God can use anyone!

Ever feel insecure?  Just don’t measure up to the next person?

Have you ever met someone that seems to have it all together?  Wakes up at the crack of dawn to pray for hours, spews scripture like nobody’s business, serves the community, never gets tired, never gets sick, never fights with their spouse, never selfish, never has doubts?  Ugh!

Well, I am definitely not that person! 

But when I read the Word of God, here is what I find encouraging: 

The word of the Lord came to me, saying,

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
    before you were born I set you apart;
    I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

“Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.”

But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.  —Jer. 1:4-8

You know what I love about this?  In these verses God doesn’t just give Jeremiah a pep talk, like ‘You can do it, you can do it!, Go Jerry!” But in these verses God acknowledges that Jeremiah is inadequate, He knows all about Jeremiah. After all, God created him (v.5).  It’s as though God is saying “so what if you are inadequate, listen up - I AM not, so stop making excuses - let go of the baggage - and trust me!”

If you take a read through the Bible, you will discover that God used a great number of individuals who were unworthy, and inadequate to accomplish amazing things! 

• Noah was a drunk! (Genesis 9:21)

• Abraham thought he was too old! (Genesis 17:17)

• Isaac was a liar, just like his Dad! (Genesis 26:7, 20:2)

• Jacob was a liar & a schemer! (Genesis 27:19 and many more!)

• Leah was plain (ugly?)! (Genesis 29:17)

• Joseph was abused! (Genesis 37:18f and many more!)

• Moses had a speach problem! (Exodus 4:10)

• Gideon was afraid! (Judges 6:27)

• Samson had long hair and was a womanizer! (Judges 16:17, 14:2, 16:1)

• Rahab was a prostitute! (Joshua 2:1, 6:17)

• Jeremiah and Timothy were too young! (Jeremiah 1:6, 1 Timothy 4:12)

• David was an adulterer and a murderer! (2 Samuel 12:9)

• Elijah was suicidal! (1 Kings 19:4)

• Isaiah preached naked! (Isaiah 20:2-3)

• Jonah ran from God! (Jonah 1:3)

• Naomi was a bitter widow! (Ruth 1:20)

• Job went bankrupt! (Job 1:13-19)

• Peter denied Christ! (Matthew 26:69-74)

• The Disciples fell asleep while praying! (Matthew 26:40-43)

• Martha worried about everything! (Luke 10:40-41)

• The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once! (John 4:18)

• Zaccheus was too small! (Luke 19:3)

• Paul was too religious! (Philippians 3:4-6)

• Timothy had an ulcer! (1 Timothy 5:23) AND

• Lazarus was dead! (John 11:1-44)

God was able to use all of these people for His plan and His purposes.  What I love is that we don’t have to be perfect for God to use us.  We just have to trust that God is perfect and has a plan for our lives. 

Easter's over, now what?

After Easter, now what?

Granted this Easter, not unlike Easter 2020 looked different. For those of us who typically spend almost all of Holy Week in the Church building, it was again different than years past. I missed the grandeur of Holy Week, the setting up and creating of an experiential Good Friday service. I missed the music of Easter Sunday morning. 

These Covid days have a tendency of blurring into one another and unless you have little children around anxiously awaiting the Easter Bunny, you may have found yourself saying, “Oh right, it’s Easter”. 

My prayer has been that even though we were unable to gather in person, that you were still able to stop, reflect and celebrate.  Now that Easter has passed, my prayer for you is that you will remember that Jesus lives in the everyday, and every day we are invited into His presence. 

After the eggs are cracked and egg salad sandwiches consumed, after the little foil wrappers from the chocolate eggs are picked up off the floor and table tops and thrown away, after the bunny decorations are packed up… it’s easy to put “Easter” away until next year.  

But Jesus says, “I am always with you.”

That means that Jesus is with us as we are pumping gas or at the dentist. Jesus is with us if we are worried about test results, or anxious about our online presentation. Jesus is with us when we lose our temper or when we feel like all that we do goes unrecognized.

Jesus says, “I am always with you.”

There is a story in the Bible of two men walking to Emmaus. Jesus joins them on their journey, but the two men didn’t recognize Him. They were chatting away, telling Jesus all that had happened to Him, and they didn’t even know it was Him. Jesus was right there next to them.  He was right there all along and they didn’t see Him.  How often do we do the same?

As you journey through the next days, weeks and months after Easter, remember that the Easter message was never intended to be a one-Sunday-a-year event.  We are to live out the message of the good news that Jesus was indeed crucified, buried and He rose again on the third day with all power and glory. 

Remember today, no matter what circumstance you find yourself in, Jesus says, “I am always with you.”

Easter Blessings!

This past week I received an email from a dear friend and congregant who said,

“Having a wonderful Easter feeling weekend after the drive thru yesterday and watching this week's church service. So much talent and work was involved.  It was fabulous!  Yesterday, seeing Church people live and in person gave me such a lift. You must be very proud of Amberlea. We are so fortunate to be members. Looking forward to the rest of the services this week.”

Yes, yes, yes!  It was an amazing weekend pointing us to the Greatest Story ever told about the Greatest Show!  Where God showed us in no uncertain terms God’s power over death, and the love of the Father revealed in His Son.  The work that has been done for you and me.  Hallelujah!

This is Holy Week and I hope that you will join me on Maundy Thursday (April 1) for a special Communion Service. Let’s recreate the Upper Room, the place where Jesus shared the Last Supper with his friends. Friends, who one by one betrayed him. 

Then on Good Friday (April 2) let’s gather to remember and reflect.  But beloveds, 

“Weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning!”  (Psalm 30:5). 

So, join us on Easter Sunday Morning (April 4) as we celebrate the Risen Christ!

This will be our second Easter a part, and for me it will be hard. I miss the energy, the sound of raised voices praising God, your responsive faces, not to mention your hugs. The novelty of virtually everything “virtual” has worn thin for many of us. BUT GOD.  We have learned that Church is not the building. The church is you and me. And even though we miss being in Community we continue to be a part from one another because our love and care for each other runs deeper.  We are Easter people!

So, this Easter: 

We sing because we love God. 

We rejoice because we know that God is still on the throne. 

We worship because God loved us first.

We will praise before we see the miracle because we Trust God in all of it!

Easter Blessings!