“Holy Turn-On”

In the Bible, every act of power must have a corresponding act of responsibility. Think about riding in a car. There are four places you can sit in a car: the driver’s seat, front seat passenger, and then the two in the back. Wouldn’t you agree there is a greater responsibility if you’re sitting in the front driver’s seat than if you’re sitting in the back? And if you are in the back seat, you have a little less responsibility than the person sitting next to the driver riding shotgun. The front passenger has to keep the driver awake, navigate the GPS, watch for road signs, and hand out snacks. It’s great to con someone else to drive so you can crawl in the back and fall asleep. When a police officer stops the car, he doesn’t knock on the back window and say to the guy who’s sleeping, “Let me see your driver's license.” No, he knocks on the front window. The driver has the power to decide how far down to push the accelerator, how fast to make the car go, where to steer, and when to stop. With all that power comes responsibility. We live by that rule every day. That’s the only way life can work.  

Would you like to hear a holy turn-on? Listen to the lyrics from an old Beach Boys song, -- from the so-called wild 1960’s. It certainly seems pretty low compared to what you hear on the radio or see on YouTube today. “Wouldn’t it nice if we were older? Then we wouldn’t have to wait so long. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could wake up in the morning when the day is new? We could spend the day together and hold each other close the whole night through. Maybe if we wish and hope and pray it might come true. Maybe then, there wouldn’t be anything we couldn’t do. We would be married. And we would be happy. Oh, wouldn’t it be nice?” 

Today, you don’t hear a lot today about waiting, holding back, restraining oneself, or even acting responsibly. We have lost any sense of the forbidden, and with it the magic, happiness, and joy that God intends for us. 

This Sunday, January 30, I am continuing my sermon series, “Letters from Heaven,” from the book of Revelation. We will be looking at the fourth of the letters to the churches, Thyatira. Please join us in the sanctuary for our one and only worship service at 10:00 am. Please note the time change. We will also be broadcasting on Zoom, Facebook Live, and YouTube.   Don’t forget about coming and joining us for breakfast in the FLC between 8:45-9:45 am.  

Blessings,

Pastor John