Matthew 23:11-12
“Do you want to stand out? Then
step down. Be a servant. If you puff yourself up, you’ll get the wind
knocked out of you. But if you’re content to simply be yourself, your
life will count for plenty.
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
- Tywanza Sanders, age 26 - Bible study member, college graduate, and barber who hoped to open his own barbershop
- Clementa C. Pinckney, age 41 – pastor of Emmanuel A.M.E. church and South Carolina state senator
- Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, age 45 – pastor, speech therapist and track coach at Goose Creek High School
- Depayne Middleton-Doctor, age 49 - pastor, school administrator, and admissions coordinator at Southern Wesleyan University
- Cynthia Marie Graham Hurd, age 54 – Bible study member and manager for the Charleston County Public Library System
- Myra Thompson, age 59 – Bible study teacher and former middle school teacher for the Charleston County School District
- Ethel Lee Lance,
age 70 – former custodian at Gaillard Municipal Auditorium, and church
custodian for roughly 30 years at Emmanuel A.M.E. church in Charleston,
South Carolina
- Daniel L Simmons, Sr., age 74 – a Vietnam vet with a Purple Heart, retired pastor, and
member of Mother Emmanuel’s ministerial staff
- Susie Jackson, age 87 – Bible study and church choir member, known for her generosity to those in need...and great-aunt to Tywanza Sanders
These
nine servants stood out…but not in the way you might think. Never in a
million years did a single one of them expect to be gunned down on a
Wednesday night as they attended a church Bible study. None of them
hesitated to welcome a 21-year-old white man into their group to hear
God’s word and pray with him. It was not in their thoughts on that
mid-week night that “this is the moment that God will use us in a
profound way to make a mark on this earth”…much less that He would call
them Home. And yet, all of these things happened…to humble servants.
Each
of these individuals now stands out in our minds…or they should. Each
person named here made their life count for plenty – by being themselves
and serving God with grace, as President Obama so eloquently stated in
his eulogy of Rev. Clementa C. Pinckney today. We should remember
them…not because they were puffed up and important…but because in their
humility and reverence, they served and honored God - and made a
difference.
I have noted this before, but I’ve thought a lot
about what could be said of me in such a situation. I’ve pondered how I
might have reacted…and how I would be remembered. Would I be someone
who was “in the right place at the right time”…and by that, I mean
serving or worshipping God with my words, thoughts and actions in every
area of my daily living? Am I quietly and humbly making a difference
because of God’s grace over my life? Or am I more concerned with what’s
in all of this for me?
Does it matter to you – and to me –
what others think of us… how much and how often our efforts are
recognized? Are we serving to be seen and heard…or to honor the
tremendous gifts that God has bestowed up on us? Are we more interested
in standing out than standing up for God – and extending His grace to
others? Can we learn from the example of these nine individuals and
change our attitudes and our actions to more closely demonstrate the
love, grace, mercy and forgiveness of our amazing God? Don’t you think
we should?
©2015 Debbie Robus
Luke 22:41-44
He pulled away from them about a
stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed, “Father, remove this cup from me.
But please, not what I want. What do you want?” At once an angel from
heaven was at his side, strengthening him. He prayed on all the harder.
Sweat, wrung from him like drops of blood, poured off his face.
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
This morning as we got ready
to go to church, I listened to the live broadcast of worship services at
“Mother Emmanuel” A.M.E. church in Charleston, South Carolina. Just
four nights ago, 9 members were massacred there by a 21-year-old man who
claimed to hate black people and told them, You’ve got to go.” Today,
members of the congregation – and Charleston at large – gathered to
worship God…to remember those who were killed… and to offer hope and
encouragement to one another – and to the world.
During the
service, the altar was opened for prayer, and as several knelt there,
the crowd sang the hymn, “Great is Thy Faithfulness.” It is hard for
many to fathom how we can sing these words in days following such a
heinous act. How can we sing that God doesn’t change – and neither does
His compassion and care - when nine people who were gathered to study
God’s word and pray were gunned down, even as they worshipped Him?
How
can we declare that everything we have ever needed has been provided by
God…that His mercies never fail…when the very people who welcomed a
stranger into their midst were betrayed and assassinated? The better
question is…”How can we not?”
We need look no further than Jesus’
actions in the Garden of Gethsemane, where He cried out to God to
relieve Him of the suffering that was to come – to “take the cup” of
impending brutality, torture, and agonizing death…but only if it be
God’s will. And many will ask, “How can we serve a God who would allow
such atrocities…even to His only Son?” Again, the answer is found in
another question…”How can we not?”
The full answer lies in the
greatness and magnitude of God’s love and commitment to us. This began
with Noah and God’s promise to never wipe out His people again. God made
covenants with us to always have our back…to always offer us love,
mercy, second chances, and forgiveness. And the only way to really make
this work was to sacrifice His only Son – Jesus – on the cross. And
somehow, whether we realize it or not…the only way God could make His
perfect plans work was to call these nine church members to Heaven at
the hands of a deranged gunman. We may never see the “end result” of
this event…we may never fully understand what God intended by allowing
this horrific crime to occur…but we must accept it and trust that God is
in the details.
Be assured that God will not waste these lives
– or the way in which they ended. This is evidenced already in the
media coverage and the public reaction to these deaths. Additionally,
scripture tells us that an angel appeared to comfort Jesus in His grief
and anguish. Surely God sent angels to surround those nine on Wednesday
night – and He is surrounding many with angels of comfort and compassion
even today as they grieve, mourn and sort through the roller-coaster
emotions of this aftermath.
I pray that God never calls you or me
to face a deranged killer. But I know that He will test each of us
throughout our lifetimes. How will we fare? Will we have the strength,
courage – and faith – to say, “Your will, not mine”?
Will we call out for mercy with the intent to fully accept whatever
decision God makes? Will we still be able to claim the blessings of
God…even when our world seems to be crumbling around us?
Do we
fully understand God’s faithfulness over us…how He is holding up His end
of the covenant bargain? Or do we question His presence, particularly
when tragedies like this one arise? Are we fully committed to God’s
will…no matter how difficult it may seem? Can we sing “Great is Thy
faithfulness” with confidence in all circumstances…and a heart for
serving Him in all things? Could THIS be what God intended in
Charleston last Wednesday? Will this be the day that we begin to make it
so?
©2015 Debbie Robus
June 20 ~ Luke 17:28-30
“It was the same in the time of
Lot—the people carrying on, having a good time, business as usual right
up to the day Lot walked out of Sodom and a firestorm swept down and
burned everything to a crisp. That’s how it will be—sudden, total—when
the Son of Man is revealed."
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
I
have to admit…the massacre of nine people at the “Mother Emmanuel”
A.M.E. church in Charleston, South Carolina last Wednesday evening has
caused a major shift in my thinking…and not in the way you might think. I
had grown comfortable – and complacent – in a particular area of my
faith. Sure, I love Jesus…and He is front and center (most of the time)
in my thoughts and actions. Yes, I am certain that Heaven will be my
eternal home…that my name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life…and that
God is guiding my steps (though He may occasionally wring his hands and
ask, “What on earth is she thinking?!”)
The much-needed “jolt”
that this tragic event of June 17th provided for me is a reminder of 1)
how precarious and temporary this life is, and 2) Who is really in
control! See, while I am ready for heaven in many ways, I realized that
I have held subconscious thoughts that nothing will happen to me,
because I still have work to do on this earth. There are family members
to nurture and care for…there are dozens of “important” projects to
complete. I have photos to scan and devos to write and children to
drive to swim lessons and VBS… and so many more “important” things to
accomplish! But this week, I’ve very clearly felt God showing me that I
am indeed important to Him…but I am not indispensible. In other words, there is nothing about me that makes me more special than anyone else…more extraordinary…or more useful.
So
when I saw a state senator and pastor swept to heaven in the middle of a
sermon, I knew that the Son of Man can be revealed to any of us in a
heartbeat. When I learned that a young man who just graduated from
college has “graduated” to heaven…I realized that the plans we have
cannot hold a candle to those of God. When I heard about the seven
other church members who nurtured a hate-filled, angry, malicious young
man for more than an hour – and he shot them dead anyway…I realized that
when God is ready for me, there won’t be a thing that I can do about
it. And more importantly - I won’t want to!
So I am looking at
my life through a new lens…and I encourage you to do the same. I am
thinking more about every word and action…because they might be my
last. Did I offer kindness and a word from God to a would-be killer…or
more likely, to someone so mired in depression or difficulties that
he/she was facing a mental or emotional breakdown and considering
suicide? Did I waste time checking social media or watching a dumb
reality TV show instead of playing with my little niece and
nephews…doing something with my husband or other loved ones…or visiting
someone who is sick, grieving or lonely? Did I pay close enough
attention to the people around me…both those I know and love – and those
I’ve merely shared space with at the grocery check-out line, passed in a
hallway at church, or swam next to at the community pool?
Have
my comments on social media been kind and reflected God’s word and
will? Have I taken advantage of the minutes/hours/days/weeks/years that
God has granted me on this earth? Have I been like Lot…so busy
carrying on and having a good time that I didn’t see the firestorm that
was brewing…or recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life? If
you and I were staring down the barrel of a gun as we attended a Bible
study or prayer meeting – and given a moment to reflect before the
trigger was pulled – what would we be the focal point of our last
thoughts?
Are you ready for heaven? Are you aware that the time
of your departure is NOT your decision to make…and are you truly at
peace with this? We have seen this week that even the most faithful
among us are not indispensible when God is ready for us to sit at Jesus’
feet. When our perspective shifts and we change our attitude, we can
start to really make the most of the time that we have left – and the
blessings that God has given us. I know I plan to…what about you?
©2015 Debbie Robus
