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Jesus: The Barrier Buster
We hear a lot these days about individuals who have broken barriers or pierced the glass ceiling. It is nothing new. I have heard it all of my life. Let’s be real. They always refer to minorities and women. We applaud them, because they had to work harder than others to achieve success. The designation of the first Black, the first woman, or the first Hispanic is a pinnacle of achievement. It also comes with a lot of scrutiny and almost unbearable pressure to succeed. These “firsts” represent an entire ethnic group or an entire gender. Think how much more they could have achieved, if there had been no barriers. We can only speculate.
If Jesus Wants It, He Can Have It
It was on the first day of the Passover week that Jesus made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Until this time, He had kept His Messiahship veiled. He even asked some of the people He had healed not to spread abroad the news of the miracle. Again and again, when the excitement and enthusiasm were growing high, He would escape from the crowd and hide Himself in solitude beyond their reach. On this day, which we now call “Palm Sunday”, He changed His modus operandi. He openly declared, He was the long-awaited Messiah.
Built To Last
Ministry can be draining. For that matter, life can be draining – very draining. Sometimes, you need to be by yourself to recharge. Sometimes, you need to be with a small group to recharge. We all need quiet time with the Lord.
Jesus and the apostles had a demanding schedule. They made long journeys to meet the needs of people. Jesus took them on a ten-day retreat to Caesarea Philippi to recharge. During this retreat, He conducted a survey. He wanted to know what people thought of Him. He wanted honest feedback. There were two questions on the survey. Who do people in the public say that I am? Who do you personally believe that I am?
Another Chance To Get It Right
This parable is easy to understand; yet, it is powerful in its many theological implications. Today, we will focus only on one of the principles inherent in the parable: the principle of the long suffering of God.
Take Me To Your Leader
Science fiction often depicts little green men or other weird-looking creatures from other worlds landing on earth. Their vehicles are usually called flying saucers. The typical request of these aliens, to the first earthlings they meet, is, “Take me to your leader.” This phrase has become part of contemporary culture. It does affirm the importance of leadership.
In our text today, there were some Greeks who were attending the Jewish Passover, who asked the same question.
The Power of Perseverance (The Rewards Of Resilience)
This year is a milestone for both America and Black History. 250 years ago, the Declaration of Independence was signed, and 100 years ago, Carter G. Woodson instituted Black History Week, which was later expanded to an entire month. Initially, the second week in February was given the designation because it coincided with the birthday of Abraham Lincoln on the twelfth and Fredrick Douglass on the fourteenth.
Please stay with me as I take a sharp right turn on this sermonic highway. It will make sense in a little while. There are athletes who broke records, and afterwards, it was later discovered that they had used drugs to enhance their performance. Their records were not expunged, but an asterisk was placed by their names with a footnote explaining tactfully the violation of the rules. America has achieved greatness, but we must put an asterisk by the accomplishments.
Bricks Without Straw (Success With Stubble)
There are many parallels between the plight of the Jews in Egypt and the plight of Blacks in America...They were asked to make bricks without the necessary materials. They were asked to do the impossible. So were our ancestors. And guess what? Our ancestors, with God’s help, did the impossible. They sang the Lord’s song in a strange land. They did even more; they made the strange land their home land.
I Love You To Death
The phrase, “I love you to death,” means to love someone or something immensely. It implies that you cannot love the person or thing any more in the future than you do right now. It is love in the highest degree possible. It could also mean that you will love the person or thing until you die. In interpersonal relations, it could also mean that, “If need be, I will die to protect you from harm or danger.”
God Is Still In The Blessing Business
This popular phrase, “God is still in the blessing business,” is part of the Black oral tradition. It was started during the Great Depression, when business after business failed. It was an affirmation of the faithfulness of God. It asserted that God would never “go out of business,” no matter how difficult the times would become. His business of providing salvation, grace, and mercy would never enter into bankruptcy. His business would never be under new management, because there is no one greater than our God.
Jesus Set The Example (Honoring The Life And Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.)
As we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we have mixed emotions and even difficult theological questions. Some wonder if the dream will ever become a reality. Some say, with all due respect to Dr. King, his dream is really a fantasy, and it belongs in a Disney movie. Folks my age can see the progress made, but are disappointed that things have not gone further. Most can see that some of the progress and accomplishments, made in the past, have recently eroded.
Others say it has turned into a nightmare when we look at the seemingly increase of corruption, hatred, racism, misogyny, and crime, including black-on-black crime.
We have to remember that King’s principles were based on the principles that Jesus taught, especially as taught in the Sermon on the Mount and reiterated by Apostle Paul in the fruit of the Spirit.
Ninety-Nine And A Half Won’t Do! (The Challenge Of Our Ancestors)
Our ancestors demonstrated perseverance under the most brutal conditions. Part of their survival strategy was to take a negative and turn it into a positive. To modify the proverbial saying, “They were given a lot of lemons, and they made a whole lot of good lemonade.” From this brutality, among many good things, came the spirituals. Antonin Dvorak, who composed the symphony From The New World, said with the exception of Native American music, the spiritual was the only authentic American musical genre. The rest of the genres he said, at that time, were transplanted from Europe or England. Many scholars disagreed with him, but the spiritual is one of the many examples of turning lemons into refreshing lemonade.
No Fear In This New Year
This title may be an insult to the super brave individuals, who are not afraid of “man, beasts, or evil spirits.” For the rest of us, it gives divine assurance as we enter the New Year. This Scripture is unique in at least two ways. It is the first use of more than one hundred phrases that says, “Fear not.” (Some say the Bible has the thought of not being afraid in more than three hundred sixty-five times - that’s at least one for each day of the year.)
What If…?
It is often said, “You don’t miss your water until your well runs dry.” This popular proverbial expression states metaphorically that many times, we do not place the correct value on people and things until we lose them. It also implies that we can take blessings and people for granted and do not fully appreciate them until they are gone.
One way to fully appreciate a blessing is to do a mental exercise and speculate what would happen or how things would be, if the converse were true. So, while there is still water in the well, pretend it is dry, so you can fully appreciate it.