the coping stages of pain. We talked about the work of listening to your pain and holy venting.
The final stage before transformation begins in the grief process is the depression stage. The depression stage can be represented by the pupa or cocoon stage. When it comes to this stage, people either try to get out before the work of transformation is complete or they never emerge from the cocoon. We reviewed the importance of having supportive friends to guide you through depression. Even though the cocoon is the darkest period of the butterfly it is vital to becoming a butterfly. In the same way, we must walk through depression in order to move into acceptance and transformation. The life stages of the butterfly can guide us trhough the stages of grief. We can move from simply treading water and coping with pain to a place of thriving in the midst of pain and moving beyond it.
One of my favorite movies is “Patch Adams.” It is a story about Dr. Hunter Adams who founded the Gesundheit Clinic. Patch, as he is called, is a doctor who treats people in unorthodox ways, especially with the use of humor. Patch’s life is filled with joy and purpose, until his girlfriend is tragically murdered by a patient. Patch, like many of us, is on the brink of being destroyed by his pain. He has given up practicing medicine and has given up on life. I want us to watch the scene in the movie where he finally moves through the pain of his loss and rediscovers life.
[CLIP]
We see Patch experience his pain and engage in some holy venting with God. At its culmination, Patch sees a butterfly on his bag and it then lands on his hand. In this moment, Patch rediscovers life. He returns to his practice. He rediscovers hope, joy and purpose again. Unfortunately, our lives aren’t major motion films and don’t always work out as planned. The butterfly can inspire us as well, and therefore, I want to suggest a couple of practical ways to help us break out of the cocoon and learn to thrive.
CREATE MEANING - JOSEPH
Many of you are probably familiar with the story of Joseph in the book of Genesis. Joseph is the youngest son of Rachel and Jacob. He is Jacob favorite son and as a good younger brother can do, he annoys his older brothers. One day, Joseph has a dream that all of his brothers were bowing down to Joseph. This doesn’t exactly settle well with his brothers and they conspire to sell Joseph into slavery. Joseph ends up in Potiphar’s house, one of Pharaoh’s officials, where he learns to thrive, until one day he winds up in jail on false accusations. If you read all of Joseph’s story, you see a man who repeated has bad things happen to him. He is never beat down by them.
Instead he continually finds ways to thrive in the midst of them. Eventually, Pharaoh puts Joseph in charge of the entire land of Egypt. During a famine, his brothers travel to Egypt in hopes of getting supplies. They encounter their brother but do not recognize him. After a return visit, Joseph reveals himself to his estranged family of over 20 years. Instead of being angry and bitter, Joseph says, “Do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.” Joseph is able to create meaning and to find purpose throughout his struggles. He hides in his heart the promises that God revealed to him in dreams. I believe that it was this meaning and purpose that enabled Joseph to preserve through the dark times of his life. The key to thriving through pain is to create MEANING and purpose. I want to suggest two ways we create meaning and sustain purpose in our lives
ASK NEW QUESTIONS
#1. Create meaning by asking different questions.
I think we begin to create meaning out of our pain and suffering by asking different questions. Our default response many times to pain and suffering is to ask the why question. We seem to get caught up in want a reason for the struggles. We ask: Why did this happen to me? Why did God allow this to happen? Why, why, why? Unfortunately, there is rarely a good answer to the why question. When we dwell on the why, we aren’t able to move past the pain. Asking why causes us to focus on it more and results in more intense pain. If not why, then what do we ask? I suggest asking questions like: how do I respond this pain? What good can come from this? What can I learn from it? For you, it might be a different question. Whatever the question, it needs to help you to create meaning.
When pain has meaning, we can endure almost anything. I witnessed this to be true three and a half months ago as I watched Michelle endure the pains of labor. It was incredible to watch her motivated through the process. She was able to endure it because she knew Caleb was the reward. Perhaps just as remarkable is now hearing her consider wanting to go through that pain again. The meaning and purpose of the pain of labor enables not only Michelle but many women the ability to have multiple children.
The reward of child birth is fairly obvious compared too much of our pain and suffering. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you what the meaning and purpose of your pain is. It is something that you must discover and claim on your own. I can encourage you with the words of Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” It may not be easy to find but it is possible. Therefore, I want to suggest another component of creating meaning and purpose help us to thrive in the midst of pain.
DISCOVER HOPE
#2. Discovering HOPE helps to maintain meaning.
Maintaining meaning can be a challenging thing. We can believe that God works all things for the good of those who live him, but when things continue to go wrong it is easy to begin to doubt that meaning. This is where the role of hope comes in. Hope is defined as “the expectation of a favorable future under God’s direction. It is seen in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Hope is a powerful antidote to despair. Hope is the glue that holds together our meaning and purpose in God. Hope is not simply naïve optimism. It is not the belief that the pain will be gone next week. It is not the wish that everything will go back to normal tomorrow. Hope is knowing that God is close to the brokenhearted. Hope is knowing, “the Spirit helps us in our weakness.” Hope is the trust that when we cannot pray, “the Spirit intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” Without hope, pessimism can crush us. There are countless stories of people to die because of a lack of hope. Hope enables us to confront the present reality for what it is. It allows us to evaluate it and even learn from it. Hope gives us the eyes to see beyond the present darkness and into a future with hope and a future with God. Hope exists because God is God.
Hope is always rooted in the promises and character of God. There will be days that God doesn’t feel trustworthy but He always is. If we are going to thrive in the midst of pain, we must remember the promises of God. Joseph is able to maintain hope because remembers the prophetic words spoken over his life. If we are going to maintain hope and meaning, we need to remember the words that God has spoken over your life. Perhaps godly man or woman prophesied words of life over you. Cling to those words.
Other promises can be found in Scripture. There was a time in my life when I meditated on Psalm 62 multiple times every day. I was struggling to hope in God and to trust in him, so I repeatedly claimed the words: “Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.” The repetition allowed the words to sink into my heart and to sustain my meaning and purpose. Over time, they became words of life, words of hope.
When you find yourself struggling through pain, try meditating on Psalm 62 or Psalm 23 or Romans 8. Read it morning, day and night. Write promise verses on post-it notes and put them all over your house, your car, and your office. Hope is not something that comes easily but it is something that will sustain you if you allow it.
CONCLUSION
Learning to thrive in the midst of pain is one the largest challenges in our lives. Most people will never reach the summit and be able to look past their struggles. I hope the words this morning have provided inspiration and hope that you can thrive, that you can transform pain. If and when you encounter difficulty, I hope that you are not alone. I believe that together we can be victorious, that we can find meaning and that we can hold onto hope.
http://www.mediafire.com/file/zwiexeeally/Transformers.mp3
“Transformers: From Surviving to Thriving”
Brimfield Faith UMC
January 31, 2010
Brimfield Faith UMC
January 31, 2010
Genesis 45:5-8; Romans 8:26-30
The butterfly is one of nature’s most beautiful illustrations of the power of transformation. We all know that the butterfly doesn’t begin as a beautiful butterfly. Instead it begins life as a caterpillar. Caterpillars aren’t exactly one of life’s most majestic creatures. They are typically small worm like creatures that crawl around on a hundred little legs and eat as much plant material as possible. Caterpillars often have a bitterness to them that deters birds and other predators from eating them. Most people consider caterpillars a bit of a nuisance because of the damage they can cause to plants. [pictures of stages]
If life wasn’t bad enough for the caterpillar, they then become a pupa. Pupal stage lasts from a few weeks up to a two years. On the outside is this dull cocoon that seems lifeless but inside amazing changes are happening. What started as an ugly little caterpillar now grows legs, wings, eyes and all the parts of a butterfly. Finally, the beautiful butterfly emerges.
Over the last several weeks we have been trying to answer the question, how can a loving God allow suffering in the world? I share the story of the butterfly because I think it speaks to our ability to overcome painful situations. We can learn much about surviving and thriving in the face of pain through the transformation of the butterfly. The process of the butterfly is similar to the five stages of grief that we talked about in the context of coping with pain. Those stages are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.
The stages of denial, anger and bargaining can been seen in the life of the caterpillar. People caught in the caterpillar stages of pain find themselves crawling around in denial. In their anger they often consuming everything eventually becoming bitter. The caterpillar stage of the grief process is important but not one we can remain in. Last week, we discussed how we move through the coping stages of pain. We talked about the work of listening to your pain and holy venting.
The final stage before transformation begins in the grief process is the depression stage. The depression stage can be represented by the pupa or cocoon stage. When it comes to this stage, people either try to get out before the work of transformation is complete or they never emerge from the cocoon. We reviewed the importance of having supportive friends to guide you through depression. Even though the cocoon is the darkest period of the butterfly it is vital to becoming a butterfly. In the same way, we must walk through depression in order to move into acceptance and transformation. The life stages of the butterfly can guide us trhough the stages of grief. We can move from simply treading water and coping with pain to a place of thriving in the midst of pain and moving beyond it.
One of my favorite movies is “Patch Adams.” It is a story about Dr. Hunter Adams who founded the Gesundheit Clinic. Patch, as he is called, is a doctor who treats people in unorthodox ways, especially with the use of humor. Patch’s life is filled with joy and purpose, until his girlfriend is tragically murdered by a patient. Patch, like many of us, is on the brink of being destroyed by his pain. He has given up practicing medicine and has given up on life. I want us to watch the scene in the movie where he finally moves through the pain of his loss and rediscovers life.
[CLIP]
We see Patch experience his pain and engage in some holy venting with God. At its culmination, Patch sees a butterfly on his bag and it then lands on his hand. In this moment, Patch rediscovers life. He returns to his practice. He rediscovers hope, joy and purpose again. Unfortunately, our lives aren’t major motion films and don’t always work out as planned. The butterfly can inspire us as well, and therefore, I want to suggest a couple of practical ways to help us break out of the cocoon and learn to thrive.
CREATE MEANING - JOSEPH
Many of you are probably familiar with the story of Joseph in the book of Genesis. Joseph is the youngest son of Rachel and Jacob. He is Jacob favorite son and as a good younger brother can do, he annoys his older brothers. One day, Joseph has a dream that all of his brothers were bowing down to Joseph. This doesn’t exactly settle well with his brothers and they conspire to sell Joseph into slavery. Joseph ends up in Potiphar’s house, one of Pharaoh’s officials, where he learns to thrive, until one day he winds up in jail on false accusations. If you read all of Joseph’s story, you see a man who repeated has bad things happen to him. He is never beat down by them.
Instead he continually finds ways to thrive in the midst of them. Eventually, Pharaoh puts Joseph in charge of the entire land of Egypt. During a famine, his brothers travel to Egypt in hopes of getting supplies. They encounter their brother but do not recognize him. After a return visit, Joseph reveals himself to his estranged family of over 20 years. Instead of being angry and bitter, Joseph says, “Do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.” Joseph is able to create meaning and to find purpose throughout his struggles. He hides in his heart the promises that God revealed to him in dreams. I believe that it was this meaning and purpose that enabled Joseph to preserve through the dark times of his life. The key to thriving through pain is to create MEANING and purpose. I want to suggest two ways we create meaning and sustain purpose in our lives
ASK NEW QUESTIONS
#1. Create meaning by asking different questions.
I think we begin to create meaning out of our pain and suffering by asking different questions. Our default response many times to pain and suffering is to ask the why question. We seem to get caught up in want a reason for the struggles. We ask: Why did this happen to me? Why did God allow this to happen? Why, why, why? Unfortunately, there is rarely a good answer to the why question. When we dwell on the why, we aren’t able to move past the pain. Asking why causes us to focus on it more and results in more intense pain. If not why, then what do we ask? I suggest asking questions like: how do I respond this pain? What good can come from this? What can I learn from it? For you, it might be a different question. Whatever the question, it needs to help you to create meaning.
When pain has meaning, we can endure almost anything. I witnessed this to be true three and a half months ago as I watched Michelle endure the pains of labor. It was incredible to watch her motivated through the process. She was able to endure it because she knew Caleb was the reward. Perhaps just as remarkable is now hearing her consider wanting to go through that pain again. The meaning and purpose of the pain of labor enables not only Michelle but many women the ability to have multiple children.
The reward of child birth is fairly obvious compared too much of our pain and suffering. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you what the meaning and purpose of your pain is. It is something that you must discover and claim on your own. I can encourage you with the words of Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” It may not be easy to find but it is possible. Therefore, I want to suggest another component of creating meaning and purpose help us to thrive in the midst of pain.
DISCOVER HOPE
#2. Discovering HOPE helps to maintain meaning.
Maintaining meaning can be a challenging thing. We can believe that God works all things for the good of those who live him, but when things continue to go wrong it is easy to begin to doubt that meaning. This is where the role of hope comes in. Hope is defined as “the expectation of a favorable future under God’s direction. It is seen in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Hope is a powerful antidote to despair. Hope is the glue that holds together our meaning and purpose in God. Hope is not simply naïve optimism. It is not the belief that the pain will be gone next week. It is not the wish that everything will go back to normal tomorrow. Hope is knowing that God is close to the brokenhearted. Hope is knowing, “the Spirit helps us in our weakness.” Hope is the trust that when we cannot pray, “the Spirit intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” Without hope, pessimism can crush us. There are countless stories of people to die because of a lack of hope. Hope enables us to confront the present reality for what it is. It allows us to evaluate it and even learn from it. Hope gives us the eyes to see beyond the present darkness and into a future with hope and a future with God. Hope exists because God is God.
Hope is always rooted in the promises and character of God. There will be days that God doesn’t feel trustworthy but He always is. If we are going to thrive in the midst of pain, we must remember the promises of God. Joseph is able to maintain hope because remembers the prophetic words spoken over his life. If we are going to maintain hope and meaning, we need to remember the words that God has spoken over your life. Perhaps godly man or woman prophesied words of life over you. Cling to those words.
Other promises can be found in Scripture. There was a time in my life when I meditated on Psalm 62 multiple times every day. I was struggling to hope in God and to trust in him, so I repeatedly claimed the words: “Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.” The repetition allowed the words to sink into my heart and to sustain my meaning and purpose. Over time, they became words of life, words of hope.
When you find yourself struggling through pain, try meditating on Psalm 62 or Psalm 23 or Romans 8. Read it morning, day and night. Write promise verses on post-it notes and put them all over your house, your car, and your office. Hope is not something that comes easily but it is something that will sustain you if you allow it.
CONCLUSION
Learning to thrive in the midst of pain is one the largest challenges in our lives. Most people will never reach the summit and be able to look past their struggles. I hope the words this morning have provided inspiration and hope that you can thrive, that you can transform pain. If and when you encounter difficulty, I hope that you are not alone. I believe that together we can be victorious, that we can find meaning and that we can hold onto hope.
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