Episode 155: October 22, 2023 - A Dogfight Near A Cheese Farm

Eternity Church PodCast

A Sunday morning sermon by Pastor Brett Deal. I used to have three statues in my office. They were wonderful reminders that framed how I approach life and ministry. The first was of Simeon holding the baby Jesus. Simeon, with the Savior of the world swaddled in his arms rejoices that his “eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel,” (Luke 2.30-32). The second is Jesus washing His disciples’ feet. At the height of His ministry, after three years of walking with His apostles and countless disciples, as He prepared the Table in the upper room, Jesus bent down and washed their feet. The third statue was of Jesus carrying the cross. The chiseled stone revealing thin lines of sharp whips, His arms gripping tightly to the burden on His shoulders. The artist carefully displayed a cobble street beneath His heavy feet but did not intone the work with the wailing of the women who walked behind the Lord or the murmuring of the crowd that trailed in His path (Luke 23.27). This morning, I brought the little statue of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet with me to chapel to sit with our preschoolers and talk about how Jesus shows us His love and shares His joy with us. I wonder if John, as he wrote this week’s passage where he contrasts the Way of Cain with the Way of Jesus (3.11-18), thought back to when the Savior washed his feet. In what other little everyday ways did John remember His time with the Lord that formed the core of His faith and the strength of His witness? We are not the Apostle John writing the Church or Simeon in the Temple courts awaiting the arrival of the Messiah, but we are men, women, and children awaiting Jesus’ return. While we wait, we walk. We walk in offices, business, schools, and homes. This week, let’s meditate on how we are walking:How are we walking in the Way of Jesus at work or at home or at school?How are we walking with the underemployed and the hurting?How are we walking with the marginalized and disenfranchised?How are we walking with the lost, across the street and across the world?How are we walking gently and humbly in the Way of Jesus, as others choose to walk violently and abusively in way of Cain? May the Lord bless our prayerful reflection and gives ears to hear!