unlikely

The Unlikely, Improbable, and Impossible

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The Unlikely, Improbable, and Impossible

July 07, 2024*

By Pastor John Partridge

2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10              Mark 6:1-13               2 Corinthians 12:2-10

If you look at today’s sermon title, you will see three words of interest: Unlikely, Improbable, and Impossible. So, what, you might ask, is the difference? And to describe the difference, at least for us to have a starting point, let me give you some examples.

First, although I can, technically, choose to retire, or outright quit, any time that I want to do so, it is unlikely that I will do so anytime in the next couple of years. Although I can, I am not likely to do so unless something significant were to change. Second, since I have been here at Christ Church for six years, and have been in ministry for twenty, and the bishop of the East Ohio Conference has never once set foot in my church on a Sunday morning, it is improbable that our bishop would unexpectedly arrive to worship with us this morning. It is, of course, possible, since our bishop can choose to attend church anywhere that she wants to, but given our experience, it is improbable that it would happen today. And finally, since she lacks the ability to speak in a human language, it is impossible for our German Shepherd, Natasha, to arrive at church and preach today’s sermon. It isn’t just that it is unlikely for Patti to drive, or even walk, Natasha to church on a Sunday morning, or that it is improbable that Natasha would have any interest in preaching, but since she cannot speak English, let alone with any significant vocabulary, we understand that such a thing would be impossible.

Looking at these words from another perspective, Arthur Conan Doyle through his character, Dr. Watson, once asked Sherlock Holmes how he could have reached his conclusion and solved the mystery from the few facts that were in evidence. In answer, Sherlock famously said, “Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.”

And so, with the impossible in mind, let us return once again to the story of Israel’s great King David. You will remember that in our scripture lesson last week, we read of the death of King Saul, and the subsequent mourning of David and the entire nation of Israel. But this week, we see something new as both the tribes of Israel, and the tribe of Judah, come together to anoint David as their king. This didn’t happen right away. After the death of Saul and Jonathan, the southern tribe of Judah anointed David as their king, but the northern tribes of Israel followed Saul’s surviving son, Ishbaal. What followed was something like a civil war with tensions and violence between the two, but finally Ishbaal was assassinated by two of his own officers, who were later put to death by David for Ishbaal’s murder. But after the death of Ishbaal, we come to 2 Samuel 5:1-10 and hear this:

5:1 All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “We are your own flesh and blood. 2 In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the Lord said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.’”

3 When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, the king made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel.

4 David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years. 5 In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.

6 The king and his men marched to Jerusalem to attack the Jebusites, who lived there. The Jebusites said to David, “You will not get in here; even the blind and the lame can ward you off.” They thought, “David cannot get in here.” 7 Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion—which is the City of David.

8 On that day David had said, “Anyone who conquers the Jebusites will have to use the water shaft to reach those ‘lame and blind’ who are David’s enemies.” That is why they say, “The ‘blind and lame’ will not enter the palace.”

9 David then took up residence in the fortress and called it the City of David. He built up the area around it, from the terracesinward. 10 And he became more and more powerful, because the Lord God Almighty was with him.

And thus, in this short reading, we see David being anointed for the third time, the first when he was a young man about 15 years of age by the prophet Samuel, again by the tribe of Judah after the death of Saul, and now by the other 11 tribes as Israel returns to what is referred to as the United Monarchy when all 12 tribes joined together. That journey, from shepherd boy to king, was seen, even by David’s family, as impossible. And yet, because God was in it, the impossible became reality. Next, was the story of how the united nation of Israel, captured the city of Jerusalem, which was so well constructed, and so well defended, that it was thought to be impossible to capture. And yet, Israel does so.

Still more impossibilities become reality in the account of Jesus and the disciples found in Mark 6:1-13 where we hear this:

6:1 Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.

“Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? 3 Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.

4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” 5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 He was amazed at their lack of faith.

Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. 7 Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.

8 These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. 9 Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. 10 Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. 11 And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place, and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”

12 They went out and preached that people should repent. 13 They drove out many demons, and anointed many sick people with oil, and healed them.

First, as Jesus preaches in his hometown, the people are offended that Jesus preaches with wisdom and authority because they cannot imagine that someone that they know could possess such amazing gifts from God. They knew, or at least they believed, that such a thing was impossible. Such things just didn’t happen. But it did.

Second, as Jesus sends his disciples out to preach, teach, and cast out demons in the surrounding villages, he takes particular care that none of them are equipped with anything that could support them in their work. They took a walking stick, but no money, no food, no change of clothing, and not even an empty sack that they might use to save leftovers. The result was that they did what was humanly impossible. They preached without education, they drove out demons, and they healed the sick. In other words, they did things that only God could do and by doing so, demonstrated that God was with them.

And that is exactly the point that Paul makes about his own ministry, as well as ours in 2 Corinthians 12:2-10. Rather than protest, as many of us do, that we can’t do this thing, or that thing because we aren’t properly educated, or haven’t had time to prepare, or that we don’t have enough money, or some other excuse, Paul says that our weaknesses are exactly the point. He says…

2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. 3 And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— 4 was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell. 5 I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. 6 Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, 7 or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Paul says that all sorts of unlikely, improbable, and impossible things happened to him and the only explanation that he can offer is, much like Sherlock Holmes, having eliminated the impossible, the only reasonable conclusion that is left is the truth that God must have done it.

For the youngest son, of an unimportant man, from an unimportant tribe, to become the king, was impossible but David did it.

For anyone to capture Jerusalem, was physically, militarily, tactically, geographically, and topographically impossible but Israel did it.

For the son of a carpenter, without the benefit of higher education, to preach, teach, heal, and cast out demons was impossible, but Jesus did it.

For uneducated fishermen and the other followers of Jesus to go into the countryside without food, or clothing, or any assistance at all, and to preach, teach, cast out demons, and heal the sick was impossible, but the disciples did it.

For Paul to accomplish what he did, in the face of insults, hardships, persecutions, arrests, beatings, and imprisonment was impossible, but he did it.

Too often we focus on what we think we need to do the job, but our God delights in our weakness because it is in our shortcomings where the world sees God pulling the strings behind the curtain. We don’t need faith when we see the Cleveland Clinic heal people, armed with thousands of doctors, and tens of millions of dollars in laboratories, technicians, tools, machines, and other medical whiz-bangery. But watch an ordinary lay person, lay hands on a sick person, pray, and bring about their healing, and we stand amazed because we know that we have witnessed the hand of God.

We are all called by God to do his work and, regardless of who we are, or how unprepared we might feel, we must act and do what God is calling us to do. Because, at the end of the day, we see God most clearly when, with his help, we accomplish the unlikely, the improbable, and the impossible.

________________________________________________

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

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Unreasonable Demands

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Unreasonable Demands

July 02, 2023*

By Pastor John Partridge

Genesis 22:1-14                     Matthew 10:40-42                 Romans 6:12-23

Have you ever had a bad boss?

At my last secular job, the company president, and one or two others, were known to publicly chastise, criticize, and even berate employees, and even supervisors and shop foremen, for mistakes they believed those employees had made. The first time I saw such a thing, I remembered that one of the very first, foundational, and fundamental rules that we had been taught in Non-commissioned officer school, was to always praise your subordinates in public, but criticize and correct them in private. The results were what you would expect, such encounters lowered morale for entire departments and even for the entire shop floor. Worse, some of those employees, especially shop foremen, soon found other employment for fewer hours and more money. Would they have started looking for a job if they had been criticized in private? Maybe, but I’m sure that such encounters helped them to make up their minds to leave.

But stories about bad bosses can be found all over the internet. The Reddit website has entire forums dedicated to the stories of employees, and their bad bosses. Of course, many of those stories end with the employees quitting and telling those bosses to “get stuffed.” But those stories resonate with us, especially if we had a bad boss, and especially if we felt that we had to put up with it because of the economic or other conditions in which we found ourselves.

But what if God is the one who is being unreasonable?

That’s what we appear to be seeing in the story of Genesis 22:1-14. This is the story about God’s command that Abraham sacrifice Isaac as a burnt offering. But the story is all kinds of wrong, in all kinds of ways.  We’ll get to that, but first, let’s read the story…

22:1 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”

3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”

6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”

“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.

“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ramcaught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

Those of us who are familiar with this story, through regular repetition, have likely made our peace with it, but there’s still something about it that bothers us. In this case, it is our familiarity with the story that blinds us to some of the problems that present themselves in it and, as such, it’s likely that anyone who is unfamiliar with this story will take issue with several things while they read it. First among these is that God asks Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, but this is the same God that throughout the Old Testament, strongly, and repeatedly prohibits any kind of human sacrifice. Second, God promised Abraham children, and now asks that Abraham sacrifice the only child that he has left. Third, as we heard last week, God promised that Abraham would have heirs through Isaac and that Isaac’s descendants would become a great nation. Fourth, again as we heard last week, Abraham had already sent Ishmael away, so Isaac is all that he has left. And fifth, at this point, Isaac must be nearly in his teens, so Sarah, who was already over one hundred years old when Isaac was conceived, must now be somewhere between 110 to 120 years old. Although all things are possible with God, if it was unlikely for a 100-year-old woman to have a baby, having a second one at 120 would seem to be even more unlikely.

For all these reasons, it seems like God’s command to sacrifice Isaac is not only unreasonable but violates God’s agreement with Abraham in a several different ways.

And yet…

Abraham does not complain. Abraham knows all about all these issues and I am certain that all of them had to be swirling through his mind. But Abraham does not object or rebel against God. Abraham knows that the death of Isaac would break God’s promise, destroy his marriage, cancel his future, and erase his legacy.

But Abraham obeys and is faithful. Even though obeying God violates everything that Abraham knows to be true, destroys everything that he holds dear, and erases everything that he has spent his entire life building, Abraham obeys anyway. Even though Abraham can’t see a way that God can possibly make this insanity work, Abraham trusts that God is faithful, will honor his promises, and will find a way through.

But if we look at Matthew 10:40-42, we find something that is the same, sort of a test. Jesus says…

40 “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 41 Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”

Jesus says that if you offer hospitality to those who are doing the work of God, potentially in your home, but also in small acts of kindness like sharing your food and water, that you will share in the rewards that God will give them for their faithfulness.  Welcoming the servants of God, is a gift to God and hospitality given in the name of God is rewarded by God. But doing so comes at a risk, and at a cost to you. The people to whom you offer hospitality may well be strangers, and you might not understand their mission. But your understanding and your comfort are not prerequisites to your obedience.

And finally, we return to Paul’s letter to the church in Rome exactly where we left off last week in Romans 6:12-23, as Paul connects our behavior and our actions to our faithfulness, and to our indebtedness, to God. Paul says…

11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! 16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

19 I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life inChrist Jesus our Lord.

Paul’s point is that we are called to offer our lives as a sacrifice to God. How we live, how we act, and how we behave are all sacrifices and gifts that we give to God as acts of faithfulness and obedience. Further, Paul emphasizes that while we were once slaves to sin, we are now slaves to righteousness. This isn’t just a useful turn of phrase for the purposes of illustration. In the Roman world, Paul, and everyone else, lived in a culture of honor and patronage. In that culture, when a patron, or other wealthy person, aided you in a business transaction that you could never have put together for yourself, or paid a debt on your behalf that you could never have paid without their help, you became, as a matter of honor, indebted to them.

While, legally and technically, your debt had been paid, you now owed your life and your honor to your new patron. While you could ignore their requests, doing so would be dishonorable and would mark you as an ungracious scoundrel. This is the language that Paul uses in several of his books because it was language that is seen in many Greek and Roman texts and so we know that it was common language that everyone in the ancient world would have readily understood and accepted.

I could explain at some length, but the summary is that because Jesus paid a debt for us, because he substituted his life in place of ours, we now owe him a debt of honor. We owe God our gratitude, our faith, and our obedience. And so, we are expected to behave like Abraham, to obey even when doing so seems impossible and to have the faith that God can, and often does, accomplish the impossible.

Set aside sin.

Obey God.

Trust that God is faithful, will honor his promises, and will find a way through.

And offer your entire life as a living sacrifice to the glory of Jesus Christ and to the building of his kingdom.

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

Abandoning Good

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Abandoning Good

June 25, 2023*

By Pastor John Partridge

Genesis 21:8-21                     Matthew 10:24-39                 Romans 6:1-11

Author Jim Collins, in his 2001 bestselling book, Good to Great,” famously said that “Good is the enemy of Great.” The argument behind this evocative statement is that too many organizations, and people, are willing to settle for less than what they could attain and accept “good enough” because they don’t want to do the hard work that it takes to become really great. But, while that might be a popular way to think about moving from good to great as a business, or even as a church, the message of scripture uses even stronger language to warn us of settling for “good enough” in our spiritual lives personally.

Some of that is how we can understand the difficult story of Genesis 21:8-21. It is hard for us to be sympathetic to the cause of Abraham in this story because, to us, and to our sensibilities, it seems that Abraham and Sarah are being harsh, cruel, and unfeeling. In that story, we see a dark and jealous side of Sarah that is difficult for us to grapple with in a person that we regard as a biblical hero.

8 The child grew and was weaned, and on the day that Isaac was weaned, Abraham held a great feast. 9 But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, 10 and she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.”

11 The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son. 12 But God said to him, “Do not be so distressed about the boy and your slave woman. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspringwill be reckoned. 13 I will make the son of the slave into a nation also, because he is your offspring.”

14 Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the Desert of Beersheba.

15 When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went off and sat down about a bowshot away, for she thought, “I cannot watch the boy die.” And as she sat there, she began to sob.

17 God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. 18 Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”

19 Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So, she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.

20 God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer. 21 While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt.

There are only two things that make this story even a little bit easier for us to come to grips with the actions of Abraham and Sarah. The first is that Abraham genuinely struggles with the idea of sending his own flesh and blood, his seed, his son, out into the wilderness. And it is wilderness. Having only recent visited what is known as Abraham’s well in Beersheba (Be’er Sheva) it is in the middle of miles and miles of… nothing. Yes, people live there, but there is nothing there except desert, dirt, and rocks. To help you imagine what it’s like, it’s a cross between the desert and the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It is hot, rugged, and altogether inhospitable. The second thing that helps our understanding is that before they were sent away into the desert, God reassured Abraham that he would take care of Ishmael, bless him, and raise up a nation through him.

But why did it happen at all?

Abraham by this time was wealthy. He had so many herds of sheep and camels that he needed hired men and servants to care for them all. Surely, he could have afforded to feed and clothe one more child. That would have been good. But Sarah didn’t want good.  Sarah wanted what was best for her son, Isaac. You see, even though Hagar was a slave, because she had borne Abraham a son, she was, legally, equivalent to his wife Sarah. Legally, Ishmael, as the first-born son, might even have been entitled to receive the inheritance of the first-born which, with two sons, would have typically been two-thirds of Abraham’s estate. The only legal way to prevent that from happening was for Abraham to divorce Hagar, disown her and her son, and send them away. As hard as it was for Abraham, and as hard as it is for us to understand, Sarah was ruthlessly in pursuit of what was best for Isaac.

And, for what it’s worth, modern-day Arabs, who believe themselves to be the descendants of Ishmael, reverse this story and believe that it was Isaac that was sent away, and that Abraham raised Ishmael as his legal heir.

Even today, it is hard for us to set aside good enough in our pursuit of what is great, or to set aside what is good so that we can reach for what is best. In Matthew 10:24-39, Jesus teaches a lesson that is, in no uncertain terms, hard. It isn’t really that difficult to understand, but it is unquestionably hard for us to be obedient in living it out. Jesus says,

24 “The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!

26 “So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed or hidden that will not be made known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

32 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.

34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to turn…

“‘a man against his father,
    a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
36     a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’

37 “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.

Jesus begins by reminding us that if Jesus is our master, and he himself has been called the devil by his opponents, then we, as his followers, should expect the same treatment. Children follow the pattern of their parents, and the bad habits or bad behaviors that they learn may well be worse in them than they were in their parents. But what Jesus demands of us, is that we follow him to the best of our ability… and that’s where this gets hard. Jesus doesn’t demand that we pursue him until we arrive at “good enough,” but until we get to what’s best. And, to get to what’s best, we may have to leave behind things that we care about and things that we love. As important as family is, we must put God, and the truth of God, in the place of first importance in our lives. Making anything more important than God, making anything more important that our relationship with, and our obedience to, Jesus Christ will cause us to lose God entirely. But surrendering what we want, surrendering “good enough,” even if that means losing valuable and treasured relationships with family and friends. But, when we surrender what is “good enough,” we will discover the life that God intends to give us.

In Romans 6:1b-11, Paul equates settling for “good enough” with sin. Paul says that we just can’t keep on doing things that we know are wrong just because we know that Jesus will forgive us. He says…

6:1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Paul says that when we choose to follow Jesus, we begin an entirely new life. He says that our old life died on the cross with Jesus, and our sins died with it. And so, for us to move from good to great, for us to live our best life, we can never settle for “good enough.” We must be changed and transformed from the person that once were and relentlessly pursue the greatness that God has in store for us but to do that, we must abandon anything that prevents us from reaching God’s best.

Jim Collins said that “Good is the enemy of Great” and the message of scripture is that we must not settle for “good enough.”

We must, at all costs, abandon good, so that we can pursue something better, because settling for “good enough” will prevent us from reaching God’s best.

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

Finding Home

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Finding Home

June 18, 2023*

By Pastor John Partridge

Genesis 18:1-15                     Matthew 9:35 – 10:8-23            Romans 5:1-8

As early as 3000 BCE Phoenician explorers were navigating the high seas and Pacific islanders were doing the same using star charts made of sticks and songs to remember important details. Much later, Arab navigators would use a “kamal,” a marked piece of wood or metal with a beaded string for measuring their location and by the 13th century European mariners used the astrolabe to determine their location. The astrolabe evolved into the marine quadrant, and then the Davis quadrant with backstaff, and that technology progressed and became the Octant, and finally, in 1731, John Hadley developed the Sextant. The precision of the sextant allowed a competent navigator to determine their location within about one-half a nautical mile, day or night, even in the rain and pitching seas. A sextant and compass remained the best way to determine your location at sea for over 250 years and remains a useful method for mariners if GPS or radio navigation becomes unavailable.

Why is that important? Simply because it’s always good to be able to navigate around sea mounts, shoals, and shallow rocks, to find your way to islands where you can replenish stores of fresh water, and most importantly, so that, at the end of your voyage, you can find your way home.

Isn’t that always the most important thing? No matter where we go, finding our way home is always a part of the plan. But sometimes the home that we find isn’t the home that we left. After World War I, my grandfather left his family home in Germany and made a new home here in the United States outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The same has been true throughout the history of our nation for millions of other immigrants from around the world. But that story of immigration is also an important part of the story of scripture and an important part of our story as well. As we mentioned last week, when God commanded Abram to “go,” Abram went. But as he went, Abram took with him the values of hospitality that were held by his culture, and we see that in the story of Genesis 18:1-15.

18:1 The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. 2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.

3 He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by. 4 Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. 5 Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant.”

“Very well,” they answered, “do as you say.”

The culture in which Abraham lived placed great value on hospitality. Not just in speaking words of welcome to a stranger, but in offering them food, inviting them into your home, giving them a place to stay, sleep, rest, and providing them with necessities that they might need to continue their journey. Essentially, offering hospitality, and not just welcome, to strangers was almost the same as treating them like family.

Why is that important?

It’s important because that culture of hospitality never went out of style. It was passed on by Abraham to the people who would become the Jews and the people of Israel, and it would continue to be found in cultures around the Near East, and it has been, in many ways, passed down to us. If we pay attention, we will see that same culture of hospitality at work in Matthew 9:35 – 10:8, (9-23), when Jesus sends his disciples out into the world to share the message of Good News.

35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

10:1 Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.

2 These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.

9 “Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts— 10 no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep. 11 Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave. 12 As you enter the home, give it your greeting. 13 If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. 14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town, and shake the dust off your feet. 15 Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.

16 “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore, be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. 17 Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. 18 On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time, you will be given what to say, 20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 22 You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 23 When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

As Jesus sends his disciples out into the surrounding towns and villages to share the good news of the kingdom of God, a pivotal part of the plan depends upon the historic and continuing culture of hospitality. In every town where they were to preach, it was expected that they would be able to find at least one person, or one family, that was willing to take them in, house them, and feed them for however long that they remained to preach in that town. They had no money, they paid no rent, and could offer no compensation other than to offer greetings and give the gift of peace to those who invited them in. Although the disciples were away from their birthplaces and away from what was familiar, in the places where they went to share the good news of the kingdom, through the gift of hospitality, they found a place, even for a short while, that they could call “home.”

But scripture tells us of an even more important act of hospitality that has mattered to every follower of Jesus Christ in all of history and that still matters to us today. In Romans 5:1-8, Paul talks about our justification before God, and before we begin, I want to define that. “Justified” is the opposite of “guilty.” It doesn’t necessarily mean that we are innocent, but the implication of being justified is that we have been acquitted and declared, by God’s power and authority, to be righteous. We aren’t righteous because we’re flawless, perfect, and sinless, we are righteous because God says that we are.  Paul explains it this way:

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

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

While at first it may not seem like it, the story of our redemption and justification is a story about God’s hospitality. God wanted us to live with him. In fact, God wanted us to live with him so much, that he acquitted us of our sin (the theological word is justification) through our faith in Jesus Christ. And Paul expands on that by pointing out that not only did God acquit us, but doing so was expensive. God loved us so much, that he offers us hospitality, and invites us to live with him in his home, but that hospitality came at the expense of the life of God’s own son. Moreover, Paul explains, Jesus didn’t die for us because we were good, but because of God’s great love for us. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, God opened a path for hospitality. When we put our faith in Jesus Christ, we open the door to peace, hope, grace, and… home.

Our search for a place to belong ends. Because of the hospitality of God, because of Jesus’ obedience and sacrifice, and because of our faith, we have found, for all eternity, a place to call home.

But the message of Jesus, as we saw in Matthew, is that because we have found our home, it is now our calling is to show hospitality to others. We can’t just be welcoming, say “hello” and show them where to sit. Real hospitality can be expensive. It means more than inviting people into our churches, it means inviting them into our lives, caring for them as if they were family, making sure that they have food to eat, clothes to wear, and then telling them about Jesus, so that they can find… home.

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

Unlikely, Improbable, and Impossible

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Unlikely, Improbable, and Impossible

June 11, 2023*

By Pastor John Partridge

Genesis 12:1-9                       Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26                      Romans 4:13-25

Arthur Conan Doyle, through the voice of his detective Sherlock Holmes, often said when describing his method of observation and deduction, that, “when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truth.” Let me say that again, “When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truth.” This is good advice and often worth remembering as a part of the scientific process of testing, evaluation, and exploration. But in the church, despite our recognition of the importance of science, we also recognize the limitations of science. Many of the things that we hold to be true, are unlikely and improbable, and some of them are, outside of the work of an all-powerful God, would normally be assumed to be impossible.

For example, it is unlikely that the youngest son of family of sheep herders, from a small, little known, and often disrespected clan, would not only become the king of his clan, but would unite twelve clans into a unified nation that rivaled the strength and power of the largest superpowers of the world.

But David did.

It is improbable, that a man who was born into the right family, with all the right breeding, and all the right education, who had dedicated his life to persecuting the representatives of the schismatic movement whom he felt were polluting, desecrating, poisoning and destroying his church, would himself be converted to that sect and become the most prolific and well-known preacher, writer, and evangelist that the world has ever known.

But Paul did.

It is impossible for women of advanced age, well past the age of menopause, and especially past the age of 80, 90, or even 100 to become pregnant and bear children.

But Sarah did. And so did Rebekah and Rachael.

It is impossible for the dead to return to life, especially after the dead have been dead for many hours, or even days,

But Lazarus did. The widow’s son did. And, of course, Jesus did.

But sometimes the only difference between possible, unlikely, improbable, and impossible is trust.

We’ll explore that a little further in a few moments, but for now let’s begin with the story of God’s call to Abram in Genesis 12:1-9.

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

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

4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran. 5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.

6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So, he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.

8 From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.

9 Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev.

You will notice that, at no time, was there a negotiation. God did not bribe Abram. Abram did not demand terms, nor did he place limits on his obedience.  Abram did not say that he was willing to follow God for 100 miles, or for two months, nor did he insist on periodic employee reviews or reassurances that he was going in the right direction, doing the right things, or just to make sure that the lines of communication between them remained open.

Abram’s obedience was so unlikely and improbable that it bordered on the impossible.

God said “go” and Abram went.

God said go to the place that I will show you, and Abram went… straight into the desert.

And then, in just a few verses of the ninth chapter of Matthew, we find the unlikely, the improbable, and the impossible, all jumbled together. (Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26)

9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

18 While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.” 19 Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples.

20 Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21 She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”

22 Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.

23 When Jesus entered the synagogue leader’s house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes, 24 he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him. 25 After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. 26 News of this spread through all that region.

For a well-paid tax collector, on the Roman payroll, who is often accused by his countrymen as a thief, or as a traitor, to stand up, quit his job, and become the disciple of a poor, itinerant, homeless rabbi is both unlikely and improbable.

For a woman with an incurable disease, who had already been seen by every expert that could affordably be seen, to be completely healed simply by touching the hanging fringe of a rabbi’s jacket is utterly improbable.

For a synagogue leader to seek help from an itinerant rabbi that has been widely criticized by the leaders of the Pharisees, Sadducees, and a range of national church leaders is unlikely.

But a dead girl returning to life is completely impossible.

But, how do these things happen? Sure, a part of the answer is that Jesus was there, and that Jesus could do the impossible.

But is there more to it than that?

In Romans 4:13-25 Paul explains some of the things that happened to Abraham, why those things happened, how they happened, and why they matter to us.

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

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

18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. 20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 22 This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” 23 The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, 24 but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

Paul says that God did unlikely, improbable, and even impossible things in the life of Abraham, through the lives of his descendants, and through our lives in the twenty first century, because of the faith that Abraham had, and because of the faith of those who follow in his footsteps.

God blessed Abraham because he had the faith to do the unlikely, to walk away from his family, his friends, and his nation, and follow God into the desert, just because God said… “Go.”

An unlikely and improbable tax collector becomes an honored and revered member of the eleven disciples of Jesus because he had the faith to walk away from the comfortable life that he had.

A woman with an incurable disease was healed because she had the faith to seek out Jesus, fight through the crowd that surrounded him, crawl on the ground, reach out, and touch the fringe of his jacket.

The daughter of a respected synagogue leader was raised from the dead because that leader had the courage, and the faith, to rebel against the conventional wisdom of his peers, ignore the prevailing opinion of the movers and shakers and VIPs of his church, and ask Jesus for help.

Throughout scripture, we witness events that are unlikely, improbable, and utterly impossible.

And yet, with faith, through faith, and by the power of God, these things happened.

For God to do unlikely, improbable, and impossible things in our lives, and in the life of our church, we must be willing to demonstrate our faith by doing unlikely and improbable things.

Are we willing to walk away from our comfortable lives and follow him into the desert or into the unknown as Abraham and Matthew did?

Are we willing to fight the crowd to seek him the way that the bleeding woman did?

Are we willing to defy our peers, resist the status quo, and risk our occupation and our reputation so that we can seek Jesus as the synagogue leader did?

We often pray for Jesus to do the unlikely, the improbable, and the impossible in our lives and in the life of our church.

But are we willing to do what God asks of us, are we willing to risk what we have, in order to receive the gift that God has for us?

Do we have… and improbable faith?

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

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