Walking for Wellness

Notes from Fred:

Sunday was a wonderful day for Sallie and me, and I hope for you – Celebrating all that you mean to us; and celebrating the baptism of a special child of our Family – Chase Downey!

If you were not here, be sure to come by my office or see me on Sunday to receive your special gift, and to hear (if you request it) a private performance of the Congregation Appreciation song….

Walking for Wellness

On Sunday, God offered us His words of wisdom from the “Wise Men” on Epiphany Sunday, to receive the gift of the Abundant Life, and the purpose for our lives, that Jesus offers: (a) Get directions; (b) Get up and get going; (c) Get down before Jesus and give him your gifts (all of them). (Matthew 2:1-12)

In summary:

1. God offered us the gift of discovering the way to Jesus’ gift of Abundant Life and to discover the purpose for our lives, for now and for the future. He offered this discovery through the wisdom of the Wise Men who came to find Jesus and a new way of life.
2. The Wise Men offer us three “words of wisdom.” The First are these: Get directions! The Wise Men were scholars who studied the stars, science, and ancient theological texts, including the Prophets of Israel. This is how they knew that God would send a King, who would rule the world; a Messiah, who would free the world; a Priest, who would give his life for the world; and how they knew that a star would announce his coming, and recognize that this was the star….
3. We know that it is important to get directions for whatever we want to do or wherever we want to go. But it is amazing how many of us, when what is at stake is the direction for our lives and the lives of those we love, do not get directions from the One who knows the way – Our God, through His Word! Yet, going through life without getting directions from God’s Word, is like going on a journey with no map, or a false map (the directions of our culture), or without knowing our destination….
4. I confessed to you that for much of my life I was living with the directions of the false map of our culture. I taught others the directions from God’s Word, but so often those words for me were an intellectual exercise.
5. My life began to change during a Retreat, as I read from the 23^rd Psalm, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me…;” saw the footnote that defined “mercy” as “kindness;” and heard God speak to me: “Kindness does not follow you.” I heard God’s Word giving me direction to live in a different way, a kinder way. Like the Wise Men, I began to talk with others to get their help to find opportunities to be kind. I began to feel the joy of being kind and seeing how it affected the lives of others. That one word of direction began moving my life, ultimately, to Meadowlake.
6. My gift of love on Congregation Appreciation Sunday is to urge you to go to God’s Word and get God’s direction. He will point you in a direction that will change your life, that will fill your life with joy…if…
7. If we follow the Second Words of Wisdom: Get up and get going! Too often we reflect the answer to the math problem: If there are three frogs on a log, and one decides to jump off, how many frogs are left on the log? The answer is “three.”The frog who decided to jump never did. The Wise Men saw the direction God wanted for them, and then got up and got going – They jumped off the log.
8. With the help of Christian friends, I became more kind, more compassionate and loving; I began looking for ways to offer this change for others; and more people came to me asking to help them change. And, right then, a call came from Presbytery – “We are starting a course for Lay Pastors, for people looking to help change the lives of others, and we want you to be part of it.”
9. If God is giving you directions for a change in your life – do not procrastinate. Procrastination is the enemy of change. Get up and get going in the direction that God is pointing you. And do not be like the woman Sallie and I met on January 2, who was on her first day of an “app” called “From couch to 5-K.” I appreciate her desire, but she will fail, because she is going alone. Going alone is the death of change. So, be like the Wise Men, get up and get going with someone to help you, preferably a class or small group – which is my hope for our church, for all of us to walk this journey with a small group of fellow-walkers….
10. As you get directions and get going, God will point you where He wants you to go, which is revealed by the Third Words of Wisdom: Get down before Jesus – and give him all of your gifts! If we get directions from God’s Word,  and get going, and that is all that we do, we will re-assert control of our lives. God’s direction will morph into our direction. We are tempted to stop in Jerusalem, and be tempted to turn aside from the journey God wants for us, by the temptations of Herod (pride, prestige, power, possessions); the Pharisees (self-righteousness, judgment); the people (fear of change, security, apathy).
11. This is what happened to me. On my transition from lawyer to Pastor, I was tempted by Jerusalem, to turn aside by an opportunity to feed my desires for pride, power, and prestige. What I learned at that critical moment is that the lives of the Wise Men were not changed in Jerusalem. They were changed when they got to Bethlehem. For that is where they got down before Jesus, gave him homage (submitted to Jesus as the ruler of their lives), and gave him their most precious gifts.
12. The significance of the situation got me down on my knees to tell Jesus that I wanted him to be the ruler of my life. I gave him my gifts, beginning with the ones I thought that he wanted, my gifts of organization, communication, inspiration. But Jesus helped me see that I was not being honest with him. What was most precious to me was my desire for pride, power, prestige, winning. Slowly but surely, I gave him those gifts. And it felt like a load had been lifted from my heart.
13. Within a few days, the temptation (to my surprise) was removed from me; and with weeks, I had received three unsolicited calls, telling me that God was calling me to Meadowlake. Like the Wise Men, God sent me away from Jerusalem, to go a different way – and my life, and Sallie’s life, have been filled with joy!
14. I know that many of you are struggling with relationships, with jobs, and to determine God’s purpose for your life, now and in the future. I urge you to get directions from His Word; get up and get going with the help of others; and get down before Jesus, submit your life to him as your ruler, and give him all of your gifts, the ones you are proud of, and the ones that you are not proud of, the ones that, in fact, are most precious to you – and God will send you a different way, and your life will be filled with joy!

Connection for the Week: Get together with a Small Group or class; ask for directions from God’s Word for whatever needs help in your life; get up and get going, with the help of others, to go in the direction God is pointing for you; and, as you begin, get down and submit your life and all of your gifts to Jesus to take away and use in his way; and experience his promised joy.