“Hope for the Hopeless”
2 Kings 5:1-14
Grace mercy and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Today’s message comes from the Old Testament Lesson for today 2 Kings 5:1-14. It’s entitled “Hope for the Hopeless,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ!

1. Have you ever found yourself in a real itchy situation? Maybe you walked through a patch of poison ivy, stinging nettle, poison sumac or got stung by an insect. Needless to say, you felt really uncomfortable after this happened. Maybe you’ve had the chicken pox. This sickness starts out like a cold -- you feel lousy, have a runny nose, and run a fever. Then, all of a sudden, itchy red bumps start to break out all over your body. The itching drives you crazy, but you can't scratch, because that just makes it worse. It’s a very uncomfortable feeling, but it isn't hopeless. But then you opened a bottle of medicine called calamine lotion that helps stop itching. In a few days, the sores go away, the itching stops, and life is back to normal again. Thank God for calamine lotion and other creams that help to relieve us of the pain of that itchy feeling!

2. In the Bible we often read about a terrible skin disease called leprosy. Two of our Bible readings for today talk about this terrible disease. Jesus dealt with a leper in the Gospel reading and the Prophet Elisha dealt with Naaman, who also was a leper, in our Old Testament reading. When someone had leprosy, they were covered with sores all over their bodies. Unlike chicken pox, these sores didn't go away. When someone had leprosy, it was hopeless, because there was no cure. No calamine lotion back then! To make matters worse, other people considered them to be unclean.


3. The Aramean warrior Naaman found himself in a hopeless situation. Even though he was a wealthy man and a great commander of the Aramean army, there was nothing he could do to cure himself of his leprosy. 2 Kings 5:1-5 says, “Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy. 2 Now bands from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman's wife. 3 She said to her mistress, "If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy." 4 Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. 5 "By all means, go," the king of Aram replied. "I will send a letter to the king of Israel." So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing. Naaman thought that he could buy healing and cleansing for himself, but he was mistaken. He also thought that a powerful man, such as a king could heal him, but he was also wrong. Despite his misunderstanding of how our LORD works, God still chose to heal him. Isn’t that how God works in our lives? We sometimes expect him to do great things and yet sometimes He works the most insignificant ways to do great and miraculous things!

4. When Jehoram, the king of Israel received the letter from the King of Aram he was completely devastated. He too saw Naaman’s healing from leprosy as hopeless. It’s easy to see why he thought this way. Jehoram didn’t worship the LORD our Heavenly Father, but golden calves. He didn’t share the same simple faith as the servant girl. He was wise enough to realize that the golden calves he worshiped couldn’t heal anyone from leprosy. All the King could do was to tear his garments in frustration. Here’s a king with so much power and authority. But, he couldn’t heal someone with a skin disease such as Naaman. Thank the Lord that God was still determined to bless Naaman, an outsider and enemy of Israel!

5. God did send someone to rescue him from his deadly disease. Elisha, a prophet of God. But, he wasn’t someone of great power or authority such as Jehoram the King of Israel. This troubled Naaman at first. Here’s what happened in 2 Kings 5:9-12, So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha's house. Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, "Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed." But Naaman went away angry and said, "I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn't I wash in them and be cleansed?" So he turned and went off in a rage. Naaman wanted Elisha to at least come outside, look upon his sores of leprosy, wave his hand or do some sort of hocus pocus and heal him of his disease. Instead Naaman gets a promise. We also get promises each day. If we hear them from someone we trust we’ll believe them. As Christians God’s promises never fail! When Elijah told Naaman to wash in the River Jordan and be cleansed, he was as good as cured. But he still had some doubts. Isn’t this what happens sometimes in our lives? We expect God to help us out of our hopeless situations. Maybe things are going wrong at your job, with your family at home or you’re having problems keeping those New Year’s resolutions. Whatever problem you’re dealing with God is still with you. He can help you through any hopeless situation!

6. Later on in the story of Naaman we learn that God kept His promise. Here’s what happened in 2 Kings 2:13-14, Naaman's servants went to him and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, 'Wash and be cleansed'!" So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy. How great our God is! Again we see that he worked through the meek and lowly to bring about Naaman’s healing. As he was walking away in anger his servants stopped him. They got him to reconsider Elisha’s help. Maybe this God could do great and mighty things after all? The servant’s got him to think that the problem may not be so much with God, but with Naaman himself. By his unbelief Naaman was rejecting God’s promise and blessing. When he followed God’s words and dipped himself into the water He received God’s blessing of faith and was healed. Some of God’s other promises seem unreasonable. Who would ever think that the man on the cross is the Son of God and that his blood cleanses us from sin? Many reject this teaching as pure foolishness, but to us who have heard God’s Word of promise and have been washed through the waters of Baptism this “foolish word” has saved us. How great God our heavenly Father truly is.

7. We hear of Jesus healing a leprous man in the Gospel lesson for today taken from Mark 1. There’s some interesting facts to this story. Lepers were social outcasts from the towns that they once lived. They were regarded as unclean and untouchable. The Levitical law demanded that whenever lepers came near people, they had to cry out, “Unclean, Unclean!” When they were healed they were to show themselves to the priests to determine whether they were actually healed or not. The man who approached Jesus in Mark 1 didn’t call out unclean. Here’s strike one against him. In the man’s great distress he didn’t want Jesus to walk away from him. He said, “Lord if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Because of his faith, the man knew that Jesus could do this. Compassion filled Jesus’ heart. That’s what He does for you and me. He’s had compassion on us and healed us of our sin in the same way He healed this leper. Jesus actually touched this unclean man! Jesus shows us that when it comes to the requirements of the ceremonial laws, love and compassion take precedence over ritual and regulation. With one simple phrase He cured the leper.

8. Despite the man’s disregard for Jesus’ orders, he still remained healed from his disease. God does this with us as well. He heals us despite our sins and failures against Him. He continues to do so, even though we sin against Him everyday. Nothing that we do on our own can save us. Once we were not a people of God. We were outcasts like Commander Naaman and the leper in Mark 1. We didn’t deserve to be forgiven or given the gift of eternal life. But God sent Jesus to save us from our sins and give us the gift of eternal life. How awesome our God truly is. His great compassion has healed us from sin, the deadliest of diseases. More deadly than Aids, Cancer or any other physical ailment. Sin kills 100% of its victims. But, in Jesus all of us have been healed and given the gift of eternal life. Our situation is no longer hopeless, but full of hope. Remember this the next time you find yourself in an itchy situation. Know that no matter how uncomfortable the feeling, God can get you through it. He loves you very much and has healed you of the disease of sin. He’s prepared for you a much better place to live with Him eternally. A place called heaven. Thanks be to God! AMEN.
BLESSING— Jesus came to bring hope to the hopeless. When you find yourself in a hopeless situation, may our Lord put His hope and trust in you. May He live and dwell within You through the power of His Holy Spirit and keep the knowledge of salvation through Jesus within You. Amen.

“Finding Common Ground”
5th Sunday after the Epiphany 2/5-6/06
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:19, 22b-23

1. Grace mercy and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ today’s message comes from 1 Corinthians 9:19, 22-23. It’s entitled “Finding Common Ground.” Dear brothers and sisters in Christ. I recently noticed an article about a church in Jefferson City, MO trying to be “all things to all people.” They were trying to provide as many gimmicks as possible in order to get people to come to church. Here’s what they were doing: Grace Episcopal Church hosted its second annual “No Excuse Sunday” stating that blankets and sweaters would be provided for those who don’t come because the church is too cold, fans for those who are stay away because it’s too warm, hard hats for those whoa re afraid the roof will fall in, stop-watches and whistles for those who think the sermons are too long, ear plugs for those who think the organ is too loud, cushions for those who think the pews are too hard and name tags for those who are afraid they won’t be recognized. The church also announced it would provide free transportation. Talk about being all things to all people. Hopefully after that Sunday was over none of the people in the church had excuses for not being there.

2. This is part of what the Apostle Paul was talking about in his letter to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 9:19, 22-23 where he writes, “Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible… I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.” Sounds like the Apostle Paul was pretty determined not too let anything in his character stand in the way from someone hearing the saving message of the Gospel. Earlier on in his letter he said that he wouldn’t even accept a salary from the Corinthian church for preaching the Gospel to them. Paul tells us that his purpose in taking away his rights to be paid goes far beyond in gaining satisfaction in his ministry. His higher purpose is to save souls. Isn’t that the purpose of the church too? Paul is willing to sacrifice his rights in his service to others to win them for Christ. As comical as the article about Grace Episcopal Church was, it can also have a serious side to it. That church was going out of its way to get people to come to church and hear the saving message of God’s Word. Who knows, maybe the Apostle Paul would use these same measures to bring people to faith.

3. The Apostle Paul says that when he became a Christian, he became a free man in Christ. He was freed from the laws and regulations that bound God’s people in the Old Testament. Even though Paul was free from these ceremonial laws, Paul says that he lived like a Jew “under the law,” in order to win them over for Christ. This meant that Paul kept the Sabbath and festival days, such as Passover and the Day of Atonement. He followed the Old Testament regulations regarding the eating of pork and shellfish, he observed the rite of circumcision. In all of this Paul didn’t compromise his faith. Talk about being all things to all people.


4. Paul accommodated himself and became “all things” to the Gentiles as well. He says in 1 Corinthians 9:21, “To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law.” When Paul characterizes the Gentiles as not having the law he’s referring to the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament that were kept by the Jews. The Gentiles were under the natural law, or universal moral law that no human being is exempt from. This is what he meant when he said, “I am not free from God’s law.” That’s why in his contacts with the Greeks and Romans he didn’t observe the ceremonial law of the Jews. This is why even the Corinthian church that was mostly made up of Greek people didn’t have to feel that they should become Jewish in order to become Christians.

5. The Apostle Paul tried to find common ground with whatever group of people he was proclaiming the message of Christ to. This is a model for how we as Christians should live our lives. This common ground and being “all things to all people,” can be a hard task to do, but when it’s done correctly it can have awesome results. It’s amazing that Paul was able to reach as many people with different backgrounds and cultures. He even did this without compromising the name of Jesus.

6. So how would Christians finding common ground with those that are non Christians look like today? Some Church leaders have suggested that the church find things in secular culture to draw people into the church. For example, some people think that the church should be more accommodating to sports fans on Super Bowl Sunday. They may feel that the services should even have a Super Bowl theme to it so that we as Christians can be “all things to all people.” If that were the case then Pastor and I should have flipped a coin before the service began this morning to see who would be preaching. Our entrance hymn should have been “Pass it on.” Any acolyte found in an illegal motion should have been given a five-yard penalty. This sermon, if it’s over 18 minutes long may be regarded as a “delay of the game” and I will lose possession of the altar. The lessons for the day should have been on the Israelites making a quarterback sneak across the Red Sea (Exodus 14:22) and Jesus sending out the eleven (Matthew 28:16-20. Finally, the choir anthem for the day should be, “Drop-kick me Jesus through the Goal Posts of Life.”

7. So what would Christians finding common ground with non-Christians look like today? Some Church leaders have suggested that Christians find things in secular culture to draw people into the church. For example, some people think that the church should be more accommodating to sports fans on Super Bowl Sunday. They may feel that the services should even have a Super Bowl theme. If that were the case then Pastor and I should have flipped a coin before the service began to see who would be preaching. Our entrance hymn should have been “Pass it on.” Any acolyte found in an illegal motion should have been given a five-yard penalty. This sermon, if it’s over 18 minutes long may be regarded as a “delay of game” and I will lose possession of the altar. The lessons for the day should have been on the Israelites making a quarterback sneak across the Red Sea (Exodus 14:22) and Jesus sending out the eleven (Matthew 28:16-20). Finally, the Handbell anthem for the day should be, “Punt me Jesus through the goal posts of Life.”

8. But, we aren’t going to have our service focus solely on the Super Bowl and just accommodate football fans. We know in our church that Christ is the central focus of our faith and beliefs. He’s the theme of every Sunday. The Apostle Paul knew this as well. He found common ground with people in ways that didn’t compromise the Gospel. Sure, we as Christians will try to do everything possible to make the Gospel heard in different contexts, environments and cultures, but we never want the message of Christ to be hindered or watered down by trying too hard to meet people’s needs. That’s the struggle of trying to spread the message of the Gospel to those who haven’t heard it before. We may not offer hard hats and sweaters in church for people to use or have a Super Bowl themed Sunday, but we can give people rides to church if they need it or offer to take them to Bible Study. God calls us to be bold in our witness to them in the same way the Apostle Paul was. May God enable you to find common ground with those around you so that they too may be able to share in the saving message of God’s love and salvation. May He do this in and through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

A Sermon I preached at a nursing home in Bay City, MI

“Knowledge Puffs Up, But Love Builds Up”
1 Corinthians 8:1-3—1/29/06 (4th Sunday after the Epiphany)
1. Grace mercy and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The message for this afternoon comes from 1 Corinthians 8:1-3 and is entitled, “Knowledge Puffs up, but Love Builds up.” Dear brothers and sisters in Christ. Pastor Jim Moss recently wrote about a time when the children’s choir at his church presented a dramatization of the Gospel parable of the Pharisee and the Publican (tax collector). He says that they fleshed out some humor with contemporary references. In the rehearsals, one of the children read the Pharisee’s prayer as follows: “O, God, I thank Thee that I am not like other people—a liar, cheat, nasty, dishonest or worse—like that Republican over there.” We know that not all Republicans are like this and not all Democrats either. God is neither Republican or Democrat, but there are times in our lives when we as Christians may look down on others that are around us. Maybe you’ve been looked down upon by others.
2. Sometimes as Christians the devil often tempts us to think that we’re better than other people because we’re more devout in our Christian living than those around us. Maybe we think that we’re better than someone else because we’re not as lazy as they are or because we know more than they do. There are many times in our lives that we may feel we’re superior to those around us. But, the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Corinthians tells us that as Christians we’re not to think of ourselves more highly than those around us. We don’t want to offend anyone so that they may not be able to hear the message of the Gospel. He writes in 1 Corinthians 8:1-3, “Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 2 The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. 3 But the man who loves God is known by God.”
3. The Apostle Paul was speaking to the congregation in Corinth and many of them had just converted to Christianity from their pagan beliefs. They didn’t feel right in eating meat that had once been used for sacrificing to the idols they had once worshiped. In their time the meat of an animal was brought to a Greek temple for sacrifice and it was divided into several parts. Part of that meat was used for the sacrifice on the altar, the other was given to the priest in the temple, some was given to the person who was sacrificing the animal to an idol and another part was given to a merchant in the marketplace. These Corinthians were worried about purchasing some of this sacrificial meat in the marketplace and offending the one true God by eating it. It’s understandable that some Corinthian Christians who were recently rescued from idolatry would feel uncomfortable about contact with any aspect or reminder of idol worship. The strong Christians in Corinth knew that God didn’t forbid the eating of the meat that was bought in the marketplace, because it didn’t belong to an idol, but to the Lord.
4. It’s here that Paul is speaking to the stronger Christians. He says that knowing something doesn’t always make us feel right about doing it. Sometimes knowledge can stand in the way of our relationships. As in the parable of the Pharisee and Publican, when the Pharisee thought he was better than “sinners” like the Publican. Those who “know” look down on those who don’t know. Those who are proud of their superior knowledge lack love for those who have less knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The strong Christians in Corinth were forgetting that love is more important than knowledge. This is how the Lord would have us live our lives. He wouldn’t want us to offend anyone in our Christian walk, causing anyone to sin or fall away from the faith. That’s why He wants us to live our lives carefully following Him in all that we do and making sure that we don’t harm anyone’s conscience, especially those who are new Christians. In the end of this section of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians he questions whether the strong Christians who were so sure of their knowledge really had as much knowledge as they claimed. He does this because he saw that their knowledge was lacking in love and understanding.
5. Martin Luther writes about enabling our Christian brothers and sisters to have a clear conscience in the way they live their lives so that none of them may fall into sin. He says, “In heaven and on earth there is nothing more tender than the conscience, and nothing less able to tolerate abuse. It is said that the eye is tender, but the conscience is much more tender and soft.” How true this is. We as Christians need to be careful in how we interact with others and to not think of ourselves more highly than we ought. This is why Christian humility is so important. When we think of others first and get to know their needs it can be easier for us to serve and encourage them in their Christian walk with God. We can also know the things that we shouldn’t do around them so that we do not harm their walk with our Heavenly Father.
6. Author Ken Langley talks about how we as Christians are called out by God only by grace and not because of something special we’ve done. After worrying for half an hour that we wouldn't get on an overbooked flight, my wife and I were summoned to the check-in desk. A smiling agent whispered that this was our lucky day. To get us on the plane he was bumping us up to first class. This was the first and only time we've been so pampered on an airplane--good food, hot coffee, plenty of elbowroom. We played a little game, trying to guess who else didn't belong in first class. One man stuck out. He walked around the cabin in his socks, restlessly sampling magazines, playing with but never actually using the in-flight phones. Twice he sneezed so loudly we thought the oxygen masks would drop down. And when the attendant brought linen tablecloths for our breakfast trays, he tucked his into his collar as a bib. We see misfits at church, too--people who obviously don't belong, people who embarrass us and cause us to feel superior. The truth is we don't belong there any more than they do.
7. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. Ken Langley found this out very quickly after he played the game of who didn’t belong in first class. We as Christians realize that we don’t deserve God’s grace, because of our sins. But, God sent Jesus into this world to suffer and die in our place so we all can have the hope and joy of eternal life. Knowing this as Christians we’re able to show love to others, because we know it’s through God’s grace that we’re able to do this. When we’re empowered by the Holy Spirit we’ll be able to encourage one another in the faith. Remember that when your conscience may feel weakened by someone else or you may feel inferior to them don’t lose heart. God still loves and cares for you no matter who you are. He died for each one of you. We’re all united in Christ into one body and each one of us is special to God. May He enable us to encourage one another in the faith, especially when we may be feeling sad, lonely or depressed. May He give you the strength to live through each day for Him, serving Him in all that you think, say and do. May you know that the acts of service that you do for one another are very special to God. Amen.

“Priorities: Different from the World”
Matthew 5:1-12
Jan. 15-16, 2006

1. Grace mercy and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Today’s message, in this second weekend of our sermon series on priorities, comes from Matthew 5:1-12 and is entitled, “Priorities: Different from this World,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ. Country singer Barbara Mandrell said that when her son Nathan was born, she always sang three songs to him: “Jesus Loves Me,” “This is the Day the Lord Has Made,” and “Jesus Loves the Little Children.” She said, “I wondered which of these would be the first song that Nathan would sing on his own. It was none of those three. The first song he sang was, “All My Ex’s Live in Texas.”

2. Barbara Mandrell’s son Nathan has reminded all of us of what it’s like to be a Christian in our world today. God calls us to put Him first in all that we do, to always make decisions that He would see as being righteous and part of His will. He wants us to order our priorities around Him. We’re to be in the world, but not of it. Sometimes we make the wrong decisions. Our priorities can be in the wrong place. Because of those decisions that we make, those we love can be harmed and even ourselves. In a world that wants us to only think of “self” before others it can be hard to be a Christian. Barbara’s son Nathan may have been speaking about some of the songs that he heard his mother or other country singers sing. It may have felt more realistic to him that there’s divorce and separation from those that we love in this world, because this is what he heard more about than the songs of Jesus. But Jesus reminds us that we’re not of this world, because it will pass away due to sin.

3. In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:1-12 He began His sermon by preaching on what the attitude of every Christian should be. These attitudes are what separate us as Christians from the world. This is why the Beatitudes are often the most misunderstood sermon Jesus preached on. They aren’t a summary of the whole Christian faith. It’s even safe to say that a person who claims to find their whole religion in this sermon isn’t a Christian. No one who reads this sermon by itself, apart from the rest of the Scriptures will come to an understanding of the Christian faith. The purpose of the Beatitudes was for Jesus to give the believers a better understanding of the Christian life. The world may take a look at this sermon of Jesus and say that this is His prescription for making oneself righteous and earning salvation. But, when the world takes a closer look they may think that it isn’t worth the effort. After all, who would want to be poor, have grief, be humble, have spiritual hunger, be merciful, a peacemaker and be persecuted for doing good. The world says just the opposite. It says that people have the right to become famous, wealthy, a little injustice is ok, personal peace is better than being persecuted and the best thing in life you can have is to be happy.

4. Jesus begins His Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 to enable all believers to have a deeper appreciation for the blessings they already have as Christians and to grow in their sanctified lives, this includes us too! In Matthew 5:3 Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This is the opposite of what the world tells us. The world says that we need to become wealthy at all costs. Jesus is saying to us that the poor in spirit recognize their spiritual poverty, their sinfulness and unworthiness in God’s sight. It’s important to know that the Bible doesn’t regard poverty in material things as a special virtue. To be poor or even to make a vow of poverty doesn’t qualify a person for getting into the Kingdom of heaven. Being rich doesn’t disqualify a person from getting into heaven either. Jesus does point out that it’s generally more difficult for the rich to enter into the Kingdom of God.

5. The world would have us think that doing good deeds will get us into heaven and that all of us as human beings are born as good people, but it’s society and one’s surroundings that make people do bad things. In Matthew 5:4-5 Jesus says, “Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” Here Jesus tells us that mourning shows one’s sorrow for sins. It also expresses grief over all the consequences of sin in this world. This is a lot different from what the world says. As Christians it may be hard for us to be sorry for our sins or to admit that we’ve done wrong. Here Jesus is saying that we should make a priority to confess our sins and admit that we don’t deserve to be in God’s sight. This is where humility comes in. When we humble ourselves before God and one another we’re not being demanding and self-centered. We don’t insist on our own rights without a consideration of others as the world may do. Like Jesus those who humble themselves are willing to leave the matter of revenge in God’s hands.

6. In Matthew 5:11-12 we heard that we’re blessed when people persecute us for being Christians. It’s here that Jesus says, "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” This is a hard saying of Jesus for us to swallow. None of us want to suffer in doing good, especially in a world that says we should be happy in this life and try and make the best of what we already have. The world says that we deserve to pamper ourselves, because if you work hard in this life and make an honest dollar, then you deserve it. But, this isn’t true. Jesus is saying that we shouldn’t be surprised if people make us suffer for being Christians. We shouldn’t think that we’re entitled to all of the pleasures that this life has to offer.

7. This is what Nien Cheng knew about herself as a Christian living in a Communist society back in the 1960s, but nothing could have prepared her for the ordeal that she would suffer for being a follower of Jesus Christ. On the evening of August 30, 1966, Nien Cheng sat alone in her Shanghai home, reading. Toward midnight, she heard a truck stop in front of her house. Moments later a gang of Red Guards burst through her front door. They proceeded to ransack her home. Cheng—a wealthy woman with ties to England—was thrown in prison; her daughter was also taken from her. She was accused by the Communist government of spying for the British. The charge was false—but powerful people were trying to make her a sacrificial lamb. Someone who would discredit Chairman Mao's opponents. Cheng was taken back to prison. It was the beginning of seven years of torture, illness, and endless efforts to make her confess. But Cheng chose never to make a false confession. During her years behind bars, she later wrote, "I was not afraid. I believed in a just and merciful God, and I thought he would lead me out of the abyss." Cheng's captors were astounded at her ability to resist. Here she was, the poster child of the wealthy capitalists. They thought that someone who enjoyed her wealth would crumble once it was all taken away from her. But the measure of Cheng's life was not found in what she owned. During her suffering, one thing kept her sane: her belief in the truth and her faith in Jesus Christ. Through her faith in Jesus, she never lost her humanity. She remained unaffected by the awful changes in her circumstances. In 1973, Cheng was finally released and later immigrated to America.

8. Cheng's life perfectly illustrates the fact that the good life doesn’t come through wealth or possessions. It can’t be denied even in the midst of hardship. We often find true meaning and purpose in suffering for what’s right even when all the distractions of modern life are stripped away. This is why Jesus says that those who follow Him are blessed even when they’re persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. When Jesus made this statement He was also referring to all the prophets of the Old Testament who suffered persecution. Persecution for following the will of God won’t change. In fact, don’t be surprised if people ridicule you for following what Christ calls us to do as Christians. This can even happen in our Christian congregations. If people don’t like what God’s Word and their pastor tells them about divorce or about how to manage money they may look for another pastor or congregation that’s willing to overlook what God clearly says is wrong. They may even accuse the pastor and congregation as being too old-fashioned, narrow-minded, intolerant and uncharitable. But, God isn’t calling us to be tolerant of sin and people’s wrong priorities in life. He calls us to be in the world, but not of the world and to follow His will above all others, even if that may mean being persecuted for it.

9. In the end of our Gospel lesson for today Jesus says that all who remain faithful to God’s truth will be richly rewarded in heaven. These rewards will be of the grace of God, not of what we’ve earned. They will be in addition to the salvation that all people receive as a gift, because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for all people. They will be pleasant surprises to all people who may receive them in heaven. So when you’re persecuted or suffer for being a Christian, don’t lose heart. God will continue to strengthen you to keep Him first in all of your decision making. He will enable you to be humble, to remain poor in spirit for His sake, to hunger and thirst for righteousness, to show mercy, to keep peace among your families and friends and to remain sorry for your sins. Remember it’s through the power of the Holy Spirit that we’re reminded that we’re in this world, but not of it. Heaven’s our home and our decisions in this life are made to the glory of our God and King and to the benefit of His Kingdom. May God enable You to be His good and faithful servant to the very end. May He allow you to make the right decisions in this life in the same way that Nien Cheng did throughout her years of persecution. AMEN.

A New Year

Hi all! Sorry we haven't been keeping up on our posts. This entry, I don't have any pictures to post ... ... ... ... perhaps if we have another snow day, then we'll have some time to add some pictures for you all to enjoy.

John has been learning the life of a pastor. Over the past three weeks, he's preached each Sunday. Next Sunday we will be going snowboarding (John) and skiing (me) with the youth groups at Faith. Then the following Sunday we'll be going to the youth group's Loon Lake Retreat, an overnighter at Loon Lake. I'll be on my school's (Immanuel) mid-winter break:), so a lack of sleep shouldn't bother me too much.

Right now I'm watching the Olympics. It's bringing back memories..... I want to go to the Olympics again. The 2010 Games are going to be in North America again! - Vancouver - depending on where John and I get placed it might not be that far away.

Since our last posting, John and I have been to Cloudland Canyon outside of Chattanooga, atop of Lookout Mountain, entertained my brother Matt when he came on a visit, and just tried to stay healthy. John came down with a cold shortly after Christmas Break and as he was getting better, my kindergarteners decided they'd start practing one of the lessons I've been trying to teach them - sharing. Unfortunately it was the 3 week cold that they decided to share. Thanks to the advise and suggestions of my mom, wer're feeling better again - just in time for the craziness of Lent...

So let's hope that over the next few weeks we can add some pictures so you can see what we've been up to.

Roxanne