​I wonder if Jesus tweeted in the first century. I wonder if he had a smart-phone if he might have sent out a bite-sized tweet to folks! 

After all, in just a few words, Jesus answers a difficult question, asked by a teacher of the law (Matthew 22:34). The reason it is a difficult question is it puts Jesus in a bind. When the lawyer asks Jesus, for instance, which of the laws is the greatest, it appears that Jesus can answer in one of two ways. First, he can share that only one of the commandments is the greatest, which will lead the Pharisees to accuse him of ignoring the other commandments; or, second, he can say that all the commandments are great, which will lead the Pharisees to accuse him of being weak and not actually answering the question.
         
Of course, Jesus could have said that all the Ten Commandments were important, and he could have said that the Book of Leviticus was the most important expression of God’s law. He would have been on good ground. But he could also have said the first five books of the Bible – the Torah – contained everything people needed to know about God’s salvation.

But Jesus takes a different route: what Jesus does is give a tweet-sized response. He says, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the greatest commandment. And a second it is like: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’ (vv. 37-39).

In 74 characters, Jesus says, the whole thing hangs on that (v. 40). 

What do you think is truly great about Jesus' response? What do you feel is important about how Jesus not only says it, but then actually does it, backing it up with his own life and death? 

Pastor Andy Kinsey

Sometimes we just need to be quiet if we want to understand what God is doing! We need to have the confidence and assurance that God is acting for justice and goodness. The Lord is working, even now. In times of trouble. Amidst all the challenges and chaos, amidst all our circumstances! 

Those Red Sea moments we all have, when we realize that we cannot go back, and we find ourselves in fragile, if not fearful, situations. Betwixt and between! Even besides ourselves! Frustrated! In these moments, whose word will we believe – God’s or Pharaoh’s? 

It is interesting that in this passage Pharaoh keeps changing his mind. Earlier, he changes his mind about if he will pursue or not pursue Moses (Exodus 14:5-6). One minute he is “on” the next he is “off.” Indeed, throughout the first part of the book of Exodus, Pharaoh does not know what to do. Plagues come and go. Warning signs are everywhere, but Pharaoh does not listen. Only after the death of the first-born does Pharaoh wake up (Exodus 12:29).

But the Israelites are not always listening and trusting either. They are just as stuck as Pharaoh is! After all, they want to go back to Egypt! So whom do you believe? Moses? Pharaoh? God? Whose your news source going to be? 

Perhaps God’s response to Moses can give us a clue about whom to believe when God says to Moses, “Tell the Israelites to go forward, and let me do the rest! (Exodus 14:15). 

And Moses and the people trust what God says, and where there is  no way, God provides a way! God reveals God’s glory for all who have the eyes to see and ears to hear: In the struggle between good and evil, God’s word is always going to be the last word. A reminder that the Pharaohs of this world will always end up at the bottom of the sea. God’s Word remains, providing a way where there appears to be no way. It is how God works because it is who God is!

Therefore, no matter what you may be facing. No matter where you find yourself. No matter who you are! No matter how you got here. There is a Word of Truth: There is a Reality in this world that speaks to hope, love, trust, justice, righteousness. There is One who is not only for us and with us, but One who has gone before us (Exodus 14:19-20), One who will lead us – if only we will listen and follow. 

The word of the Lord! No ifs, ands, or buts about it!  

Pastor Andy Kinsey

My heart hurts, is discouraged, and like many, it carries the weight of all that is going on in our world today.  Whether in the political arena or issues related to environmental devastation, natural disaster, the pandemic and its domino effect on schools, businesses, unemployment, or the violence, hatred, distrust, and recent news of our president testing positive for Coronavirus.  It is hard to deny the weight of it all regardless of where you stand on any given topic or issue.  It is difficult to deny feeling the burden of conflicting and contradicting information, uncertainty, and a collective weariness, frustration, worry, tension and sadness that seems to underlie this time in history.

What if we were united?  Do I dare ask such a thing with all that is going on around us in the world, in our nation?  Do we dare consider such a thing with all that confronts us, challenges us, demands our attention, and vies for our devotion? 

As hard as it is, I think we have to.  We have to be willing to ask the question if we are to live into any kind of answer.  We have to consider what our role is in finding, creating, and being the answer.  We have to reflect on what it will take to at least try.  

I look at our world today.  I listen to all the voices shouting, crying, beckoning, demanding, weeping, bullying, and blaming, and I question if being united is possible.  A cursory google search brought up the following: There are 195 recognized countries in the world today.  As of July 2020, there are eleven different “nations” within the United States. As of Feb. 2017, there were between 6,500 and 7,117 identified spoken languages in the world.  In 2019 there were 576 antigovernment groups within the US, and 1,020 recognized hate groups.  Lastly, there are some 200 denominations in the US, and 350,000 congregations (2010). 84,000 of which are considered non-denominational. 

It doesn’t matter how you count it, that is a lot of lines in the sand, walls around the city, and deadbolts on doors.  That is a great deal of divided households, conflicting beliefs, and “us versus them” opinions.  It seems clear we live among a “he said - she said,” “we're better than you” “the other doesn’t count” kind of society. It seems clear, that is the world - our world; and guess who sits in the middle of it all?

Who sits in the hard, messy, unpredictable, uncomfortable, broken middle?  We do.  You and me.  The church.  That is the world, our world, that we, the church are called to love.  That is our world that we who claim to believe in Jesus and seek to live his ways, are called to feed the fruit of  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.  That is the world we are called to show what unity looks like.

So, I ask you church, “What if we were united?” 

Paul’s message was simple.  Keep it about Jesus - the end.  Work, live, act, serve, and love like Jesus - period.  No one is better than someone else.  No one is higher or holier than anyone else.  No one person, organization, or institution has all the answers.  Jesus Christ is to be the common thread - the shared goal - the mutual and overall purpose.  And it must start in the heart of believers. 

We are called, like the believers in Ephesus, to unite as a church - as the body of  believers right here where we are.  We start there.  We start with claiming that as our call; recognizing Jesus is our common denominator, the rest is fluff.  Yes, I said it - the rest is fluff.  

A funny thing happens when we start with that - we begin to see with fresh eyes how Jesus loved.  We start to understand how Jesus served those no one else would and those who were different, marginalized, and considered outsiders.  We come to know what it means to accept differences because we know something and someone far greater holds us together and that is more important than what tries to drive us apart.  We soon find that we are able to love not because of who we are or what we do or have, but because of who God is.

In other words church, we answer the question “what if we were united” and we watch as that answer unfolds in the living of our lives.  We find hope scattered in the debris of division.  We uncover a peace once thought to be buried beneath egos, power, and control.  We begin to believe we can get through even this and that there is good in our world.  We find hope and we keep on keeping on with all the grit and grace we can muster. 

May it be so.  Amen.

​Pastor Jenothy Irvine