Never Really Off Duty

1 Peter 3:15-16 (NIV) ¹⁵  But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, ¹⁶  keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

            Nurses are persons who approach their vocation with a 24/7 mentality. They live with a mindset that says they cannot NOT nurse. In everyday situations they often constantly assess people all around them and they live with the recognition that they may be called upon in a moment’s notice to use their knowledge, experience, and skills to help in an emergency situation or in a time of need. Though they must be careful to abide by all professional standards, expectations, and legal requirements, part of being a nurse is simply wanting to help people when trouble comes.

            On June 12 a Washington County Observer-Reporter headline read “New Peters Bride in Wedding Dress Revives Woman on a Pittsburgh Bench”. The story reported by Scott Beveridge said… “A new bride who graduated from Peters Township High School kicked off her high heels while still wearing her wedding gown and revived a woman Saturday who was found unconscious on a Pittsburgh bench. Julie Stroyne, a trauma nurse at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center - Presbyterian hospital, said she revived the woman who was on a bench near Westin Convention Center on Liberty Avenue.”

“That’s something I’ll never forget,” said Stroyne, who was walking at the time with her new husband, Andrew Nixon, from their wedding reception held at The Pennsylvanian at 1100 Liberty Ave.

            “There’s no time off,” said the 2010 Peters graduate who was a tennis standout in high school.

Her sister, Kaitlyn Stroyne, said a bystander at the time said the woman who appeared to be in her early 20s didn’t have a pulse.

            “My sister got down on her knees and immediately began CPR,” Kaitlyn Stroyne said.

            “Everyone around us was saying, ‘The bride saved the day,’” she said.

            The Stroynes did not get the name or condition of the woman who was taken away by ambulance.

            “Once the paramedics stepped in, we kind of stepped back,” Julie Stroyne said.

            For Nurse Stroyne, it did not matter what other seemingly more important things were going on in her life. A matter of life and death was presented to her and she acted. She was heard to say, “there’s no time off a nurse’s duties”.

            This action and these ideas also have a relevance for the Church. Every follower of Jesus is never really off duty. We are called to represent Christ 24/7… when happy or sad, energetic or weary, living in plenty or in want. Jesus did not call His followers to be His witness just when they felt good or “in the mood”. We represent Him every hour of every day. And we never know when an opportunity will come up to speak about our love for Him or about what He has done for us. Or we may have an occasion to be His hands and feet: serving another person caringly in His name. A mindset of readiness and anticipation will equip us to rise up and respond in the right time and in the right way with the right words or actions. The Holy Spirit opens the doors and when we are “geared to speak/serve” it’s amazing how many such circumstances we encounter. The New Testament call to the believer is readiness. In other words, we should plan on having opportunities to speak and serve. We should not be surprised, but are actually to be intentionally on the lookout.

            The first sermon I ever preached in my early twenties was called, “What If God Went on Vacation”. It was a call to people not to excuse themselves from worship or service to the Lord when summer came, because for many in that church, summer was a time to play that often did not include much thought of the things of the Lord. But what would we do if God “went on vacation”? This world – including us – would be in incalculable trouble if God just “vacated the premises”. Of course we know that God does not do this. He is immanent: intimately involved with, though apart from – His creation. Paul wrote to the believers in Colossae that “in Christ all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17).

            In the same way, a Christian is never “on vacation” from God, from the Word, or from speaking words of grace and serving as the hands and feet of Jesus. We are never off-duty. May we be always ready to bear witness to God’s love, truth, and grace in word and deed, and may our eyes and ears be open to such opportunities on a daily basis. What an amazing and wonderful thing that God would use us so. Amen!

2 Timothy 4:1-5 (NIV) ¹  In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: ²  Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction. ³  For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. ⁴  They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. ⁵  But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

1 Peter 4:10-11 (NIV) ¹⁰  Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. ¹¹  If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

PRAYER:  Father, give me eyes to see and ears to hear and a faith that relies upon you so that I may speak and serve in ways that glorify you and express love and care to others. Thanks. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!    

Scott

At Home With the Lord

2 Corinthians 5:6-8 (NIV) ⁶  Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. ⁷  We live by faith, not by sight. ⁸  We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

            I have been blessed on several occasions to be with persons as they neared their death. The blessing came from their understanding of and anticipation of “going home” to be with the Lord, even though “getting there” was hard. They saw death as the doorway to the presence of Christ and what He was preparing for them. I love Paul’s phrasing in 2 Corinthians 5:8 – “at home with the Lord”.

            “Home” is a word filled with so much meaning and depth. We all know a “house is not a home” and most of us associate home with persons as much as – if not more – than a physical location or building. Recently Joanne and I had an “adventure in traveling”… you know… the kind where you experience unplanned problems like a broken down vehicle or getting sick while away from home or being stuck someplace you don’t want to be. For us it was this last one. We flew from Tampa to Washington D.C. on the first leg of a trip to Portland. The first leg’s step went very well, but the second leg couldn’t get anywhere. Thunder and lightning kept us from leaving Dulles Airport. After waiting (too long) for a flight attendant, boarding and deplaning, we were told our flight to Portland had been cancelled. We weren’t going anywhere. We were directed to go to customer service. As we made our way we wondered what further adventures were awaiting us. The customer service area had just two persons working it. And then I noticed the line more carefully. As we walked along it down the terminal hall the line seemed just to go on and on. The longer it went the lower my optimism went with it. The entire airport was grounded and hundreds of people needed help to make arrangements to get home. To say the place was crazy might be an understatement. We kept going and going and going to finally reach the end of the line, which was a slow to move. I decided to try calling the airline while in line to see if I could get seats on a flight to Maine the next day. After a long wait I did get through to a company representative, but was told there were no seats on any planes to Maine the next day. I knew I did not want to wait two days to fly home. I had no idea where I would stay while waiting and I did not feel like paying for a hotel for what would amount to three hours of sleep. Anyway, I asked about a flight to Boston. Not exactly home, but closer to home. I could rent a car or we could take a bus to Portland from there and pick up my vehicle. That’s what I did and our adventure finally worked out. But part of the adventure was not much fun - sitting in the terminal overnight… dirty, not able to sleep or get comfortable. Joanne slept (a little) on the terminal floor. It was a pretty tough night. But by God’s grace, we are all able to do hard things.

All this is not to complain. God helped us to have good attitudes about the whole thing. And the next day – after the overnight in the terminal and a long day of making connections, we finally got home – a little over 24 hours later than we expected… tired, a little sore, and wanting some “real” food. But we were safe and secure. And – you know the feeling – it just felt so good to be home. From Dorothy Gale anxiously repeating “There’s no place like home” as she desperately hoped to get out of Oz and back to the farm with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry, to soldiers returning from war, to the sentimental words of Kim Gannon’s I’ll Be Home for Christmas, to the life experience of everyday people everywhere, “home” – wherever and whatever it is – has a special place in our hearts. It is where we long to be.

When Paul writes about being “at home with the Lord”, I believe it is this kind of idea, though much deeper than human sentiment. Think about it: we who are in Christ have a home with the Lord. We can look forward to being there someday in the Lord’s timing. We are certainly in the midst of some “adventures” as we walk with Christ on our way to eternity, and we desperately need His help because some of those – even many – are hard and cause weariness and pain of many kinds. Nevertheless, we know we have a home with the Lord awaiting us. And that keeps us going. That keeps us from losing hope and giving up. One of my favorite songs is called Finally Home by the group Mercy Me. It speaks of the hope we have of being with the Lord and all that awaits us “at home” with Him. I thought of that song in the terminal at Dulles.

May the thought of being home with the Lord be an encouragement to us in times of loneliness, loss, struggle and pain. May it be a true and solid hope that we carry with us every day as life gives us reminders that this world is not our home. May our eyes be set on heaven and not on the things of this world that we are tempted to think are so great, but in the end are mere vapors. May our confidence be in the Lord to bring us home when, where, and how He deems best. And may we be secure in Him. Amen.

John 14:2 (NIV)  In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.

2 Corinthians 5:1-5 (NIV) ¹  Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. ²  Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, ³  because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. ⁴  For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. ⁵  Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

Hebrews 11:10, 13-16 (NIV)  For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God… ¹³  All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. ¹⁴  People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. ¹⁵  If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶  Instead, they were longing for a better country--a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

Colossians 3:1-4 (NIV) ¹  Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. ²  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ³  For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. ⁴  When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

PRAYER:  Father, through all things and in all of life I am always coming home. Keep me from all the distractions and keep my eyes fixed on living today with my home with You ever in mind. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!    

Scott

How'm I Doin'?

Ephesians 4:15 (NIV)  Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.

            From time to time I forget. If, during the time in worship services that we share the Lord’s Supper together, I turn to face the front of the auditorium, my microphone doesn’t like it. It’s because it is pointed directly at the main speaker. Speakers, and microphones pointed at them, are not a good combination, because feedback is produced. This feedback can be shrill… even painful to the ears. So… I get annoyed with myself when I forget this, and I feel bad for those who have to endure it, even if just briefly. The sound of feedback doesn’t exactly go along with the quieter, worshipful moments of sharing the bread and the cup together that we seek. I will try to do better at remembering. “Feedback” happens in an electronic system when a microphone or the pickup of an electric guitar picks up sound from a speaker connected to an amplifier and regenerates it back through the amplifier. Many rock guitarists love it and have used it in their performances ever since the electric guitar was invented. But generally it is an undesirable, unwanted noise. Even a very small amount of feedback can be quite distracting and annoying. Though I don’t understand all the science of it, I know I don’t like it. That’s sort of like when someone says, “I don’t know much about art, but I know what I like.” I don’t know much about electronics, but I know I don’t like feedback.

            But not all feedback is a bad thing. There are other ways that we use this word in our world today. One of those ways is to describe a means of requesting or gathering helpful information or criticism in order to improve a performance, product, relationship, or process. Typically those who want to get better at something are wise to get feedback from those they trust. A trusted source will give honest feedback. This honest feedback may, at first, sound to us like speaker “squawk” and make us uncomfortable. It may even hurt. But if the person giving it genuinely loves us and cares for us we can trust that they truly want to help us and want what is best for us. Proverbs 27:6 says, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.”

            If you treat the caring feedback of a friend – though possibly uncomfortable – like the unwelcome feedback of a sound system, you may miss some of God’s most valuable blessings. Our hearts can be very tender and easily wounded. It is not easy to receive a word that we perceive as critical. We want to become defensive and justify ourselves before others. But the greater spiritual maturity we possess, the more able we are to initially receive some kinds of feedback and actually grow… and even be blessed because of it. From 1978-89 Ed Koch was mayor of New York City. He would ride the subways and stand at street corners greeting people with the slogan, “How’m I doin’?”  I’m sure he received many replies that weren’t easy to hear, and no doubt some that I wouldn’t want to repeat in your company. Yet that question is a request for feedback. And if you ask for it sincerely, you will get it. Some of it will sound terrible to your ears. But what comes to you in love will be a blessing to your soul if you can receive it. It may end up being what you need more than anything else.  Jesus will help you if you trust Him. That is one of the blessings of grace. So… may He give us eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to receive. Amen!

Galatians 6:1-2 (NIV) ¹  Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. ²  Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Ephesians 4:29 (NIV)  Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

1 Corinthians 16:14 (NASB)  Let all that you do be done in love.

Proverbs 15:31 (NLT)  If you listen to constructive criticism, you will be at home among the wise.

PRAYER:  Father, help me not to shut down my heart when you want to use someone in my life to help me. Thank you that this is a means you use to extend your grace to me. Let me see what you see. Thank you. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!    

Scott

Where Is Your Confidence?

1 Corinthians 10:11-12 (NIV) ¹¹  These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. ¹²  So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!

            This verse has always struck me as Paul’s way of reminding us not to take anything for granted. Overconfidence in ourselves (not in the Lord) is a dangerous thing in our lives, and to our spiritual life. Recently a video went viral of a Mount Washington Observatory worker being knocked off his feet by an intense gust of wind on the summit of the 6,288-foot high mountain, which is notorious for bad weather. Though winter has been over for two months conditions on this tallest peak in the northeast can be very unpredictable. The wind speed on the day the video was shot was 109 MPH. That pales in comparison with the U.S. record of 231 MPH that was set there in 1934, but the video still displays the amazing power of the wind.

            The video can be found at: https://www.yahoo.com/news/video-shows-109-mph-wind-tossing-man-mount-172613813.html?nhp=1

            It is fun to watch. But while it is amusing, it is a humbling reminder of the smallness of humanity, even in relation to routine weather. Many things – some great and some small – can knock us off our feet spiritually and emotionally. A personal, community, national, or international tragedy can do it. A sinful urge can come out of nowhere and catch us off guard. A rush of anger or lust can alter the course of a day. A broken relationship can throw us off a faithful walk behind Jesus.

            In 1 Corinthians 10 Paul is telling believers in Corinth that the Jews who had come out of bondage in Egypt had everything going for them. They had seen God work first-hand. They had enjoyed the blessing of His provision. Yet most of them never made it to Canaan, the land of promise. Why was that? They faced things – difficulties – that made them grumble and complain and even turn against the Lord. Paul wanted the Corinthian believers to know that similar things could face them, and they should not be arrogant enough to think that they could never fail like the children of Israel did on so many occasions. It would be foolish and naïve for them to be so confident as to think they were above being “blown away” by some temptation or trouble. Like them, our confidence needs to be in the Lord and His strength, not in ourselves and our ability or our own wisdom.

            All of these thoughts are helpful as a prelude to Paul’s words in verse 13: “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”

            May our confidence be always in the Lord, always exceeding our confidence in ourselves and in other people.

2 Corinthians 4:7-12 (NIV) ⁷  But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. ⁸  We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹  persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. ¹⁰  We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. ¹¹  For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. ¹²  So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

PRAYER:  Father, when life presses in, please keep me from assuming that I can easily “handle it” on my own. I am truly desperate for you – very needy in body, mind, and spirit. Let my confidence rest on you. Thank you. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!    

Scott