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All My Bags Are Packed

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The first sermon I ever preached was in a small village chapel in England. It was the summer before my final year in college. I was serving as a student missionary with the Baptist State Convention.
 
I cannot recall the text I preached on, and I cannot place the content of my sermon. But, I do remember this. The worship service was a particularly powerful moment for me as I experienced my call to ministry confirmed. It was a good and important day for me.
 
I have been invited to preach this Sunday at Kerygma Baptist Church in Holguin, Cuba. Just as Pastor Ernesto preached for us when he was visiting last summer, I have been asked to return the favor. Unlike my first international preaching engagement back in 1996, this sermon will need to be translated. This will be a new experience for me as I’ve never had to consider the seesaw dynamic that will emerge between me and our translator. Lucky for them, my sermon will be double the length. Lucky for you, you won’t have to sit through it.
 
And yet, I thought that you might appreciate the opportunity to read what I will be preaching in Cuba this Sunday. Below is a sermon with a couple of salient objectives—namely, that it can be easily translated and second, that it can be a good follow-up to our church’s previous trips to Holguin. The sermon is one-part personal introduction, one-part celebration of our partnership, one-part discussion on the Biblical text, and one-part presentation of our gift to their church. (I know, that’s a lot of ‘parts’ for a sermon to have)
 
Thank you for your support as we travel to our sister-church. Thank you for your prayers as we travel. My family and I are most-grateful for your encouragement and investment in our trip. I look forward to seeing you next week.

Rooted in Christ, Colossians 1 & 2
 
When I was a boy, I wanted to grow up to be a weather man. I loved to look at maps. I loved to study the clouds. I loved the drama of an afternoon rain storm. I loved the refreshment of rain drops in a drought. But above all, I loved snow.

Although my family is from the mountains of Western North Carolina, I spent most of my childhood growing up in the city of Atlanta. It doesn’t snow much in Atlanta, and I was lucky if I saw one dab of snow in the winter months each year. When my family moved to the North Carolina mountains when I was a youth, I was delighted by the unique, and at times, fantastic weather events. In the mountains, the mornings were chilly and cloaked in fog. Snow was more plentiful and more frequent than in the city of Atlanta. And the rain made the mountain valleys and coves a lush green. And the trees! The trees that covered the mountains were glorious! Feasting off the plentiful rain, the diversity and variety of the trees made the forest seem like a magical land from a fairy tale. Because of the rain, and the cloudy mountain coves, the trees flourished and provided a canopy that shielded the forest floor from the sun. And in the fall, when the weather would begin to shift from hot to cold, a metamorphosis would occur in the trees. The leaves would change color from a dark green to vibrant shades of yellow, orange, red, and purple.

Of course, I didn’t become a weather man. When I went off to college, I discovered that I was not good at math, and was even worse in science. During this time, however, I learned that God was calling me to be a pastor. I fought God’s call for some time. I ignored God’s direction. I denied God’s desire for my life. But I could not escape God’s will. Like Jonah who ran in the opposite direction from where God wanted him, God kept bringing me back to where God wanted me.

Over the years, I’ve served in a variety of capacities with the church. I have worked with children. I have served with youth. I have been a pastor to college students. I have become a pastor to an entire congregation. But I have never given up my love for studying the weather. My love for weather and the natural world has enriched my ministry. God’s world has been a marvelous classroom for me to learn more about God’s Word.

Last year, Pastor Ernesto visited with us at our church in North Carolina. I had the honor of showing your pastor around the mountains that I love. We went high up on the mountains. We walked through the forest coves and valleys. We rode together in a boat on our lakes and rivers. And as we spent time together, our friendship grew. Although we do not speak a common language, the language of love and brotherhood confirmed that we are sons of the same Father—our Father in Heaven.

A few moments ago, I read to you a passage from Paul’s letter to the church in Colosse. The book of Colossians is a letter from Paul to a partnering church. The church, like our two churches, needed a word of encouragement. And Paul, as we see, does not mince words. His message was curt. He said, “Don’t give up on Jesus! Don’t be diluted by the culture. Don’t be diluted by fear and anxiety about the threats you face. Be strong knowing that Christ will give you the grit you need to stand firm. The world will seek to misdirect you. But do not be deceived by its false teachings. Christ is supreme!”

Paul reminds the church that God has rescued us from the power of darkness so that we can share in the inheritance of the saints in light. To be rescued from darkness means that we are redeemed. To be redeemed means that we are forgiven. To be forgiven means that we become sons and daughters of God.

Kerygma Baptist Church, Paul’s words of encouragement to the church in Colosse are the same words of blessing that my church has for you. Since the day we began our partnership, we have not ceased praying for you. We are praying that God will grant you wisdom and perspective, vision and creativity. The First Baptist Church in Sylva is praying that you bear fruit and that you grow in your faithfulness to our God in heaven. We wish for you God’s strength, God’s patience, God’s joy. And we pray for our partnership together, that we might learn from one another. We pray for our friendship, that we might trust one another. We pray for you, our brothers and sisters in Christ, that we might see God in the faces and expressions of one another.

Our churches will be stronger through our partnership. Our world needs more partnerships, more alliances, more cooperation. And God’s Kingdom in Christ Jesus will lay the foundation for us to be connected, even though we live in a disconnected, fragmented and broken world.

No, I did not become a weather man. But I still love to study the weather. I like to study the radar which shows a picture of the rain that will fall on our mountains. The bountiful rain helps our trees to grow to enormous heights. And it is in our forests that we can find a word of encouragement for our churches. Hidden deep in our mountains is a grove of trees that has never been harvested. Because it has been untouched by loggers, the trees have been able to grow to extraordinary heights. They tower to the heavens, and are so wide that it takes an entire family of five to encircle it. How do these trees remain standing when a storm comes and the winds roar down the mountainsides? The trees stand because the roots of these trees become intertwined with one another. Because they are connected beneath the surface, when one tree begins to bend, the other trees’ roots hold it up and make it stronger.

Arthritis Foundation Exercise To Be Held During Month of May

Starting May 1st, WMU will sponsor the Arthritis Foundation Exercise Classes every Monday and Wednesday in May.  From 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m., you're invited to participate in flexibility, strength, endurance, and balance exercises.  The classes will be held in the Mission and Fellowship Center.  Please contact Cheryl Beck at cheryl_beck@ncsu or 369-6909 if you plan to participate. 

We'll have fun and get healthier at the same time!

Mission Moment

Our Church is pleased to support CBF Global Missions in moments like these where bearing witness to Jesus Christ takes form through lessons that connect nutritional health and faith.
 
"Recently in our various children's and mothers' groups we talked about something that might seem spiritually irrelevant: good nutrition. What foods should we eat more of, and what should we eat less of? Through simple games and activities, we're giving these families tools to make better decisions about what they put into their bodies.      

Is this mission work? Does Jesus care what we eat? Absolutely -- remember the times he fed crowds of people who were hungry? And remember that Paul said our bodies are temples to care for? It's a simple way to remind these children that God cares about more than just their souls -- God loves all of us. Jesus came so that we could go to heaven, but also so that we could live 'life to the full' here and now."

- Jon and Tanya Parks, CBF field personnel in Slovakia

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Upcoming Wednesday Night Programming

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This Wednesday, April 26 will be our Spring Church Conference. It will be held in place of our Adult Bible Study in the Mission and Fellowship Center at 6 PM.

On Wednesday, May 3, the Mathis family will report on their trip to Cuba at 6 PM in the Mission and Fellowship Center.

What Does All This Mean?

“Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead.” –John 20:1-9
 


I came across a piece of artwork this week that haunts me. My comments will betray the fact that I am no connoisseur of art, so prepare yourself. I will fully admit that I cannot wax eloquently on the elements that make a piece of artwork extraordinary.  All I can tell you is this: The men's expressions in this image speak to me.
 
The piece is entitled, The Disciples Running to the Sepulchre, and it is housed in the Musee d’Orsay in Paris. In it, artist Eugene Burnand captures well what it must have felt like for Simon Peter and John to approach Jesus’s empty tomb.
 
I am struck by these individuals’ postures. They are leaning forward, eager to make sense of what they had been told. Peter’s expression is one of bewilderment. John looks concerned and uncertain. Both of them look as though they are pressing forward into a headwind, their thoughts not able to keep up with the unfolding reality before them.
 
John, in particular, holds my attention. His hands, clasped to his chest, suggest a hope that he seems hesitant to fully embrace. His eyes, squinting against the wind, are peering into the distance. Behind his gaze, we sense a question forming: “Could it be?”
 
Easter raises questions for us. We know that the resurrection of Jesus means something. But what, exactly, does it mean? What does it mean that God defeated death? How does that impact our lives? What impact does the resurrection have on our day to day routines?
 
The scripture confirms our hunch about this moment. The two disciples, upon investigating the empty tomb, have a hard time grasping what has happened and what that means for what should happen next. “For as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead.”
 
In the spirit of Easter, and in life on this side of an empty tomb, we should be slow to jump to conclusions about the resurrection, and even more reluctant to dismiss the events of Easter as something we should somehow accept without question. In other words, the resurrection is something we should take seriously. We should give ourselves space to contemplate the reality that God can redeem everything. Yes, everything (apparently)…even and especially death.
 
Consider using this piece of art to prompt a contemplative prayer as you consider, like all disciples throughout the ages, what all this means.
 

Mission Moment

Our Church is pleased to support CBF Global Missions in moments like these where bearing witness to Jesus Christ takes form through reaching international students with daily Christ-centered action. 
 
"For 17 days in February, we hosted a delightful group of 13 international students from China. We said 'grace' before our meals at home. After a few days, one of the young men staying with us had cooked some Chinese food for our dinner. We were talking about how excited we were to start eating and he said, 'Wait, aren't we going to say grace first?' So we believe that our Christian witness in word and deed made an impact. They asked many questions about church and about God and our prayer is that as they return to China to finish their education, select their career, and establish families, that thoughts of Jesus will come to their minds and that their hearts will turn toward God."

- Lita and Rick Sample, CBF field personnel in Fremont, Calif.

First Baptist Church of Sylva, 669 West Main Street, Sylva, NC, 28779, United States828-586-2095fbcsylva@gmail.com

First Baptist Church of Sylva

669 West Main Street | Sylva, NC 28779
828-586-2095

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