Sermon: "What Do You Want Me to Do for You?"

What Do You Want Me to Do for You?
Psalm 37: 3-7; Mark 10: 46-52
by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
October 28, 2018

Trust in the Lord, and do good;
so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will make your vindication shine like the light,
and the justice of your cause like the noonday.

Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him;
do not fret over those who prosper in their way,
over those who carry out evil devices. - Psalm 37: 3-7

They came to Jericho. As [Jesus] and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’

Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’

Jesus stood still and said, ‘Call him here.’ And they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take heart; get up, he is calling you.’

So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ The blind man said to him, ‘My teacher, let me see again.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way. - Mark 10: 46-52

The mark of a good teacher is one who creates a trusting space to ask questions. And the asking is always reciprocal. The teacher asks questions of the students to encourage their curiosity and understanding, as well as challenge their thinking. And the students ask questions of the teacher to gain clarity and insight.

Jesus was such a teacher. He asked more questions than he gave answers for.

And in the tenth chapter of Mark’s Gospel, Jesus asks a particular question in two back to back settings; first to James and John and then to Bartimaeus. Jesus’ question implies he is curious to know the desires of the heart for all three. But more so, Jesus is curious to hear that desire named out loud.

Jesus asked the brothers of Zebedee, “What do you want me to do for you?” when they had asked a favor of Jesus (Mark 10:26). The brothers said they wanted to sit in Jesus’ glory at his right and left hand (Mark 10:37). The brothers want the power that Jesus has. And yet the Teacher knows they do not fully understand.

Jesus had just foretold for the third time about his coming death and resurrection (Mark 10: 33-34). Jesus could see that “deer in the head lights” look in his disciples eyes. He reminds his disciples God’s kingdom is contrary to Rome’s kingdom; the world knows powerful rulers lord their power over the people but this is not so among you (Mark 10: 42-43).

And yet Jesus ultimately uses the cross to instruct the disciples the core concept of his servant leadership. To be last and not first…to serve and not be served because Jesus will give his life as a ransom for many. For Jesus the work of the cross is to lay down God’s power in self-giving, unconditional, sacrificial love for all humanity (Mark 10: 44-45).

The disciples needed to hear Jesus ask Bartimaeus the same question, “What do you want me to do for you?”

The future is at stake. At the end of Mark’s Gospel, the disciples would be sent with Jesus’ Easter power to proclaim the good news to the whole creation and work with the Lord (Mark 16: 15, 20).

The disciples needed to be embraced by a teaching moment with Bartimaeus because the Christian life as a disciple of Jesus is never about having power over another. The Christian life is not about telling others what they need to feel or do in order to experience God’s saving grace. The Christian life is about sharing Jesus’ power with others.

Jesus and the disciples come to Jericho and the crowd is mesmerized by Jesus’ teaching. The crowd followed Jesus and the disciples oh so closely to learn more about the One who teaches in God’s authority.

As Jesus walked the streets of Jericho a man named Bartimaeus could hear all the chatter. We don’t know how or when he first heard of Jesus. But Bartimaeus’ actions that day imply that he had an understanding of how powerful Jesus was.

Mark does not reveal what had caused Bartimaeus’ blindness or how long he had struggled with it. But it certainly brought isolation, exclusion, and powerlessness to Bart’s life.

The beat on the street was that Jesus reached out to those with a similar story. Jesus healed those who wrestled their demons (Mark 1: 21-28; 5: 1-20); he chose to touch and cleanse lepers (Mark1: 40-42) ; he empowered women to share their stories of pain and exclusion in light of God’s powerful healing and grace (Mark 5:32-34) ; he healed the sick and welcomed children (Mark 1: 29-34; 6:53-56; 9: 25-27; 10:14); he cured the deaf and the blind (Mark 7: 31-37; 8:22-26).

And Bart was desperate to be healed too. He knew that Jesus was the One who could do it.

So just as Jesus and the disciples were about to head back to Jerusalem, Bart cold not let this moment pass. He shouted to grab Jesus‘ attention.

This is where that teaching moment begins. The crowd tried to silence Bart. They tried to exert a level of power over him. Those in the crowd standing near Bartimaeus said to him – keep quiet. Not now. And as the crowd tried to shut out Bartimaeus, he shouted out all the more loudly.

Jesus stood still and spoke to the men and women who were standing as a barrier between Bart and Jesus. And Jesus said, “Call him here” (Mark 10:49).

And the disciples saw something take place that would change them forever. The ones who tried to silence Bart did not push back against Jesus but had a change of heart.

Those in the crowd followed Jesus’ instruction and looked at Bartimaeus saying to him, “Take courage. Rise up. He is calling you” (Mark 10:49). Those individuals in the crowd shared Jesus’ power with Bartimaeus; they helped him rise up; they helped him get to Jesus.

And it is there that James and John and the disciples heard Jesus ask Bart the same question, “What do you want me to do for you?” The Greek renders a more faithful reading, “What do you desire that I do for you?”

I can’t help but wonder as Bartimaeus heard that question if Psalm 37:4-5 filled his mind, “Take delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lod; trust in him and he will act.”

I love Bartimaeus’ answer. He wanted to receive Jesus’ power to see again but to see in a new way – to experience God’s mercy, amazing grace, and blessed assurance that Jesus was his Lord too.

And after being touched by Jesus’ merciful power Bartimaeus followed Jesus on the way (Mark 10:52). Bartimaeus became a disciple too.

And I know as the circle of Jesus’ students grew, their view of God’s kingdom grew too.

Have you ever felt silenced? If so, who or what silenced you? Who listened to your pain and the desires of your heart? Who helped you take courage and rise up in Jesus’ merciful love, healing, and rise up a little closer to your God-given potential?

Holy Spirit is on the move as the Advocate to teach us to be like our Teacher and Savior. Jesus came to proclaim the good news of God (Mark 1:14).

But the good news Jesus brought came through loving God and loving neighbor. The good news Jesus brought was walking beside those who had been silenced. God hears all our pleas and prayers, but God is particularly close to the powerless and the marginalized. The good news Jesus brought shared God’s power to redeem humanity physically, emotionally and spiritually and to join God in changing the world.

As disciples of Jesus Christ, we too are sent to proclaim the good news too….. But if the good news that we proclaim does not include loving God and loving neighbor then we are not proclaiming Jesus.

We are to proclaim the good news by sharing Jesus’ power of mercy and grace with others. To share Jesus’ power is not about being theologically right or determining who is inside or outside of the circle of God’s grace. Sharing Jesus’ power is to lay down ours power for the sake of living in in relationship with God and one another like Jesus did.

It is to listen for our sisters and brothers who are shouting out because society is silencing their voices. The history of humankind has long silenced whole groups of people, and lest we forget – the Church – has a long history even through the present day of silencing voices too.

The Spirit is on the move to lead us to confess our spiritual blindness and to empower us to spiritually see in a new way. And so life becomes a classroom of faith to encounter new insights from the Teacher and to learn from one another.

We are collecting Dimes for Hunger this month so that we may share God’s abundance with our sisters and brothers who live near the poverty line here in Lancaster County and even all the way to Guatemala and Honduras. This ministry has been asking the question, “What do you want Jesus to do for you?” and many reply they want to know God will always provide daily bread and fill the gap that they cannot.

We will be baking cookies these next few weeks for the Kairos ministry to take a dozen homemade cookies to 1,500 of our brothers serving time in the Kershaw prison. That ministry has been asking the question, “What do you want Jesus to do for you?” and many have replied they want to know the truest gift of God’s forgiveness – that we are more than the worst thing we have ever done. And those cookies convey a prayerful action of unconditional love and mercy that is tangible.

We are praying for American Leprosy Missions this week as one of our own travels with the team to Napal to learn from and serve our sisters and brothers who struggle today with leprosy. And this ministry asks, “What do you want Jesus to do for you?” and one man said, “People look down on me because of this sickness.” He wants to be healed, to experience belonging, and to find the hope of making a difference in his community.

Our Jewish sisters and brothers in Pittsburgh are shouting out because violent hatred has once again tried to silence them. How will you and I respond?

In our daily living – at school, at work, in the community and wider world- when we walk beside our sisters and brothers who are hurting, who have been silenced, and we listen to their stories – even when God takes us out of our comfort zone - that my friends is holy work.

When we listen and help others to rise up in Jesus’ power to reach their desire and God-given potential, when we work together to right the wrongs, when we see each other through eyes of mercy, and when we serve humbly then that is doing what the Lord requires of us….to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God.

Who is God calling you and me to listen to? Who might God place in your path and mine this week that has been silenced? Will we listen?

May we remember the blessed assurance of belonging to Jesus is God’s desire for all.
In the name of our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer, Amen.

The Face of Faith Sermon Series: The Ears

The Face of Faith: A Sermon Series on James
Ears
James 5: 7-20
by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
October 21, 2018

Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors! As an example of suffering and patience, beloved, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Indeed we call blessed those who showed endurance. You have heard of the endurance of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

Above all, my beloved, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your ‘Yes’ be yes and your ‘No’ be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven.

Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest.

My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another, you should know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner’s soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. - James 5: 7-20


For weeks we have been sitting in the words of James. James is a letter of wisdom. The author puts pen to paper to persuade Christians to grow in the likeness of Jesus Christ because faith is both a gift and a responsibility.

For James, the greatest marker of a Christian’s identity is that we love God and love our neighbor as ourselves. So, he goes to great lengths teaching about the Law of Love. James raises his prophetic voice to encourage us and also to challenge us to look deeply within the image of faith we project to God and one another.

James is not only concerned about one’s personal image of faith, but also the faith which is projected by the community of believers. This includes our moral attitudes and social ethics, our intentionality to see one another as sisters and brothers of God’s greater family, and our commitment to seek the wellbeing of all.

The Lord God is calling us to strengthen our hearts and take a long view into the face of faith.

James has been tapping us to take the time to look into the mirror of God’s truth – God’s mirror not only reflects our short comings but it is also reflects the hope of God’s great potential to transform our lives day by day.

God’s Word opens our eyes to see the world, our neighbors and our very selves in a new way when we look through the merciful eyes of Jesus Christ.

God’s Spirit empowers us to choose our words more wisely when we remember the gift of speech is to bless God and to build up one another.

Jesus’s teachings equip us to take the twists and turns of life and get out of the ruts of earthly wisdom by seeking the mind of Christ.

And just as we begin to put James’ teachings into practice he has one more word of wisdom – one more virtue to shape the face of our faith into the likeness of Christ. And it has to do with our ears.

James spills a lot of ink on two words in our text today: patience and prayer. We cannot do either without the ability to listen.

James knows listening is a great virtue, for he said at the very beginning: “You must understand this, my beloved – let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger” (James 1:19). Listening requires a posture of simply being present.

The ability to be present and listen is the cornerstone of Jesus’ ministry.

Jesus listened with an open heart to discern and obey God’s will and purposes.
Jesus listened to those he disagreed with and who grumbled when he reinterpreted the Law of God’s love.
Jesus listened to the disciples’ questions and their surprise to his teachings.
Jesus listened to his friends when they wept.
Jesus listened for God’s healing to turn despair into praise.
Jesus listened to those who were suffering, those who were powerless, those who society cast aside.

In order for our faith to carry on Jesus’ ministry to see and talk and think like Jesus, we must deepen our commitment to listen like Jesus.

His name is James. And no matter who asks him, “How are you doing?”, his reply is always the same, “I am blessed today.” Glenda and Henry Manus have known James for eight years. Glenda has given me permission to share this story. Glenda and Henry know God has brought James into their lives, and they into James’ life for a reason.

James would sell hand-made wooden bowls next to Henry’s weekend tackle business at the beach. As James sold his bowls, he would share his faith with his patrons. This made such a meaningful impression on Henry and Glenda. Henry invited James to work with him and as these three began to know one another, the Manus’ had the privilege of listening to James’ story.

James lives in the North Carolina coastal area of Crusoe Island. His family once owned land and when James’ father received his inheritance he squandered it. James quit school in the 8th grade to support his family. Through the years, James worked hard as a shrimper, a carpenter, and took odd jobs to make ends meet.

James struggled with alcoholism like his dad; it is hard to break the addictive cycle alone. And yet when James was in his 40’s he gave his life to Christ and he was forever changed. James gave up drinking - cold turkey. Whenever the church doors were open, James was there. And James is not shy sharing what God has been doing in his life. James has never had much to give but he is always generous to help others as God has helped him.

Despite years of personal struggles and teetering on the edge of poverty, James built a small house (16 feet by 12 feet) on his son’s property. Some might call it a shack, but James is proud to call it his home. Now in his early 70’s James is grateful that God has always provided what he needs.

When Hurricane Florence came through the Carolinas at a slow grits-making pace, James went to bed uncertain what the next day would bring. He was surprised to stand up in two feet of water. When he walked outside the water came up to his chin. James had a small handcrafted boat that he used to get help and relocate to an emergency shelter. After the flood waters receded, James and his neighbors returned to find they had lost everything.

Piles of debris, ruined furniture, and mattresses line the street to be picked up. In the front yard of James’ home, a damaged washing machine sits askew with a heap of ruined things on top. And yet a Carolina license plate is clearly visible in the mix saying, “Jesus is Lord.” Those words are James’ life motto.

The hurricane has certainly put James and many others in the Carolinas through the wringer. But there is no hardship that can ever separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ (Romans 8: 35, 37-39).

After the hurricane Glenda and Henry called James to check on his wellbeing and to consider how to help. James told Glenda, "The Lord will take care of me." She replied, "James, sometimes the Lord takes care of you by using other people." His answer, "I never thought about that.”

The Lord is listening to his children praying – children, women, and men who are praying for the strength to endure suffering that has no answers and suffering that we inflict upon one another. The Lord is listening to his children praying to thrive in God’s abundance and not just survive on the world’s scarcity. The Lord is listening to his children praying for some sure and certain sign that God is always with us.

And Christ prays for us – our Lord is patiently praying for us to listen for God’s guidance and direction to accomplish his purposes. God taps and tugs on our heartstrings and we just cannot ignore it. Our Lord is patiently praying for us to take notice of our sisters and brothers like James - the poor in spirit, the meek; those who mourn, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, those who are merciful and pure in heart (Matthew 5: 3-8).

When we listen to the ones whom Jesus listens to, well, that is where God’s kingdom is already breaking in. And that is where the work of faith needs to be taking place.

It is in these spaces that God is at work to give us a different perspective. We are moved to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. Therefore, God is at work to ground our faith in “a social ethic that is based on solidarity and peace rather than competition and violence.”

It is important to listen to the stories of our brothers and sisters who are hurting. We learn where they see God at work in their lives and we learn where God is inviting us to join the Lord in this holy work of reconciling the world. The Holy Spirit nudges us along to be authentic, to be present, to comfort, and to meet another’s real needs in just and merciful ways. Our faith is to grow and mature so that it strengthens and raises up others in God’s resurrection power!

The hope is that as we strive to live into God’s kingdom vision that we may see Christ in each other’s face. Loving our neighbor is the MOST we can do because the patience and prayer of right relationships is powerful and effective.

We know this to be true because it is the wisdom of the cross. May the cross always remind us what the face of our faith should reflect to God and to one another. Amen.

Sources Referenced:

[1] New Interpreter's Bible Commentary: Volume X (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2015), p. 673.

The Face of Faith Sermon Series: The Mind (4/5)

The Face of Faith: A Sermon Series on James
The Mind
James 3:13 – 4:10
by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
October 7, 2018


Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom.

But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind.

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.

Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures. Adulterers! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.

Or do you suppose that it is for nothing that the scripture says, ‘God yearns jealously for the spirit that he has made to dwell in us’? But he gives all the more grace; therefore it says,
‘God opposes the proud,
but gives grace to the humble.’

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into dejection. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. - James 3:13 - 4:10


Last weekend I had the great privilege of leading a women’s retreat in Fairbanks, Alaska. The Friday evening that we gathered together I was so nervous because I knew only two of the women there – my mother who I invited to come with me, and my dear friend from seminary whose husband is the pastor of the Fairbanks congregation. But God is good and so are overnight retreats with a diverse group of women. You get to know each other rather quickly sharing meals, laughter, small group discussions, sleeping quarters and bathrooms!

My greatest hopes for the retreat were for God’s presence to be made known, for the each of us to grow stronger faith muscles together, and for the women’s shared spiritual wisdom among to build up one another.

I took the wisdom I have learned from our Van Wyck women among us; I asked the women of Fairbanks to participate in Secret Sisters. Each woman’s name was placed on a piece of paper and drawn from a basket. Over the course of the weekend, each woman was to write two notes of encouragement to their secret sister…a strength admired about her or a prayer to lift her up. By mid-morning on Saturday and Sunday, each woman was blessed with a word of spiritual insight and strength.

I was fascinated to learn about the woman whose name I drew. She has an unassuming and gentle smile. She is a lover of adventure. She is a pilot and a motorcyclist. And she feels strongest when she does not depend upon anyone but God alone.

This woman discovered I was her secret sister and before we parted ways she shared some intriguing wisdom with me. Her sending words seemed to be out of the blue, but in that moment, she wanted me to go with a part of her lived experience. She looked into my eyes and said when she was learning how to drive a motorcycle two truths had been life-saving to her.

First and foremost, as you drive a motorcycle along the twists and turns of the road, it matters where you focus your mind’s eye. If you look out into the wild blue yonder or at that tree as you take the turn, that is where the motorcycle will go. In order to keep the motorcycle in the line of the road your mind must be intentionally focused on the path ahead of you. Distractions that break your focus can be costly.

Second, when you are on the bike and when (not if) you get stuck in a rut – do not keep spinning your wheels. Just stop. Be still. And then allow the power of the motorcycle to drive you up and out of the rut.

I received those words and just said, “That is proverbial and prophetic.”

This morning we are receiving another prophetic word from James. In the twists and turns of life it also matters what the mind’s eye of faith focuses upon. So James is moving us to look at our minds in the face of faith. And James lifts up two very different sources of wisdom: godly wisdom and earthly wisdom.

Like a wise sage, James begins with godly wisdom: “Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done in gentleness and born of wisdom” (James 3:13). James encourages us to keep our minds focused on God’s Word.

James knows what it means to stay intentionally focused on God’s path that leads to life: “For the ones who find wisdom and gain understanding are blessed; her income is better than silver and her revenue is better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, nothing can compare to her” (Proverbs 2: 13-15).

Godly wisdom is practical wisdom gained through the course of our lived experience as the book of Proverbs entails. Attaining godly wisdom begins with the gentle force of God’s inspiration and it leads us by the empowerment of God’s direction.

James says the wisdom from above is holy, unfailing, and trustworthy. It is peaceable because it always moves in the direction towards God’s wholeness. God says, “This is the way, walk in it” (Isaiah 30:20) therefore as disciples we are to discern God’s path and follow it in obedience. God’s wisdom is gentle because it is equitable and available to all. It is willing to yield in perfect obedience to God’s purposes. It is merciful because it loyal to God’s steadfast love and marked by love for neighbor.

Remember for James the greatest marker of our Christian identity is the Law of Love.

On the other hand, earthly wisdom persuades us to rely on human insight. When we are wise in our own eyes, our face of faith turns inwards towards envy and selfish ambition and turns away from God. Earthly wisdom disquiets the soul with disorder, conflict, and disputes. It leads us off God’s path and into the ravine of unrest and untruth.

At the fast pace of life today, it matters what our minds are focused on. If we get caught up in the conflicts and disputes of the day and our minds are not focused on the Law of Love, then we will do nothing less than my secret sister’s proverbial motorcycle wisdom – our faith will spin out into the foolishness of the world. A divided focus can be costly in the twists and turns of life.

James is leading us to confess that our minds get stuck in the ruts of earthly wisdom. He says, “Draw near to God and he will be near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4:8).

James recognizes how tempted we are to divide our loyalty between God and the world. A divided focus is costly and leads us where God does not want us to go. A divided focus leads us to partiality and hypocrisy.

Therefore, “God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not - to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God” (1 Corinthians 1 :27-29).

Holding these Scriptures in one hand and the news in the other, I cannot help but wonder if God is saying how foolish we are to lean into earthly wisdom.

Teresa of Avila lived in Spain in the 16th century. She was a Carmelite nun, an author of faith, and a preacher. She once said, “Fix your eyes on the crucified Lord and everything will become small for you.”

Fix your mind’s eye on God’s wisdom and the path of faith will come into focus. Fix your mind on the humility and sacrificial love of Christ you will find life-saving truth. “God is the source of our life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30).

Today is World Communion Sunday we unite with sisters and brothers around the world as we approach the Lord’s Table. The bread of life and the cup of salvation reveal the mind of Christ for us:

“Though he was in the form of God, he did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave (less than and despised), being born as one of us, and he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6-8).

“The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18).

God desires the face of our faith to have the mind of Christ. We are to have the same love and compassion for others as Christ did for us. That means we are to “do nothing for selfish ambition, or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than ourselves. Let us not look to our own interests, but to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4).

If you find your faith is in a rut of earthly wisdom today, know you are in the right place.

Be still. Draw near to God and the Lord will draw near to you.

Let us share our need for God’s gift of grace. Let us ask God to break our hearts for what breaks the Lord’s heart.

And may the power of God’s Spirit lift us up in godly wisdom to go and continue Christ’s ministry of humility, compassion, justice, and peace.

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