Sermon: What's Your Passion?

What’s Your Passion?
Proverbs 16:9; Matthew 28: 16-20
by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
May 27, 2018
Trinity Sunday

The human mind plans the way, but the Lord directs the steps. - Proverbs 16:9

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted.

And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’ - Matthew 28: 16-20

“The human mind plans the way but the Lord directs the steps.” These words from Proverbs 16:9 completely sum up the life of Jesus’ disciples.

From the beginning of Matthew’s Gospel, the disciples had planned to just live an ordinary life. They learned a trade and made a living with the gifts, resources, and family support they had been given.

None of them were looking for Jesus. But suddenly one day, Jesus showed up. Jesus met Peter and Andrew and James and John and even Matthew where they were. Jesus came alongside them and said, “Follow me” and I will take your God-given gifts and teach you how to use them to build God’s kingdom (Matthew 4:18-22; 9: 9-10).

Every time I read about the way Jesus called the disciples, I am fascinated that there were no excuses or balking, like you or I have given. The disciples did not know where Jesus would take them. The disciples did not know what they would have to give up. But there was something about Jesus they trusted enough to direct their steps.

All great leaders have a sphere of influence. And their influence is worth following if they have two character traits: passion and integrity. Passion is being moved to action at the risk of hurting or suffering for the cause. Integrity is having an attitude towards wholeness for self and others by adhering to moral and ethical principles.

Those whom Jesus called were drawn to his passion and integrity. The Son of God came to embody the power of God’s bold and steadfast love. God’s love changes everything. Standing in the presence of God’s love causes us to see ourselves and the world differently.

Have you ever met someone who embodies God’s love in such an authentic way that it left you saying, “I want that! I want what s/he has.”?

I think it was like that for the disciples. They saw Jesus embody God’s love in such a powerful way that they said to themselves, “I want to be like that.”

Matthew’s Gospel says that Jesus preached and lived by the Beattitudes – lifting up the most vulnerable into the strength of God’s promises. Jesus taught to look for the new thing God is doing in the world; be the light; always be humble and kind. Jesus taught the disciples four keys to living by godly integrity: pray, do not worry, serve God alone, and the Golden Rule (treat others the way you want to be treated).

Jesus taught the disciples the ministry of presence to bring about God’s healing. Jesus taught the disciples the power of God’s love is hidden in the ordinary places of life. He instructed the disciples to look for it and help others see it because it is in those places that the kingdom of God is breaking in and we could miss it.

As Jesus directed the disciples’ steps, he revealed the way ahead would not be easy. All who follow Jesus will need to deny themselves and live into the self-giving love of the cross. Jesus prepared the disciples to handle conflict with prayerful integrity. Jesus was bold to welcome the children and ensure their valued presence in God’s family.

Jesus’ passion and integrity directed the disciples’ steps into a new way of living. Jesus revealed our true humanity is to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves. That is the sum of the Law and the prophets; it is why we are called to follow Jesus. Therefore, we are sent to carry on Jesus’ ministry of making disciples of all nations.

We find Scripture’s marching orders in the same way the disciples did. We praise God for all God has done as our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. And we also doubt. We doubt that we are capable or even qualified to live up to and to live into the fullness of Jesus’ example and teachings.

Last Saturday The Most Reverend Michael Curry, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, had the great privilege of preaching the royal wedding homily for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle; the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Curry spoke with such candor about the power of love:

But love is not only about a young couple. Now the power of love is demonstrated by the fact that we're all here. Two young people fell in love, and we all showed up….

But Curry also preached from a global pulpit. His words were filled passion to inspire the making of disciples:

Someone once said that Jesus began the most revolutionary movement in human history.

A movement grounded in the unconditional love of God for the world - and a movement mandating people to live that love, and in so doing to change not only their lives but the very life of the world itself.

I'm talking about power. Real power. Power to change the world.

"If you don't believe me, just stop and imagine. Think and imagine a world where love is the way.

Imagine our homes and families where love is the way. Imagine neighborhoods and communities where love is the way.

Imagine governments and nations where love is the way. Imagine business and commerce where this love is the way.

Imagine this tired old world where love is the way. When love is the way - unselfish, sacrificial, redemptive.

Curry delivered this sermon to more than 2 billion people globally. It is one of the most profound sermons I have ever heard preached. I have no doubt that some disciples were made and also encouraged that day!

Curry’s sermon inspired and challenged all who were listening to truly live into the transforming love of our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. I know I am not the only one who listened to those words and said, “I want to be a part of that. I want to be guided by that way of love!”

The Apostle Paul says that God has given each of us gifts – a manifestation of the Spirit for the common good (1 Corinthians 12:4-7).

That means that God has given you and me a unique way of sharing the power of God’s love. God has a plan to give you a future with hope to bring about God's purposes like no one else can do.

The truth of our texts today is that God inspires us to follow Jesus’ passion and integrity through that of others. God fuels our passion to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. God directs the steps of our lives and work to continue Christ’s ministry of making disciples.

Our hearts might plan the way, but God directs our steps to bring about God’s purposes in the ordinary places of life. It’s not always about what we say (about faith) but rather what we are teaching through our actions.

Frederick Buechner says, the kind of work God usually calls you to is the kind of work (a) that you need most to do and (b) that the world most needs to have done. ... The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet."

Over the past seven months I have seen all this come to life in a program called Leadership Lancaster. For the past thirty years, our local Chamber of Commerce has created an environment to intersect the diversity of work in our community with a passion of bettering Lancaster. I had the privilege of learning about Lancaster’s layers of infrastructure with 30 cohorts who work for a variety of businesses and non-profits here.

The President of Lancaster Chamber of Commerce is Dean Faile and he began this program with one question: “What is your passion?”

Another way of saying that is: What do you have a great love and concern for in which you are willing to give up your time, talents, and treasures to foster positive change here in in our community and beyond? It is a question that has made a profound impression upon my cohorts and myself.

I have had the privilege of meeting so many leaders in our community who intersect their talents and faith with passion and integrity. They serve the county in our school district, hospital, social agencies, the arts council, businesses and industry, the city and state government, the police and sheriff’s departments, and in the military.

None of the individuals I met are perfect; nor are any of these institutions. But the individuals I met through Leadership Lancaster are trying their best to love God and love neighbor as self.

Through their unique God-given gifts and passion, they are working together to do one thing…. (and I borrow the words of Debbie Jaillette, Executive Director of the Lancaster County Council of the Arts): that one thing is “Becoming a formidable force for good, community, love and family.”

And that my friend is what it means to live into the power of God’s love. To be a formidable force is what it means to follow Jesus and to make disciples of all nations. That is what it means to obey everything that Jesus commanded and point to the kingdom of God.

What is your passion that parallels Christ’s teachings? It may be welcoming children to help them feel valued. It may be blessing the poor in spirit. Where is God leading you to intersect your deep gladness and the world’s greatest need?

When God’s love guides our motivations and actions then the way of love directs our steps to be a formidable force for good in our families, community, and world – not just for the common good but for God’s good.

When love is the way then God’s kingdom breaks in a little more and we cannot miss it.

And we are inspired, our passion is rekindled, and our integrity is strengthened to be all that God is creating us to be.

May it be so for each of us today and everyday.

In the name of our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. Amen.

Sermon: We All Need a Pep Talk

We All Need a Pep Talk
Acts 2: 1-21
by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
May 20, 2018
Youth Sunday (Pentecost)

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.’

All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’ But others sneered and said, ‘They are filled with new wine.’

But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: ‘Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

“In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.
Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
and they shall prophesy.

And I will show portents in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
The sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.
Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Acts 2: 1-21


Robby Novack is fourteen years old. He has made quite a name for himself on you tube. When he steps in front of the rolling camera he becomes Kid President. In his dark business suit and red tie, Kid President looks at his global audience of all ages and says:

I think we all need a pep talk. The world needs to stop being boring. Yeah, you! Boring is easy, everybody can be boring. But you're gooder than that. Life is not a game people. Life isn't a cereal either. Well, it is a cereal. And if life is a game, aren't we all on the same team? I mean really, right? I'm on your team, you’re on my team.

This is life people, you've got air coming through your nose! You've got a heartbeat! That means it's time to do somethin'!

A poem. "Two roads diverged in the woods...and I took the road less traveled... AND IT HURT MAN! Really bad. Rocks! Thorns! Glass! My pants broke! NOT COOL ROBERT FROST!

But what if there really were two paths? I want to be on the one that leads to awesome.

It's like that dude Journey said, don't stop believing…

What will you create when you make the world awesome? Nothing if you keep sittin' there! This is why I'm talking to you today!

This is your time. This is my time. This is our time. We can make everyday better for each other. If we're all on the same team, let's start acting like it. We've got work to do. We can cry about it, or we can dance about it.

You were made to be awesome. Let's get out there! I don't know everything, I'm just a kid, but I do know this: It's everybody’s duty to do good, and give the world a reason to dance. So get to it!

The day the Holy Spirit was revealed to the church was like Kid’s President’s pep talk.

All those whom followed our Risen Savior knew firsthand the road less traveled. It hurt and yet it made all the difference. They had sacrificed a lot to claim Jesus Christ as the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). After our Risen Lord ascended to heaven to sit at the right hand of God, the disciples and apostles had no idea what would happen next.

Suddenly, Holy Spirit filled the room with the breath of God like a rushing wind. God’s power of love touched upon each one gathered. It brought everyone to their feet. The time of waiting was over. Holy Spirit made everyone’s heart beat a little faster. In that moment Creator God was breathing new life into the lungs of those men and women. The grace of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit told them it was time to do something!

And it was Peter who gave the newly born church a pep talk. Peter told the church, ‘Don’t stop believing in God’s great vision of changing the world (Joel 2: 28-32). God’s Spirit would be poured out on everyone – our sons and daughters, women and men, the young and the old (Acts 2:17-18). Peter was proclaiming that the Holy Spirit was wrapping the church in God’s power of love.

The Spirit led the early church and is still leading us today on the path of awesome. It is awesome because God is the one paving the way forward. God is the one who show us signs of the Lord’s presence, the coming kingdom, and God’s ministry of reconciling all of creation and humanity back to God's intentions(Acts 2: 19-21). God's love never fails. As a result, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

The past five months Carson Helms, Ashley Overstreet, and Mia Edwards have been reflecting on what we believe about God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, the Sacraments of Baptism and Communion, and the traditions of the Presbyterian Church. Once a month we have joined six other youth from our Presbytery to play games, build relationships, and learn about faith.

Carson, Mia, and Ashley – now it’s my turn for giving a pep talk! Today we celebrate the ways the gift of faith has shaped your lives through your families and your church family. I trust Holy Spirit is breathing new life into your soul. This gift of faith keeps you close to God’s heartbeat. As you follow Jesus’ teachings, they will remind you it’s time to do something with all you have learned!

Let this be known to you: God has already given each of you gifts and talents and passions to share with the church and the world. This is your time and God will continue to open your eyes to see God’s path that leads to awesome! God will work through each of you to share the good news that God’s love is still changing the world. God’s timing always has a sense of candor and humor. God will show each of you the next steps in your faith journeys in unexpected ways and through unexpected people . And God will help you know how you uniquely belong in serving the body of Christ!

And church – let this be known to each of us: we have promised to walk beside our youth in word and deed and with our love and prayers. Those Baptismal vows that we and the connectional church took imply we promise to raise and teach all of our children in the faith.

But those vows and our biblical text today also imply that we are to be open to our children and youth teaching us. God will teach us the way, the truth, and the life through the God-given visions and dreams of our children and youth. Our sons and daughters shall prophesy, revealing to us God’s Word, showing us God’s path and even challenge us to take the next right steps (Acts 2:17).

Our youth are not just the future of the church. They are a significant part of the local church and the church universal today.

Carson, Mia, and Ashley – confirmation is not the end. Rather it is a part of the journey of faith. Just as you go to school to grow in knowledge, so the church helps you to grow in spiritual formation. None of us are born knowing everything. But we all are born with a desire to worship God.

Everything you have learned thus far is a strong foundation and the beginning of wisdom. No matter how old any of us are, there is always more to learn. As Proverbs 4:5-6 says, “Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, do not turn away. Do not forsake [wisdom] and she will keep you; love her and she will guard you.”

The wisdom of faith shapes us to make every day better by the power of God’s love because we are all on the same team. We are on the Big 3 Team: God – Jesus – Holy Spirit.

Scripture tells us that a little child shall lead them (Isaiah 11:6c). His name was Jesus and we all follow in his footsteps. Carson, Mia, and Ashley – you were made to be awesome because you are a beloved child of God.

May you lead the church to follow Jesus and give the world a reason to don’t stop believing!

In the name of God our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. Amen.

A Mother's Day Prayer

Mother's Day is both joyful and dreaded.

Our Prayer for the People from Sunday May 13 reflects the light and darkness of the day.

May the Spirit of gentleness meet you where you are:


A Prayer for Mother’s Day, by Rev. Carson Overstreet 5/13/18


Holy God and Loving Friend,

We give you thanks today for your promised and steadfast love. You gather your children together as a mother hen gathers her brood under her wings. You are the patient father waiting to welcome your wayward children home. No matter how much we wander from you or even resist your love, you love us still.

Lord God we recognize both the joy and challenge of this Sunday.

We give thanks to the women in our lives whom we know and love as mother. For those of us who cherish healthy relationships, we do give you thanks for a mother’s selfless love, encouragement, support and rich legacies that have been passed down.

We also give you thanks for the women in our lives who are mother figures to us. Thank you for placing your Deborahs in our lives (Judges 4-5). These women teach us who we are in your love, inspire us to reach for the stars, and challenge us to seek your hope that we can hold onto everyday.

But in this space it is right to share our laments. For many, this day holds grief for the strained relationship that seems to be beyond repair. There is a piece of someone’s heart missing as that son or daughter is not able to come home and be with family today. There is sadness for the empty chair - the one we cannot call on the phone today. There are broken dreams of infertility, miscarriage, and child loss.

We lift all these to you Loving God and we pray for your Spirit to embrace each of us in your grace. Grant us peace that surpasses our understanding. And speak to us your truth once again that you will surely go with us to climb every mountain and to fight every battle with your strength that never wanes or wearies.

Lead us into the promises of your kingdom, for we pray for it with boldness using the prayer Jesus taught us say....Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil; for thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

Sermon: I Will Surely Go With You

I Will Surely Go with You
Judges 4: 1-10
by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
May 13, 2018

The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, after Ehud died. So the Lord sold them into the hand of King Jabin of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-ha-goiim.

Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help; for he had nine hundred chariots of iron, and had oppressed the Israelites cruelly for twenty years.

At that time Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel. She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites came up to her for judgement.

She sent and summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, ‘The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you, “Go, take position at Mount Tabor, bringing ten thousand from the tribe of Naphtali and the tribe of Zebulun. I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to meet you by the Wadi Kishon with his chariots and his troops; and I will give him into your hand.” ’

Barak said to her, ‘If you will go with me, I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.’

And she said, ‘I will surely go with you; nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.’ Then Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh.

Barak summoned Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and ten thousand warriors went up behind him; and Deborah went up with him. - Judges 4: 1-10

There is an old Polish proverb that states, “Not my circus, not my monkeys.” That proverb makes me chuckle when there seems to be nothing but drama in life. In a comedic way, those words give permission to step away from the drama when you are not the ringmaster of it.

It’s a different story when all the rigmarole going on is in your own tent. The human mind wants to know who will lead us to find the calm in the chaos?

As the tent of God’s people moved to the Promised Land of Canaan, the history of God’s people reads like a drama.

In one circle the people follow God’s direction faithfully and do just fine. Jump into the next circle and the people began to lose focus; they followed every other influence but God’s and went in a thousand different directions. By the time you jump into the last circle, the people have completely forgotten who they were called to be, so they cry out for God’s help.

The history of God’s people started to look like a three-ring circus. As this cycle continued, God allowed the people to be taken over by their enemies. God hoped this consequence would lead the people to place their trust in God alone.

The Old Testament book of Judges tells us that God never had that proverbial mindset, “Not my circus.” God never stepped away from his people. Rather “God raised up judges for [the twelve tribes of Israel], the Lord was with the judge, and [God] delivered them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the Lord would be moved to pity by their groaning because of those who persecuted and oppressed them” (Judges 2:18).

A judge was a person called by God to act as a leader, a governor if you will. This individual gave the Law of God, decided controversies, mediated conflict, and interpreted the Law (first five books of the Bible). The Law touched the civil, religious, political, and social spheres of life.

Today we look into the life of one particular judge who is remembered with great respect and favor. Deborah is the only female judge listed among the twelve judges of Israel. And her story matters to us today.

God’s people had been oppressed by cruelty for twenty years since the last judge (Shamgar) and God raised up Deborah as a judge, a prophetess, and military commander for the tribe of Ephraim (Judges 3:31; 4:3-5).

Deborah wore a number of hats, as she was also a woman of God and a wife. While nothing more is stated about the life of her family, there is truth to the saying: If you want something done then get a woman to do it! The Lord knows we ladies juggle a lot of hats!

Deborah was a woman who focused on living in right relationship with God. Just as God would surely go with her to accomplish God’s purposes, Deborah went with God in a deep commitment to follow God’s call. That is the key to anything we women and men are called to do! Within the tribe of Ephraim, she sat under the palm tree – a sign of righteousness and fruitfulness (Psalm 92:12). In order to speak God’s word and interpret God’s law to those in her care, she needed to abide with God with prayer and integrity.

Deborah’s focus to live in right relationship with God led her to be equally focused on creating right relationships within the tribe of Ephraim. Deborah was committed to be with the people she was called to serve; she wanted the tribe of Ephraim to know that God would surely go with them too. As she sat under the palm tree, Deborah made herself available to her community.

As a result, God’s people came to her for guidance and judgment. That sentence is pivotal in Judges 4:5. It implies that the people of God trusted Deborah’s leadership and valued her call, character, wisdom, and encouragement.

Deborah was also willing to share leadership to create unity and to deliver God’s people. Remember Deborah also served in the role of military commander. Once God’s Spirit revealed the next steps for the military strategy to overtake the King of Canaan, Deborah summoned Barak, the general of Israel’s army.

She was not bossy, but she was assertive with her prophetic vision to Barak regarding God’s deliverance. And yet Deborah encouraged Barak when he was uncertain about the upcoming battle, saying “I will surely go with you” (Judges 4:9). As the chaos of war began, Deborah encouraged Barak once more saying, “Up! For this is the day on which the Lord has given Sisera (the general of Cannan’s army) into your hand. The Lord is indeed going out before you!” (Judges 4:14).

And in response to God’s faithfulness to conquer Sisera and deliver Israel, Deborah sang a poetic song of victory naming all whom God worked through (Judges 5). As a result of God’s faithfulness through Deborah and those whom she helped to build up, the people of God experienced peace and rest for forty years (Judges 5:31).

Deborah reminds us of the special women you and I know who are heroes in their own right.

They are women who come into our lives and through them we see God’s faithfulness. They have a way of calming the chaos surrounding us. They ground us in wisdom of building bridges instead of burning them. They help us to see glimmers of hope in the dark valleys of life. They work to bring out the best in us. And they journey beside us to help us fight our battles and climb the mountains of life, trusting that by the grace of God we will overcome – for God indeed goes ahead of us.

We hold tight to our Deborahs in life because their story positively shapes ours. Therefore, we value these women for their strong character of faith. We treasure their trustworthiness, leadership, encouragement, and even challenge.

Thursday evening, I had the privilege to hear the Indian Land Middle School Choir sing. The youth on stage sang with joy, passion, and discipline under their Director Shonda Bradshaw. After their performance, a number of students came forward to give bouquets of flowers to Ms. Bradshaw in gratitude for her leadership.

But then something amazing happened; one by one - boys and girls from the choir took turns at the mic to share what Ms. Bradshaw meant to them.

Both boys and girls alike remembered the semester’s first day of choir saying, “I was not sure I wanted to take Ms. Bradshaw’s class. She was really strict and she would get after us.”

My hat goes off to any teacher who is able to command the students’ attention and be assertive. What an incredibly important responsibility our teachers have! It is truly a calling.

But what those students said next brought tears to my eyes.

They said the more they got to know their teacher, they realized how much she cared for them.

Ms. Bradshaw would hang out in the hallways of school to make herself available to her students. She took notice of the smiling faces and also the heaviness that our youth carry. It did not matter if a student had studied under Ms. Bradshaw for one semester or through all of 6th to 8th grades during middle school. Those youth sought Ms. Bradshaw out for guidance because she focused on right relationships. Ms. Bradshaw was a Deborah.

One student shared that Ms. Bradshaw had become her middle school mom, a woman she trusted and confided in when things in life got tough. Through thick and thin, Ms. Bradshaw’s students knew their teacher would surely go with them to help them climb their mountains and fight their battles.

Thursday evening, everyone in that auditorium was blessed to hear these stories of trustworthiness, leadership, encouragement, and even challenge. And I left that evening knowing that God is at work in Ms. Bradshaw’s life, in her students’ lives, and in the life of our schools in a powerful way.

Today we give thanks to God for the many Deborahs and other strong women in our lives.

They are teachers, mentors, soldiers, co-workers. They are grandmothers, sisters, aunts, and even mothers. I thank God for including strong women in Scripture.

As we celebrate the strong women among us, may we know them; may we raise them; may we be them.

In the name of God our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. Amen.

* artwork, "Deborah," by Cody F. Miller

References Studied Informing the Sermon:

Lynn Japinga, “Preaching the Women of the Old Testament: Who They Were and Why They Matter” (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2017), pp. 74-78.

Caryn Rivadeneira, “Grit and Grace: Heroic Women of the Bible” (Minneapolis: Spark House, 2017), pp. 43-48.
Beth Lindsay Templeton, “Conversations on the Porch: Ancient Voices, Contemporary Wisdom” (Bloomington: iUniverse, 2011), pp. 40-43.

New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary, Volume II: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2015), pp. 180-188.

Sermon: In Tune with the Song

"In Tune with the Song"
Psalm 98
by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
May 6, 2018

1 Sing to God a brand-new song. He’s made a world of wonders! He rolled up his sleeves,He set things right.

2 God made history with salvation, He showed the world what he could do.

3 He remembered to love us, a bonus To his dear family, Israel —indefatigable [tireless] love. The whole earth comes to attention. Look — God’s work of salvation!

4 Shout your praises to God, everybody! Let loose and sing! Strike up the band!

5 Round up an orchestra to play for God, Add on a hundred-voice choir.

6 Feature trumpets and big trombones, Fill the air with praises to King God.

7 Let the sea and its fish give a round of applause, with everything living on earth joining in.

8 Let ocean breakers call out, “Encore!” And mountains harmonize the finale—

9 A tribute to God when he comes,When he comes to set the earth right. He’ll straighten out the whole world, He’ll put the world right, and everyone in it. - Psalm 98, The Message

A few years ago, two unlikely people were brought together by the intersection of music and The Message.

Bono, the singer of the group U2, sent a video message to Eugene Peterson, editor of The Message. Bono thanked Rev. Peterson for the hard work of interpreting God’s Word in a way that speaks to him in his own language.

Peterson was humbled by the thanks but he had no idea who Bono or U2 were! Peterson soon began to listen to U2’s albums, many of which take me back to my favorite high school memories – all my friends in marching band were in love with Bono and U2.

The more Peterson listened to the music, he heard Bono, Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullin create melodies and lyrics that were rich with the undertones of faith and justice. Peterson was equally thankful for the work of U2.

As a result of a simple exchange of gratitude, Bono and Peterson sat down together in a candid conversation about the psalms.

Over the course of his life, Bono has been drawn to the psalms. He shared with Peterson, “They are words and melodies that give a real honesty about the deep joy and confusion of life. The only way we can approach God is if we are honest through metaphor and symbols. And the arts become essential in this.”

Peterson shared, “Psalms reach into the hurt and disappointment and difficulty of being a human being with a language that reaches into the heart of a person – it’s the stuff we all feel but don’t talk about…We serve God with poetry, with arts, with song to find ways to enter into what God is already doing.”

You see, many of the psalms truly embody the arts. They are Hebrew poetry and songs about God’s work in the world.Psalm 98 is actually a metaphor for God’s song.

The psalmist looks into the brokenness of humanity and all of creation. He knows the stories of the high and low points of God’s people. He remembers when God’s people were once enslaved in Egypt and how God liberated them into freedom. The psalmist anticipates the history of God’s salvation is revealed through the sacrificial Lamb of Jesus Christ and yet we are still in need of God’s mercy and peace. The psalmist has taken notice that the Spirit is on the move for all the earth to see the victory of God among us.

The psalmist hears the melody of God’s faithfulness down in his very bones; it is the very air he breathes. He takes the lead to bring all of humanity and creation together join God in the song as a tribute of faith because God’s song is changing the world!

When we live in tune with God’s song we become attentive to the rhythm of God’s amazing grace. It holds our stanzas of joys and sorrows, our experiences of brokenness and injustices, and our confusion and searching.

We lift our voices in celebration with others in our mountaintop moments. We lift our voices in cries that we will only allow God to hear. And within the ebb and flow of life the gift of faith is a foundational space. Within it we discover our joys and sorrows are anchored upon the very rock of our salvation.

That rock is the place where the mystery of God’s presence is revealed as we walk through the wilderness and climb the mountains towards God’s freedom of the Promised Land. That rock is the promise of God’s tireless love. That rock is the blessed assurance we have in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That rock is what upholds us by the strength of God’s Spirit in our faith communities.

When we put our trust in the rock just like the choir sang about Elijah and Moses, then we will see God’s glory. And when we hear that God is in our corner we cannot help but sing with praise, He been a rock and a shelter for me, Hallelujah!!!

I am deeply reminded of Zephaniah 3:17 says, “The Lord your God is with you; he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you. He will renew you with his love, he will rejoice over you with loud singing.”

As we listen to the motif of God’s faithfulness, the song changes us. The song of God’s faithfulness moves us to see God’s intentions for the world. It becomes our heart’s desire to live in tune with the song.

We do just that by being attentive to the notes of the song’s motif; there are 4 notes in Psalm 98: God is creating something new among us and in us; Jesus Christ is redeeming and reshaping us; the Spirit assures us that we are loved beyond measure; and God faithfulness will right the world and everyone in it. The song is played to the metronome of God’s timing.

Through this gift of faith, the motif of God’s faithfulness settles into our hearts and minds and we feel something stirring within us, just like the refrain from Andra Day’s song:
“Rise Up”:
And I'll rise up
I'll rise like the day
I'll rise up
I'll rise unafraid
I'll rise up
And I'll do it a thousand times again
And I'll rise up
High like the waves
I'll rise up
In spite of the ache
I'll rise up
And I'll do it a thousands times again
For you
For you
For you
For you…..

We rise up and see a new vision of hope for ourselves and the world around us. As we live in tune with the song, we are empowered to proclaim God’s intentions, enact it using our talents and gifts, and keep alive the vision of God’s coming kingdom.[1]

We do this by coming alongside one another to help each other hear God’s song. When we walk side by side and hand in hand it underscores that we are all becoming a part of God’s glorious melody. Entering the song is to enter into what God is doing among us.

When I was a student in seminary in Decatur, Georgia, a group from Metro State Women’s Prison visited our campus. My worship professor, Kim Long, tells about that morning poetically: [2]

The women [came to chapel] not to tell us about the realities of incarceration, but to lead us in worship. They traded their prison khakis for white choir robes and sang as the Voices of Hope Choir. White and black, young and not-so-young, they sang about Jesus and being saved and having hope. They made us cry and they cried too. Then one of them, a young African American woman preached.

“It is God who chooses us,” she said. “God who places us in a unique position within the body of Christ. He chooses one eye with 20/20 vision and places it beside an eye that is half blind. Then he selects an aching hand and attaches it to a powerful arm. He finds a sprained ankle and he strengthens it so it can lift up a leg that was once fractured. Then he searches and searches until he finds a powerful chest and teaches it by example to embrace a broken heart. Then God binds together each part with love and he sends his Holy Spirit coursing through its veins until it is moved and motivated to stand up and step out – step out into the community, into prisons, into the wilderness, to prepare the way for the Word of God.”

Then she looked at us. “Look within you. Look around you. This is the body of Christ,” she proclaimed, sweeping her arm over all of us – all of us in the pews, and all of the women in the choir. “We are the body of Christ.”

I am beyond grateful that you – Lisa Knox and the Indian Land Warrior Choir have joined us today. You have helped us to hear the melody of God’s song of amazing grace. Together we are the body of Christ.

May God’s Spirit stir something within each of us. As we enter into God’s work of changing the world may we rise up for God and live in tune with God’s song.

In the name of God our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. Amen.

Sources Referenced:

[1] Kimberly Bracken Long, “The Worshipping Body: The Art of Leading Worship” (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009), p. 36-37.

[2] Long, p. 15.