To My Flock at Marion:
Pledge, Prepare, Proclaim
Let me start this message, as I often do, with a reading from one of my devotionals. It is based on Luke 19: 10: “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” In America it’s called “lost and found”, in Great Britain “lost property” and in Canada “lost articles.” More than just a phrase, these are usually designated places in a facility or building where lost articles are collected and can be retrieved. The first modern “lost and found” office was organized by Napoleon in Paris in 1805. Its purpose was to collect all objects found on the streets of Paris and make them available to their owners.
Lost and found might also be an appropriate way to describe the theme of the Bible. Ever since Adam and Eve were evicted from the Garden of Eden, humanity has been lost. Thankfully, as soon as the predicament of lostness was realized, God put in place a means of finding lost humanity and reconciling them to Himself. He sent Jesus Christ to the world “to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Some people today feel lost but don’t know why. Others don’t believe they are lost at all. The Church’s mission is to declare not only man’s lost condition but also God’s rescue mission to find us and bring us home.
We sing the hymn Amazing Grace over and over again, but I wonder if it has lost its meaning to us. This is a favorite hymn of many; we hear it in church (do we all remember church?), we hear it at funerals, we even hear this very Christian hymn sung and played in the media, but do we still feel the magnitude of the words. “I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see.” Our appreciation for what God has done for us has diminished through the years. We did not mean for this to happen. We did not set out and make up our minds that we would lose our passion for our faith. It happens slowly, over years of time, a result of living in this sinful world that demands so much of our attention. For the most part, we don’t realize it, but sometimes even when we do, we choose not to correct ourselves. How can we regain what we have allowed to slip away? How can these wonderful words of salvation have meaning and purpose in our lives once again? We must remember how lost we were, maybe how lost you still are, without God’s intervention in your life. We must confess anew that we fall short of the glory of God and that we have fallen short in our walk with Jesus. Once we have done that, then, and only then, we must follow through. We must Pledge, Prepare, and Proclaim.
Our scripture for today is 1 Peter 3: 13-22. I ask that you take a moment and read it for yourself. Our initial pledge takes place when we profess our faith publicly. This might take place at our baptism, if we were baptized after we came to Christ, or it could have taken place when we joined the church, anytime that we stood before God in public and confessed Jesus as Savior. That assures us of our salvation but I believe that our pledge to follow Christ should be made on a regular basis. The most common pledge that I can compare it to is the pledge of allegiance. Remember when you were in school and every morning before the learning started everyone stood and recited the pledge of allegiance. We still know that pledge by heart and can recite it at the drop of a hat. This is where our pledge to Christ should be. Every morning we should renew our commitment to our faith. Baptism, a profession of faith is an outward sign to the world around us of our inward faith and commitment to Jesus. We need to become comfortable with our pledge and regularly say the words in the company of others. Our faith, the faith that saves us, should be on display in deeds and words every day.
Verse 15: “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord.” How do we do that? “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have, but do this with gentleness and respect.” We are in a situation during this pandemic where most of us have time. What are we doing with that time? Every Christian has a story; what is your story? How did God rescue you and what does God do in your life every day? God, moving in your life is creating a wonderful story about your life but a story needs to be told in order for it to make a difference for anyone but you. God does not waste time or effort. Your salvation and your life have a purpose beyond your own good. Use this time to recall your story, write it down, recite it to yourself many times, get comfortable with how God has blessed you, and prepare for God’s work while you have time.
If you will continually renew your pledge and do the work of preparing your story, the next part, the important work of proclaiming your faith will come easily. Read in verse 19, it says that after the resurrection of Jesus, when He was made alive again, the first thing that He did, He went and made proclamation. We, like Jesus, have been made alive again. We have moved from death to eternal life. What will we do with this wonderful gift of life? Maybe we have fallen short of God’s plan for us. Maybe the circumstances that surround us today are a wake-up call to us, the true body of Christ. Our God is a God of second chances. Not only that, He allows us to start over again and again and again, as many times as we need. Maybe today, as you read this, you will realize that this is your time of renewal. I can never get this image out of my head. The
image of Jesus standing before us with His arms wide open. If you have been running from Him, avoiding the commitment because the world and the life that you are living has become too important to you, Jesus simply says, turn around, look at me, if you do, you will see that His arms are still wide open. If you have simply just not lived up to your commitment that you made a very long time ago and you are afraid that Jesus won’t take you back, Jesus says, turn around, look at me. My arms are still open, that amazing grace is still applied to your life; you are always welcome back. Pledge, Prepare, and Proclaim, Jesus is waiting for your response.
In Christ’s Love and Peace
Pastor Bob
16 May 2020
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