The Blindness of Blame

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The Blindness of Blame

March 08, 2026*

(Third Sunday of Lent)

By Pastor John Partridge

Exodus 17:1-7                        John 4:4-42                Romans 5:1-11

Today, I want us to consider the word… accountability.

It is often used in discussions of ministry, particularly when pastors or other ministry leaders have gone down a path upon which they should never have set foot in the first place. In recent years, we have seen the pastors of several megachurches fall into sin or other unseemly activity and often this has been the case when those pastors were held so high on a pedestal that they did not answer to anyone. There was no Staff Parish Relations Committee, no church board of elders, no district superintendent, and no Conference Board of Ministry to establish rules and boundaries. And that lack of accountability resulted in leaders who thought that they could do anything that they wanted to do and get away with it…. Until they couldn’t.

Accountability is sometimes discussed in political conversations and many politicians, at all levels, have similarly found themselves in moral, ethical, or legal trouble because they too thought that they could get away with doing whatever they wanted to do. Some did. Others got caught. But accountability is also an accusation that is thrown about in arguments between generations of Americans such that one accuses the other that “nothing is ever your fault.” And while we can never paint an entire generation with such a broad brush, we do see that attitude displayed quite often by individuals on social media and in the criminal court system.

But accountability is also something that we often find in scripture, though we won’t find it using that name. Instead, we often find failures of accountability, just as we often do today, by looking to see who is being blamed for the situations in question. And, with that in mind, let us look at some familiar stories of scripture beginning with the story of Moses and the people of Israel as they wander in the desert after their successful escape from Egypt in Exodus 17:1-7 where we read this:

17:1 The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.”

Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?”

3 But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?”

4 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.”

5 The Lord answered Moses, “Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So, Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the place Massah [which means testing] and Meribah [which means quarrelling]because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

As we read this story, it is useful to remember that no one was forced to leave their slavery in Egypt. Every adult, or at least the head of every family, made a conscious choice to follow Moses and leave slavery behind. Everyone knew that Egypt was surrounded by desert wilderness, and they had to know that their journey to freedom might not be swift, simple, or easy. And yet, when the circumstances of their journey get difficult, many of them decide to blame Moses for their trouble, rather than accept responsibility for their own choices. Grumbling against Moses and asking, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt…?” only serves to misdirect and obscure responsibility for their own decision making. Even so, God instructs Moses to strike a rock and then causes water to pour forth to east their thirst. But afterward, Moses names the place “testing and quarrelling” so that no one can ever forget the blame games and finger pointing that happened in that place.

We see something similar in the familiar story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4:4-42, but in this case, the blame is used less as a way to point fingers and more to deflect the conversation away from any kind of cultural introspection or personal accountability until Jesus bypasses their deflections and arrives at the heart and substance of their faithful desire.

4 Now he [Jesus] had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.

7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)

9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”

13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”

16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”

17 “I have no husband,” she replied.

Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”

19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”

27 Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”

28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him.

31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.”

32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”

33 Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?”

34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. 35 Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36 Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37 Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. 38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”

39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers.

42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

We can write off the first deflection as simple curiosity. When Jesus asks for a drink, the Samaritan woman immediately asks how Jesus can do that since Jews will not share dishes or utensils with Samaritans. But the second deflection is more of a skeptical attack. She asks Jesus if his offer of living water implies that he, a Jew, is greater than the Jacob, the Samaritan and Jewish patriarch who dug the well where they were standing. But then things get personal, when the woman asks for the water that Jesus offers and then recognizes that Jesus is a prophet, she deflects by placing blame on the Jews by mentioning the violent disagreement between Jews and Samaritans regarding which temple is the correct one. The goal, by casting blame, or by opening a divisive discussion of political and religious differences, is an attempt to end the discussion. But Jesus doesn’t take the bait. Instead, Jesus follows a path that allows for discussion.

Take note, however, that as the woman invites the other townspeople to meet Jesus, the testimony that she gives has nothing to do with theology but is entirely personal. When she invites others to Jesus, she doesn’t give a memorized speech about the Romans road, or explain a path to salvation, all she does is tell them what her personal experience was with Jesus. Personal evangelism doesn’t have to be scary. You aren’t required to hand out tracts, or remember a bunch of stuff, you only need to share your story about your experiences with Jesus. Once the Samaritan woman pointed the people of her village to Jesus, her testimony led them to explore for themselves.

Finally, in his letter to the church in Rome, Paul short circuits the blame game and forces each of us to consider our own accountability. As we read Romans 5:1-11, we hear this:

5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, wehave peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And weboast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but wealso glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Much like the Jews and the Samaritans, Paul says that we were not good people. We were once so corrupt that we were enemies with God. But, even when we were enemies, God gave the life of his own son so that we could be forgiven and reconciled to him. And Paul says that it is for that reason that we can boast about God, meaning that we can, and should, tell others the story of Jesus. Because, when we strop pointing fingers and blaming others for our sin, when we are honest with ourselves, and finally hold ourselves accountable for our own actions, we see that our sin was entirely our fault, and God chose to forgive us anyway.

That’s a story that we can share, and a story in which we can brag about God’s goodness, grace, and mercy.

We don’t have to memorize a script, or hand out tracts, or spend hours studying theology, or have the answers to everyone’s questions. But, like the Samaritan woman at the well, we only need to stop pointing fingers, share the story about what Jesus has done in our lives, and invite others to meet him and find out for themselves.

*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page.  Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601.  These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org.  These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com .  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Outside the Rules

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Outside the Rules

March 01, 2026*

(Second Sunday of Lent)

By Pastor John Partridge

Genesis 12:1-4a                     John 3:1-17                Romans 4:1-5, 13-17

One of the accusations that people make against Christianity, or even against religion in general, is that it’s just a list of rules to follow. Sometimes the accusations are specifically that the rules were written by male clergy to perpetuate the existing patriarchal power structures and to enrich the church and the clergy. But while there might have been some truth to some of that at one time, and while there are certainly a few megachurches and televangelists to whom this still applies, there are very few clergy who get rich from serving the local church, and few churches that we would likely label as wealthy. Christ Church has an endowment, but while it may look like a lot, it’s less than many people have saved for retirement and generates just enough income to help offset, but not completely pay for, the maintenance costs of our building. More to the point of today’s message is that much of Christianity exists because Jesus, Jesus’ ministry, and the church that grew up to follow him, broke the accepted rules. But, before we dive too deeply into that, let’s go back to one of the origin stories of our faith, to the calling of Abram, who would become Abraham, the father of the Jews and the people whose descendants would eventually include Jesus and bring about Christianity.

Reading from Genesis 12:1-4a, we hear this:

12:1 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

2 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you;
I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran.

The story itself is simple. God called Abram to trust him, to go into the unknown, to travel to an unknown place, for an undefined and undescribed future, that would, eventually, bring blessings to him and to his family. And, despite the unbelievable, and almost unimaginable, level of trust that this required, at the age of seventy-five, Abram walked away from his entire life, completely redefined who he was, and Abram went.

Many things happen between the time of Abraham and the time of Jesus, but it is a story with which you are familiar. After the time of Abraham, the people of Israel lived as slaves in the land of Egypt and were rescued from their slavery by the power of God working through the leadership of Moses. After leaving Egypt and escaping across the Red Sea from the pursuing Egyptian army, God gave Israel the Law and the Commandments as guides to their worship and to knowing what their God expected of them. But, by the time of Jesus, the worship of God had become so academically over-studied and so extensively over-interpreted, that it became increasingly rigid and less of what God intended for it to be. And it is in that environment that Jesus has a discussion with Nicodemus, a man who had dedicated his life to following the rules and doing the things that they believed that God wanted. We hear that story in John 3:1-17, which says:

3:1 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. (Note: This is the Sanhedrin, seventy-one members who ruled over Israel) 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spiritgives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘Youmust be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So, it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still, you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things, and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Nicodemus, unlike some other Pharisees and leaders in Israel, openly accepts that Jesus is a teacher that has been sent by God. This seems obvious because of the miracles and other signs that Jesus performed. But he did not understand when Jesus said that no one could enter the kingdom of God without being born of the spirit. And, while Jesus criticizes church leadership for their failure to understand, he patiently explains to Nicodemus that anyone who wants to go to heaven must follow someone who knows how to get there and, since Jesus is the only person that has already been there, it would be wise to follow him. Anyone who believes in Jesus will have eternal life and live with him in God’s house. But Jesus also makes and important proclamation that is often ignored but is important for us to remember. Jesus says that “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” And, if we make the logical conclusion that we should follow his example, we must therefore understand that our job is not to condemn sinners for sinning, but instead to point them toward Jesus so that they can find the rescue that we have already found.

But why is this conversation, and what it represents, so disruptive to the concept of following the rules? And why does Jesus, and the people that follow him, deviate so strongly from the rules that everyone thought that they knew about following God? Paul answers this question in his letter to the church in Rome, and in Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 we hear this explanation:

4:1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? 2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. 3 What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

4 Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. 5 However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.

13 It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. 14 For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless, 15 because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.

16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. 17 As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.

Paul explains that Abraham was a faithful follower of God long before the rules were written, long before Moses was born, or generations of priests, scholars, and theologians studied and interpreted the Law, Commandments, and the words of the prophets. No one could ever say that Abraham wasn’t suitably Jewish, or that he couldn’t rest with God, but Abraham didn’t follow the rules that the Pharisees and the leaders of Israel thought were so important. Instead, Paul says, following God isn’t an act of labor in which we work to earn points with God or to, in some other way, earn our way to righteousness by following the rules.

Instead, like Abraham, it is our faith in God, and in Jesus, for which righteousness is credited to us. Yes, Paul says, the Law is important because it tells us about the character of God and the ways in which God wants us to behave, but it is not the law that saves us. In fact, Paul points out, the reason that Abraham would become the father of many nations as God promised, and not just the father of Israel, is that other, non-Jewish, nations can follow the faith of Abraham even if they aren’t descended from anyone in his family. We worship the God of creation and the God that has brought the dead back to life, and anyone can choose to follow God, and his son Jesus Christ. Anyone can put their faith in Jesus, just as Abraham put his faith in God, be credited with the righteousness of God, be accepted into God’s family, and find a place in God’s heavenly home.

Despite begin accused of being agenda driven rule followers, the rules never have been, and never will be, a path that allows us to work our way into the good graces of God. The only path to God is to follow in the footsteps of Abraham, trust God, and put our faith in Jesus.

The rules have their place, but they will never save a single person.

The only thing that can save us from ourselves… is faith in Jesus.

And that’s a lot easier to explain to our friends than a list of rules.

*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page.  Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601.  These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org.  These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com .  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

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Lies, False Promises, and Restoring the Broken

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Lies, False Promises, and Restoring the Broken

February 22, 2026*

(First Sunday of Lent)

By Pastor John Partridge

Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7                      Matthew 4:1-11                     Romans 5:12-19

Welcome to the first Sunday in Lent. And, as I have noted in our Lenten mailing, as well as at other times, Lent is a season of preparation and a time for us to explore and deepen our relationship with God. As such, this is a wonderful season in which to ask questions. And so, as I read over the scriptures for today, the obvious question that presented itself was, “What does God want?” Sometimes, when we step back from the stories and instructions of individual scriptures and we look at the wider view, we can see trends, underlying direction, and deeper purpose behind the broad arc of scripture. And so today, as we move from Genesis, to the gospel story of Matthew, and then onward to Paul’s letter to the church in Rome, we will see a shared theme that is birthed in the earliest days of scripture, watered and matured in the story of Jesus, and finally bearing fruit as it is explained to the church and expounded upon as Paul helps the church to understand what it is that God desires.

And so, as we begin this journey, let us begin at the beginning as we read the story of humanity’s fall in Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7, where we hear this:

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”

4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so, they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

As we read this story, we not only see the fall of humanity into sin, but also the character of the actors behind it. The serpent first warps and manipulates God’s instructions to suit his own ends, and later outright lies in saying that eating from the tree would not result in death. Eve, meanwhile, fabricates an additional instruction that God had never given declaring that God had told them never to even touch the tree of knowledge. Adam, meanwhile, who we discover had been present for the entire exchange, has every opportunity to correct any of the falsehoods, but rather than oppose them, stands by passively and agrees to everything instead. Humanity falls because Adam and Eve submit to their selfish desires, and the serpent shows himself to be a liar, thief, and manipulator in moving humanity toward his own ends and purposes.

And that is how the relationship between humanity and the enemy of our souls continues for thousands of years until that same master manipulator encounters Jesus and attempts to use the same tools of trickery in Matthew 4:1-11 where we hear this:

4:1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be temptedby the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
    and they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

First, the devil questions Jesus’ identity saying, “If you are the Son of God…” but also tempts Jesus with his own human weakness by suggesting that he transform stones into bread to break his fast and ease his hunger. In answer, Jesus quotes scripture, so the devil then uses scripture as a part of his next temptation. Again saying, “If you are the Son of God…” but this time testing Jesus’ limits by quoting the passage that promises angelic protection. Like the transformation of bread, this was certainly something that Jesus could have done, but Jesus sees this as not only proving something he feels no need to prove, but as a violation of boundaries by deliberately testing God. And finally, the devil offers to give Jesus influence, wealth, and power but Jesus knew that these were all false promises. Even if he wanted to do so, Satan could not give Jesus the things that he promised. While Satan is the ruler of many earthly kingdoms, God is the creator and ruler of the universe. Satan rules only because God chooses to allow him to do so. Instead, Jesus replies that the command of scripture is to worship the Lord and serve God only.

Jesus resists the temptation of the devil and, through his life, death, and resurrection, overcomes sin for all time. The important piece here, is that Jesus did not just resist sin, or simply overcome the temptation of sin for himself, but that he defeated sin, for all time, and for all people if they choose to believe. In Romans 5:12-19, the Apostle Paul explains it to the church this way:

12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way, death came to all people, because all sinned—

13 To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.

15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16 Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

18 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

Paul’s message is that Adam and Jesus are bookends to the same story, but that those two bookends are not equal. Adam, who is given the responsibility for committing the first sin, brought sin into the world and doomed humanity to both sin and death. But Jesus, Paul says, is the gift from God that came after thousands of years of humanity’s accumulated sin. That gift, the gift of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, brings the forgiveness of sins, justification before God, and the offer of life to all people.

In the measure of scripture, Adam and Eve were given life and a life of perfect closeness to God, but by their sin, destroyed that relationship and doomed humanity to disease, decay, and death. But Jesus, through his birth, life, death, and resurrection repaired what had been broken, made reconciliation possible, and restored the relationship between humanity and God. Because Jesus resisted the temptation of the devil, lived a perfect life, and was obedient to God, even unto death, all of humanity now has the opportunity to be forgiven of their sin and seen as righteous before God.

We, like uncountable generations of humanity, suffer from our inheritance of temptation and an irresistible compulsion toward sin. But we give thanks to God that Jesus has given us the gift of grace, rescue, reconciliation, restoration, righteousness… and life.

Our prayer is that might all accept the gift, and share it with our friends and neighbors.

*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page.  Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601.  These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org.  These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com .  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Judgement, Destruction, and Treasure

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Judgement, Destruction, and Treasure

February 18, 2026*

(Ash Wednesday)

By Pastor John Partridge

Joel 2:1-3, 6, 12-14                Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21                        2 Corinthians 5:20b – 6:10

Joel 2:1-3, 6, 12-14 

2:1 Blow the trumpet in Zion;
    sound the alarm on my holy hill.

Let all who live in the land tremble,
    for the day of the Lord is coming.
It is close at hand—
2     a day of darkness and gloom,
    a day of clouds and blackness.
Like dawn spreading across the mountains
    a large and mighty army comes,
such as never was in ancient times
    nor ever will be in ages to come.

3 Before them fire devours,
    behind them a flame blazes.
Before them the land is like the garden of Eden,
    behind them, a desert waste—
    nothing escapes them.

6 At the sight of them, nations are in anguish;
    every face turns pale.

12 “Even now,” declares the Lord,
    “return to me with all your heart,
    with fasting and weeping and mourning.”

13 Rend your heart
    and not your garments.
Return to the Lord your God,
    for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
    and he relents from sending calamity.
14 Who knows? He may turn and relent
    and leave behind a blessing—
grain offerings and drink offerings
    for the Lord your God.

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

6:1 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

2 “So, when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

————

As we read the words of the prophet Joel, God announces to the people of Israel that their future is dark and frightening. God says that judgement is coming, destruction is coming, pain, suffering and fear is coming. But, God says, it is still possible to escape the coming darkness if they will only repent of their sin and return to God. We know that Joel wasn’t specifically written to us, but we can still learn from it. The people of ancient Israel weren’t the only ones who worried about their future. They weren’t the only ones who saw enemies on their borders, corruption and internal conflict in their government, food insecurity, looming economic collapse, and fear that their children may not inherit anything more than struggle, grief, and pain. Those fears are as real today as they have ever been, and it is for that reason that Joel’s words are still relevant. God says that if you want to be ready for an uncertain future, if you want to be prepared for whatever lies ahead, if you want God to walk with you, to guide you, strengthen you, and protect you, all that is needed is to repent of your sin, return to God, and walk in his ways.

But the words that we heard from Jesus in Matthew chapter six fine tune Joel’s message. Jesus says we should not practice righteousness in front of others in order to be seen by them. We should not pray out loud on the street corner so that everyone can see and hear us and we should not deliberately look disheveled and sad so that people will know that we are fasting. In total, what Jesus is saying is that our worship and our sacrifices for God, though necessary and desirable, are not a show. Our worship, sacrifice, and other things that we do for God are just that. Our worship is intended to be a gift of thanksgiving to God and the only accounting that we should be worried about is God’s. Whatever treasure we may accumulate, is intended to accumulate in heaven and not at Chase bank, J.P. Morgan, or Golman Sachs.

But what does this all mean to how God wants us to live in the ordinary, day to day world? As we often do, we find at least a part of our answer in the words of Paul in his second letter to the church in Corinth, where he explains how he and his team had ministered in Corinth and how that ministry stands as an example to all of us in how we are to act as God’s people.  In 2 Corinthians 5:20b – 6:10 Paul says:

We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sinfor us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

6:1 As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. 2 For he says,

“In the time of my favor I heard you,
    and in the day of salvation I helped you.”

I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.

3 We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. 4 Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; 5 in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; 6 in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; 7 in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; 8 through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; 9 known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; 10 sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

First, Paul echoes the words of Joel and begs the people of the church to repent, and be reconciled to God, and rebuild their relationship with him. Second, he emphasizes that the time to do these things is now, “now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” Don’t wait, do these things now. And finally, Paul says that one of the core takeaways from their ministry in Corinth was their lived example of compassion, faithfulness, gratitude, sacrifice, and living in ways that gives credit to God. Specifically, Paul says that a fundamental principal for his ministry, and by extension our ministry as well, was to live in such a way that we do not discredit Jesus, our faith, or our church.

But what does that mean?

It means that we need to live the way that Jesus lived and the way that his disciples modelled for us. To live lives of compassion, faithfulness, empathy, and love for the people around us. To live lives that give sacrificially rather than hoarding selfishly. It means to live in such a way that the people who know you say things like, “I’ve never seen anyone love like that,” “I’ve never seen that kind of generosity,” “I see you do things that I think Jesus would have done,” “I don’t understand why you would care so much about me,” or “ I may not always agree with you, but you seem to genuinely live the way that I thought Christians were supposed to act.” We are not supposed to abuse others because it’s profitable, or ignore injustice because we don’t want to rock the boat, or hurt other people because we disagree with their lifestyle choices. We must not act in ways that make people think poorly of Jesus, or our faith, or our church. We cannot act in ways that cause others to see God’s people as corrupt, unloving, or hateful even when we might profoundly disagree with one another.

Doing these things, and living in this way is going to be hard. Done right, it will be one of the hardest things that we ever do.

That’s why we need to repent, be reconciled to God, and live in ways that honor God.

Because that, my friends, is how we store up treasure in heaven.

*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page.  Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601.  These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org.  These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com .  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Jesus Ups the Ante

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Jesus Ups the Ante

February 15, 2026*

By Pastor John Partridge

Deuteronomy 30:15-20                     Matthew 5:21-37                   1 Corinthians 3:1-9

As you may have noticed from the sermon title, my first illustration comes from the game of poker. I’m not much of a card player but, if you’ve ever watched the game in person or on television, players who think that they have a good chance of winning often raise the ante to the game, meaning that everyone around the table that wishes to keep playing, must add more of their money, or chips, to the pot if they want to stay in the game. Failure to meet the new ante is a resignation and that player is out of the game until the next hand is dealt. A similar thing happens, in a more regulated way, in track and field, in the event of the pole vault. A height is set and each player may make several attempts to clear that height and, once everyone has had a chance to do so, the bar is raised. Everyone who failed to clear the previous height is out, and everyone who cleared the previous height must now attempt to clear the bar at the next level.

At this point, I would not be at all surprised if you were asking yourself, “But what does any that have to do with Jesus?” And I will explain that in a few minutes, but first we need to remember some background from much earlier as God lays out his expectations for his people in the time of Moses. As we read from Deuteronomy 30:15-20, we hear this:

15 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. 16 For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.

17 But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.

19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

After God gave the law to the people of Israel, he made it clear that following him was a life and death choice. If the people chose to follow other gods and worship them, then the God of Israel would stop protecting them, would not walk with them, and they would certainly be destroyed by their enemies. But, if they chose life, listened to, and stayed faithful to God, then he would protect them, bless them, and both they, and their children, would live for may years in the land that God had promised to their ancestors.

This same choice is summarized in the Apocryphal book of Sirach or Sirach 15:15-20 (New Catholic Bible) as it says:

15 If you choose, you can keep the commandments,
    and to act faithfully is within your power.
16 He has set before you fire and water;
    stretch out your hand for whichever you choose.
17 Before each man are life and death,
    and whichever one he chooses will be given.
18 For great is the wisdom of the Lord;
    he is mighty in power and all-seeing.
19 His eyes are on those who fear him,
    and he is aware of every human action.
20 He has not commanded anyone to be wicked,
    and he has given no one permission to sin.

And so, to varying degrees, the people of Israel followed the laws of Moses, and everyone knew what they were doing and thought that they knew what God wanted. They studied the law, there were whole books written by the rabbis that interpreted the law, and obedience seemed to be… sort of… ordinary. Whether or not they were particularly orthodox or religious in the practice of their faith, everyone thought that they understood what God wanted.

But then Jesus upped the ante and raised the bar.

As we hear him speak in Matthew 5:21-37, Jesus repeatedly tells his listeners that God’s standards are much stricter, and much more difficult to follow than everyone thought. Jesus said:

21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sisterwill be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.

23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.

25 “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

31 “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’[f] 32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

Repeatedly, Jesus essentially says, you thought that you knew what this scripture meant, but it’s really much more difficult than you imagined. And each common example from the law of Moses that Jesus uses, he follows by upping the ante, or raising the bar, beyond anything that his audience could have imagined. Each time Jesus begins by saying, “You have heard it said,” and then completely redefines the standard of how God wants us to behave. You shall not murder seems straightforward until Jesus says that being angry with someone counts as murder. Saying words that are common when someone cuts us off on traffic can put us in danger of going to hell. We commit adultery simply by looking at someone lustfully, and any kind of divorce, other than for infidelity, results in the sin of adultery. And on top of that, we sin any time that we swear an oath. With these definitions, Jesus makes it far more difficult to believe that righteousness is even possible.

But that was his point.

We all get angry. We say things when people annoy us or cut us off in traffic. We struggle to maintain good relationships with others. We look too long at well formed bodies on the beach. We think too little of the consequences of divorce, and we swear oaths about our honesty too easily. But beneath the impossibility of it all, Jesus’ words remind us that God values out integrity and our relationships with one another as more important than worship. And by saying these things, Jesus reminds us all of our desperate need for forgiveness. We simply cannot assume that we are right with God because we have kept the ten commandments. Knowing that God equates our anger with our siblings or co-workers with murder, and lustful looks with adultery reminds us that we are broken, sinful, and in need of a rescuer and savior.

Paul drew this out just one step further when he wrote to the church in Corinth in 1 Corinthians 3:1-9, saying:

3:1 Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? 4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?

5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.

Paul says that God has assigned each of us a task. Some plant seeds and some water them, but it is God, and only God, who can make seeds grow. All of us work toward that same goal and each of us are called to do our part. The points that Paul and Jesus made are the same. We cannot live lives of righteousness without the forgiveness that Jesus offers, and we cannot move towards the goal without God. We cannot grow the church by ourselves, and we cannot achieve the goals of God’s kingdom on the intelligence, wisdom, and power of human beings. We are co-workers in God’s service.

We must work together, with Jesus, with God, and with one another…

…or we aren’t going to accomplish anything at all.

*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page.  Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601.  These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org.  These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com .  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

An Invitation to Lent

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Our season of Lent begins this coming Wednesday, February 18th.

But what does that mean?

The season of Lent is a time that we have set aside as a season of preparation.  It is a time to remember and to reflect.  We will soon celebrate Jesus’ resurrection at Easter but also, like any of life’s significant endeavors, to do something well, we must take the time to prepare. 

Lately, I’ve been reading some adventure fantasy fiction with swords and dragons and things like that. But despite the many differences between the stories, one of the common threads that crop up somewhere is about preparation. The good adventurers, the ones that are more likely to survive their encounters with monsters, are the ones that spend the time preparing themselves and their equipment. They spend their time away from the adventure sharpening swords, refilling magic potions, packing bandages, and other “boring” things that might not be needed, but will save their lives if they are.

Although Easter may not seem to be quite so “life and death,” our preparation is still of significant importance. Easter is the biggest event of the church year and is a bookend to the Christmas story.  For that reason, both emotionally and spiritually, we don’t want to show up unprepared.  We don’t want to show up on Easter morning and hope that our equipment and whatever preparations are leftover from the last time are going to be good enough.  Instead, let us commit to a season or preparation so that we will arrive on Easter morning properly prepared, with our hearts renewed, our souls properly exercised, and fully open to the joy, wonder, excitement, and the calling of God.

Join us so that our team can prepare together during this season of anticipation.

Blessings,

Pastor John

Christ United Methodist Church

When God is Deaf and Blind

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When God is Deaf and Blind

February 08, 2026*

By Pastor John Partridge

Isaiah 58:1-12                     Matthew 5:13-20                   1 Corinthians 2:1-16

What happens when God doesn’t hear your prayers?

Likewise, what should we think when we are going through trials and difficult circumstances and God doesn’t seem to care?

Honestly, I don’t have all the answers because every circumstance is different.

However, scripture does give us some insight that can help to clear the fog but, before we get to that, let’s think about some of the reasons that sometimes we don’t hear or see the things that are happening around us. In my case, you all know that sometimes, with my hearing loss, particularly if there is a lot of noise, or there are overlapping conversations, I simply don’t hear some things or what I hear is unintelligible. Similarly, we sometimes miss important emails or text messages because they got lost in our general busyness and the crowd of other messages that were fighting for our attention.

And, still other times, we did hear the questions that were asked of us, or we did notice what was going on around us, but we simply chose not to pay attention to them. As parents, we have told our children not to do certain things, explained to them why doing those things was a bad idea, and then watched events unfold when they did those things anyway. Certainly, we could have intervened and rescued them, but at times, the best parenting is to simply watch and let them suffer through the consequences of their actions.

But which of these kinds of actions might we attribute to God? Surely, God isn’t hearing impaired so we can easily eliminate that one. And, while it isn’t difficult to imagine that the prayers and activities of several billion humans might be an overwhelming burden, once again, from what we know about God, that shouldn’t be an issue either. We can be sure that our messages to God aren’t simply being misplaced because God is busy. So, at this point, let us look at some scripture and see what answers we can find that might help us to gain a better understanding of what is happening when God seems to be deaf to our prayers and blind to our suffering. We begin this morning reading from the words of the prophet Isaiah found in Isaiah 58:1-12, where God says:

58:1 “Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.
2 For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them.
3 ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?’

“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers.
4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high.
5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?

6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
9 Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.
11 The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
    and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.
12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

Through Isaiah, God says that he stopped watching the fasts and the worship of the people when they stopped acting decently toward the people around them. God says that he stopped listening to their prayers when their actions showed their rebellion against him. Instead, what God wants is people who fight against injustice, free those who are enslaved and oppressed, share their food with the hungry, give shelter to the homeless, clothes to the naked, and provide care for your family when they need assistance. If we do those things, God says, then he will guide you, strengthen you, satisfy your needs, protect you, watch your back, answer your prayers for help, and give you the strength to rebuild your life.

In that passage, Isaiah explains some of the ways that we might find ourselves feeling unheard or unseen by God, and all of these seem to be an “us” problem and not a “God” problem. And, when we turn to the New Testament, we find Matthew recording Jesus as he goes farther in explaining who we are supposed to be and how we are supposed to act. As we read Matthew 5:13-20, we hear this:

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus teaches that we, his followers, are supposed to be the salt that changes the flavor of the world and seasons the people and culture around us wherever we go. We are supposed to bring light into the lives of everyone around us so that they can see the good things that we are doing and understand that God should get the credit. On top of that, Jesus is clear that we are to follow all the commandments and teachings of God and that we cannot choose some to follow and others to ignore.

Finally, in his letter to the church in Corinth, found in 1 Corinthians 2:1-16, Paul gives us all some advice on how to follow Jesus and do the things that we have been talking about. I’m not going to read it all, but this passage is in your bulletin, and I recommend that you read it for yourself.

2:1 And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.

6 We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 However, as it is written:

“What no eye has seen,
    what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”—
    the things God has prepared for those who love him—

10 these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. 14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. 15 The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, 16 for,

“Who has known the mind of the Lord
    so as to instruct him?”

But we have the mind of Christ.

But what Paul says, is that when we teach others about Jesus, God, and the gospel message, the words that we speak are taught by the Spirit of God and explain spiritual realities that are unseen by people who are unconnected to the spirit of God. This is why we can pray to God for discernment and understanding so that we can see the world around us in ways that others cannot hope to see it.

And so, while it is possible that the reason that God doesn’t seem to be listening is because there something that he is trying to teach us, Isaiah says that often our problem is often self-caused. When we claim to be the followers of God but act as if we are not, when we defy God and do the things that he has taught us not to do, and refuse to do the things that he has commanded us to do, God may choose to leave us alone, to ignore our prayers, and turn a blind eye to our worship. Our mission is to change the flavor of the world and to bring light into the lives of the people and the community around us. Jesus made it clear that God cannot walk with us if we only choose to follow some of the commands of God that we like and ignore the others. If we are to be faithful, we must follow, and practice, all the teaching and commandments of God.

Doing so won’t be easy. But God has sent his spirit to live among us and within us, and we are invited to pray for discernment and understanding so that we can see the world the way that God sees it.

The short answer to all of this is that while God always hears our prayers and knows what we are doing, we can’t half follow God. A scout, or a football player at the Super Bowl, that only does what they are supposed to do half the time, is going to get sidelined pretty quick.

If we’re going to choose to follow God, we have to be all-in.

*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page.  Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601.  These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org.  These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com .  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Photo by Comstock Images on Freeimages.com

Left, Right… Wrong?

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Left, Right… Wrong?

January 25, 2026*

By Pastor John Partridge

Isaiah 9:1-4                            Matthew 4:12-23                   1 Corinthians 1:10-18

It doesn’t take a genius to notice that our nation is increasingly divided. On top of that, or maybe because of that, our media seems to delight in defining us by our differences rather than by what we have in common. Everyone is described by adjectives like left, right, and center, with the use of “center” becoming less common every day. We have the political right and left as well as the religious right and left, and even these are sometimes subdivided by the same measure when described as the conservative republicans, or liberal Democrats, when the core assumption is that Republicans are generally conservative and Democrats generally liberal to begin with. But the center isn’t safe from this either because terms like “left-leaning” or “right-leaning” moderate are also commonly used. More to my point this morning, it likewise isn’t impossible for us to find references to conservative or liberal Methodists, Catholics, Lutherans and other denominational affiliations as well as opinions ranking various denominational affiliations by where they lie on that person’s perception of the political or religious right-left spectrum. It’s become all so common that we all take it for granted and think little, or nothing, of such descriptions.

But what if we’re all wrong?

And for us to consider that at all, we must begin by thinking about what direction and what guidance we get from scripture and from the teaching and example of Jesus. For our purposes this morning, let us begin with the words of the prophet Isaiah, in Isaiah 9:1-4, as he describes the purpose of the messiah and rescuer that is to come:

9:1 Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future, he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—

2 The people walking in darkness
    have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
    a light has dawned.
3 You have enlarged the nation
    and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
    as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
    when dividing the plunder.
4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,
    you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
    the bar across their shoulders,
    the rod of their oppressor.

Isaiah says that the people would be rescued from the gloom and depression that comes from their oppression and says that the messiah will come from the land that was, in the Mosaic writings, defined by the inheritance of the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali, but was known in his time as the area of Galilee and, just to be sure that everyone was on the same page, he explained that it was the land beyond the Jordan River but which was near to the Via Maris, the Way of the Sea, the ancient road that ran along the sea and connected Judea and Israel to the nations of Mesopotamia in the East and Egypt to the West. But after identifying the place from which the messiah would come, Isaiah says that the arrival of the messiah would bring light to the darkness, enlarge the nation, increase the joy of the people, and bring freedom by shattering the yoke of oppression and breaking the rod of those who rule over them.

And it is this passage that Matthew has in mind in Matthew 4:12-23, when he notes the home of Jesus and then describes the message that Jesus preached, saying:

12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. 13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— 14 to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:

15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
    the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,
    Galilee of the Gentiles—
16 the people living in darkness
    have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
    a light has dawned.”

17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.

21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.

Matthew says that Jesus withdrew to Galilee when he heard the horrible news that his cousin John the Baptist had been thrown in prison, meaning that Galilee was Jesus’ safe space and home. But by using Isaiah’s imagery, Matthew reveals that Jesus was the Messiah that Israel had expected, the Messiah that would break the yoke of the oppressor and bring freedom to the people. And with that preamble, Matthew says that the message that Jesus preached was a message of repentance. And it is important at this point, to remind ourselves that the literal meaning of the word for repentance is a “change of direction.” We cannot repent and continue in the same way that we did before. Repentance means that the direction of our lives has changed because the kingdom of God has come near to us. And then, after Matthew describes the calling of Peter, Andrew, James, and John, he said that Jesus went throughout the area of Galilee proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness found among the people.

And then, as we know, many people repented, they came to faith in Jesus, they changed direction, they put their faith in him, and they followed his teaching and his example. But… they didn’t always get it right and they didn’t always agree on what it meant to follow Jesus. And that is what Paul is addressing as he writes to the church in the Greek city of Corinth in 1 Corinthians 1:10-18, when he says:

10 I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. 11 My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. 12 What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.”

13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so no one can say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written:

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
    the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”

Paul appeals the people of the church to stop dividing themselves along lines that were related to theology and personality. These were political style divisions in which groups of people had allied themselves by claiming allegiance to Paul, or Apollos, of Peter, or Jesus. Of course, none of these, originally, were in any disagreement with one another, but these groups used them as figureheads to create lines of division. And so here, Paul interjects reason by pointing out that Jesus was not divided, that Paul was not crucified, and that he had no desire or inclination to be the object of anyone’s worship. Instead, Paul reminds everyone that it was Jesus who sent him to preach the gospel. The core of the gospel message, Paul says, is that Jesus is the source of our salvation and not the cults of personality, wisdom, or eloquence that humans create to set themselves apart from one another and create division.

And as we read Paul’s words from two millennia away, we are tempted to say to ourselves that we no longer argue that one follows Peter, another Paul, another Apollos, and another Jesus. But isn’t that exactly what we’re doing when we say that we identify as Methodist, Baptist, Lutheran, Catholic, or any other denominational, or nondenominational affiliation? Aren’t we going through the same motions and methods of division that Paul was trying to break up when he wrote to the church in Corinth?

Paul’s argument wasn’t necessarily that disagreement was prohibited, though scripture often emphasizes that unity is our goal. Instead, Paul’s argument is that despite our disagreements, we must focus instead upon the centrality of Jesus for all of us. Worse, I think, for those of us in the church, is that many of our political disagreements fall under that same condemnation. Too often, especially in recent years, Christians proudly announce that their alignment, their identity, belongs to this or that political party. They, and if we’re honest, we, claim that we are, first and foremost members of the Christian right, left, or middle. But if we are to take scripture seriously, whenever we begin to adopt a personal identity in that way, we have already shoved Jesus out of the center.

The promised messiah has promised to free us from the yoke that burdens us and gives us freedom, only for us to shackle ourselves to another burden that demands our loyalty and allegiance.

The message of Paul is that whenever we claim allegiance to this divided group, or that other divided group, whenever begin to think of ourselves as this denomination, that denomination, or as the Christian left or the Christian right…

…we’re wrong.

*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page.  Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601.  These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org.  These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com .  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Three Thousand Years of Call

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Three Thousand Years of Call

January 18, 2026*

By Pastor John Partridge

Isaiah 49:1-7                          John 1:29-42              1 Corinthians 1:1-9

If you’ve looked at the title of today’s message, you will have noticed that I used the world “call.” We do that a lot in church. We talk about the “call” of God, or being “called” to ministry, or even being “called” to a secular vocation of one type or another. But what does that mean? Most of us who have been in the church for any length of time probably have a feel for what we mean by a call, or a calling, even if we might have trouble writing down a dictionary style definition. At least a part of our problem grows out of us being users of the English language, which is grammatically bizarre, and while it is sometimes scientifically precise, in other cases, like this one, it leaves us with more than a dozen different dictionary definitions, and common usages, for the same word.

I could say that I called someone, and it could mean that I dialed them, messaged them, or spoke loudly so that they could hear me. I could say that I called my dog, Natasha, and it could mean that I wanted her to come to me, or that I was telling you that Natasha was the name that she had been given. If I said that I had called on one of our shut-ins, I might have used the telephone, or it might mean that I had visited them. If we saw that the weather was terrible on Sunday morning, to say that we had called, or called off, the service means that we had cancelled it. To call for an investigation is to demand one, and to call in a card game communicates a similar sort of demand. To call a meeting is an invitation, calling a strike is more of an order, but to call the stock market is to make a prediction. If we say, “I would call it an even dollar,” describes an estimate, the quarterback’s call in a football huddle is a selection, and a military call to active duty is a summons. And if that isn’t enough, most of these have several variations as well.

Are you confused yet?

So, what do we mean when we say things like “the call of God”?

As we consider that, let us begin by reading a bit about God’s call of his prophet Isaiah and his prophecy of God concerning Israel’s coming messiah almost three thousand years ago in Isaiah 49:1-7, where it says:

49:1 Listen to me, you islands;
    hear this, you distant nations:
Before I was born the Lord called me;
    from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name.
2 He made my mouth like a sharpened sword,
    in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me into a polished arrow
    and concealed me in his quiver.
3 He said to me, “You are my servant,
    Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.”
4 But I said, “I have labored in vain;
    I have spent my strength for nothing at all.
Yet what is due me is in the Lord’s hand,
    and my reward is with my God.”

5 And now the Lord says—
    he who formed me in the womb to be his servant
to bring Jacob back to him
    and gather Israel to himself,
for I amhonored in the eyes of the Lord
    and my God has been my strength—
6 he says:
“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant
    to restore the tribes of Jacob
    and bring back those of Israel I have kept.
I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,
    that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”

7 This is what the Lord says—
    the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel—
to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation,
    to the servant of rulers:
“Kings will see you and stand up,
    princes will see and bow down,
because of the Lord, who is faithful,
    the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”

Isaiah says that God had called him, which we understand as having placed a call upon his life, even before he had been born. In calling Isaiah, God gave him the ability to speak powerfully and equipped him to represent God’s kingdom. But things didn’t always go well, and sometimes Isaiah felt as if his work and his labor was all for nothing, but he was content in knowing that the reward for his faithfulness was in God’s hands. But at the end of this passage, God says that having received the call from God, meant that God had chosen Isaiah. The call of God wasn’t and isn’t random. God knows everything that there is to know about his creation and so God’s call upon our lives is thoughtful, deliberate, and individually tailored to who we are and who we will become.

We get some additional insight into the call of God from the stories of John the Baptist, Jesus, and the Apostle Peter. We hear that story as John introduces his own followers to Jesus in John 1:29-42:

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”

32 Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”

35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”

37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”

They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”

39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”

So, they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.

40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus.

Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon, son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).

There are several things going on here as it relates to the call of God. First, because the mission to which John was called is ending, when he sees Jesus, he points to him and announces to his disciples, and anyone else nearby, that Jesus is the one that he had been sent to announce. Further, he goes beyond his calling and testifies that he had personally seen the Spirit of God come down from heaven and that it was Jesus who would baptize others with the Holy Spirit. This act connects John’s followers to Jesus and passes their calling from following John to following Jesus. Two of John’s disciples were the brothers, Andrew, and Simon, and when Jesus met Simon, he declared that Simon would be called Cephas, or in English, Peter. In this case, the phrase, “you will be called” is a naming, and not a call of God. However, anyone reading the story would know that God had already placed a call, or a summons, on Peter’s life and that call had just passed from following John to following Jesus, so, at least two dictionary meanings are in play.

Isn’t English great?

And so finally we hear from the Apostle Paul to speaks, not only of his own call, but of the call that God has upon every follower of Jesus, including you and me. We read these words in 1 Corinthians 1:1-9:

1:1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,

2 To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours:

3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

4 I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 5 For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge— 6 God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. 7 Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 8 He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Paul says that God called him to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and we know that Paul’s conversion story and subsequent call by God, also with a name change, on the road to Damascus was particularly dramatic. But Paul goes on to tell the people of the church in Corinth something about their own call. Paul says that the people of the church were called to be God’s holy people, together with those everywhere who follow Jesus. Paul goes on to say that because God has called them, that they have been enriched with all kinds of speech and knowledge as a means of confirming what they had been taught. Further, the people of the church have been, as a group, been given all the spiritual gifts as they wait for the second coming of Jesus so that they can stand firm in their faith. Paul then repeats his message that the people of the church in Corinth, and thus every follower of Jesus Christ, has been called into fellowship together with one another and with Jesus Christ.

So, let’s review what we have seen this morning about the call of God.

First, God had known everything about us since before we were born, and as such, God’s call is not generic or random but rather, thoughtful, deliberate, and individually tailored to who we are and who we will become. Second, being called by God means that God has specifically chosen you to be a part of his kingdom work in the world in which you live, and among the people that you know, encounter, and interact with every day and he has equipped you to do that work. Third, just a Simon Peter was called to follow John, and then Jesus, the calling that you have today may change. Just as the person you were ten years ago may not be the person you are today, and the skills with which you are equipped, the place that you live, and the people that you know might be different than they once were, what God calls you to do may be different as well. Fourth, you are not alone. Just as Isaiah, John the Baptist, and the Apostle Paul were called, so has everyone, everywhere, who has put their faith in Jesus Christ, though each call is as individual and unique as the life of the person involved. Fifth, because of God’s call, your life had been enriched in every way with all kinds of speech and knowledge, and that enrichment confirms the teaching that you have received from your parents, pastors, and Sunday school teachers. Sixth, along with your calling, God has given each of us spiritual gifts that he intends for us to use as we wait for the return of Jesus Christ. And finally, God has not called you to be alone. This is different from when I said that you are not alone in being called, but that God has not called you to work, or to live, or to live out your calling, alone. God is faithful and not only calls us to do his kingdom work, but he also calls us into community and into fellowship with one another and with Jesus Christ.

And so while our understanding of God’s call overlaps several dictionary definitions, and while the English language doesn’t do us any favors, I hope that our scriptures and our time together today will help us to better understand what we mean when we say that each of us are “called” by God.

And remember, every one of us has work to do, and the work to which we are called is as unique as we are, but none of us are ever called to do that work alone.

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*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page.  Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601.  These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org.  These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com .  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

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An Ending, and a New Beginning

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An Ending, and a New Beginning

(Baptism of Jesus)

January 11, 2026*

By Pastor John Partridge

Isaiah 42:1-9                          Matthew 3:13-17                   Acts 10:34-43

If you have ever read a book, watched a television episode, or a movie, that was a part of a series, you have likely found yourself at the end of the story that both concluded the story that you had been experiencing and also established the beginning of the next book, show, or movie. Television serials of an earlier era would often do this quite deliberately and end with a phrase like, “Tune in next week when…” or “How will our hero escape certain death?” or something similar. It is that sort of story that we find in our scriptures this morning, beginning with a story in the Old Testament and ending in the New Testament, and with an interesting transition that we find in the gospel of Matthew and the baptism of Jesus.

We begin this morning with yet another prophecy foretelling the coming of Israel’s messiah in Isaiah 42:1-9 where God says:

42:1 “Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
    my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
    and he will bring justice to the nations.
2 He will not shout or cry out,
    or raise his voice in the streets.
3 A bruised reed he will not break,
    and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
4     he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice on earth.
    In his teaching the islands will put their hope.”

5 This is what God the Lord says—
the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out,
    who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it,
    who gives breath to its people,
    and life to those who walk on it:
6 “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness;
    I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
    to be a covenant for the people
    and a light for the Gentiles,
7 to open eyes that are blind,
    to free captives from prison
    and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

8 “I am the Lord; that is my name!
    I will not yield my glory to another
    or my praise to idols.
9 See, the former things have taken place,
    and new things I declare;
before they spring into being
    I announce them to you.”

We know from other prophecies, that the messiah of Israel was to be a powerful king, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, and even here, several times, Isaiah’s words emphasize that the messiah would bring justice to the world. But Isaiah also says that the messiah will be filled with so much gentleness and tenderness that he would not break a bruised reed or snuff out a smoldering wick. Either of these could be destroyed by a breath, and so this establishes that the messiah would be strong and powerful, but also tender and gentle. Isaiah continues by saying that God will make the Messiah to be a new covenant for the people and the light in the darkness for the Gentiles. And then writes the words that Jesus would later send to John the Baptist to assure him that he really was the promised messiah, that the eyes of the blind would be opened, the captives set free, and light brought to those who sit in darkness.

And then, after anticipating the arrival of the Messiah for thousands of years, in Matthew 3:13-17 we find the end of one story and the beginning of another as Matthew says:

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

John, rightly, insists that there it doesn’t make sense to baptize the messiah but that the messiah should be baptizing John. And, as much sense at that makes, Jesus makes a different point, and that is that both of them have a mission to fulfill. God had called John to prepare the way for the Messiah, and by baptizing Jesus, John symbolically concludes his ministry and completes God’s call on his life. At the same time, the baptism of Jesus by John, symbolizes the beginning of Jesus’ ministry and, because of the participation of the Spirit of God, establishes the baptism of the Spirit that Jesus would later pass on to his disciples and other followers.

But what does all that mean to us thousands of years later?

Luke, the evangelist and gospel writer answered that question when he wrote to his patron, Theophilus, in Acts 10:34-43, and tells this story:

34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. 36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

39 “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, 40 but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41 He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Luke describes this watershed moment by saying that the story of the gospel began in Galilee in Judea, and began only after John’s preaching about baptism, and when God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and with power. The result, Luke says, is that because they were witnesses of what had happened, witnesses of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, they had been commanded to preach to the people and testify about Jesus. And, just so that we don’t miss the point, Jesus’ command to preach wasn’t just because Luke and the other disciples had witnessed the events described in the gospel accounts, but because they understood both the story of the gospels and the connection of that story to the messiah that Israel’s prophets had foretold. Luke says that the final reason that Jesus commanded them to preach to the people was because that they knew that by believing in Jesus, the people would receive forgiveness for their sins and be invited to become a part of God’s eternal family.

The reason that Luke and the disciples were commanded to preach to the people wasn’t just because they were eyewitnesses of the events that unfolded in Judea two thousand years ago, but also because they knew an important truth that people of the world desperately needed to know. And that is why Jesus’ command to Luke and to the disciples has been passed down from one generation to the next until it has, today, fallen upon us. Because we know the story, because we understand the ancient prophecies about Israel’s messiah, and because we know that by believing in Jesus the people around us can receive forgiveness for their sins and become a part of God’s family, we too are commanded by Jesus to share what we know with others.

Many people consider John the Baptist to be the last of God’s prophets and we witness the end of his calling and mission at the baptism of Jesus. At the same moment, however, we see the beginning of Jesus’ mission. The end of one story is the beginning of another. But like an episode of a television or movie serial, we witness that same handoff as we pass the good news of Jesus Christ from one generation to the next. Like the prophets of ancient Israel, like John the Baptist, Luke, the disciples, and other followers of Jesus, we have knowledge and understanding that the people around us do not have. And, like them, and like generations of others, we are called and commanded by God to share what we know so that others can come to faith in Jesus Christ and become a part of his eternal family.

The baptism of Jesus isn’t just the symbol of the end of John’s ministry.

It symbolizes the beginning…

…of yours.

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*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page.  Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601.  These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org.  These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com .  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™