If we wanted to trace our spiritual history back to its beginnings it would be a simple statement, “God heard the cries of his people in captivity and acted with an mighty hand to deliver them from the house of bondage.” Over and over throughout Scripture and human history this simple story is rehearsed and repeated. God hears the voices of God’s people and enters into the fray setting the oppressed free. It happened for Israel repeatedly, and it happens for us. This is the source of our patterns of behavior and the basis of our trust during this season of Lent.

But have you ever listened long enough to these stories to hear the full explanation as to why God would do such acts of power on behalf of such a miserable and ragtag bunch of folks? Moses told Pharaoh to let the Children of Israel go so that they might…SERVE THE LORD. The simple fact and beauty that we often miss is that we are not only saved from something terrible (slavery to sin and death) but we are also saved for something much better (freedom to choose to serve God and others). God forgives the past so that we might have the present as a new day complete with a fresh choice to serve God free from the baggage and sin that clings so tightly to us.

God not only wants to make us free, God wants to give us a new land of opportunity and prosperity. God wants to create a new people and create a fresh start. Only when we are free from fear can we truly choose to serve God and others.

Today Jesus tells us that God wants us to have the kingdom. God fully intends to give us the riches of eternal life that begins today and never ends. We do not have to worry about tomorrow and what worlds might await beyond this. We can place our trust in God for all these things. What we are then left with is today. Today we find ourselves freed of the shackles and liberated to do what is good and just and right. Knowing that we are heirs to the unimaginable and eternal wealth of God makes us free to share the things we now hold in trust with a generous and joyful spirits and thankful hearts! Do you trust in the promises of a Holy and Righteous God? Today is your chance to show it! Live as free children of the Living God. Today you have been set free! Thanks be to God! – Rev. John Mattox

Let us pray,
O Lord, our treasure
Help us not to be afraid of the
slings and arrows that are all about us.
Help us to put our trust only in you.
Amen.
-Rev. Katie Mattox

It has been said, “The quickest way to defeat an enemy is to convince them that they have already won”. Our spiritual complacency too often arises out of our sense of victory. We are the collectors of trophies and the hangers of plaques. It is hard to look around most of our churches without seeing reminders and ebenezers of battles long since won. Content that our work is done we fall asleep and become vulnerable to the ongoing struggles that surrounds us and fills us.

We live in a dichotomous world between certain victory and continuing conflict. We place the struggles in the past and the final celebrations in the future. In the process we miss the moments in which we live and move. When did we exchange our hunger and thirst for the kingdom as a present reality for a distant dream of paradise to come? Discipleship is not a one-time commitment that we made so very long ago. Discipleship is a journey we choose to undertake each day. The journey of the cross is not something that we completed at the altar as children, but a pilgrimage we take up each morning. Free will is our constant companion. Each day we can choose the path of Christ or some other road that is placed before us. Sometimes we choose correctly, other times we turn away from God in pursuit of something else. Yesterday is gone from our control and tomorrow is not ours. Today is the day of our salvation! Today is the place where we meet God!

Today we trust the past and the future into Gods hands and deal with the opportunities and obstacles of today. Today we must choose to follow Christ again for the first time. Today we experience a little conversion and little turnings that are part of a much larger story. Today is the day! May we use it wisely and live it well to our own betterment and to the glory of God! – Rev. John Mattox

Let us pray,
Lord most Holy,
Let us loose ourselves in you.
We long for your kingdom here, today.
Help us to do your will,
so that we might see your kingdom.
Amen.
– Rev. Katie Mattox

“I tell you, among those born of women no one is greater than John;
yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”
- Luke 7:28

Each day we are presented countless images of greatness.

Advertisers know that deep in the human psyche is a drive to rise above the ordinary and mundane that surrounds and clings to us. Lucky for us the key lies in our purchase of their products, except it never does.

Politicians know that our hearts yearn to reclaim a lost sense of security and control in the ever changing and destabilizing global theater of power. Lucy for us a golden age awaits us in the next election, except nothing ever seems to change.

Religious gurus and ecclesial masterminds understand our deep longing to feel connected with God and each other. Lucky for us the road to salvation is to be found in cavernous auditoriums and novel words, except we are left feeling lonely and cheated.

Today we reconsider greatness in kingdom terms. Power is displayed in helping the weak. Wealth is experienced in sharing. Security is experienced in vulnerability. Sacredness is immersed in the ordinary. Great and enduring works are subtitle and small. Greatness is not reserved for an elite few, but open to all. Greatness lies in your next choice and is as near as your next action. The ball is in your court; it’s your move.- Rev. John Mattox
Let us pray,

Lord, you have called us to do great works.
Help us to fulfill our call and be pleasing to you.
This is the desire of our hearts. Amen.
– Rev. Katie Mattox

Listening to The Teachings of Jesus: Part 1
“Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people” – Luke 5:10b

For years I thought that to become a true disciple of Jesus I had to become someone different. I knew from an early age that I was called and charged with the privilege of proclaiming the Good News. For years, (sometimes reluctantly, sometimes eagerly willing), I waited for God to transform me into a preacher. Suddenly, one day I realized that the transformation was not the beginning but a part of the journey. I would not be made into a preacher so much as I was to become a preacher as I tried to live into my sacred office. Some instantaneous transformations are years in the making.

How about you? Are you waiting for something to happen or change before you get serious about our common evangelistic vocation? There maybe no golden day or magic moment that will mark the beginning of our service of faith sharing and witness, except that of your baptism that has indelibly marked you as a minister of the Gospel. Jesus does not so much change who we are as redirect and focus our lives in a new or different direction. Peter and these first disciples will still be simple fishermen from Galilee, but from this moment they will be working for the Lord and will be casting nets of glad tidings to gather and harvest a new people for God.

Today we remember the first command of discipleship, “Do not be afraid”. Our biggest challenge is just to show-up and be open for new ways of experiencing and sharing God’s love. God is responsible for the catch. God is in charge of who, where, what, when and why. God is responsible of the work of convicting and redeeming. We just get the honor of watching the Master work up-close. And some times, (Thanks be to God!) we get tangled in our own nets and end up catching ourselves in the process. Go fish!
– Rev John Mattox
Let us pray,

Amazing God,
How is it that you would call us
who are just simple people to serve you?
Help us to be filled with love and
confident of your presence with us
so that we may catch the people to whom you send us
until all the world knows of your love.
Thank you for calling us. Amen. –Rev. Katie Mattox

Congratulations! We are one quarter of the way through our Lenten journey. You should be proud that you have come so far. If you have struggled and stumbled along the way, do not linger on it, get up and start again.

Of all the disciplines the practice of rest is among the most difficult and perhaps the chief needful thing in our lives. You are exhausted and worn. The activities of the week have taken all that you have. Before you can give anything more to God or anyone else, you must be quiet and rest. You need to allow all the toxins and stress a chance to breakdown and leave you.

We need at least an hour of dark silence to allow our mind, body and sprits to breath. As we exhale we will allow all the worries and frustrations to leave us.
As we inhale we become filled with the healing presence of the Holy Spirit.
We do not try to speak to God in this time of returning.
We do not try to think about our prayer concerns or needs in this hour.
We simply are quite and still in the presence of God.
Content and safe we feel ourselves become calm and relaxed.
It is now that we feel the strength of being held in God’s arms.

Today we will do the work of preparation for the coming Sabbath.
Tomorrow we will do no work.
Today we will prepare the meals.
Tomorrow we will eat without hurry, enjoying the feast already made.
Today we will lie out our clothes.
Tomorrow we will put on the strength of God.
Today we will pray and study.
Tomorrow we will go and only worship God with our families of faith.
Today we budget frugally.
Tomorrow we give an offering freely.
Today we will do our chores.
Tomorrow we will rest and be quiet before God.
Today we speak.
Tomorrow we listen.
Today the sun sets on our fatigued bodies.
Tomorrow the Son rises in our spirits.
Today we exhale.
Tomorrow we shall be inspired. – Rev. John Mattox
Let us pray,
Lord, Most Holy One,
In you we trust.
Let us have our rest in you,
so that we may find strength in you
for the days and work ahead
You are our rock and our salvation.
Thank you Lord. Amen
-Rev. Katie Mattox

Why is it that we think we can pick and choose as if Holy Scripture was some sort of buffet? Obviously there are passages that are not meant to be taken literally (but still should be taken seriously), some are hyperbolic statements of effect, and others that are expressions of opinion but this is not the case with any and all difficult parts of scripture.

For the past few days we have been confronted with Jesus’ commands to love, give, and speak kindly. I have had no luck in seeing any of these as polite suggestions or self-improvement tips. These are unavoidable rules for those who would follow Jesus. If it were impossible to keep these instructions, I don’t think the Teacher of the easy yoke and light burdens would have given them. Can this be difficult and costly, yes; impossible, no.

Likewise, I am amazed at the people who can sit and hear the words of Jesus week after week and remain untouched and unmoved by the simple elegant beautiful power of them. Why are we so willing to grieve the Holy Spirit and not respond to God’s leading? In my years of ministry I have never had someone respond to a call to full time ministry. Often I have struggled just to fill the positions within the church. Sometimes I have done this with the full knowledge that someone else was supposed to be taking the task, but they we unwilling to do so. And we all suffer unnecessarily from a general unwillingness to do what Christ tells us to do.

Today we consider the unanswered and unheeded commissions of Christ in our lives. Today we will spend time not only confessing what has gone undone, but seeking vision and guidance as to what it would take to faithfully respond. The journey might be long, we might have to learn new skills and change life paths. The road might be steep, we might have to go to places we don’t want to go and do things we don’t want to do. But today we focus only on that critical first step, lifting our heads and saying, “Yes, Lord”. It is still not too late! There is still time to hear and obey! Christ still calls and waits to go on these new journeys with us. Lord, help us. – Rev. John Mattox

Lord,
It has been your command since the beginning that we should love one another, that we should care for the widows and the orphans,
that we should love you first above anything else.
Let us truly love you, so that we will listen to your voice, and eagerly do what you would have us do.
Open our eyes to opportunities to share your love with others.
Amen. -Rev. Katie Mattox

“What kind of tree are you?”, this sounds like a mindless interview question that we might see directed to a someone on a news magazine show, but today it is our gateway into the gospel. I know a lot of “Christians” who you would never suspect by looking at the relationships in their lives. From the perspective of anyone on the outside looking in these people look no different from anyone else. This should not be! People are watching us to see what it means to be a Christian.

One Sunday I was driving to a new appointment for the first Sunday as the new pastor. I was equal parts enjoying the countryside and looking for my turn and was likely going just a little under the posted speed limit. As I was driving a car pulled up behind me only to sling around me and zoom past. While passing me, the driver greeted me with a one finger West Georgia wave. I don’t know who was more embarrassed a few seconds later when I pulled in next to them in the churchyard. Now that was an interesting appointment!

Today we consider the fruits that we produce thought the words we speak. Are we a people of curses or blessings? Do we respond to others in anger or open curiosity? Do people smile when they see us coming or do they divert their eyes and cross the street? Can we have a transformative encounter with God and continue to live life unchanged and unaffected? Do we speak as though Christ were a party to every conversation? What would your friends and neighbors say about your relationship with Christ?

What kind of tree are you? – Rev. John Mattox

Lord,
Clean our hearts.
We know that sometimes we can become weighed down by life
and find ourselves in moments where it becomes easy to show “bad fruit”.
As we drive down life’s highways, help us to be filled with the fruits of your Spirit, so that when difficult times come,
We will show love, joy, peace and faith instead.
Amen. – Rev. Katie Mattox

If cooking is an art, then baking is a science. The difference between a culinary masterpiece and total disaster can be found in the measuring. Most good cookbooks will have an explanation of what the measurements really mean. Is a teaspoon to be measured level and lose or tamped and heaping? The answer can make a difference, but how often do we pay attention to such instruction?

These words of Jesus can be seen as a promise or a threat. Is God generous or vengeful? It is a question that we have to answer. The way we understand God will shape they way we relate to God and treat God’s children. In a way, the judgment we place on God will determine the terms of our own judgment. In this line of thinking either way we choose to understand God is correct. It is through giving that we actually expose the character of our own spirit, and we judge ourselves.

Today we choose to take comfort in these words of Jesus. We are encouraged in knowing that no act of mercy goes unnoticed. Every little attempt of honoring God through service to others counts for something. We take these words to heart, because we often feel that our little bit is lost in the chasm of need. We cannot always see the full fruit of our efforts, but we can trust that every charitable deed is also an offering to God. When we give to others to the glory of God, nothing can take way or diminish the power and worthiness of that sacrifice to God. Today we give out of our poverty in honor of a God who gives abundantly from endless wealth. – Rev. John Mattox

Lord,
This scripture has often been quoted to prompt us to give.
However, we know that it is not truly giving if we expect
something in return.
Lord, Help us to give and not count the cost,
Help us to seek the greater blessing that comes from sharing your love.
Amen. -Rev. Katie Mattox

In my experience it is difficult to love our enemies for an extended period of time. One of two things usually happens within moments or days of our first genuine efforts to live out this holy order in our lives. The first possible development is that we give up on truly loving our enemies and fall back into passive aggressiveness or willful apathy. We might give up on actively seeking to harm of those who oppose us, but we fail to actively seek their good. We might bury the hatchet, but we still take delight at any sign of misfortune that might befall them. While somewhat more civil behavior, this is not the radical love Jesus has called us too.

The second scenario is that we soon run out of enemies to love. It is impossible to actively and intentionally seek the good for someone and continue to count them as enemies. Foes literally become loved ones. Feuds cannot continue when one side stubbornly refuses to fight. Look at it from the other side. How fun is it to slander someone who only speaks well of you? Is there any sport or satisfaction in attacking a person who is bent only on helping you? By loving as imitators of a merciful God we extend an invitation for others to change. We give and receive permission to become different persons and the old roles are irreparably broken.

John Wesley gifted us with three general rules to guide our thoughts, attitudes and actions: 1. Do no Harm. 2. Do good. 3. Attended to all the ordinances of God. By seeking to love our enemies we can accomplish all three. Further, Wesley came to see the commandments of God not as burdens, but as veiled promises. In this instance we see a divine promise explicitly and positively stated, “Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High”. By choosing to love we become interwoven in the Love of God for the world.

Today we consider our love for others. Is love just a positive emotion or pleasant attitude toward others, or is an active set of behaviors and intentional setting of our will? Is God more interested in what we feel and believe or is God more focused on what we do? While both are important and tend to inform and shape each other, actions do speak louder than words. Our families, communities of faith, and neighbors have heard enough about the love of Christ, it is well past time for them to start seeing and experiencing it! Lord help us! -Rev. John Mattox

Lord,
It is sometimes hard to love those who love us,
much less our enemies.
Help us to remember that everyone is valuable to you.
Help us to see that those we may call enemies
are just as much your children as we are
and that you love them
no more or less than you love us.
Therefore,
if there are those who would want us to call them enemies,
let us love them in return, so they can know your love.
Amen. – Rev. Katie Mattox