Author: Cindy Lee

My family has always loved Broadway plays. It is hard to count the number of hours we have spent watching different plays. They are a source of pleasure and fun for us. One of our favorites is Hamilton (imagine that, right?). One of my favorite scenes is George Washington’s swan song, One Last Time. In his song, he quotes Micah 4:4, “Everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree and no one shall make them afraid…” What is not in the song is the last part of the verse, “…for the Lord Almighty has spoken.”

Micah 4 is a beautiful uplifting chapter where the prophet paints a picture of a time when the Lord’s Temple is established on a mountain, and all people shall come to the mountain where they live in peace together. There are no more wars; only peace, unity, and harmony…where everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid.

Sometimes we forget this promise from God. Imagine such a day! A day where conflict will be no more, and people—with all our differences—live in peace and walk in the name of the Lord. Micah 4 is a hopeful reminder of what will be; therefore, don’t lose hope. As a follower of Christ, embrace the hope of what will be. Drink from the fountain of God’s grace knowing that it will eventually lead to a place of peace for all.

One of the greatest surprises of my life is that I ended up being a clergyperson. If asked as a child what I wanted to be when I grew up, I’m sure I would have listed fifty different professions other than that of the clergy. Perhaps an attorney, a banker, or a teacher; but definitely not a man of the cloth.

Life is definitely full of surprises, but one thing I’ve learned as a clergyperson is that the more I’m open to the spiritual world, the more I can never say ‘never’. If resurrection is true, and I believe it is, then from what appears to be dead, there can actually come life. Never really isn’t always ‘never’.

If you were to ask God, “Lord, what do you want me to do?” and listen honestly, you might be surprised about what can happen. Granted, it sounds scary; however, what is more frightening is a wasted life in which nothing was done because one never did what they were put here to do.

In Luke 9:62, Jesus spoke these sobering words, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” Don’t waste what has been given to you. We all have a mission to live and a God to glorify.

I remember hearing a story of Mother Teresa that has always intrigued me. She was asked in an interview, “When you pray, what do you say to God?” Her response shocked the interviewer because she answered, “I don’t usually say much, but mainly listen.” The interviewer was silent for a few moments and then asked, “Okay, when you pray, what does God say to you?”  Mother Teresa answered, “Mainly He doesn’t say much but mostly listens.”  Finally, the interviewer said, “I don’t understand” to which Mother Teresa responded, “If you don’t understand, I can’t explain it to you.”

What do you believe about prayer? We often describe prayer as communication with God and God to us. Yet, in our other relationships, there are times where words are never spoken and communication occurs. For instance, there were many nights where my daughter would sit next to me on the sofa, and we might go a long time without uttering a single word. But, if you ask me if we communicated, I would wholeheartedly say, “Yes.” If you asked her, she would answer the same.

Don’t discount the importance of presence. Simply being in the presence of God can be enough.  The lesson is can we sit still long enough to communicate. Give it a try, it might surprise you.

• Monday – Mark 4
• Tuesday – Mark 5
• Wednesday – Mark 6, Mark 7
• Thursday – 1 Corinthians 13
• Friday – Mark 8

• Families in crisis.
• Friends and family members battling illness.
• Those seeking to find their way.
• Teachers and students as they continue to transition.
• The St. Paul Church family and our ministries.
• The United Methodist Church family.
• Our nation and our leaders.
• The Covid-19 Pandemic.

As sinful creatures, we are shaken like wheat in a sieve. We are pulled this way and that by a seductive world. We can’t settle down. Christ can make a difference. A Christian’s mind and heart can be centered on the divine. Over a period of time this can free us from being sifted. It will bring us peace. We will live balanced lives.

You can easily determine your preferences. If your interest is in money, honors, power, or violence you will quickly give yourself to such things. This shows that you love them. What absorbs your interest? Is it clothes? Gossip?…Many different kinds of chains bind you to the earth. If you do not resist these objects of your affection, you are hindered in your ability to direct your thoughts to God.

Such wise words from a Syrian Monk, whose name is lost to history. Though written in the 4th Century, this sermon still has value today. What chains bind you? Where do your affections pull you away from God’s Kingdom? The answer is not hard to determine, simply look at what you love most.

Matthew’s Gospel records something similar:
Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!”

Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:

“‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’”

Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.” (Matthew 15:1-11).

For Jesus, the heart was the key – what one loves the most is tied to the heart. If we want to know what is of highest priority, look inward and there you will find your answer.