Sermon - 2015-07-12

Today, we hear of what the government was like during the time of Jesus.  The leader the of a nation is gripped with fear and it leads him to send people to prison.  The leader of the nation has a celebration and displays all his wealth to others.  A political leader who makes decisions based on fear and who shows off his wealth, this leader could easily be from our own time.  When we hear this, we are reminded that the world in which Jesus was preaching and teaching in is very much like our own.  How can that be?  We have so many wonderful improvements.  We have the car, so we can travel wherever we want to go.  We have the phone so we can talk to whomever we wish.  We have computers so information and all that we are is always online.  However, one thing truly remains the same.  We are HUMANS and we can not rule ourselves because we need God to lead us.

However, many of us feel that God is so distant.  We do not see the direction or path that we are suppose to go.  There is not a yellow brick road to follow or a giant sign that says: “Followers of Jesus. This way!”  So without these big signs or easy to follow paths, we can easily feel lost, disconnected, or worse abandoned.  However, within this account, we often forget about Jesus.  Our whole focus is on the running of the government and the death of John the Baptist.  We forget that Jesus Christ, God’s own Son is right here with us.

God has not and will never abandon us.  We face everything within our life with God right beside us, helping us, leading us and guiding us.  Whether it is meeting our basic necessities of food, home, and community, or to something much larger like government, war, and overcoming injustice.  God is with us, loving us, and reminding us of how precious we are to Him.  Along with that, he calling us to be a part of what He is doing within the world.

In John F Kennedy’s inauguration speech, he made the statement: “Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what can you do for your country?”

In the midst of all of this, God is right here helping you understand what it is He wants you to do in the community, nation, and world around you to make it a better place for all of Creation.  Perhaps God is calling you to run for an office, perhaps God is calling you to do something within your own community, or perhaps God is calling you to support those who are in authority.