Wednesday, April 15, 2020

In All Things God Works Together for Good

Mr. John Henry was a plain-spoken, opinionated, and tight-fisted man who was a member of my first church.  He was a faithful church member and became a good friend, but sometimes he would say things that would make me cringe.  

He never had anything good to say about the government, civil rights, or equality and was generally opposed to any new, forward thinking idea.  He longed for the “good old-days” which had become idealized in his selective memory.   One of his favorite sayings was, “What this country needs is a good depression!”

I didn’t challenge Mr. John Henry very often, primarily because he was much older and his mind was always closed, not to mention the fact he refused to listen to other views.  But one day I said, “Mr. John Henry, you know you don’t mean that.  You really don’t think a depression would be a good thing.”

I must have caught him off guard, because he paused and gave it some serious thought.  Then he surprised me with his thoughtful response.  “No, I know we don’t need a depression.  But there were a lot of good things that came out of the depression that we could use right now.”  

The last thing this country needed was the Coronavirus Pandemic, but I believe there are some good things that will come out of this that will make us better people.  In a strange way, social distancing and “stay at home” has brought us closer together.  We realize how much we need each other and we are all finding ways to connect either through social media or an old-fashioned telephone call.  

Last Sunday, Easter Sunday morning, I stood in the pulpit of my church and looked out over an empty sanctuary.  It was so very strange, and so very sad.  I thought about Easter Sundays in the past when the sanctuary was full of faithful worshipers dressed in their Easter Sunday finest.  I will be so thankful to actually see people gather for worship again and I think people will be anxious to get back to church for corporate worship.  

 I don’t know about you, but I am noticing the little things more.  God has blessed us with a beautiful spring.  The azaleas and dogwoods have been stunning in their beauty.  We are watching Cardinals, Blue Birds, Gold Finches, Chickadees and Red Headed Woodpeckers visit our bird feeders.  The Hummingbirds will be here soon.  All of creation is celebrating the rebirth of nature and it reminds us that we will soon emerge from this “momentary affliction” to rejoice again in the goodness of God’s creation.  

There have been other blessings as a result of this crisis.  We are recognizing the sacrifice of our healthcare professionals who are serving on the front lines, putting their own health at risk to save others.  We are reaching out to the most vulnerable in our communities.  I applaud our school systems and the YMCA for finding ways to feed our children.  Pollution is down and we are learning that there are many things we can actually live without.

Romans 8: 28 reads:  “In all things God works together for good to those who love God.” It does not say that all things are good, but God can use any situation, even a Depression or a Coronavirus Pandemic to bring about good.  When life is good, when we are healthy and the economy is strong, we fall into a false sense of security, believing that we are in control of our life.  How suddenly it all can change. 

The Apostle Paul stood on top of Mars Hill in ancient Athens and proclaimed, “The God who made the world gives everyone life and breath and everything else.”  Yes, it is he who has made us and not we ourselves.  “We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.”  We realize that truth now, more than ever.

No, we didn’t need a Global Pandemic, but God is working for good in the midst of this.

Friday, April 10, 2020

Good News to Share!

Easter morning will be the 31st consecutive Easter Sunday that I have had the joy of sharing the glorious news of the resurrection with my church family.  It is also be the most unusual Easter!

Ten years ago, I wrote an article for The Dispatch the day before Easter.  I thought you might enjoy seeing it again—I think it speaks in some ways to our present situation.

Easter 2010

Good news, oh, the chariot's coming
Good news, the chariot's coming,
Yeah, I don't want to be behind. (Spiritual)

Dear sisters and brothers, this is one happy preacher writing this column. Why? Because good news is coming soon! It's coming in the morning! Easter Sunday morning!

Tomorrow morning, I will stand before the faithful, and a few who haven't been so faithful, and announce: "I have good news to share!" The economy is awful, unemployment is soaring, health insurance is unaffordable, but I have good news to share. In spite of sickness, tragedy, natural disasters and suffering, I have good news to share. The world is full of evil and hatred, wars continue to escalate, terrorism lurks in the shadows, but I have good news to share. The good news will reverberate from coast to coast, nation to nation, ocean to ocean, and continent to continent. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

I've always been excited about Easter. One of my earliest childhood memories is sitting with my daddy on Easter Sunday on a folding chair on the front porch of the sanctuary because there was no more room inside. I vividly remember the bright Easter sun, the singing birds, the budding trees, and the blooming flowers announcing the good, glad, glorious news of the resurrection much more powerfully and creatively than our pastor ever could; bless his dear heart.  He was droning away on the inside with a tedious sermon.

Tomorrow morning, I will have the great privilege of preaching the good news of Easter joy for the 21st consecutive year here in Lexington. Mercy, time flies when you're having fun.

I wasn't having much fun some 34 years ago (44 years ago now) in my first church when I learned that I would not be preaching on Easter Sunday. Dear Miss Louise, bless her dear heart, who had been the music director at our church since the Reformation, informed me that Easter Sunday was reserved for the annual Easter cantata—yes it was. 

In the spirit of the Reformation I started to protest, but she, in the spirit of the Inquisition, told me that all of those people who came to church on Easter didn't want to be bored with a silly sermon. No sir-ree! It was an Easter cantata they wanted and an Easter cantata they would get.

I cried that Easter Sunday. People thought I was moved by the cantata, but I was crying because I thought I would have to move in order to preach an Easter sermon. But the good Lord must have heard my cries because a couple of years later he moved dear Miss Louise. Bless her dear heart, he sent the chariot for her.  I guessed they needed someone to direct the Easter Cantata in Glory. (I wonder how Peter and Paul took the news that they couldn’t preach on Easter anymore?)  But with no one left to direct an Easter Cantata at my church, I knew I would get to preach my first Easter sermon!  Good news was coming at last!

For my first Easter sermon I went out and bought a stunning, three-piece polyester light blue suit with matching patent leather blue shoes that shined so much you could see yourself in the reflection. I worked up a mighty fine Easter sermon and generously applied the Old Spice to drown out the Easter lilies and some hair tonic to doctor up my hair. (The light blue suit, the blue shoes, the sermon, and my hair have all disappeared, but I think I still have the Old Spice.)

I was so excited I barely slept Saturday night.  The next morning, Easter Sunday, I stood in the pulpit looking a lot like an Easter egg and smelling like a barber shop, but I was just as happy as I could be. I couldn't tell you a thing I said.  All I know is that I had good news to share!

As people sniffed the air and looked quizzically at my bright blue outfit, they told me it was a good sermon. After locking all the doors to the church, I walked out into the brilliant Easter sun, heard the birds singing, saw the trees budding and the flowers blooming and I realized that all creation was announcing the good, glad, glorious news of the resurrection much more powerfully and creatively than I ever could, bless my dear heart!

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! That's good news to share!

Thursday, April 9, 2020

Maundy Thursday

Dear FBC Family,

Today is Maundy Thursday, one of the holiest and most somber days of the year.  Normally, we would be having a Maundy Thursday service tonight, but that is not possible as we separate ourselves from the COVID-19 threat.  Since we cannot be together in person, I want to share some thoughts with you as you observe this most holy of days.

Bishop Michael Curry of the Episcopal Church said, These holy days are holy days because they take human suffering seriously. They were born in the crucible of hard times and suffering. That's a reminder that the God that we serve and believe in is a God who is always in the midst of life and in the midst of suffering and hardship, and together with our God, we can walk through this.”

Has there ever been a more relevant time in our life to observe this sacred weekend?  Every day we are bombarded with news of more deaths, more deaths than 9/11, more deaths than Pearl Harbor---before long we will have more deaths that Vietnam.  The Passion of our Savior is a story of suffering and death, of pain and loss, of separation and hardship.  

John, the Gospel writer, gives us a prolonged account of what took place in Jerusalem that night when Jesus gathered with his disciples to observe the Passover.  I would encourage you to read John 13-17—five chapters in all—it all took place in the Upper Room.

Read these powerful words, reflect on them, apply them to our present situation.  Here are some of my thoughts.

1)    In times of great danger, it is very important to observe the great traditions of our faith.  We call this meal “The Last Supper,” but John reminds us in 13: 1 that this was the feast of the Passover.  Jesus was a faithful Jew and his first priority was keeping the tradition.  We can’t gather for a service or a meal, but we can still worship together via the radio and streaming that will hopefully be ready by Sunday.  Even in times of social isolation, we can observe the traditions of our faith that bring a spiritual connection. 
2)   In times of danger and distress, we still must engage of acts of humility and service.  John tells us that Jesus knew his hour had come, yet he still washed the disciples’ feet—an act usually done by a servant.  And consider this, he washed the feet of Judas and served his supper.  (John 13)
3)   In critical times, the greatest thing we can do is love one another.  “Maundy” is the Latin word for mandate.  It was on this night that Jesus gave his disciples a new “mandate,” a new commandment:  “That you love one another, even as I have loved you.”  (John 13: 34)
4)   Times of loss create great stress and anxiety.  Jesus told his disciples that he was leaving them, but then reminded them that they believed in God, so they should continue to believe in him.  In times that create stress and anxiety, we should never give up believing in Jesus because he said, “I will not leave you desolate, I will come to you.”  (John 14: 18)
5)   In times of great uncertainty and anxiety, we can find peace (shalom) with God.  It is a peace that the world cannot give.  We know we can experience this peace because Jesus promised that the Father is sending us the Counselor, the Comforter, the Holy Spirit.  (John 14: 25-27)
6)   In times of fear and uncertainty, it is important to talk about what life will be like when the troubling time is over.  Jesus’ beautiful analogy of the vine and branches came in the midst of the fear of the Upper Room.  He was telling the disciples how life would be in the future, especially if we “abide in him.”  He calls the disciples his friends and tells them the greatest love is one lays down his life for his friends.  He continues to talk about the “new commandment” to love one another.   At a time of great fear and danger, he talks about joy!  (John 15)
7)   It is important in troubling times, to put everything in perspective.  This is what Jesus is doing in John 16.  He is helping the disciples to understand that this is all part of God’s plan.  He is leaving so the Holy Spirit can come.  He tells them that there will be times of persecution and travail, but one day it will all be worth it when we see Jesus again and rejoice and “no one will take your joy from you.”  (John 16)
8)   There is nothing more important in times of distress than prayer.  Jesus’ great prayer is recorded in John 17.  He prays earnestly for all of his followers, that we may know the only true God and that God would protect them in this evil world.  He also prays for unity, that we should all be one.  At the conclusion of this prayer for his people, Jesus leaves the Upper Room and crosses the Kidron Valley and enters the Garden of Gethsemane.

Wow—so much is there.  So much for us to contemplate today—Maundy Thursday.  


We are beginning to see a positive trend in the COVID-19 numbers that tells us the “Stay at Home” mandate and social distancing appear to be working.  Yesterday there were 74 reported cases.  The encouraging news is that 36 of those, almost half, have recovered.  But we still haven’t reached the peak, so please stay vigilant.  If you must go out into public, please wear a mask and carry disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer.  

 If you do get sick, the first thing you should do is call your doctor.  The majority of people who get COVID-19 get mild symptoms.  The authorities are saying that you should only go to the hospital in the event of “significant symptoms.”   When pressed on what exactly this means, Lillian Koontz (our dedicated Health Department Director) said if you are having difficulty breathing, that is when you should seek medical assistance.

If you go to Lexington Medical Center with respiratory difficulties, an alternative treatment center for possible COVID-19 cases has been set up between the Emergency Department and the Outpatient Entrance.  It will be well marked.

Let me encourage you to get your information on the crisis from reliable sources.  There are too many rumors and misinformation circulating online, and there are numerous scams.  Wake Forest Baptist has an information number 336-702-6843.  Novant Health has an information number 877-966-8668.  The official North Carolina link to current information is:   https://www.ncdhhs.gov/covid-19-case-count-nc 



Grace and Peace as we journey together,

Ray