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Please join us this Sunday morning, May 20, at 10:30 as we again gather to worship our gracious God and celebrate the grace He has shown to us in Jesus Christ. Pastor Jerry is on vacation this week and so we welcome Pastor Jeff Dephouse to our pulpit. Pastor Jeff is one of our elders and is the hospital chaplain at Centennial Medical Center. We hope to see you Sunday!

I Kings 19:9b-21 “How Do you Handle Regrets (Part 2)”
Introduction:
A few weeks ago Claire found a box that I had forgotten about. I have baseball cards from when I was 10 years old and I have them nicely stored away. I thought this box had more of the plastic sheets to put the cards in, but when I opened it I discovered a specific kind of baseball cards that I had forgotten about. Each card has a play that could happen in a baseball game printed on it. You drew a card and then you would move your markers around the field and keep score and the like. It was the way you could play baseball before video games were invented. I was delighted to have found them again. They were also always there but I had forgotten about them. It is always nice to find something that you’ve lost or forgotten was even there.

Last week, we began looking at how to handle discouragement coming from regrets in our past. We saw how Elijah was despairing of life itself. He was ready to give up completely but God tenderly and graciously strengthened him. What we look at today is what God taught Elijah on Mount Horeb. What Elijah found was similar in nature, but much, much greater than my finding a few baseball cards. Elijah found again that he had tremendous resources far beyond what he could imagine in the Lord. He had forgotten it was there but God revealed both his power and grace to Elijah that day in a way that invigorated Elijah and enabled him to press on in the work God gave him to do. Let’s read 1 Kings 19:9-21.

I. Elijah’s Complaint
Remember that Elijah had won a great victory for the Lord on Mount Carmel. Now, however, Elijah has fled because of the threat Jezebel has made on his life. He had wandered around in the desert for 40 days and nights trying to sort things out. Now he has gone to Mount Horeb, or Mount Sinai in order to hear what God has to say to him. When he arrived there he went into a cave and spent the night there.

Now the word of the Lord comes to Elijah and asks, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” There are likely two reasons that God asks this question of Elijah. First, God wants Elijah to know that He did not tell Elijah to run away. Second, this question gives Elijah the opportunity to air his feelings and frustrations to the Lord.

What is Elijah’s response? In venting his pent up emotions, he says several things: First notice that he still acknowledges God as the Lord, the Almighty, and the one true God. He knows that the Lord is still the God of hosts, “the God who has all His heavenly armies.” Moreover, he claims he has always been faithful to the Lord and His cause. He has been “zealous” for the Lord and has given his whole life for the Lord’s cause.

However, Israel has rejected the covenant God made with them. They have broken down the altars dedicated to the Lord and killed the prophets of the Lord. Elijah lists these serious charges against the people and there is no doubt that he is right.

And now of all those who were in the covenant before, he believes that he alone remains. And now they are trying to kill him, the last faithful one in all of Israel. God is truly God, but He has only one follower left in Israel and that is Elijah.

Elijah here is venting his feelings of despair to the Lord, but included in this is an implied request to God to punish all those idolaters. He is like Moses who also was upset with the people when they worshiped idols. However, there is also a clear difference from Moses’s response earlier in history. Moses had asked that God spare the people when they sinned and rebelled against God. Elijah is ready for God to destroy them all! He wants vengeance and not mercy.

Louis Zamperini was a Olympic runner and then Army Air Force bombadier during World War 2 when his plane crashed and he was eventually picked up by the Japanese. Over the next 2 years he was held captive in a prison camp where he was tortured and tormented by one guard in particular, Mutsuhiro Wantanabe, who would become on the top war criminals searched for by the army after the war. After the war, Zamperini suffered post-traumatic stress syndrome, became bitter and an alcoholic, much of it fueled by his desire to get revenge on his enemy, Wantanabe. We can understand such feelings of revenge when you feel you have been grievously wronged.

This whole situation just doesn’t seem fair to Elijah and he wants God to fix it right! He really believes that things have not worked out at all in God’s overall plan. Elijah is saying that the work the Lord, begun centuries before at Sinai, had now come to nothing. The result of all God’s work through all those years is one faithful servant who is about to be killed. And Elijah also seems to be asking, “Why haven’t you done something, God?” There is a reproof for God as well in these statements, for Elijah believes that God had looked on too long without doing anything.

There are times when we are inclined to have that attitude as well. We have tried to be faithful in our walk with God, but things haven’t worked out in our lives. You have tried to make your marriage something in which God would be glorified, but your relationship is not what you know it should be, or perhaps it is extremely fragile, or even broken. Perhaps you reared your children in a Christian home, teaching them all about the faith and now that they are older, they want nothing to do with God or the church. Perhaps you have enthusiastically devoted yourself to the Lord’s cause, but your health is not at all what you had hoped and the future is uncertain because of this. Some have tried to very deliberately work for the Lord in their jobs, perhaps witnessing to co-workers or trying to help them with Christian counsel, and this too has only ended up in frustration. Some may have tried working within the church, and have found disappointment there.

And at times like that, it is easy to be overwhelmed with the “Elijah syndrome”. “I’m the only faithful one left!” “Why haven’t you done something, God?” For those times that we feel that way, God has a very effective answer for us.

II. The Cure: Know Who God Is!
God says tells Elijah to go and stand on the mountain for God is about to pass by. Here too there is a similarity to the story of Moses. Moses saw God’s presence as well when he was on Sinai and now Elijah will see the same things.

God first demonstrates His tremendous power to Elijah. Elijah first sees a mighty wind that tore up the mountains and broke apart the rocks. Then Elijah saw an earthquake which can also be very powerful and destructive. Finally, Elijah saw a fire which can also powerfully destroy things.

But the important thing that Elijah noticed was that the Lord was not in any of these things! That fact is repeated after each powerful act of destruction. God certainly caused these things to happen but it was made clear to Elijah that somehow God was removed from them. Why?

God wanted to teach Elijah that the potential for God destroying Israel is certainly there. And certainly, Israel deserved to be punished very severely. But there is another side to God that Elijah needed to see.

So next God demonstrates His tender compassion. After all these noisy, destructive things, there is a gentle whisper. Literally, this means a “sound of a gentle blowing” or a still small voice. It was the complete opposite of all that Elijah had just seen.

Elijah must have been overwhelmed at that quiet power of God. It was just what he needed to hear and see. I have visited rivers with large waterfalls on them and seen the pounding surf of the ocean. In such things, the power and majesty of God was always very evident to me. But the time I felt so close to God was in the quiet of a cabin in East Tennessee where the only sound as that of the leaves rustling in the breeze. It was in that setting, away from all the noises of life, that I heard God’s love and mercy in a very powerful way. Not only was God still with Elijah in all His majestic power, God had the power to forgive and show compassion on His people.

Now, God asks the same question again and Elijah gives the exact same response. – Why? For one thing, Elijah was still was deeply discouraged. He still faced the same set of circumstances. Ok, God. I understand who you are, but I’m still the only one left and I’m about to be killed! More than likely, Elijah had simply not yet learned the lesson God was teaching him.

III. Elijah needed The Cure which was: Get to Work!
Now God gives Elijah his next assignment. Go back the way you came. This means more than God simply telling Elijah what road to take. God in using these words is telling Elijah to get up and get back to work.

Elijah must do three things as he continues his mission. First, he must anoint Hazael to be King over Aram or Syria. Second, he must anoint Jehu to be the next king over Israel. Finally, he must anoint Elisha to be his own successor. Why must Elijah do these three things? These three actions will be proof that while Elijah may feel that God’s cause has been defeated, God is far from finished with Israel at this point.

These three will be the instruments of the Lord as He continues to work with His rebellious people. Hazael, as the future king of Syria to the north, would eventually bring all kinds of trouble to Israel. The Lord will punish Israel for her sin through Hazael. Jehu will be used by God to punish Israel as well, only from the inside. Jehu, as a military commander under Ahab and Joram, Ahab’s son, was given the mandate to destroy the house of Ahab and to purge all the evil that Ahab and Jezebel had done. And Elisha will be used by God to continue Elijah’s work. The name “Elisha” means “God is salvation” or “God saves”. What is important to note is that his name is also similar to “Joshua” both in meaning and also the role of successor to Moses and Elijah.

Elijah is given someone to finish his work just as Joshua was given to Moses to finish Moses’ work. Elisha remained on to help the covenant people in Israel to receive the promises from the Lord just as Joshua brought the people to the promised land. In the New Testament John the Baptist, who was the new Elijah,is followed by Jesus whose name also means “God will save” in order to finally complete God’s saving work. Elisha is given to Elijah to impress upon him that God’s work is always ongoing; it never stops even when Elijah is ready to give up.

In other words, God is telling Elijah, “Your work is not finished yet.” So get up and get to work! There is much to do in saving God’s people.

But God also lovingly corrects and encourages Elijah. Elijah thought he was the only one left who worshiped the true God. God says that there are 7,000 left who have not bowed the knee, served nor worshiped Baal! This is a number symbolic of the fullness of the number of believers that remained. Elijah was wrong in any case that he was the only one left. There is a remnant of believers and because of this, God will save the people and not destroy them. God will certainly punish them, but He will continue to work to save them But in the meantime, Elijah was called to get back to work.

How can we use this cure which God gave to Elijah? If we feel discouraged and we have prayed about our trials, perhaps we need to get back to work! Perhaps we need to get back to work and start looking for ways that the Lord can use you. Duke basketball coach, Mike Krzyzewski, once gave a great talk to the University Retirees Association. He told them about a friend of his in Southern California who was coaching a basketball team where out of 15 of the young men, 10 had never known a father. He noted how he and his fellow coaches were spending more time trying to be daddies to their players than coaches.

Then Krzyzewski said, “Things are in too big a mess in the American family for you people to be sitting around playing bridge, or moving to some retirement community in Florida. We need your wisdom, your patience, your free time. We need you to be adopting kids, stepping up and taking responsibility for kids that, while they may not be your own, they are all of our responsibility.”

People, we have a great mission and that is to share the gospel with others and to further the kingdom in the power of the Holy Spirit, and God needs us to get on with the work!

Let’s look for the big picture. God has a plan and He is fulfilling this whether it seems that way to you or not. That plan is to save the world from sin and death. Are you working to that end and making yourself available to be used by God? If you are, then there is a great deal of comfort for those who are obedient.

IV. Obedience Brings Comfort
Elijah obeys and goes immediately to anoint Elisha. Elijah throws his coat, his distinctive mantle, over Elisha and thus appoints him to be his successor. Elisha makes only one request and that is to say farewell to his family. Elijah’s response does not rebuke Elisha but reminds him that Elisha himself will have to decide because it is the Lord Himself who is calling him, not Elijah.

Elisha’s actions shows that he has given himself fully to the Lord’s cause. His killing the animals and burning the yokes was a symbol of his complete break from his past. Elisha’s feast is an expression of thanksgiving for his receiving this special call.

This obedience on the part of both Elijah and Elisha had to have brought Elijah great comfort. Elijah knew the work of the Lord will continue through Elisha! God’s mission is not at an end! God will punish His people for their sins, but God will also not abandon them in their sin. In fact, God will do everything to bring them back to Him. God’s plan was far from over.

We know that today when we think of what God did for the world in Jesus Christ. John 3:16 states it with simple eloquence: “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” That summarizes the great plan of God to save the people of the world. And we know that this same message and mission continues today.

And if we obey the Lord as we participate in that mission, we will experience comfort as well. Those who give up in despair may have lost sight of what God has done and is doing in the world. But God’s cause and kingdom are very certain! The victory has been won and the mission of our Lord Jesus continues. Remember Louis Zamperini? There is more to his story. While in the depths of his alcoholism, he went to hear Billy Graham and he became a Christian. As a result of that, he found that he was able to even forgive Wantanabe. In 1950, he even went back to Japan and preached to some of the guards who had also tormented him. He forgave them and went on to give a vivid testimony to God’s love and grace which enables him to press on even today in his new mission of telling others about Jesus.

Will you be willing to be a part of the ongoing mission of God in the world? If you are discouraged because of regrets in your life and work as a Christian, see who God is. He is the One who has saved you and desires to save others. He is the one who now calls you to get up and return to the battle for the work is not yet done. We can be faithful, overcome discouragement, and be effective only if we continually press forward. That was God’s call to Elijah. What will you say to that call?

I Kings 19:1-9a “How Do you Handle Regrets (Part one)”
Introduction:
At least a few times a year I have a dream about regrets. I have a dream in which I receive a call to go back to my previous church in Iowa and become their pastor again. Now I am going back to Iowa to preach later this summer but that is all. But what strikes me is that in this dream I always inevitably have feelings of regret in my dream. I end up back there in that place and I think to myself, “What have I done?? What was I thinking??” Now I don’t mean this as a slam against that church by any means. Rather as an example of regret. In my dream, I wished I had done things differently or wish that things had turned out differently. And it is a terrible feeling!

But what if you have regrets about real things in your life? What if you are in a situation now where you look back and think, “I wished I had done things differently?” Then you are experiencing the feelings that can potentially make you feel frustrated, disappointed, angry, discouraged or depressed. Sometimes regrets come from a specific action, but sometimes there is regret because things are not turning out in general how you wanted them to turn out. And the result is that we can live with profound frustration, disappointment and discouragement in life.

When you are disappointed or discouraged from regret, how do you handle it? We can begin to learn how to handle regrets by looking at the story of Elijah in I Kings 19:1-9a as he faces severe despair.

I. The Tragic Setback
This occurs after Elijah has had his confrontation with Jezebel and the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. Elijah had challenged the prophets of Baal to a “sacrifice-off” on top of Mount Carmel. Elijah said that both he and the false prophets would prepare a sacrifice and then call on God and Baal to see who would burn up the sacrifice. The prophets of Baal prepared their sacrifice and prayed and screamed for Baal to send fire, but nothing happened. Then Elijah prepared his altar, thoroughly doused it with water and prayed for God to send fire, which God did and burned up every bit of the sacrifice and altar. Elijah clearly defeated the prophets of Baal and the people shouted that the Lord is God!

And then in his moment of triumph, he ordered the people to kill all the prophets of Baal. After the prophets had been killed, then God sent the rain on the land after the long drought. This was a moment of immense triumph and success for Elijah, but I suspect that it was also something that caused Elijah to wonder about later on.

For when Ahab’s wife, Jezebel, hears what happened on Mount Carmel, she forms a plan to get rid of Elijah. Jezebel now sends Elijah a threat which was confirmed with an oath. “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.” She wants Elijah dead like the dead prophets of Baal. This signals a drastic change in the scene for Elijah and so Elijah takes off.

The main reason for his leaving in verse 3 is that he is afraid!! But perhaps equally true, he is greatly discouraged by this turn of events. God had given a tremendous demonstration of His power in the sending of fire. God had demonstrated his care and ability to bless the people by sending rain after the drought. In spite of all this, God has again been rejected by Israel and Elijah is in more trouble than ever. I can’t help but wonder if at that point, Elijah maybe regretted what he had done or had happened.

He had seen God’s triumph on Mount Carmel, but now he is far from that triumph. Last week, Nashville Predators hockey fans here in Nashville were so excited and feeling so good; they had defeated the vaunted and dreaded Red Wings in the playoffs and life was sweet. A week later, they were in the pit of despair losing three games to the lowly Phoenix team. It was a tremendous reversal of fortune and it was hard to take. That may have been somewhat of how Elijah felt; he has won a great victory and now this!?

So Elijah goes far south, which is evidence that he was driven by more than fear. The author notes that this is in the land of “Judah” implying that Elijah intended to leave Israel for good and live in Judah. He was finished with the whole prophet business!

In fact, he goes as far south as Beersheba which was the southernmost city in Judah. However, Elijah is also on a pilgrimage to go somewhere where he could sort things out. He needs to go to a place to meet God and pour out his heart to the Lord about his despair.

II. Elijah’s Despair becomes very evident in verses 3-5.
Once at Beersheba, he leaves his servant behind and wanders out in the wilderness. Elijah finds a broom tree and rests there for awhile. The broom tree was a favorite of travelers since it gave shade during the day and a wind-break at night.

While there he prays a prayer of utter despair: “I have had enough.” He is finished with life! He says that he is no better than his ancestors. Elijah feels much like Moses who said something very similar while leading the people of Israel to the land of Canaan. That similarity between Moses and Elijah will become more evident as the passage proceeds.

At any rate, Elijah now simply asks God, “Let me die”. “If this is how things are going to be in this line of work, forget it, I would just as soon be dead.” Elijah regretted where he was at this point in his life and felt that he had had enough.

There are times when we may feel very similar to Elijah. There are many reasons for having feelings of regret. A marriage may falter and you may even wonder if you married the right person. Perhaps you may regret the way you reared your children and they are in a situation that you did not envision and you have regrets about that. Or perhaps your job becomes frustrating or is going nowhere and you wonder if you should have taken that particular job. Or you face continual financial tensions where every month paying the bills because of something you spent that money on and you regret doing that. Or perhaps the future in general is very uncertain because of things you have done in the past and you have feelings of regret about them.

At that point we want to say with Elijah, “It is enough; I’ve had it; I can’t take any more!” Some become suicidal and talk about literally ending their lives because it’s not worth continuing. Some may dive into alcohol or drugs and slowly sink to the bottom in their lives. Others live in a world of depression and despair and live a listless and non-energetic life. And, we all do feel that way from time to time and we have to realize this about each other.

Nancy Eastridge of the Upper Room tells of a time she saw a pet parrot acting peculiarly. She laughed when she saw the parrot making a great fuss about getting from its perch to the ground. It seemed to be struggling so hard and so much in vain. She thought it was a funny bird and said, “Come on! Why don’t you just fly?” Then the owner told her that the wings of parrots are clipped to keep them from flying away.” She watched the parrot struggle–swinging from one foot, turning itself upside down, hanging on with its beak, and finally falling and lying dazed on the ground.

She wrote, “Now there was no laughter in me, for the parrot had become a symbol. It was like all those people who appear to be free in our world, but who have had their wings clipped–by poverty, by lack of education, by discrimination, by insensitive persons. And we tend to stand on the sidelines and say, ‘Strange people! Why don’t they act the way the rest of us do?’ But as we say this, we show that we are unaware of the pain and despair in those who, like the parrot, appear to be free but cannot fly.” We all struggle to varying degrees, but some degree of discouragement is there for all of us. What do we do when we feel that way? We, like Elijah may want to run away or just give up.

Let’s look at what happens when Elijah feels that way. God tenderly continues to work in his life and teaches him again of God’s love and grace. And that is what we must see as well, particularly when we have great feelings of great regret.

III. God’s Sustaining Mercy
In verse 5 we read, “All at once, an angel, a special messenger from God, touched him.” The angel brings provisions to Elijah that are similar to the ones he had received previously from the ravens in 1 Kings 17:4-6 while at the brook. The angel gives Elijah a cake of bread baked over hot coals and some water. Once again God uses a miraculous feeding to restore and prepare Elijah for further service. God, in His mercy, provided sustenance and rest for His discouraged servant.

An angel of the Lord touched him again and told him to arise and eat, and he again got up, ate and drank. This time the emphasis now is on the journey to Horeb. He must eat for the journey is too great for him. Now do you see what God is saying to Elijah through this angel? God acknowledges that he is tired and discouraged and so God takes care of Elijah’s needs. But God is saying there is still a journey that you must travel.

While Elijah may be discouraged by what has happened, God still has work for him to do. A person may be tired and discouraged, but if God still has work for him to do, he is not finished yet, regardless of how he may feel. Elijah somehow grabs hold of that for he eats and drinks and presses on. On that strength of that meal, Elijah goes for forty days and nights in the desert. God strengthened Elijah in his despair with God’s grace.

What we need to remember is that even in our despair, for whatever reason, God is strengthening us. God may strengthen you very directly while you are in despair. Perhaps through some Scripture which you needed to hear and be reminded of at that point. Perhaps in a time of prayer when you poured out your pain and hurt to the Lord, and you knew that He heard and understood your feelings. Perhaps in a spoken word through a sermon or through communion like this morning.

God may also use other Christians to strengthen you. Perhaps someone spoke a word of encouragement to you that helped you at that moment. Perhaps someone taking care of a physical need such as food or money.

The point is that God will strengthen you whatever your hurt may be; He will help you. A man was asked to tell what his personal faith meant to him. He reached back to his boyhood experience. He recalled walking with his father one day, having to reach up to hold on to his hand. After a while he said, “I can’t hold on any longer, and you’ll have to hold on to me for a while.” And he remembered the moment when he felt his father’s hand take over. That, he said, was the way it felt to him to have faith in God. And that was precisely an act of grace. God reached down to his despairing servant and through the angel took his hand into his own.

But you must look for that strength as it comes from the Lord. Elijah was despondent and discouraged, but he was also still open to receiving the Lord’s strength. If we cut ourselves off from the Lord or from fellow Christians, we are eliminating ways that God may use to show us His grace that we need so badly. And then once strengthened physically, we must begin a journey to renewal as Elijah begins.

IV. Journey to Renewal
Elijah now wanders in the desert for 40 days and nights. What is the significance of this time span? When Moses was on Mount Sinai, he was on the mountain for forty days and nights. During this time, God revealed Himself to Moses and Moses learned what God wanted him to do. God will now reveal Himself to Elijah as well and give further instructions for him.

Moreover, “forty” is the number of years that Israel wandered in the wilderness long ago. As the Israelites were coming out of Egypt, they became rebellious against God. So God had them wander around in the wilderness for 40 years, not only as a punishment, but more to help them understand who God really was. Now Elijah is on a wandering pilgrimage through the wilderness. It would not take 40 days and nights to walk directly to Mount Horeb. Clearly, God allowed Elijah to walk around that length of time so he would learn WHO God was and what Elijah was to do.

Moreover, Elijah’s pilgrimage takes him to Horeb, which is another name for Sinai which was located in the desert some 250 miles south of Beersheba. What was the significance of Horeb? This was the place where Moses received his call and where God had laid out very clearly how he wanted His people to live and what He would do for them as their God. Horeb or Sinai was the place where the nation had its beginning with God.

By leading Elijah to Horeb, God is bringing Elijah back to the basics; God will tell Elijah: “This is who I am! This is what I demand from my servants!” The journey to renewal begins by having Elijah go back and review the basics once again. There is more to learn at Horeb as we will see next week, but that is where Elijah’s renewal begins.

What should we begin to do when we face despair over a past regret? There may be the very real need to simply “get away” from time to time. We all need breaks regularly and that is why vacations are so important to us. But as we “get away”, we have to be sure that we are not trying to blindly escape. We must get away with God and spend time with Him to gain the perspective we need.

While we may legitimately “get away” to deal with our discouragement, it is important that we go back to the basics as well as we “get away”. The story is told of the Green Bay Packer’s former football coach, the late Vince Lombardi. One Monday, after a particularly lackluster performance by the team which was characterized by sloppy play and poor execution, Lombardi entered the locker room and announced that because of the poor play of the team, he was going to go back to the basics. He then picked up a football and announced with great determination: “This is a football!”

When we face discouragement, let’s remind ourselves of the very basics of the Christian faith. What are the basics? Very simply three main things: First, God loves you and me so much that He sent us his one and only Son to take the punishment that we deserve and placed it on Jesus. That means that our sins are forgiven and are not held against us by God. We are saved by grace and have nothing at all to ever fear!

Second, God has saved us, but He also has a purpose and a mission for us in this world. There is work that God wants us to do for Him while we are on this earth. And that work gives us purpose and direction while we are here on this earth.

Finally, when that work is finished on earth, God will take us to be with the Lord in heaven where we will live and enjoy His presence forever! There may be times when we are afraid, but our eternal future is secure.

Those are the basics that are so familiar, but that we often need to hear and to remind ourselves of especially when facing despair and discouragement as we press on in our lives. The late author and poet, Phyllis McGinley, once wrote, “The wonderful thing about saints is that they were human. They lost their tempers, got hungry, scolded God, were egotistical, or testy or impatient in their turns, made mistakes and regretted them. Still, they went on doggedly blundering toward heaven.”

We may have regrets, but God will use us in spite of what we have done to serve Him if we turn to Him and ask for His ongoing grace and presence. We keep doggedly pressing in God’s grace.

If you are troubled and discouraged, on the verge of despair, what will you do? When discouraged, I urge you to go back to the Word and let God reveal Himself to you again. If you go back to Him, He will help you in a most marvelous way as we will see next week. He will give you peace and rest and a new perspective on life as a whole.

Ecclesiastes 8:2-8 “How Does a Christian Handle Politics?”
Introduction:
Twenty years ago, our family used to go camping. I don’t really consider myself to be a cynical person but when it seems that every time you do go camping, it rains, it tends to make one cynical towards camping. When we lived in Iowa and there were periods of drought, we used to say that we should go camping so that it would rain. Eventually, we stopped going camping. Now it wasn’t just the rain but dealing with the rain did play into our decision to try different kinds of vacations. Cynicism can cause us to shy away from doing certain things.

This morning we look at how we as Christians are to handle the political process. It is very easy for all of us to become cynical about this and for some such cynicism leads them to stop being involved in the political process. Perhaps you know people like that, or perhaps you are one of those as well who finally has given up and said, “What difference does it make to get involved?” I don’t think that is the right response for Christians to have. What should our attitude be toward politics, especially in this important election year? This is one of the questions submitted to me in the “I Have a Question Series?”

We again look to the book of Ecclesiastes where in chapter 8:2-8, the Teacher looks at how people should respond to those who rule over them. What do we do with the government? More specifically, how do we live with a political process or government that may frustrate us or be doing things that we do not agree with. The Teacher here offers some practical advice or approaches to this in Ecclesiastes 8:2-8.

I. The first approach is Obedience Based on Loyalty to God as we see in verses 2-3a.
The Teacher begins by giving his readers a word of advice in verse 2: “Obey the king’s command, I say.” Literally, he is saying that he obeys the words of the king. And based on this, he is giving the advice that they too should obey what the king says to them.

Why? Because of the oath they took before God. Likely this refers to an oath that all the citizens of the country would make. This oath would state their complete loyalty to the king regardless. Though God did not require this oath, it appears that God did approve of such oaths of loyalty. And the Bible always takes oaths very seriously. If a person makes an oath for whatever reason, he is obligated to fulfill it. Because people would likely be required to make such an oath of loyalty, the Teacher says that they should be sure to keep it and so obey the king. And this means more than lip service to the king.

That is the intent of the statement, “Don’t hurry to leave the king’s presence.” The meaning of this phrase is first of all abandonment. To leave the king’s presence means you have become disloyal to him and deserted him. Think of all the so called, “kiss and tell” books that have been written about former presidents. These people have “left the president’s presence” in that they are not longer loyal to him and are out to gain fame and recognition for themselves.

To “leave the king’s presence” also implies the sense of being more important. The person is saying in effect, “I’ve got more important things to do than be here with you and so I can leave whenever I want to.” Leaving shows disrespect and disloyalty and that is something that the Teacher advises very strongly against doing. Because of the oath of loyalty that the people have made, they should do all they can to obey the king.

What about obeying the authorities today? Obviously, we don’t have kings; but we do have a president and other government leaders. We have not made an oath of loyalty to them individually. Still the Bible teaches that God has placed these authorities over us. Romans 13:1 says, “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.” Government leaders rule with the authority given to them by God. They are responsible to God for how they use that authority, but we are also responsible in our obedience to them.

Therefore, we should obey them even though we have not pledged an oath of loyalty. We should listen to them and obey them because of their God-given authority. The former CEO of Herman Miller, Inc., a furniture manufacturer, is Max De Pree. In his book “Leadership Is an Art,” De Pree tells that in some South Pacific cultures, a speaker holds a conch shell as a symbol of a temporary position of authority. People must understand who holds the conch – that is, who should be listened to. We obey leaders because God has given them the conch shell, the position of leadership.

II. Then there is also Obedience based on Practicality
It is a good reason to obey because it ends up being very practical for us. Think of a parent-child relationship for example. It is right and legitimate for a child to obey his parents for parental authority is given by God. But it is also for the child’s benefit to obey. Obeying his parent will create a positive and enjoyable atmosphere at home. A child who obeys will find the parent more willing to cooperate on other things as well. Obeying authorities also has practical benefits as well for citizens.

The Teacher gives 3 examples that illustrate the practicality of the relationship with the king. First, he says, “Do not stand up for a bad cause, for he will do whatever he pleases.” Make sure of your cause before you stand up for a cause and make a big scene about it. If you want something that is questionable, it is foolish to try to make the king change his mind.

Second, the Teacher says that they should realize their limitations. “Since a king’s word is supreme, who can say to him, ‘What are you doing?’” Even if your cause is good, the king can do whatever he wants to do. If you know that you don’t have a chance in doing something good, it is best to leave it alone.

Third, the Teacher says remember, obeying the king will benefit you and do you no harm. “Whoever obeys his command will come to no harm, and the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure.” As long as you stay on the good side of the king, he will not harm you. But if you try to antagonize and do things that the king doesn’t want to do, you put yourself in jeopardy and harm may come to you.

The general point here is to obey because it is practically smart for you to do. It may even eventually help out the cause that you are concerned about.

Now what does that advice have to do with us today? This seems to be saying that we should more or less go along with the flow of things. But what do we do when leaders are doing things that are wrong? What about when our religious freedom is being threatened? What are we to do when the principles of justice and fairness are being trampled on? Are we supposed to just sit back? The Teacher’s answer is clearly “no,” but try to be smart about it.

Last November, I wrote my senators and my congressional representative. It was in the midst of one of the budget battles and both sides were busy sniping and posturing and nothing was getting done. I wrote a very polite and yet straightforward letter and asked that they please work together for the benefit of the whole country and not just their own narrow interests. I got a form letter response from one senator thanking me for my input and that was it. I have written one other time since then but it’s not something I will do all the time since I would simply become one of those whose voice becomes like a barking dog you learn to ignore. We should be engaged in the political process but be smart about it.

III. Moreover, there are Proper Times and Procedures to deal with these things.
There are proper times to make your case or make your appeal to the king. Timing in many cases is all important. If I were to ask my wife to make me a sandwich after I’ve been watching TV all afternoon and she’s been working nonstop doing my laundry and cleaning, she may be hesitant to do it. On the other hand, if she asks me to do the dishes at that time, she’s likely to be successful.

The same element of timing is also true when dealing with leaders. The story of Esther in the Old Testament reflects that principle. Esther made her initial request of the king to save the Jews after three days of prayer and fasting. Then at the feast, which she requested, she waited two more days before she made her request. She strategically laid out her plan and recognized the importance of timing. That is the advice given by the teacher. Recognize that there are better times than others and look for that time.

And there are also proper procedures to keep in mind. Here the advice is to follow the rules and customs that exist. For example, one just doesn’t walk into a place that is filled with tradition and immediately order things to be changed. There are certain traditions and ways of doing things that must be taken into consideration. The Teacher says that we should be sensitive to such procedures. If we follow the right timing and procedures, we will have better success in doing something about the problem. This is just good common sense.

That may seem at times to be very cumbersome and frustrating. If there is something wrong, we would like to be able just to go in there and fix it. The General Services Administration has experts who actually visit different agencies and suggest ways to streamline their day-to-day routines. One such expert visited the Federal Communications Commission and suggested that they get rid of the clutter. He suggested as a start, that they throw out all correspondence over 10 years old. The FCC Director loved the idea, and replied, “Good thought. But first, we’ll have to make three copies of everything.” Such things drive us crazy, but we have to know the system if we are going to make a difference.

But the Teacher in the last part of verse 6 reminds us of the world in which we are living. We have to act wisely because “a man’s misery weighs heavily upon him.” In other words, the world is far from perfect. There is frustration and sin and misery in the world that has to be dealt with. That must be kept in mind if we are going to have any kind of impact on this world.

What does that mean for today? Even though there are many, many things that are wrong in this world, in this country and among the leaders of this country, we must be wise. It simply may not be wise for us to go storming up to the leaders and demand that certain things be changed for we do not have enough power or ability to do so. But then do we just give up? By no means!

Instead we wait for the right time and follow the best approach. We get involved in the political process so that we can have a real impact on the decisions that are made through voting, writing our leaders and being engaged in the debate on our level. We pray and wait for the right timing of things and act smartly in that regard.

And as we talk about politics and debate issues, let’s remain civil and loving in doing so. Last fall I read an article about two men who submitted a letter to all the 535 members of congress. They asked them to sign a pledge that stated that in the course of political debate they would remain courteous and civil to one another. Of the 535 members, only 5 agreed to sign this document. As Christians, we must be at the forefront of being involved in civil discussion and debate about politics and policy. Then the wisdom of the Teacher is evident once again as he concludes this section.

IV. He recognizes that there are Limits on Man’s Authority
Knowing how to handle the leaders and government is not the full answer for the issues are bigger. Being involved in the political process may help us and help the cause of God to make some progress. But it still does not address the basic issues that exist in the world. That is the point that the Teacher makes next in verse 7: “Since no man knows the future, who can tell him what is to come?”

What is the real issue? Verse 8 gives the real issue: death. We can come up with all kinds of things that help us in this life here, but the nagging question of what happens after death is still unresolved from an Old Testament perspective. The Teacher says, “No man has the power over the wind to contain it; so no one has power over the day of his death.” You may be able to handle the rulers and kings and live with them. Your death is inevitable and impossible to control just like it is impossible to control the wind.

And then the Teacher says, “As no one is discharged in time of war, so wickedness will not release those who practice it.” The point of this proverb is that when there is a war, no soldier is discharged from duty. For every person is needed to fight. A soldier can count on this fact. The war that is mentioned here is the war of death. The Teacher’s readers can count on the fact that death will come to all, good and bad alike. Death will come to you regardless if you are the king or if you are a loyal citizen.

What conclusions can we draw from this? Two things from the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ: Death is indeed the end of our earthly existence. We must all face death at some point in our lives unless Jesus comes back before that time. But remember that death in itself has been defeated through Jesus Christ’s resurrection! In other words, the point is there are far bigger issues to deal with in this life. This is a call to put politics into the right perspective: Christ’s kingdom is the ultimate reality.

Second, remember that all rulers and authorities are under the control of the Lord Jesus Christ. No matter who the ruler is, they will have to answer to Jesus someday regarding their deeds.

The Emperor Franz Josef, who died in 1916, was the last of the great Hapsburg rulers. He lay in state in his grand palace in Vienna, surrounded by exquisite floral arrangements, sumptuous fabrics, jewels and gold. On the day of the funeral, his body was taken to the church in an exquisite hearse drawn by magnificent matched horses. The pallbearers removed the casket from the hearse, and brought it to the locked doors of the church.

One of the emperor’s attendants knocked loudly on the door, and a voice came from within: “Who goes there?” “His Majesty Franz Josef Emmanuel Hans, Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, Head of the Hapsburgs.” Came the reply from within: “We do not know him.”
A second time the emperor’s attendant knocked loudly and a voice came from within: “Who goes there?” “His Majesty Franz Josef Emmanuel Hans, Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, Head of the Hapsburgs.” Came the reply from within: “We do not know him.”

A third time the emperor’s attendant knocked loudly on the door, and a voice came from within: “Who goes there?” The answer this time was much softer and simpler: “It is Franz, a child of God.” Soon, there was a loud noise as the massive bolts were drawn back, the doors were opened wide, and the interior of the magnificent church was made visible. The doorkeeper said, “The Lord welcomes Franz, a child of God. Him we know.” All, great and small, will bow before the Lord Jesus.

The world does not belong to the leaders of this world, but to our Lord. Therefore we also have every right to stand up for the cause of the Kingdom of Christ and promote what is good for that Kingdom. We must still do this in a smart way submitting to their authority now, but remembering that, because Jesus is Lord, we have every basis for furthering the kingdom here as well.

Ecclesiastes 2:24-3:15 “Does Our Work Identify Us?”
Introduction:
Imagine there are two people who are meeting for the first time. After things like introducing themselves and maybe saying where they are from, the next question very frequently is: “So what do you do?” If you have not noticed that before, listen for it. Finding out what we do is almost always part of the conversation. Even after retirement, we ask, “What did you do?” In our culture our jobs and our work identifies who we are. But should it? Is what we do one of the primary things that identify us? That is one of the questions that were submitted recently in the “I Have a Question” sheets. Should our work identify us?

We look at a passage from Ecclesiastes which talks about our work, but it also deals with bigger issues in life as well. We look at these things together because it puts our work into the proper perspective. The author, the Teacher is talking about life with God and how that makes all the difference in the world. “There is nothing better than to eat, drink and find satisfaction in our work.” How do we attain the attitude of contentment and satisfaction with life and perspective on our work? Read Ecclesiastes 2:24-3:15.

I. The Choice: Life With or Without God
Up to this point in the book of Ecclesiastes, the Teacher has been describing life without God as being vain, empty or meaningless, but now he describes the life that is lived with God. What is this life like? First, verse 24 makes the point that life is to be enjoyed! “There is nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in our work.” With this gift from the hand of God, God intends for us to enjoy life, our earthly possessions, children, friendship, love; and that includes the work that we do in its various forms.

Second, verse 25 makes the point that this life only comes from God. The question is very pointed: “Without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?” “To eat” is a symbol of a happy and prosperous life as well as times of fellowship with one another. Life with God will bring happiness and enjoyment.

Third, verse 26 says that God will give certain blessings to those who please Him. In other words, God will reward those who have faith in Him. God will give wisdom which enables a man to live without stumbling. God will give knowledge: not just facts, but includes the things gained from the experience of life. God will give joy: the attitude which praises God and gives thanks for life’s blessings. To underscore this point once more, the Teacher looks at the life of the sinner.

What is the life of the sinner like? Verse 26: “But to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to be handed over to the one who pleases God.” The sinner is the one does not recognize God and shuts God out of his life. God’s “gift” to him is to work and work and then gives it all over to the one who fears the Lord. Chasing after the wind is the only feeling that the sinner gets in life.

In these verses two ways of life are contrasted very clearly. The choice should be obvious to the one who takes the time to think about it. Perhaps that is one of the problems that we have in our lives today. We are so busy working that we don’t take the time to think about our lives really are with the Lord.

Have you ever watched a water bug? They are amazing creatures. They have long legs that splay out, supporting the weight of the insect’s long body. The bugs never get wet. They just skate back and forth, frenetically searching for whatever it is they’re looking for. Water bugs don’t live in the water. They live on it. Their world is the shimmering, glassy surface. Beneath them are the depths, of which they likely have no awareness.

In the busyness of our lives, we are sometimes like water bugs. We race to and fro going to work or being busy with one errand or another, oblivious all the while to the deeper dimension below. We spend so much of life gliding along the surface. Seldom do we plumb the depths. So the first step in cultivating appreciation of life with God is to be conscious of a deeper life with God. Next the Teacher looks at the times of life to put that life with God in the right perspective.

II. The Times of Life
Before we look at verses 1-8, we must be certain that we understand their purpose. Some scholars say that here the teacher continues his critique of human life. Life is just a series of events: sometimes good; sometimes not good. But as human beings, we are trapped into the grip of time and there is nothing we can do about it.

I think an alternative view of these verses fits the message better. In verses 1-8, the Teacher is looking at the various times of life, but life, both good and bad, but all under the control of God.

These times are the various events people experience throughout their lives. And so, he makes it clear that there is indeed a time for everything. Every event and activity has a purpose and a place in the scheme of things. But immediately he points out that this is under the control of God in heaven.

There is a time for building and a time for destroying. Planting and uprooting refers either to crops or nations in the world. There is killing and healing both referring to what happens in wartime. There is tearing down and building which refers to both literal buildings as well as people’s plans. In short, in life things are built and things come apart.

There are also times of human emotions. There are private times of weeping and private times of laughing. There are public times of mourning and times of dancing.

There are times for different things in our relationships. On national level, scattering stones is something you do to an enemy to ruin his field; gathering stones is something that you do to help a friend. On a personal level, there are times of hugging and situations when you don’t hug.

There are different attitudes or times with respect to our own possessions. Sometimes we search for something, or we keep something that is very valuable to us. At other times, we stop looking, or we throw away what perhaps was once precious to us.

Finally, there is a general collection of pairs that describe our human experience. There is a time to tear and time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and peace. There are times when people are filled with goodness and love. And there are times when war and violence destroy.

The point is that there are many actions and events in human life that are beyond our control. The crucial point that the Teacher makes is how we view these things. If we view them from the perspective of the world, we can get caught up in a fatalistic view of life. “These things just happen; who knows why, but that is just the way it is. Get used to it!” How do we view the good and bad in the world?

James Wind tells of a time when he visited Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art. There he came across a piece of art titled “America’s Joyous Future.” Erika Rothenberg took a piece of everyday life, in this case a small church bulletin board, and turned it into a provocative work of art. In a manner familiar to clergy across the land, she spelled out life at one local congregation in simple white letters against a black background.

EVENINGS AT 7 IN THE PARISH HALL
Mon. Alcoholics Anonymous;
Tues. Abused Spouses;
Wed. Eating Disorders
Thur. Say No To Drugs;
Fri. Teen Suicide Watch;
Sat. Soup Kitchen
Sunday Sermon 9 a.m. – “America’s Joyous Future”

James Wind writes, “As I left the museum I wondered what all its visitors thought as they considered Rothenberg’s work of art. Did they see America’s Joyous Future as an indictment of churches and synagogues that preach pie in the sky in their worship services while remaining oblivious to the real hurts and needs of people? Or did they see it as a sign that our congregations are deeply immersed in human suffering, that their doors are wide open to the pathologies of the times? Instead of pie in the sky, [are] the thousands of local congregations in our land lifting brave hope out of the ashes of human suffering?”

There is suffering in the world and much pain and God’s people are to respond to such things. How does the believer see these bad and good events? They are a part of a satisfied life with God.

III. The Satisfaction of Life With God
Now the Teacher interprets the list of events or times for his readers. He begins by asking the question, “What does the worker gain for his toil?” We have seen the answer that the person without God must answer is “nothing.” You work hard all your life and you end up with nothing. But the believer knows that there is a lot to be gained from life if we see God’s place in the order of things and in the events in time.

What is the key to finding satisfaction in life with God? Knowing that God is fully in control of all things! “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” All the times or events of our lives are beautiful for God controls all the times and events!

But why then is this called a burden in verse 10? The burden is that man cannot see the whole picture. Verse 11 says that God has enabled us to understand eternity. We know there is more to life than just the present, but we can’t really get a handle on it. We can only experience life from our birth to death which is only a very short period of time. We can know and believe that there is a higher purpose but we can’t see what it is.

Yet the Teacher proclaims his finding once again to make sure it is clear: “I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live.” He knows that there is enjoyable life and that this can be right now in the present when they know God is in control. And he also knows that this can only come from the hand of God. He also knows that this is not only possible, it is God’s purpose!
We can have a happy and good life even amid the turmoil of life because that is what God wants. “That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil–this is the gift of God.” Again eating and drinking are the tokens of a contented and happy life. Even our daily toil can be satisfying as long as we keep the right perspective.

In a Peanuts comic strip, Snoopy and Woodstock are sitting on top of Snoopy’s doghouse. Snoopy says, “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be out somewhere sitting on a branch chirping. That’s your job. People expect to hear birds chirping when they wake up in the morning.” With that, Woodstock flies off to a nearby branch and belts out a single chirp. Then he flies back to the doghouse. Snoopy says, “You chirped only once. You can’t brighten someone’s day with one chirp.”

So Woodstock flies back to the branch and belts out eight more chirps. And when the bird returns to the doghouse, Snoopy smiles and says, “There now! Didn’t that give you a real feeling of satisfaction? The bad news is you’re supposed to do that every morning, for the rest of your life.” Whereupon Woodstock faints dead away off the doghouse roof.

Joyfully chirping every day is daunting but knowing God is in control should help us not to faint. In fact, knowing that God is in control gives us security from God.

IV. The Security of Life with God
Knowing that God is firmly in control of all things means life can be enjoyable because life is secure. “I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it.” The world around him seems so futile, so shaky and transitory. If there is going to be security, it must be found in God and His rule.

In verse 14, the Teacher highlights three things about God’s rule that help him view life. First, God’s rule is permanent and will last forever; no one will take over control from God. Second, God’s rule is effective and complete on its own; it is perfect and complete. Third, His actions are totally secure for there is no possibility of failure with God’s rule. All this leads a man to fear the Lord; to look to the Lord with confidence.

Verse 15 restates the process of history once again, but this time with God firmly in the picture. “Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before.” The world just keeps on going and going but there is one big difference: “And God will call the past to account.” God is indeed guiding all of history according to His plan and purpose. That should be a great source of comfort and security.

What is the proper perspective of work as we live for God in every part of our lives? First, take the time to remember and see that this is God’s world and that God is fully in control. Not just in our minds as an article of belief, but in the reality of our day to day lives. In the times when things are going great or when the world seems to crumble around us. Remember: God is in control of all things, including the work you do!

Second, we must then concentrate on enjoying life as a whole. Life is far more than just our jobs and our work. God wants us to enjoy life in its fullest with Him! But we may protest, “Ah yes, but what about all the work we have to do?” “What about the office work, the sales, the managing, the teaching and the church work.” “All this has to get done and somebody has to do it.”

Remember: while work must not identify us, God wants us to eat, drink and be satisfied in our work. If that is not happening, then it may be time to reorganize what is happening in your life. God knows that we as human beings need rest and relaxation. That is part of the enjoyment of life he wants us to have. That may mean more fishing, or longer vacations, or scheduled relaxation! It may mean that we find work that is more meaningful and satisfying.

And it means that we work and live with a radically new attitude as doing our work to the Lord. In France, they grow a lot of grapes, but in France they do not water the grapevines. California vintners use lots of irrigation, but not in France. The French believe that it’s better to have a bad harvest one year than to lose vines due to drought. If you don’t water your vines the roots of those vines go deep into the earth until they touch groundwater and become invulnerable to drought. The harvest may not be great one year but the vines will return the next year.

In thinking about this, campus pastor Paul Kollman observes, “When we make the promises that structure our lives, when we say ‘I believe,’ ‘I do,’ ‘Amen,’ we sink the roots of our faith deeper and deeper, so deep that these roots of our faith can handle our failures. We don’t know what kind of harsh weather our lives will face; we don’t know the twists and turns our hearts will take. We make promises; we stake our lives on promises confident in the deep, eternal well of God’s faithfulness. We send our roots deep into the waters of life with God. In God we find our hope, our promised land and the words of eternal life. Where else would we ever want to go?”

Our work should not identify us, but what should identify us in our life with our God. Let’s drive our roots deeply into God’s abiding love and grace as we live with and for Him.

Proverbs 30:24-28 “Four Good Things about Being Small and Wise”
Introduction:
“I’m just little.” A few months ago, our two-year-old grandson was visiting us and our daughter Linda was complementing Levi on being such a big boy. Now, most of the time Levi loves hearing about how big he is and how he is such a big boy! On this particular occasion, however, when she told him that he was a big boy, he protested. “No, I’m not. I’m little!” I’m not quite sure why he said that but I suspect that at that particular point, he wanted to be little and not a big boy. I wondered if at that point he thought about all the stuff he had to do because he was a “big boy” and thought maybe being little is preferable.

Sometimes I think that we as a church think of ourselves as Levi did that particular day. As a church we think, “But we’re just little!” We’re not Christ Church or Christ Presbyterian or pick any of the huge churches in Nashville. We are just little. We can’t do very much and so God can’t expect too much from us, right? We can’t organize a big Vacation Bible School or a large program of outreach. We can’t start a program for kids in our community. We’re too small.

We have been learning this weekend that being small in size is not only not a liability but it can be a very strong asset as well. Our size not only means that we can be a church, but an effective church and more importantly be the church God would have us to be. We see that again in the Scripture in the book of Proverbs. The author of these proverbs, Agur, points out 4 small, seemingly insignificant things but points out that even though they are small, they are very effective in doing what it is that God calls them to do. Let’s read Proverbs 30:24-28.

I. The Setting within Proverbs
First, let’s look who is writing this collection of Proverbs. Some believe that Agur is really Solomon who is using a different name. However, there were many wise men in the days of David and Solomon. So there is no need for some to say that this is really Solomon using a different name.

Some think that these are musings from someone who is not an Israelite. In fact, the language is similar to that of Job and may indicate that these sayings were from Job’s time and region. In fact, it’s possible that these particular writings may have been wisdom pieces that were common in various communities at this time.

This section also says something about the way God orders the world from great to small. In these verses, Agur talks about four things that are small but wise or effective in spite of their size. The point is that from the world’s perspective then, things that are small are insignificant. Yet from God’s perspective, the things that are small and seemingly insignificant still are useful and have a clear and good purpose.

In our culture today, we are impressed with anything big and assume bigger is better or more important. But we are mistaken when we equate smallness with insignificance. There are countless things that are small but highly important: a wedding ring, contact lenses, pills, keys, sewing needles, computer chips. Small? Yes. But insignificant? Hardly! The author’s point is that we should not despise the small things of the world. We see this in each of the four animals that the author refers to in these verses.

II. Ants and Provision
Ants are small but wise in that they are superbly able to provide for themselves. And these tiny creatures of little strength do this through true and well-ordered communities. Ants are quiet in the winter but in the summer, they are busy taking care of their own needs and the needs of their community. They wisely work together for the common good of the whole colony. The point is that even though they are small, they can provide for themselves and for each other.

We, as a church, are small but we can provide for ourselves. We may not be a big church, but we can teach our children and each other. We can provide for ourselves and each other the education and training that is needed. We can teach each other the truths of Scripture so that we are equipped for life. We provide for each other as we teach each other and encourage each other in our spiritual walk.

We are a small church, but we provide for each other physically as well. When there are physical needs, we care for each other and assist each other. When there is sickness, we help each other by providing meals and other things. There have been many times we have helped one another in difficult times.

In fact, we may be small but we can provide for ourselves, perhaps even more effectively than others. Maya Angelou’s Aunt Tee was a woman who worked 30 years as a maid and 30 years as a live-in housekeeper. On Saturdays, her day off, when she lived with a rich white couple in Bel-Air, California, she would cook pigs’ feet, greens and fried chicken, then invite some of her friends over for the evening. The chauffeur and the other housekeeper and her husband would come to eat, drink, dance, laugh and play cards.

One night, during the middle of a big gathering, the rich white couple knocked on their housekeeper’s door. They apologized for disturbing her, then got right to the point. Every Saturday night, they heard the joy and laughter coming from their housekeeper’s quarters, and they wanted to be part of it. Would she please leave her door ajar, they asked, so they could not only hear the joy, but see it, experience it, and feel it? They yearned for the warmth and happiness that their 14-room house, three cars, swimming pool and who knows how much money could never buy them.
With God’s overwhelming care and grace, we are a small church where our needs are met by us joyfully working together and a place where others can feel the love and peace of God.

III. Coneys and Protection
With all due respect to C.S. Lewis, coneys are not rabbits but more like a marmot or a small badger. The coneys are brown-gray in color, just like the rocks they live among. As long as the coney is on the rock, it is almost impossible to see. And, when a predator does come to attack, the coney will run into a hole in the rock. To get at the coney you have to knock down a mountain of rocks.

Conies also live in societies in the cracks of the mountains near the Dead Sea or near Sinai. They are very weak and vulnerable, yet together they are able to provide safety for each other. These show wisdom in arranging a home of safety where they cannot be harmed. They are small but provide safety and security for each other.

We can provide a safe refuge for ourselves and our families and members. When we gather together Sunday after Sunday or during the middle of the week, we provide opportunities to retreat from the pressures of the world that would want to swallow us up. We live in a world that demands more and more of us at our jobs. We live in a world that demands more and more of us in our families. We live in a world that sets high demands and expectations and then judges harshly when we don’t meet those expectations.

God provides the refuge in our small church where we don’t have to pretend to be someone else. We can be ourselves as children of God and we are safe and accepted. It is a place where we can let our guard down and not have to worry about being devoured. And we can be a refuge even though we are a small church.

Consider the story of Le Chambon, a small village in southern France. During World War II this community of 700 townspeople and 200 peasants from outlying farms managed to save approximately 10,000 Jews from the clutches of the Holocaust. Following Numbers 35:11, these citizens established Le Chambon as a city of refuge.

Because their efforts were on such a tremendous scale, the Nazis were keenly aware of the village’s activities. Every person in Le Chambon thus risked arrest, imprisonment, and death but yet they provided refuge even though they were in a small insignificant place in France.

We can be a church for people who may not fit well or feel threatened by the world around them. Our small church is a place where we can take refuge in God and in the body of believers here.

IV. Locusts and Effectiveness
Now admittedly, being compared to locusts may not seem to be a very flattering picture. Typically when we think of locusts we think of swarms of grasshopper like insects who destroy crops and whatever vegetation that is in front of them, which is true. However, while locusts are destructive, it is not the destruction that the author wants us to see. Rather, he looks at locusts as a picture of efficiency and power.

Although small, by working together they can have a huge impact when each one does what it can do. The locusts don’t have a specific leader or king, but they still work together. They divide themselves into groups or ranks. They move forward as one and do not let anything get in their way.

And you can see where they have been. In fact, at the turn of the century, a plague of locusts wreaked havoc in Nebraska, Iowa, and Kansas. In less than a week, they did well over ten billion dollars worth of damage. After their attack every plant – every single plant – was reduced to a barren stalk, stripped of all leaves and buds. Small things, when working together in concert, can have a huge impact.

There are times when we may feel small and insignificant, but working together we can have a large impact. When we work together, everyone using his or her gifts, we can make a difference. Think of the impact on the women from the By Faith Recovery House. Though most are not active in our church any longer, we touched many lives when they were among us. They were accepted as persons as they were and we encouraged them on; something that many of them had not experienced before.

Think of the people in Kenya. Our small church made a difference in dozens of lives through giving our money to help them with tuition and food. We helped a small village in western Kenya be able to have clean water so that hopefully the threat of cholera is not as great as it was before.

We have 52 garden beds in our back yard at the church. Who knows what impact that may have on persons who garden in them? A small church with a big impact in the world, one person at a time.

People can see where we’ve been since we have been working together. God is using this small group to do good things and make a difference. We may not be big, but when we work together in God’s strength, we can make a big difference.

V. Finally there are Lizards and their Audacity
The lizard mentioned here is likely the stellion or spotted lizard. It is so tiny that it can easily be caught and held in one’s hand. It appears to be small and insignificant and yet it is in the king’s palace. It can scale the walls and find its way into the interior where the king himself lives and rules.

The point here is the audacity of a lizard being in a palace. Lizards aren’t kings and yet they are there impacting the palace and in the presence of royalty. They don’t really belong there and yet, there they are.

We as believers and followers of Jesus are like lizards. Lizards are not warm, cuddly creatures that you want to hold in your arms and clutch to your heart. Yet, there they are in the palace of a king. You see, the lizard also conveys a message of grace.

In a certain way we are like lizards for there is nothing warm and cuddly about us for we are poor, miserable sinners. And, in the eyes of the world we are nobodies and nothings. Yet because of grace we are found in the palace of the King.

And like lizards, we may feel small and insignificant, but think of what we are doing. We are serving the King of all. We are not laboring in obscurity as a small church among the mega-churches in Nashville. We are as a small church in the presence of the King and serving the King of kings!

And the King of kings calls us to serve Him with audacity and do things that seem out of our reach. That is how we can be making a difference in Kenya. That is how we can continue to make a difference in Nashville. We have no business being there, but still we are in the presence of the King because of Jesus.

Lonnie Porter was a mere janitor for almost all his life at United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. When he wasn’t mowing the lawn or washing windows, he was talking with students. His income was small, but his heart was large. Or as he put it, “My mother taught me to do two things: sew and save.” So he did. He sewed together a life of service at a seminary, and he saved as much money as he could for that seminary.

When he died several years ago, Lonnie Porter left over $100,000 in his will to the work of the seminary. By action of the trustees, who were moved by this large gift from a small income, United’s premier program in African American ministries is now known as the Lonnie Porter Program in African American Ministries, the only known endowed educational program in the church named after a janitor.

A seemingly insignificant janitor making a huge difference one student at a time and putting aside a bit of money at time to make a long term investment in the Kingdom of God. We don’t belong in the palace but we can contribute small things together to make a difference.

We are small but small does not mean insignificant by any means. We can provide nourishment for our church family as we feed each other and our children the Word. We can provide a place of security and refuge from the harsh demands of the world around us. We can together work to do things people will notice us and what we are doing. And we do it knowing that we live in the presence of our king who graciously calls us and enables us to do audacious things for Him.