Wednesday, February 29

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Wednesday

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?  Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?   - Matthew 6:25-27

One of the things that Jesus does in His wonderful teaching on worry and anxiety is to show us what worry really is.  If we are going to live our lives free from the paralyzing effects of worry, then we should probably begin by understanding what exactly it is.  Most people have the view that worry is the result of stressful circumstances or events.  For example: A co-worker who has just been “let-go” from the company you both work for.  You have your annual performance review coming up and you are worried and anxious about how it will go.  You get the very sad news that your best friend has an inoperable brain tumor and the doctors are not optimistic about his chances for survival.  In either case, it is common for people to assume that the circumstance is causing the worry.  But actually, Jesus is telling us that deep down worry is really not caused by circumstances or events in our lives. 

Deep down, worry and anxiety are rooted in our desire to control that, which is beyond our control.

Notice what Jesus says in verse 27, “who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?”  Of course we cannot add hours or days or even minutes to our lives, but his is precisely Jesus’ point, we want too, we want to be able to add.  We want to be able to control and to manage our own lives.  We don’t like the feeling of being “out of control”. 

I recall several years ago driving home from church on a winter evening.  The roads had been cleared by the snowplows, but they were still slick in places.  The car in front of me made a sudden left turn and when I hit the brakes I knew immediately that I had lost control of my car.  I had hit a patch of black ice (ice you cannot see) and the rear of my car swung around so that I was sliding sideways down the middle of the road at about 40 mph into oncoming traffic.  Fortunately, I missed the other cars (or they missed me) and only ended up sliding into a snow-bank on the other side.  It was only a few seconds, but the feeling of being totally out of control, helpless and powerless to do anything about the situation gave me a sick feeling in my gut.

Many people feel this way in their lives, they feel like they are totally helpless and sliding out of control and it is a sick feeling.  The truth is that the event or circumstance, which we think is causing this feeling of anxiety in us, is actually just revealing our true condition.  We have always been vulnerable, we have never really been in control, we are always totally dependant on the mercy of God.  Jesus is telling us here that one of the first steps in freeing our hearts from the tyranny of worry is to acknowledge that we are not in control to begin with.

Martin Luther’s friend Philip Melancthon was full of fear and anxiety over how the early stages of the Reformation were going and he worried constantly about how others were going to respond.  Luther once wrote in response to his friend’s anxiety, “let Philip cease to rule the world.”

If you cannot bring your self to admit that you are really not in control of your own life, then you will never get free from worry or anxiety.  Jesus is telling you that your worry is really about your desire to control that which you should be trusting to God – the One who is really in control.

Jeff Frazier

Tuesday, February 28

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Tuesday

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?  - Matthew 6:25

I had a Bible professor in college who used love to use this little phrase, “whenever you see the word therefore, you should look to see what it is there for.”  The point being that the word “therefore” should be an indicator to us that the author is building on some preceding statement or truth. I don’t know if you noticed it, but Jesus’ teaching on worry and anxiety appears to be built on what He has been saying just before this.

Matthew 6:24 - “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”

Jesus tells us that you cannot serve two masters at once…therefore don’t worry.  What?  For some of us, the connection is not immediately apparent.  Jesus is showing us that we all have a choice to make, we are going to have to serve someone or something, the only question is who or what?  Bob Dylan wrote a song about this reality (yes that’s right, the singer songwriter) in his song, “Gotta Serve Somebody”. 

You may be an ambassador to England or France

You may like to gamble, you might like to dance

You may be the heavyweight champion of the world

You may be a socialite with a long string of pearls.

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed

You're gonna have to serve somebody,

It may be the devil or it may be the Lord

But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

Now I am not suggesting Bob Dylan as reliable resource for theological truth, but the lyrics of this song are surprisingly Biblical.  No matter who we are, no matter what our social or economic status, we all serve somebody.  So, when Jesus tells us that we cannot serve tow masters, He is actually urging to choose to serve God and God alone.  Serving God means He is in control, not us.  It means that we no longer call the shots in our lives.  It means that we surrender ourselves completely to His will.  In other words…”God is your master, you serve the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, therefore don’t worry about your life!”  On the other hand, if you are serving anything or anyone other than God, well then your life is going to be full of anxiety, it is inevitable. 

Think about this for just a moment…if you make money your lord and master, then your life will be lived in service to it; always trying to get more of it, always worrying about losing it, always concerned about not having enough of it.  If your reputation or career is your master, then you will become a slave to it.  You will be consumed with protecting it, and you will be constantly worried about losing it or having it damaged.  But if you live your life in service to God, and you make Him your Lord and Master, then you will have what the Apostle Paul called “the peace that transcends all understanding” (Phil. 4:7).  You can lose your job, your can have your reputation destroyed, you can be ruined financially, you can even have those you love most taken away from you, but you cannot ever lose the love of God.  Nothing can ever alter or diminish the sovereignty and the love of God!  This is why Jesus can say, God is your Master, He is the Lord of your life, therefore DO NOT WORRY.


Jeff Frazier

Monday, February 27

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Monday

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?  Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?  “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  So do not worry, saying,  ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the pagans run after all 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.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.  – Matthew 6:25-34

In this passage from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus commands us three times not to worry or be anxious.  I don’t know about you, but that almost sounds unfair to me.  I mean who wants to anxious?  Is worry a decision or a choice we make?  I don’t know anybody who wakes up and decides that they are going to spend their day full of worry and anxiety.  How can Jesus just command us to stop worrying?  Is it really as simple as that?

I think what we find here in this passage (as in all of Jesus’ teaching) is that Jesus is getting beneath the surface of the issue.  Jesus is not just telling us to whistle a happy tune and forget all of our troubles.  He is getting to the deep reasons for why we worry and He is performing a kind of spiritual surgery in our hearts to free us from worry and anxiety.

Worry is a very real problem for a great many people.  We are living in what some sociologists have called the “Age of Anxiety”.  Just turn on any news channel and you will have plenty of reasons to feel anxious or uneasy about the world, everything from economic uncertainty to the threat of global terrorism.  According to the National Institute of Mental Health, anxiety is the most common form of mental illness in America today.  Dr. Charles Mayo (of the Mayo Clinic) says that “worry can negatively affect your circulation, respiratory system, nervous system, heart, glands, muscles…worry can quite literally kill you.”  Even if you have never been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, there are a whole lot of garden-variety worriers out there who need to hear what Jesus has to say about this issue.

One of the most striking things about this passage from Jesus is what He says in vs 31-32, “So do not worry, saying,  ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.”  The Pagans were unbelievers…did you catch that?  Jesus is telling us that when we let worry and anxiety rule our lives we are acting like unbelievers!  Maybe you never thought of worry like this.  Most people do not connect the issue of worry with the issue of unbelief – but Jesus does. As followers of Christ, and children of God, our lives should be marked by a sense of peace and trust, regardless of our circumstances.  Now before you get all “worried” about your worry, let me remind you that the Bible never says that we will never have any fear or anxious thoughts at all.

Psalm 56:3 says, "When I am afraid, I put my trust in thee."  Notice: it does not say, "I never struggle with fear."  Fear strikes and the battle begins.  So the Bible does not assume that true believers will never worry or have anxiety.  Instead the Bible tells us how to respond when worry begins to creep in.  For example 1 Peter 5:7 says, "Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you." It does NOT say, you will never feel any anxieties to cast onto God.

Jeff Frazier

Friday, February 24

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Friday, Feb. 24

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

I met Charlie in 1974, during my freshman year in college. We lived in the same dorm and on the same floor. Charlie and I didn’t hang out together, but when you live on the same dorm floor you get to know a little about each other even if you aren’t good friends.

Charlie wasn’t a big guy; he stood only about 5’4”, but he was very smart. For some reason I remember that he was an English major. And Charlie, like most of the guys on my freshman floor, liked to have fun in a fraternity house kind of way!

Now I had grown up in a pastor’s home and lived a fairly protected life. So the first few weeks on a college campus were something of a shock to my system. Pretty much all the things I had been taught to avoid; drinking, drugs, inappropriate relationships with the opposite sex. These things were part of every day dorm life. It seemed like there was a party every night and Charlie was a more than willing participant!

Now Charlie also happened to be a pretty nice guy. He laughed a lot and seemed to have plenty of friends. But Charlie was about as far from Jesus as anyone you could imagine.

Fast forward about 15 years.

I am flipping through the quarterly alumni publication from my alma mater – which I usually don’t even open – when I notice this small entry in the “news and notes” section for my class of 1978:

“Charlie ________ (I can’t use his last name because he serves in a very sensitive part of the world) and his wife will begin their first term with Wycliffe Bible Translators this fall. They will be serving in West Africa.”

I almost fell off my chair! My old party loving, profligate classmate had become a missionary; a Bible translator. That’s when I remembered he was an English major.

How does that happen? How can you explain such a dramatic transformation? The Apostle Paul says it this way:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

This kind of change; this kind of metamorphosis only happens through the power of Christ; and Christ is the power of death and resurrection.

In Ephesians 2, Paul writes:

As for you, you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world… But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved. Ephesians 2:1, 4

Over the years since I learned of Charlie becoming a missionary I have tried several times to get in touch with him. Each time I was unable to reach him because he was serving in a very sensitive part of the world. Just this week I tried again; and this time, to my surprise, he responded! He happened to be in the U.S. visiting his ailing father and was able to respond to my email.

I had shared wit him how, following college, I had gone on to become a pastor and have now served at FBCG for over 25 years.

Charlie wrote back, in part:

“Who would have thought that a couple of scruffs like us would end up serving in the Kingdom of God? I know that was determined before the foundation of the earth, but I didn’t realize it until a year or so after I finished Davidson. I had been going very much in the opposite direction.”

I just smiled when I read the words, “a couple of scruffs like us”, because even though I was a Christian while in college I certainly did nothing to help Charlie move closer to Jesus.

But when I read that last line, tears of joy came to my eyes: “I had been going very much in the opposite direction.”

That’s true. That was true of Charlie, and at one point it was true for all of us!

In 1974 Charlie was dead, spiritually speaking. Today Charlie is very much alive! He’s alive because somewhere along the line he met Jesus, and in Jesus he was born again into new life!

Thank God for the power of his grace that produces new life, and for new life that produces change!

Pastor Brian Coffey

Thursday, February 23

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Thursday, Feb. 23

2 Peter 1:5-8

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

A couple of years ago I sat at a high school basketball game and watched as a player caught the ball on a dead run, knifed between a pair of defenders, and deftly flipped the ball off the backboard an into the basket – with his left hand. While in one sense it was just one of several dozen baskets scored in the contest; in another sense, it was remarkable because I happened to know that player is right handed – because that player happened to be my son!

How does a ball player acquire the ability to use his weaker and less coordinated hand in that way? The answer, of course, is “by practice.” The only way to develop that skill is by practicing hundreds and hundreds of left-handed lay-ups – that is, by investing time and effort in an intentional process of growth.

In his book, “Outliers”, best-selling secular author Malcolm Gladwell describes what he calls the “10,000 hour Rule.” He suggests that it takes about 10,000 hours of focused and intentional effort to become “great”, or at least highly proficient at some task or endeavor. That’s roughly 3 hours a day for 10 years. He claims to see the 10,000 hour principle at work in the success of both “The Beatles” in the 1960’s as well as Bill Gates in the 70’s and 80’s. Both, according to Gladwell, met the 10,000 hour criterion.

Now our interest today is not in rock music or computer software - nor in achieving financial or professional success. Our interest is in spiritual change. And we have seen that change begins in our hearts and minds as God establishes our identity in his own grace. But we also see that change involves intentional effort as we grow toward spiritual maturity.

Peter writes:

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In other words, I think Peter is saying that while salvation is by grace alone and cannot be earned or achieved, spiritual growth and change requires intentional effort!

Furthermore, Peter seems to suggest that the spiritual character traits he mentions – goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love, are what God wants for all of us. He’s saying that every Christian is expected to grow in all of these spiritual characteristics! There are no exceptions for those of us who are “naturally” impatient! There is no “waiver” for those of us who struggle to control our words when we are angry. Peter is saying that spiritual change is not the exception, it is the expectation for every Christian.

So where do we start?

In his book, “The Divine Conspiracy,” author Dallas Willard writes, “The place where you most need to be conformed to the image of Christ is the place where you are least like him.”

Take another look at Peter’s list of spiritual character traits. Which is your “problem area?” Which trait would those who know you best say is the greatest growth area for you?

Is it “self-control”?

It’s interesting to me that Peter mentions “self-control” – it was clearly one of his own growth areas as a disciple!

Would it be “perseverance”?

How about “kindness”?

I believe God is telling us that he wants us to learn to shoot left-handed lay-ups, spiritually speaking. He wants us to know that growth is not only possible, but expected. But he wants us to know that this kind of growth is not easy, and does not come naturally. It begins with faith; with the experience of his grace; but it requires intentional and sustained effort on our part.

Ask God to show you attitudes and behaviors where he would like to produce growth and change in your life. Then commit yourself to a process of intentional prayer, study, personal discipline and spiritual conversation with others that God can use to produce that change!

Pastor Brian Coffey

Wednesday, February 22

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Ephesians 4:17-24

So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity with a continual lust for more.

You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Years ago I came across this story about Alexander the Great. The story is likely apocryphal, yet it makes a point worth considering. The story goes like this:

Alexander the Great was one of the most successful military commanders of all time and is presumed to have been undefeated in battle. By the time of his death, he had conquered most of the world known to the ancient Greeks.

One day a cowardly soldier caught running from battle was brought into the tent of Alexander the Great:

"Soldier, what's your name?" demanded Alexander the Great.

"Alexander, sir."

Alexander the Great repeated the question: "What is your name?"

"My name is Alexander, sir," the soldier repeated.

A third time and more loudly Alexander the Great asked, "What is your name?"

A third time the soldier meekly said, "My name is Alexander, sir."

Alexander the Great then looked the young soldier straight in the eye. "Soldier," he said with intensity, "either change your name or change your behavior."

There is some truth to that story, whether it is historically accurate or not. For the truth is: our behavior is rooted in our identity. If I believe that I am nothing more than a working, consuming machine, I will behave accordingly. If I believe I exist because of the random activity of molecules in an impersonal universe, I will behave accordingly. If I believe that this physical life is all there is and that when I die I simply cease to exist, I will behave accordingly.

But if I believe I have been created by a God who is both personal and eternal; and if I believe that God created me for a purpose; and if I believe that this God loves me beyond measure despite my selfishness and sin, and has redeemed me by the blood of Jesus Christ, so that I will one day dwell in his presence for all eternity, I will also behave accordingly.

Paul writes:
You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

So, do you know who you are? I’m not asking if you know your name! I’m asking if you know who you are?

Do you know who created you in his own image?

Do you know who has known and loved you from before you were born?

Do you know who gave his own blood to purchase your soul?

Do you know who you are?

If so, does your behavior reflect your identity?

Pastor Brian Coffey

Tuesday, February 21

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Romans 12:1-2

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.

I graduated from Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina, about 20 miles north of Charlotte. The town of Davidson was tiny; one stop light, a gas station, a 7-11 and a drug store – that was pretty much it.

One of the mechanics at the local “Gulf” gas station was a guy named “Doodle Wally” – I’m not making that up. I don’t think that was his real first name, but I’m not sure. I was on the basketball team at Davidson and Doodle was a big fan. He would hang around sometimes at our practices – so I got to know him.

Doodle was a “good ‘ol boy” in a kind of friendly, redneck, southern gentleman kind of way. He always had a chaw of tobacco in his cheek and a “Red Man” cap on his head. He was rather portly and was one of the least athletic looking people you could imagine. But he was a good guy; he loved the Davidson Wildcats; and he was always hanging around.

Then one year – I think it was my junior year – I came back to school in September to find that Doodle had changed. He still had the “Red Man” cap and the chaw, but he had lost weight, and we all noticed.

A few days later we saw why. While we arrived for practice one day we saw Doodle on the college running track. And to our absolute amazement, he was running – or more accurately - jogging very slowly, around and around the track!

He still had his gas station gear on; blue shirt with “Doodle” stitched on the pocket; work boots and all; and he was running. We were stunned.

We asked him, “Hey Doodle, what are you doing?”

And he told us that his doctor had told him he better lose some weight or he would be trouble. So he decided he needed to change.

And just like Forrest Gump, he started running. And he ran every day that year – rain, cold, heat – every day. By springtime he had lost something like 50 pounds – and started wearing running shoes.

By the time I graduated, Doodle was running 5 and 10K races around Charlotte.

Read Paul’s words again from Romans 12:

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

What is Paul talking about?

He’s talking about change. The word he uses is “transformed”. The Greek word Paul uses here is metamorphousthe – from which we get our English word, metamorphosis. This particular word appears in only one other place in the New Testament – in Matthew 17:2 – and it is used to describe the transfiguration of Christ as scripture says, “… Jesus’ appearance was transformed so that his face shone like the sun…”.

He’s talking about the real, practical, measurable, observable outward changes that God wants to produce in our lives. But he’s also teaching us that real changes takes place from the inside out.

Notice, first of all, that change begins – not with us – but with God.

Paul writes:
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God…

What is “God’s mercy?” The word “mercy” here refers to favor, compassion or kindness shown to the undeserving. Paul uses this word in reference to all that he has already shared in chapters 1-11 in Romans. The whole letter has been a compelling argument that even though all human beings have sinned and deserve judgment, God, in his great mercy and grace, sent his Son to atone for our sin through his own death and resurrection.

So, what Paul is saying is that the power of change begins with an understanding and experience of God’s grace. We don’t change in order to get God to love us; rather, we accept by faith that God loves us as we are; gave his Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for us; and we change in response to his grace!

In this way, the Christian faith is backwards when compared to other religions. Most world religions compel good, moral behavior in order to earn the favor and reward of whatever god or gods that religion professes. But not Christianity. The Bible tells us God loves us completely and passionately; and that we can do nothing to make him love us any more than he does right now. His love is absolutely free and unconditional and is there whenever we open our hearts to receive it. Our behavior changes as the result of his love – not in order to earn his love!

Notice that outward change begins with inward change in the way we think:

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

What does Paul mean by the “pattern of this world?” What is the “renewing of your mind?”

A few weeks ago our whole culture celebrated the Super Bowl. I saw somewhere that advertising commercials during the T.V. broadcast cost something like $3.5 million for 30 seconds. So one could reasonably make the assumption that those commercials would represent what our culture thinks is truly important. The most advertised products during the Super Bowl were cars and trucks (18 different ads); and beer and soft drinks (11 ads).

So there you have it. According to our advertising (and presumably consumer) priorities, our culture values football, new cars, beer and soft drinks. In a way, that’s the pattern of this world.

Paul is challenging us to think differently! He wants us to value more than what we drink and drive. He wants us to think more highly of ourselves than just as materialistic consumers. He wants us to see ourselves as God sees us; he wants us to see the world around us as God sees it. For when we think differently, we tend to live differently!

Notice that change also involves sacrifice. Paul writes:
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices …

Change is hard. Change is often painful. It wasn’t easy for my friend Doodle to lose weight! He had to change the way he thought. He had to change what he valued. He had to change his lifestyle.

Change always involves sacrifice. We must give up something to experience something different and better. At first, this sacrifice will feel like a loss. We resist change because we don’t like to give up habits and attitudes – even if they are harmful – because at least they are familiar!

What would God like to change about the way you think? What would he like to change about the pattern of your life? What would you need to sacrifice in order to make those changes?

Remember that he loves you completely whether or not you change – but he does want his love to produce genuine and lasting change in your life!

Pastor Brian Coffey

Monday, February 20

Romans 12:1-2 

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.

A few years ago now, I attended my 30th high school reunion. Since my family moved right after I graduated – it was pretty much the first time I had been back to my hometown in all those years.

I remember being oddly nervous as I drove up to the house where the first gathering was to be held. Would people remember me? Would they even recognize me? Would I recognize them? How did I look? It felt like Junior High all over again!

I walked into the house and found my way to the back deck – where a number of classmates had already gathered. As I tentatively approached a group sitting at a picnic table – one woman looked up, pointed her finger knowingly at me, and said – “Jim Michilak!”

I said, “Uh, no.”

Undeterred, she tried again; “Lee Benedict!”

I said, “No, I’m Brian Coffey”

Complete blank stare.

Then she recovered and we politely introduced ourselves – but I really wanted to say, “I don’t recognize you either – so we’re even!”

But, as you know if you’ve ever been back to a class reunion, the whole weekend was a study in change!

30 years has a tendency to do that!

Some of my classmates appeared to have changed for the better; and some seemed to have changed, well, for the worse!

We all know that some change is easy – some change just happens naturally. Like hair turning gray; it’s a change, but I don’t have to put much effort into making it happen. The same is true with gaining a little weight, or looking more “mature.”

At my reunion I kept seeing people that I vaguely recognized – but, because of the changes mentioned above, I wanted to say, “What happened to your face!?” It occurred to me that they probably wanted to ask me the very same question!

All, that is, except the former cheerleader who married a plastic surgeon – but that’s a story for a different time!

But while some change comes naturally, other kinds of change are profoundly unnatural and even unexpected. I remember one classmate who was so painfully shy while we were all in school that he barely spoke at all. Thirty years later we all discovered that Pete was married and had 8 children! So much for his shyness!

There was another guy who was a recovering alcoholic and had a story of both change for the worse as well as change for the better. Another former football teammate of mine – who wasn’t particularly “spiritual” in high school – had become an elder in his church as well as the leader of the largest Christian businessman’s gathering in a major U.S. city.

Change; what is change and how does it happen in our lives? More to the point, what is spiritual change and how does God accomplish that change in us?

The Apostle Paul writes:

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
He is saying there is to be something different about our lives as followers of Christ. There is to be something different about the way we think; about the way we see the world and the way we see ourselves in the world. And because of the way we think, there is to be something different about the “pattern” of our lives, the way we live.

Our current series of messages, “I Believe But…” focuses on areas of our lives where we sometimes struggle to live out the faith we profess. We know that God wants us to experience his peace, but we still worry. We know that God teaches us to forgive others, yet we struggle to forgive. We know that God promises joy through obedience, but sometimes we settle for superficial happiness over obedience. And when Paul says, “…be transformed…” we think to ourselves, “But I don’t think I can change…”

Have you ever found yourself thinking that way? Do you ever struggle with worry or forgiveness? Ask God to use his word to open your heart and mind to the changes he wants to make in you – not necessarily easy change – but real change!

Pastor Brian Coffey

Friday, February 17

To download an audio version of this, click here.

Friday

We have spent this week reflecting on the parable of the wedding banquet in Matthew 22.  Take a moment to read the entire parable again one more time.

Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.  He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.  “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’  “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business.  The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them.  The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.  “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come.   Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’  So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.  “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes.  ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless.  “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’  “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”   - Matthew 22:1-14

Jesus told this parable to the religious leaders of His day.  These were the men who already quite convinced of their place at God’s table.  They were so certain of their own spiritual status, that they missed the primary point Jesus was driving home in this story.  While there are many interesting cultural and historical details in this story, there is really just one penetrating theme.  The story is really not about the guests who rejected the King, nor is it about those who accepted Him.  The central theme of this parable is the amazing grace of the King!

I think we have a very shallow understanding of grace today, because we do not fully understand our desperate need for it.  We do not like to think of ourselves as unacceptable to God.  We like to think that while we may not be perfect, we deserve at least a little credit for the good things we’ve done.  Let me close out our week of reflection by telling you the story of a man who was utterly transformed by the amazing grace of the King.

John Newton was born in 1725 in London. His mother who was a godly woman and who taught him to pray as a child, died when he was only seven years old. He had only two years at school and at the age of eleven his father, who was a Sea Captain, took him out to sea for the first time. His sea-faring life is well known, and includes becoming the Captain of a Slave-Trade Ship.  Newton spent many years buying, selling, and transporting human beings as slaves.  On one such slaving trip, Newton was shipwrecked on a remote island off of the African coast.  He was rescued by a friend of his father who was a ship's captain as well.  Newton lit a fire of driftwood on the shore to attract the attention of any passing ship.  In the providence of God, this friend of his father, who was searching for him, sent a long-boat ashore to investigate, and John was rescued.  He was on this ship returning across the Atlantic, when it encountered a great storm which was threatening to destroy it and everyone on board.

This took place on the 10th March 1748. `That 10th of March', says Newton, "is a day much to be remembered by me; and I have never allowed it to pass unnoticed since the year 1748.  For on that day the Lord came from on high and delivered me out of deep waters."

The storm was terrific: when the ship went plunging down into the trough of the sea few on board expected her to come up again. The hold was rapidly filling with water.  As Newton hurried to his place at the pumps he said to the captain, "If this will not do, the Lord have mercy upon us!"  His own words startled him. "Mercy!"  he said to himself in astonishment, "Mercy! mercy!  What mercy can there be for me?  This was the first desire I had breathed for mercy for many years!"  At about midnight the hold was free from water, and then came a gleam of hope. "I thought I saw the hand of God displayed in our favor.  I began to pray. I could not utter the prayer of faith. I could not draw near to a reconciled God and call him Father.  My prayer for mercy was like the cry of the ravens, which yet the Lord does not disdain to hear."  "In the gospel," says Newton, "I saw at least a chance of hope but on every other side I was surrounded with black, unfathomable despair." On this glimmer of hope Newton staked everything. He sought mercy - and found the amazing grace of God. 


It was this same John Newton who would later write these immortal lines to one of the greatest hymns ever written...


"Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, 
that saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found,
was blind, but now I see."

Jeff Frazier

Thursday, February 16

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Thursday

In Matthew 22, Jesus tells a story about a King who prepared a great wedding feast for his son.  But those who were initially invited by the King rejected His gracious invitation.  So this amazing King sent more of His servants out into the towns and villages to invite anyone and everyone to come to the feast. 

Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’  So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. - Matthew 22:10

When you read the entire parable, it almost sounds like this should be the end of the story, the wedding hall was filled and everybody lived happily ever after – “The End”.  But this is not the end; Jesus gives us another chapter, which at first seems to kind of ruin the nice happy ending in verse 10.

“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes.  ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless.  “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’  “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”   - Matthew 22:11-14

This part of the parable actually poses quite a problem for us.  On the one hand we see here (and in many other places in Scripture) that God’s grace is available to all people regardless of race, or gender, or social status.  Nobody is beyond the reach of the grace and mercy of the King!  On the other hand we have this man who is thrown out of the banquet hall.  Do you see the conundrum here?  If God’s grace is available to all, then why does this fellow get tossed out?  This question is so perplexing that there have been some who have proposed that that this part of the story was a later addition and Jesus did not really say this at all.  However, just because something in the Bible is difficult for us to understand, does not mean that we can ignore it or explain it away.  The fact is that Jesus said quite a few hard and difficult things.

The key to understanding this part of the story is in the clothing.  This man was not wearing the proper wedding clothes.  Now nobody likes to be grossly under dressed, but we don’t imagine someone getting tied up, and thrown out of a party for it (although I was once refused entry to a restaurant because I didn’t have jacket on).  In Jesus’ day, nobody would dare show up to a King’s feast without the proper clothes.  There are really only two reasons that you would not have wedding clothes on, either you didn’t own any because you were poor, or you did not have time to go and change before the banquet.  These guests were late invites to the party and were from all levels of society (“both good and bad”).  Though Jesus does not explicitly state this, the implication is that the King must have provided wedding clothes for his guests.  This is really a beautiful picture; there are no social classes or distinctions of earthly rank at this party because everyone has been dressed by the King!

But Jesus is not talking about social etiquette here.  He is talking about a very deep spiritual reality.  In this parable, the clothing really represents righteousness.  This man had only his own righteousness covering him in the presence of the King (He had not been clothed by the King).  The New Testament speaks repeatedly about what it means to be clothed in Christ.

Galatians 3:27 - For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

Romans 13:14 - Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

Revelation 19:7-8 - Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.  Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.”  (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)

The man without the wedding clothes is tossed out because, on his own, dressed in his own righteousness, he is unacceptable.  Ah, but here is the real point; on our own, we are all unacceptable.  We are all just beggars in filthy rags before the King of Kings.  This is why the King must clothe us if we are to be at His feast!  At the end of this parable Jesus makes a surprising statement, He says, “for many are called, but few are chosen.”  I have known many people who don’t like this idea of only a few being chosen, it sounds like God is intentionally leaving some people out of His Kingdom.  However, Jesus is simply stating for us the reality illustrated in His parable; God’s gracious invitation or call is open to all, but only those who receive His call will be clothed in Christ, and therefore only those few will be chosen.


Jeff Frazier

Wednesday, February 15

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Wednesday

Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.  He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.  “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’  “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business.  The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them.  The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.  “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come.   Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’  So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

- Matthew 22:1-10

The king in this story showed incredible mercy and kindness even toward those that had initially rejected his invitation. "Again he sent out other slaves saying, 'Tell those who have been invited, "Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened cattle are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast."'  He did not want them to misunderstand.  The king was not asking his guests to prepare the feast.  He had prepared it.  He was not asking them to come to a feast that lacked preparations. This was no pot-luck supper! Everything necessary for the royal banquet had been set forth.  Nothing was neglected or left undone.  All they had to do was show up!

But nobody came…those fortunate people who were invited to the King’s feast, ended up rejecting Him.  To reject a royal invitation was a serious offense, it was an insult to the King.  In our culture, we don’t see it quite that way.  We value the rights of the individual to make his/her own decisions.  We think, “Well, what does it matter to God if I do not want to follow Jesus Christ? Can He not just leave me to my own decision and life?”  I suppose that would be the normal logic; and that might be the case if we were dealing with mere men. But we are not dealing with a normal human king, we are talking about the Creator and Sovereign Lord of the universe. 

For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.  He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.  – Colossians 1:16-17

Stop and think about that for just a minute; this is not a human king or the president of a country.  This King is the Lord of heaven and earth.  This is King is the one who created and rules over every planet, in every solar system, in every galaxy, in all the universe, and He rules over every molecule, in every cell of your body as well!  If this is the kind of King we are talking about, then you don’t respond to Him when you get around to it!  You don’t put Him off until you’ve had time to weight your options.  You don’t tell Him that you will come to Him after you have had a chance to live it up a little.  You don’t come to Him on your terms.  You come to Him when He calls/invites you, or you don’t come at all.  This is the truly amazing thing about this King; although He is Lord of all creation, He is also so patient, and so gracious, and so loving that He continually extends His invitation out to all people, even to those who will ignore and reject His offer. 


Jeff Frazier 

Tuesday, February 14

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Tuesday

Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.  He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.  “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’  “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them.   – Matthew 22:1-6

The parable in this text is the third in a series that Jesus told that he directed at the Jewish religious leaders in Jerusalem.  The first parable dealt with the religious leaders' rejection of God's authority over their lives, demonstrated by their rejection of Jesus Christ.  The second symbolized the religious leaders' foolishness in rejecting God's way to righteousness through His Son.  Now the continued theme of rejecting God's revealed will in the gospel of His Son is found in this present parable.

In our culture, we are accustomed to a wedding and reception lasting for a few hours but the ancient custom of wedding feasts often lasted for as much as a week.  In the case of a royal wedding, the celebration might go on for two or three weeks.  The party in this parable is no ordinary party.  To be invited by the king as his guest for the wedding of his son - the anticipated heir to the throne - would have been the opportunity of a lifetime.  Such an invitation usually came by a personal envoy of the king.  Once invited a citizen felt a deep obligation to attend the wedding feast or face the displeasure of the king.  We might say that it was an invitation that you could not refuse!  Nor would anyone want to refuse an invitation to a celebration in which the King Himself provided everything.

But then again, it is not inconceivable that a person would refuse a royal invitation, as a mater of fact, there have been more than a few famous people to do so.  British authors C.S. Lewis and Roald Dahl both rejected invitations to be honored by the Queen of England.  Actor and comedian, John Cleese and Astro-Physicist, Steven Hawking both turned down offers of being knighted by the Queen.  NFL linebacker James Harrison refused to join his team in visiting the White House after winning the Super Bowl.  Some folks even admire a person who would turn down such an invitation for reasons of personal conviction or political principle.  There is something is each one of us that resists the idea of being subject to a sovereign authority.  We don’t like the idea of a king (even a benevolent one) telling us where we have to go or what we have to do.

This is the truth that Jesus is driving at when He describes the reactions of the invited guests in the parable. The original guests refused to come, and in that culture, to reject the invitation of a king, was tantamount to treason, this was a serious offense.  Notice that some of them are indifferent, some of them are too busy or preoccupied with their own concerns, and some of them are openly hostile toward the servants of the King.  The first invitation was actually not the first; an advance invitation would have already gone out telling of the coming feast.  This is not pictured in the story, but it is understood as part of that culture. It might seem strange to us that guests would react this way, but those who had received the advance invitation had ample time to prepare for the feast. They had no legitimate excuses.

How do we account for such a strong rejection of the king's invitation? Jesus is giving us a picture of what God had done in preparing Israel for the coming of the Messiah. Just as in Jesus’ day, there are those who are indifferent to Christ, those who are too busy trying to do things their own way, and there are those who are openly hostile toward Him. 

The prophets had come in previous centuries announcing that God would send the Messianic King.  John the Baptist boldly announced that the time had arrived; the Messiah was present.  The arrival of the Messianic Kingdom had come, a new age for humanity had dawned. God had come among His creatures to redeem a people for Himself for all eternity. Jesus Christ himself came announcing the advent of the kingdom and calling people to repentance.  "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the good news," (Mark 1:15).  This is the invitation of the King, calling upon all to repent and believe the good news of Jesus Christ.  Whether you want to believe it or not, there is something inside each one of us that resists the invitation of Jesus.  We are all indifferent, too busy, and even hostile toward God.  Yet, despite our resistance, the King of all creation invites you to come to Him by believing in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jeff Frazier

Monday, February 13

To download an audio version of this, click here.

Monday

We all receive invitations in the mail throughout the year requesting our attendance at various functions.  Some are decorated wedding invitations from long-time family friends.  Others have vivid colors and graphics inviting you to birthday parties or special holiday parties or graduation parties.  Still other invitations call upon us to join others for anniversary celebrations or the opening of a new business or even for a special sale.

You cannot possibly respond to every invitation that comes through the mail.  So you have to make some decisions as you sort through the mail.  Some invitations impersonally address you as "The Occupant."  That normally does not get much attention!  Some invitations are actually attempts to lure you into a “business opportunity” where you will spend money that will profit the one that sent the invitation. But there are other invitations that are quite different.  They come from close friends who invite you to be part of a very special occasion.  You feel honored to be invited.  Your attendance is valued by the one offering the invitation, and you dare not neglect it. 

Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.  He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.  “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’  “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business.  The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them.  The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.  “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come.   Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’  So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.  “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes.  ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless.  “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’  “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”   - Matthew 22:1-14

This parable, like all of Jesus’ parables, has many layers of meaning.  However, the primary meaning of this story has to do with the amazing invitation of our gracious King. The gospel of Jesus Christ is God's invitation for us to have a relationship with Him.  This invitation reflects the character of the One offering it, and it comes with the certainty of His honor and our joy!  It is given out of His loving kindness with the assurance of grace sufficient to accomplish everything He desires.  Such an invitation cannot be tossed aside, and it must not be neglected.  The Eternal King is no mere businessman trying to bring in a new customer.  He speaks with eternal authority and calls upon us to hear and respond to the invitation of the gospel of His Son, Jesus Christ.  This is God’s invitation to us, that we would come to know Him through His Son!

Do you hear the Lord's invitation to know Him through the gospel?  Then do not make excuses, do not ignore Him or attempt to put Him off until later.  He is the Eternal King, and He invites you into His family.  To hear His invitation to come to the wedding feast is to know His mercy. 


Jeff Frazier 

Friday, February 10

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Revelation 21:3

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.”

1 Corinthians 13:12

Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

My wife and I have lived in the tri-cities for over 25 years, in three different homes in three different neighborhoods. And we have a zillion family memories in those different houses.

But those physical spaces, those houses with walls and windows and doors, really aren’t home are they?

A house is a home only because of the people, the relationship, the love that dwells within that house. We can all remember that deep ache we felt when as children, we were separated for a time from our homes. We are homesick not for the structure of the house, but for the love that dwells within that house.

Our home is defined by people, presence and love.

Home is a place to be known!

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. Revelation 21:3

Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 1 Corinthians 13:12

That’s why we are all homesick! We are homesick for the presence of God himself. We are homesick for the world for which we were created. We are homesick for a place where we will know fully, and be fully known. That place, the Bible says, is Heaven.

In 1951 Florence Chadwick became the first woman to swim the English channel in both directions, doing so in a record time of 16 hours and 22 minutes.

Just a  year later she attempted to swim the 26 miles between Catalina Island in the Pacific Ocean and the California coastline. The weather was cold and foggy, she could barely see the boats that accompanied her to fend off the sharks.

After swimming for 15 hours she began to tire. Her mother, among others, tried to encourage her, telling her that she was getting close, in hope that she could make it.

She swam on for another hour or so before becoming so physically and emotionally exhausted that she stopped swimming and had to be pulled from the water.

It wasn’t until she was on the boat that she discovered that she was less than a half mile from the shore. At a press conference the next day she said,

“All I could see was the fog – I think if I could have seen the shore, I would have made it.”

God wants us to see the shore! God give us his word; he gives us Biblical prophecy; because he wants us to peer through the struggles, pain and fog of this life to catch a glimpse of the glory and joy that he is preparing for us even now!

Pastor Brian Coffey

Thursday, February 9

To download an audio version of this, click here.

Revelation 19:4-7

The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried:

“Amen, Hallelujah!”

Then a voice came from the throne saying:

“Praise our God all you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great!”

Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:

“Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.

Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.”

I grew up in a pastor’s home, in church services three times a week: Sunday morning, Sunday evening and Wednesday night.

I can remember, as a boy, it seemed like we sang through the entire hymnal every Sunday night! All that singing, plus what seemed like 2-hour sermons (I know now that my Dad only preached for 25 minutes, it only seemed like 2 hours to me) – all that gave me a pretty good idea what “eternal worship” would be like, and I wondered, is this what heaven will be like?

Like me as a young boy, I fear many of us hold somewhat shallow and uninformed view of what Heaven will be like.

In his book, “Heaven”, Randy Alcorn tells the story of an English vicar was asked by a colleague what he expected after death. The vicar replied, “Well, if it comes to that, I suppose I shall enter into eternal bliss, but I really wish you wouldn’t bring up such depressing subjects.”

Theologian Peter Kreeft writes:

“Our pictures of heaven with fluffy clouds, harps and metal halos and of God as a vague grandfatherly benevolence or a senile philanthropist are dull, platitudinous and syrupy…

We have lost our hope of heaven because we have lost our love of heaven; we have lost our love of heaven because we have lost a sense of heaven’s glory…”

Read again the words of Revelation 19:4-7:

The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried:

“Amen, Hallelujah!”

Then a voice came from the throne saying:

“Praise our God all you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great!”

Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:

“Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.

Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.”

Picture if you can the images John uses to describe Heaven:

First, he sees a “great multitude” – people of every nation, tribe, tongue and language gathered millions upon millions strong to celebrate before God.

Then he hears a “roar like that of rushing waters.” Have you ever visited Niagara Falls? Have you stood in awe listening to the awesome sound of thundering water? That will be something like the sound of worship in heaven!

He hears “noise like loud peals of thunder” and then the sound of shouting. Let me ask you; when was the last time you felt such joy that you shouted out loud without shame or embarrassment?

Strangely, as I read these words again, I thought of the Super Bowl!

The Super Bowl can be seen as perhaps the greatest example of mass celebration in modern Western culture. Estimates are that close to 200 million people watched the Super Bowl last Sunday and all of the images of Revelation could be used to describe the event:

A great multitude…

A roar like rushing waters…

Sound like loud peals of thunder…

And shouting…

But all our efforts to celebrate a cultural event will pale in comparison to the celebration of Heaven! Heaven will make the Super Bowl look like a 2^nd graders birthday party by comparison!

Are you worried about being bored in heaven? There’s going to be nothing boring about heaven, because there’s nothing boring about God! God is the exact opposite of boring!

What will we do?

We will celebrate!

We will feast!

We will reign with him!

We will serve!

We will never cease to discover the beauty, adventure and joy our God intended for us from the beginning of creation!

Ask God to grow your love for Heaven by growing your appreciation for Heaven’s glory!

Pastor Brian Coffey