Today we choose to worship at the church made famous by its pastor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We were surprised about the low attendance. There were about 30 worshippers and half of us were visitors.
We sat in on the last part of a Sunday School lesson that was taking place in the sanctuary.
In Ephesians 2:18, Paul said … “for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.”
This rang true for the African American teacher. He said,”for many years, I have not had access to many places. But through Jesus, we have full access. I used to have to go around back to get a meal. Now we have a drive thru window. I am not sure that we have really made much progress!” Haha!
Music Selections
The scripture was so short and obscure that I wondered where the pastor was going to take us
2 Kings 7:3 Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, “Why are we sitting here until we die?”
- What do you do? Sadness, frustration, anxiety.
- Who do we turn to? Social media
- Where do we go?
- Who can I run to? Famous song.
- Why does God seem to beat up those who serve him the most? Jews and blacks with slavery, reconstruction, discrimination and segregation.
- Why are there tough times? Gun violence, unemployment corruption, economic hard times, mental illness, ageism, colonization, (fill in the blank). Tough times never last but tough people do. We can be up today, and down tomorrow.
- What do tough people do? God’s people hang tough. God will see them through.
The siege of Judah was taking a toll. The lepers had to yell out and make their disability known. “LEPER”. What if today we had to yell out our disability. “COVID”, “Depression” (fill in the blank)?
In the next verse, they consider their options:
2 Kings 7:4 If we say, ‘We will enter the city,’ then the famine is in the city and we will die there; but if we sit here, we will also die. Now then come, and let’s go over to the camp of the Arameans. If they spare us, we will live; and if they kill us, then we will die.”
- Stay here and do nothing: Die
- Go inside where there is famine: Die
- Go to the camp of the enemy: Die
- Go to the camp of the enemy: Spared. They decided to risk it and chose this option. The enemy had fled and left food, shelter, horses, valuables for the Lord had made them hear a sound of a large approaching army and they left in haste.
Consider things that we have experienced: unemployment, poverty, Jim Crow, etc. If we do nothing, we will die. If we do something, we might die or be spared.
Will you move or stand still? I would rather go with Jesus.
Jesus is the Bridge over Troubled Waters. Jesus carried His cross and was lifted up from the earth on the cross so all can come to Him.
John 12:32 “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.”
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