By Well I had a few a-ha moments this past Sunday at church that I must share! The first is related to our offertory piece, Awake my soul, which is based on Psalm 57: 8-11.
Awake, my soul!
Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.9 I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.
10 For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
Psalm 57: 8-11
let your glory be over all the earth.
It’s February and the winter doldrums have very much impacted my usual positive spirit. But at rehearsal each week we practiced this piece and I perked up. The words (and music) are so uplifting and make me think of Spring and waking up from a deep slumber or being shaken from a stupor. Awake, my soul! You have so much to celebrate! There are so many reasons to praise God!
This was followed by a very moving and educational sermon by our senior minister. The sermon focused on the temptations of Christ (as found in Luke 4) and how that made Him real and approachable to mankind.
First temptation
The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
This was the big a-ha for me because at face value it would appear that this is a good thing. If you turn stone to bread, then the hungry will be fed. Isn’t that good? But Jesus’ response tells you where your focus should be. As Rev. Tom put, are you focused on good or God?
Jesus’ reply was essentially man does not live on bread alone. We need the sustenance of God to fulfill our lives. It has me thinking about some recent focus I’ve been doing on showing myself love…and while that is important, more important is what Jesus tells us to do – which is love God and love our neighbors.
My plan is to ask myself at the start of each day how I will show that I love God and my neighbors. At the end of the day, I’ll ask the accountability question – did I do it? Won’t you join me in this endeavor?
Second temptation
The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.
6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.
7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.”
In this temptation, the devil is trying to offering power/ruling over all the world if Jesus will worship him. But the reality is that the devil is a liar. He has no power over the world. But isn’t that what the devil does? He tempts you and makes false promises.
We are tempted all the time – more money, more power, more glory…but keep your eyes focused on the prize that God has in store for you! Worship Him and no other false idols.
Third temptation
The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you
to guard you carefully;
11 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’
Testing God is what I’ve probably been guilty of the most. I want MY will to be done. And that just isn’t the way it works. I have to trust that God has a plan for me (and you). I can’t have a transactional relationship with God – I will love you if you get me a new job or new whatever.
We’ve been asking the same question for 1000s of years – What am I here for? Do I matter. Shoot, Billie Eilish wrote a sweet song about this yearning.
So here’s the a-ha moment.
It’s simple
I am here to love God and to love my neighbor.
Period. That’s it. Nothing else matters. I don’t need to be the best [insert whatever] here. I don’t need to be the CEO, CFO, COO. I don’t need to be on the cover of a magazine. I don’t need to be an influencer. I don’t need to be perfect.
I am here to love God and to love my neighbor.
That’s my purpose. That’s your purpose.
Amen.
