World Changer

"This will be a sign for you; you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth lying in a manger" (Luke2:12)


  The headline on Twitter read: " UFC Champion Ronda Rousey named as a person who will change the world" For those not in the know, UFC stands for the Ultimate Fighting Challenge". It is the premier organization that oversees Mixed Martial Art competitions.  For those further not in the know Mixed Martial Arts consists of striking and grappling techniques. One can win by being ahead on pints or a knockout just like boxing, or if ones opponent submits and taps out (either tapping their opponent or the ground several times).

   And Ronda Rousey is at the top of the heap. She is the first women's champion. She is undefeated in her fights.  Her mother was a champion competitor in Judo. Rousey herself is not only a national champion in Judo but also won a bronze medal in the 2008 Summer Olympics. She was one of, if not the first, US Woman to medal in the sport.

  When you are first in a sport, and can maintain a high level of success fame and fortune come your way.  That's just how it is. Ms. Rousey enjoys lucrative endorsement deals, appeared as a coach in a popular television show and will be in a movie this coming summer.

  And I certainly wish her all the best. She is an entertaining fighter.  I like to watch her fight. But world changer? I suppose you can make a case that she has opened a path way for other women in her sport. But world  changer?  I wondered how someone who fights for a living and bread and butter move is to bend other people's arms into unnatural positions can change the world. It makes me wonder if  we have either lifted the power of athletes and athletics to a too high position or if we have lowered the bar of what it would take to truly change the world.  Probably a little bit of both.

     We have a tendency to believe those who are famous have some sort of mysterious power to actually effect and change the world around us.  Many years ago it was fairly common to see movie stars address congress because they had played a certain role in a movie. If a move dealt with  an issue congress was debating you could rest assured that the star would be there to testify.  Of course it's absurd, but hardly anyone batted an eye Why? They are famous therefore they can change the world. And we certainly do this with athletes as well.

  I also think we have lowered the bar as to what it means to change the world.  Almost any technology that comes out is touted as something that will revolutionize and change the world (Segway anyone?).  I don't question that much technology has changed the way we do certain things in the world. But has it really changed the world?  We haven't even begun to look at if those changes are good or bad.

     The problem of course is that  while people and things can change a part of the world, people fall out of popularity and some day pass away. every technological advance becomes old and useless at some point. And yet we still seem to have a hope that the world can change.  We have a dream that eh world can be different. Where will we find someone who truly changes the world?

  We find Him, oddly enough in a manger over 200 years ago. There in that dirty stall the Incarnation was witnessed. God laid aside His heavenly glory and was born into the world. Jesus of Nazareth. The Messiah, the Christ, The Son of God. The Lamb who would take away the sin of the world.  He would receive no lucrative endorsement deal and would be abandoned by his friends a few short hours before His crucifixion.  His death destroyed the power of sin His resurrection that first Easter morning destroyed the power of death.  Anyone with a relationship with Jesus can live a life free from the power of sin and the fear and power of death.  That's world changing.

  But consider how small it began. Oh momentous to us as Christians. But the birth of Jesus went unnoticed by those who lived in Rome.  Why most of the good people of Bethlehem missed it as well. While we get caught up in what happens on Good Friday, I doubt many beyond Jerusalem and Judea took notice when Jesus was crucified.  The Romans crucified a lot of people.

  Its a good reminder that When God sets out to change the world, its not always noticeable by the powers that be.  Its not usually done by those in power or by the celebrities of the day.  And yet God sues them to change the world every day as he continues His work of redeeming our world. Who are the world changers today? Not the star athlete, but the volunteer who gave up four hours on a Saturday night to ring bells for the Salvation Army. Its eh child who buys an extra toy to give to a toy drive. Its the parent who read a Bible Story to their children last night.  It's that dear saint who has taught Sunday School for the past thirty years and never had a class of more than five kids. It's the wife who prays for her husband's salvation. Its the husband praying for his wife as she leaves for deployment over seas to serve her country.

  Every day you and I have the opportunity to change the world. Everyday we are given a chance to share the incarnation of Jesus with someone. Please don't pass them by because you think either the gesture is too small, or you are too small in the grand scheme of things.  If Christmas teaches us Scythian it teaches us that God often changes the world through the smallest moments.

In Christ,

Rev. Dr. Brian Jones <><

A prayer for the beginning of Advent

This beautiful prayer comes to us from the Society of St. Andrew, an ecumenical organization dedicated to eradicating hunger, in the United States and worldwide. Lord, come to us.

Read Isaiah 9:1-7

We pray together: 

Loving and compassionate God, I pray today, anticipating your coming again into the world as a child in Bethlehem’s manger. I seek you. I need you in so many ways in my life. Lord, come to us.

I think of areas of strife in this world, and I look for your coming as Messiah, ushering in a new kingdom, where your love will reign supreme; a new kingdom, where there will be no war, fighting, or injustice; a new kingdom, where all people will know your love. Lord, come to us.

I think of people I know who feel far from you this day, and I look for your coming as Savior, rescuing them (and me) from worry, loneliness, desperation, sadness, sin, and fear; giving them (and me) faith, courage, and hope. Lord, come to us.

I think of those needing certainty and direction in their lives, and I look for your coming as King, establishing law, tempered with justice and love. I look for your coming as Lord, focusing their searching and bringing them under your care. Lord, come to us.

I remember the children of the world who so need role models, and I look for your coming as Son of God, showing them (and me) daily what you are like, and how they (and I) may live obediently and do your will. Lord, come to us.

I remember those dear to me, suffering this day in body or in spirit, and I look for your coming as Son of Man, suffering alongside and willingly giving your life for them. I look for your coming as Miracle Worker, touching broken lives and bodies, making them whole once again. Lord, come to us.

Gracious and glorious God of many names, I need you breaking into my life again, reminding me of promises made and promises fulfilled. Be born in and through me in this Advent season as I seek your will. Lord, come to us.

In the name of the Savior who was and is and is to come, I pray: Lord, come to us. Amen.

_________________________________________________________________

 You may wish to feed your spiritual hunger during the weeks leading up to Christmas with these daily devotions from Society of St. Andrew. Subscribe here. May God’s light shine brightly through you in this holy season.

The Longest Season

"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors" (Luke 2:13-14)


    The Christmas Season has become almost as long as the Hockey Season.  It seems like we just finished up last Christmas, (or at least got the Christmas bills paid) and it's on us again.  Now it may be that some of that is simply perceptual and  time just seems to fly by in life.  But as I look around I'm not so sure.

  Our retails stores begin celebrating Christmas mid summer with Christmas in July. Then the displays begin to crop up late September, to early October.  Macy's tells us the Christmas Season officially begins when Santa is sen in his sleigh during the Thanksgiving Day Parade. Which says something about our culture in the United States when we allow a department store to dictate to us when the Christmas season beings.

  And we buy into it. We've moved from Black Friday to Thanksgiving evening with the early Christmas sales.  Millions of people leaving their  families, shaking off the tryptophan stupor in order to get the good discounts. There were this year, as there are every year reports of peel tramping one another fist fights and this year the introduction of pepper spray. can you imagine trying to by a sweater and some sweet looking octogenarian pepper sprays you because she is planing on buying that sweater for her granddaughter/ It happens.

  The television stations get in on the act as well. First came the "25 Days Of Christmas", a  modern day prepacked Advent calendar of cartoon, movie and Christmas specials.  But apparently that's not enough.  This year they  had a 25 day countdown to the 25 days of Christmas.  It's only time before ted Turner has a 365 days of Christmas which will begin with a 24/7 showing of the Christmas Story every day for six months straight.

  If we were to look at the world we would have the impression Christmas is about buying and giving presents and the more we buy and give the better. It's about the Grinch, The Kranks skipping Christmas, the Griswold's incredible light display, and a hundred just awful Hallmark Christmas movies that tell us  Christmas is about snow , lost love found, happy children and curmudgeonly old men. All who somehow discover the "meaning of Christmas"

  If we were to believe the world the meaning of Christmas lies in presents, crowded malls, rude drivers in the parking lot. its about taking your lights outside while bringing a tree inside your house. its about a green monster who has tries to steal Christmas by taking stuff but realizes you just can't squelch that darn Who-ville Christmas spirit.

  Please don't get me wrong. I like presents, both receiving and giving.  I like Christmas lights and Christmas cookies, Charlie Brown's little tree and the Grinch's too small heart.  I'm just suggesting that these things alone are not the way I want to begin the Christmas season.

  Rather I prefer what happened in millions of churches across the globe this past Sunday.  Someone, a pastor, a child, a family, lit a candle for the first Sunday of Advent. Just that just one candle. Oh there may have been a devotion or a Scripture read. it may have been an object lesson in a Children's Message. But it was just one small candle.

   That candle reminds me of the birth of Jesus. So easy to miss in the hustle and bustle of Bethlehem. And really what's the big deal? Just one more poor young mother having a baby in less than ideal circumstances. But in that moment in the darkness of the world the small cry of a baby shouted to the world the light of the world had come. He who would free us form sin, shatter the power of death, and  break the gates of Hell had been born.

  It's that one light that gives me hope. Not the shopping, the crowds, the tinsel or wreath. But the light of Christ being born in my heart again in-this season.   I hope if you have been in a dark place lately you will allow the light of Jesus into your heart and world. Because that, indeed is something to celebrate all year round.

In Christ,
Rev. Dr. Brian Jones <><

Single Minded

"Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do." (James 1:8)

  I want to offer my apologies to Mayor Rob Ford.   If you have somehow missed the Rob Ford phenomena, you can look up the current mayor of Toronto on any web browser. There will be plenty of articles and video clips of his antics.  If you do view any of the videos, I would encourage you to make sure the little ones are out of the room.  And probably your Grandmother. And pretty much everyone else. In fact maybe just don't watch the videos at all.

  The Mayor has, in the past few weeks, admitted he smoked crack cocaine, but was probably in a drunken stupor when he did it, been accused of making sexually aggressive remarks to women (which he denied by making a crass and sexually aggressive comment about his wife) gotten in shoving matches, and last week knocked down a 60 year old woman.  Which to him wasn't that big a deal because "I picked her back up."

   I mentioned him in this past weeks sermon.  I brought up the fact that despite all of these things happening, Ford remains fairly unrepentant about his actions and sees no reason as to why he should step down from being the Mayor of Toronto.   He feels he is doing a good job, and his private persona should have no bearing on his public persona.  I mentioned that he probably has a different definition of what it means to be good and effective than many of us do.

  And I don't apologize for what was said.  But I do apologize for making it seem as if Ford is a singular case.  The truth is many of us, perhaps even the majority of people live as Ford does. Hopefully no in a drunken, crack riddled stupor. But many people live two separate lives. There is the life we allow the world to see and the inner life that we hide from everyone.  There is the person we are in front of the world and the person we are when no one sees us.

   We appear one way to the world. good upstanding, kind people. But inside we are ravaged by sinful thoughts, and actions. We say one thing and we do another. There is the person we would like to be, or at least the person we hope everyone thinks we are, and the person we truly are.  At best we hope to keep them in some sort of balanced stasis.

  It would be easy, I suppose to simply say we are hypocrites. but I'm not sure that's a fair labeling.  Most of us truly want to be that good person. We want tobe holy. We don't wish to be controlled by our sins.  We don't like the fact we are dishonest and often selfish and self centered.

  Such a person is, as James says double minded.  The word originally used here could be defined as having two minds or even two souls. I think that hits it pretty well. Ever feel as if you are of two minds. or even two souls? The person you want to be wrestles with the person you don't want to be? How many times have we echoed Paul's anguish from Romans 7 "I do the things I don't want to do, and do the things I don't want to do"? I see no hypocrisy in Paul statement. He truly wants to be good.  But he finds himself unable to do it.

  So if we are all like this, is it that big of a deal? Frankly, yes it is.  Look again at what James says. A person who is of two minds (or souls) is unstable.  Remember when we talk about having that stasis, where we try to keep thw two persons we are balanced? James reminds us we can't do it.  It just doesn't take much to tip us out of balance. And we find yourselves back where we were. We are not nearly as balanced as we think.

  But more importantly it's accepting less than what God wants for us.  When we read Jesus' sermon on the Mount He gives us a great promise that we don't have to live a life of two minds.  We can live with a consistency of inward and outward holiness. We can, in short, live a life of consistency.

  In this day and age I can think of no greater witness to the truth of the claims of the Gospel than living a life so different from everyone else. Not in a "holier than thou" attitude, but living a life so full of God's love and grace that we are of one mind, the mind of Christ.  The church needs a better message than simply "I'm not perfect just forgiven". The world longs for a witness of personal holiness where the church, in all joy and Milty, lives out a consistent faith in the midst of the world.

  The truth of this first warmed my heart to our Wesleyan theological heritage.  It was Wesley's emphasis on a personal holiness that could change the world around us that captured the hearts of the people of Great Britain. It was this promise ,and the evidence of it lived out, that swept like a wildfire though early America. And it is an emphasis on such a life that could capture us again.  Open minds and open hearts makes for a nice advertising campaign. One mind and heart, the mind and heart of Jesus living within us could change the world.

In Christ,
Rev. Dr. Brian Jones <><

Subcontracting The Church

1 Peter 2:5  You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be  a holy priesthood,  to offer spiritual sacrifices  acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Being a part of a church building program is equal parts joy, excitement, exasperation and stress.   The joy and excitement comes from the fact you are building. You are doing something new. And you are probably doing it because the church is growing.  That's always exciting.

  

But of course new things also cause stress. And if you have ever been a part of a building project you know how hard it can be.  If not, simply take your issues and stress from building or renovating your home and magnify them a hundred times or so. 

I've heard that in 2 years after a building program is completed the pastor usually has to move. I don't know how accurate that is, but it wouldn't surprise me.  Working with different groups., trying to tie everyone together, articulating the vision, trying to figure out how it's all going to be paid for, filtering a hundred voices who have better ideas or complaints is a daily occurrence. And that's tacked on to your daily ministerial duties.

As Rosanne Rosannadanna said "It's always something."  I clearly remember driving into the church parking lot during a church build.  I noticed an odd metal column sticking out of the top of the church.  When I asked the senior minister what it was, he said, in a very glum voice "Its the shaft of the elevator to the second floor."  I pointed out to him that the church had decided not to build the second floor so the elevator would go nowhere. He said, "I know.  But someone failed to let the subcontractor know the plans had changed."

That's the danger when you subcontract a project out. You may no be assured of the working on the same blueprints your build is not going to go well.  This is a rule do thumb that not only works for the building of a church structure, but in the building of the church universal made of of, as Peter says, "the living stones" of the Body of Christ."

One of the current trends I'm seeing in the church in the United States today is the tendency to subcontract our faith away from the local church.  Many Christians are members of a local church and that's where they do their Sunday morning worship. But they subcontract their youth's spiritual formation to local parachurch fellowship groups that have no local church affiliation.  They subcontract out their own discipleship not to small groups in the church  but to small groups or bible studies made up of  people of various faith backgrounds and experiences. We subcontract out or missions to local charities often with a donation given at work.

Before I continue, let me be clear I am NOT anti-bible study or small group or youth fellowship that have no local church affiliation.  It's fine if you wish to participate.  Nor is this a plea to have the local church have control over your life. But I do have a concern if this is the steady diet of one's discipleship.  There are some dangers in the subcontracting of our faith we need to take into account.

1)  Theology matters. Reformed, Catholic, Calvinist and Wesleyan-Armenian, all Christian theologies have  certain accents and emphasis. What one believes and why they believe it affects our daily life and our world view more than you might think.  If you get a United Methodist perspective on Sunday, and a completely opposite view or belief on Monday night, what is one to believe?  

2) A loss of our theological distinctives and heritage. This is sort of a subset for #1.  But most United Methodists can't tell you what the distinctives of their faith are.  Yes, sometimes that's our fault as the local church. But for many, it's a result of subcontracting our their faith.  It does your local church no good to have a class on UM beliefs if you don't attend because you are getting your Bible Study elsewhere.

3) Many will argue that it's good to be exposed to various viewpoints and theologies.  I won't disagree. But I wonder if this is actually happening.  For the most part, we tend to surround ourselves with people who look like us and act like us and have the same thoughts, values and demographics While the church certainly can appear segregated, this is much worse in small parachurch groups.  You tend to get together with people who are just like you.  Again, I'm not saying we should never be a part of these groups but, if it's your steady diet, what will happen? In the church we see a much larger spectrum of backgrounds, demographics, etc. 

4) When it's uncomfortable, there is no reason to stay. It's small group. You are there voluntarily. If you don't like it, you don't have to come. If someone makes you angry or hurts your feelings, you can leave, or tell them off and then leave. We don't have that option in the church. We are a family.  We may disagree, and maybe even tell one another off. But we also have to worship together, send our children to children's choir together. We actually have to practice what we preach about love and forgiveness. 

5.)  We pass on our subcontracting behavior to our youth and children. If you think this is difficult for adults, it's much more difficult for our youth. They haven't formed a strong faith based world view yet. Getting twenty different views is even more difficult for them.  All we mentioned before is magnified for them: the cliquishness, the ability to walk away. And do any of us really believe if our youth aren't guided to be a part of a church Sunday School or youth group that, when they become adults, it will simply magically happen? There is a reason why Proverbs tells us to "train up a child in the way they should go." (Proverbs 22:6)

6) The perpetuation of a consumer mentality. Again you are drawn to what you like, or your kids like. And, if they or you don't like it, you leave and look for something else.  The church teaches us it's not always about our needs. Sometimes we are a part of things because it benefits others -- or we do it to please God. It doesn't always have to be about us. And if our needs aren't being met in the local church, at some point shouldn't we ask why not?  How can I help my church reach more people, or touch more lives, rather than look elsewhere?

I realize this blog post may run the risk of looking too inward, or whining and complaining about "outside" groups. And that's okay. It's not my intention. My hope is that, at the very least, we will take  a serious look at how our spiritual formation takes place. That we should first look to Christ's established institution, the church, before we look outside. So that, in the end, we, and the future generations of the church, aren't buildings with elevators that go nowhere.

In Christ,

Rev. Dr. Brian Jones <><

You Got To Serve Somebody

He replied, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!" (John 9:25)


OK, let's admit it. There are times when you are in line at the supermarket and you glance over at the tabloids.  I'm not saying you buy them, or even pick them up to read. But you glance at the cover. You probably chuckle at the headlines "Mutant Bat Baby found in the Ozarks."

We chuckle at these, shake our heads, and go on.  We don't really believe them.  They are beyond the realm of reality. I can remember being in line with my mother 40 years ago and they were trying to catch the Bat Baby then. Even given a different rate of maturity, surely the Mutant Bat baby would have reached some sort of Bat pubescence by now.  My thought process on this has probably gone much farther than yours. Why? Because we know one cannot believe the things we see on these tabloid fronts.  And, while amusing, we don't read them, even if we want to.

Which is what makes the Internet so convenient. We can, in the privacy of our own homes, read all sorts of fantastic statements purporting to be true. And, for some odd reason, because they come to us in an email, or on a website, we are willing to believe them. Of course most of them end up being no more true than the bat baby.  But every now and then one of those bizarre stories ends up being true.

I was sent this article the other day, stating there is an Atheist MegaChurch out there. Yep, a large church for people to gather and worship who don't believe in God.   Here is the link:
 http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ATHEIST_MEGACHURCH?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-11-10-17-03-15

When I first read it, it seemed to belong in the bat baby realm. Really? A church full of people who don't believe in God?  At best I thought it a joke, a way to poke fun at the church. And maybe it started out that way. But if you read the article, it's clear the people are sincere in what they do.

I don't want to spend time today talking about atheist vs. Christian. Rather than look at what they are doing, it may be more helpful to ask ourselves why are they doing it?  Why would a group of people who don't believe in God  gather like this?

If we are to believe the Scriptures it makes perfect sense why they do this. We have been created by God for worship.  It's a part of our spiritual DNA. We were created to worship and give God glory.  And it doesn't mater whether we believe in God or not, that need will manifest itself somehow.  Every human will find something to worship. For we Christians it's in the Triune God. For the atheist it's themselves, or humanity,  or some personal moral code.  SO if we were made by a God who is from eternity in community (The Trinity) and made to worship, isn't it the most natural thing for us to wish to gather together and look to something beyond ourselves to help us make sense of the world?

So how then are we more right then they are? We could give a lot of logical arguments as to why we believe in Jesus over a "moral code" or humanism.  But to me the best argument is the argument of  the blind man in our Scripture. Jesus heals the man and when questioned by the Pharisees, the man's answer is in essence this: "Here's all I know. I was blind and now I see. I believe because Jesus changed me."

That's why I worship Jesus. Beyond the logic and reason, such as what we find in C. S. Lewis's "Mere Christianity," I believe because I am different than I was before I met Jesus. My life took a different path. And, while not yet perfect, I have more love than I did before I met Him. I have been changed in my mind and heart in ways I would never have accomplish on my own.

But let's not yet be to harsh on the atheists. At times we have more in common with them then we care to admit.  Sometimes even good church goers forget who they are supposed to worship. We come to church on Sunday. But we worship money, or power or fame. We worship youth or we worship lust.  We worship things and heaven help us at times we worship ourselves. Where we attend church may not be the best indicator of who holds our heart.

Who do you have more in common with, the atheist, or the man given his sight?  Bob Dylan was right when he sang "You Got To Serve Somebody." Everyone is created with a need for worship. Will you worship the things that are empty and will pass away, or worship the One who is eternal? As for me, I choose to worship the One who has changed me and continues to change me. What are you going to do?

  In Christ,
Rev. Dr. Brian Jones <><

Eyes Everywhere

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,let us lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us." (Hebrews 12:1)

"I Always Feel Like Somebody's Watching Me" (Rockwell)

For those of you who remember this song from the '80's or its incessant playing on MTV I apologize that it's now running through your head. A couple of disclaimers. First, to the younger generation, let me explain that at one time MTV played music videos instead of awful reality shows about people showing you how awful they were. Secondly if you don't know the song, be thankful. I pulled it up on Spotify while writing this in order to make sure I remembered it correctly. I did. And there is little wonder why people make fun of the 80's.

But for all of that, who knew that Rockwell, whatever his musical issues, would be something of a prophetic voice? There can be little doubt that many of us could be singing this song today.  If you follow the news you know there is a report of the government always watching someone one, or everyone, or almost no one, depending on who you wish to believe.
 
But this blog isn't intended to point fingers.  Because, truth be told, we might as well say "join the club."  I mean, is there anyone who isn't watching us today? Our grocery stores watch our purchases to help their marketing and send you coupons for things you just happened to be running low on. Our gas stations watch our purchases as well. Facebook and Twitter watch us in order to show us ads of things they think will interest us or people we might wish to follow based on past trends. Netflix makes suggestions of movies we might like based on what we have previously watched.  Just this morning I received an email from Spotify making music suggestions based on what I've listened to recently.  Which of course means I'll be receiving suggestions for Cameo and Was (Not Was) based on my Rockwell excursion a few moments ago. I wonder, if that song were to be played today, would it be "I Always Feel Like Everyone's Watching Me?"

But perhaps being watched isn't such a bad thing.  In our Scripture above, the Author of Hebrews says we are being watched, always being watched, by a great cloud of witnesses. Who are these witnesses? The author ties this to the 11th Chapter of Hebrews which list the great heroes of the faith. Moses, Abraham, Gideon, Samson, David and Samuel.  They are watching you.  These witnesses surround you. Pretty intimidating if you think about it.

But the writer isn't done. He adds to the list those martyred for their faith.  If we look around, we will see Bonehoeffer, Jim Elliott, Hundreds of pastors in China, We see  Latimer, Polycarp. We see the aged and the young who died in the Coliseum for refusing to recant their faith.

Beyond them we can see the other Saints. The saints from your life. Your pastors from your youth who are in Heaven. Your third grade Sunday School teacher who taught you that Jesus loves you. The volunteer at VBS who made sure you could recite John 3:16. Your Youth pastor who led you to the Lord. Your grandmother who gave you your first Bible with a carefully written note on the fly leaf. Your Dad who never failed to pray for you every night before he went to sleep.

Maybe I missed your saints and witnesses. But you have them. They are those who told you of Jesus and lived out a live of faith until God called them to go onto the Great Adventure of Heaven.  And they are all there watching you.

At times, when I read this Scripture, it disquiets me. It even disturbs me a little bit. There are days, more than I care to mention, when I feel as if I have failed that great cloud of  witnesses.  They have passed on to me a great treasure of faith that I didn't take care of that day. They have seen me at my worst. Think for a moment about your most recent sins. Can you imagine that Paul, John and John Wesley saw that? Let alone your Nanna?

If that's you today, I want you to go back and look at the full verse. Very often we stop reading after "the great cloud of witnesses."  When you read this verse in whole, the author sees the great cloud of witnesses, these Saints, not looking in judgement, but cheering you on.  They are not judges but your cheering section. Have you ever seen the footage at the end of a marathon? Or perhaps you've run one yourself.  All those people cheering you on, telling you not to give up. Words of encouragement. Don't give up. That's what those saints are doing. Let go of your sin. Embrace God's holiness.  We know you're tired but don't give up. Keep running.

I hope you hear those voices today. Maybe you've stumbled in your race. Maybe the goal of a Christ-like life seems too far away. Maybe you've been running with a heavy burden.  Please know you are not alone. The great cloud of witness are cheering you on.  Those saints who God put across your path are still cheering you on. And the loudest voice of all is at the Finish Line. He has His arms spread wide and waits to put those nail-scarred hands on your shoulders and say "Well done my good and faithful servant. Come and Join the Saints."

I, for one, am glad they are cheering us on. Listen to their voices this morning. Let's keep running the race that is set before us. We aren't alone. There is a Great Cloud Of Witnesses.

In Christ,
Dr. Brian Jones <><