Christianity

Sunday Inspiration: Sunday, November 10, 2024

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An Uncomfortable Dinner

Luke 7: 36 – 50

Do you ever look at someone and see only what you want to see? Do you draw lines, put people in boxes, and keep them there because it feels easier? Safe? 

Imagine yourself at a table, your dinner party, watching a stranger walk in. You don’t know her or his story, only that they are not like you. Do you make space for them? Or do you keep them at a distance, thinking they don’t belong?

Are you so sure of your own place at the table that you forget to make room for someone else?

Simon throws a party. I don’t like Simon. He is arrogant, rude, self-righteous, and judgmental. I like watching Jesus make Simon squirm and put his judgmental self in his place. “The one who is forgiven little loves little,” Jesus says (Luke 7: 47). 

I like watching Simon’s face go red and seeing him embarrassed and humiliated until I realize that Jesus has gotten me. I am no better than Simon. I am Simom. 

It doesn’t take me very long to realize that my judgmental and critical spirit has kept a person like the sinful woman away from the table of grace with the resources to restore her. What she needs is a community that understands forgiveness.  

“Do you see this woman?” (Luke 7:44). There is a cost to seeing. It will force us to realize things about ourselves that we would rather not see.

Of course, Simon sees her. He has been judging the woman since she walked in. She is an embarrassment to his dinner party. 

He isn’t blind. He’s filled with judgment. And yet, the judgment is making him blind. He doesn’t see her humanity, extravagant generosity, or capacity to show love. He doesn’t see her as forgiven. He only sees her as an object of his judgment. 

The woman walks away, hearing the words, “Your sins are forgiven….Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.” 

We don’t know what Simon walks away hearing. He drops out of the story. Has he changed? 

There is a little Simon in all of us. So, you tell me, how do you see the woman?  

The one who is forgiven little loves little. 

What if we invested as much in welcoming others to the table as we do in judging people like Simon.? Imagine the difference our world would be. 

There will be a time in your life when a woman like the one in our story comes along and simply says no to those who try to keep her away. She will say no to those who try to push her out when she walks in the room. She will refuse to settle for those who refuse to give her a seat at the table. She will ignore those who judge her instead of loving her. 

She will say no because she has already heard Jesus say yes to her. She has heard the words of forgiveness, which have empowered her and given her back her identity and self-esteem. 

And now she is ready to say, “Thank you!” She is ready to show her gratitude. 

What if we were the community where the forgiven gather to say, “Thank you,” and the ones longing for forgiveness hear the words, “You are forgiven?” Imagine being a church—not just any church, but one where grace has replaced judgment.  

Imagine a church where Jesus was our guest, and we welcomed as his guests all whom he invited. 

An old rabbi was once asked by his students how they could tell when the night had ended and the day had begun. “Could it be,” asked one of his students, “when you see an animal in the distance and can tell whether it is a sheep or a dog?” “No,” said the rabbi. 

Another asked, “Is it when you can look at a tree in the distance and tell whether it’s a fig tree or a peach tree?” “No,” replied the rabbi. 

“Then when is it,” the students insisted. “It is when you can look on the face of any man or woman and see that it is your brother or your sister. Because if you cannot see this, it is still night.” 

The one who is forgiven little loves little. Let us love deeply because we have been forgiven wide. 

Based on Tuesday’s actions at the polls, we are in a different place this Sunday than last Sunday. So, let me say this: We’re challenged to move beyond our judgments and embrace each other with grace. Just as Simon’s critical spirit kept him from seeing the woman as Jesus did, we, too, are called to examine how our judgments may blind us to the humanity in others. Are we welcoming all to the table, or are we letting our differences divide us?

As we reflect on the story of Simon and the woman at Jesus’ feet, we are confronted with a powerful question: Do we see others as Jesus does? Too often, we become blind with judgment, keeping people at arm’s length, believing we are “protecting” the table of grace. Yet Jesus shows us that the table is precisely for those who, like us, need forgiveness, love, and restoration.

Imagine a church where every person who walks through the doors—no matter their past, their mistakes, or the judgments they’ve faced—can hear the words, “You are forgiven.” A church where grace is given freely, welcoming each one as a family. Imagine the lives transformed when we see people as Jesus does, breaking down the walls that keep them from the table and saying, “You belong here.”

Let’s ask ourselves: Are we building a community of grace or guarding a place of judgment? Let’s choose grace. Let us become the place where the forgiven gather to say “Thank you!” and those seeking forgiveness hear the life-changing words, “You are forgiven.”

This week, let’s step into that light together. Embrace the call to love deeply, welcome warmly, and forgive freely. Let’s build the kind of church that Jesus envisions—a church where all can come to know his love. Who will you invite to the table today?

Pastor Jamey

(Click Here to Watch the Worship Service from Gainesville First United Methodist Church, Gainesville, Georgia)

Questions to Consider:

  1.  Have you ever found yourself judging someone based on first impressions or appearances? How did that affect your interactions with them?
  2. What are some common “boxes” or labels we put people in, and why do we do it? How can we challenge ourselves to break these habits?
  3. In what ways do you find it challenging to see others through the lens of grace and forgiveness, as Jesus did with the woman in Luke 7?
  4. The sermon mentions, “There is a cost to seeing.” What do you think that cost is, and why might it be challenging to face it?
  5. What actions can you take this week to show someone they are seen, valued, and invited to the “table” of community and grace?

Prayer:

Forgiving God, We confess that, like Simon, we have often judged when we should have loved and excluded when we should have welcomed. Forgive us, Lord, for the ways we have kept others from Your table of grace by our blindness and judgment. 

Help us see each person through the eyes of Christ—with compassion and kindness. Teach us to create a community where grace replaces judgment and where every soul feels welcome to say, “Thank you” for the gift of forgiveness. 

We offer our hearts and lives to You, asking for Your Spirit to guide us as we seek to walk in Your light and spread Your love to all who seek it. May we leave here with renewed purpose, empowered to be the community of grace You have called us to be. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Benediction:

As you go from here, may you carry the grace of Christ in your heart, letting it fill every corner of your life. May you see others as Jesus sees them—not with judgment, but with a love that welcomes and forgives. Let His grace guide you to build a community that invites, restores, and unites.

And as you journey through this week, think of someone who might need a place at the table, a word of hope, or simply the warmth of belonging. Invite them to join us, to sit with us, and to experience the love that has transformed our lives.

Go in peace, with open hearts and open hands, ready to share the boundless grace of God. Amen.

Sunday Inspiration: Sunday, October 27, 2024

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Bridges to the Future

Psalm 78:1-7

“I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves” (Luke 10:3). This is how Jesus sends out his disciples to share the faith. Anyone want to sign up? Then Jesus goes on, “Travel light. Comb and toothbrush, maybe, but no extra luggage.” With a recruitment speech like that, who would ever put Jesus in charge of volunteers? 

If you want someone to do something in the church, you should tell them it will be easy, comfortable, and not add stress to their life. If you want someone to volunteer, you sell them what is in it. You don’t say, “Whoever wants to be my disciples must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). 

Volunteers are great. But Jesus doesn’t recruit volunteers. Jesus calls followers. Volunteers are good at keeping the status quo. However, followers can move in a direction where life change can happen. Volunteers can keep an institution running. However, followers will put us in a position to receive a great harvest. 

Jesus longs to lead us on amazing adventures of building bridges in uncharted territories of faith and frontier places where we have never been. But it will take followers. If following Jesus has only led you to a seat in the church, then you stopped following Jesus somewhere along the way. Imagine a church where you get equipped to be Jesus’ hands and feet in the world. Imagine a church where bridges are crossed to reach the unchurched. Imagine a church not as a staging area for those waiting to die and go to heaven but instead as a training ground to develop the necessary tools to live out our faith in the world. 

Imagine a church where, when it comes to God’s stories, we will do as the Psalmist says: “We will not hide them from their children; we will tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord and his might and the wonders that he has done” (Psalm 78:4). 

Psalm 78 is the second longest of the Psalms. It tells of God’s passion for humans, even when those humans turn away. It is the sad story of human determination to ignore God’s good gifts and forget God’s mercy. As verse eleven says, “They forgot what he had done and the miracles that he had shown them” (Psalm 78:4). 

Therefore, it tells of God’s judgment. I encourage you to read the entire psalm. I don’t want to take the sting out of the judgment because sometimes the judgment can bring us back to the good news of the story. 

Rev. Tom Long, retired professor of homiletics at Candler School of Theology, tells of a time when he was walking across the campus one day, and one of his students hailed him and said, “Dr. Long, could I speak to you for a minute?” He said, “I’m going to get a cup of coffee. Do you want to go?” She did, and as they were sharing coffee, she told him what was on her mind. She said she was serving as a field education student in a local church and that her supervising pastor required her to preach next Sunday. Tom said, “Good.”

She said, “No. It is not good. He’s making me preach on the lectionary.” He said, “Good.” She said, “It’s not good. Have you read the lectionary text for the week? They’re all about judgment. I don’t believe in judgment. I believe in grace. I believe in mercy. I believe…it took me three years of therapy to get over judgment. I am not going to preach judgment.”

Rev. Long said they talked about it for a while and then moved on to other things, and she started to tell about her family life. She and her husband have several children, only the youngest of whom—a teenage boy—was at home, and he was giving them hell. He was into drugs, maybe dealing them, in trouble with the police. She said, “Like last night, we were sitting at supper. We had no idea where our son was. He came in the back door in the middle of supper, and I asked if he would like some supper. He practically spit at us. He just stomped down the hall to his room and slammed the door.” She said, “My husband got up and turned on ESPN. That is always his response to this.” She said, “I don’t know, something got into me.” She said, “I’m afraid of my son physically. Physically afraid of my son. But something got into me, and I got up from the table, went down to his room, pushed open the door, and said to him, ‘You listen to me. I love you so much I am not going to put up with this.’”

Rev. Long said, “Caroline, I think you just preached a sermon on judgment.” God loves us so much God will not put up with the foolishness in our lives. This is the message of Psalm 78, and it is part of the grand narrative of God’s redemptive presence in our lives, which we are to pass down to the next generation. 

According to recent studies, 17% of high school students have contemplated suicide. In a recent issue of First Things, Aaron Kgeriaty says that many factors should be considered for this epidemic. However, one thing he argues for the rise in hopelessness is the “loss of narratives for their lives” regarding teens knowing who they are. 

Psalm 78 is an ancient call for us to be committed to passing down the narrative that gives meaning and hope to people in a fragmented and God-forgetting world. For the sake of our children, we must keep telling the story of Jesus and his love. 

In the forward of the book, which tells of the stained glass windows at Gainesville First United Methodist Church, Marsha Hopkins explains the history of the stained glass windows. She tells the story of the Reverend Jim Thompson. As a youth counselor, she remembers Rev. Jim bringing the youth group to the church when it was only a concrete slab. This would have been before 1980. He told the students where the pulpit would be, the choir loft, and the altar rail. After sharing the vision of the new church, Rev. Jim Thompson gathered the students and the volunteers in a circle on the concrete slab, and they all began to sing, “It only takes a spark to get a fire going, and soon all those around can warm up in its glowing. That’s how it is with God’s love once you’ve experienced it; you spread his love to everyone; you want to pass it on.” 

Before there was a sanctuary, children and youth space, and fellowship space, Rev. Jim Thompson and the leaders had a vision of what could be. I am asking you to re-catch the spark of that vision. 

We live in a world where many young people are lost and hopeless and need a narrative that can restore their faith, identity, and purpose. Psalm 78 calls us to ensure they know the story of God’s love—a love that will not give up on us and corrects, redeems, and restores. We must pass down that story through how we live, serve, and give.

But it won’t happen if the status quo is maintained. It requires bold giving—giving that stretches us and challenges us to trust God more deeply. Stewardship is not just about keeping the lights on; it is about investing in the future of faith for those who will follow. Imagine what could happen if we gave not based on what is comfortable but on what is necessary to equip the next generation. Imagine what could happen if our gifts provided the tools for others to encounter Jesus in powerful ways.

So today, I challenge you to give more than you thought possible. Give because the story of Jesus and His love is too precious not to share. Give because a generation is waiting to hear that God has not forgotten them, that they are loved beyond measure, and that they have a place in His kingdom.

Get ready. We will build bridges where none exist because of your generosity and willingness to be a follower rather than just a volunteer. 

Following Jesus isn’t safe, easy, or predictable. It’s a call to surrender, to trust beyond what we can see, and to step into the unknown, knowing that Jesus goes with us. It’s not a journey of convenience—it’s a journey of faith, and every step draws us closer to God’s heart.

Faith isn’t about knowing how the story ends—it’s about trusting the One who writes it. It’s about believing that Jesus will meet you there when you step out. It’s about going beyond comfort and into the deep places where real transformation happens.

So here’s the challenge: What step is Jesus asking you to take? Take that step of faith—not because it’s easy, but because Jesus is trustworthy. Step into the adventure of following Him more deeply. Let go of what holds you back and open your heart to what God wants to do through you. 

If you’ve ever wondered how you can make a lasting impact, this is the moment. It’s time to offer your time, your talents, and yes—your financial resources—not just to sustain but to plant seeds for a greater harvest. Give generously, knowing that every act of faith builds bridges for the next generation to encounter the love of Jesus.

This is not about waiting for someone else to do it. It’s about each of us taking ownership of God’s mission in the world. If not us, who? If not now, when?

Today, Jesus sends us out with purpose. Will you follow Him? And know that it only takes a spark to get a fire going, and you may be the spark we have been waiting on.

Pastor Jamey

(Click Here to Watch the Worship Service from Gainesville First United Methodist Church, Gainesville, Georgia)

Questions to Consider:

  1. How can we cultivate practices that help us remember and pass on God’s deeds to future generations?
  2. What barriers prevent us from living sacrificially, and how can we overcome them?
  3. What is one specific step of faith God may be calling you to take? How can the community support one another in these steps of faith?

Prayer:

Gracious Father, make us faithful stewards of the story You entrusted to us. As the Psalmist says, may we not hide Your deeds from the next generation but declare Your wonders boldly. Stir in us a passion to give sacrificially, to love extravagantly, and to live courageously, knowing that Your harvest is waiting. Amen.

Benediction:

May your life be the spark that sets the world ablaze with His love. Amen.

Sunday Inspiration: Sunday, October 20, 2024

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The Strength of the Bridge

1 Corinthians 12: 12 – 27

When we think about a bridge, one thing is clear: the strength of the bridge lies in how well the parts come together to serve a common purpose. Each piece plays a role—the support beams, cables, or roadway—all must work in harmony. Similarly, as stewards of God’s resources, time, and gifts, we are called to work together as the body of Christ, each member adding strength to the bridge that connects people to Jesus. 

This morning, I want to take three parts of the Bible—a story from Jesus’s life, Paul’s message to the Corinthians, and Moses’s life—and connect them to the challenge of building bridges to Jesus. Our commitment becomes our testimony that points to God’s faithfulness.

There is a story about Jesus coming to a village. Martha opened her home to Him. She had a sister named Mary. Mary sat at His feet, listening to what He said.

Martha was in the kitchen, working hard. She had bread to bake, dishes to set, and food to prepare. The heat of the fire and the clatter of pots weighed on her, and she glanced out at Mary, who was still sitting. It didn’t seem fair.

Finally, Martha had enough. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do all the work? Tell her to help me.”

Jesus looked at her and smiled, but it wasn’t unkind. “Martha, Martha,” He said, “you are worried and upset about many things. But only one thing matters. Mary has chosen well, and it will not be taken from her (Luke 10:42).”

I have always been bothered by this story. Martha is attempting to provide a hospitable place for Jesus to be present. She truly wants to serve Jesus. On the other hand, Mary forfeits any responsibility and simply sits at Jesus’ feet. 

What is the unspoken message Jesus gives in this story? Is Jesus saying a contemplative life is preferred over a life of service? What if the tables were turned? What if Mary had said about her sister Martha, “Lord, why don’t you ask my sister to join us and share in this conversation?” Would Jesus have replied, “Martha has chosen well, and it will not be taken from her?” 

You are not Martha, and Martha is not you. One pastor put it this way, “Maybe choosing well isn’t about choosing between serving or sitting since the Christian life has always been about both of those things. Maybe choosing well is not judging the actions of others through the lens of your own life.” 

In the story of Mary and Martha, Jesus responds to Martha’s question by affirming Mary’s choice. He wasn’t excluding Martha’s choice. If we are too harsh with Martha, she may walk away from serving altogether, and if we heap too much praise on Mary for sitting at Jesus’ feet, she may never get up and serve. There is a time to go and a time to do. There is a time to listen and reflect, and there is a time to get up and serve. Knowing the difference requires spiritual discernment. 

Oddly enough, in this story, I hear Paul’s words: “You are the body of Christ and individually members of it” (I Corinthians 12: 27). And earlier, Paul says, “God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us” (I Corinthians 12: 6). 

Paul points out that God gives us different gifts, skills, talents, and passions because our unique selves can work together for the common good. He says, “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other” (I Corinthians 12: 7). 

Each of us has unique gifts and opportunities to use those gifts. No one can do everything, but everyone can do something. Your job is to figure out what you do well and step in and contribute to the work that God is doing among us. Everybody in the body is somebody. 

Before there was a Coach Prime at the University of Colorado, there was Coach Bill McCartney. He coached Colorado to three Big Eight titles and 10 consecutive winning seasons. He had a reputation for building strong teams. He later went on to found the men’s ministry Promise Keepers. Coach McCartney once said, “We have not come to compete with one another. We have come to complete one another.” 

This is Paul’s message to the church in Corinth, which was trying to compete with one another for status and position within the body. God has arranged the church just as God would have it. Therefore, “If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it” (I Corinthians 12: 26). 

We need one another. I wouldn’t have known that a church could significantly impact people in another part of the world if it were not for you. I wouldn’t have known that a generation of children could come to love school and be successful in the classroom if it were not for you. I wouldn’t have known how much fun it would be when people came together to fellowship and love one another if it were not for you. I would not have known that church could be where children of all abilities could worship and serve together. 

I guess what I am saying is that I need you to continue to teach me what it looks like to use your gifts and talents and be generous so that bridges continue to be built. I need you to show me the way. 

We can only work together and build bridges to Jesus if we know what is in our hands. 

The Lord had told Moses to speak and return to Egypt, but Moses shook his head. He knew the people. He knew what it was like to say things that nobody listened to. “They won’t believe me,” Moses said flatly, voice low. “They’ll say, ‘The Lord didn’t send you.’”

The wind rolled across the desert, stirring sand into the edges of the firelight. The voice came again, steady and sure, without room for question.

“What’s in your hand, Moses?”

He looked down at the staff. It was simple, something he’d carried for years. Nothing special. He’d leaned on it when the days grew too long and used it to move stubborn sheep along the slopes. He held it up, feeling foolish. “A staff,” he muttered. The Lord’s voice didn’t wait. “Throw it on the ground.”

In Moses’s hand, it was a simple stick used to herd sheep. It gave him something to prop himself on when he rested in the desert heat. But when dedicated to the Lord, the staff became a rod that parted the waters of the Red Sea. When the staff struck rocks, water flowed, and when held up, armies were held back. 

God can’t use anything you have until you are ready to lay it down. In the hands of David, a slingshot dedicated to God takes down giants. In the hands of Gideon, a trumpet brings down walls. In the hands of a boy on a hillside, a fish and some loaves are a snack, but if handed to Jesus, they can feed five thousand. 

So I want to leave you with this question today: What’s in your hand? What gifts, talents, resources, and opportunities has God placed in your care?

Are you holding on to something—time, abilities, financial blessings, or even relationships—that God asks you to release and dedicate to His work? God can multiply the small things—your voice, hands, and presence—and use them to build bridges connecting others to Jesus.

I want to invite you to consider two things this morning:

First, Identify your gift. What is in your hand today? Is it your time, ability to listen, financial resources, creativity, or love for children?

Secondly, Lay it at Jesus’s feet. Just as Moses had to release his staff for it to be used for miracles, we must offer our gifts to God. That may mean volunteering in a new ministry, offering your skills for a church project, mentoring someone, or being present with someone who needs encouragement.

If you are ready, I invite you to open your hands right where you are as a symbolic act of surrender, showing that you are ready to offer what is in your hands to the Lord.

Pastor Jamey

(Click Here to Watch the Worship Service from Gainesville First United Methodist Church, Gainesville, Georgia)

Questions to Consider:

  1. What does “choosing well” look like in your life?
  2. What is your spiritual gift, and how have you seen it benefit others?
  3. Coach McCartney said, “We have not come to compete with one another. We have come to complete one another.” How does this mindset shift the way we serve within the church?

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank You for the gifts You have given each of us. Thank You for the opportunities to serve You and build bridges that lead others to Christ. Today, we offer what is in our hands—our time, talents, and resources. We lay them at Your feet, trusting that You will multiply what we give and use it for Your glory. Give us the wisdom to know when to sit at Your feet and when to rise and serve. Help us to work together as the body of Christ, not in competition, but in unity. May everything we do point others to the love and grace of Jesus. In His name, we pray, Amen.

Benediction:

May you go with your hearts open to offer what is in your hand. May you embrace moments of stillness at Jesus’ feet and moments of action in His name. May the gifts God has placed within you be released, multiplied, and used to build bridges that draw others to Christ. Amen.