Sermon: What Is God Up To? (Psalm 121; Isaiah 65: 17-25)

What Is God Up To?
Psalm 121; Isaiah 65: 17-25
by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
November 17, 2019

I lift up my eyes to the hills—
from where will my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
He who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time on and for evermore. - Psalm 121

For I am about to create new heavens
and a new earth;
the former things shall not be remembered
or come to mind.
But be glad and rejoice for ever
in what I am creating;
for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy,
and its people as a delight.
I will rejoice in Jerusalem,
and delight in my people;
no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it,
or the cry of distress.
No more shall there be in it
an infant that lives but a few days,
or an old person who does not live out a lifetime;
for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth,
and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed.
They shall build houses and inhabit them;
they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
They shall not build and another inhabit;
they shall not plant and another eat;
for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be,
and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
They shall not labour in vain,
or bear children for calamity;
for they shall be offspring blessed by the Lord—
and their descendants as well.
Before they call I will answer,
while they are yet speaking I will hear.
The wolf and the lamb shall feed together,
the lion shall eat straw like the ox;
but the serpent—its food shall be dust!
They shall not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain,

says the Lord. - Isaiah 65: 17-25

Church, where does our hope come from?

Our hope comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth (Psalm 121:2). We all need this reminder when the difficulties of life rise up, creating obstacles in our ability to see a way forward.

The prophet Isaiah was bringing a word of hope to God’s people. After being held in Babylonian captivity for seventy years, the people of God had been released to come back home to Judah (Southern Israel){Jeremiah 29:10). But coming home was not all they had hoped for. You see, God had promised this new exodus would be more glorious than their exodus from Egypt. God would be doing a new thing and the people would be able to see it (Isaiah 43:10).

However, Isaiah reveals what the people saw from their human point of view – they saw grief, death, and economic injustice. They felt their labor was in vain. As the people were rebuilding Jerusalem, which the Hebrew translates as “Foundation of Peace,” there was no peace or joy - only difficulty, strife, and uncertainty. As a way of coping, God’s people were falling back into old Babylonian habits of pagan worship. Isaiah speaks strongly about this as the 65th chapter begins. God’s heart was broken and God’s judgment against the people was justified.

In a time of despair and uncertainty, Isaiah was God’s mouthpiece. God promised to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. God promised to transform Jerusalem, the city of God, as a joy, and its people a delight. The people’s mourning will turn into rejoicing; economic injustices will be reversed among the people. And God’s kingdom of peace and harmony will become the people’s new reality. The prophet’s words were showing the people a way forward. Isaiah was reaffirming God’s faithfulness to create new life and bring about God’s glory.

One day when the glory comes, it will be ours. For many Christians, that “one day” is believed to be when we meet our Maker face to face. Our ultimate hope is that one day we will truly be at home with God to behold the eternal promise of peace and harmony. The Lord will wipe away every tear from our eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away, as Revelation 21: 3-4 proclaims.

God’s eternal promises are realized through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But God’s promises are not just what we put our future hope in. God’s eternal promises have holy implications for our lives today.

In our world today there is so much that is happening that breaks God’s heart. It is overwhelming to read the local, national, and global news where murder, racial hatred, and injustices of all kinds are alive and well. Our prayer lists continue to get longer with every new diagnosis of cancer among family and friends. There are many days that I wish I could keep our children in a bubble from harm’s way.

On days like these when you and I might lose all hope in humanity it is imperative to remember God never has and never will give up on us. The Lord is our keeper (Psalm 121:5). Gods’ Word connects us to the eternal promises that God is with us and God still controls all of human history. God promises to continue doing a new thing among us that brings new life from death, pain, and injustice. Therefore, as God’s people we must prayerfully ask “What is God up to?”

If the Maker of heaven and earth is at work to create a kingdom of peace and harmony among us, then our God will not just wave a divine hand to do it all alone. You and I were created to live in relationship with God and one another. God humbled himself to become one of us in the person of Jesus Christ. Because of Jesus Christ’s work on the cross, God Almighty invites you and I to co-create God’s kingdom of peace and harmony on earth today as it is in heaven.

God desires to open our spiritual eyes to see what is breaking God’s heart in our community, nation, and world. God uniquely calls each of us to come alongside another to bring godly encouragement, hope, and new life.

One of my colleagues in ministry is Rev. Emily Sutton. She pastors the good congregation of Bethel United Methodist Church in Rock Hill. Bethel is a small congregation of about 30-40 who gather weekly in worship. They are also known for serving as a Men’s Shelter every evening at 6pm.

In 2009 Bethel partnered with Salvation Army, the United Way of York County, and the city of Rock Hill. The church began serving as a permanent warming center during the winter months for homeless men in Rock Hill.

Last year, one of the men who found shelter at Bethel asked why the church couldn’t become a year round shelter. It wasn’t long after this man asked such a poignant question that he became seriously ill and died. The only family this man knew were the guests and volunteers of Bethel Men’s Shelter. The church held a memorial service for him and vowed never again would someone come through the shelter doors without God’s family to call home.

Since April of 2019, Bethel Men’s Shelter committed to opening its doors 365 nights a year to be a safe place for homeless men to find shelter and home. The congregation knew they could not enter this endeavor alone. Therefore, Bethel invites individuals, youth groups, and churches to prepare and serve dinner in Christian fellowship with the men they host. God has certainly been up to something at Bethel United Methodist Church. God is making a way forward for hospitality and open hearts to bring about rejoicing and new life to all who enter through the Shelter’s doors.

During the season of Advent, our church will have the opportunity to collect needed clothing and hygiene items for our Bethel brothers. And we will see who feels led to helping us prepare and serve a meal there in the new year.

I think about our youth today and I know they long to have a sense of belonging and acceptance. Far too many youth experience loneliness and disconnection. Another demographic within the body of Christ is equally vulnerable to feeling lonely and disconnected – our homebound members.

Keeping this in mind, I want to harness the collective energy of our youth. This afternoon when our youth gather at the church, we will be making cards to send to our homebound members. I pray that what our youth create will bring joy and new life to our homebound members, helping them to feel remembered, connected, and loved by the larger body of Christ.

This week I encourage each of us to make time to sit in God’s Word. Engage in the holy listening for our shared human story and God’s promises of hope. As we place God’s Word side by side with the news of the day, let us not lose hope in humanity. History has shown what each of us is capable of and God has not given up on us yet! God will never give up on us no matter how far we stray from God’s will and God’s ways. Thanks be to God.

Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful (Hebrews 10:23).

Prayerfully ask what God is up to. And then wait for God’s Spirit to direct your heart and hands to co-create a foundation of peace and harmony with our amazing God.

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

Sermon: Sharing in the Gospel (Philippians 1: 2-6; 1 Cor 15: 57-58)

Sharing in the Gospel
1 Corinthians 15: 57-58; Philippians 1: 2-6
by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
November 10, 2019
Stewardship Commitment Sunday

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. -1 Corinthians 15: 57-58 (NIV)

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. - Philippians 1: 2-6 (NRSV)

If you read Paul’s New Testament letters to all the churches he planted, you will see he holds a special affection towards the Philippians. The church in Philippi, Greece was the first church that Paul planted on European soil during his second missionary journey.

The Philippians were very near and dear to Paul’s heart, bringing him great joy. The women and men had struggled beside Paul in the work of the gospel (Philippians 4:3). Therefore, in his letter Paul gave thanks for all God was doing among the Philippians. And Paul gave thanks to the Philippians for sharing in the gospel with him. The Philippians gave themselves fully to the work of the Lord with their prayers, worship, efforts, and financial gifts (Philippians 4:15-16). Paul and the church partnered with God; they were sharing in the gospel to spread the good news.

My commentary on Philippians says this: “The Philippians’ readiness to share in the work of the gospel is not seen as “a good work” for which they are responsible, but one God began in them and one that Paul is confident will be brought to completion by the day of Jesus Christ (verse 5)” [1].

It is God’s faithfulness that was at work within the Philippians and Paul and is now at work within us. God’s faithfulness makes it possible for us to share in the gospel. The gospel is that the triune God creates, redeems, sustains, rules, and transforms all things and all people [2].

Jesus Christ’s victory through his saving death and resurrection gives us the gift of faith. As this precious gift impacts our lives, God’s work begins in us. Holy Spirit kindles within us a love for God’s dear name and moves our hearts and minds in gratitude to respond to God’s amazing grace.

Like the partnership that Paul shared with the Philippians, you and I are called to partner with God and share in the gospel. Our common calling is to participate and contribute to making the love of God known. God’s love unites us in worship, prayer, spiritual fellowship, service, and giving.

One of our disciples shared with me this week:

I enjoy being a part of the committees on which I serve. It is always good to see our church enjoy times of Christian fellowship together, having fun at one of our seasonal events or a meal that has been planned for them.

I feel very blessed to be a part of our Mission Team when we provide assistance to those less fortunate, knowing they are so grateful to be remembered and reminded of God's love. Our church’s care and love for them gives me a feeling of gratitude to have helped in some way.

I recently read in Galatians 6:10: Whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone, especially to our Christian brothers and sisters.

I give thanks to God for the intimate bond that unites Van Wyck Presbyterian Church as the body of Christ. What I love more than anything about this church is that you all know our strength comes from our relationships with God and one another. Each of you inspire me with your commitment to pray for one another, to pray for God’s guidance, and to do good to everyone. I give thanks for the good work the Lord began in this church 135 years ago. God’s faithfulness continues to bless this body of Christ to be a blessing to others.

Last Sunday I shared with you that the session and I have been prayerfully considering where God is leading us in this new year of 2020. We want to continue flourishing in God’s grace. Therefore, our vision for the upcoming year is to “Give Ourselves Fully.”

In this new year God is leading us to give ourselves fully to prayer, to God’s mission, and to godly goals. We will be praying for God to open our eyes and notice what God is doing in our community. We will be praying for God to reveal what God’s mission is in Van Wyck and Lancaster County and what our church’s unique role is within it. We will also be prayerfully planning godly goals to reach towards – that includes discerning together how God is calling us to use our beautiful acreage for God’s purposes.

As we return our pledge cards today, we are making a promise to partner with God and with one another to share in the gospel. God has already given us the victory in Jesus Christ. God has already blessed us with the abundance of God’s grace. And God is presenting you and me an opportunity to respond to the good work that the Lord began in you and in me.

Jesus Christ desires to harness our collective energy, imagination, and resources for the sake of accomplishing God’s mission in our community and world. In order to live into God’s vision in 2020, the Lord is calling each and every one of us to prayerfully participate and contribute to make God’s love our goal.

Will you join me in giving yourselves fully to the work of the Lord in this new year? Will you?

I pray that gratitude will continue to guide you and me to share in the gospel.

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

Sources Referenced:

[1] New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary Volume X (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2015), p. 118.
[2] The Book of Order, The Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Part II (Louisville: The Office of the General Assembly, 2019), p. 1, F-1.01

Sermon: Always Giving Ourselves Fully (1 Corinthians 15:57-58)

Always Giving Ourselves Fully
Psalm 92:4; 1 Corinthians 15: 57-58
by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
November 3, 2019
Stewardship Sunday

For you make me glad by your deeds, LORD; I sing for joy at what your hands have done. - Psalm 92:4 (NIV)

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. -1 Corinthians 15: 57-58 (NIV)

There is a time old refrain that Christians have said: “God is good all the time.” And the people respond saying, “All the time God is good.”

The gift of faith re-trains our eyes to look for God’s goodness all around us. God’s faithfulness is as sure as the sun rises every morning and sets every night. God’s steadfast love calls us by name and gives our lives new meaning and life-giving purpose. God’s grace gives us hope that does not disappoint because our hope is centered upon an authentic relationship with Jesus Christ and the mysterious power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus gave his whole life to the work of God’s faithfulness, love, and grace. Jesus taught, preached, and healed in order to show us the goodness of God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. Jesus took the sins of the world as he died on the cross and was raised to new life by God’s love to give us victory in all things and ultimately victory over death. And the Lord calls us to stand in the victory of God’s grace to participate in continuing Christ’s ministry of faith, hope, and love. We are to give ourselves fully to making the goodness of God known because that is what Jesus Christ did.

Henri Nouwen was a well-respected priest, professor, and author of the Christian life. He entered the Church Triumphant in 1996 at the young age of 64. Nouwen once said, “The mystery of ministry is that we have been chosen to make our own limited and very conditional love the gateway for the unlimited and unconditional love of God. People who are so deeply in love with Jesus that they are ready to follow him wherever he guides them, always trusting that, with him, they will find life and find it abundantly.”

Today I give thanks to God for the ways Van Wyck Presbyterian Church has engaged the mystery of ministry this past year. A beloved disciple among us told me this week, “When I think about Van Wyck Presbyterian, there is a true feeling of family here. We have shared many joys and sorrows this past year. In all cases, our congregation comes through with love and sharing to comfort and welcome folks whatever the circumstances may be.”

Van Wyck is a church with a maturing faith. The most beautiful core value within this body of Christ is forming genuine relationships with God and one another. I thank God for each and every one of you and the unique gifts God has given you to share the gospel together with energy, intelligence, imagination, and love! While each of us is in various places along this shared spiritual journey, there is a unified desire here to follow Jesus wherever he guides us.

I have witnessed you following Jesus to grow in your relationship with God in prayer and study. You are teaching me to pray not just about the big things, but to openly pray with one another about the little things in daily life and trust that God will work all things out as we intercede for others.

This past year I have seen us grow in number and in spirit in worship, all of our study groups and small groups so that God’s Word may guide our steps.

This church has continued to follow Jesus’s love and care for our children within our church family to let each one know they belong to God, and you share God’s abundance with school-aged children who are struggling in the wider community and world.
This church takes Jesus’ ministry of compassion to heart to come alongside all our neighbors in their times of need. And you continue to live into God’s Word of giving yourself fully to the work of the Lord, as each year the church’s faithfulness to pledge increases.

I am so proud of all the good things happening among us to glorify God. The Lord has provided us with every blessing in abundance (2 Corinthians 9:8).

What is it about Van Wyck Presbyterian Church that you are grateful for?
In what ways has the goodness of God changed your life?
How might God be nudging you to respond and give yourself more fully to the work of the Lord?

The leadership within this congregation has long upheld stewardship in such a faithful and holistic way. Our stewardship of God’s abundant blessings is about how we live our daily lives. Stewardship is all about gratitude. It’s all about giving back. It’s all about God.

We are living into an exciting time of ministry. God has blessed this church with generous hearts, deep roots of faith, additional acreage, and a growing community. My heart smiles as we continue to grow as disciples of Jesus Christ. The session and I have been prayerfully considering where God is leading us in this new year of 2020. We want to continue flourishing in God’s grace. Therefore, our vision for the upcoming year is to “Give Ourselves Fully.”

In this new year God is leading us to give ourselves fully to prayer, to God’s mission, and to godly goals. We will be praying for God to open our eyes and notice what God is doing in our community. We will be praying for God to reveal what God’s mission is in Van Wyck and Lancaster County and what our church’s unique role is within it. We will also be prayerfully planning godly goals to reach towards – that includes discerning together how God is calling us to use our beautiful acreage for God’s purposes.

As we focus upon the beautiful mystery of ministry, I pray that together we will give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord. God is asking us to share our energy, imagination, talents, and resources to make the Lord’s goodness known. As we give of ourselves, it’s all about gratitude. It’s all about giving back. It’s all about God.

May God’s name be praised. Amen.