Shared during Sunday Worship on February 11, 2024. God who Creates and Re-Creates- As we gather together as a community, we remember that you meet us exactly where we are—on the mountaintop, in the valley, or even somewhere in-between, on the streets of Manhattan.  We pray to you today, bringing you our pain and the pain of our families, community, and the world.  We pray today with the hope and belief that you can transform anything and that you bring light into even the darkest situations. As we reflect on our calling as Christians, we hear your urgent calling for all of us to see the humanity in each other and in all those we encounter.  We admit that it would be more comfortable to think of you as only one thing, to think of you as only a translucent being on a mountaintop. But you remind us that you also are present in the brokenness that we encounter all around us.  You are in all things and in all people, on the mountains, in the valleys, and everywhere in-between. God who redeems and transforms, help us follow your calling to love humans.  Help us to feed those who are hungry.  Help us to give water to those who are thirsty.  Help us to clothe the naked.  Help us to welcome foreigners and those who don’t belong.  Help us to care for the sick, in mind, body or spirit.  Help us to visit the prisoner.  And God, for those of us who feel the weight of the world, who feel broken ourselves, help us to feel your presence in us and around us.  And allow us, O God, to receive the care that we need from people you send into our lives. God, we thank you for chances, over and over again, to transform our pain as we learn what is to surrender to you. Quite simply, we ask you to help us to be human with other humans. We pray these things in the name of Jesus, who was transformed and who transforms all of us with his love.  Amen.

Saturdays | February 10th, March 2nd, and April 6th Every Saturday, Grassroots Grocery rescues over 10,000 pounds of produce from Hunts Point Produce Market partners and with the help of volunteers distributes it to more than 1,100 families! Please join us as we work alongside Grassroots Grocery to serve a community in need.

On Sunday, February 11th, please bring some extra cash to donate and support our Confirmands' annual Souper Bowl Sunday. During this event, Confirmands research organizations that serve people in need and then have a debate on which organization(s) should receive the funds. Thank You!

For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. John 3:16 We are embarking on a series that will explore Jesus’ approach to our nation’s challenges. When we read the news, we find conflicts in multiples areas: politics, violence, the environment, poverty, economics, intolerance, and death. As individuals we have great interest in solutions to these thorny problems. As a church we have taken the middle path not aligning ourselves with one particular party or another. I would agree with that approach, for our ultimate faithfulness is to God in Jesus Christ. One of the things that the news and political parties try to do is to pit people of faith against each other, convincing like-minded people that the good Christians vote for this party and the bad Christians vote the other way. It is true that each of us might gravitate to one political party’s solution and in our hearts believe it is more aligned with the will of God. But The Brick Church has a diverse array of people and we have found a centeredness in not being tossed about by the latest political fads of our respective parties. And yet, as a community of faith we have a responsibility to be engaged with these issues. Why? Because Jesus was… and He is our guide, our Lord. But He had a very particular approach. Rather than try to reform institutions from a structural point of view He sought to recreate individuals so that they would be empowered and empower others. He did not align Himself with a particular movement of day: the Zionists, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the priesthood, or the rabbinical culture. Rather than choosing a particular political solution He sought to reshape the way people related to each other, to themselves, and to God. With the proper values varied solutions could work. Jesus assiduously avoided accruing political power…twice He refuses to become an earthly king. Once when Satan tested Him in the wilderness and another after the feeding of the 5,000. After this miracle the crowd can tell He is a powerful prophet, so they seek to make Him king…Jesus’ reaction? Get away. He literally makes for the hills. Now we know Jesus is smart, He ran from office as fast as He could. It was because He sought to transform people’s hearts; it was there He believed there was the greatest leverage to grow the Kingdom of God; the land in which values of faith are woven into all aspects. And yet, just because He avoided political power does not mean He avoided controversial topics. His love drove Him to confront religious authorities whose rules were making it hard on the hungry and the sick. He encountered a man with a withered hand in the synagogue and the authorities were waiting to see what He would do so they could accuse Him. Then he said to them, ‘Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to kill?’ But they were silent. He looked around at them with anger; he was grieved at their hardness of heart and said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him. (Mark 3:4-6) Jesus taught people to view the law not as ultimate principles but as a way to guide us into love. That is all the laws can be summed up thusly: love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself. He challenged people to serve everyone. If a Roman soldier asks you for your coat, give him your cloak as well. The Romans were their enemies! He drove into the religio-economic machinery and power when He turned over the temples; and He angered and threatened their livelihood when He told people forgiveness does not come through cultic practices but through a contrite heart. So, He was anything but a tame spiritual leader; He inflamed wherever He went but gave special sympathy for those who found themselves on the margins whether it was because you were poor, sick, or simply hated for being a tax-collector! His goal was not to establish an earthly rule but to establish a set of rules or guidelines for living as God would have us. Jesus preached on a new kingdom; no longer the realm of the Caesar; nor of the religious elite of His time; rather than establish a new regime Jesus sought to elevate all humanity to become personal agents of this radical kingdom. Poverty would be cured through radical communal sharing; violence through people turning the other cheek; alienation through radical forgiveness; economic inequality through ensuring a base level of life. Thus, the early Christians were called people of “The Way”. It was the way they operated, the way they occupied the world that set them apart. At the center of this way is a goal to reshape the world to reflect the Kingdom of God. Jesus’ aim is found in the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” This whole section of Matthew, known as the Sermon on the Mount, serves as Jesus’ prolegomena for a world that looks like God’s world. If you want a quick read, Matthew chapters five through seven serve as an outstanding encapsulation of Jesus’ aim to reshape the world after the Kingdom of God. Listen to some of His Kingdom-shaped values found in this section of the Bible: Store up treasures in heaven, Turn the other cheek, Forgive one another, Go the extra mile, Give to all that ask, Love your enemies, Do not be anxious, Judge not lest you be judged, Do unto others as you would have them do unto you As we look beyond the Sermon on the Mount, we find more principles: Clothe the naked, Be generous, Feed the hungry, and be servant of all. Servanthood is a fundamental principle of The Way; the kingdom should be one in which all seek to be servants of others, especially those in positions of power and influence should seek this path.  This was a radical departure from the culture of his day, in which it was presumed that people of higher social status were to be served by those lower. The leveling of social strata was critical to this movement. Kings, priests, and the wealthy were presumed to have greater favor from God but Jesus made it clear that if you serve those who were so called “lower” in the social strata and those in need you were in fact serving God. Jesus wanted all people in whatever place they found themselves laborer, sacred, government, land owner, all of them to follow his principles. It is surprising that if we use our power and our gifts with love and passion that kingdom becomes clear. If people live according to the WAY, the Kingdom of God…we will see glimpses of it! and we will find ourselves in the most wonderful of worlds. But it takes work! Louis Armstrong showed us how. Armstrong was born on August 4, 1901, into a poverty-ridden section of New Orleans nicknamed “the Battlefield.” His father abandoned the family when Armstrong was a child, and his teenaged mother was often forced to resort to prostitution to make ends meet. Young Louis spent much of his boyhood in the care of his grandmother, but he also found a second home among the Karnofskys, a local Lithuanian-Jewish family who hired him to do odd jobs for their peddling business. The jazzman would later write that the Karnofskys treated him as though he were their own child, often giving him food and even loaning him money to buy his first instrument, a $5 cornet (he wouldn’t begin playing the trumpet until 1926). As a sign of his gratitude to his Jewish benefactors, Armstrong later took to wearing a Star of David pendant around his neck. (History.com) We all know he had this phenomenal musical gift but there was something more to him. It was reported that on a visit to the Congo, there was a internal war at the time, that  “the two sides in a secession crisis called a one-day truce so they could watch him play.” Armstrong mostly stayed away from the politics of his time which led to criticism from his fellow musicians. (History Channel) But at a critical time during the crisis of the Little Rock Nine in Arkansas he spoke out against segregation and the president. “The comments caused a sensation in the media. …but the controversy soon blew over after Eisenhower sent soldiers to desegregate the schools in Little Rock.” who knows perhaps it was his words that spurred President Eisenhower to intervene. Louis Armstrong did not always live in a wonderful world or have a wonderful life but when I listen to him sing that I song, I feel the truth of that wonderful world that God intends for us all. Amen.

This week, we begin a new sermon series: "Jesus Answers the Headline News." When we pick up the newspaper or turn on the news, we see an array of crises, from war to poverty, disease, politics, and more. How should followers of Christ respond to such challenging headlines? Jesus came not to create a political dynasty but God's kingdom on earth. Through this sermon series, we are going to explore Jesus’ blueprint to change the world through transforming hearts.  The core of this teaching can be found in Matthew 5-7 known as the Sermon on the Mount, and the heart of this message is outlined in part of the Lord's Prayer: "May your kingdom come; may your will be done; on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:9-13). These are the values Jesus wanted to instill in his followers and wants to instill in our hearts. The purpose of this series is not to provide all the answers but to open a dialogue on what Jesus calls us to do as individuals, members of society, and members of Brick Church. You might find things you agree with or disagree with in the sermon, but I hope you'll enter a conversation with us on Wednesday evenings so that together, as we wrestle over what it means to be a faithful disciple of Christ, we can grow stronger in our vision as a community to be Jesus' light for the world. Amid the noise of the headline news, I hope you will hear the words Jesus came to broadcast, filling your heart with hope and God's vision for your life. Join us every week: Sundays | 11:00 AM Wednesday Worship | 6:00 PM Wednesday Bible Study | 6:30 PM Click here for more information on Brick Church worship services and Bible Study.

Shared during Sunday Worship on January 28, 2024. "We Thank Thee" by Robert Louis Stevenson Lord, behold our family here assembled. We thank thee for this place in which we dwell, for the love that unites us, for the peace given us this day, for the hope with which we expect the morrow; for the health, the work, the food, and the bright skies that make our lives delight, and for our friends in all parts of the earth. Give us courage, gaiety, and the quiet mind. Spare to us our friends, soften to us our enemies. Bless us, if it may be, in all our innocent endeavors. If it may not, give us the strength to endure that which is to come. May we be brave in peril, constant in tribulation, temperate in wrath and in all changes of fortune, And down to the gates of death, loyal and loving to one another. As the clay to the potter, As the windmill to the wind, As children of their parent, We beseech of you this help and mercy for Christ’s sake.  Amen.

Shared during Sunday Worship on January 21, 2024. All-wise God, our hearts overflow with gratitude because we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Together, we thank You, God, for being so intentional in forming each of us, particularly for these little ones who have received baptism before You today. At this time, we don’t take for granted the love of family and friends, the laughter in this space, and the leadership that our Brick community continues to show. Through these young ones and each of us present here, may we see Your hand move in our lives to the glory of Your name! You are doing new things in our world today, God. For all who defy this season’s wintry conditions to get primary, secondary, and tertiary sectors of the world’s economies running, we are thankful! Compassionate God, in many places, there is darkness and despondency. Quiet all destabilizing forces and sources of hurt. Lord Jesus, you came to us as a child, would you fill the hearts of this world’s young with your cheer and care in these times? Invade all war-torn territories, especially Ukraine and Gaza, with Your comforting peace and filling provision. Likewise, we bear up Israel and Russia and ask that You reign through and through in our world, God! O God, may the faith we hold and the joy that fills our hearts percolate this space and the streets of our nation. May our lives and relationships not miss your restoration and rest, Jesus. And may we know You more than we have ever done. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

High School and College Students are invited to join us for an unforgettable and life-changing experience in Fairbanks, Alaska. The Mission Trip is an incredible opportunity for us to come together as a community, united in our shared purpose of service, learning, and personal growth. Register by February 15, 2024. Register here | Pay here

Please join us Sunday, January 28th after the worship service to learn more about how to get involved in the Brick Church's Deacons ministries and to help us make sandwiches with one of our partners, Grassroots Grocery. Afterwards, we will donate the sandwiches to Grassroots' community fridge. All ages are welcome!

The angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. Luke 2:10-11 He was at times impulsive, affectionate, slow to catch on, the first to understand; he was courageous, and at other times cowardly. His roughly hewn mannerisms and thick provincial accent gave him the ability to relate to the people. He was one of them. You and I see him as one of us. Full of all the noble good things that are a gift from God but also burdened by his own weaknesses, his doubts, and selfish fears which all too often overwhelmed his best intentions. As the book Who's Who in the New Testament notes, Peter represented shifting sand more than the rock as Jesus saw him. Peter, the blue-collar fishermen of Galilee, an unlikely hero for the church. But, as author Ronald Brownrigg says, "The language of the church is not the jargon of fanatics but the simple speech of fishermen, like Peter." Peter perhaps began his journey to God by the river Jordan hearing John the Baptist wail over the decrepit state of the world. Then Jesus came and called his name and Peter went. He saw Jesus turn water into wine; He walked on water with the Lord; He proclaimed that Jesus was the Messiah. He had a privileged place among the disciples. He, along with James & John, was allowed to witness the transfiguration, to be present at the raising of Jairus' daughter, and to be with Jesus as He prayed for strength at Gethsemane. He was entrusted to prepare the Last Supper and he boldly defended Jesus at His arrest drawing a sword in an attempt to thwart the Romans – an impressive list. Yet, each item listed here could be considered more of a failure than a success. He sank for lack of faith on the water; right after he proclaimed Jesus was the Messiah, he was rebuked for his lack of understanding. In his privileged positions he constantly fouled up: he attempted to build a shrine at the transfiguration; he fell asleep at Gethsemane. Jesus reprimanded Peter for drawing the sword in the garden. A mixed bag of a man. At one moment he shines forth as an example to all Christians and at another he epitomizes the weak and self-absorbed, too concerned with his own agenda ever to learn anything about God. It seems chance more than anything else determined whether Peter would shine or fall flat on his face. Yet, despite Peter's own wavering waffling ways, Jesus called him "the rock" upon which He would found His church. But before he would become a granite stalwart for God, he had to experience his own epic melt down, his greatest failure-denying Jesus. Peter’s denial gets to the root of our stumbling block. He believes that he is invincible; that his will can overcome his weakness. He tells Jesus “Even though all become deserters, I will not.” Peter could accept it in others but not in himself. Peter’s denial shows that our greatest problem is not the weaknesses but our stubborn refusal to admit them. In fact, after Jesus reaffirms Peter’s weakness he redoubles his denial, “Even though, I must die with you I will not deny you.” We all know that did not turn out too well for Peter. The first denial occurs between Peter and someone of a so-called lower status in his world – a woman and a maid. In this case the detail from Matthew’s gospel is especially pertinent. Rather than quietly responding only to her we are told that he denies “before all of them” essentially saying, “I don't know what you are talking about.” In his next encounter, another woman accuses Peter and rather than speaking to him directly as the first woman did, she speaks to “all those who were there.” This time rather than a casual denial we are told he swears and oath “I do not know the man!” In the final encounter the bystanders accost him, “Certainly you are one of them. We can tell by your accent.” Peter’s denial becomes even more vehement. This time he utters a curse and then swears an oath once more, “I do not know the man!” We can feel the pressure building within Peter at each successive denial. One scholar observed, “The denial is exposed to a gradually expanding circle; it becomes more and more public. Its seriousness increases in order that the demand for "confession before [all]" might be made all the more urgent.” (Birger Gerhardsson, University of Lund, Lund, Sweden.) Then the cock crows. Peter remembers Jesus’ words, “Before the cock crows you will deny me three times.” It is then that Peter has his meltdown. “And he went out and wept bitterly.” He finally sees himself clearly. When the chips are down, he’s not one of those people who takes a bullet but runs and hides behind someone else. But Jesus has a plan. And the tears were the first step. “There is a sacredness in tears. They are not a mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition and of unspeakable love.” Washington Irving That is where these tears would lead Peter – to unspeakable love. Last week we found that having a friend and looking to God were essential to making it through meltdowns. This week we see that coming to the truth is another key step. It may be the discovery there are others with keener financial minds, greater musical talent, better grasp of educational practices, or more adept at navigating office politics. The truth that we are not perfect or the best; and we will falter and fail. Too often this is where people stop in the midst of meltdowns – their own failures – and they are left forlorn. But Jesus would not allow Peter to stay stuck. In the gospel of John, after the resurrection, He asks Peter, "Do you love me more than these other disciples"? Peter answers this question without hesitation, “You know I love You.” Then Jesus asks again, and Peter says, "Yes Lord You know that I do." And then Jesus asks one last time, "Do you love me"? By this time Peter suspects Jesus in fact may believe that Peter doesn't love Him. It’s like in Math Class when the teacher asks for the fifth time, "Is everyone sure that the fifth derivation of motion is constant?" Peter is hurt that his loyalty has been questioned. Peter responds in desperation, “Lord You know everything, You know that I love You." Jesus asks the question three times to remind Peter of his three-fold denial. Why ask? Because Jesus needed assurance? Hardly. Jesus kept asking Peter so that Peter would know down in his heart he loved Jesus. Jesus had no doubts, He knows our heart. He wanted him to stop simply saying the words as a reaction or rote. By forcing him to say it several times Peter had to truly evaluate their truth. Upon doing so he would realize that he did in fact love Jesus. “Yes, I do I really do.” Buechner’s keen insight in his book Telling the Truth tells us, “There is no place here for either saccharine, happy endings, or soft-boiled hope.” Truth: we are not invincible. Until we face this we cannot move beyond our weakness. Peter was forced to face it and wept bitterly. Truth: when Jesus spoke to him privately and forcefully, he found that Jesus truly did love him. Despite his denial and failures, Jesus did not give up on him. Truth: Even in the face of confronting our own weakness, we can also see that there is indeed true love in our heart. For God and for others. It is at this point Peter, shifting sand, becomes the rock of faith. He preached a sermon converting thousands, thousands. He led the Jerusalem Church in its mission to the Jews. He raised Dorcas, a woman of many good works, from the dead. And decades later he died for the sake of the gospel, crucified, head downwards because he did not feel worthy of the same death as Jesus, and most tenderly he powerfully channels God’s loving power to bring hope to others. On the way to temple, he encounters a familiar sight around our city. A man begging. This man cannot walk and relies on the largess of strangers. But Peter is an itinerant preacher and part-time fisherman. He turns out his pockets so to speak, “Look at us, do we look like we have money!” That is where most of us would then be on our way. But Peter’s heart was filled with God’s love and God’s power, and he could not move on. And then he offers a line of powerful hope, “Silver and gold have I none but I give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ, rise up and walk!” Have you ever seen someone walk for the first time after a long period of disability? It is sheer joy. And this man was no different. He not only rose up, he danced the jig. “He was walking and leaping and praising God!!” Peter had a meltdown. But strangely, he needed that meltdown. Because he finally faced the hard truth. On his own he was weak, ill-tempered and at times foolish. But he also discovered, no matter, God loved him…and he found out he did in fact love God and his friend Jesus. And so, this man of sinking sand became the Rock! And used this for others and so they too came to know God’s love. Amen.

I Kings 19:1-12 Public meltdowns have become the favorite meme of the day, especially on airplanes. Amanda Hess wrote the following in The New York Times: The plane, in 2023, has become a stage for viral comedies of manners. In recent months, I’ve watched a woman extend both of her arms to block the seat in front of her from reclining. I read about a guy who grounded a plane because he didn’t get his first-choice meal. I saw an adult man lose it over a screaming baby — and scream back. There’s something about the airplane that makes even a minor dispute feel like a big deal. Tabloids regularly repackage anonymous Reddit threads about the quirks of seat switching, seat reclining, seat back grabbing, service animals or the choreography of deplaning. The New York Post will scrape a dispute directly from Reddit and give it a headline in the style of a personal essay, like: I left my wife behind at the airport and I’m not sorry — she needs to learn time management.' Making a public spectacle of the meltdowns gives us a sense of superiority. We have it all together, or 'at least I am not as bad as that poor sap.'  Others’ weaknesses make us feel emotionally superior, but meltdowns can come to anyone. There are some who see this trend as proof of a breakdown in our social fabric. Take the title of this article, Psychology Today: Kristen Lee (SSW’00) Explains the Psychology Behind Public Meltdowns… Why Are There So Many Adult Temper Tantrums? Though they may seem more frequent they are nothing new. They are the radical disclosure that each of us has limits, a finite amount of mental and physical strength. This is true of even, or perhaps especially, of the most powerful and strong of God’s servants, Moses, Elijah, Peter, and more. And for some it is precisely the meltdown in which they realize they need God more than anything. Since these meltdowns have plagued humanity, it is not unsurprising there are considerable references in scripture, listen to these laments. ‘We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life.’ (2 Corinthians 1:8) – Paul ‘Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, with there is no foothold.’ (Psalm 69:1, 2) – David And then there is Elijah. He served as God’s prophet during a crucial point in the Northern Kingdom of Israel’s history in the 9th century B.C. It was this time period in which Israel’s many wicked kings led them to the destruction by their enemies. Elijah’s ministry mitigated God’s wrath for a time, while advocating for the most vulnerable of society. He is amongst the greatest of prophets in the history of God’s people. He certainly has an impressive list of miracles to his name. He parted the river Jordan, caused a drought, made it rain, and brought back someone from the dead! But his most impressive accomplishment was his steadfast righteousness when the world around him had plunged into idolatry, abuse, and sin. To cap off his unique career, rather than dying like the rest of us, he was simply whisked into heaven in a whirlwind. Elijah is the prototypical prophet in the Old Testament, so much so that he is the forerunner of the messiah! And yet…and yet…even Elijah had his breaking point. After the most spectacular feat of his prophetic career, smiting the prophets of Baal in a flash of fire and showmanship, King Ahaz’s wife, Jezebel, dispatches a message to Elijah for he has killed all of her prophets, 'You can be sure that I will kill you, just as I killed the other prophets. I’ll do it by this time tomorrow.' His bold taunt against the Baalites, 'I am the only one,' have turned into a statement of dread, 'I am the only one.' And so, Elijah runs, and he runs, and he runs; takes a break and then flees for another forty days and holes up in a cave, hoping his life will come to an end. Like very successful people here in New York, some hit a breaking point, and at that point, however strong and seemingly invincible they seemed, it can all crumble in a moment. Meltdowns can be disturbing, especially if you are the one experiencing it; it is an unhinging of the rationale self; your control has evaporated; the fight or flight has triggered; it is disturbing because it reveals the thin delusion of control we think we have; and when someone like Elijah becomes unhinged we suddenly realize it can happen to any of us. We keep telling ourselves, 'I have to push harder faster stronger.' But everyone has limits. And at that moment we have a radical feeling of utter isolation. Nothing, and no one can help. This perhaps is the most powerful factor behind the meltdown. Isolation. It was why King David, Moses, and Elijah had their moments. They were breaking under the burden of carrying the weight on their own. Moses says as much to God, ‘I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me. If this is how you are going to treat me, put me to death right now.’ (Numbers 11:14,15) It is perhaps part of the great unwinding of the modern world. In the suburbs you could see it in home construction. Instead of front porches that made it easy to connect to your neighbors, they build decks in the back. Privacy can breed isolation and mistrust. There are two scriptural connected paths to surviving or perhaps, Lord willing, avoiding these meltdowns. Have a trusted friend and time with God. God listens to Moses’ rant and acts with compassion. He takes some of the spirit on Moses and puts it on seventy of the elders. Suddenly Moses has a lot of help and gives him the needed strength to take them to the Promised Land. It is critical in this church, this city, this world, that we help people know they are never alone, that others care, and that it is okay to be weak and vulnerable. Otherwise, what is the point of faith? What is the point of church? This is especially for teenagers and young adults. That is the gift of Pastor Adam and all those here who work with our youth. It is our sacred trust. As Paul wrote, 'Bear each other’s burdens and so you will fulfill the law of Christ.' And though there were feelings of great isolation, in the end these Biblical heroes were not alone. Moses had Aaron; Elijah had Elisha; and Paul had Timothy. But there are times when a friend is not enough. Elijah experienced this loneliness both literally and figuratively. His sense that there was no one left to aid his cause drove him to literal isolation in the wilderness. We are told he spent forty days there. Sound familiar? Our forty days of lent. Forty years of Israel in the desert. Forty days of Jesus in that same wilderness. It seems perhaps even Jesus had these moments of near despair. 'I have labored to no purpose; I’ve spent my strength and for nothing.' (Isaiah 49:4) – The Prophet Isaiah [This lament] is particularly striking as it comes from the first of Isaiah’s four ‘Servant Songs’ which look forward to the coming of Christ. So the very clear implication is that Jesus himself would feel this too. (Peter Saunders, Medical Christian Missionary) We know He did. On the cross when He felt alone crying out to God for being forsaken. He did this so we would not have it. Times of isolation can be terrifying and can strip our humanity. There are movements to ban its practice in prison except under very specific circumstances. It is deemed inhuman. But if we can scrape together even a mustard seed of faith, isolation can turn to solitude in which we can discover our true strength. Thomas Merton, guru of the interior life boldly states: Physical solitude, exterior silence, and real recollection are all morally necessary for anyone who wants to lead a contemplative life... truest solitude is not something outside you, not an absence of [people]; it is an abyss opening in the center of your own soul.  And this abyss of interior solitude is a hunger that will never be satisfied with any created thing... Elijah retreated to a cave. In classic psychoanalysis, caves symbolize the hidden depths of the unconscious mind. It was a painful time of inner reflection in which he discovered his weakness more clearly than ever. God was not too quick to pull him out of it. For these times of quiet and isolation are essential for spiritual growth. Elijah retreated to that cave because his own fear and shame drove him to hide from the world. Whereas the world might abandon people in their shame, God would do no such thing.  God said, 'Go outside the cave for I am about to pass by.' It is at this point that we encounter a prototypical scene in all of scripture where there is a fantastic display of power and pyrotechnics great earthquake rumbles the land. But God is not in the earthquake. A great wind, usually indicative of the Spirit of God, blows through, but God is not in the wind. A mighty fire appears, just as God followed the Israelites in a pillar of fire at night and appeared as a burning bush to Moses, but God is not in these flashy displays. Because in times of solitude God does not appear on the outside but in the depths of our soul where it takes the deepest root and then that wonderful evocative phrase it's still small voice and there is God. After a little research the Hebrew rendered here as a still small voice actually refers to a quiet. A silence so profound that you can actually hear it. A silence that surrounds you. A stillness that is so pervasive you can hear your blood pounding through your veins, and you realize that pounding was there the whole time you were just to restless and busy to notice it before. That’s what Elijah discovered in that cave. God, as the beating of your heart, is always there. At times only in quiet stillness can we hear. Amen.

Shared during Sunday Worship on January 14, 2024. God, Alpha and Omega, in Your grace, You gift us new beginnings and clean slates. Thank You for this new year and the fresh start it affords us all. Even for those of us who have been unsure of how to begin, or perhaps have been too afraid to take a step, You have soothingly reassured us saying, “behold I do a new thing … I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert!” For the shining fire of such Good News, God, we stand in awe and extol Your glorious name! ​Many of us carry in our hearts resolutions and ambitions for the year 2024. Empower us, God, by Your Spirit to remain faithful in every godly endeavour. Prosper us in our homes, schools, workplaces, and vicinities and equip us to break free from all unhelpful and unhealthy habits in our personal lives. You are the God of all flesh, is there anything too hard for You? ​ God of Peace, we implore You to fill our world with Your peace, that which surpasses human understanding. Where there is disaster, may Your rescuing hands redeem; where there is deadlock and division, may lasting peace break through; where there is hunger and emptiness, may abundance and fullness arise. Jesus, our Prince of Peace, wipe out our world’s hate and disharmony and make us like You, just and peace-loving. ​Faithful God, may it please You to use those of us gathered here and the global church to further Your work in the earth. Through us, may the shining light of the gospel traverse the nations of our world as the waters cover the sea. Thank You in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen!