8-15-2015

Good Morning All!!

          Matthew 10: 8-10; “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.  Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food.”

     A couple of Sundays ago, the elders and I had a couple of minutes before church started to visit.  We chuckled about the temperature we keep the church.  Our air conditioner blows from the front of the church to the back and it rarely fails that the people in front are always cold and the people in back are always hot.  When it was suggested that they move forward or backward to find that “momma bear” spot, we just get puzzled looks.  As we talked, even the elders admitted that they sit in the same spot.  One even mentioned that if you sit “on the wrong side” (sounds like renouncing your citizenship) everything seems backwards.  We are creatures of habit and we like our comfortable habits.

   Many of us have habits that we follow in an almost ritualistic style.  We get up at the same time; follow the same shower/dress/breakfast routine.  We eat supper at the same time and go to bed the same time.  If something upsets this; it can cause our whole day to go somewhat askew.  We like comfort and we really like comfortable routines.

    I would guess the disciples liked their comfortable routine.  They pretty much just followed Jesus and listened to him.  Once in a while they would ask a question or two.  Sometimes the Pharisees would ask them a question or someone would ask to see Jesus.  They probably had settled in to the order they walked down the road.  Then Jesus told them this.  The disciples were probably squirming in their seats.  They were probably worried about their comfort zone and how they were about to leave it.

    Would you have gone?  Would you have actively tried to do what Jesus asked the disciples to do?  Would you have gone out, knocked once on the door, lightly, and declared “nobody home!” and then hustle down the road.  Most of us do not like leaving our comfort zone.  Yet there are many times when God pushes us out of that zone.  God pushes us to go out and be his voice and his hands in this world.

    When you get moved out of your comfort zone, many of the familiar things that you always relied on are gone.  Soon you realize that, in order to survive let alone succeed, you need to rely on God to see you through and, many, many times, which is exactly the point.  We are at our strongest when we rely fully on God and his grace.  We are at our most faithful when we look to God for all our needs.  God’s power is revealed when we know our power is futile.

Father, do not let me get comfortable.  Move me to see those in this world who need your grace.  Move me to reach out to heal.  Make me uncomfortable when someone is hungry, or homeless or hurting.  Use me to be your servant wherever you place me.  In the precious name of Jesus I pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret