​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Sermon Notes (2nd Sunday in Lent, February 28, 2021)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
“Come, Follow Me!”
Mark 1:16-20
 
“Discipleship” is the topic that I’ve chosen to focus on during the Season of Lent this year.  Discipleship is a very broad topic and we literally can spend a few months just scratching the surface of this topic.  But I would like to spend the next six weeks looking at this topic from a different angle.  We will revisit our understanding of discipleship through examining some key events in Peter’s life.
 
Events in the life of Peter became a model for what it means to follow Jesus as a disciple. This series of messages is not a biography of Peter, but a way to see the formation and maturing of a disciple.  So we will follow the journey of Peter from his response to Jesus’ invitation to follow Christ in Mark chapter 1 and end with Peter’s sermon in Acts chapter 10.
 
In this series of messages, we will focus on Peter’s response to the call of Christ to follow Him and then look at Peter’s confession in Caesarea Philippi that Jesus is the Christ.  That bold confession of faith is followed by Peter’s failing and denial of Christ.  Still later we see transformation in Peter after the resurrection of the Lord.  We then see Peter serving others, proclaiming the gospel, stepping outside of his comfort zone, and crossing the barriers and borders erected by tradition or culture.  The Peter who speaks in Acts chapter 10 differs significantly from the Peter we meet in Mark chapter 1.  Through this journey of discipleship, Peter was not perfect for sure, but God’s sustaining grace is evident in every step of the way.
 
What is Discipleship?
Discipleship.  What is discipleship?  Christian discipleship is a lifelong journey of going wider and deeper – wider by our ministry and service, deeper by our study and learning.  Discipleship is our response to Jesus’ invitation to “Come, follow me.’”
 
The gospel of Mark begins with an invitation: an invitation to join Jesus at the beginning of something – a movement that is the beginning of the Good News.  The Good News is that the Kingdom of God has come near in the person of Jesus Christ. The Good News is that Jesus is inviting all who will believe to not only proclaim the Good News, but to also be, to become the Good News in the world.
 
In Mark chapter 1, we get to see four individuals joining the movement of Jesus of Nazareth.  Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John immediately accepted Jesus’ invitation – seemingly without hesitation, consideration or buyer’s remorse. What was it about Jesus’ invitation that was so irresistible to these first disciples?  I like what someone said that Jesus meets us where we are and invites us to follow Him from there.  So as we kick off this new series this morning, please allow me to share two short observations regarding the nature of Christ’s call.  Discipleship is a twofold call:
 
First: It’s a Call to ChristThe first thing that I want to highlight is the call to discipleship is primarily a call to Christ Himself.  Jesus called the early disciples and us today to “follow” him (vv. 17, 20).  It was a call to shadow Christ in order to learn from Him.  It was a call to be committed to Christ.  What a disciple would eventually become, would depend on how closely and faithfully we follow Jesus.
 
I want you to know that discipleship was not something that Jesus invented.  In fact, it was very common before and during the time of Jesus.  In first century Palestine, it was very common to see a Jewish Rabbi with a group of followers or disciples who would adhere to a certain way, a certain methodology or school of interpreting scriptures.  There were also so many philosophers who would teach a certain philosophy and call people to adopt it as their way of life.  Unlike those rabbis and philosophers, Jesus never invited His followers to follow a certain ideology or philosophy, rather, He called them to “follow Him.”  So Jesus Himself was the philosophy.  He was both the curriculum and the instructor.  I like how Mark 3:14 puts it.  Mark says, “He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach.”
 
Second: It’s a Call to CommunityWhen Christ called His disciples to follow Him, He was also calling them to community.  The call of the four fishermen in Mark chapter 1 indicates that the essential work of Jesus consists in forming a fellowship, a community, a diverse community. 
 
It’s true that when we answer the call, we are answering it individually, but we are, at the same time, answering it in community.  In other words, we are not the only ones answering the call.  Jesus has called us to be meaningful, faithful members of the community of faith—the church.
 
Jesus did not call people to follow Him and then train them in isolation from others.  No, He calls us as individuals to train us in community.  Yes, the community would get messy at times. The disciples would bicker with each other and would argue who is the greatest among them.  They would often fail to grasp what the Lord was teaching them. They would lose their temper with those who were not Christians. They would grieve their Lord, on several occasions, when they failed to take seriously His mission and message of His cross. They would all ultimately forsake Him when the shadow of that cross crept closer.  Yet what do we find at the end of the story?  We find them as a community again—in Galilee (Mark 16:7)!  We are called to be followers of Jesus Christ together, to be fishers of men together. 
 
“Come, follow me,” Jesus would say to all of us today on this Second Sunday in Lent.  If you’ve been a follower, take your discipleship to the next level.  If you’ve never responded to Christ’s call, today is the day.  Friends, let’s remember that Jesus will meet you wherever you’re today.  He calls us to a deeper and more intimate fellowship with Him and He calls us to a journey that we travel together as a community.  Discipleship is a call to Christ and it’s also a call to community.  In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Sermon Notes (Sunday, February 21, 2021)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
“Four Prayer Requests!” #4
Micah 7:18-20; Ephesians 3:14-19
 
We come this morning to the conclusion of our four-week sermon series titled, “Four Prayer Requests!”   To refresh your memory, a few weeks back, we started looking at one of the most inspiring prayers of the Bible.  It’s Paul’s prayer for his fellow Ephesian Christians found in Ephesians chapter 3.  This is our fourth week working our way through this prayer and this morning we get to wrap up this study as we look at Paul’s fourth request for the believers in Ephesus.  In Ephesians 3:17-18, Paul said, “I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge.”
 
Grasping the vastness and completeness of the love of Christ, knowing the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, is the object of the last part of Paul’s prayer.  I don’t know how often we pray for deep spiritual understanding.  Paul doesn’t just pray that we might “get it.”  He prays that we might grasp the full scope of God’s love -- width, length, height, and depth. 
 
Today is the First Sunday in Lent and I think pondering the love of God in Christ is very appropriate.  As I pointed out in our Ash Wednesday Service this week, Lent is known as a season of deep reflection; a time to ponder the basic and the most fundamental questions of life.  So I invite you this morning to ponder with me the love of Christ; that love that led Him to offer His life at Golgotha.  Two short observations for this morning; the first has to do with Christ’s love being the bedrock of our faith and the second will consider the dynamics of grasping the love of Christ.
 
First: The Bedrock Reality of our Faith
Often times I hear people say that our main problem today is that we don’t love God enough.  I get it and I agree that we don’t love God enough.  But I truly believe that our biggest and more serious problem is that we don’t know how much God loves us.  His love is primary, our love is responsive.  God’s love for us is the starting point; our love is just a response to His.  Any spiritual formation, any spiritual awakening, begins with grasping God’s love.
 
Our lives are to be lived out of a deep awareness of how much we are loved by God.  When we reflect on God’s love for us, we know that God doesn’t give us just enough to survive on, but He pours it out lavishly.  Paul prayed for the believers in Ephesus to grasp that love because when we fail to grasp it, our lives will not be rooted in love but in fear or guilt or shame or insecurity.
 
No wonder that in his short letter, Jude commanded the Church to always remember God’s love for them.  He said in Jude 21, “Keep yourselves in the love of God.”  Don’t lose sight of it.  Remain within the protective sphere of God’s never-ending love, Jude would say to us today.  The bedrock reality of our lives of faith is that God loves us, and that Jesus is the evidence of this love.  All else follows from this.  Being loved is the rich soil from which all our fruitfulness and fulfilment grows.  Gpd’s love is the bedrock reality of our faith.
 
Second: Comprehending Christ’s Love Must Happen in Community
Our culture fosters a personal and individualized spirituality without the trappings of community and the church.  The power to comprehend and to grasp the love of Christ happens in community.  In other words, you cannot know the length, width, height and depth of the love of Christ apart from the church.  “Together” is a key word in Paul’s prayer here.  “I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge.” 
 
Faith is a journey that is not meant to be traveled alone.  We travel this journey of faith with others.  We are protected and encouraged when we travel together.  This pandemic has taught us that we need each other.  We need others to rejoice with us when we rejoice and to cry with us when we are broken.  Many people ask today if the Church will ever be the same Church after the pandemic is over?  Will people come back to the pews after being away for so long?  It will for sure be a challenge that we need to deal with, but Paul reminds us today that having the power to grasp Christ’s love is something that happens “together with all the Lord’s holy people.”  English theologian John Stott (1921-2011) once said, “It needs the whole people of God to understand the whole love of God.”
 
Friends, I encourage you this Lent to ponder Christ’s love. It is “wide” because it stretches more than we can ever imagine.  It is “long” because it encompasses the length of our days, before and all beyond.  It is “high” because it reaches to the highest heavens.  It is “deep” because it extends to the deepest pit.  His love never fails.  Paul said that Christ’s love surpasses knowledge.  We explore it now, but we will not fully understand the width, length, height, and depth until we see Jesus face to face in heaven.
 
Friends, we are free in God’s love.  We are sheltered in God’s love.  We belong in His love.  We are redeemed in His love.  We are forgiven in His love.  We are people of purpose in His love.  Our provision is in His love.  Our past is overcome in His love.  Our present makes sense in His love.  Our future is certain in His love.  “Who is like you?” asked the Prophet Micah in 7:18. There is no one like our loving God.  In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Sermon Notes (Sunday, February 14, 2021)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
“The Transfiguration of our Lord!”
Matthew 17:1-9
 
Over the years, I have come to appreciate Church liturgical seasons and their theological and Biblical emphases.  I love the liturgical cycle and the different taste of each season.  This being said, you may know that today is “Transfiguration Sunday.”  Transfiguration Sunday concludes the Epiphany season of the Church’s Year.  In the Epiphany season, the Church gets to focus on the manifestation and the revelation of Christ to the entire world.  Jesus of Nazareth is God appearing in a human form. 
 
So in Epiphany, stories like the Magi’s story and the baptism of Jesus with its affirmation of the identity and mission of Christ are important Epiphany stories.  Epiphany reveals to us that Jesus of Nazareth is God’s most precious gift to humanity and that His love transcends all boundaries.  It includes Jews and Gentiles; it welcomes religious and non-religious folk.  Transfiguration Sunday concludes the season of Epiphany.  Today is Epiphany’s most glorious proof.
 
In today’s Scripture passage from Matthew 17:1-9, Jesus took Peter, James and John and led them up a high mountain.  On the top of the mountain, Jesus was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white.  Suddenly there appeared Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.  Matthew doesn’t mention, but Luke says they spoke of Jesus’ exodus – His death and resurrection. 
 
There are so many ways to look at and to understand the transfiguration of our Lord.  One way to look at it as a disclosure of the divinity of Christ.  During His earthly life, from His conception by the Holy Spirit until His death, Jesus was always God and man, but He didn’t always fully disclose and make use of His Divine power.  On the Mount of Transfiguration, like nowhere else, Jesus lets Peter, James and John and us see that this man is what we confess of Him in the creed: “God of God, light of light, very God of very God, begotten, not made.” 
 
But I would like to look at the transfiguration of Christ and approach it from a different angel this morning.  I would like to define the transfiguration and then, explain what it means to us today.
 
First: What is Transfiguration?
The gospel writers used the Greek word “metamorphosis” to describe what happens to Jesus on the mountaintop with Peter, James and John.  “Metamorphosis,” is one of the words most of us are probably familiar with from high school biology.  In high school biology, that word was used to describe how an organism undergoes a transformation into a new shape.  The classic example of this is how a caterpillar forms a cocoon and becomes a butterfly. 
 
Jesus’ metamorphosis, His transformation and transfiguration, is pretty cool!  His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became dazzling white, like the clothing of angels.  And of course, there is the voice from heaven that bears witness to who Jesus really is.  It was quite a metamorphosis!  The disciples had never seen anything like this with Jesus before.  And probably, they didn’t ever again.  But it clearly made an impression on those disciples.  So, if this is what happened on the Mount of Transfiguration, what does it mean to us today?
 
Second: What Does Transfiguration Mean to us Today?
What is the point of Christ’s transfiguration?  Of course, we cannot dismiss the importance of the heavenly voice and the presence of Moses and Elijah as Jesus made His last journey to Jerusalem.  But I truly believe that Jesus needed neither the show nor the voice.  Jesus knows whose he is. 
 
The real point of this story is not the transfiguration, metamorphosis, of Jesus.  Instead, it’s about the transformation of the disciples into new people – people who follow Jesus and can be witnesses to the living presence of Jesus in their lives. 
 
That transformation, that metamorphosis, doesn’t take place in an instant.  It happens gradually through the journey of following Jesus.  It includes mountaintop experiences as well as valley experiences.  In the ups and downs of life, we get to know the presence of our faithful Lord.  In our strengthens and weaknesses, in our victories and our defeats, we get to feel the loving kindness of our Lord.
 
Beginning with that vision on the mountain, Peter, James, John and the other disciples began a journey with Jesus to Jerusalem, to the cross and the empty tomb.  And that journey was transformative. 
 
I like how our liturgical calendar places the story of Christ’s transfiguration the Sunday before Lent begins.  Lent is often described as a journey to Easter.  And for us too, this journey is supposed to be a time of special focus in following Jesus so that through our journey with Jesus, we can be changed and transformed.
 
Like those first disciples, Jesus loves us and calls us just as we are.  But Jesus doesn’t want to leave us this way.  Instead, he seeks to transform us – to call us to metamorphosis – so that we can live more fully as children of God.  It’s a transformation of our hearts, visions, and attitudes. 
 
So, friends, as we prepare to enter the journey of Lent together, watch for the ways in which Jesus is working in your life to call you to metamorphosis, to transformation.  Be open to the possibility that God is using new experiences in the journey of your life, even the ones that scare you, to call you to transformation.  In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.
 

​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                          
Sermon Notes (Sunday, February 7, 2021)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
“Lessons from the Pandemic!”
Psalm 42:1-5
 
We have entered the eleventh month of what feels like a pandemic that will not end.  I am sure that many of us are tired of it and long for life to be “normal” again, whatever normal is.  The pandemic has disrupted every aspect of our lives including family, work, education, social gatherings, church, community, government, sports, friendships, etc.
 
It's been a time of high levels of stress and emotional exhaustion.  Viktor Frankl (1905-1997) was an Austrian Philosopher and a Holocaust survivor who famously said, “Everything can be taken away from you except one thing – your ability to decide how to respond to any given circumstance or situation.”  What life lessons can we learn from this ongoing pandemic?  I have been thinking about what lessons I personally have learned and I would like to share a few of them with you today.

First: Life is Fragile and Unpredictable
As much as we plan and try to control every aspect of our lives, life remains unpredictable and uncertain.  We simply don’t know what tomorrow has in store.  Therefore, we must do two things.  (1) We must do our very best to live in the present, taking one day at a time.  (2) We must have a strong faith in a God who is bigger than our problems and who is reliable and faithful.  “On Christ the solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand,” wrote British Baptist Minister Edward Mote in 1834.  It was true back then as much as it is today.  The pandemic reminds us of how fragile and unpredictable life is, but at the same time it reminds us of a God who is always faithful to His promises.

Second: The Importance of the Communal Aspect of our Worship
The communal aspect of our life together is important.  Worshiping God entails intimacy with Him. It also establishes communion among fellow believers.  This is especially evident in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper when the believers come from the east and west and sit around God’s table.  No wonder that the Bible calls the Church the “Body” of Christ.  The Apostles Creed captured this as the early Church Fathers affirmed the “Communion of Saints.”
 
May we never forget this great truth.  May you never forget that you belong to a body; you’re a member of the Body of Christ.  Hear these words from Hebrews 10:25 “not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”  And this takes me to my third and last lesson I would like to share with you today.

Third: Digital Worship Has its Limits
Since the beginning of the pandemic, technology has been a blessing in so many different ways.  Through technology, we have been virtually gathering and connecting with each other.  We have been using Zoom to meet for our weekly Bible Study as well as the weekly gathering for our Sunday School.  Needless to say, through utilizing available technology and social media, we have increased our digital outreach and virtual presence.
 
Virtual gatherings have proven fruitful to a certain extent, they nevertheless fall well short of achieving full and active participation envisioned by God when he called us to be part of the Body of Christ.  This seems self-evident to most of us by now.  Sitting in front of a screen is not the same as being physically present in the midst of the gathering of believers.
 
The pandemic has reminded us that we need people.  We need the physical presence of each other.  We need to look people in the eye.  We need to hear their voices.  We need to see their smile without a face covering.  I think I knew this, but now I know it more than ever.  
 
Psalm 42 is a lament psalm written by the sons of Korah who formerly were able to freely worship God with the Lord's people. But something has changed and now they find themselves removed from the religious life that they formerly enjoyed.  And they miss it greatly.  Listen to these words from Psalm 42:1-4, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.  My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.  When can I go and meet with God?  My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”  These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng.”
 
So hold on, my friends.  This too shall come to pass.  Let’s take this time to deepen our sense of community; develop an appreciation for the gift of each other; and above all, comprehend the greatness of our God who will release our feet from the snare.  And when you miss it so much, remember these words from Psalm 42:5 “Why, my soul, are you downcast?  Why so disturbed within me?  Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”
 
Let’s look forward to that day when we can be with each other without the fear of getting or passing the virus.  Let’s look forward to that day when we as the Body of Christ can sing God’s praises together.  Let’s reach out to each other.  Let’s keep checking on each other.  Let’s continue praying for each other.  And all God’s people said, “amen.”

​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Sermon Notes (Sunday, January 31, 2021)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
 “Four Prayer Requests!” #3
Jeremiah 3:1-3; Ephesians 3:14-21
 
One day the famous British preacher Charles H. Spurgeon (1834-1892) was walking through the English countryside with a friend.  As they strolled along, the evangelist noticed a barn with a weathervane on its roof.  At the top of the vane were these words: GOD IS LOVE.  Spurgeon remarked to his friend that he thought this was a rather inappropriate place for such a message.  “Weathervanes are changeable,” he said, “but God’s love is constant.”  “I don’t agree with you about those words, Charles,” replied his friend.  “I think you misunderstood the meaning.  That sign is indicating a truth: Regardless of which way the wind blows, God is love.”
 
“Regardless of which way the wind blows, God is love.”  This is today’s message in a nutshell.  As you know, we have been looking at the prayer of Paul for his fellow Christians in the city of Ephesus.  As I have already pointed out, in the midst of deep theological discussions, Paul paused a couple times to lift his friends in prayer.  In doing so, Paul wanted to remind us that we should find time to pray and to commune with our Heavenly Father in the busyness of life.
 
Paul’s prayer consists of four requests.  First: he prayed for inner strength to believers through God’s Spirit.  Second: he prayed so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith.  Third: he prayed that we would be rooted and grounded in love.   Fourth: he prayed for the believers’ hearts to grasp the greatness of Christ’s love.  The last couple Sundays we had the chance to look at the first two requests of Paul’s prayer and today we will be looking at the third request.  Today Paul prays for the believers in Ephesus to be “rooted and established in love” Ephesians 3:17.   The New Living Translation puts today’s prayer request this way: “I pray that your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.” 
 
Two things can be highlighted in Paul’s prayer request today.  Remember, he prayed for the believers in Ephesus to be rooted and established in love.  So, first, we will look at the perfect soil we, as believers, should plant ourselves in.  Second, we will look at the importance of making good roots.
 
First: The Perfect Soil
Soil is important.  Different plants need different types of soil.  A sed won’t reach its potential unless it’s planted in the right soil.  It is interesting to note that in Ephesians 3:17, Paul says that the soil we are to be planted in is God’s love.  Paul uses the Greek word “Agape ἀγάπῃ” – this God’s unconditional love.  I think it’s revolutionary to come to believe that “Regardless of which way the wind blows, God is love.”  Everything begins with God’s love.  It’s transforming to know that whether I am healthy or sick, have much or have little, our sailing is smooth or rough, God is love.  It is refreshing to know that whether you’re a saint or a sinner, you can plant yourself in God’s love.  God loves us unconditionally.  There is affirmation in love.  There is joy in love.  There is peace in love.  There is no fear in love.
 
Paul would say to the believers in Ephesus and to us, never forget that God loves you unconditionally.  Soak yourself in this truth.  Meditate on it.  Fill your and mind with it.  Immerse yourself in it.  It’s extremely important to plant yourself in the soil of God’s love.  “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you,” said the Prophet Jeremiah in Jeremiah 31:3.  Because of God’s everlasting and agape love, we can hold onto His faithfulness.
 
Second: The Importance of Making Deep Roots
Roots are important.  The life or death of any plant or tree depends on the health of their root system.  If you have a strong and healthy root system, you will have a good plant.  And the opposite is also true.  No wonder that Paul prayed for Christ’s followers to be rooted and grounded in God’s love. 
 
Two major functions of any root system: stability and nourishment.  As a tree or plant grows, it sends out roots that will both anchor it to the ground, and provide water and nourishment for the rest of the plant.  Being rooted and established is necessary for long term health.
 
Like plants, Christians need stability to withstand the winds and the storms (trials) of life.   We must all be established in the soil of God’s agape.  This will enable us to stand upright.  Roots do a lot more than give the plant stability.  They bring food and water to the plant.  Like plants, Christians need spiritual nourishment.  We get this from God’s love and from Christ living in us.  Roots also store water and nutrients for times of need.  When droughts come, plants have a certain amount of a reserve of water and nutrients that are stored in the roots.  This sustains the plant for a while.  Same thing, when spiritual droughts come, our roots in Christ sustain us for some time.
 
Friends, the question we need to wrestle with today is an important one.  Am I rooted and grounded in the love God?  When we plant ourselves in the soil of God’s love, we stay anchored in the soil of truth, refusing the lies of the enemy and the compromise of our culture.  When we plant ourselves in the soil of God’s love, we remain firmly stable, well-fed and filled with a reserve of spiritual strength for times of stress and storms.  May it be so, my friends.  Amen.
 
 
 

​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Sermon Notes (Sunday, January 24, 2021)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
 “Four Prayer Requests!” #2
Exodus 29:44-46; Ephesians 3:14-21
 
This morning we continue our four-week sermon series looking at Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3:14-21.  It’s one of the greatest prayers of the Bible.  When we examine this prayer, we get to know that Paul prayed for four basic things.  So there are four prayer requests in there.  (1) Paul prayed for inner strength to believers through God’s Spirit.  (2) He prayed for Christ to dwell in our hearts through faith.  (3) He prayed that we would be rooted and grounded in love.   (4) Finally, he prayed for our hearts to grasp the greatness of Christ’s love.
Prayer is so central to Christ’s followers.  In fact, it was central to Jesus Himself.  The words “prayer” and “pray” are used at least twenty-five times in connection with Jesus.  His praying is mentioned by each of the four gospel writers.  Jesus was a man of prayer.  He prayed before facing the big things in His life, such as the cross, as well as the simplest and commonest events of everyday life such as before eating a meal.  One could say that every step of Christ’s life seems to have been accompanied by prayer.
Paul’s prayer in Ephesians chapter 3 is a reminder that a powerful prayer life is needed today as much as it was needed two thousand years ago in Ephesus.  No wonder that as Paul penned his letter to the Ephesians, he paused at least a couple times to pray for them.  It was tough to be a Christian in the Greco-Roman world as it’s tough for us today.  It’s only by God’s grace and a vibrant prayer life that we can stand our ground and follow in the ways of Christ.  That’s way Paul began his prayer to the Ephesians by asking God to strengthen them with power through His Spirit in their inner being.
This morning we get to look at the second prayer request.  Listen to what Paul says in Ephesians 3:16-17, “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.”  So at the heart of today’s prayer request is Christ’s dwelling in our heart.  It’s a prayer for this deep union and this unbroken communion with Christ.  Let me tell you something very important.  From the very beginning, God desires to live among His people.  In Exodus 29:45 God said, “I will dwell among the Israelites, and I will be their God.”  John describes the incarnation of Christ by saying, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” John 1:14.
The Christian faith is nothing less than Christ dwelling in the believer’s heart.  There is no Christianity without Christ.  Christian faith is not a philosophy; it’s not a set of doctrines and beliefs; it’s a relationship with a living God who graciously accepts to dwell in our hearts.  So as we carefully examine this second prayer request, please allow me to underscore two brief observations.  The first has to do with the heart of Paul’s second prayer request and the second is an application for us today.
First: What Did Paul Pray for?What is Paul praying for here?  What does it mean that Jesus comes to dwell in our hearts through faith?  What does Paul mean by that?  Well, this request seems perplexing at first because Jesus already dwells in believers’ hearts.  We have to remember that Paul is not praying for unbelievers, but for the saints at Ephesus.  By definition, a believer is someone in whom God’s Spirit lives.  That’s what Paul says in Romans 8:9. So how can you pray that someone who is already in your heart dwell in your heart?
I think at the heart of Paul’s second request is more of Christ in our lives.  Basically, Paul was saying, “Lord, keep on dwelling in our hearts and don’t forsake us.”  I don’t think Paul was praying for the initial indwelling of Christ when we first encounter Him in salvation, instead, he was praying for advancement in our sanctification.  Paul is praying for growing up in Christ.  We never reach a point in this life where such a prayer becomes unnecessary.  John Calvin writes: “Believers have never advanced so far as not to need farther growth.”  In faith and through faith, let’s ask God to grow deeper in our relationship with Him.
Second: What Does it Mean for us Today?So, practically, what does it mean for us today that Jesus dwells in our hearts as followers of Christ?  It simply means to live like Jesus and to love like Jesus.  It means to like what Jesus likes and to hate what He hates.  Christ’s dwelling in our hearts means to value what Christ values and prioritize what He prioritizes.  It means seeing the world through the eyes of Jesus.  It creates in us a holy desire to change, to do better, to make amends, and to be humble just like Jesus.  When Christ truly dwells in our hearts, it will reflect in our decisions whether they are big or small.
 
A little girl, on the way home from church, turned to her mother and said, “Mommy, the preacher’s sermon this morning confused me.”  The mother said, “Oh! Why is that?”  The girl replied, “Well, he said that God is bigger than we are.  Is that true?”  “Yes, that’s true,” the mother replied.  “He also said that God lives within us.  Is that true, too?”  Again the mother replied, “Yes, honey.  That’s true.”  “Well,” said the little girl, “If God is bigger than us and He lives in us, wouldn’t He show through?”
 
Friends, yes, if God lives in us, He will definitely show through.  It all depends on who or what is in your heart.  In Matthew 12:34 Jesus said, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”  Out of the abundance of the heart, our life flows.  Friends, let’s examine ourselves to see if Christ truly dwells in us.  Moreover, let’s covenant to pray for each other “so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith.”  So come, Lord Jesus, and fill our hearts.  We are desperate for your presence.  Come, Lord Jesus, steel our hearts with your grace.  We are desperate for your presence.  May your Kingdom come in power, Lord.  In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Sermon Notes (Sunday, January 17, 2021)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
 “Four Prayer Requests!” #1
Jeremiah 17:5-8; Ephesians 3:14-21
 
This morning we start a 4-week sermon series that I titled, “Four Prayer Requests!”  This series of messages is based on Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3:14-21.  Paul was big on prayer.  As you know, Paul wrote more than half of the New Testament Books and it’s almost impossible to find one book without some sort of a prayer.  I think the prayer he prayed in Ephesians 3:14-21 is the jewel of his prayers. 
 
Two main reasons have encouraged me to share these four messages with you.  First: generally speaking, we are not good at prayer.  Our prayer life is not great.  So as we look at the Prayer of Paul in Ephesians 3, we get to remember how central prayer is to the follower of Jesus.  Writing to the believers in Thessalonica, Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing.”  No wonder that Paul prayed always and in all circumstances.  In addition to that, there is another important reason.  Second: Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3 should be a model of our prayers.  One of the best ways to learn how and what to pray is to study the prayers of the Bible.  As we examine this prayer, we learn a great deal about the content of biblical prayer and the intensity with which we should pray.
 
So as we look at Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3:14-21, it’s so easy to get lost in the details.  At first reading, it appears to be a complex arrangement of phrases piled one on top of the other, all leading to a very powerful doxology in verses 20-21.  Yet, when we carefully examine the prayer, we will see that Paul prayed for four things in Ephesians 3:14-21.  (1) Paul prayed for inner strength to believers through the God’s Spirit.  (2) He prayed for Christ to dwell in our hearts through faith.  (3) He prayed that we would be rooted and grounded in love.   (4) Finally, he prayed for our hearts to grasp the greatness of Christ’s love.  What a prayer!
 
I am excited that we will be unpacking this wonderful prayer over the next few weeks.  This morning we will cover the first part of the prayer in which Paul prays for inner strength through God’s Spirit.  In Ephesians 3:16 Paul says, “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being.”  There is so much that we can say as we reflect on the first part of the prayer, but let me highlight a couple things for us today:
 
First: A Prayer for Strength
The first section of Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians is a prayer for inner power.  Paul wrote, “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power.”  This is extremely relevant because we are exhausted.  We are tired.  We are drained.  It’s been extremely difficult year.  There are so many things that can sap our strength: discouraging circumstances, monotonous routine, physical weakness, personal failure, unwanted interruptions, unfinished responsibilities, and unresolved conflicts.  Any one of those things could knock us out of commission, but often two or three of them hit us at the same time.  And then we are knocked to the floor and find it hard to get up and get back in the fight.
 
This first part of Paul’s prayer is a prayer for something most of us desperately need every day—spiritual strength.  Paul says when you are on the verge of giving up, pray for strength.  Take this prayer to heart before you throw in the towel, Paul would say to us today.
 
The word that Paul uses for “power” here is the Greek “dunamis,” from which we get the English words dynamic and dynamite.  When you are made strong in the inner being by the Holy Spirit, there will be power to blast out the unbelief, and power to overcome despair, and power to rise above anger, and power to keep going when you would rather quit.  
 
Second: Power from Within
“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being.”  Did you notice that this power is put to work in the “inner self” or the “inner being”?  It’s a power that originates from within.  This is the place where we need the most help.  Paul faced countless hardships in his life.  It amazes me how Paul never prayed for change in his circumstances, rather, he prayed for spiritual strength to endure the race the Lord set before him.  There is nothing wrong with praying for God’s intervention in our circumstances, but Paul invites us to a different and greater type of power.  It’s our inner power, our spiritual power.
 
When God strengthens our inner being with power, the spirit becomes strong even when the flesh gets week.  I like the words of 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 where Paul says, “Therefore we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
 
Over the years, I have seen the outwardly deterioration of so many wonderful followers of Jesus, nevertheless they become more and more steadfast and radiant.  Their memories may be fading; their arthritis may be nearly unbearable; cancer sucks all their energy, though their outer being weakens, their inner being runs from strength to strength.
 
Friends, with awareness of our spiritual weakness and our need for Spirit-given strength, let us continue to pray for one another.  Let’s continue to pray for God’s “dunamis,”, for God’s power and energy to strengthen our inner selves, so that when our bodies break, deteriorate, fade, or spoil, the interior life will shine forth the glory of God.  In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Sermon Notes (Sunday, January 10, 2021)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
 “Don’t Forget Jesus!”
Deuteronomy 6:10-12; Luke 2:41-52
 
The story we just read from Luke’s Gospel is one of the few stories that we have about Jesus from his childhood.  In fact, from the time Jesus is an infant, until the time He is about 30, the Bible tells us very little about what His life was like.
 
In today’s story Jesus is on a trip with his parents.  He is 12 years old, and it’s the Passover, so he’s gone with them to the Temple in Jerusalem to worship.  At the end of the feast, His parents left with a large group.  Mary and Joseph got about a day away, and then they realized that they were living every parents’ nightmare: they had left their son back in Jerusalem.  Jesus was missing.
 
Please not that this has nothing to do with Mary and Joseph being irresponsible and neglecting of their parental duties.  In ancient times, people traveling used to go in caravans.  Women usually traveled separately to the men.  Children spent most of their time playing games around the caravan. 
 
Can you imagine what it was like in that moment?  “I thought you had him, Mary.”  “No, I thought you had him, Joseph!”  Mary and Joseph had to go back and check all the rest stops.  And then they rushed back to the city and for three days, three whole days, they looked around Jerusalem; the hotel, the restaurant, relatives’ homes … And then, finally, they went back to the Temple.  And there was Jesus …  sitting in the midst of the rabbis and scholars, asking questions and giving answers.
 
When Mary sees Jesus, Scripture tells us that she asked, “Child, why have you treated us like this?  Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.”  But Jesus, calmly, replies “Why were you searching for me?  Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he said to them.”  As we examine this story today, I want to bring to our attention two short observations as we enter this New Year.
 
First: Do Not Leave Jesus Behind
I believe that the temptation of all time is to leave Jesus behind.  In His infinite love, God warned the nation of Israel in Deuteronomy 6:12 saying, “Do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”  This warning is repeated many times throughout the Bible.  The temptation of all time is to plan and Jesus is not included in our plans.  The temptation of all time is to budget and God’s kingdom is not a line in our budgets.  The temptation of all time is to plan your week and there is no time for Jesus.
 
The real tragedy is to keep going when Jesus is missing of our lives.  It’s as if you know there is a serious problem with your house’s foundation and instead of addressing it and taking care of it, you just ignore it.  Writing to the nation of Israel, the Prophet Hosea lamented the fact that they have gotten weak without even knowing it.  In Hosea 7:9, he says: “Foreigners sap his strength, but he does not realize it.  His hair is sprinkled with gray, but he does not notice.”  The same thing is said of Samson.  Samson – a man who has always enjoyed the presence and the strength of the Lord – because of his disobedience, the Spirit of God departed him.  In Judges 16:20 we read: “Then Delilah called, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” He awoke from his sleep and thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the LORD had left him.”  May we never lose sight of Jesus this year.
 
 
Second: Do Not Look for Jesus in the Wrong Places
Beware of looking for Jesus in the wrong places.  Luke tells us that Jesus was 12 years old when His parents left Him behind.  Luke also tells us in Luke 2:46, “After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.”  I am surprised that it took Mary and Joseph three full days to find Jesus, “after three days they found him in the temple,” Luke says.  I understand that Jerusalem gets crazy during the Passover with people coming from all over the world to celebrate the Feast of Passover, but I think they should’ve guessed where Jesus was.
 
Like the Magi in our story from last week, Joseph and Mary looked for Jesus in the wrong places.  The Magi looked for the newborn king where kings should be born, the palace of Herod.  The trap of looking for Jesus in all the wrong places is a dangerous one.  Think about how much energy and time we waste today when we look for Jesus in the wrong places.  Are we looking for God in the right places?
 
So as we enter 2021, I believe we need to wrestle with an important question; a question that will be like our compass this year.  Where do we find Jesus in the world today?  Friends, Jesus is found in the faithful proclamation of His Word.  We encounter Jesus in the pages of the Bible.  Spend as much time as you can with Jesus this year.  Read your Bible daily.  Meditate on it.  Let your spirit get fed on God’s Word.  Saturate your life with Scriptures.
 
But let me add to that another important piece as we discern where is Jesus in the world today.  Jesus is found in the life of service.  He is present when we serve others in His name.  Christ is found in feeding the hungry; in giving drink to the thirsty; in clothing the naked; in visiting and checking on the sick; in sheltering the homeless.  Christ is found in showing hospitality to a stranger; in a moment that you spare of your time to pray with someone; in an act of mercy and a gesture of love; and in helping the weak and helpless.
 
Friends, as we enter 2021, I encourage not to leave Jesus behind.  Make sure He is at the center of your life this year.  Make sure He is the captain of your ship.  Let’s make every day count this year.  A day that we do not get the chance to commune with Jesus is not worth living.  A day that we do not get to do something for the glory of God is not worth living.  In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Sermon Notes (Sunday, January 3, 2021)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
 “The Magi: The Dilemma of Another Way!”
Matthew 2:1-12
 
Liturgical Calendar marks this Wednesday, January 6, as “Epiphany Day.”  The Feast of the Epiphany falls 12 days after Christmas.  It is also known as “Theophany”, “Little Christmas” or “Three Kings Day.”  The word “Epiphany” comes from the Greek “epiphaneia” which means “manifestation, revelation, or making known.”  So the essence of Epiphany is the manifestation of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, represented by the Magi, and the manifestation of His divinity, as it occurred at His baptism in the River Jordan.
 
The story of the Magi making the journey from Persia to Israel to see the newborn King is a fascinating story and there is so much we can learn from it.  I truly believe that the truth that we can glean from the Magi’s encounter with Jesus is so inspiring to us today. 
 
So what is the story of the Magi?  Here is the shorter version.  The Magi, people from the modern-day Iran, saw a star that indicated the birth of a new king in Israel.  Wanting to honor Him with gifts, they set out on a journey following the star to find this newborn King.  Feeling that the newborn king is a threat to his throne, King Herod instructed the visitors to come back to him when they find the exact location of the baby.  Matthew tells us “having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.” 
 
Like us, these Magi had their own plans for their lives, but then they met Jesus and that encounter brought them face to face with another way.  Encountering Jesus required them to make a choice.  Which way they should take?  Should they obey the command of Herod or the warning of God in the dream?  Should we follow our own way, or the way presented to us by God?  It seems that this is a choice that all of us are faced with as well – both in terms of the overall direction of our lives as well as in the moment-by-moment decisions that we make every day.
 
Today we will see that the Magi’s dilemma – the dilemma of “another way” – is our dilemma too.  From the attitudes of the Magi and the events that surrounded their journey, we see how we can handle the dilemma of another way.  I think the Magi set some sort of criteria for us of what it means to follow the way of Christ.  Three lessons from the story of the Magi as we handle the dilemma of another way in this New Year.
 
First: What Do We Seek?
“The other way”, the way of Christ, shows itself in what we seek.  What was it the Magi were looking for?  What was it the Magi were seeking?  Matthew 2:2 states, “Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?  We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”  Over time, what we truly seek becomes the object of our worship.  It becomes a “god” with a little “g”.
 
They Magi were looking for Jesus.  They wanted to worship Jesus.  I believe that is what we need to be looking for in this New Year – an experience of worship, a fresh glimpse of He who was born King of the Jews.  Psalm 27:8 reminds us, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”  I encourage you today to reconsider our ways of thinking and daily routines to ensure our top priority is to seek God’s face.  What we seek matters.
 
Second: Where Do We Look?
“The other way”, the way of Christ, determines where we look.  It becomes our compass.  We learn from the Magi that there are wrong and right places to look for Christ.  The Magi started by looking in the wrong place.  They looked where their own human reasoning said they should look.  The star indicated the birth of a new king in Israel.  The Magi went where kings should be born.  They went to the palace of Herod the Great in the capital city of Jerusalem.  We, too, are tempted to look for Christ in the wrong places.
 
The Magi looked in the right place when they looked to God. The trip to Jerusalem was not a total loss.  While they were there, they discovered where they should have looked in the first place: the Bible, the prophecies about the birth of the Messiah.  The scribes in Jerusalem said that, according to the prophet Micah, the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem.  With this new information, they looked again at the star and followed it to Bethlehem until it stood over the house where the child Jesus lived.  Where we look is important.
 
Third: What Do We Give?
“The other way” manifests itself in a life of giving.  The way of Christ is the way of giving more than receiving.  In Acts 20:35 we read, “Remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”  The Magi came to Jesus’ house bearing gifts.  They gave gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  The gold represents Christ’s kingship; frankincense, a sweet-smelling resin used in worship, represents his priesthood; and myrrh, an ointment used in burial, foreshadows Christ’s death and passion.
 
“The other way”, the way of Christ, is the way of giving.  Have you ever asked yourself what can you give, what can you offer, to God’s kingdom this year?  We have been given so much and God expects us to give back.  God expects us to financially support this local congregation and God’s mission locally and globally.  He expects us to use our time and talent to serve others in the name of Christ. 
 
Friends, the Magi put before us today the dilemma of another way.  There is a better way to live our lives.  At some point in our lives we’ve got to choose between the way of the world and the way of Christ, the way of Herod and the way of Jesus.  The way of Christ is characterized by three important marks: seeking Christ over and above everything else, looking for Christ in the right places, and embracing giving more than receiving.  The Epiphany, the manifestation of Christ, opens before us a whole new way of living, a whole new dimension of life.  May God give us grace today to choose the other way, the way of Christ.  Amen.
 
 
 

​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012
December 27, 2020
Russell Long
Psalm 111: A Hallelujah Helper             December 27 2020
Millions of people have used this product since its introduction in 1971. You may even have a couple of boxes of it in your pantry right now: Hamburger Helper. It may not be what you serve at Thanksgiving or Christmas, but it’s obviously tasty and convenient enough for people to keep buying and using. It’s the same reason Kraft Macaroni and Cheese is so popular. Sometimes you just need a quick meal that everyone in the family is happy to eat.
Just as we need some help with meal prep from time to time, we Christians often need help with our worship prep. Maybe today was one of those Sundays. It’s not Easter, Christmas is over, and so you didn’t come to church with the expectation of an inspiring service. Instead you went through your morning routine feeling more obligated than excited to go to church. Wouldn’t it be something if there was a product that could put us in the right frame of mind for worship every Sunday? Hamburger Helper won’t do that, but Psalm 111 can. It’s a Hallelujah Helper. A close look at this Psalm will motivate us to lift our hallelujahs to God with genuine cheerfulness no matter what Sunday or day of the week it is.
Psalm 111 in fact begins in Hebrew with the word “Hallelujah!” Ever wonder what that word means exactly? It means: “Praise the Lord!” Why should we want to do that? Listen again to a few verses from Psalm 111. “Praise the Lord…Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever. 4 He has caused his wonders to be remembered…” (Psalm 111:1a, 3, 4a).
Our God is worth praising because his deeds are majestic. You might think of how God created the earth in six days with his powerful Word. I’ve gained a new appreciation for this miracle when I compare it to the construction being done a typical house. It takes planning drawings, plumbers, carpenters, painters, carpet layers and others to get the job done. No matter how carefully a person builds a house or a church, there’s always going to be something that could have been done better. And yet when God was done with his work of creation on that first Friday afternoon, he looked with satisfaction on a universe with stars, comets, oceans, animals, and two people named Adam and Eve. Everything God created was absolutely perfect. Genesis 1:31 says “ And indeed it was very good.”
But then sin came into the world and ruined everything just as a single grain of sand can easily ruin an expensive camera. So perhaps you don’t feel so inclined to raise a “Hallelujah!” for God’s work of creation – not when it’s cold outside and we have the windows open. Consider more closely then these sentences from the verses we just read: “He provides food for those who fear him… 6 He has shown his people the power of his works, giving them the lands of other nations.” The author seems to be alluding to the way in which God provided for the Israelites after he rescued them from Egypt. He not only brought them out of slavery, He also provided food for them as they made their way to the Promised Land.
We’re not struggling through a wilderness like the Israelites did, but we are reliant on the food and homes that God provides for us every day. What’s amazing is that God continues to provide for us even when our attitude is less than thankful. Sure, you may have paid for the food that’s on your table but who gave you the ability to earn the money to buy the food? Who ensures peace so that the food could be delivered to the grocery store from which you purchased it? God. And so he is deserving of our praise.
But what ought to motivate us even more to give God our hallelujahs is what the psalmist said in this verse: “He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever—” (Psalm 111:9a). This verse has special meaning for all who are baptized, for through baptism God has made a covenant with us. A covenant is like a contract. As in building a house each of those contracts states what the plumber, the electrician, or the painter will do in exchange for what we will do for them: pay them. Compare those contracts with the covenant God made with you in baptism. Through baptism God adopted you as his child. He washed your sins away. He gave you the Holy Spirit and has granted you eternal life through faith in Jesus. He’s done this all for free and forever. Have you ever seen a contract like that? Have you ever heard of a will in which the signatory left everything to his worst enemy, even pledging that his heirs will be the enemy’s servants forever? That’s what God has done for you and for me, for all those who have been baptized. For even though we, as sinners, were God’s enemies, through baptism God pledged himself to us and gives us blessings through Jesus we don’t deserve. That’s quite a covenant! It’s no wonder the psalmist concluded that verse by saying, “…holy and awesome is his name” 
But if our God is so deserving of our hallelujahs, why can days, even weeks go by without any praises escaping our lips? It’s because like the Israelites we have such a short term memory when it comes to remembering God’s blessings and his love for us. The psalmist gives us a way to combat this attitude. He wrote: “Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them” (Psalm 111:2). The word “ponder” in Hebrew literally means to “visit often.” Does that describe your routine with God’s Word? Do you visit it often, as often as you visit your favorite Facebook page? No, the content of Faithbook (God’s Word) doesn’t ever change like the content on Facebook does so Satan makes us believe that there is no point in visiting God’s Word often. But although God’s Word doesn’t change, your life does! A psalm you read last year may not have seemed to say much to you at the time but what about today? What new challenges are you trying to sort through that this psalm would speak to?
The story is told of a church member who shared how visiting again a portion of the Bible she had read many times before led to a truth she knew well but was presented in an inspiring way she hadn’t thought of before. She was reading from the book of Exodus about the building of the tabernacle, that tent-church which served as the focal point for Israelite worship in Moses’ day. Besides the tabernacle itself, God wanted his people to build the ark of the covenant, the altar of incense, a lampstand, and other worship utensils all made from or covered with gold. God then appointed a man named Bezalel to be the chief artisan and gave him the ability to build these objects. You can bet that if we had these objects today, and if God permitted this, they would be on display in a world-class museum – not just because they would be 3,500 years old by now, but because they would be genuine works of art to rival anything Michelangelo sculpted.
But when Bezalel and his helpers were done with the work, these objects were kept in the tabernacle where only the priests got to see them. In fact, the ark of the covenant was only seen by the high priest once a year or when the Israelites moved from one place to the next. How did Bezalel feel about that? Wouldn’t he have wanted everyone to see his handiwork? It’s this thought that struck this student of God’s Word: all our gifts and talents come from the Lord and are to be used for his glory – even if no one else sees or appreciates what God has done through us. Doesn’t that truth help in your daily work as a mother for example? Very few people see how many vegetables you have cut for school lunches. Your family probably takes for granted the hours of your life you have spent in line at the grocery store for them. And that card you made to cheer up a friend? She treasures it for sure but no one else may know about the effort you put into making that. And that’s OK. Your talent and your faithfulness might not be obvious to the people around you, but God sees and delights in them just as he delighted in the works of art that Bezalel made for the tabernacle. What other truths like that will God open your eyes to this week as you visit again his Word?
That brings me to one last point our psalm makes. The first verse of the psalm reads like this: “I will extol the LORD with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly” (Psalm 111:1). The psalmist is encouraging us to do more than visit God’s word often in the privacy of our home, he points out the importance of joining with fellow believers to sing God’s praises. it’s God’s encouragement. Put it into practice. Now we are in the middle of a pandemic and many are afraid to come out. I get that totally. You can worship online with us and connect with others in church through phone calls and other means.
But will you be excited about going to church every Sunday? No. So what can you do? Well, when you’re stuck for a meal idea you can reach for the Hamburger Helper, but when your hallelujahs have become stuck in your throat reach for Psalm 111 – that Hallelujah Helper. As you read the psalm again, you’ll be reminded of the many reasons you have to praise the Lord, even if it isn’t Easter or Christmas. Psalm 111 teaches that we have an awesome God who saved us from our sin, and who never takes a break from caring for us. May we never take a break from praising him.
One year ago today I was up here and talked about new year’s resolutions. How do we successfully carry out our resolutions? It all begins with the vision of Christ in our hearts, in our minds, and before our eyes. May one of your resolutions be to spend time in God’s word, looking to see what he has for you to hear. Who knows what you may discover?   “Hallelujah!” Amen.