For many people, this is a random Tuesday with no special meaning. Here in the community where I live, it is the first day of the school year. At our house, that means my youngest son is starting his Senior year. We are beginning a new chapter in his book that will end with graduation from High School.

Humans like to have fresh starts. We enjoy the opportunity to lie a blank page in front of us and write the next chapter. We celebrate birthdays, school beginnings, and the first day of new adventures. We have New Year’s Day, new months, and Sunday every seven days to start a new week. These are moments when we can pause and start a fresh story that will bring us joy and glory to God.

Today you might not be sending your child off to their final year of school, but that doesn’t mean it cannot be special. What if today was the day you decided to make a change? What if this was the first day of a new life? What if you forgot the past and started writing a new chapter in your life today?

This could be the day you stop doing something destructive. Determine that you will not be angry about everything, or put down the bottle and takes steps to freedom. This could be the day you start doing something new. The exercise you have been putting off could start tonight. You could read your Bible and pray for the very first time. The possibilities are unlimited.

Some new chapters in life are forced on us while others we choose. Today is an excellent time to decide to change. In fact, there has never been a better time to become the person you have always wanted. Just mark the day and call it the first day of the rest of your life.

Over the past month, I have been preaching a series of sermons called “The Masterpiece.” Each one added another layer of value and self-worth for those who are believers in God. I think it is significant enough information to repeat here before I move on to my next topic on Sunday mornings.

1. We are created in the image of God. According to Genesis 1:26-27, every single human being, no matter their gender or ethnic background, is made in the image of God. We bear the mark of our God on our bodies and souls. We are above all of creation and unique in our identity, making us “very good” in the eyes of God.
2. We are formed by the hands of God. Seven times in the Bible, there is the image that God is the potter, and we are the clay. He is molding our life from its conception (in our mother’s womb) into a one of a kind masterpiece. When he encounters issues with the clay, he reforms it to make it even more special.
3. We are loved by God. God displayed his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Jesus died for us on the cross. He is the atonement that brings us back into a right relationship with God through his death. He paid the ultimate price for our adoption. Anytime we question our value, we need to look at the cross and be reminded of the father’s love.
4. We are continually restored through the cross. Once you are a follower of Jesus, the goal is for us to live like Christ. But when we fall short, if we throw ourselves on God’s mercy and confess our sins, he cleans us off and keeps loving us. God gives us grace upon grace. Like a person who restores fine art, God’s grace makes you clean when you have failed as a believer.

Each of these statements is a declaration of God’s work in your life and the value of your life. They are true as you come to know God and walk with him over a lifetime. Nothing can take away your significance. When your world seems dark, and you wonder if anyone cares about you, know that God does, and you have great worth to him.

There has been a phrase I have heard in ministry for the past 25 years that has recently become extremely popular. With all the COVID issues and Churches unable to meet on Sundays, I see it on my social media posts almost daily. It is this: “The Church has left the building.”

In some places, there is an explanation about the Church being people and not a building. There is usually some spiritual lesson on the people of God taking the message of Jesus to the streets. While I understand the sentiment, I do find the concept flawed.

The Church I lead has two worship programs over three hours on Sunday morning. Some people come to serve in one and worship in the other. Other people have a small group time during one and worship during the other one. Another group serves both programs as part of our worship program. These groups are in the building for three hours total on Sunday. The vast majority come to one program and worship and then go home. They are giving a total of one hour in the Church building.

The community of believers has no problem going out into the world. Our most committed believers will spend 165 hours of their week out in the world. The average person will spend 167 hours outside of the building. The overwhelming majority of their time will be spent outside of the building. The issue has never been getting people to go out into the world.

The most difficult part of the Church is getting people to gather in the building together. The challenge is to get the people of God to leave the world and set aside time for corporate worship. The writer of Hebrews tells the people “not to give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing (Hebrews 10:25).” Missing worship is so easy; it can be habit-forming.

I agree that the Church is not a building, and living out your faith “in the real world” is essential. Don’t forget that one of the things God desires of us is to form a new community of faith with the people who follow Jesus. We are a “one another” people who spend time in worship as we invest, encourage, challenge, teach, rebuke, correct, love, and connect with each other.

My phrase of “The Church is meeting for worship, and you should be there” will never be as famous because it will require everyone to make an effort to be at worship. Just because it is not popular does not make it any less accurate.

No one is expecting you to be perfect in your faith. Yet, I am hoping and praying that you are becoming more like Jesus every single day.

That may mean there is one word that is no longer a part of your vocabulary. Perhaps your Bible reading goes from 5 minutes a day to 6 minutes. Possibly you go from having a mean look on your face with that one coworker to making it a smile. The list is exceptionally long of the little changes you can make to become more of what God desires.

Too often, we write of these small changes as inconsequential, but they are an essential part of the journey of faith. One small step forward each day and every week will slowly transform you into a person of enormous faith.

The old illustration is, “How do you eat an elephant?” The answer, “One bite at a time.” The application is simple, “How do you become like Jesus?” The answer, “One small change at a time.”

No one expects you to be perfect, but I hope you keep growing today in some small way.

One of the challenges with being a preacher or teacher is saying the same thing over and over. Repetition is one of the trademarks of an excellent ministry. The Apostle Paul shared his testimony three times in the book of Acts. He told the Church at Corinth that his only message was Christ and him crucified. Even Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 5-7 and then delivered a similar sermon called the Sermon on the Plain in Luke chapter 6.

I am sure some people grow weary of repeatedly hearing the same things, but for the most part, it is a necessary part of the ministry. I say this for at least four reasons.

1. Some people may have never heard. Every week our Church has people visiting with us during our worship program. At least monthly someone new arrives who has never been to a Church worship program. We repeat ourselves so that everyone has a chance to hear the basics of the faith.
2. Some people may not have paid attention the first time. It is easy to get distracted. This can be from outside sources like a child or a noisy adult. This can also come from internal sources. Many times, I have been listening to a sermon, and the preacher said something that made my mind run off to other places and passages of scripture. I missed what was said next as my mind was off in a distant thought.
3. Some people need reminding. Even if you heard the message a few months ago, it is easy to forget what you learned. When I am preparing a sermon on a familiar topic, I usually look up my old sermons because even I have forgotten what I said. If I forget, I am sure other people have done the same.
4. Some teachers offer a fresh perspective on an old truth. Some of the best sermons I have listened to were ones where I already knew all the content, but it was unfolded uniquely. This process opened my eyes to long-forgotten material in a new and exciting way.

The recognition of a preacher or teacher delivering familiar content is not to be feared but instead embraced. There are truths of the gospel that never change, and this week, that one old lesson might change someone’s life.

Jesus was asked about the greatest commandments in the law. He tells them they are to “love God” and “love your neighbor.” The question is then, “Who is my neighbor?” He responds with a parable we call “The Good Samaritan.” The point of the parable is to explain, “who is my neighbor,” but it also reveals what our love looks like as a follower of Jesus.

If you remember the story, a man is jumped, robbed, beaten, and left for dead. A priest comes by and ignores the man. Then a Levite does the same thing. Finally, there comes a Samaritan. This man comes upon the injured fellow and stops to help him. He bandages his wounds, takes him to an inn, and leaves money to nurse him back to health. It is a compelling picture of what it means for a follower of Jesus to love his neighbor.

I also notice what the Samaritan did not do. He did not form a protest of the Roman soldiers, telling them that they should be more diligent in protecting people. He did not put together a silent march to walk through the streets of Jerusalem to raise awareness of the violence. He did not take to the media to promote one politician or political agenda that might bring about change. He did not attempt any of the modern methods to bring about change.

This man’s focus was not on changing society or the world. His purpose was to help this one man he encountered that day. His proximity made him a neighbor. In this story, I don’t think Jesus called us to change the world. I think he invited me to change MY world.

I wonder what would happen if we all took that approach. Instead of trying to change the world as a whole, we focused on improving the world around us. What if we try to help the people we encounter every day? What if we each one of us went into the world as a servant of God in our work and on our street?

Too often, we step over the needs of people in an effort to make significant sweeping changes. We neglect the immediate for the national issues. Maybe there is a place for that as corruption and evil exist in the current system. I fear that the man lies in the ditch while we grandstand the cause we think needs addressed.

Helping the one person that my life passes is not very glorious or media worthy, but it changes the world, one person at a time. When each one of us takes our call seriously to change our world, together, we will change the world.

At some point in the distant future, you will pause over a picture and think about this season of your life.

You will look back to the time when you were a student filled with ideas and dreams. You will pause over your wedding photos and think about how wonderful that first year was for both of you. Your eyes will fill with tears as you stare at pictures of your children when they were little and precious. You will remember the start of that season of life where the nest was empty as you dropped your last child off at their new place. The thrill of grandchildren will fill your heart as your kids are getting married and starting their own families.

One day you will see the pictures of this season and be filled with nostalgia for what was then. Also, you will experience regret for what you did not do then.

You will wish you could go back and have the cares of youth without the stress you placed on yourself. What would you give to relive that first year and focus more on each other than your school and career? How about having one more day with your children when they were young and carefree? To go back and hold them in your arms and love them in a way that time will no longer allow.

With every picture, there comes the joy of remembering and the sadness of opportunities lost. I believe it does not have to be this way. You can live in a way that comes with no regrets. It will take effort. You will have to live with priorities and purpose. You will have to say no to good opportunities to say yes to the things that make life worth living. You cannot fill your schedule to the limits; instead, you will need to leave room to breathe. A full and abundant life comes with sacrificing trivial things to focus on what matters.

One day you will look back. That day will either be full of joy or regret. The difference is what you decide to do today. Go out and make the best of it.

This has been on my mind for some time now, and I need to get it out. I want to apologize for my behavior. There have been times that I have not represented Jesus as well as I should have done. My life as a pastor of God’s people contains sin, and I feel the shame of it daily.

I admit that I have said words in anger, rolled my eyes at ignorance, and turned my back on people who needed my help. Through the years, I have shared gossip as prayer requests, not prayed when I said I would, and spoken poorly about people to others. There have been days where my frustration seemed insurmountable, and I took it out on someone who did not deserve my wrath. I have lied, cussed, trusted myself, tried to promote my name more than Jesus. My self-serving heart elevated my needs above others and caused pain. My flaws are many, my sins abound, and the mistakes keep repeating themselves in my life. My list of faults, failures, and faithlessness is long and embarrassing.

I am sorry about these things. I wanted to do better. I have prayed that you would forgive me. I hope that you would not hold these things against me. My plea is for your grace and mercy. The Lord is still working on me, and I am trying to improve every day, but I know I will mess up this weekend at least a dozen more times. Please show me compassion, grace, and love.

How about this? I will make a deal with you. If you would be willing to show me kindness and grace, I will return the favor to you. Why don’t we both take the sadness we have over failed expectations and throw them at the foot of the cross and learn to walk together in love. If this seems like a possibility to you, then meet me for worship on Sunday morning, and let’s care for one another like the family God wants us to be – flaws on and all.

Much has been said and written about the temptation of Eve in Genesis chapter three. Through the years, I have preached, taught, and written about the nature of the temptations and the lessons we can learn from this one story.

Recently, I noticed something in the story that was a significant insight to me. Eve did not believe that God punished sin. She had only experienced good things in her life. The garden of Eden was the very height of perfection. It appears that she made this fatal assumption; she did not believe that a good God would ever punish her for being disobedient.

She had no reason to think this way. God’s word had been clear. He had told them not to eat from the tree in the middle of the garden, known as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He had explained to them there would be consequences: “for when you eat from it, you will certainly die.” (Genesis 2:17 – NIV 2011)

Despite the instruction and warning, she went ahead and ate. The temptation was great. The serpent twisted God’s word. Eve did not think it would result in punishment. That combination led her down a path away from God that impacts every human today.

My guess for you is this; whatever sin you are about to commit, you are living with the assumption that God will not punish you for it. His threat that “you will die” are idle words not representing an eternal separation from God. We convince ourselves that there are no consequences for our disobedience, and if there are ramifications, they won’t be “that bad.”

Eve was wrong. So are you.

In college, I decided I wanted to be a preacher and not a youth pastor. With that said, in every ministry where I have been the pastor, I have also helped with the youth group. I have been a sponsor, a Sunday school teacher, a small group leader, and a teacher through the years. Tonight, I will start another year working with teenagers, possibly my final one, as my youngest son will be graduating next spring.

Through the years, I have enjoyed my time working with the kids but have most enjoyed the volunteers who come to help every week. These selfless people donate hours of their time to work with Jr. high and High school teenagers, many of whom they do not know well. They talk and ask questions. They befriend and pray. They care and try to help every kid who walks through the doors. It is a thankless job that only a handful of brave people accept. With each week, they are slowly changing the world, if only for one or two teens.

Frequently I ask adults about who has had the most significant impact on their faith. Quite often, their response is focused on their parents. Then I inquire as to anyone else that might come to mind. They usually give me the name of a Sunday School teacher or a youth group volunteer. Their eyes brighten as they speak of this person’s love, kindness, compassion, and faith.

This group of servants may not get their name on the Church sign. They may never be mentioned as the single biggest influence in anyone’s life, but our young people notice their efforts. The next generation needs to see someone saying the same things as their parents and preacher.

Tonight kicks off another year of youth group and who knows how this year will go. With all the COVID stuff, it might end at any time. Even if we complete a full season of meetings, the time is fleeting. Soon the seniors will drive away to college, and our times together will become a distant memory. My prayers are for those wonderful adults who give up their time for Jesus to make an impact on the next generation. May they be the light that these young people need.