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.

Sermon: Living from the Inside Out (Psalm 119: 97-104; 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5)

Living from the Inside Out
Psalm 16:8; Psalm 119: 97-104
2 Timothy 3:14 – 4:5
by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
October 20, 2019


I keep the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. - Psalm 16:8

Oh, how I love your law!
It is my meditation all day long.
Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies,
for it is always with me.
I have more understanding than all my teachers,
for your decrees are my meditation.
I understand more than the aged,
for I keep your precepts.
I hold back my feet from every evil way,
in order to keep your word.
I do not turn away from your ordinances,
for you have taught me.
How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Through your precepts I get understanding;
therefore I hate every false way. - Psalm 119: 97-104

But as for you [Timothy], continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favourable or unfavourable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching. For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths. As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully. - 2 Timothy 3:14 - 4:5

Clemson Football Coach, Dabo Sweeney, was asked this week, “How do you protect your players and program from outside influences? How do you insulate the Clemson football program from all of the outside noise and expectations?”

Dabo’s answer was simple: “The key is living your life from the inside out.”

Dabo went on to say, “Our program blossomed from the inside-out not the outside-in. That means I encourage our team to focus daily on these things: go to work, one day at a time, do your best, be about the right things, and don’t get distracted by the things that do not matter.”

Whether you love or hate Clemson football, there is gospel truth to Dabo’s words.

The Apostle Paul was encouraging Timothy to lead the Ephesus Church from the inside-out too. The life of faith and ministry will always be filled with distractions. Therefore, what mattered most to Paul was for Timothy to be about the right things – the things that he first learned from the sacred writings – God’s playbook.

Paul did not want Timothy to just continue in what he had learned of faith from his grandmother, mother, and Paul’s mentoring. Paul did not want Timothy to just go through the motions of faith. Paul was coaching Timothy to hold fast to God’s Word with all his heart, mind, and strength. God’s Word holds the key to living our best life.

God’s Word is central to the Christian life. Scripture is unparalleled to any other source that may influence our lives.

The Bible is God-breathed having power beyond measure to give us encouragement and steadfast hope (Romans 15:3-4). It teaches us not only the language of faith, but it also has practical applications in the journey of faith. We share this pilgrimage of faith with our spiritual ancestors knowing that no matter how much we miss the mark, God will never leave or forsake us. The journey of faith points to the goal of living like Jesus Christ.

The more we sit in the stories of Scripture, the deeper our personal and communal convictions become about God our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer.

And yet the hardest part of being a student of the Bible is this – to be humble enough for the Word of God to correct, reform, and train us in right relationships with God and one another (individually and communally).

When you and I are reading Scripture, it is really the Holy Spirit whom is reading us. Let that sink in for a moment.

Scripture is a mirror that shows our reflection from the inside out. The Lord does not see as mortals see – you and I look on the outward appearance - but the Lord in God’s Word looks on the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).

God’s Word leads us to confess where we have missed the mark of following Jesus’ example. The Bible is not a self-help book of how to improve ourselves. And yet I have to be honest with you – without God’s Word, I don’t like the person I see in the mirror. God’s Word gives my life and yours hope, purpose, and it teaches how to live for God from the inside out.

John Calvin once said that the Bible is like a pair of spectacles. When we read Scripture, we are putting on the spectacles of faith which allow us to see the world and ourselves rightly.

The Word of God is a gift to us. Just as God created humanity to live in relationship with God and one another, we are to live in relationship with God’s Word. And yet there is a crisis of faith today. That crisis is not doctrinal or the decline in church attendance. The crisis is how we live our lives in relation to God’s Word.

George Stroup is the former J.B. Green Professor of Theology at Columbia Theological Seminary. He was my theology professor when I attended there. In his book, “Before God,” he says:

For several decades observers of the Christian life have noted the remarkable phenomenon of a growing biblical illiteracy not just in the general public but in churches as well. Protestant Christians who began as “people of the book” and confess the Bible alone as the primary authority of the Christian faith and life have become a people who know less about the Bible.

The larger problem is not just a matter of knowledge; it is that the language of Scripture no longer shapes Christian individuals and churches. They no longer are people whose identities and character are formed and continue to be formed by reading the stories of Scripture….The issue is whether people live their daily lives before God [1].

A U.S. Religious Landscape Study was taken in 2014. It was based on telephone interviews with more than 35,000 Americans from all 50 states. The data revealed that only 35% of adults read Scripture at least once a week; 10% of adults read Scripture once or twice a month; and 45% of adults surveyed seldom or never read Scripture.

Friends, the whole of our lives is lived before the face of God.

If we are not abiding in God’s Word, then we are hiding from the truest revelation of God’s presence.

If we are not abiding in God’s Word on a regular basis then we are missing opportunities that God places before us to discover what the will of God is, to imagine who God is creating us to be, and to discern how God is calling you and I to join the Lord in making a divine difference in the world.

Jesus Christ said to his disciples and says to us today:

“If you continue in my word you are truly my disciples” (John 8:31).

“Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit because apart from me you can do nothing. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples” (John 15:5, 8).

Are you living from the inside out? Are you getting into God’s Word and letting God’s Spirit inscribe it on your heart?

I encourage you to grow and keep growing in the spiritual discipline of abiding in Christ’s word, because we are people of the book.

The Good Book quiets the noise and distractions of life as we keep our focus on God. And God opens our eyes to the things that truly matter in life.

May we keep the Lord always before us, for in doing so we will not be moved (Psalm 16:8).

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

Sources Referenced:

[1] George Stroup, “Before God” (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing, 2004), pp. 199, 194.

Sermon: "What Is Your Gospel?" (2 Timothy 2: 8-15)

What Is Your Gospel?
Psalm 66: 16-20; 2 Timothy 2: 8-15
by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
October 13, 2019


Come and hear, all you who fear God,
and I will tell what he has done for me.
I cried aloud to him,
and he was extolled with my tongue.
If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.
But truly God has listened;
he has given heed to the words of my prayer.

Blessed be God,
because he has not rejected my prayer
or removed his steadfast love from me. - Psalm 66: 16-20

Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David—that is my gospel, for which I suffer hardship, even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, so that they may also obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. The saying is sure:
If we have died with him, we will also live with him;
if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he will also deny us;
if we are faithless, he remains faithful—
for he cannot deny himself.

Remind them of this, and warn them before God that they are to avoid wrangling over words, which does no good but only ruins those who are listening. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2: 8-15

Paul was writing his second letter to young Timothy from a Roman prison cell. Paul’s words revealed his spiritual secret. Paul shared his treasure that allowed him to endure countless threats to his physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing. Paul’s greatest spiritual treasure was the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel gave Paul the strength to face all things.

Paul summed up the core of God’s good news in ten simple words: “Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendent of David.” It sounds so simple, but for Paul those ten words meant everything not just to him alone, but also to the foundation of the Christian faith.

Paul’s ministry centered upon two claims: Jesus’ saving death and resurrection and God’s faithfulness to establish an eternal kingdom through the line of David in Christ (2 Samuel 7: 12-16).

Jesus’ saving death and resurrection meant everything to Paul and to the Christian faith today. Paul said Jesus Christ died for our trespasses and was raised by God to reveal we are divinely pardoned (justification), thus fulfilling the Scriptures (Romans 4: 24-25; 1 Corinthians 15:4). Because Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, sin and death no longer have dominion in our lives (Romans 6:9). Jesus Christ died for all so that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Christ alone (2 Corinthians 5:15). The good news is that the cross and empty tomb reveal that Christ intercedes for us (Romans 8:34).

Paul says we respond to God’s saving grace in baptism. By water and Holy Spirit, we share in Christ’s dying, we are raised to new life, and we are forever claimed in God’s love - belonging to God and one another as the body of Christ (Romans 6:4; 7:4). According to Paul, if there is no resurrection then our proclamation and faith have been in vain and we misrepresent God (1 Corinthians 15:12).

The apostle Paul has certainly been one of the most influential authors of God’s Word, encouraging and challenging every generation of faith since the early church.

Karl Barth is one of the most influential pastors and theologians of our time. He once said, “The gospel is not a truth among other trusts. Rather, it sets a question mark against all truths.”

Karl Barth was born in Basel, Switzerland in 1886. He was the son of Fritz Barth, a theology professor and pastor. Like father, like son.

In 1934 Karl Barth was among 139 delegates representing Lutheran, Reformed, and United Churches throughout Germany. They met in the town of Barmen-Wurppertal to voice the common faith of the Church Universal in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Together, they wrote The Theological Declaration of Barmen with Barth as the chief author. For these pastors the integrity of the gospel was at stake as Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime came to power in Germany.

The Nazi regime began intervening coercively in church affairs. Therefore, the gospel of Jesus Christ set question marks against false doctrines of the German Evangelical Church. Those false doctrines proclaimed any event, power, figure or truth as God’s revelation; made race a factor of church membership by excluding Jewish Christians; and made the church an organ of the state and subjecting the church to a “special leader” (Adolf Hitler), who lords it over others.

Everything in the Declaration of Barmen hangs on the core belief that the Christian Church must live or die; that core belief is that Jesus Christ is the one source of the church’s proclamation [1].

There was a lot on the line for Karl Barth to author the Barmen Declaration. “To oppose Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime was considered by the Germans to be at the least unpatriotic and at the worst an act of treason” [2]. As a result, Barth was deported from Germany in 1935 when he refused to sign the Oath of Loyalty to Adolf Hitler. Barth pledged his faithfulness and loyalty to the triune God alone – no other is Sovereign.

Barth returned to his home in Switzerland to resume his career as a professor of Reformed Theology, continuing to teach and write.

After all of Barth’s theological contributions to the reformed faith he visited the United States in 1962. He was asked to summarize all he had written. What would you imagine the gospel of this emboldened pastor and theologian to be? Barth said, “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”

The gospel is the claim of Jesus Christ upon our communal and individual lives. It is God’s truth by which we live or die. The gospel is the air we breathe, the courageous song of hope we sing, and the guiding force for the choices we make. The gospel breaks the chains of sin and the brokenness that we cannot save ourselves from. The gospel frees us to love deeply and live fully as God created us to be.

What words do you use to describe your gospel?

This past week seventeen of our ladies participated in the Women’s Fall Retreat. We carpooled to beautiful Montreat, North Carolina. While the mountain landscape has not yet opened in a majestic starburst of red, orange, and yellow - the colors of God’s grace were undeniably everywhere.

This year the retreat theme focused on the treasures we cherish. As I experienced the retreat with our ladies, I saw the treasure of what it means to be sisters in Christ. The gospel has a mysterious way of binding hearts and minds together like nothing else can. I have seen the gospel give these women strength, dignity, wisdom, and laugher. I have also had the great privilege of holding these ladies’ struggles as we pray for the gospel to bring courage to overcome anything that threatens God’s peace in their lives.

And so, I asked our women, “What is your gospel?” What does the good news mean to your faith? Their testimonies are inspiring.

- My gospel is that Jesus Christ is my salvation! Without him, I would not be here today. God has given me more than I can ever give him.

- The gospel is what I start my day with every morning. Jesus is my best friend. Life is hard enough, and I cannot imagine life without Jesus Christ.

- My gospel is forgiveness.

- My gospel is grace. We can be so ugly and the grace of Jesus Christ cleans us up.

- My gospel is Romans 8:28 - God is going to work everything out.

What is your gospel? I pray that you will consider what the good news of Jesus Christ means in your life and in the church.

Without the gospel, how will we endure hardship or know freedom? How will we experience God’s peace and salvation not just eternally but today? How will we find understanding to live a life of purpose, connection, and abundance? Without the gospel, our life is lived in vain.

Keep on remembering God’s good news to you. For in doing so we will be made strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 2:1).

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

Sources Referenced:

[1] The Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Part I, “The Book of Confessions: Study Edition” (Louisville: Geneva Press, 1996), pp. 303-308.

[2] The Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Part I, “The Book of Confessions: Study Edition” (Louisville: Geneva Press, 1996), pp. 303-308.

Sermon: "Between the Memories and Questions" ( 2 Timothy 1: 1-14)

Between the Memories and Questions
2 Timothy 1: 1-14
by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
October 6, 2019
World Communion Sunday

The Apostle Paul found himself with too much time on his hands. He was serving his third and last prison sentence – this time in Rome (2 Timothy 1: 16-17; Acts 28:16). Sitting in a jail cell gives one a lot of time to think. Memories from his life must have flooded his mind – the good, the bad and the ugly.

God had really done a work in Paul’s life. God turned Paul’s life around 180 degrees from the biggest persecutor of Christians to the biggest proponent for the gospel of Jesus Christ (Acts 9: 1-15). As God worked out the Lord’s purposes in Paul’s life, the apostle had been richly blessed by the people of faith God had placed in his life.

And yet the questions hung heavy in the air about the uncertainty of his future and possible death (2 Timothy 4:6-8). Paul knew his time had come and he knew it was having an effect on Timothy. Paul had taken Timothy under his wings and empowered Timothy to rise up in God’s grace and potential. In between the memories and the questions Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy; a young man who was like a son to Paul.

This is where we enter into God’s Word today in 2 Timothy 1: 1-14.

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, for the sake of the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,

To Timothy, my beloved child:

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

I am grateful to God—whom I worship with a clear conscience, as my ancestors did—when I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you. For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.

Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God, who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Saviour Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. For this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher, and for this reason I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that day what I have entrusted to him. Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.


Paul anticipated Timothy’s tears (2 Timothy 1:4). Paul knew his absence would bring about memories and questions within Timothy’s spirit. And between those memories and questions there would naturally be challenges in ministry that Timothy needed encouragement to overcome. The tender way that Paul offers this encouragement speaks volumes still today.

J Peter Holmes comments on the significance of Paul’s words today:

In the face of tearful memories and tough questions, Paul gave thanks. Paul gave thanks [to God] for the gift of Timothy’s grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice. He gave thanks for Timothy’s faith. He gave thanks for the opportunity to ordain Timothy through the laying on of hands. Amid discouragement or even despondency about the setbacks and challenges, Paul’s gratitude helped Timothy to see that he was part of something so much bigger – Christ’s ministry.

When we face setbacks, pausing to give thanks can make all the difference in the world. Gratitude puts things in perspective. [1]


Seasons of grief, loss, disappointment, and transition can certainly cast long shadows in our hearts and minds. When these emotional shadows roll in, they threaten to hide the light of hope. Our memories and questions can certainly get the best of us and the rhythm of life loses its joyful beat.

It is in these seasons that practicing gratitude is so very important. Gratitude stirs up our souls and breathes new life into our spirit.

Henri Nouwen says, “Gratitude goes beyond the 'mine' and 'thine' and claims the truth that all of life is a pure gift. In the past I always thought of gratitude as a spontaneous response to the awareness of gifts received, but now I realize that gratitude can also be lived as a discipline. The discipline of gratitude is the explicit effort to acknowledge that all I am and have is given to me as a gift of love, a gift to be celebrated with joy.”

Louise was at a low point in her life. The life that she loved with meaningful work, playing with her three children, and taking long walks with her dog had been snatched away. A life altering accident left Louise diagnosed with a disability. She was left with constant pain, immobility, and three children she could not properly care for. Louise felt she had little to be thankful for.

Louise said, “I thought back to all the advice I had given to my therapy clients over the years on healing emotional pain and moving forward, but even though I knew it worked from the positive feedback I’d received, I couldn’t apply it to myself.”

Louise started to practice the discipline of gratitude. She loved to write so journaling seemed like a good starting point. The first evening she reflected on her day in an effort to write three things she was grateful for. Losing track of time, she stared at a blank page stained with tears.

Louise tried the gratitude journal again the next day. She said,

“I rested my head against the window. I watched a robin tentatively sitting on the garden fence, anxiously watching all directions while trying to keep an eye on the birdseed my son had put on the feeding station before school. For half an hour, this beautiful bird made several trips, came back with friends, and triumphantly cleared all that we had offered.
It dawned on me that while I had been watching, I hadn’t felt sorry for myself once. I had felt in awe of nature and how beautiful it can be. From that I started to become more and more aware and recognize these precious moments as they occurred, which they generally do if you watch for them each day.”

When that spirit of fear and uncertainly rises within us, it is the discipline of gratitude that empowers us to tap into God’s power and love in the world around us. We become more aware of God’s presence in creation, in our relationships, and in the gift of faith. Gratitude completely changes our perspective because it is life-giving.

I encourage you to practice gratitude daily in between your memories and questions. It usually takes 30 days for a habit to take hold. Make strides to thank God for more than things in your life.

Recall your past cherished memories with those you love and give thanks. Daily watch for moments and encounters of God’s grace in nature, and with neighbors and strangers alike. Pay attention to your experiences of awe, wonder, and joy. Record your present experiences of gratitude.

Snap a picture, make a video blog, draw a doodle, write a journal entry, paint your emotions. Record your entries so that your collection of God’s hope will calm the chaos between your memories of questions.

Today we have the opportunity to practice gratitude in the Sacrament of Communion.

When we take the bread of life and the cup of salvation, we give thanks for the fragrance of faith in ordinary elements (2 Corinthians 2:14).

We give thanks to God for the indescribable gift of Jesus’ sacrificial love (2 Corinthians 9:15).

We give thanks for the victory we have in Jesus Christ today and eternally (1 Corinthians 15:57).

We give thanks to God’s Spirit for strengthening our faith when we are weak and our giving our lives purpose to serve God and the world (2 Corinthians 8:16).

We give thanks that no grief, no circumstance, and no uncertainty in our lives will ever separate us from the love we have in Jesus Christ.

Today on this World Communion Sunday, may you experience this precious moment of God’s presence.

And as we step into another week, may gratitude guide you to notice God’s steadfast love, grace, and hope between your memories and questions.

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

Sources Referenced:

*Artwork "Blue Memories," by Trine Meyer Vogsland
[1] Feasting on the Word: Year C, Volume 4 (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010), Homiletical Perspective, by J. Peter Holmes, p. 137.

Sermon: "Taking Hold of Life" (1 Timothy 6: 6-20)

Taking Hold of Life
1 Timothy 6: 6-20
by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
September 29, 2019


Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.

But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will bring about at the right time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords. It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be honour and eternal dominion. Amen.

As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.

Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Avoid the profane chatter and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge; by professing it some have missed the mark as regards the faith.

Grace be with you (all). - 1 Timothy 6: 6-21

What really matters in life? Five simple words that pack a big question! And yet, the answer that you and I give is what truly drives the direction of our lives.

The Apostle Paul closed his first letter to young Timothy with this big question in mind. The early church of the second century was taking shape as small groups of Christians gathered in homes. Paul had planted the church in Ephesus and now young Timothy was a resident pastor there.

Paul was encouraging Timothy to engage the Ephesus church in what really matters in life. You see, some disciples were getting distracted by false teachings. Some disciples were getting distracted by unhealthy relationships with money. Paul did not want anyone under his pastoral care to be distracted to the point of wandering away from the faith.

Scripture tells us that in the mix of all the world’s distractions, God alone is our refuge (Psalm 91:1-2). As we abide in the shadow of the Almighty, God’s faithfulness promises to deliver us, give us new life, and raise us up on eagles’ wings, as Larry sang this morning.

God is always on the move to captivate us by his glory because the reverence of the Lord is the beginning of knowing how to truly live (Proverbs 1:7). The gift of faith gives our lives purpose and meaning like nothing else can. Faith teaches us godly wisdom and instructs us to live in wise dealing, righteousness, justice, and equity (Proverbs 1:1-3).

Therefore, Paul makes the point that if the church’s ultimate concern is not focused upon the transforming love of God in Jesus Christ, then the integrity of the gospel is at stake.

Paul Tillich is a contemporary theologian. He says that "Faith is the state of being ultimately concerned. If faith claims ultimacy in one’s life, then it demands the total surrender of the one who accepts this claim. It also promises total fulfillment even if all other claims have to be subjected to it or rejected in its name" [1].

Take a step back. Can you name what you are ultimately concerned about in life? Is your ultimate concern something that really matters? Is your ultimate concern life giving? Are you taking hold of the life that really is life-saving?

It is important for all of us to ask ourselves these questions. Periodically we all need to take a step back and take up an inventory of life.

We all face the same temptations to place something other than faith in that circle of ultimate concern. You and I are prone to wander and leave the God we love.

I want for you to look around at your neighbors in the pews. Give each other a smile. And remember that we all need someone who will encourage us to fight the good fight. We all need someone to inspire us to guard this gift of faith that has been entrusted to us.

Look at your neighbor and say “I am here for you!” Know that someone needed to hear your words today!

I have had the privilege of walking beside this body of Christ the past four years. And each year I have invited the session to read a book with me. We get together an hour before session meetings to share dinner and our reading insights.

The purpose of our reading together is to grow in our understanding and commitment of being spiritual leaders to encourage this church as followers of Jesus Christ. I also hope our book discussions spark our collective imaginations in what it means to keep in step with God’s Spirit and to discern God’s will for this church.

This summer the session elders and I have been reading “Shift: Three Big Moves for the 21st Century Church,” by Rev. Mark Tidsworth. Mark highlights what really matters in the life of the faith community, saying:

“We need people who expect really good things from us. We need people around us who expect us to live like disciples of Jesus Christ. We need people who anticipate we will love God and love people. Invigorated faith communities actually expect disciples of Jesus Christ to grow, change, develop, and become more Christ-like.”

Paul says that what really matters for us as people of faith is taking hold of the life that really is life. Paul expected the best of God’s potential to be present within Timothy and the Ephesus church. That meant each of them was to live like disciples of Jesus Christ.

Keeping faith as one’s ultimate concern mattered to Paul. And it matters to me. We all have different passions regarding how to put faith into action. But nevertheless, faith is to be our ultimate concern

We all need to be encouraged in the life of faith. As I encourage you, so encourage one another to live like disciples of Jesus Christ. Make it a priority to spiritually grow in right relationships with God and one another. Be intentional to cultivate time in your devotion to God. Nurturing this gift of faith empowers us to love like Jesus does in self-giving ways.

Jesus’ love shows us how to endure life’s challenges with God’s strength because we cannot do it on our own.

Jesus’ love drives the direction of our lives to do good works that proclaim the good news.

Jesus’ love deepens our spiritual commitment to be generous to strangers and neighbors alike.

Jesus’ love moves our hearts to work for God’s unity in the community.

Jesus’ love empowers us to experience faith that is life-giving and life-saving.

There is no other teaching or amount of money that can buy that.

Jesus’ love shows us why the gift of faith was his ultimate concern. Christ’s faithfulness to God in his ministry and in his vulnerability on the cross fulfilled God’s purposes to change the world! The world is still being changed by Christ’s faithfulness today.

And we are called to be a part of that. Each of us has a unique way to make Jesus’ love known in our homes, neighborhoods, nation, and world.

Take hold of life that really is life. May we guard this gift of faith that has been entrusted to us.

Because in the end – what truly matters is the transforming love of God alone.

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

Sources Referenced:

[1] Paul Tillich, “Dynamics of Faith” (New York: HarperCollins, 1957, republished 2001), p. 1.
[2] Mark Tidsworth, “Shift” Three Big Moves for the 21st Century Church” (Chapin: Pinnacle Leadership Press, 2016), p. 172.

Sermon: She Is to Keep Silent

She Is to Keep Silent
1 Timothy 2: 8-15
by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
September 22, 2019

Paul’s first letter to young Timothy was to be read to the church in Ephesus. Timothy was the resident pastor there and he was learning the ropes of ministry. Any leader of the church will tell you that every day in ministry promises joys and challenges in walking with God’s people.

Paul encouraged his protégé, Timothy, to allow the faith and love of Jesus Christ to bring out the best in him, his leadership, and in the church he served. Today we hear Paul urging Timothy to uphold prayerful and reverent worship as the body of Christ gathered.

This is where we enter the text today in 1 Timothy 2: 8-15.

I desire, then, that in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument; also that the women should dress themselves modestly and decently in suitable clothing, not with their hair braided, or with gold, pearls, or expensive clothes, but with good works, as is proper for women who profess reverence for God.

Let a woman learn in silence with full submission. I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she is to keep silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.

Yet she will be saved through childbearing, provided they continue in faith and love and holiness, with modesty.


This Bible passage has long been a controversial one. Paul’s words bring a multitude of reactions, especially among women.

Some women have felt harassed by this text finding Paul’s words offensive and infuriating.

This text has made some women feel less than men, with no hope for equal partnership in the workplace, church or home.

Paul’s words have been used to deny female leadership still today in some church denominations.

The patriarchal punch of this text has hit women hard who cannot bear children, leaving them to question Pauls’ words on salvation through childbearing.

While I am grateful to serve in a denomination which affirms that women are equally gifted and equally called as leaders, this text is still hard.

What do you do with the biblical texts that you do not like? Do you just skip over them? Maybe you think about cutting out certain passages to make your own Bible like Thomas Jefferson did.

What are women, much less our daughters, supposed to do with this pastoral letter that suddenly does not seem all that pastoral?

I have learned that when the prickly parts of Scripture cause friction in our faith – and there are lots of prickly parts - then it is time to dig deeper into God’s Word. We have to go beyond the plain reading of Scripture to uncover more of God’s story. We have to go beyond the plain reading to uncover the rule of love in Jesus Christ.

The Bible was written in a very different time and culture. The authors of the Good Book wrote in a variety of genres: narrative, history, prophecy, poetry, wisdom literature, gospels, and letters. Regardless of the genre, the backstories of God’s people matter in how we understand what God’s Word was saying to its ancient readers and what God’s Word is saying to us today.

As a whole, Paul’s letters usually addressed issues that were going on in the churches he planted and served. There is a backstory to our troubling text today. The early church of the second century was forming and small groups gathered in homes.

Wherever the church gathered, Paul had a great concern for prayerful and reverent worship among both women and men. And yet there were issues that were hindering right worship of God alone. One of those issues was the teachings of Gnosticism.

Gnosticism comes form the Greek word, gnosis, meaning knowledge. This belief is rooted in the thought that the human predicament does not result from sin but ignorance. Knowledge is to be found in the spiritual realm with diligent discipline not the physical realm. Gnostics forbade marriage and the eating of certain foods.

Gnosticism questioned the humanity of Jesus Christ, putting the gospel of Jesus’ atonement for sin into jeopardy. It also was quite appealing to women – freeing them from the household codes of the patriarchy and from the social expectation of childbirth, which brought risks and even death to women for centuries. Therefore, Paul does not want these women teaching false doctrines; these specific women are to be quiet.

Also, in regards to childbirth, Paul may have been lifting up maternity as a worthy vocation among women who were influenced by Gnosticism. But certainly child birth does not define a woman’s worth for those who cannot bear children.

Paul was also distressed by another issue – the usurping God’s honor in worship. Frances Taylor Gench is a Professor of Biblical Interpretation at Union Presbyterian Seminary (Richmond, VA). She has studied this text at length and offers this insight:

It appears that some women in this congregation could afford expensive jewelry, extravagant clothing and hairdressers to arrange the elaborately braided hairdos that were the style of wealthy women of the day. What if these wealthy women were major benefactors of the congregation and expected a culturally recognized return of their investment? What if they assumed, for example that their [church] donations entitled them to leadership roles? Maybe it was for their benefit that Paul [addresses them and ] writes in Chapter 6 that to God alone honor is due (1 Timothy 6:16)?

The backstory allows us hear a new perspective - Paul was instructing young Timothy to uphold the integrity of the gospel and also to address a power struggle in the Ephesus Church.

While Paul seems to use the patriarchal system of the culture to bring order to this conflictive situation in God’s household, the rest of Paul’s New Testament writings do not affirm a biblical edict for women to keep silent.

When Paul addresses communication in marital relationships, he upholds mutual honor and respect, which was radically different than the household codes of the male dominant society (Ephesians 5:21; Colossians 3: 18-19).

Regarding leadership, Paul lifts up thirteen female leaders by name who labored by his side to spread the gospel in Acts (Acts 18:26), Philippians (Philippians 4:2-3), and Romans (Romans 16).

I would be remiss if I did not say that in Romans Chapter 16 Paul thanks 10 female leaders by name who were called to serve as deacons, interpret his letters and preach too.

In fact, the whole of Scripture names many women in leadership as prophets (Moses’ sister Miriam (Exodus 15:20), Huldah (2 Kings 22:14), Deborah (Judges 4:4), Isaiah’s wife (Isaiah 8:3), and Noadiah (Nehemiah 6:14)).

The prophet Joel looked to the day when God promised to pour out God’s Spirit upon all flesh so that our sons and daughters would prophesy; that day was fulfilled when the church was born at Pentecost (Joel 2:28; Acts 2: 14-21). Lest I forget that the first Easter sermon ever proclaimed was by women in the gospels.

Our relationship to Paul’s words in First Timothy matter. It matters because of the ways the Reformed tradition guides us to interpret Scripture.

Singling out two consecutive verses of Scripture to subdue and silence women for all times and in all places does not render a faithful reading of God’s Word.

Scripture is authoritative in our lives because it is the Word of God; that authority is not dependent upon what any human or any church says.

Interpreting God’s Word is not a matter of personal opinion but rather seeks the guidance of Holy Spirit as biblical texts are held in conversation with one another. We do this best when we gather in beloved community.

The truth of God’s Word points to God’s work of reconciliation in Jesus Christ; this is what is called the Rule of Love. The whole of Scripture points to the Rule of Love - God’s faithfulness to redeem and empower all of God’s children by the grace, love, and freedom of Jesus Christ. God’s Word is alive and will continue to speak in our changing world and in every human culture.

We respond to God’s faithfulness by worshipping the Lord in spirit and in truth, by honoring God alone, and asking the Holy Spirit hard questions about God’s Word.

Sisters and brothers, if we are created to live in relationship with God and one another, then we are called to live in relationship with God’s Word too.

May we do nothing less in this journey of faith.

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

Sources for Sermon Study:

New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary Volume X: Ephesians; Philippians; Colossians; 1 & 2 Thessalonians; 1 & 2 Timothy; Titus; Philemon; Hebrews; James; 1 & 2 Peter; 1, 2, & 3 John; Jude; Revelation (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2015), pp. 378, 392-395.

Charles Cousar, An Introduction to the New Testament (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2006), pp. 95-99.

Frances Taylor Gench, Encountering God in Tyrannical Texts: Reflections on Paul, Women, and the Authority of Scripture (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2015).

The Book of Confessions, Part I of the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) (Louisville: The Office of the General Assembly, 2016), Second Helvetic Confession, 5.010; Westminster Confession of Faith, 6.004, 6.009; Confession of 1967, 9.29

Sermon: Bring Out the Best

Bring Out the Best
1 Timothy 1: 12-17
by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
September 15, 2019

I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he judged me faithful and appointed me to his service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence.

But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the foremost.

But for that very reason I received mercy, so that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display the utmost patience, making me an example to those who would come to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. 1 Timothy 1: 12-17

The Apostle Paul wrote two letters to young Timothy. Timothy was Paul’s assistant; a resident pastor for the church in Ephesus. These two letters would be read to the congregation which Timothy was serving – to encourage them in their faith and commitment to God.

Even so, Timothy looked up to Paul, his mentor. The two had a genuine relationship that was built on faith and sharing their respective stories of life. Paul was real about his life. He did not sugar coat the truth or give empty platitudes. Ask any youth and they will tell you - they know REAL when they see it!

Paul loved Timothy like a son. Paul saw a spark in Timothy; he saw God’s potential in this young man. Paul cared deeply about this young man’s spiritual health and future as a leader in the community and in the kingdom of God. And he wanted to bring out the best in Timothy.

Paul said the best of Jesus Christ brought out the best in him.

Jesus Christ had completely turned his life upside down in all the right ways. Paul confessed to Timothy that as a Pharisee of the Law he had acted ignorantly in unbelief.

Paul was honest; he had missed the mark of God’s will by being a man of violence and persecuting Christians. Paul’s distorted zeal for God and disdain for Christians had torn apart the connections that God desires us to have.

Therefore, as the best of Jesus Christ flowed through Paul, the mercy of the Lord reshaped Paul’s heart to be a true example for future believers. The faith and love of Jesus Christ turned Paul by 180 degrees and called him to be a mentor of faith to those God would place in his path and to all those who would read his pastoral letters.

We all need a mentor of faith to bring out God’s best in us, don’t we?

One of my favorite television shows is America’s Got Talent. I love to see the creative and crazy acts that children and adults can do. But I am more drawn to the back stories of the contestants who have overcome great obstacles to shine.

This past week I was struck by the Detroit Youth Choir. The 40 youth competing are inner city kids from Metropolitan Detroit. Some have experienced bad home situations and violence. But the choir gives these youth something positive to be a part of.

Mr. Anthony White has been the Youth Choir Director for 21 years. He knows what the children of Detroit are going through. He helps them to feel safe and heal through music and dance.

Before one of their performances on America’s stage, Mr. White said to his youth, “Be proud of what you represent.”

After the Detroit Youth Choir made it to the semi-finals, the producers taped a few youth sharing their thanks to the difference Mr. White has made in their life. One young man was moved to tears. He said, “Thank you, Mr. White, for bringing out the best in me.”

Everyone needs a Mr. White in their life.

Last Sunday I was talking with Hans Schmidt and his family after worship. He told me the story of someone who made a huge difference in his life; someone that helped him find connection in life years ago…and deep connection in this particular church.

That someone was beloved Al Williams (Janesta William’s late husband). Al would say to Hans, “Come on to church, Hans. You’re going to be my guest today.” Al took Hans under his wing. When Al helped to lead the adult Sunday School class or talk during the Men’s Group Hans hung on Al’s every word. Their mentoring relationship brought out the best in Hans and really shaped his faith and love for Jesus Christ and this community of faith. I give glory to God to faith mentors like Al Williams.

We all need an Al Williams in our lives!

There is a teacher that I admire whose career in the classroom is truly a ministry. God has given her a mission to bring out the best in her students. I have learned through her that when we bring out the best in others, we join God in changing the world.

I want for you to prayerfully think about your life. Consider the times that God has met you where you were along life’s journey. It may have been a moment that you are not proud of. It may have been a moment that you were simply surprised by God’s grace.

Nevertheless, what did it feel like for Jesus Christ to bring out the best in you? How have you lived differently? In what ways has the faith and love of Jesus Christ opened your eyes to see yourself as more than what you were before?

It takes just one person to make that kind of a difference in your life. Paul was that person for Timothy. Mr. White was the person for the youth choir. Al was that person for Hans.

The Creator of heaven and earth already sees the best in you and me because the Maker of heaven and earth made us out of a love that will never let us go.

God is at work to bring out the best in us so that we may join God in bringing out the best in humanity through the ministry of reconciliation. We all need to be reconciled because of the human condition of sin in which we live.

Human sin is missing the mark of God’s will. The condition of human sin tears apart the fabric of godly and human connection in what we have done and also left undone.

But that is not the end of our story. The good news is that Jesus Christ came into this world to save sinners. The best of Jesus Christ is his faith and love. And the faith and love of Jesus Christ restores us to live more fully into the marks of Jesus’ love for all humanity on the cross.

As a disciple of Jesus Christ, be proud of what you represent!

Let the best of Jesus Christ flow through you as God’s Spirit raises you up to fulfill God’s purposes in your life. And then let God’s best flow through you so that you may help bring out the best in someone else.

May you and I be that one person who makes a difference in the life of a child, a youth, a young adult, a stranger.

Wherever you go – look for God’s potential in all the people you meet. Bring out God’s best in them and change the world.

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