Pastor's Weekly Musing
Hey everyone!
When I was 11 years old, during one of my youth baseball games, a truck loudly screeched on the street just past right field. It was loud and dramatic and kinda scary. Everyone instinctively looked up to see what was happening, and the game came to a halt.
It turns out, a police officer had pulled the truck over, the driver wasn't too happy about the whole ordeal, and he dramatically and erratically stopped his vehicle next to our game. What ensued was a loud, on-the-edge-of-getting-out-of-control discussion between the officer and the driver. All in all, it lasted about 10 minutes, but cooler heads prevailed, the officer kept things under control, and the guy was given a ticket and quietly left.
All the while, our entire game completely stopped. In fact, both teams grouped up near first base and observed the situation together, while making comments and guessing what was happening. There were predictions being made, and arguments about what should happen next -- arguments between teammates and opponents alike!
What was interesting was that we all kinda forgot about the baseball game. We were in uniform, still holding our gloves and bats, the scoreboard was still up and running, but we totally forgot about the very reason we were at the park to begin with. Now we were aligning with different groups: the "that driver needs to get arrested" group, or the "that cop is overreacting" group, or the "they're both wrong" group. Our game, our goal, even our uniforms meant nothing, if only for a brief 10 minutes. We were consumed.
Eventually our coaches and parents ended up saying, "Ok, let's get back to work! We've still got a game!" It took us a minute, but we all snapped out of it. Some moved on quickly, but some still talked about the ordeal during the game. Our coaches would continually remind us: "We've still got a game! Focus on what we're doing here!"
Interestingly enough, Jesus says something similar to this. He was talking one day with a bunch of people who were totally consumed with their own personal problems: whether they'd have a roof over their heads or clothes on their backs. (You know, actual problems.) And how he addressed their concerns was startling.
Remember, Jesus was talking to a large group, so the socio-economic strata had to have been pretty vast: there were poor and rich in the crowd alike. And He made no commentary on if the poor should have a different outlook on things than the rich. His point remained the same, cross-culturally:
So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matt. 6:31-33)
In other words: "We've still got a game!"
- We're still children of the Most High God, even when our lives seem chaotic. - We're still primarily part of His family and church, even if we have our own sub-groups that bicker and fight. - We're still called to love a fallen world, to love and pray for our enemies, even when it's difficult to do so. - We're still called to keep a heavenly perspective and see Him working all things for our good, even when everyone around us is losing their minds. - We're still secure, still forgiven, still bound for heaven, still loved, even when we feel alone and forgotten. - We've still got a game!
Jesus never dismisses our concerns. He knows we have needs, and hopes, and fears. And He wants to take care of all of them for you, on your behalf. He really does.
But He also knows that even if you did get everything you wanted, it still wouldn't be enough to satisfy your soul. You'd still need a Savior, you'd still need a loving Heavenly Father, you'd still need something and someone greater than yourself to rescue you and fill you. And so He reminds us: "Seek me first. I'm the only one who can satisfy you. Whether you get what you want or not, you still need Me, and Me alone."
Listen, God knows that things in our worlds can be all-consuming. He knows that the current political climate has been as in-your-face as any time in history. He knows how easy it is begin to identify ourselves by our social groups, or political groups, or cultural groups. He knows that social media, cable news, and the internet are all loud and distracting and fear-inducing. He knows about our personal needs, and fears, and hopes, and dreams, and futures.
And with all of that knowledge about us and our world, He still says: "Seek me first." It's that simple, because it's the truth. It's just like our coaches telling us, "We've still got a game!" As distracted as we were as little kids, and as distracted as we can be today, the message remains the same: what really matters is still what really matters.
My best pastoral advice for us currently? Get back on your Bible reading plan, the one that kinda-sorta slipped since your New Year's resolution. Spend time in prayer every day. Stay connected with church. Talk to people directly, face-to-face, as often as you can. Limit your social media intake as much as possible. Be kind to strangers. Think optimistically and speak faith-filled words. Remind yourself often of His goodness and faithfulness in your life.
In other words: Seek Him first. The game is still going, the very reason we're even alive! He knows our needs, and He's got it. Aren't you glad we serve a God who can handle all of it? Rest in -- and refocus on -- Him today.
Amen?
When I was 11 years old, during one of my youth baseball games, a truck loudly screeched on the street just past right field. It was loud and dramatic and kinda scary. Everyone instinctively looked up to see what was happening, and the game came to a halt.
It turns out, a police officer had pulled the truck over, the driver wasn't too happy about the whole ordeal, and he dramatically and erratically stopped his vehicle next to our game. What ensued was a loud, on-the-edge-of-getting-out-of-control discussion between the officer and the driver. All in all, it lasted about 10 minutes, but cooler heads prevailed, the officer kept things under control, and the guy was given a ticket and quietly left.
All the while, our entire game completely stopped. In fact, both teams grouped up near first base and observed the situation together, while making comments and guessing what was happening. There were predictions being made, and arguments about what should happen next -- arguments between teammates and opponents alike!
What was interesting was that we all kinda forgot about the baseball game. We were in uniform, still holding our gloves and bats, the scoreboard was still up and running, but we totally forgot about the very reason we were at the park to begin with. Now we were aligning with different groups: the "that driver needs to get arrested" group, or the "that cop is overreacting" group, or the "they're both wrong" group. Our game, our goal, even our uniforms meant nothing, if only for a brief 10 minutes. We were consumed.
Eventually our coaches and parents ended up saying, "Ok, let's get back to work! We've still got a game!" It took us a minute, but we all snapped out of it. Some moved on quickly, but some still talked about the ordeal during the game. Our coaches would continually remind us: "We've still got a game! Focus on what we're doing here!"
Interestingly enough, Jesus says something similar to this. He was talking one day with a bunch of people who were totally consumed with their own personal problems: whether they'd have a roof over their heads or clothes on their backs. (You know, actual problems.) And how he addressed their concerns was startling.
Remember, Jesus was talking to a large group, so the socio-economic strata had to have been pretty vast: there were poor and rich in the crowd alike. And He made no commentary on if the poor should have a different outlook on things than the rich. His point remained the same, cross-culturally:
So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matt. 6:31-33)
In other words: "We've still got a game!"
- We're still children of the Most High God, even when our lives seem chaotic. - We're still primarily part of His family and church, even if we have our own sub-groups that bicker and fight. - We're still called to love a fallen world, to love and pray for our enemies, even when it's difficult to do so. - We're still called to keep a heavenly perspective and see Him working all things for our good, even when everyone around us is losing their minds. - We're still secure, still forgiven, still bound for heaven, still loved, even when we feel alone and forgotten. - We've still got a game!
Jesus never dismisses our concerns. He knows we have needs, and hopes, and fears. And He wants to take care of all of them for you, on your behalf. He really does.
But He also knows that even if you did get everything you wanted, it still wouldn't be enough to satisfy your soul. You'd still need a Savior, you'd still need a loving Heavenly Father, you'd still need something and someone greater than yourself to rescue you and fill you. And so He reminds us: "Seek me first. I'm the only one who can satisfy you. Whether you get what you want or not, you still need Me, and Me alone."
Listen, God knows that things in our worlds can be all-consuming. He knows that the current political climate has been as in-your-face as any time in history. He knows how easy it is begin to identify ourselves by our social groups, or political groups, or cultural groups. He knows that social media, cable news, and the internet are all loud and distracting and fear-inducing. He knows about our personal needs, and fears, and hopes, and dreams, and futures.
And with all of that knowledge about us and our world, He still says: "Seek me first." It's that simple, because it's the truth. It's just like our coaches telling us, "We've still got a game!" As distracted as we were as little kids, and as distracted as we can be today, the message remains the same: what really matters is still what really matters.
My best pastoral advice for us currently? Get back on your Bible reading plan, the one that kinda-sorta slipped since your New Year's resolution. Spend time in prayer every day. Stay connected with church. Talk to people directly, face-to-face, as often as you can. Limit your social media intake as much as possible. Be kind to strangers. Think optimistically and speak faith-filled words. Remind yourself often of His goodness and faithfulness in your life.
In other words: Seek Him first. The game is still going, the very reason we're even alive! He knows our needs, and He's got it. Aren't you glad we serve a God who can handle all of it? Rest in -- and refocus on -- Him today.
Amen?
________________________________________________
We're still praying for our nation every day at 10 AM, through the end of this week. Thanks for praying!
________________________________________________
- MYG meets this Wednesday night at 7 PM.
- Prayer Gathering meets on Monday at 10 AM.
- Prayer Gathering meets on Monday at 10 AM.
________________________________________________
This Sunday my sister, Pastor Robyn Rojo, will continue the series RESET.
Hitting the reset button in our lives, it turns out, has a lot more to do with our internal life than I originally thought. First, we talked about lies we believe and how to combat them. Then, we talked about forgiveness, and "canceling the debt" with those that owe us.
We'll continue that theme this week, as Pastor Robyn talks about the way we think and process daily life. We're called to "renew our minds" daily. Well, how does that look? Come, hear, and be filled!
Join us this Sunday for Part 3 - Renew and Rewrite.
Click HERE to register for this Sunday, and you can click HERE to get connected to our Sunday service online.
Looking forward to seeing many of you on the walkway and the rest of you in the YouTube comments!
Pastor Ronnie
Hitting the reset button in our lives, it turns out, has a lot more to do with our internal life than I originally thought. First, we talked about lies we believe and how to combat them. Then, we talked about forgiveness, and "canceling the debt" with those that owe us.
We'll continue that theme this week, as Pastor Robyn talks about the way we think and process daily life. We're called to "renew our minds" daily. Well, how does that look? Come, hear, and be filled!
Join us this Sunday for Part 3 - Renew and Rewrite.
Click HERE to register for this Sunday, and you can click HERE to get connected to our Sunday service online.
Looking forward to seeing many of you on the walkway and the rest of you in the YouTube comments!
Pastor Ronnie
Recent
Archive
2023
March
June
September
2022
March
July
September
2021
January
Categories
no categories