Doing Our Own Thing

What is it that makes us want to have so much control over our own lives? Why is it that we find it so terribly hard to listen to God’s voice and God’s message? Why do we have to do our own thing? Why do we want more and more and more?

In Hosea’s day God’s children were attracted to what their neighbors had and they wanted it. So they imitated them and began to live life them. They even worshipped the same Gods. The culture of the world was pulling them away from God. They were doing their own thing.

Paul in his letter to the Colossians asked them to quit doing what they had been doing and to “Pursue the things over which Christ presides.” If they were going to call themselves Christians then they had to die to their old lives and live lives as Christ lived. Quit doing their own thing.

The brother in the gospel lesson from Luke wanted Jesus to mediate a dispute between him and his brother so they could get the estate settled and he could get his share of the inheritance. He wanted his own way; he wanted his own thing.

What did Jesus say? He said, "Take care! Protect yourself against the least bit of greed. Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot." Jesus taught that we should fill ourselves with God not fill our lives with doing our own thing.

I was asked this week what I preached and it made me think. What do I preach? What I preach may be different than what you preach and it’s probably different from what you might hear another person preach on the same words of Scripture.

I preach that God loved us so much he came to live among us as Jesus Christ. Jesus taught us that God is love and that we are to live lives of love, loving God and loving our neighbors. To me that means that I can no longer just do my own thing. I must be about doing what God is calling me to do, love him with all I have in me and love my neighbors caring for them as I would like to be cared for.

Our lives are not all about us and what we can accumulate. We have been blessed by God with lives so that we can share what we have with our friends and neighbors.

That’s the Message for us today. Our focus, our calling is not to do our own thing but to do what God has and is calling us to do, love Him and love our neighbors.

Friends, God has blessed us with much and it is our calling to be about doing his good work.

Thanks be to God for his amazing love and grace. Amen.

What's Your Distraction?

Do you ever get anxious and/or distracted? I’m sure we all are anxious and/or distracted at one time or another. Maybe we are anxious more than we’re not or maybe we’re distracted most of the time. Maybe we have our priorities all turned around.

As Jesus was on the road to Jerusalem with his entourage of disciples and followers he decided to stop by Martha and Mary’s place. As was customary Martha set about preparing to feed all these folks. That’s what it meant to be hospitable in their culture. So whether it was Jesus and the Twelve or Jesus and the 70 he sent out to the villages and towns where he was going, it was going to take a lot of preparation to get a satisfying meal put together for all these hungry travelers. Martha may have been stressed out because she didn’t have enough of anything to prepare a sumptuous banquet for the Lord and his band of followers. Why was she alone? Where was her sister, Mary?

Mary was in the other room sitting at Jesus’ feet listening to him teach. Why didn’t she feel compelled to be in the other room helping her sister? Surely she knew the unwritten law that it was necessary to care for and provide hospitality for any guests or visitors who came to your door.

We can certainly understand why Martha came into the room and asked Jesus to tell her sister to come help with the meal preparations. But then the guest, who is really the host, turns it all around, “Martha, dear Martha, you're fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing.”

Was what Martha was doing wrong? Was it wrong for Mary to be sitting at the feet of Jesus as he taught? Neither was wrong. How were they to know what was the best things to do? How are we supposed to know what to do?

I believe the message for us today is that spending time at the feet of Jesus is important. Providing hospitality for those who come to our homes is important too. Being distracted and anxious all the time about doing and not focusing on the being can lead us away from the One who seeks to teach us about God and his kingdom.

This lesson isn’t about Martha and Mary and one being better than the other. It’s about choosing to let go of our distractions and anxieties and understanding the importance of sitting at Jesus’ feet so that we can be filled with his Spirit and Wisdom.

I think it’s a good exercise to every so often, maybe even daily, to look back at our day, or week, or month, and note how we used the time God gave us. How much time did we spend doing, feeding God’s children, and how much time did we spend being with Jesus? And how much time did we spend being anxious about not getting enough done? If we put it all in a pie chart what would be the biggest slice? Would they be equal in size or would our worrying and anxiety and distractions take up the lion’s share of our time?

I think that is what Jesus was trying to teach all of us. He had just told the lawyer that we should love our neighbor. He told the seventy that hospitality was important but now he is telling us that we need to be careful that we don’t make these our priorities. Our priority is to allow ourselves to be taught by the Master, Jesus. Our priority is to take time to be with Jesus before we go out into the world and do what we are called to do.

Mary chose the essential thing. What will we chose today and tomorrow and the day after? If we believe that we’re too busy to take time to sit at Jesus’ feet maybe we need to check our priorities. Maybe we need to reread today’s lesson in Luke’s gospel.

Let’s see where we spend our time this week. Let’s commit to spending more time at Jesus’ feet. Let’s get filled with Jesus’ love and Spirit before we go out to do his work. Let’s ask Jesus to remove our anxieties and distractions so we can focus on the essential thing.

Thanks be to God for his amazing grace and love. Amen.

I'm No Prophet

I’m no prophet but things don’t look too good for the world we live in today. There are the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. There’s the New Horizon oil rig explosion. It was bad enough that 11 people died in the explosion but now the whole Gulf Coast is suffering from the oil that is washing up on their shores. There’s the genocide in Rwanda, Darfur, and South Africa and religious persecution in Myanmar, Indonesia, the Philippines, Pakistan, and China. There’s the border fence and people coming into the US illegally because they can’t support their families at home in Mexico or Columbia, or wherever they’ve come from. There are the shootings in Omaha everyday.

Friends, our world is hurting. People are hurting. Countries are hurting. We are hurting. We’ve been beaten, robbed of our possessions, and left for dead by the side of the road by, whom…?

Our world is hurting and there doesn’t seem to be any Samaritan, good or bad, who is willing to stop and bind up our wounds. There aren’t any prophets like Amos who are answering the call from God to hold those in power accountable for what’s happening to our world. Everyone who could help is angling across to the other side of the road. At least that’s what it feels like.

I’m no prophet. I’m just a tool and die maker that God has called to preach here in Walnut. Sometimes I wonder what I’m doing. I worry that sometimes I might say something that will upset people. I don’t have answers to these problems in the world but I have quite a few questions, why, how, what, when.

God called Amos to speak for those who were being oppressed by the kings of Israel and Judah. He wasn’t a prophet either. He was a farmer who cared for sheep and he trimmed trees. He knew nothing about prophesying but still God spoke to him in visions and sent him to prophesy.

He wasn’t liked by the leaders. In fact one of them told him to pack it up and go back home. They didn’t appreciate the Message God had given him for them. Sometimes what God calls us to do is just not very popular with the rest of the world.

Jesus’ parable, of the man who was left lying by the side of the road by robbers and who was cared for by the Samaritan, wasn’t well received either. When the lawyer asked him who his neighbor was I think he expected Jesus to answer that his neighbors were his Jewish brothers and sisters. Wrong. The neighbor in Jesus’ story was the one who stopped and helped the man lying on the side of the road. The man who showed mercy to the stranded traveler was one who had himself probably suffered rejection and ridicule because of his heritage. He wasn’t the one the lawyer would have chosen for his neighbor.

I’m no prophet but I believe the Message for us today is the same as it was when Jesus was asked by the lawyer how he might achieve eternal life. We all know the answer, Love God with all our power and being; love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves.

Two short but very powerful sentences love God and love our neighbors. It’s not so easy to love the Supreme Being when we have never seen Him. Some people aren’t sure God even is. The second commandment to love our neighbors sounds easy but the world hasn’t done so well keeping it either.

Friends, I don’t know what else to say. We, the human race, have made a mess of things. Our world is in pretty bad shape and I wonder if it will ever be made right. I really believe that there is nothing any human being can do to fix the things that are wrong.

So, what should we do? I believe that we need to admit that we are at a loss for answers and take it to God in prayer. We need confess that we have made a terrible mess of it all and we need God’s help. We need to go to our knees in prayer and ask God to use us however he wills to do his work.

As Paul told us in his letter to the Romans, “Who in the world do we think we are to second-guess God? Do we for one moment suppose any of us knows enough to call God into question? (Romans 9:20)

The Message for us today is to remember everyday what Jesus commanded, “Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence—and that you love your neighbor as well as you love yourself.” (Luke 10:27) Treat those we find lying on the side of the road with kindness and mercy even if they aren’t like us, even if they might be our enemy.

Thanks be to God for his amazing grace and love. Amen.

What's On Your Doorstep?

What’s on your doorstep? Did you go outside this morning to see if there was something new outside your door?

The seventy disciples Jesus sent out in pairs were to tell those they were sent to that ‘God’s kingdom is right on your doorstep!’ Did these people the disciples visited know what that meant for them? Did the disciples understand what Jesus meant?

What does it mean to us that ‘God’s kingdom is on our doorstep?’ Do we understand what that means any better than the people in the countries of Judea and Samaria? It’s hard for us to imagine what a kingdom is since we don’t live in a country someone in power rules. Jesus knew what it was and so did the people where he lived and taught.

The kingdom where they lived wasn’t so great. Someone always wanted more of their income to support the infrastructure and, maybe, line their own pockets. Men were conscripted into military service fighting for something they didn’t believe in against people they had no beef against.

Wait a minute! That could almost be us today. Someone always wants some more of our income to support the programs implemented by those we’ve elected into office. Sometimes we wonder if some of it isn’t going into their bank accounts.

Is God’s kingdom on our doorsteps? If it was would we know what it was? What is God’s kingdom?

Don’t feel bad if you don’t have an answer. Theologians have been debating that very statement for longer than you and I have been around.

The people of Jesus’ time were waiting for a savior, someone who would finally give them some respite from their oppressors. Jesus said that the kingdom of God was right on their doorsteps but things didn’t seem any different to them. Not much was changing. The Romans were still there, they still had to work very hard to scrape up enough money to support their families. After Jesus was crucified and resurrected was the world any different than before. It didn’t look or feel any different.

If God’s kingdom is here on our doorstep have any of you seen any difference? It doesn’t seem any different to me. There is still the war in Iraq and Afghanistan and Korea, and the Sudan. People are still without work and some aren’t able to provide shelter or food for their families. The oil spill still isn’t cleaned up. People are still homeless. So what’s it mean that God’s kingdom is here today?

Does the fact that God’s kingdom is here today, right in our midst, make any difference to us? If we believe that God’s kingdom is here now why do we believe? If we don’t believe that God’s kingdom is here now why not?

Jesus said God’s kingdom arrived because he was here. Paul said that God’s kingdom was here because of God’s gift to the world in Jesus the Christ. What does it take for us to know and believe?

I think that in order for us to know the kingdom of God is right here, right now, we need faith. We must believe in God. We must believe in Jesus the Christ as God’s Son, the Savior of the world. We must believe that God sent us his Spirit to be our Advocate and our Interpreter. We must believe.

Believing in God requires faith. And faith comes from God. So what do we do if our faith is weak? Can we make our faith stronger by ourselves?

Friends, there is nothing we can accomplish on our own. But through Jesus as our intermediary we can do anything. Our faith can be made stronger when Jesus intercedes for us before the Father. God’s kingdom is on our doorstep.

If we go looking for it we might miss it but if we listen to Paul’s words and follow his advice, then we might catch a glimpse of God’s kingdom here on Earth.

1-3 Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day's out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ's law… 4-5Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don't be impressed with yourself. Don't compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.
6Be very sure now, you who have been trained to a self-sufficient maturity, that you enter into a generous common life with those who have trained you, sharing all the good things that you have and experience.

God’s kingdom is on our doorstep. But we might not be able to see it because we’re too focused on our own needs and wants. Naaman didn’t want to do what Elisha told him to do because it was too simple, not elaborate enough for him. He expected a show.

God’s kingdom is on our doorstep. In order to truly experience it we must be willing to share God’s love and peace with everyone, the illegals, the foreigners, people who aren’t like us at all, and those we can hardly stand to be around. We must be willing to stoop down and help those who aren’t able to help themselves. Even when we believe they should be able to.

Friends, God’s kingdom is on our doorstep. We have been sent to minister to the world and we are to begin right here in Walnut, Iowa. By caring for those God sends to us and trusting in his providence for us and them we will see the kingdom of God on our doorstep.

Free Life

Galatians 5:1 Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you.

Anything at all? Some people would say yes. At one time I would have been one of those. I didn’t think anyone could tell me what to do, ever. Then I went to school, and then to work, and then to the U.S. Army, and then I found Linda and she agreed to spend the rest of her life with me, and then we had children, and then and then and then.

Even with all those and then’s I still think I’m free. It’s all in our perceptions of freedom. What Paul is talking about in his letter to the Galatians is being free from the Law with all its jots and tittles. Former leaders of the church in Galatia came in after Paul left and said that in order to be Christian, a follower of the Way, they had to abide by the old Jewish rules. You know washing, circumcision, eating kosher foods, etc. Paul told them they were free from all those former restrictions but to be careful. They weren’t free to do whatever they wanted or they might destroy their freedom. So, were they really free?

Paul came back to what Jesus answered when he was asked what the most important commandments were. He said, “…Love others as you love yourself.” Sounds easy, doesn’t it.

The problem is we know it’s not so easy to love others. We can love some people some of the time and maybe, some of the time we might find it in our hearts to love all people. But we find it extremely difficult to love everyone all the time.

I don’t think there are many people who are truly free like Paul talks about. How many people do you know who are “living freely, animated and motivated by God’s Spirit? I know a few who succeed sometimes. But they are human and just like me they fall back into their old habits.

I think our problem is that we want to be in control. We think that’s what it means to be free. We want to make the decisions who we’re going to help, who we’re going to befriend, who we’re going to give food and money to. We want to free to choose and I think that’s our problem. We aren’t really trying it God’s way.

Just think what this community would be like if we did what Paul suggested. What would it be like if we acknowledged the gifts God brought into our lives, things like “affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity? What would it be like to develop a willingness to stick with things, to have a sense of compassion in our hearts, and such a conviction that there was a basic holiness throughout all things and people? Paul thinks that if we really try it God’s way that we would find ourselves in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. Wow! What kind of life would that be? What kind of freedom would we experience?

I think that if we would put our focus on the things to do rather than the things not to do we would soon find that the things of the world no longer hold an important place in our hearts. That’s what I think. I think it’s worth trying.

Friends, this is really important stuff. Really important stuff! It’s so important that I believe we shouldn’t wait to repent, to change how we’re living. Really, why are we waiting? What’s the harm in trying to love others as much as we love ourselves? It’s certainly not going to hurt anything to give it a try. If people turn their backs on us then remember what Jesus told the twelve when he sent them out, “If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them. Mk 6:11”

We can only do what God allows us to do. God doesn’t force his will upon us and we can’t force our will upon those we minister to either.

Have you ever wondered whether you’re making any difference in the world when you tell others how God has made your life so much more free? Have you ever been frustrated by how no one seems to be changing? Have you ever wondered why God still asks us to tell our stories? Is anyone listening?

I only ask these questions because they pop up in my mind every so often. But then I remember that it’s not important what I think it’s all about what God is calling me to do. I’m not in control, God is. When I realize that then I’m free. My burdens and worries are gone. All I have to remember is to love others as much as I love myself.

We each have been given gifts of the Spirit like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. None of us have received all of them but we have been given the ones that complement the work God has given us to do.

You say you don’t know what gift you’ve received. Go home and ask your spouse or your friends what your gifts are, they know. Listen to them and work to cultivate those particular gifts in loving others in the only way you possibly can as a child of God.

Remember what Paul said, “25 Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives.” That means we shouldn’t just nod our heads in agreement when we hear the Word of God but we should take it to heart and change our lives to love others as we love ourselves.

Let’s try it this week. Let’s see if we can change ourselves and our world. Let’s see if we can’t live our lives more freely, animated and motivated by God’s love for us.

Thanks be to God for his amazing grace. Amen.

Where Is God Asking You to Go?

God called to Elijah and instructed him to go to Ahab and then he would send rain. I don’t think we heard everything that God told Elijah to do. When he met Ahab he told him to call all the people of Israel and meet him on Mount Carmel. Oh yeah, also invite all 450 of the prophets of Baal and Asherah to come too.

This is after Jezebel had all the prophets killed except the ones Obadiah hid in the caves. Elijah was the lone prophet left to confront the atrocities of Ahab and Jezebel.

Elijah goes into competition against 450 prophets and allows them to go first. All they had to do was get their god to light the fire on the altar where they had laid the slaughtered bull. They danced and called and cut themselves, all to no avail. Nothing happened.

Elijah rebuilt the altar of the Lord with twelve stones symbolizing the twelve tribes of Israel. The wood was arranged on the altar and then the slaughtered bull. Then Elijah had the people fill four jars with water and pour them on the meat, the wood, and the altar. They did this three times until the whole thing was drenched and the trench around the altar was filled with water.

Elijah stepped forward and prayed to God to let it be known that he was God in Israel and that he, Elijah, was his servant and had done all the things God had commanded him to do. He prayed that God would answer him so that the people would know that God was Lord and then they would turn their hearts back to God.

The fire of the Lord fell and burned up everything, the meat, the wood, the stones, the soil, and also evaporated all the water in the trench.

The people fell to the ground and worshipped God. They knew who their God was. Then Elijah commanded the people to seize the prophets of Baal and Asherah and bring them down to the Kishon Valley and slaughter them there. This they did and Jezebel was not happy. She issued her ultimatum to Elijah and so he fled into the wilderness where he was cared for by an angel of the Lord.

Elijah had really had enough and just wanted to die and get it all over with. Maybe some of us have felt that way at one time or another. We can maybe understand what Elijah desired. But God wasn’t done with him yet. And so he was fed with the food God’s angels provided for him.

He was energized by this food and so he was able to travel for 40 days and nights to Mount Horeb where he found a cave and went inside to spend the night. I think he thought he might be able to get some much needed rest. God had other plans for Elijah.

Rest wasn’t part of the plans God had for Elijah. God woke him and asked him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” Elijah gave him the whole spiel. He told him how hard he had been working for the Lord. But now he was the only one left and Jezebel was trying to do him in too.

Maybe Elijah thought then he might be able to go back and lie down and get some rest, but no, God had something else for him. He wanted him to go out on the mountain and wait for the Lord to pass by.

A hurricane wind came up and moved boulders, an earthquake came and shook the mountain, and then fire came down but God wasn’t in any of these. And Elijah hadn’t come out of the cave either.

But then there was that gentle whisper and Elijah heard it. He pulled his cloak over his face and came out of the cave. Again God asked him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Again Elijah listed all that he had been doing for the Lord. After all this where does God ask him to go? He tells him to go back the way he came and go to the desert of Damascus.

What questions has God been asking you? Has he asked you the question he asked Elijah, “What are you doing here?” Did you answer like Elijah telling Him how zealous you had been in doing the work of the Lord? Were you hiding in a cave hoping to escape from the world but God found you there? Did he ask you to come out on the mountain to be in His presence because that’s where he was?

Were you afraid to step out of the cave for fear of where God might be asking you to go or were you afraid of all the noise outside and you were just waiting for it to calm down? And when it got still did you hear him whisper your name and so then you came out. Is that what you did?

Where has God asked you to go? Where is he asking us to go? Where is God asking his Church to go? These are questions people struggle with every day. I wonder every day where God is sending me. I wonder if I am doing what he wants me to do.

I ask myself the question why has God sent me here to do this? Why am I here in this place at this particular time? Where is he going to ask me to go next? Sometimes the uncertainty of it all worries me.

The man of Gerasene who had the host of demons removed from him wanted to go with Jesus. But that wasn’t what God had planned for him. Jesus told him to stay at home. Jesus told him to stay and evangelize his friends. He was to tell them what God had done for him. God asked him to stay home. That’s not what he wanted but it’s where God wanted him.

God doesn’t put us where we want but where he needs us. We don’t get to choose. And sometimes, in fact most times, that can be pretty frightening.

So good friends, where is God asking you to go today? Are you expecting fanfare and trumpets? Are you expecting fire and wind? Fire and wind scares us and it’s usually not until it’s quiet that we come out of our caves to listen to God.

We are so very fortunate that our God is patient and waits for us to come to Him. If we would only take time to go to our quiet places on the mountain then we would hear God’s voice speaking to us. And then, friends, we would know where God is asking to go and what he desires for us to be doing. And sometimes we have to go back the way we came. And sometimes we are asked to stay home and tell our story of what God has done in our lives to our friends. Even when we would rather go to a more exotic and exciting place.

So my friends, my message for you today is to pay attention to what God is doing around you. Listen for his voice to speak to you not as you expect but as you least expect. And friends be prepared to go back the way you came, maybe doing the same things you’ve always done but this time doing them for the Lord.

Isn’t God’s grace amazing? Thanks be to God for his forgiving grace. Amen.

They Deserved What They Got

Whenever I read the story of Ahab and Naboth I can’t believe that anybody would put up with these kinds of actions. I mean how many of you would go up to your neighbor and tell them to sell you their garden just because it would be more convenient for you to gather fresh vegetables for your kitchen? Or how many of you would find people to lie about someone else to discredit them in the community so you could get their property without having to pay for it? That’s what Ahab and Jezebel did and they were brazen enough to think that they could get away with it.

Even when Elijah confronted Ahab and let him know that God wouldn’t stand for such actions it didn’t phase Ahab one bit. Apparently he didn’t believe that God could or would do what he said he’d do. Boy, was he wrong.

This time it seems as if those who deserved it got what they had coming to them. And we’re okay with that.

But what about us? Are we okay with God punishing us when we go against God’s will? How would we react if some prophet came to us and gave us the ultimatum that Elijah gave Ahab? Would we believe that God would follow through with his promise?

Something to ponder I think. We read the story of Jezebel and Ahab and we don’t believe that we could or would do anything near as bad as what they did. But are we any better than they were?

In Luke’s gospel another woman, one of not so stellar a reputation, comes in to the dining room where Jesus is seated waiting to have dinner with one of the more prominent Pharisees in town. I don’t know if she was already in the house or if she came in from the street when she found out Jesus was there. I guess it doesn’t really make any difference.

The fact is she came in where she was probably not very welcome. Can’t you just see the looks and the whispers as she came in and stood behind Jesus weeping? And then she stoops and wipes his feet that have been wet with her tears with her hair. Now the whispering is really going in earnest. Those who aren’t gossiping are thinking the same things others are saying. Why is he letting her do this? Why isn’t he stopping her? Doesn’t he know who she is? What kind of prophet is he?

Okay, so now we are filled with self-righteousness because we know that Jesus knows what everyone is saying and thinking and pretty soon he’s going to let them have it with both barrels. And we think, “Now they’re getting what they deserve.” Are we so pure? Are we really without sin?

Let’s take a look at ourselves. Let’s talk about the oil spill in the Gulf. Who’s responsible for the accident? Who’s responsible for the cleanup? Whose problem is it, British Petroleum’s, our Democratic government?

Sounds like the right answer doesn’t it? The news media would have us believe that all the blame is on BP’s shoulders. And others are blaming the Democratic government for not responding quickly enough. Or maybe it’s the Admiral who’s providing oversight of the whole mess down in the Gulf. Maybe it’s all a big conspiracy and it’s all these entities I named. The blame is all theirs. Right?

Let me ask you something. How many of us have a car or a pickup or a lawnmower or a motorcycle or a gas-powered string trimmer or something else that needs a petroleum product to operate? I’d wager that most of us have at least one of these and some of us have more than one. How many of us have air conditioners in our homes? Do any of us not have electricity in our homes or where we work?

We all have these luxuries. Of course we don’t think they’re luxuries we call them necessities. All of them use some form of power in order to make them useable for us. Most of them require some form of petroleum product or natural gas. How would our lives be different if we didn’t have gasoline or diesel or natural gas? We wouldn’t be able to hear ourselves think for all the whining if we didn’t have these things.

So, who’s responsible? It’s my belief that we are all responsible for the oil spill, the cleanup, the damage to the environment, and the lost jobs. We, and this includes me, believe that it’s our right to have all these conveniences. We couldn’t survive without them.

Friends, we are not without sin. We aren’t without blame. We are responsible and we probably shouldn’t be talking too loudly about how BP is totally to blame for this tragedy. None of us is reducing the amount that we drive or mow our lawns. Our demand for petroleum products is just as high as it’s ever been even with higher prices.

We are no different than Ahab or the Pharisee. We want all the oil we can get so we can have gas and diesel for our vehicles. We want it all and we don’t really care what’s happened in the Gulf. That’s BP’s problem not ours. They were the ones pushing their people to work harder and faster, not us. They’re the ones with deep pockets. It’s not our fault they used faulty materials. It’s not our problem.

Friends, we aren’t without blame. We are sinners. We worship other idols. We don’t accept responsibility for any of these problems. But we are responsible.

So what are we going to do? Hop in our cars and go down and join the cleanup effort? There are some who have done that and it’s some help. But is that really what’s needed?

What if, and this is a big what-if, we supported those who were working to clean up this mess? What if we let the news media know that we don’t agree with where they are placing all this blame? What if we let our governing leaders know, whether they’re Democrat or Republican, that we really want them to work together to solve this problem instead of pointing the finger at the other guy. They all are part of the problem too. What if we all worked together to make a positive difference? What if the head of BP knew that everybody didn’t place all the blame on him? Would that make a difference?

Maybe it is just one corporation’s or one political party’s fault, then shouldn’t we forgive them and work together to solve the problem and quit being so ready to have them sentenced to death or life imprison?

I think we’ve all contributed to the mess the world’s in. And we are all responsible for getting it straightened out, if it can be straightened out. But first we have to realize who’s in control. It’s not us. It’s God.

If we go to him first, begging forgiveness for the mess we’ve made of things, that’s would be a good start. Friends, it’s time we opened our eyes to the fact that we haven’t done such a good job taking care of our environment and maybe we should ask God’s help. After all he created it all. Wouldn’t he know how to make it right again?

Power corrupted Ahab. The Law or thinking that he was and could keep every one of God’s laws corrupted the Pharisee. They neither one believed they needed forgiveness or absolution. They never did any wrong.

Neither was justified in their thinking. Paul said, “…we are justified by faith in Christ, and not by doing the works of the law…” We aren’t any different. We aren’t justified by what we think is right or wrong. We are only made right by the sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross.

It’s time we came to that realization and maybe get down on our knees and beg for God’s forgiving grace. The wonder of it all is God will forgive us. He has forgiven us. His grace is amazing.

Even with this big mess we’ve made of our world if we go to him he will forgive us.

Thanks be to God for his amazing grace. Amen.