Betwixt and Between (5-10-2020)

Sunday School Superintendent Devotions  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  18:18
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Sunday School for shelter-in-place worshipers.

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“Being Betwixt and Between” Devotional for 5-10-20 Beginning Scripture: Matthew 16:25 “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” Jesus says: “Come follow me.” In this scripture Jesus is telling would-be followers to leave what they were doing and follow him. There are dozens of instances in which Jesus tells people to leave their present lives and follow him. And over and over people, like the brothers Simon and Andrew who were fishermen, were told to leave their nets, or Matthew in the lucrative business of tax collecting, is invited to up and follow Jesus. The Bible says these people simply got up and followed. They did not stop to count the costs to see if it would be worth the trouble to move into a totally new future. They are crossing the boundary between the familiar routine and the uncharted road; the place of safety and the risky future. In that beginning scripture I read from Matthew Jesus makes it clear to his disciples that they are at a crisis point. Their decision will make or break their lives. He says, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” He makes it clear that the path he is traveling is not for the faint of heart. But think for a minute about how those folks might have felt. After the initial passion and excitement of saying yes and leaving to follow this man, did they feel fear or anxiety about this uncertain future into which they were stepping? The Scripture does not tell us. We have to use our imagination. However, that should not be too difficult. There are so many instances in which we are betwixt and between our former routine lives and some unknown future. When someone dies we are in a season of mourning and grieving that sometimes takes a very long time or is never completely over. We are between our being with that person in life and making a new life in which we try to move on. I have a cousin who lost his spouse and was so emotionally upset that he lamented that he and his life would never be the same - that he would forever mourn her death. Can you relate? Lamenting as a Transition, Betwixt and Between There was a whole book of the Bible about this lamenting process, about people protesting, crying, cursing, pleading, and sighing before, with, and against God. The Bible is packed with stories of lament, grief, and being betwixt and between. In fact in the song book of the Bible, the Psalms, fully 44% of them are lament in nature. These laments are at times raw, unedited, or even offensive. In Psalm 139 for example the writer is telling God of his faithfulness and speaking of their relationship during difficult times. But the last 6 verses are about God destroying the wicked. There are words like blood-thirsty, rebellion, evil intent, and anxiety. These are unpleasant images. David was crying out to God in a lament. You don’t have to look hard to find instances in which people are betwixt and between. Think about the period between Jesus public ministry, his suffering, the garden of Gethsemane and finally his death. That was an in-between time for Jesus. Then think about his followers and friends between Jesus’ death and his Resurrection. How confused and upset they must have been. How could he leave us like that? What are we going to do now? They must have had lots of questions and questioning. The church even has holy week when we are in a period of waiting -- some churches encourage fasting, abstinence, meditation, and prayer as a way of remembering this in-between time before Easter. In-between Times and Spaces There are even in-between seasons of the year, spring and fall, in-between spaces like elevators, lobbies, hallways, and even our church sanctuary during the shelter-in-place period has been an in-between space. Transition Difficulties Transitions can be difficult and lonely. I think about some of the transitions in my own spiritual life. There was a time between my getting disillusioned with one spiritual path and moving into another, for example the time after leaving the church I used to go to and discovering and beginning to attend this church. I was uncertain about where God was leading me, but I knew he wanted me to go into deeper waters, I just didn’t know how or why. I think it is important for a church to be with people during the transitions in their lives, during those in-between times and spaces. It is sometimes difficult to abide with people or even ourselves if we are in the middle of a transition time when we are just not sure what to do or where to go. For example, when a young adult moves away from home into a new apartment, or off to college, or a new job. That acclimating and adjusting time can be difficult. Often there are many mixed feelings to cope with by both parents and children: excitement, fear, and even depression. I think it is important for churches to be hospitable to people during times of searching and wandering. There are times when we are in the desert or wilderness and we have not yet found the oasis or promised land. I would hope that we would be hospitable to people during these seasons. And I think if we are -- we are supporting Christian and personal spiritual formation. I thank God I have had this church and our pastor to be tolerant of me over the past many months as I have tried to figure out if and how I belonged here. It has been an in-between growth period for me and this church has been a good example of supporting me in my spiritual formation. For that I am and will be eternally grateful. COVID-19 as an In-between Time Now I would like to turn to this in-between period we have been going through in our church, in our society and throughout the world during the COVID-19 crisis. We have left our pre-COVID lives and entered a long period of transition. Psychologists tell us that people are feeling disoriented, anxious, depressed, and out-of-sorts during this period in which our lives have been turned outside-in. My wife and I were talking recently about feeling disoriented. We have not been able to be with family and friends. I have not had my wonderful Sunday activities here at our church. I’ve missed Brother Bennie, Sisters Francis and Nettie, Sunday School, and the rest of you. Having donuts and conversation before Sunday School, seeing our pastor walk about leaning over, speaking with vigor, raising his arms and inspiring us face-to-face. Thank God for the online sermons and other resources we’ve had. Sister Cindy has prepared lessons for her students. But it has been a difficult season for us, and we are still in it. So many things are uncertain: what will the virus do next, who will die, how many, how will we stay safe as we try to transition into some kind of new normal? What will we be able to re-capture about our pre-COVID church life? Opportunities But this is also a period of opportunity for us. For some of us we have had more time and space to grow spiritually, to contemplate, to write, to meet new challenges of relationship, to find new means of inspiration and comfort, to talk out our difficulties and help each other cope. Recently in a phone conversation with my sister who lives in Portland Oregon she wondered out loud if we would ever see each other again. Frankly, that scared me, for I had not thought of it. But she is living alone and going through some extremely difficult experiences in her life situation. She is trying to cope with feeling lost – just like so many of the rest of us. I have had to try to think of new ways of staying in contact with her and my friends and relatives. Although these are challenges, they are also opportunities for growth. So how does all of this relate to our relationship with God? We know that he is always there for us, but we might have to work at the relationship more, or in a different way. Revelation 1:8 says: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” Jesus was here before the virus, during the virus, and will be here after the virus. It is important for me to remember that Jesus is the constant through all of this betwixt and between period. Period. I don’t have to look far to find him. All I have to do is pause, and speak to him and listen for him to respond. Jesus with Us Jesus has been in this church this whole time, he has been in us, the Body of Christ, he has been in our hearts, his grace has been there for us to plug into whenever and wherever we will. Thank God for his church, for it is full of Christ followers. So when Jesus calls us to follow him, as he did those men on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, he is right there ahead of us, beside us, and behind us within arms-length. John 1:3 says “Through him all things were made; without him nothings was made that has been made.” Jesus will help us make a new life as we travel through this difficult period and he will help us re-create a life with him when we are through it. Hebrews 12:2 says “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Jesus endured the cross because knew somewhere deep within him that he would come out of it and experience joy. Let that be our hope and faith. On the other side of this… wherever that will be… we will experience that joy. Jesus will be there waiting with open arms without shame, guilt, confusion, disorientation, depression or anxiety. He will be there for us completely. Questions and Challenges I have a few questions for us: 1. How and when have you experienced “in-between” periods in your life? 2. What have been the difficulties, adjustments, confusions or other thoughts and feelings you have had during those times and during this shelter-in-place period? 3. What opportunities for growth do you see during this period? 4. How have you experienced Jesus’ constancy during this time, how can you be more available for these experiences in the future? PRAYER Jesus, you are our precious Savior. Continue to save us and our loved ones during these difficult and dangerous times and circumstances. Thank you for your grace and for the opportunities to get closer to you as we follow you through these choppy waters, through this desert, this wilderness. Please protect all of those on the front lines of this crisis and their families. In your name we pray for these things, Amen.
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