Whitnee's journey with Christ

Yesterday at church we had our Christmas Cantata. The narration was done eloquently by Mrs. Sharon and the musical selection Mr. Joe selected was absolutely brilliant! I thoroughly enjoyed the medleys, solos, and Christmas songs that point us all back to Jesus. With the pitter patter of tiny Happy feet going up and down the aisle, it made me smile and filled a void that the empty pews next to me created. Oh how times have changed. I remember when then the church pews would be filled and you would have to scoot in to allow someone to sit next to you. Now it’s often met with only a few so the noise of crying babies, anxious children, and the happy feet of joyful children feels like home and blessed worship verses a place where we gather and the soul and life is slowly being sucked out.

“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,
The leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
The calf and the young lion and the fatling together;
And a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze,
Their young ones shall lie down together; 
And the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 

Isaiah 11:6-7

As I sit reflecting over these passages of Scripture, my soul clings and is filled with hope as I think of the Lord’s imagery here: the wolf and the lamb, the leopard and the goat, the calf and the lion, the cow and the bear, the lion and the ox. Doesn’t it bring peace to you as you think of this beautiful new creation where the role of predator and prey are obsolete. Living in a world where segregation, racism, and inequality still exists in plain sight, it is a breath of fresh air to see what peace could look like. What shalom can look like.

And then I go back a little in Scripture to verses 1-5 in the 11th chapter of Isaiah. Some translations say a rod shall come forth, some say a shoot shall come out. What does your Bible say in Isaiah 11:1? Does this Scripture not bring you hope?

So many people in our community are hurting. There has been so much death, devastation, destruction, financial loss, and the list goes on and many hearts are burdened as they wonder how they will keep their lights on, how they will survive with the death of the bread winner, how they will cover the medical expenses of a child or a wife or a grandmother, etc. At times it can be so overwhelming and so some find themselves trying to mask the pain with drugs, alcohol, risky behavior, or other bad choices.

Verse 3 says, His delight is in the fear of the Lord, and He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, nor decide by the hearing of His ears; Verse 5 says Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, and faithfulness the belt of His waist.

How many of you woke up and put on your armour of God? How many of you despite the aches and the pains, the financial difficulties, the heartache of loosing someone you love, or whatever weight of the world that you are carrying decided to equip yourself this morning? God is faithful, God sees high and looks low, He is with you in the valley and on the mountain top, His word says He will never leave us nor forsake us. It’s hard to see it and believe it at times when you have to stay on the offense and defense but rest assured, there is hope! Read Ephesians 6:10-18

Before I go too far off topic let’s go back to this hope, this delight that the prophet Isaiah was talking about.

Verse 9 says, They shall not hurt not destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

My sisters and brothers how many of you look forward to the day when our God will rule on Earth just as He does in Heaven? How many of you look forward to righteousness will cover the Earth just as the waters cover the sea and when evil, unjust leaders, racism, and corruptions will no longer exist and the systems that leave our people oppressed and bound will no longer exist?

Aren’t you glad this morning that as we are in this Advent season, as we patiently await the return of our Lord, we can find hope in the glimpses of glimmer that restore our soul, that give us hope, that help us find peace. What does that look like for you?! Take a moment and reflect!

Before I put on my shouting shoes and share with you all a hymn of praise, I want to share with you a few things from my Connections study guide that stood out to me. I pray as it blessed my spirit that it will be a blessing to you and that you would be so gracious to share with others:

• Verse 1…out of the current destruction and despair, hope has taken root and is beginning to sprout.
• But the prophet also declares that God’s punishment for the people’s failings will not last forever.
• This new ruler will not led by earthly interests; every aspect of his reign will be motivated by the “spirit of the Lord.”
• Use the words of Isaiah 11:1-5 (words of promise) to pray for those in leadership in your church and community and in larger society.
• Relationships between predator and prey are reformed; they live without violence, as neighbors in true peace.
• The word here is shalom, which refers not just to peace that is an absence of war but to the peace of wholeness and complete wellness.
• In verse 6, the child has been specifically honored and set apart by God, and this “little child shall lead them.”
• Pray that you would recognize where God is growing sprouts of shalom in your life so you can cultivate peace.
• Ask God to renew your relationships so you can share at the table of shalom.
• The root of Jesse is a symbol of God’s faithfulness in the past through the covenant of David. The root of Jesse is also a symbol of the things to come; through him God will bring peace.

At the top of today’s message, I provided a copy of the Applying the Bible and Praying with the Bible from my Sunday school book, it gave me so much “food for thought” and it birthed the title for today’s message: Navigating through the impassible.

I believe that God is giving us a choice today. The choice is to continue to allow politics, fake news, lies, deceit and other things that can plague our communities or find peace in God’s promises and find restoring hope like Isaiah points us to in the 11th chapter.

Before I end today’s message, I want to share with you a hymn of praise. I want you to go throughout your day, thinking of ways that you cultivate peace within your home, your neighborhood, your church, your community, your city, your state, your country, this nation. With that thought in mind, how can you join in with other believers for it to be unified effort?! For example when communities came together to feed their neighbors when Trump decided to cut off food stamps in lieu of other things with the government shutdown. Or what about initiatives like CHUGS, Journey to Purity, Koinonia, Diabetes Talk, Weight of Words, EBG, Dolly’s House, the list goes on and this is just a small spectrum of what BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE LIKE YOU do on a DAILY BASIS that help bring about a peace and hope that we so desperately cling to. Imagine if we all came TOGETHER! What a bigger, better, and more powerful impact we would have on our communities.

And in that day you will say:
“O Lord, I will praise You;
Though You were angry with me,
Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me.
Behold, God is my salvation,
I will trust and not be afraid;
For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song;
He also has become my salvation.

And in that day you will say:

“Praise the Lord, call upon His name;
Declare His deeds among the peoples,
Make mention that His name is exalted.
Sing to the Lord,
For He has done excellent things;
This is known in all the earth.
Cry out and shout, O inhabitant of Zion,
For great is the Holy One of Israel in your midst!”

Isaiah 12:1-6

As we know we have seen and experienced some unprecedented times but I just came to tell you that there is HOPE! It is my prayer you choose God’s peace over your health, your finances, your family, your job, your mortgage, your life that will rely on your trust and dependence of God verses allowing fear to strike and win. God has created the map that will help you navigate the impassible. He has created the highways and He is the way out of no way and can do the impossible. God is calling us all to dust ourselves off, get full on His word, and get back on the “horse” traveling on the highway He has set for you that is restorative, healing, and peaceful.

Trust in the Lord and be blessed!