Matthew

God’s Surprise Ending

PastorPartridge Sermon , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

God’s Surprise Ending

(Epiphany)

January 04, 2026*

By Pastor John Partridge

Isaiah 60:1-6                          Matthew 2:1-12                     Ephesians 3:1-12

If you watch movies or read stories of adventure, mystery, intrigue, or detective novels, you are certainly familiar with a plot device in which there is a sudden twist near the end of the story. When the twist happens, we suddenly discover that one of the main characters has a secret motivation, or there was a secret treasure that no one knew about, or some other surprising thing happens that may have only been hinted at throughout the rest of the story. As an example, in the Fast and Furious movie, Fast Five, the team of thieves steals an entire bank vault and, after a lengthy and exciting chase, the police recover the vault as the thieves escape only to  discover that the vault is empty. The twist is surprising to the audience because the viewers never see that there was even a moment when the thieves could have emptied it. It is that sort of surprise ending that we find in the story of Epiphany and the coming of the wise men.

We begin this morning by reading once again from the words of the prophet Isaiah, recorded in Isaiah 60:1-6 where we hear yet another prophecy of the promised messiah:

60:1 “Arise, shine, for your light has come,
    and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
2 See, darkness covers the earth
    and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
    and his glory appears over you.
3 Nations will come to your light,
    and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

4 “Lift up your eyes and look about you:
    All assemble and come to you;
your sons come from afar,
    and your daughters are carried on the hip.
5 Then you will look and be radiant,
    your heart will throb and swell with joy;
the wealth on the seas will be brought to you,
    to you the riches of the nations will come.
6 Herds of camels will cover your land,
    young camels of Midian and Ephah.
And all from Sheba will come,
    bearing gold and incense
    and proclaiming the praise of the Lord.

Isaiah says that God’s light will dawn over a darkened world, nations would be drawn to that light, and worshipers would come from faraway lands to proclaim their praise to God. For hundreds of years, when this passage was read, Jewish readers would have assumed that it was about economic and political power of the same sort that the nation Israel had seen under the rule of King Solomon. The sort where people would travel from distant places to trade good or to seek out the wisdom or the influence of their king. But then, in the story of Jesus’ birth, we come to the story of the wise men, the Magi, men from a powerful nation from the east who would have been politically powerful advisors to their king, much like our nation’s cabinet members such as the Secretary of Defense or Secretary of the Treasury. We hear this story in Matthew 2:1-12:

2:1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magifrom the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people, Israel.’”

7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

In words that mirror the words of Isaiah, we find travelers of distant lands who bring gifts of gold and incense to Jesus. But Matthew says that these important scholars and political advisors did not just come to pay their respects to Jesus, nor does it say that they honored him, Matthew is specific and saying that they did more than be respectful or bow to show honor to a child that they viewed as important. Matthew says that they bowed down and worshiped him. And that, my friends, is a twist that begins in the story of Jesus’ birth and suggests that the story of the Messiah is now going in a direction that Isaiah never anticipated. When Paul writes to the church in Ephesus, he explains it this way in Ephesians 3:1-12:

3:1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—

2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. 8 Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

Paul says that the mystery of Jesus is the twist that was not made known to Isaiah or to previous generations. They had always known about God’s promised Messiah, but with the coming of Jesus, and the arrival of the Magi, it was made known to the world that the Gentiles, non-Jews, were to be included in God’s plan and adopted into God’s family as heirs together with Israel and who would, together, share in the promise of Jesus. Paul goes on to say that with the revelation of this twist, it was now known that God’s intent was for the church to spread God’s message to the entire world, to Jews and Gentiles alike, to governors, administrators, rulers, kings, and other authorities, that Jesus had come to rescue everyone and to invite the entire world to have faith in Jesus Christ, to be adopted into God’s family, so that we may approach God with freedom and confidence instead of with uncertainty through intermediaries.

The mystery of Israel’s messiah was hinted at in the words of Isaiah, but Isaiah did not realize their full meaning. When Isaiah said that nations would come from far way lands bringing gifts and praising God, he, and generations of others in Israel, understood that to mean that the messiah would have the kind of political and economic power that they had seen in King Solomon, and they still expected that God’s covenant with the Jews would remain the same as it had been since the time of Abraham. But, as we heard Paul explain, God had other plans. It was God’s intent all along to throw open the doors of his kingdom and invite the Gentiles, and the people of the entire world to come to faith in Israel’s messiah and join God’s family as brothers and sisters of Jesus, and joint heirs of God.

The unexpected twist in the story of the Messiah is the good news that invited us to be a part of God’s kingdom. But God’s intent is for us, the church, to spread God’s message to the entire world. We are happy and blessed that God has adopted us as his children, but we must also remember that God has commanded us to share the good news to all the people of the world.

We have work to do.

Let’s get busy doing it.

Please LIKE and SHARE!

Click here to subscribe to Pastor John’s blog.

Click here if you would like to subscribe to Pastor John’s weekly messages.

Click here to visit Pastor John’s YouTube channel.

*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.™

https://www.freeimages.com/photographer/thinkstock-83786

Suffering and Survival Cultivate Compassion

PastorPartridge Sermon , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Suffering and Survival Cultivates Compassion

(First Sunday after Christmas)

December 28, 2025*

By Pastor John Partridge

Isaiah 63:7-9              Matthew 2:13-23                   Hebrews 2:10-18

If I were to ask you what experience in your life that you would hope to never repeat and, for that matter, would pray that your children and grandchildren would never have to experience, what is the first thought that comes to your mind? I can almost guarantee that nearly all of us over forty took less than a second or two to think of one, and probably several different difficult, and even traumatic, life experiences. Life is like that. We don’t make it through life without struggles and we bear the scars of the things that we have survived. But, at the same time, once you have chosen one of those things, if I were to ask you what you learned from that experience, and how it changed you, I have little doubt that you would be able to tell me a story about how that experience, as terrible as it might have been, has shaped your life and, at least in part, made you who you are today.

I have a friend from seminary who, as a rule, will not attend church on Mothers’ Day because she has few, if any, positive memories of her mother and chooses not to be reminded of that part of her life. But, as I have watched her life for the last twenty-five years that we have been friends, it is clear that she has worked tirelessly to be the most loving wife, mother, and grandmother that she could be. I have no doubt that the trauma of her childhood and early adulthood has motivated her to give her children and grandchildren the experiences and memories that she never had herself.

And that is something that I want you to look for as we read our scriptures this morning and remember the prophecies of Israel’s messiah, the fulfillment of those prophecies in the story of the holy family in their flight to Egypt, and then as we consider what that means to our ongoing relationship with Jesus. We begin this morning once again by reading the words of the prophet Isaiah as he reminds the people of Israel of the things that God has done for them in Isaiah 63:7-9, saying:

7 I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord,
    the deeds for which he is to be praised,
    according to all the Lord has done for us—
yes, the many good things he has done for Israel,
    according to his compassion and many kindnesses.
8 He said, “Surely they are my people,
    children who will be true to me”;
    and so he became their Savior.
9 In all their distress he too was distressed,
    and the angel of his presence saved them.
In his love and mercy, he redeemed them;
    he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

Isaiah tells the people to just look at all the things that God has done for them and to judge God by his actions as well as by his words. Just look at the compassion and the kindness that God has shown us, and the many times that God has saved us in our times of distress. Look at the times that God has rescued us, carried us, shown mercy to us, and loved us. God’s actions, Isaiah says, reveal his feelings toward us.

And then, in Matthew 2:13-23, we witness God’s compassion and mercy toward Mary and Joseph and his own son, Jesus:

13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night, and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:

18 “A voice is heard in Ramah,
    weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
    and refusing to be comforted,
    because they are no more.”

19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.”

21 So he got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.

Because of God’s warning, Joseph and his family are able to escape and flee to Egypt before Herod’s soldiers arrive in Bethlehem and kill all the male children. Herod was widely known to be incredibly paranoid, and that paranoia was well fed by several genuine plots to overthrow him or to take his life. Herod allowed no one, even relatives, to live long enough to threaten his life or his power. But, because of God’s warning, Mary, Joseph, and Jesus leave the country, live as aliens for some years in Egypt, and then return home and, in the process, fulfill yet another prophecy that the Messiah would be known as a Nazarene.

But why does that matter to us and to our relationship with Jesus?

And the answer is, it matters a great deal, and we see this as we read the words of the writer of the letter to the Hebrews in Hebrews 2:10-18 when he says:

10 In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. 11 Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So, Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. 12 He says,

“I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters;
    in the assembly I will sing your praises.”

13 And again,

“I will put my trust in him.”

And again, he says,

“Here am I, and the children God has given me.”

14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. 17 For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

First, the writer makes it plain that, as we have put our faith in Jesus Christ, we have become not just followers, but family members. And, because we have been adopted into God’s family, God’s plan included a path for Jesus to share our humanity, to put on human flesh and become one of us, and to experience the suffering, grief, trauma, and daily survival that all of us have experienced. And, just as we have been, God allowed Jesus to be shaped by those experiences. Jesus’ life experience of trauma as an infant and young child, fleeing to Egypt, living there as a resident alien, and then returning home but settling in a new community away from his extended family, as well as his other experiences during his life, death, and resurrection, all came together to make him a merciful and faithful high priest that genuinely understands his people and their humanity. The writer of Hebrews says that because Jesus suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. And we can easily understand that, in the same way, because Jesus suffered, he understands our suffering. Because he experienced grief, loss, and fear, Jesus understands ours and he is able to walk beside us and comfort us.

In short, the message we need to hear is that Jesus is like us. And, because he is like us, he understands what it is, and what it means, to suffer and to survive. The gods that were known the ancient world, the gods of the Greeks, the gods of the Mesopotamians, the gods of Egypt, and the gods of Rome, were all known to be selfish, capricious, uncaring, and even cruel to their human worshipers. But the God of Israel, was known to be different. And, because Jesus put on human flesh and lived among us, as one of us, he understands us, cares about us, loves us, and has invited us to become his family and be adopted by God as his brothers and sisters. We are told that Jesus was fully human in every way so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest.

The message is that Jesus is like us.

He lived a human life. He experienced the same emotions, temptations, pain, suffering, and grief that we do.

And, like us, those experiences shaped him and helped to make him merciful, compassionate, and loving in ways that would never be understood by the worshipers of other gods.

As we celebrate, let us remember that Christmas isn’t just the announcement of the birth of the savior and rescuer of humanity, but also an invitation to become a member of his family.

Please LIKE and SHARE!

Click here to subscribe to Pastor John’s blog.

Click here if you would like to subscribe to Pastor John’s weekly messages.

Click here to visit Pastor John’s YouTube channel.

*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.™

Promise Fulfilled… and Expanded

PastorPartridge Sermon , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Promise Fulfilled… and Expanded

(Fourth Sunday of Advent)

December 21, 2025*

By Pastor John Partridge

Isaiah 7:10-16                        Romans 1:1-7             Matthew 1:18-25

Today we celebrate the fourth Sunday in Advent, the Sunday that we remember Love. In previous weeks we have often spoken of God’s message of hope and the faithfulness of God demonstrated to us by the way in which he keeps his promises. But as we read the scriptures for today, what we discover is that God has not only fulfilled his promises to his people, but that his love is so amazing that he expanded and extended that fulfillment in a way that his people, and the world, never expected. We begin this morning by reading the promise of God given through his prophet Isaiah both to the people of God in the time of King Ahaz, eight hundred years before the birth of Jesus, and to future generations and beyond. Reading from Isaiah 7:10-16, we hear this:

10 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, 11“Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.”

12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test.”

13 Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give youa sign: The virginwill conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. 15 He will be eating curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, 16 for before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.

God’s promise to King Ahaz wasn’t just a future promise of a messiah eight hundred years in his future, but may have been fulfilled in the normal pregnancy of Isaiah’s daughter. It was a short enough time that, although at least eight or nine months in the future, Ahaz could find comfort in knowing that it would not be long before the threat of the two kings he feared would end. But that promise was always understood to be something more than just a baby that would be born in a year or so. God’s people read this and had long understood that it was about something more, about a rescuer that would come long after the time of Isaiah and King Ahaz, but about a messiah that would rescue Israel and its people forever.

And it is this understanding that that anchors the words of the apostle Matthew as he tells the story of Jesus’ birth in Matthew 1:18-25:

18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband, was faithful to the law, and yetdid not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

By connecting his description of Mary’s pregnancy with the prophecy of Isaiah, Matthew declares to the world that the prophecy that had long been believed to be about Israel’s promised messiah had finally been fulfilled in a more permanent way than it had been in the time of King Ahaz. Matthew’s declaration is that the time had come for God to rescue Israel and his people forever. It is for that reason, Matthew declares, that the rest of his story, what we now know as the gospel message of the book of Matthew, is something that was of the utmost importance.

But even that doesn’t go far enough. As we read Paul’s letter to the church in Rome, we hear him point to the ancient messianic prophecies of the prophets and their fulfillment in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, but then we also hear him declare the great expansion of God’s grace. In Romans 1:1-7, we hear this:

1:1Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3 regarding his Son, who as to his earthly lifewas a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in powerby his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. 5 Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes fromfaith for his name’s sake. 6 And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

7 To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people:

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

Paul begins by reminding everyone that the gospel, the story of the Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection, was a story that had been promised throughout the ages by God’s prophets. But Paul goes on to say that through Jesus, God has expanded on the message of the prophets and opened the doors of his grace and apostleship to all of the people that weren’t Jewish, to all of the Gentiles, so that all the people in all the world might come to obedience and faith in Jesus. Paul then reminds the people reading that letter, the people of the church in Rome, that they are among the Gentiles that are called to belong to Jesus, but then the big shoe drops. Paul then says that everyone in Rome is loved by God and is called to join his holy people.

And that’s a big deal.

In Christian circles, because of its power, its politics, its corruption, its polytheistic religions, its historic hostility towards Israel and the Jewish people, and the lingering cultural hatred ingrained Rome’s treatment of Jesus and the entirety of the Jewish people, Rome was often described as evil and cast as the bad guy. In Revelation 17:5, John goes as far as to describe Rome as “Babylon the great mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth.” But Paul flips the script and reminds the people of the church that despite the things that Rome and its people have done, God still loves every one of them and calls them to join his family.

For thousands of years, the prophets of Israel told the people about God’s promises of a coming messiah.

And, with the coming of Jesus, his birth, life, death, and resurrection, God gave flesh to the words of the prophets and fulfilled his promises to his people. But God’s love was bigger than what could be contained in the words of his prophets and the coming of Jesus expanded on God’s grace and mercy, and invited the entire world to become the people, and the apostles of Israel’s God. Even those who God’s people often had thought of as being the most evil and corrupt were told that God loved them and was calling them to become his holy people.

As we celebrate Christmas this week, we are reminded that, like the people of Rome, we are among the Gentiles that are being called to belong to Jesus. And, like the people of Rome, there is no one on the face of the earth, that is so evil, or so corrupt, or so wrong in their present religion or beliefs, that God doesn’t love them.

As he has since the time of Jesus, God is calling the people of the entire world, with no exclusions, to become beloved and holy members of his family… if they will only hear his call and come to obedience and faith in his son Jesus Christ.

There are people that you know that desperately need to hear this.

Let’s make every effort to tell them.

Because that is the mission to which God has called us.

Please LIKE and SHARE!

Click here to subscribe to Pastor John’s blog.

Click here if you would like to subscribe to Pastor John’s weekly messages.

Click here to visit Pastor John’s YouTube channel.

*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.™

Moving from Fear to Hope

PastorPartridge Sermon , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Moving from Fear to Hope

(First Sunday of Advent)

November 30, 2025*

By Pastor John Partridge

Isaiah 2:1-5                Matthew 24:36-44                 Romans 13:11-14

As we begin the season of Advent this week, we celebrate hope. Hope is both key, and central to, this season as we prepare for the arrival of the Messiah at Christmas. The subject, and the message of hope has arisen many times in our studies together throughout the year, but it is especially apparent as we read the stories of scripture to which the lectionary points during the seasons of Advent and Christmas. We begin this morning by reading the promises of God to the people of Judah given through his prophet Isaiah. In these words, Isaiah offers encouragement regarding Israel’s eventual return from their captivity in Babylon, but as we read, we will quickly realize that the promise that God gives them goes far beyond their return from Babylon in 538 BCE. Reading from Isaiah 2:1-5, we hear this:

2:1 This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:

2 In the last days

the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established
    as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,
    and all nations will stream to it.

3 Many peoples will come and say,

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
    to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
    so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law will go out from Zion,
    the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 He will judge between the nations
    and will settle disputes for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
    and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
    nor will they train for war anymore.

5 Come, descendants of Jacob,
    let us walk in the light of the Lord.

This begins simply by saying that God sent a vision to Isaiah and what follows is a description of what he saw regarding the last days of the earth before the judgement of God. And in those last days, Isaiah says that God’s temple would be built on the highest of mountains and Israel’s God will rule over all the nations and all the people of the earth. People will come to God’s city so that they can learn to walk in the ways of his teaching, and not only will they set aside their weapons, but their abandonment of war and their commitment to living in peace will be unending so that peace will prevail upon the earth for all time.

This is a message that is as relevant for us today as it was six centuries before Jesus. Like us, the people of Israel and Judah had watched centuries of wars and violence tear apart their families, villages, and their nation as well as the nations around them. Israel had been conquered by several nations, and would be conquered by several more, as well as the violence of a civil war before the coming of Jesus Christ. While we may be able to list many wars fought in the last century by memory, all the wars on Israel’s list had been fought over the land in which they lived. And so, then, as now, the promise of unending peace was an almost unbelievable message of hope.

And then, nearly six hundred years later, as Jesus speaks with his disciples about the end of the age and the coming of the Son of Man, they all understand that what Jesus is describing is the final fulfillment of the promises of God contained in the message of Isaiah. The disciples want to know when that is going to happen, when will the Romans be overthrown, when will Israel’s God be worshipped by the entire world, when will the violence end, and when would there finally be peace on earth? And in Matthew 24:36-44, Jesus says:

36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

42 “Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

Jesus is clear in telling his followers that none of us can ever know exactly when the end of this age is going to come, but just because we cannot know, doesn’t mean that we should be unprepared. If you live on the east coast of the United States, you cannot know when a hurricane is going to hit the town in which you live, but you can be certain that it will happen eventually. And because you know, you learn how to watch for the signs. You can read the clouds, you watch the weather on television, you keep an emergency weather radio charged up during hurricane season, and you have a list of preparations made in advance. You may have a supply of food, an escape route planned out of the city, a place to stay with friends inland, precut boards or hurricane shutters to cover your windows, and a host of other preparations. And Jesus says that like the residents of the east coast we, as the followers of God, should keep watch, look for the signs of the coming of the end of the age, and to be prepared so that when it comes, we will be ready.

But how?

As we live neither in the past of the old or new testaments, and not yet at the end of the age, how do we live in the now? This is the same question that the people of the first century were asking. While Jerusalem had not yet been destroyed, at the time that Paul wrote his letter to the church in Rome, there was already growing violence in Israel. Assassins had already murdered the high priest, many communities and people were in open revolt against an increasingly corrupt occupying Roman government, and the Roman army was fighting back with great violence. In less than ten years, there would be all out war between the Jews and Rome. And in this time of uneasiness and alarm, Paul gives this advice on how the followers of Jesus Christ should live their lives in Romans 13:11-14, saying:

11 And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.

While Paul admits that we do not know when the end will come, he explains that it is obvious that the end was closer now than it was when Isaiah wrote the promises of God, or when Jesus walked with his disciples. Even though we don’t know when Jesus will return, each day that passes after the resurrection is one day closer to his return and the day of judgement. And so, as we hold tightly to the hope that we have been given through the promises that we have heard in the words of Isaiah and the gospel writers, we must live in the now by setting aside the deeds of darkness and living lives that are filled with light. We must set aside drunkenness, sexual immorality, and internal church conflicts and live in ways that reflect the teaching and the model of Jesus Christ. It is the universal temptation of humanity to live lives in the selfish pursuit of pleasure and greed, to do what feels good, or what is the most profitable. But instead, Paul tells us that our calling is to set aside these desires of the flesh, and instead do our best to wear the clothes of Jesus Christ and to represent him well. Our goal should not be to do what feels good, but to live so much like Jesus that others can see him in us.

God has given us great promises that fill us with hope for the future. But, as we live our lives today, as we live in the “now,” we must watch for the signs of the last days, and live as if Jesus were coming tomorrow so that the world can see him in us, be drawn to him, and be rescued with us.

Please LIKE and SHARE!

Click here to subscribe to Pastor John’s blog.

Click here if you would like to subscribe to Pastor John’s weekly messages.

Click here to visit Pastor John’s YouTube channel.

*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.™

Culture Wars and Christianity

PastorPartridge Blogs , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Christianity: Rooted in Culture Wars

September 2024

by John Partridge

While you might not have the time to read the paper that I wrote last semester (and what is likely to become a part of a book next spring), what follows is an important excerpt. Working through several chapters of Matthew, I detail how our knowledge of modern archaeology and history adds to our understanding and gives depth to scripture. Below, I discuss how Christianity, from its birth, has been no stranger to culture wars and what we should learn from that.

When we read Jesus’ caution that “No one can serve two masters,” in Matthew 6:24, we find that our study of history expands our understanding beyond the surface meaning. Many of us have tried to please two bosses or have otherwise been pulled between our loyalties to work, family, and faith, but Roman Palestine, and Galilee in particular, felt many of these pressures, each demanding that they choose them as their master. At the time of Jesus, the rule of King Herod and Rome was less than 70 years old.  But there were institutions, buildings, and cultural memories of the earlier Hasmonean dynasty under which Israel was free and independent.

The Hasmonean dynasty had emphasized, and even required, an adherence to a more traditional Jewish culture and religion, but with the fall of the Hasmoneans, the rise of Herod the Great, and Israel’s subjugation by the Roman Empire, things were changing. There were changes in clothing style, architecture, language, art, and language, and all these changes were often seen as an incredible culture war between the traditional Jewish culture, and the newer Greco-Roman culture, known as Hellenism. Hellenism, of course, was not entirely new. It had begun generations earlier with the conquest of Pompey and the Greeks (in 63 BCE), even before the Hasmoneans rose to power, but was now, under Herod and the Romans, an increasingly strong influence.

While upper Galilee retained a traditional Jewish culture, lower Galilee, with the presence of the Greco-Roman cities of Sepphoris and Tiberias, as well as its proximity to Hippos on the opposite shore of the lake, was seen as having made a greater degree of accommodation to Hellenism. Israel’s elites, including the chief priests and much of Jerusalem with them, adopted Roman culture to fit in, to get ahead, and to win favor. This influence of Hellenism triggered strong emotions, and this is the tension that we see in passages such as Matthew 6:20.

Further, when we remember that ninety percent of Roman Palestine lived at a subsistence level or below, we see Jesus’ instruction in a different light when he says, “’So, do not worry, saying what shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after these things, and your heavenly father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matt 6:31-33). With this in mind, we not only understand that Jesus is teaching his listeners that they should make God’s kingdom a priority in their lives, but to people who were so poor that they often struggled to eat, or to drink, or wear, much of anything at all, Jesus was offering hope.

The people from rural villages in Galilee were insulated from Greco-Roman influence but they saw wealthy landowners, priests and other elites who were trying to fit into Roman culture, and they saw how that caused them to match what the Romans were eating, drinking, and wearing. But Jesus’ message was that conforming to Roman culture was not important and that it was not a curse to be so poor that they could not afford those things. His message was that God remembered them, knew what they needed, and would provide for them if they remained faithful and pursued righteousness instead of chasing after wealth and culture.

This was more than offering empty hope. The message of Jesus was that people should follow the law and live lives of moral integrity but also that they should be filled with compassion for one another. Rather than just watching out for themselves, or for their immediate and extended family, which was often the norm, Jesus and his disciples teach, and model, a life in which they all care for one another. Moreover, Jesus says that God sees them and cares for them in real life and not only on a spiritual level. God’s love for his children is not as a distant and disinterested observer, but as a father who cares for his children in tangible and physical ways saying, “ask and it will be given to you” (Matt 7:7) and “your Father in heaven gives good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matt 7:11)

That’s just a sample from my paper, but the takeaway for all of us is that Christianity was born in the middle of an enormous culture war. What we see today is not new. But the message of scripture is still the same. No man can serve two masters, the people of the church should care for one another rather than only looking out for themselves, and God still loves us, not just spiritually or metaphysically, but deeply, tangibly, and physically.

Much has changed in two thousand years and times will continue to change with each generation.

But God’s love for us never changes.

Please LIKE and SHARE!

Click here to subscribe to Pastor John’s blog.

Click here if you would like to subscribe to Pastor John’s weekly messages.

Click here to visit Pastor John’s YouTube channel.

Hellen Who?

PastorPartridge Blogs , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hellen Who?

 (or Why History Matters)

by John Partridge

For the last few weeks, I have been reading several accounts of Israel’s history. None of this is contained in the Bible because the particular histories that I have been reading describe the “Hellenization” of Israel that occurred between Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament, and Matthew, the first book of the New Testament. But what is Hellenization?  And, why does it matter if it isn’t in the Bible?

First, let me explain a little about Hellenism. Quite simply, “Hellenic” is just a synonym for “Greek.” Greek people can be known as Hellenes, and one of the first democracies was known as the Hellenic Republic. Greek government and culture was widely known in the ancient world and, when Alexander the Great (who was technically Macedonian) conquered much of the ancient world, including Israel, both the culture and the style of government of Greece spread with the empire. This influence is seen in the way that governments were organized, the language that people spoke, the types of art that became popular, the architecture that was used, and a host of other things as well.

But you still might ask why that matters if the empire that we find in the New Testament is Roman and not Greek. It matters because the Greek empire, in one form or another, was around for a long time and when the Romans finally became the dominant force, old political divisions of the Greek empire were still felt in the Roman empire. Even so, the Romans so admired Greek culture that they kept much of it. In the Roman empire, Greek was the language of business (and even in some military units), much of Roman government was modeled after the system used by the Greeks, and so was much of their art, philosophy, educational system, sporting events, and architecture. These two cultures were so tied together, and the Romans so influenced by Greek culture, that we often see them referred to not as Greek culture, or Roman culture separately, but as Greco-Roman culture collectively.

Because of their faith, their relationship with God, and their own unique history, Israel resisted some of these changes, but adopted others. Some crept in little by little, some were fought by religious leaders, but others, at least among the wealthy and political leaders, were adopted wholeheartedly. Learning about this cultural shift helps us to better grasp what happened between Malachi and Matthew and better understand the world that we enter as we read the New Testament. Even if these things aren’t described in the pages of scripture, their influence is felt everywhere on those pages. Learning about this inter-testamental history helps us to better understand the tensions between the rich and the poor, between the political leaders and the religious leaders, and between the various religious sects like the Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and the new teachings of Jesus.

But history tells us more than that, and understanding history makes the stories of the New Testament richer, deeper, and more three-dimensional. Learning about the history of the intertestamental period (the time between Malachi and Matthew) helps us to see that King Herod was more three-dimensional than the tyrant that we see in a handful of verses in the gospels. This history tells us where Herod came from, who his family was, how he came to power, why he was so loyal to the Roman government, why his loyalties sometimes shifted, how Herod was politically astute in the extreme, and why he appears to be so incredibly paranoid when we meet him in the New Testament. And understanding Herod just scratches the surface because he and his family only really appear a few decades before Jesus. Before Herod and his father Antipater, there was an entire line of Jews that governed Israel known as the Hasmonean empire. And understanding that history explains more about Herod’s family and both why, and how, the Romans came to occupy, and then rule over Israel as well as how Herod conspired to murder the last of the Hasmoneans. This last thing also explains some of the ill will, and even outright hatred, that some Jews had for Herod.

As we read scripture, we become familiar with the Temple in Jerusalem, and many of us know that this was a magnificent engineering achievement of King Herod and possibly his crowning achievement. But what we don’t find in scripture is that the Temple in Jerusalem isn’t the only temple that Herod built. In fact, it isn’t the only temple that Herod built in Israel. Herod also built temples to Augustus, to Roma, and to Saturn in places like Caesarea, Sebaste in Samaria, Paneaus north of Galilee, and other Greek cities in Israel, as well as temples and municipal building projects in other countries of the Roman Empire. As a result, people across the Roman world knew of, and were grateful to Israel’s King Herod and, by extension, knew of, and were grateful to, the nation of Israel herself.

Understanding the history of the ancient world also helps us to understand the stories of the New Testament beyond the gospel stories. As we read Paul’s letters, and the stories of his travels, imprisonments, beatings, and trials, a knowledge of extra-biblical history helps us to understand why people sometimes listened to his preaching but at other times the crowds tried to kill him or the local authorities arrested and imprisoned him. We know from scripture that Paul was a Roman citizen, but history offers several possibilities surrounding how Paul, and his family, might have acquired Roman citizenship.  Likewise, connecting to my original point, while we know that Paul was well educated, what scholars still debate is just how much Greek (or Hellenizing) influence there was in Paul’s education. There are hints in Paul’s writings that might suggest an understanding, or at least the influence, of Greek philosophy and the structure used in public Greek and Roman debate. So, if even Paul, who described himself as a Jew among Jews, and a Pharisee among Pharisees felt the influence of Hellenism, then yes, it’s worth stretching ourselves to learn more about history outside of what we find in the pages of scripture.

Because… history matters.

Please LIKE and SHARE!

Click here to subscribe to Pastor John’s blog.

Click here if you would like to subscribe to Pastor John’s weekly messages.

Click here to visit Pastor John’s YouTube channel.

Baptism 2.0

PastorPartridge Sermon , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Baptism 2.0

January 14, 2024*

By Pastor John Partridge

Genesis 1:1-5             Mark 1:4-11               Acts 19:1-7

If I say the word “baptism” what image comes to mind?

Since we are in church, the odds are good that most of you thought of water. This is even more likely when this is the Sunday that we celebrate the baptism of Jesus, and we have a fountain gurgling in the front of the church.

But when I say the word “baptism,” what else comes to mind other than a baptism in water?

When I entered the words “Baptism by…” in the Google search box, it suggested baptism by fire, baptism by immersion, baptism by desire, baptism by blood, and a few others. In Catholic doctrine, sacramental baptism is by water, the baptism of desire is a person’s desire to join the church, and baptism by blood is a sort of euphemism for martyrdom. Baptism by fire, or trial by fire, is used in the military and in other stressful situations where you are initiated into a group by enduring or surviving a challenging task. You might have been trained for that task, but until you perform that task under a particularly high stress environment, you have not yet been baptized by fire. In the military that might be actual combat, while in retail it might be surviving Black Friday.

But none of those is what I’m talking about in the title of today’s message when I wrote “Baptism 2.0.” Of course, the first baptism is John’s baptism which signifies a baptism of repentance. That baptism isn’t entirely original to John. Immersion in water to symbolize purification was an everyday occurrence in the Jewish world of the first century. Everyone, from the oldest to the youngest and from the least to greatest passed through a mikveh, a ritual bath, before they could enter the temple courts in Jerusalem or often even the synagogues in their local villages.  But there’s another baptism, that goes beyond ritual purification or even John’s baptism of repentance. But… before we get to that, let’s begin at the beginning, the very beginning, and read the first few verses in Genesis chapter one (Genesis 1:1-5)

1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

Genesis tells us that before anything existed, when all that was, was darkness, even then, there was God. It was the Spirit of God that looked over the darkness, spoke into it, and created light.

Why is that important?

Because God’s spirit not only plays a part in creation, but also in Jesus’ baptism, and in the life of God’s people, and God’s church, in the present day.

In Mark 1:4-11, Jesus comes to John in the wilderness to be baptized and as we read, we witness something spectacular.

4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 6 John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

First, John declares that the Messiah, Jesus, would baptize his followers, not with water, but with the Holy Spirit. It is also worth mentioning, I think, that in Matthew’s account, John says that Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire which is the image that we are given at Pentecost.

Second, after Jesus is baptized, heaven opens, the Spirit of God descends upon him, and the Father speaks from heaven declaring that God loves his son Jesus and is pleased with him.

But again, why does that matter?

It matters because we begin to understand that the Spirit of God is not just an agent of creation, but is aware of what is happening on earth, and is an active participant in the events of earthly humanity.

But still, why is that important to us personally or corporately in the present?

And the answer to that is found in Luke’s letter to Theophilus, that we find in Acts 19:1-7 where we hear these words:

19:1 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”

They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

3 So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”

“John’s baptism,” they replied.

4 Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all.

This is important for several reasons. First, if we didn’t understand what John was saying at Jesus’ baptism, it is more obviously presented here and the point is that John’s baptism of repentance, what I’m calling “Baptism 1.0,” and the baptism that Jesus brings, “Baptism 2.0” are two different things. John’s water baptism was symbolic of a person’s desire to repent and make an outward sign that one intended to change the way that they lived. But the baptism of Jesus was, and is, a baptism of the Holy Spirit. This is the “baptism of fire” that was seen on the day of Pentecost when tongues of fire came down from heaven and entered each of the disciples and the others who were there with them. And, we believe, this is the baptism, most often without fire, that we receive, when we choose to follow Jesus and are baptized into his church.  This is much more than just an outward sign of repentance, although water baptism is that, but Baptism 2.0 is not just external and symbolic; it is also internally transformational because the Spirit of the living God enters into us and takes up residence within us. It is because God chooses to inhabit us, that he is daily able to be at work transforming us into the people be wants us to be, and to lead us, guide us, and empower us with his strength, his compassion, his patience, his endurance, and his love, to do the work that he has set before us to accomplish. It is because God inhabits us that we have the strength and wisdom to do things that we would otherwise believe to be impossible. It is God that gives us the courage to share the gospel with others, it is God that leads us to the people who need to hear his message, it is God who leads us to people who can teach us what we need to learn, it is God who gives us the strength to persist and to continue when we come to the end of our human strength, and it is God who goes with us and equips us to do his work in countless other ways.

Baptism 2.0 and the coming of the Holy Spirit is why the church is able to answer the call of God and do the work that God calls us to do, both as individuals and as a gathered church. It is the moment that God’s people move beyond “God with us” and begin a new life as we go into the world with “God in us.”

You wouldn’t send your children outside in the cold without a hat, coat, and gloves.

You wouldn’t leave on a long car trip without a full tank of gas.

You wouldn’t send an army into battle without food and ammunition.

And neither does God send you out into the world to do his work unequipped and unprepared.

That… is Baptism 2.0.

Please LIKE and SHARE!

Click here to subscribe to Pastor John’s blog.

Click here if you would like to subscribe to Pastor John’s weekly messages.

Click here to visit Pastor John’s YouTube channel.

*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.™

Unexpected People in Heaven

PastorPartridge Sermon , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Mystery Explained!

(or Unexpected People in Heaven)

January 07, 2024*

By Pastor John Partridge

Isaiah 60:1-6              Matthew 2:1-12                     Ephesians 3:1-12

Whether it’s reading Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie, or watching NCIS and FBI dramas on television, many of us enjoy a good mystery. Since Patti spends much more time in her car than I do, she regularly listens to audio books, and whenever I go with her, she is always listening to a mystery of some kind. Good authors keep us guessing. What will happen next? What plot twist lies in store for us? Among the many characters that we’ve met, who is the perpetrator of the crime in question?

It’s just our human nature to be curious, and for our curiosity to be inspired by a good mystery story. But whatever it is, we look forward to the end of the book, movie, or television drama where all is revealed, and the mystery is solved. And that’s the part of the biblical story that we will dig into today, it is the moment that Paul proclaims the mystery “has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets,” and of course, to us. But before we get to the big reveal, let’s dig into the back story and understand some of the history of the mystery. Let’s begin with the prophecy and promise contained in Isaiah 60:1-6 where we hear this message:

60:1 “Arise, shine, for your light has come,
    and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
2 See, darkness covers the earth
    and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
    and his glory appears over you.
3 Nations will come to your light,
    and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

4 “Lift up your eyes and look about you:
    All assemble and come to you;
your sons come from afar,
    and your daughters are carried on the hip.
5 Then you will look and be radiant,
    your heart will throb and swell with joy;
the wealth on the seas will be brought to you,
    to you the riches of the nations will come.
6 Herds of camels will cover your land,
    young camels of Midian and Ephah.
And all from Sheba will come,
    bearing gold and incense
    and proclaiming the praise of the Lord.

Through Isaiah, God tells of a coming day when the Lord’s rising will overcome the darkness of the human soul in the same way that the sun overcomes the darkness of night. And on that day the people of Israel will return from the four corners of the earth to which they had migrated, Israel will be filled with wealth, symbolized here by camels, and all who come will bring gold, incense, and other gifts that would be fit for a king.

And then, as we anticipate the celebration Epiphany, we hear of the coming of the Wise Men and we hear how their coming echoes the prophecies of Isaiah. They come to Israel from afar bearing gifts of gold and incense and, as we hear that echo, we understand how much else of Isaiah’s prophecy is being fulfilled. A light has come into the darkness of the world and into the darkness of the souls of humanity.

Reading from Matthew 2:1-12, we hear these words:

2:1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magifrom the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

We’ve lost count of the times, and the Christmases, that we have read, and heard this story. We know the story of the magi. But where is the mystery in that? The mystery is found in the “why.” These men were not Jews and so, why did they come? They were not Jewish, they did not share the faith of Mary and Joseph or the nation of Israel, and yet they worshipped the baby in a manger.  Moreover, they were not the first to present this puzzle. In 2 Kings 5, Naaman, the great military commander of the nation of Aram came to Israel to be healed of his leprosy and, after God healed him, he asked the prophet Elisha,, “please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord.”

Before that, the prophet Elijah fed the widow of Zarephath with a miraculously never-ending supply of oil and flour during a famine. And of course, there was the prostitute who hid the spies in Jericho, and Ruth who followed her mother-in-law Naomi, married Boaz, and became the great-grandmother of King David. And long before that, we know that not everyone who fled slavery in Egypt were from Abraham’s family, but all of them, of every race and nationality, became known as the children of Israel. All of these were Gentiles. They were not the children of Abraham; they were not born into the covenant of Abraham, they were not a part of God’s contract with Abraham, and they did not inherit the promise that God had made to Abraham’s descendants. And so how is it that they could have faith in Israel’s God? How is it that God would accept them?

And, like the end of our modern-day detective stories, that is exactly the mystery that Paul reveals as he writes to the church in Ephesus in Ephesians 3:1-12, saying:

3:1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—

2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. 8 Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

The mystery, as Paul explains it, and as we have already discussed, is how God could love Gentiles and invite them into his family. Even in the Old Testament there were occasional examples that, despite having made an eternal covenant with Abraham and his descendants, and those who later became the people of Israel, there were hints that God loved Gentiles and would accept them into his family. But now, through the story of the gospel, through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Gentiles are invited into God’s family, adopted by the creator and king of all that exists, and are now heirs, together with Israel, members of one body, and together with the people of Israel and Abraham’s family, share in the promises of Jesus Christ.

That’s the big reveal. That God has always loved the Gentiles, that the Gentiles were always welcome to join his people, and that God always had a plan to invite the entire world into his family. But now that the mystery has been revealed, God’s plan to rescue the world includes us, the church. Paul says that God’s intent, God’s plan, is for the church to spread his word, to act as God’s agents in the world and to tell the rulers, the authorities, our neighbors, our friends, and the entire world the story of the gospel, the message and the Good News of Jesus Christ, and to invite them all to join God’s family. Because, as Paul said, “in him, and through faith in him, we may approach God with freedom and confidence.”

God commands us to share the story, and to spread the Good News. But it is a story that’s worth sharing because it’s our story.

Please LIKE and SHARE!

Click here to subscribe to Pastor John’s blog.

Click here if you would like to subscribe to Pastor John’s weekly messages.

Click here to visit Pastor John’s YouTube channel.


*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 user carlohh on Freeimages dot com.

A Fool’s Errand

PastorPartridge Sermon , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Fool’s Errand

November 12, 2023*

By Pastor John Partridge

Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25         Matthew 25:1-13 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

A great many years ago and likely still today, scouts attending their first year at scout camp, like me, would be sent to another troop and instructed to ask to borrow their left-handed smoke exchanger. There were snipe hunts, of course, but even then, most scouts were wise enough not to fall for that one. In high school upperclassmen would try to sell elevator passes to the freshmen, and in the Army, soldiers might be sent to the motor pool for some blinker fluid or other imaginary or non-existent gadgets or parts. These sorts of adventures as well as other more serious, but equally impossible, tasks, can be referred to as being sent on a fool’s errand.

The dictionary definition is simply: a needless or profitless endeavor.

As silly as it might sound, being sent on a fool’s errand, or sending ourselves on one, can be deadly serious. In Shakespear’s Hamlet, Act 5, Scene 2, Prince Hamlet discovers that two of his friends, Rosencranz and Guildenstern, are a part of a plot to assassinate him, and so he secretly makes a change to the letters that they are carrying so that they will be executed when they arrive in England. They are on a fool’s errand. They now carry a sealed message that, when opened, will result in their deaths. And these are the sorts of serious fool’s errands that we find in today’s scriptures. There are two, and each is different, but in each we discover the necessity of making good choices so that we can avoid the most devastating foolishness. We begin by returning to the story of Joshua and the people of Israel as they have entered the Promised Land and now face a fork in the road at which they must choose the direction that their lives will take. In Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25 we hear this:

24:1 Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges, and officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before God.

2 Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your ancestors, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods. 3 But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the Euphrates and led him throughout Canaan and gave him many descendants.

14 “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods! 17 It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. 18 And the Lord drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.”

19 Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.”

21 But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.”

22 Then Joshua said, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the Lord.”

“Yes, we are witnesses,” they replied.

23 “Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”

24 And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God and obey him.”

25 On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he reaffirmed for them decrees and laws.

In the last forty years, Israel has escaped captivity in Egypt, been rescued by God from Egypt’s army, survived forty years fed by God’s hand in the wilderness, and now crossed the raging waters of a flooded Jordan River on dry ground. But now that they have arrived, they are faced with a choice. They can choose to either throw away all the gods that their parents brought with them from Egypt and serve God alone, or they can abandon God, take up the worship of the Amorite gods, blend in, merge, and disappear into the culture and the people that are already there. The second would be the easy choice. They would, effectively do as many people did, say that one god is as good as any other, and worship the god of the nations that were already in that place.

But the people of Israel, despite knowing that the first option is the harder of the two, choose to follow the God of Abraham, Issac, Jacob, and their forefathers. They choose to follow Yahweh because they have seen, with their own eyes, that the god of their ancestors is the real deal. Some of them were there when they crossed the Red Sea on dry ground, all of them had eaten the manna that God had provided in the wilderness, they had witnessed God’s protection from their enemies, and everyone there had watched the waters of the Jordan River pile up in a heap so that they could cross the river on dry ground. They knew that the God of Abraham and Moses was the real deal, and they knew that worshipping any other god was a fool’s errand. And so, they reaffirmed their commitment to follow God and to obey his decrees and laws.

And then, in the story of the ten virgins contained in Matthew 25:1-13, Jesus warns his followers that there is another way that we risk running a fool’s errand when he says…

25:1 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’

12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’

13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

The tradition of the Jewish people was for the bride and groom to be betrothed, and then the young man would return to his family and begin the construction of a home for his new bride, often as an addition to his parent’s home. And, only after construction was completed would the groom return for his bride and carry her away to the wedding and the wedding banquet. Obviously, the construction of a home does not have an entirely predictable timeline. The groom is likely working for his father or at some other trade each day, and then working on his new home in the evening or as time permits. The size of the addition might vary, as would the availability of building materials, how much help he might get from his father, siblings, or extended family, as well as the cost of any materials and his ability to afford them. All that to say that no one really knew when the groom would return.

Certainly, rumors would swirl, and the bride would hear that the groom’s family had begun preparations for the wedding guests, but the specific day and time of the groom’s arrival was unknown. And so, ten virgins, bridesmaids, or other young women who hoped to accompany the bride to the wedding took lamps with them while they waited. But only five of the ten were truly prepared. They considered that they might be waiting for a while, and they brought along extra oil for their lamps so that they could keep watch all night long. And so, while half of them dashed off in search of more oil, the groom and his friends arrived, gathered up those who had been prepared, and departed for the wedding. Those who were unprepared got left behind. Their journey to retrieve more oil had become a fool’s errand.

Jesus says that this will be how things are on the day that he returns. The groom, Jesus, has gone to prepare a place for his bride, the church, and he has been gone a long time. There may well be rumors that forewarn the world of his return, but we must not be caught unprepared. We cannot say that “I will put my trust in him… later.” And we cannot say that we will do the work of God’s kingdom… later.” Because, on the day of his return, there will be no second chances. We must be prepared, and we must be caught doing his work on the day of his return. Failing to do so… is a fool’s errand.

It’s important that we get this right. Failure to get it right means working hard but only pursuing a fool’s errand. But getting it right has an entirely different outcome. In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Paul says…

13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so, we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Lately, many of us have felt that we have been attending far too many funerals. But although we experience grief because of the loss that we feel, when we say goodbye to our friends and family that know Jesus, we know that our goodbyes are temporary. Paul reminds us that the dead are not lost to us forever but only lie in the sleep of death until the day of Christ’s return, and on that day, the groundskeepers at our cemeteries will have a front row seat to the most amazing sight in all of history. The dead will rise, and then they, and all who remain alive in Christ, will follow them to join with Jesus and live with him forever.

This is our great hope.

Like the Israelites did as they entered the Promised Land, we remember the might acts of God that we have seen. We may not have witnessed the parting of the Red Sea, the daily sustenance provided by God’s manna, or the piling up of the waters of the Jordan River, but we have seen God provide in other ways. Each of us here can tell of times when God provided money to pay bills, or a shoulder to cry on, or a kind word, at just the right time, that changed our lives, or miraculous healings, or a frustrating delay that later prevented us from being in an automobile accident,. We each have our own stories, but like the Israelites, we know that following God, and following Jesus Christ, is the only path forward. Any other path…

…is a fool’s errand.

Please LIKE and SHARE!

Click here to subscribe to Pastor John’s blog.

Click here if you would like to subscribe to Pastor John’s weekly messages.

Click here to visit Pastor John’s YouTube channel.

*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.™

Faith in the Flood

PastorPartridge Sermon , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Faith in the Flood

November 05, 2023*

By Pastor John Partridge

Joshua 3:7-17             Matthew 23:1-12                               1 Thessalonians 2:9-13

There is an old joke about a flood and a faithful saint of the church. The weather forecast was for torrential rains and flooding and people were advised to evacuate. But when two sheriff’s deputies came to the door of this faithful saint asking them to leave, they simply replied that “God will provide.” And so, the rains came, and the flood waters rose. Soon the first floor of their house was under water, and they moved all their valuables up to the second floor. About that time, a Boy Scout came by in a canoe and offered to carry them to safety, but they refused and simply said, “God will provide.” It continued to rain and to flood waters continued to rise, and soon, this faithful saint of the church was sitting on their roof. And, as they were sitting on their roof, the National Guard arrived in a helicopter and offered to lift them out of their distress, but they again declined saying, “God will provide.” Not long after that, the flood waters carried that saint away and, when they were welcomed at the pearly gates of heaven they cried out, “God, why didn’t you save me?” And God replied, “Well, I sent two sheriff’s deputies, a Boy Scout, and the National Guard. What more did you want?”

I have always liked that joke because it’s funny and because it points us toward one of the church’s common failures. Well-known Croatian theologian Miroslav Volf said, “There is something deeply hypocritical about praying for a problem you are unwilling to resolve.” The question isn’t whether our lives will have storms and floods, the question is what we will do when we face them. That is what we see in Joshua 3:7-17, because as the people of Israel prepare to cross the Jordan River into the Promised Land, Joshua commands the priests to take a step of faith… right into the middle of the flood.

7 And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. 8 Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’”

9 Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God. 10 This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. 11 See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. 12 Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. 13 And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”

14 So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. 15 Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, 16 the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So, the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.

The Jordan River is at flood stage and is a raging torrent. So violently does it flow that Jericho isn’t even watching this border as closely as they might because Baal is the god of rivers and storms, and this was the season that they could see his power and knew that he was protecting them. After the adventure with the spies, Israel almost certainly knew that as well. Further, as one of the two spies who had lived through the 40 years in the wilderness, Joshua was personally aware of this. Nonetheless, God commands Joshua to tell the priests who carry the arc of the covenant, to “go and stand in the river.” Just go and stand in the middle of the raging torrent of the harvest flood. Worse, the banks of the Jordan are often not gentle slopes but rapid drop-offs that would be invisible in the muddy floodwaters. I’m sure that those priests had some concerns, but they also had faith in God and faith in Joshua. With the weight of the ark on their shoulders, and almost no chance of catching themselves if they stumbled, the priests do as they were asked and boldly step into the rushing water.

And the water stopped.

As soon as their feet touched the water, the water stopped flowing and piled up in a heap upstream of them and, as the priests stood in the middle of the riverbed, the entire nation of Israel crossed the river on dry ground. The people of God, and especially those priests weighted down with the ark of covenant on their shoulders, didn’t just pray for God’s deliverance and their entry into the Promised Land, they acted on their faith, and they stepped out into the flood.

But the priests and the leaders of the church aren’t always that faithful and aren’t always the best example for people to follow. That was the case in Matthew 23:1-12 when Jesus tells the people to live their lives differently than Israel’s leaders.

23:1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

5 “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacterieswide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.

8 “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

Jesus says that although the teachers of the law and the Pharisees hold important leadership positions, and although the people must be careful to follow their instructions and do as the leaders teach, they should not live by the example that those leaders provide. Those leaders lived a life that was all about the show. They wore flashy religious vestments and large phylacteries, which were prayers or scriptures that were etched in silver, copper, or even on baked clay tablets. While rabbis routinely wore tassels on their robes, these leaders had to had bigger, and longer tassels then everyone else. And, whenever there was a banquet, or when they went to church, they had to have the most visible, and most important seats in the house so that everyone could see how important they were. But while they put on a good show, they didn’t live lives that demonstrated the things that they taught. Jesus said that the people who would be the greatest among them, would first be a servant to others. Following Jesus, honoring God, and living a life of faith wasn’t about looking good, it was all about having the humility to live a life that acted on faith and did the work of the kingdom of God.

That’s exactly the message that we hear Paul telling the people of the church in Thessalonica in his letter that we read in 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13 when he says…

9 Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you. 10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous, and blameless we were among you who believed. 11 For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, 12 encouraging, comforting, and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.

13 And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.

Paul asks the people of the church to remember the example that he and his fellow missionaries provided for them as they lived among them. They worked, and they worked hard, day and night, so that they would not be a burden to the church, but they also lived lives that were holy, righteous, and blameless. They did not rule over them as some leaders do, but encouraged and comforted them, and treated them as if they were their own children so that they could urge them to live lives that were worthy of the God who called them into his kingdom. Paul says that he and his associates continually thank God because the people of the church not only received the word of God but allowed God to work through them. They didn’t just accept Jesus and have faith in Jesus, they lived out their faith through their actions.

The people of Israel had faith in God and believed that he would lead them into the Promised Land, but the evidence of that faith was visibly seen when the priests carrying the ark of the covenant boldly stepped forward into the raging flood waters of the Jordan River.

While Jesus acknowledged that the people should be obedient to their leaders, he also told them that in order to honor God, they had to do better. Rather putting on a good show, a true life of faith is a life that serves others and demonstrates God’s love through the actions of the believer.

And Paul says much the same thing. The proof of the message that they taught was found in the way that they lived, and the proof that the church had believed was seen, not in the words that they spoke or in the worship of their people, but in the work that they did among those who did not believe.

We may laugh at the imaginary saint of the church that prayed to God but ignored two sheriff’s deputies, a Boy Scout, and the National Guard, but the truth is that faith demands that we do more than pray.

Real faith is found in the actions of the church.

Real faith is when we roll up our sleeves and get to work.

Please LIKE and SHARE!

Click here to subscribe to Pastor John’s blog.

Click here if you would like to subscribe to Pastor John’s weekly messages.

Click here to visit Pastor John’s YouTube channel.

*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.™