In his dystopian novel titled “1984,” George Orwell wrote: “The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.” Within just the last few days, I’ve seen lots of people using this quote as descriptive of what they’re observing of 2024 instead. Regardless of political persuasion, I think that we can all agree that the truth – particularly in the public square – is getting harder and harder to find. We find this unsettling, but I’m writing today to cheer you up, and to cheer you on.

In what’s perhaps the lowest point in his nation’s history, as it’s recorded for us in Ezekiel 47, the Lord gives the prophet an incredible vision. From the temple itself – constructed entirely on dry ground – a river is flowing! The vision is good news during a season of bad news. You may remember that there were a lot of sins, and a lot of unwise and tragic mistakes, that had landed God’s people in the mess they were in. They had rebelled against the God who claimed them as His own. God had given them the patriarchs. God had delivered them from the chains of slavery, by way of a great miracle that still served as the centerpiece of their shared history and identity. God had provided for them wondrously throughout their desert wanderings. God had established them as a nation. God had given them judges and kings. And God had never been less than absolutely faithful to them at every point along the way.

Now they’re divided and powerless and overtaken by their enemies. Their worship is corrupted. Their capital city has been invaded. Their temple is destroyed. They’re exiled and lost, in nearly every way that people can be lost. So God’s people are wrestling with reality. “How could we have landed here?” “How could God allow all of this to happen?” “Will we ever again know the favor of the Lord?” And, at this point in history, their problems have lingered for years.

Into all of that spiritual, social, moral, and political chaos, God speaks a fresh vision of hope! “Then he brought me back to the door of the temple, and behold, water was issuing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east …” (Ezekiel 47:1). What happens in the vision is nothing short of staggering. As Ezekiel moves “south of the altar” and “around on the outside to the outer gate,” the water continues to flow. At first, it’s just a trickle, but the farther away that Ezekiel moves, the more water he encounters. The Bible’s description moves from “ankle-deep” to “knee-deep” to “waist deep.” It’s fascinating. Finally, the river is so deep that Ezekiel can swim in it! Stunned Ezekiel is asked, “Have you seen this?”

My question is, “Have we seen this?” Every detail in the vision points to what only God can do: in us, for us, among us, and through us. And, I might add, in spite of us. What’s described is a river of living water. It starts in the temple. It starts in the place where God is worshipped. It starts in His people’s sacred space. It starts unnoticeably small. But small is only the beginning.

In the good Providence of our God, a tiny trickle of water … a mere teardrop from a place of humble prayer and sacrifice … grows into a stream … and then a river. And, where the river enters the sea – where the waters are stagnant and lifeless – the river makes the waters fresh! Such is the incomparable power of this living water. “When the water flows into the sea, the water will become fresh. And wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish. For this water goes there, that the waters of the sea may become fresh; so that everything will live where the river goes. Fishermen will stand beside the sea … And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary” (Ezekiel 47:8-12).

“Everything will live where the river goes.”

I don’t know about you, but I find this vision exceptionally promising. Even amidst all the trouble in which the U.S.A. finds itself, the Church has bona fide reason to set our hopes on the Giver of Life! Think about it. God wants us to see and to acknowledge that only He can bring life to a desert. In a culture and community with skeptics on every corner, where many of our neighbors mock our God, that’s where the Lord – through us – does His best work. We must trust Him. We must lean on Him. We must look to Him for the life of the Spirit. We celebrate an autumn harvest of crops, but what’s described here is a soul-harvest in every season. Nonstop! Jesus says to us, “Lift up your eyes and see that the fields are white for harvest” (John 4:35).

God gives Ezekiel – and ultimately us – a vision of a river so powerful that it can transform the landlocked Dead Sea. By way of reminder, the Dead Sea is aptly named. It’s dead. The Jordan flows into it, and nothing flows out of it. But our faithful God looks at a place like that and says, “Perfect! That’s where I’ll make a river of living water. That’s where I’ll bring life.” Surely, friends, we – individually or collectively – are not up against anything that our God can’t handle.

“Everything will live where the river goes.”

This vision represents a major turning point in the metanarrative of human history and in the grand story of our salvation in Christ. Among other important things, it’s a vision of the good news of the gospel. By Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, God brings us from death to life! The prophet has lived through a quarter of a century of his nation’s failure, a failure which broke his heart. But God gives Ezekiel a vision of a coming grace so amazing that it will overcome every obstacle in its path.

Why do I make that claim? Because of the New Testament. At least three times in his Gospel, the apostle John points us back to Ezekiel 47. With the beloved woman at the well, we discover – in the words of our Lord Jesus – God’s unmistakable promise of living water: “Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14). Later, as the Cross was approaching – during the Feast of Tabernacles – Jesus “stood up and cried out, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”’ Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive …” (John 7:37-39). And, in the famous Passion account, when the soldiers pierced Christ’s side, we’re reminded that blood and water flowed (John 19:34).

“Everything will live where the river goes.”

In nearly every direction that we look today, we see evidence of what our Lord described as the “sinking sand” of spiritual lostness (Matthew 7:26-27). This may not be our lowest point, culturally or spiritually, but I think you agree that revival and renewal are desperately needed among God’s people. The challenges before us are significant, and perhaps overwhelming.

But we must not lose heart. Instead, it’s time to get to work! You and I must re-dig the wells of timeless truth so that spiritual refreshment can flow (see also Jeremiah 2:11-13). You and I must unstop the vital springs of faith that have been clogged by our neglect and worldliness. You and I must come to a new place of prayer and sacrifice. When is the last time that we sat in God’s presence long enough to know what He’s calling us to do in this fallen world?

May God visit us with a fresh and exhilarating vision of what it means to be a Christlike Church. May God help us – even in age of relativism – to put on the true character of Christ (Romans 13:14). May God grant us the grace to die to ourselves, that we may rediscover the joy of repentance and obedience. And may God take us deeper in faith than we’ve ever gone before.

“Everything will live where the river goes.”

Because of Jesus, we have a better word than Orwell’s. Much better, in fact. You and I have big responsibilities right now. The revival and renewal that the world needs start with us. And, wherever we go with the love and gospel of Christ, the river of grace just gets wider and wider. “The water for them flows from the sanctuary.”

If all you can do today is put your toe in the water, do it. The Spirit can take it from there. In the wake of the summer Olympics, I’m ready to swim. What say you?

Pastor Charles

Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821 – 1881), the famous Russian novelist, made an interesting observation: “Beauty will save the world.” Technically speaking, those words were a line spoken by the character Prince Myshkin, as quoted by two other characters in Dostoevsky’s 1869 novel “The Idiot.” You may remember that Dostoevsky was endeavoring to help us interpret our fallen human condition against the backdrop of the massive struggles of 19^th-century Russia: social, political, and spiritual.

“Beauty will save the world.” I find that quote fascinating, and I find echoes of its sentiment elsewhere in celebrated literature – before and after Dostoevsky.

In his “Symposium,” Plato (428 – 348 B.C.) wrote: “Beauty is the splendor of truth.” St. Basil the Great (329 – 379) said: “By nature men desire the beautiful.” St. Augustine (354 – 430), in his famous “Confessions,” penned it like this: “Late have I loved you, beauty so old and so new.” In his poem, “Ode on a Grecian Urn,” John Keats (1795 – 1821) used these words in summation: “Beauty is truth, truth beauty – that is all.” In his “On Fairy Stories,” J.R.R. Tolkien (1892 – 1973) expressed the other side of that coin: “Evil and ugliness seem indissolubly allied. We find it difficult to conceive of evil and beauty together.” As the characters behold the queen, who represents a false god in “The Magician’s Nephew,” C.S. Lewis (1898 – 1963) describes the scene like this: “… now that one saw her in our own world, with ordinary things around her, she fairly took one’s breath away … nothing compared with her beauty.” And, in reference to the true God as symbolized in Lewis’s “The Last Battle”: “… he no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after.”

“Happily ever after” sounds pretty good right now, doesn’t it? Even as I write these words, I’m bombarded with terrible news about the economy … terrible news about serious conflicts on the world stage … terrible news about the American political landscape … and terrible news when it comes to record numbers of young adults giving up on the church. It’s our own version of social, political, and spiritual chaos. Other than that, things are hunky-dory.

Can you and I find beauty when it seems like the world is on fire?

Well, we can, but I would remind you that we may have to look for it. I’m paying particular attention to the hydrangeas this year, as they seldom disappoint. And, especially on days when the humidity drops a tad, the sunsets south of Nashville can be spectacular. This past Sunday, a sweet young couple in our church brought their infant son to the worship service. As I watched long-awaited Judah in the arms of his mom, it reminded me that God isn’t finished with this world – or with any one of us. The Lord is still working. He’s still creating. He’s still adding beautiful people, and beautiful things, and beautiful moments. Because He’s still good.

There is still beauty to be found, friends. In fact, it’s critically important that we find it. I think that’s what Dostoevsky had in mind. Sometimes works of art – literary or otherwise – help us escape the cynicism that can so easily set in – and nearly choke us – when times are turbulent. Back to Baby Judah for a second: When the world is upside down, it’s a close look at those tiny baby fingers that is our sanity!

But I’d like to bring you into an even more wonderful reality … “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18). For those of us who are in Christ – found in Him and trusting in Him – what’s already on our horizon is so stupendous that human language can’t fully capture it! You and I are resurrection people! We have a new name … and a new identity … and a new hope … and a new reason to see beauty where others cannot.

And “the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (8:26). Even as you read this, the risen Jesus is praying for you! Just think about that for a minute. Christ knows how to pray for what you really need. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (8:28). ALL THINGS. Wow!

It’s sadly true that the whole world is messed up under the weight of human sin. There’s simply no denying that. But – if you and I will take the time to look – we will see plenty of evidence that our God has not forfeited His throne. Nor has He forfeited His good plan for us.

Beauty, even here and now, helps the eyes of our heart behold the One who is all-beautiful.

My friends, the “happily ever after” is as good as done! “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died – more than that, who was raised – who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (31-39).

It just doesn’t get any better than that! Between here and there, we’ll face some tough hills to climb … and some hard battles to fight … and some news that is everything other than what we wanted to hear. But we know who’s writing the story. And we know who wins in the end.

You and I live in the shadows, here and now, but God uses beauty – particularly the beauty of the gospel – to lift our heads long enough to peer into the world that is to come. And it’s a beautiful world.

So take the time to notice the beautiful. Even when the world’s on fire.

I’ll share a final quote from a famous author, the Soviet dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn (1918 – 2008). Not from one of his published works, this is from Solzhenitsyn’s 1972 Nobel Lecture: “… perhaps the old trinity of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty is not simply the … antiquated formula it seemed to us at the time of our self-confident materialistic youth. If the tops of these three trees do converge, as thinkers used to claim, and if the … sprouts of Truth and Goodness have been crushed … then perhaps the … shoots of Beauty will force their way through and soar up to that very spot, thereby fulfilling the task of all three.”

Three trees. I know that you’re familiar with Faith, Hope, and Love. And now you’re familiar with Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. When truth seems hard to find, and goodness isn’t apparent around every bend, we have another powerful witness in our corner.

Beauty. Don’t miss it.

Pastor Charles

“How then can we live?” This is the question asked of God by His covenant people as recorded in Ezekiel 33:10. In a book full of somber warning and judgment, through Ezekiel the prophet and priest, God repeats His people’s question and then answers it. I am so glad that He does, because – in our own day of moral madness – this portion of God’s Word becomes surprisingly hopeful for us.

“How then can we live?”

If you’ve been paying attention to the controversy surrounding the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, then you know that the body of Christ – made up of Christians of all stripes from around the world – has been conflicted regarding how to respond to a portion of the ceremony that mocked the Last Supper of Jesus and His disciples. In the immediate aftermath, there was confusion about what we really saw. And for good reason. There was a lot going on in a short period of time. In fact, I had to read history for several hours to sort it out. And, after Celine Dion’s strong-as-ever comeback performance framed by the gorgeous Eiffel Tower, it was a bit depressing to focus on the parts of the ceremony that were concerning.

Here’s my synopsis. What we saw in the ceremony was, at least in part, a recapitulation of the “Festival of Reason” from the French Revolution. The “Fête de la Raison” took place in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on November 10, 1793. Jacques Hébert, Antoine-François Momoro, and others took drastic measures to replace worship with activities that exalted the Revolution’s secular ambitions. For example, in the church building, they constructed an improvised mountain with a Greek temple. They put an “Altar to Reason” at the mountain’s base and a ”Torch of Truth” in front. The “worshippers” paid homage to an opera singer, dressed in the colors of the republic, who personified the “Goddess of Liberty.” They featured a scantily clad “Goddess of Reason.” They dismantled the altar and carved “To Philosophy” above the cathedral’s doors. You get the picture. Napoleon banned this cultlike behavior in 1802, but vestiges of atheism and secular humanism – particularly state-entrenched ones – don’t die without a fight.

So I think that the artist behind Friday’s opening ceremony took all of that, while drawing from the Greek origins of the Olympics, and ran with it. That’s why we saw Bacchus, the Roman god, or Dionysus, the Greek god – the god of lust, fertility, religious debauchery, drunkenness, and the like. Thus the grapes on the strange-looking blue-gray dude. But there was other symbolism that clearly indicated attempts to tie in Christ. The halo, for example. The people around a table, remarkably similar to da Vinci’s famous painting. In fact, the organizers have confirmed the careless Christian imagery via the Last Supper reimagining. When you’re trying to make something look like an orgy – for lack of a better term – you’re going to end up with scenes that aren’t family-friendly, to say the least. So as not to pick on the French unfairly, I’ll ask you this: What percentage of Super Bowl halftime shows have made you proud to be an American?

It’s of no value to you or me to expect the world to act like the church. To do so only raises our blood pressure and minimizes our Christian witness. However, the Bible does not call us to bury our head in the sand. God calls us to speak the truth, and sometimes He calls us to speak the truth in the public square. We must speak it in love, but we must speak the truth. If we don’t, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and John the Baptist might want a word with us. And, I’ll just say it out loud, a “Last Supper” in drag – on the world stage – is concerning. From the mouth of the young woman who portrayed Jesus: “I’m a fat, Jewish, queer lesbian, and I’m really proud.” Beloved friends, I may well be the vilest sinner that you know, and I’m well aware that only sinners are invited to Christ’s table, but I just can’t shake the hopeful words of Jesus: “Go and sin no more.” And, I must add here, I fear that the presence of a child at that particular table may have been a nod toward pedophilia. (I really hope I’m mistaken on that point.)

How then can we live?

Well, let’s go back and consider Ezekiel’s context, for it may be remarkably similar to our own. As God’s prophet, he was called to speak truth to the homelanders and the exiles. Some of God’s people were left in Judah, while some were displaced in Babylon alongside Ezekiel. As I was thinking about all of this, I realized: I am both! As a follower of Christ in America, particularly, I enjoy the manifold blessings – even the spiritual blessings – of this land. At the same time, I also realize that this land is not my ultimate home. Because of Christ, I am at times a noticeable stranger here. I don’t have to go to Paris to feel that exile-status reality. It’s here. I’ll bet you can relate.

Even more important is this: God’s people – wherever they were – had to come to terms with their own sin. This is vitally important for us right now. Before God’s people asked God their question, they made a startling admission: “Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we rot away because of them.” Wow! I’m all ready to get overly disgusted by the world around me, and the Lord puts a mirror in my face.

“We rot away.” You and I must come clean before God. And here’s where the hopeful part comes in. In that same chapter, the Lord promises the people that there is a righteousness that leads to life. Their responsibility was to turn away from sin and to embrace God’s way of life. This is no less true of us. Friends, it is far easier for us to see the sins in Paris than to see the sins in us.

And the good news of the gospel is that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Way of Life! For you and for me, Christ has lived the perfect life that we failed to live! For you and for me, Christ has died the brutal death that we deserved! We were enslaved to sin, but Christ paid our debt in full! Christ came out of the grave to prove that every promise He has made is true! And Christ will come again! Those in Ezekiel’s day knew Christ only in prophecies, types, and shadows, but we have been given the rest of the glorious story!

What we saw in the opening ceremony is not new. Not at all. For many years now, so-called “Bible scholars” have made every effort to connect Jesus to Dionysus. They have gone as far as claiming that the account of the Lord’s Supper given to us by the Apostle Paul is nothing but a reimagining of Greek mythology. They connect the wine in Christ’s cup to pagan festivals. I have sat under such professors, who can be quite persuasive, so I know of what I speak. They do it with the account of the first miracle of Christ’s earthly ministry – where our Lord turned water into wine. They similarly assault the Creation account in Genesis by allegorizing it into oblivion. (If there was no Adam, the New Testament is deeply flawed.) Even Christ’s glorious resurrection from the dead is mythologized into utter meaningless by many renowned scholars. It’s not new. Make no mistake: There are many who loathe the Word of God while presuming to teach it.

So do not be deceived. We live in a world where we must be skeptical of both artistic and academic leaps, as we may be being fed a substitute Christ.

My friends, this has been a heavy subject, but let’s choose to see this glass half-full. I respect differing opinions on this point, but I am not in favor of doing anything that punishes the athletes because the world is acting like the world. If my homework is correct, Team USA includes a record number of men and women who love our Lord Jesus and credit Him with their exceptional talents. I hope and pray that – in every conceivable way – we will see them enjoy victory after victory. And I just can’t fail to mention one more beautiful connection to the Word: “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies … my cup overflows.”

I hope it isn’t lost on any of us that this happens to be the one-hundredth anniversary of the Paris Olympics when Eric Liddell – who was forced to take a bold stance for his Christian convictions at the risk of losing it all – went on to win the unexpected gold. My favorite quote from “the flying Scotsman” is this: “I believe God made me for a purpose, but He also made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure.”

There’s a lot of darkness out there. But there’s also an invincible Light! May you and I never cease to feel His pleasure, as we’re also running for the prize.

Pastor Charles

In his 1871 novel, “Through the Looking-Glass” – the sequel to “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” – Lewis Carroll included a nonsense poem titled “Jabberwocky.” I’m being honest with you, friends, when I tell you that some days – particularly days when I spend too much time trying to keep up with the latest news – I feel like I’m living in the land of Jabberwocky. Especially when it comes to all things American politics, I’m not sure we could write a more complicated or unpredictable script. Such a climate can lead to intense feelings of unsettledness.

I sure hope you can relate.

So, in an attempt to steady ourselves, why don’t we go back to the beginning? And I mean the very beginning …

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light” (Genesis 1:1-3). And the rest of the Creation account follows suit. Step by step, through each of the six days of Creation – beginning with His creation of light – God transforms the unattractive disorder of the world into gorgeous order.

Before there was light, what’s described for us in English as an earth “without form” – this “formless” substance of some kind – comes from a Hebrew word which means “unreality” and “confusion.” In the original language, what’s being described is a kind of chaos. Idiomatically speaking, it means non-material material (that’s not a typo), so we can think of the pre-light world as some kind of unformed form, or shapeless shape. Philosophically, the Bible is describing something like a square circle – something that was so disordered that only God could make it right.

As the Creation account unfolds, so does the ordered beauty. In the first chapter of the Scriptures, the refrain is repeated until we notice a key theological pattern: “And God saw that it was good.” After humankind is created, the report gets even better: “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.” God places our first parents, Adam and Eve, in a spectacular garden – not in the murky mess with which things began. They share God’s image, and they start off with a sacred purpose – to subdue all things. Any remaining formlessness or disorder, they are to bring into shape and order. There’s a spark of potential even in the unformed, and God will use the first couple and their descendants to make it beautiful. By filling the world with human life, God will use people to widen the boundaries of beauty and order. As God’s unique reflections, their work was to be filled with holy purpose.

Then sin. Chapter 3 is an eye opener and a gamechanger. It didn’t take long for Adam and Eve to reintroduce chaos. The lie of the serpent was enough to plunge the entire human race into outright mutiny. We fell into a tangled mess of sin and confusion, and even our God-given identity got lost in the madness. Our work – “vocation” means “calling” – would lose much of its joyful luster. Paradise was lost. As a fallen and confused human race, we’ve been trying to pick up the pieces ever since.

Enter Jesus! He loved us too much to leave us to our own madness, and He came to defeat the darkness once and for all! The futility and chaos which we invited not only into our culture, but into our very souls, He came to overthrow. A bloodstained cross and an empty tomb are the spoils of His victory!

And so are we. We, the ransomed by grace, are the trophies of Christ’s mercy and love. Sin, forgiven and remembered no more.

Now, by His all-powerful Holy Spirit, our Lord – the rescuer par excellence – is accomplishing the great work of restoring us to our God-ordained identity and mission. We, the Lord’s redeemed people, have been recommissioned to the most exquisite and exciting task on the planet: We’re expanding Christ’s beautiful reign to the ends of the earth.

We’re still called.

So, present-day chaos duly considered, here’s my threefold challenge – right now – for us …

1. Let’s get back in the race! We are not called to rest on our laurels, while being seduced by the incessant entertainment of this age. Technology is a fine tool, but a terrible master. Instead, you and I are called to grow in the knowledge of God, to stretch ourselves to depend on Christ more and more, and to step out of our comfort zones – for the glory of the name we bear – on a regular basis. We don’t live in “the good old days,” but we smile at the future, knowing the King who is sovereign and good. We can’t let feelings of unsettledness push us toward mission drift.

2. Let’s get our eyes back on the prize! The church is the body of Christ, and it is even more than our spiritual family. We are a kingdom of priests, and we are an army of warriors commissioned with the retaking of lost ground. We are penetrating the pervasive despair, which marks our restless age, with gospel hope. We are defeating lifeless ideologies with timeless truth. We are – by the witness of the risen Jesus living in us – restoring order and loveliness in a land that seems to be losing both. No matter how ferociously the political winds may howl, we are unmoved. So stay faithful at your post, with your eyes fixed on the Savior of the world.

3. Let’s get back to the main task at hand! We must tell everybody the good news that Jesus Christ is Lord – and that there is no other way to life. America’s youth are “dechurching” at a scary pace. These precious souls include our family and friends, and they’re walking away from what they know of the doctrines that we hold dear. Tragically, per the latest stats, most are deconstructing their faith before they reach the age of 30. Friends, this is our opportunity to walk alongside someone who’s at risk, and I urge you to build and nurture those priceless relationships. Right now counts for eternity.

As you and I keep choosing light over darkness – and as we urge others to do the same – we renew our own commitment to stay the course and go the distance. I’ll grant you that much of the news – much of the current state of affairs – is jarring. Truly, it can be. But don’t forget: Capitol Hill matters – it matters indeed – but not nearly as much a hill called Calvary.

“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever” (Revelation 11:15). Spoiler alert: Paradise has been found!

I choose Christ over chaos. I choose Christ over jabberwocky. I choose Christ.

What say you?

Pastor Charles

According to research by the “Los Angeles Times,” Americans are not as happy as we used to be. We’re no longer on the list of the twenty happiest nations on earth, and we’ve fallen below – for example – Kuwait and Slovenia. (If you’re curious, per the study, the happiest people are the Danes, Finns, Icelanders, and Swedes.) Among all Americans, younger Americans are the least happy. Personally, I don’t have loads of confidence in research like this, but I suppose that an important point can be made: Having it all doesn’t mean having it all.

Depending upon the English translation, “happiness” appears in the Bible about thirty times, whereas some version of “joy” appears more than 300 times. I don’t want to imply that the words are drastically different in meaning – in Scripture, they’re largely interchangeable in fact – but I think it’s safe to say that the Bible calls those of us who follow Christ to an undergirding joy that is not dependent upon “happy” circumstances.

Joy! Where to find it? I think I need some. I’ll bet you do too.

Here’s the thing. You and I grow in our capacity for joy by walking through some very trying situations. If I had a bottle of joy pills, I would share them with you, but that’s not how it works. We learn to experience joy as we become convinced of the goodness and faithfulness of God.

And the formation of such knowledge in us doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Instead, it comes through pain and testing. I wish that I could promise you a hassle-free spiritual pilgrimage, but such would be a lie. What I can promise you is some suffering along the way. But – please don’t miss this part – it will never be suffering without purpose. “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness” (James 1:2-3).

As you and I journey toward the Promised Land, we will learn to dig deep in the well of joy, as God refines our confidence in His unshakable character. There will be times of doubt when we’ll have to remind ourselves of all the ways in which the Lord has delivered us and provided abundantly for us. More than once, we will have to preach the gospel to ourselves. But the reality of a bloody cross and an empty tomb will always be good news! We are forgiven and free!

As part of our worship at our church, we sing a song that was recorded by Shane & Shane …

“I’m fighting a battle
That You’ve already won
No matter what comes my way
I will overcome
I don’t know what You’re doing
But I know what You’ve done
I’m fighting a battle that
You’ve already won.”

The wonder of such undeserved grace goes a long way when storm clouds fill the horizon, and – sooner or later – this is where we will find our joy. Strange as it sounds, our deepest delight in God will be forged in the roughest patches of our lives. “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning” (Psalm 30:5).

And I must tell you that I stayed up late and read ahead. All the way to the end. Spoiler alert: We win! In Christ, you and I have already won.

As that song goes on to affirm, by expressing our heart’s desire to behold our risen Savior …

“I know how the story ends
We will be with You again.”

So let’s press on! For the glory of our God, you and I are homeward bound, and growing in steadfastness and grace along the way. Let’s defy the statistics, and finish our race with joy! “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17).

I’m so glad that you’re on this marvelous journey with me.

Pastor Charles

I believe that God has hardwired the human heart to desire and seek identity and purpose. From one ought to flow the other. Once I discover who I am – who I really am – I can embrace the reason I’ve been put on this planet.

We all long to be living for something that’s worth living for.

You and I are looking for a purpose that matters. We desire a clear calling – both to be and to do – that encompasses transcendent and compelling worth. We’re hoping to find some truth that can breathe meaning – real meaning – into the mundaneness of this life. You may be familiar with the famous quote from St. Augustine’s “Confessions” where Augustine prays, “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in You.” There is a world of liberating and satisfying of truth in that simple admission, and yet we spend much of our time looking for the meaning of life in all the wrong places.

As one who appreciates good literature, I never cease to be overwhelmed by how much common grace can be found in the pages of the classics. I’m thinking today of Victor Hugo, the revered Romantic poet of France. Though not an evangelical believer by any stretch, Hugo penned: “There are thoughts which are prayers. There are moments when, whatever the posture of the body, the soul is on its knees.”

Did you catch that? There is something about us that tilts toward the undeniability of a Creator.

I think that’s what the Apostle Paul meant when he wrote (Romans 1:19-20): “What can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” In theological terms, that’s Paul’s universal indictment of the human race. Though the evidence for God is everywhere, literally, our natural inclination is to turn away and run. We try to evade ultimate accountability to such a sovereign God. We want to be God instead. And, for all of our suppression of God’s truth, Paul makes it plain: we deserve nothing less than God’s wrath.

While my mind is still on Hugo, consider a couple of my favorite lines from “Les Misérables,” like this one: “A cannonball travels two thousand miles an hour; light travels two hundred thousand miles a second. Such is the superiority of Jesus Christ over Napoleon.” And this one: “The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved; loved for ourselves – say rather, loved in spite of ourselves.” In my humble opinion, “Les Mis” presents the timeless struggle between justice and mercy. The relationship between Javert and Valjean symbolizes a conflict that – in real life – can be reconciled only by the Cross of Christ.

But here’s my point. These powerful quotes – and there are many others like them – sound like something we could hear in a sermon at our church. But, when it comes to bringing someone to a saving knowledge of God, the words are woefully incomplete and inadequate. There’s something missing. In fact, despite even the mention of Jesus, the core component of truth is missing.

You and I must make certain that we don’t live our whole lives close to the truth – while missing the truth.

That’s the danger, you see, of spending all of our time enjoying the best that the world has to offer. The very best novels and movies and musicals and operas and poems and masterpieces of the visual arts contain fascinating nuggets of eternal truth, but they all fall short. The best only point to the best.

The moon … and the stars … and the Pacific Coast Highway … and the amazing fingers of a newborn baby are – in and of themselves – insufficient to save. These evidences for God can only condemn. They only leave us “without excuse.” They can stir in us some awareness of our need for a Savior – but they are not enough to make someone born again. They can’t breathe new life into a dead soul.

In literature and elsewhere, themes of hospitality, redemption, and grace can be riveting – I love finding and celebrating them – but we need more. We need the matchless Word of God. “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17)!

Someone has to come along and tell us the whole truth. Someone has to tell us the bad news that the holy law of a holy God makes clear: We are sinners – one and all, through and through. Someone has to tell us the hopeful gospel truth about Jesus: His nature, His life, His cross, His sacrifice, His death, and His glorious resurrection. It doesn’t have to be PhD-level complicated, but it does have to be complete.

General revelation is not enough. We need special revelation. We need the specific truth of the gospel of Christ. There is much evidence for THE Truth (John 14:6), but people are far too content to pontificate much lesser truths.

For the heart of the matter is, and will always be, a bloody cross and an empty tomb! Jesus – King of Kings and Lord of Lords – is the rest of the story. Without Him, there really is no story worth telling. But with Him, passionate works of art like the story of “Les Mis” become valuable object lessons – relatable conduits – of His grace and truth.

Friends, once our identity is anchored in the Lord Jesus Christ, you and I are called to live as faithful ambassadors of the best news the world has ever heard! There is no higher calling! Our God could have sent the good news through angels, but He has chosen us instead.

“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Pastor Charles

For many of us, this week is prone to nostalgia. We have fond memories of America’s birthdays gone by, and we tend to enjoy reliving those picturesque celebrations of the red, white, and blue. As I pen these words, I pray for you and yours a Happy Fourth of July!

But I don’t have to tell you that happiness and fireworks aren’t the only things in the air. This year, and particularly so it seems, deafening political rancor eclipses some of the merriment. General distrust and cynicism have only deepened the fault lines under our feet, as a looming Presidential election bombards us with constant reminders of our national divide. Sometimes, and it pains me to admit this, the affirmation of “one nation under God” seems more hopeful than descriptive.

Will we make it through this season of angst, and arrive safely at a place of renewed awareness that we are a people “indivisible, with liberty and justice for all?”

When it comes to all things America, my hope today is to offer you a few reasons why – despite the political chaos and turmoil – you and I have much for which to be profoundly grateful to our God. We have much to celebrate this week, friends! Perhaps it is the thankfulness of her people, from her beautiful West Coast to her beautiful East Coast, which the Lord will use to move America forward for good in the world.

For 248 years, we in the Good Ol’ U.S.A. have experienced unparalleled prosperity in the form of blessings both material and spiritual. From the brave Pilgrims onward, what became known as the American Experiment – propelled by Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence – has been nothing less than a marvelous journey. Our self-governing republic has not survived without its weaknesses and foibles, mind you, but our history has been marvelous, nonetheless. Our nation has not only proclaimed and worked diligently to secure the “inalienable rights” of persons here within our shores, but we have championed the glorious cause of freedom around the world.

We have prospered from a healthy separation of powers built into the very fabric of our democratic government. This understanding of how society functions best flowed, I believe, from a Biblical understanding of the nature of humankind. Each one of us is inclined toward the sinful and selfish, and we need the reasonable restraints of a reasonable government – a government by which everyone in leadership is also accountable to “we the people.” Under a sovereign God, surely this sense of mutual respect is the aim of the Scriptures (Romans 13:1-7).

Thankfully, so far at least, our Constitution has held firm. Through many scary storms, and even a few direct assaults, it has stood the test of time. Some glaring injustices plagued the earliest chapters of our history, but it was the Constitution itself that paved the way for those wrongs to be radically remedied. It still does. Does our Constitution speak with the authority of the Bible? Absolutely not! But I can’t imagine such an amazing document as anything other than another extravagant blessing from the gracious hand of Almighty God.

And it gets even better than all of that. We have been blessed to be a blessing. We have exported the gospel far and wide. Throughout our history, God has raised up believers from American soil to take the good news of a risen and reigning Jesus “to the ends of the earth.” After all, freedom in Christ is the best and highest freedom! This widespread commitment to embody and share the mission and hope of Christ has made our nation a beacon of light in the most transcendent sense (Matthew 5:14-16; 28:18-20).

Finally, we must never forget that the United States of America was the first nation on Earth to enshrine within her founding principles this one breathtaking reality: Our fundamental liberties do not come from the government, but from God. These “self-evident” truths were, and continue to be, a global game changer. The Founding Fathers were imperfect, one and all, but these bedrock truths they got absolutely right. We owe them our respect. And I urge you to teach your children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren the truth about America’s unique history and heritage. This year and every year, she is very much worth celebrating!

So we have much to celebrate. Don’t let the blessings get lost in the madness, and do your part to love your neighbor – even your political enemy – well. By faith, for those of us who are in Christ, “the night is far gone, and the day is at hand” (Romans 13:8-14). You and I are eternal citizens of a higher kingdom, where love and selfless sacrifice for others is patriotism at its best.

By God’s grace and for His glory, we will make it through the night.

Pastor Charles

People are lonely. Really lonely. The U.S. Surgeon General has declared loneliness a public health epidemic. And the American Psychiatric Association has published that 30% of us have experienced loneliness at least once a week for the past year. Young adults are the loneliest, with many under age 35 reporting loneliness at even higher proportions than everybody else. Despite our vast technological connectedness, loneliness is fast becoming an American way of life.

If you’re lonely, I want to share with you some truly amazing news. The God who fashioned and formed you in the womb made you for a life-giving relationship with Himself. God knows everything about you, and He wants you to know Him. In fact, God wants to be for you “a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24).

Could this really be true? Is it actually possible for us to know the God of the universe as our best friend? Let’s face it: If this is true, it changes everything.

In the tenth chapter of the Gospel of John, and in the ninth verse of that marvelous chapter, Jesus makes a startling claim: “I AM THE DOOR.” It doesn’t take a Bible scholar to recognize an obvious point: A door is a way of entrance. When it comes to the kingdom of God, friends, we can’t get in without a door.

Why do we need a door? After all, so many people believe that “every person is a child of God.” But here’s the truth: Not every person is God’s child. Every person is God’s creation, but not every person is God’s child. We become sons and daughters of God through – and only through – the Lord Jesus Christ (John 14:6).

The Scriptures describe a stark separation between God and us. Since the rebellion of Adam and Eve, at the dawn of the human race, something has been tragically broken. In fact, Genesis 3:24 paints a heartbreaking picture of our first parents being driven out of God’s garden, and “the cherubim and a flaming sword” being positioned by our Creator to deny access to the tree of life. Because of human sin, each successive generation inherited and validated an estranged relationship with God. This explains, at least in part, why the human race has become so lonely.

Under the Old Covenant, the chasm between sinful humanity and a holy God proved true again and again. In both the tabernacle and the temple, an imposing curtain was suspended to keep the Israelites out of the Holy of Holies. Except for one day a year, the Day of Atonement, even the high priest could not enter the place of God’s presence. Only a righteous Messiah could reverse the trajectory of what John Milton called “Paradise Lost.”

Thankfully, Jesus came to be our perfect Deliverer, and the Cross changed everything! Because of the atoning work of our Savior on our behalf, our hope now “enters into the inner place behind the curtain” (Hebrews 6:19). This means that you and I – and all who are in Christ – can enter into the very presence of the living God!

We can enter anytime. Even when we feel like the whole world is against us, and that we don’t have even one true friend, we can turn to God. And, as far as our turning to God is concerned, the good news is that we don’t have to wait until we get our act together. (P.S. That’s an impossibly long wait.) You and I can just come to God.

So how do we come?

Because Jesus is the door, we enter by the grace of Christ. We have not earned such glorious access, but Jesus earned it for us. He lived for us the life that we failed to live. He died for us the death that we deserved. You and I merely receive His marvelous gift of Himself.

Because Jesus is the door, we enter by the blood of Christ. Throughout redemptive history, all of those sacrificed animals – over all of those generations – were never enough to save us. They merely pointed to the one final sacrifice that would buy our pardon. “O precious is the flow that makes me white as snow …”

Because Jesus is the door, we enter by the merit of Christ. You and I may be striving for personal holiness, as well we should, but the righteousness on which we rely did not originate with us. We need a goodness that didn’t start with us – an alien righteousness – credited to us. That’s what Jesus has done! “On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.”

Because Jesus is the door, we enter with no priest but Christ. Under the New Covenant, you and I can learn from the Lord Jesus, who lives in and through us (Jeremiah 31:31-34). The Holy Spirit – the Spirit of Christ – leads us into all truth. He takes the Bible’s words and applies them directly to our hearts.

Because Jesus is the door, we enter with no mediator but Christ. Our access to God is complete. That ominous temple veil has been brought down – permanently – so you and I can enter into God’s throne room not with arrogance, but with boldness and confidence in our Christ.

Because Jesus is the door, we enter by faith in Christ. Though we’re “working out our salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12), we’re not working for our salvation. Like our salvation, our access to the Father is an absolutely free gift. And He’s ready and willing 24/7.

Because Jesus is the door, we enter in the security of our union with Christ. Because of what Jesus has accomplished for us, and His purchase of our redemption by His death and resurrection, a loving relationship with the Father is already ours. We’re forgiven and free.

Because Jesus is the door, we enter by the invitation of Christ. Jesus promises, unequivocally, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). He seeks us with an open heart, and – despite our persistent, prideful rebellion – His arms are open wide!

Of course, you and I need the nurture and joy of healthy human relationships. That goes without saying. But my purpose today has been to remind you that we have a friend who is always by our side – and always on our team.

What a friend we have in Jesus!

I’m feeling less lonely already. I pray the same for you.

Pastor Charles

Psalm 23 is one of my favorites. Maybe yours too.

I hear in its promises not only a declaration of God’s majesty and power, but also a declaration of His nearness and compassion. Among those promises is a lifeline: “He restores my soul” (23:3).

Do you need your soul restored today?

The promise is right there in God’s Word! My friends, our God – the Great Shepherd of the sheep – is in the soul-restoring business. That’s what He does. That’s what He does because that’s what we need.

The BBC hosts a show called “The Repair Shop” (you can find over a dozen seasons). The furniture restorer, Jay Blades, leads a team of skilled craftsmen who bring people’s much-loved items – usually with historical significance – back to their former glory. It was broken … it was damaged … it was useless … now it’s beautiful again … ooh … aah … tears of joy … or some other version of sheer delight.

If I understand this psalm correctly, our Lord is reminding us that – from time to time – you and I need a trip to the Repair Shop. The psalmist David – both as a shepherd boy, and later as a mighty king – needed that. So does everybody else. It doesn’t seem to matter where we are on life’s journey: we get messed up.

Sometimes we need a season of grieving. That might seem a bit counterintuitive – after all, I was just talking about sheer delight. But what I mean is that sometimes we get stuck. We can’t go forward because we haven’t properly processed the past. You and I, generally speaking, don’t grieve well. We try to avoid grief at all costs. We try to steer around grief, if possible. We know that there is a time to mourn – thus saith the Lord – but we don’t really enter into grief voluntarily. We don’t lament well. So, sometimes the Lord leads us into a season of lament so that we can take the next step toward sorely needed soul-renewal. (If I were preaching this, I’d title it, “From Soles to Souls.”)

Sometimes we need to be brought near to God, again. When the Bible references our soul, it’s talking about the very depth of our being – the very essence of who we are. The root of the Hebrew word for “restore” here is a word that means to turn back. So the Word is describing the great love of God for us, in that He brings back the essence of who we are to Himself. We, like all sheep, have wandered, so the Lord brings us back. This may be an entirely internal transformation, as we haven’t gone anywhere, geographically speaking – but our souls have moved away. Often, you and I are not aware that we’ve moved away until we reach some kind of crisis point. Enter, our Shepherd. He gives us fresh wind and fresh fire. He helps us process our troubled emotions. He gives us new hope for the future.

Sometimes what we most need is to be aroused from our spiritual slumber. Shepherds tell us that sheep get into trouble when they roll over on their backs. They can’t rescue themselves. And they usually get into that predicament for one of two reasons. One, the sheep finds a comfortable spot to lie down, but the spot is too soft and can’t properly support the animal. Or, two, the sheep has too much wool and can’t maneuver as a situation demands. It’s my understanding that no sheep likes to be sheared. So as I think about sheep – the animals – I recognize how perfectly they describe us. You and I spend a lot of time seeking our own comfort, rarely recognizing that comfort is no indicator of rightness. How much trouble we cause ourselves in this way! And we spiritually wooly creatures don’t like the idea of God removing any of the “protections” that we felt were in place around us. That wool felt familiar and good, but we didn’t recognize it as the pride and obstinance that it was.

Yes, we need our souls restored. We may not know, but God knows what we need.

Do you need your soul restored?

Are you hurting?

Are you lonely?

Are you frustrated?

Are you angry?

Are you feeling overwhelmed by the pressures of life?

Are you bitter and depressed?

Have you been putting off grief, but you know that it’s time to grieve?

Have you moved away from God, perhaps without even knowing it?

Have you confused a life of ease with the blessing of God?

Have you made an idol out of your own comfort, or wealth, or health, or status, or prestige?

Are you angry at God? (It’s O.K. to admit that. He can handle it.)

Or … do you simply need some rest?

These are just some of the many ways in which I regularly need my soul restored. You must do what I must do: Run to the Shepherd! He is gentle and lowly, and His arms are open wide.

In Christ, you and I are ambassadors of the gospel – the best news the world has ever heard! But the Bible makes it clear that we carry this gospel treasure in jars of clay. I suppose that means that we can think of ourselves as crackpots. This requires a humbling admission on our part. We’re finite creatures. Our bodies and our souls need rest, and restoration. Overworking – or overthinking – may impress those around us, but both will fight against what God is doing in us. He is reproducing His character – the character of perfect peace – in our souls. Sometimes, our “busyness” is hidden rebellion, because we’re trying desperately to avoid submitting to God.

Sooner or later, the ways of this world take a huge toll on all of us. Our thoughts get corrupted. Our hearts get deceived. Our priorities get out of whack. Our pace – the rhythm of our daily existence – gets frantic, which is not the way of Jesus. You and I must be re-centered on a regular basis.

“He restores my soul.” Oh, how we need Him to do just that!

Pastor Charles

It feels like we’re walking a tightrope out there. Pollsters, statisticians, and commentators on American culture and civic life tell us that our nation – at the present moment – is more divided than at any point since 1850. (By way of reminder, the American Civil War was fought between 1861 and 1865.) The ideological divide is real, and mounting. We face internal divides over gender, equality, race, and immigration. Simultaneously, we face external divides over wars that seem unwinnable, and over broader economic policies and alliances perceived as ill-advised and hostile by people from across the political landscape.

And I just learned these numbers. 40% of self-professed “strong Democrats” believe that another civil war is likely within the next decade. That number is an even higher 54% among self-professed “strong Republicans.” What I’m trying to say is something you already know: Division is alive and well.

Last Wednesday, as I was reading, I stumbled across a passage that I’ve read many times. It’s the last chapter of Jeremiah, and the last four verses of that chapter (Jeremiah 52:31-34). If you’re unfamiliar with the context there, Jerusalem fell in 586 B.C., and God’s people have been exiled to Babylon. It’s a terribly dark chapter of our history, but one which – as I considered it again – spoke fresh hope into my heart for our present moment. The passage describes Jehoicahin, the exiled king of Judah. Jehoiachin may have been the longest-imprisoned foreign king in Babylon (see also 2 Kings 25:27-30).

Quite strangely, in my opinion, the Bible records that the king of Babylon – Evil-merodach, who had succeeded Nebuchadnezzar on the throne – decided to release Jehoiachin from prison. God’s Word says, in fact, that Jehoiachin was “graciously freed.” I marvel at that. This is not the kind of behavior by Babylon’s king that we would expect toward an enemy hostage. This was, after all, the kind of brutal regime that was known for forcing a conquered king to watch all of his kids be murdered, and then gouging out the king’s eyes (reported in the very same chapter).

But, rather matter-of-factly, here’s what the Bible says … “Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, graciously freed Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison. And he spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat above the seats of the kings who were with him in Babylon.”

What’s going on here? Let me tell you what I think: God is keeping His promises! For 37 years, Jehoiachin has been forgotten in prison – but not by God. All the way back in Genesis 3:15, right after our first parents failed and fell, the Lord promised to send us a Messiah. The Christ would come from Eve’s offspring to crush Satan’s head. Not only that, but God promised that our Deliverer would come from King David’s offspring, and that He would sit on David’s throne (Gen 49:10; 2 Sam 7:16; Is 9:6-7; 11:1; Jer 23:5; 33:17; Mic 5:2; Mt 1:1-22; 2:6; 15:22; 21:9; Lk 1:32; 2:11; 3:23, 31-32; Jn 7:42; Heb 7:14; Rev 5:5).

Here’s where I’m headed today. Our gracious God sometimes does His best work in the midst of total political chaos. The northern kingdom of Israel had been known for its pervasive idolatry, and now the southern kingdom had followed suit. Judah’s spiritual degeneracy had become as bad as or worse than Israel’s. And God was using Babylon, like an unknowing pawn in a chess game, to bring all of His people to their knees. It was judgment, for sure, but it was also love.

The last four kings of Judah played their parts in a downward spiral of wickedness that ultimately resulted in the Babylonian exile. They willingly participated in a pattern of sinful rebellion with serious consequences – some of which God’s people did not escape. This is a warning for us, but it’s also a great word of hope – because I want you to see that our God never stopped keeping His promises. As the Lord did more than once in our history, He took miraculous measures to make sure that His promised Seed was protected and preserved.

Friends, we can trust Him. But, in order to do that, we have to rid ourselves of any idea that our ultimate trust is in anyone or anything else. The Bible calls our misplaced trust idolatry, and it never works out well.

I just watched an interview on Sports Spectrum. Nick Mingione, the head baseball coach for the University of Kentucky Wildcats, shared his testimony explaining how he’s learning to trust the Lord in every corner of his life – especially when it comes to surrendering his idols. Every follower of Christ can relate to that dilemma, as we know how easy it is to chase a plethora of idols without even realizing how distracting they are from our love for Christ. Here are Mingione’s words: “I was a beat-down coach, and God taught me a valuable lesson … I had to make changes … I surrendered … It’s not what you’re playing for – it’s who you’re playing for.”

If we are in Christ, by faith, then you and I play for an audience of One. We live and die for the risen and reigning Lord Jesus Christ! And, just for the record, who we live for is a whole lot more important than who we vote for. So the time is right now to make absolutely certain where our highest loyalties lie.

The English poet and hymnwriter, William Cowper (1731 – 1800), expressed the truth like this …

“God moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never-failing skill,
He treasures up His bright designs,
And works His sov’reign will.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take,
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.”

And here’s the rest of the story of the once-forgotten king with which I began … “So Jehoiachin put off his prison garments. And every day of his life he dined regularly at the king’s table, and for his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king, according to his daily needs, until the day of his death, as long as he lived.”

Imagine that … an undeserving prisoner set free! Grace upon grace! No matter what may happen in this tightrope-walkin’ world – because of Jesus – you and I will always have a place at the table of the King.

Our. God. Never. Fails.

Pastor Charles