Alive in Christ

November 1 2015 “Alive In Christ” Isaiah 25.6-9, *John 11.32-44  Pastor Jacqueline Hines

You probably have had some exasperating circumstances in your life. Your circumstances may have been so exasperating that you asked the same question that was asked in verse 37 of our lesson from John: ‘Could not Jesus who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?’  From time to time we may wonder, if Jesus did that, why did he not do this?

Jesus was weeping at the tomb of Lazarus. Some said it was out of love. Others wondered why he was weeping when he had power all along to keep him alive. There are no real answers to all that happens in this life, accept that God is God and we are not.

We struggle in the mystery of what God or we coulda, woulda, shoulda. We can work ourselves into a tizzy thinking about a past that we cannot change or circumstances over which we have little control. In such times many of us have prayed that prayer used in alcoholics anonymous:

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Instead of giving in to the habit of worrying and complaining about our situations, no matter how rough, we do better, even if only for a moment, to follow the discipline of sharing our gratitude. Instead of looking at the glass half empty, we are hope-filled when we see the glass half full and are grateful. Instead of focusing on the grey clouds, looking thankfully at the silver linings can help us cope a little better. 

Concentration camp survivor Viktor Frankl  is known to have survived dire circumstances because he refused to dwell on the question, “Why me?” Instead he kept his eyes on God and the blessings that never ceased to flow. He found focusing on the love of his family brought happiness and being grateful paved the way for peace.

It is not easy to look up when the devil is throwing swords at your feet. It is not easy to focus our faith on the idea that God has our back, to keep on believing that no matter what happens God will never leave us or forsake us and will always give us something to manage our difficulties for which we ought to be thankful.

Let us rest assured that Christ lives in us and around us to make love a real and healthy part of our family and our community. It is natural for life and love to flow among God’s people. 

We are alive in Christ. We are alive with conviction, conversation, and constant change. We are blessed with so much : connection, cleansed hearts, the proven ability to correct our shortfalls. We are busy like our creator, creating new and wonderful ways to bless God and those who most need a blessing. Bethel, we are equipped and ready to serve God and enjoy God in every way that we are called.

We are especially alive with the three that I first mentioned - conviction, conversation, and constant change, and so we should be. 

The reason we are alive as a church today is because of our convictions.  Since 1844 – 171 years, we have trusted in God, by the grace of God. God has been faithful to us and we have, by the grace of God, been faithful to God.

We fast, we pray, we serve, we tithe, we sacrifice. We practice what we preach and we repent when necessary, and we are yet alive!

Though our faith may dim and our doubts trouble, we emerge again and again trusting that we are never alone. We are a people of conviction. Secondly, we are alive also because of our conversation. 

Adult conversation is able to endure whatever issues that we face. Adult conversation is able to figure out what to do in a cultural clash. Adult conversation does not run when trouble comes on the scene.

A psychologist was asked by a parent of a teenager, what they could best do to survive the mood swings and growing pains of their child. The psychologist’s answer was to do all you could do to keep the conversation going.

Other wise persons would add – keep the laughter going in the conversations. Finding a reason to laugh, or at least smile, is exactly the spoon full of sugar that helps the medicine go down.

We keep the church alive in Christ just like we keep our families alive in Christ. Visitors who come to worship are often grateful for a little conversation. They want to hear what it is like to be a part of our church, and they are happy to talk about life in general. Smiling goes a long way in communicating our welcome; going deeper and engaging in conversation can work wonders.

There is a delicate balance to be had when it comes to visitors. One woman said she went to a non-denominational church and it took her twenty minutes to move the few feet from the front door through the lobby to the sanctuary because there were so many people greeting her, engaging her, getting to know her, and wanting to show her children where Sunday School classes were held. She found that just a little overwhelming. There is a delicate balance to be struck.

Our convictions and our conversations keep us alive as a church. Much of our spiritual health and well-being is because of our willingness to adapt to the third point: constant change.  It is said that the only constant IS change.

A few weeks ago, I heard a woman tell of her experience with storm Sandy. She mentioned that her husband was an emergency worker and had to leave the home in order to help find survivors and victims in the storm. She knew she would have to eventually evacuate like the rest of the neighborhood, but she found it excruciating to leave her home. Changing her routine and facing the uncertainty and loss was very, very grueling for her. She finally did it, but it was torture.

Others flat out refused to adapt to the necessary changes in the storm and not only put their own lives in jeopardy but called on emergency responders who risked their lives as well.

At the next Administrative Council meeting, I will be looking at ways that we can best prepare to adapt to the constant changes that are before us and every church in our nation and our world. It is not and never has been easy to change, but by the grace of God through the work of the Holy Spirit in us, we can remain alive in Christ. 

We have learned that it is the Holy Spirit working in us that enables us to stay alive with our convictions, our conversations, and our constant changes. Just like a surgeon learns to look through a microscope to heal, 

we learn to see things that are not visible to the naked eye. Just like a pilot does not look out of the window like the passengers, we learn to navigate heights by watching the panel of instruments. 

Rather than focusing on our circumstances, we are learning to trust God and watch God work in us through the Holy Spirit; that is how we stay alive in Christ. Amen.