Faith Community Church Of Hopkinton

Life can feel overwhelming. Something like a unanticipated pregnancy can send our world spinning. Mary was on her own with the threat of losing her marriage, being rejected by her family and becoming a single mom without an income. For us, it doesn't have to be a surprise pregnancy. It can be job loss, unexpected illness, infidelity, the break up of a family, depression, and much more. Into these conditions, God emerges - a divine presence who provides help. He touches people's hearts, maneuvers circumstances, provides resources, speaks into the silence. He is a powerful God whose listening ear is always attuned to our voices. We can learn to trust Him so that we can pray the way Mary did. We can find security and hope even in the most difficult circumstances when we discover that we are never alone. God is with us.

In this first message, we'll look at the gift of God's plan. The world can seem like a chaotic place. There are stories of war and violence, suffering and tragedy, economic uncertainty and social instability. The people in the Christmas story had all these same uncertainties. Incredibly, God had a plan! He was working in their world and through their lives to achieve something great. He is doing the same today. Even though we may feel insecure and unstable because of what we see in the news or experience in our lives, God has a plan He is working out. We can see it when we look back at the stories in the Bible and the experiences in our lives. As part of this astonishing gift, God invites us to partner with Him in carrying out His plan. We can experience God doing something good in and through our lives when we surrender to Him, like the people in the Christmas story. Then we get to be a part of what God is doing in the world around us.

"Christians seem to have strong beliefs about what happens when someone dies. They talk about a heaven and a hell. What are these places like and why should I care where I go? Who (or what) determines where someone goes when they die? Why would a loving God send anyone to hell or deny anyone heaven? Christians seem to tie a decision regarding Jesus Christ with access to heaven. What does Christ have to do with it? There are people I know who have died. Are they in heaven? They were good people so why wouldn't they be there? I have a hard time believing that someone could be good their whole life and denied heaven while someone could be bad their whole life and get to go because of a last minute decision. Is that really fair?"

"Christians claim they know right from wrong. They judge people according to a standard that was developed in ancient societies. Because of that, they have justified slavery, suppressed women and promoted outdated sexual mores. Anyone who doesn't fit their narrow definition of morality is unaccepted and even ostracized. How can they say that there is a universal code that transcends all cultures of all time? Who are they to tell me what is right and wrong? Why would they be so condemning and judgmental when they don't even seem to live up to their own standards? How can anyone be morally good and acceptable to God?"

"The stories in the Bible are like the myths developed by other ancient civilizations. They didn't possess the knowledge and technology that we have today so they interpreted the world through their primitive perspectives. They believed in miracles, gods who worked in supernatural ways and heavenly messengers. No rational person with our understanding of the natural world could take faith seriously. The biggest example of this is in the origin of the world and the evolution of life. What the Bible has to say about those two subjects is incompatible with what we know about cosmology and human development. How could I be a rationally intelligent person with faith? How could I be a Christian in light of the scientific developments in knowledge?"

The world is full of suffering. Sometimes it is the result of natural disasters: earthquakes, famine, tsunami, etc. At other times, suffering comes from the hands of evil people who inflict pain upon others. It could be the child who contracts cancer or the despot who oppresses a whole nation for personal gain. Whatever the cause, the suffering induces pain, leaving long-term affliction or results in death. How could God allow such suffering and evil? Christians talk about God's love, but that's hard to understand in light of this kind of suffering. Does my suffering have meaning? Why would God allow it? How can I find hope?

"There are so many religions in the world, how can Christians think their way is the only way to God? What does that say about the other religions? There are over a billion people in China alone, most of whom are not Christian. Are they all wrong? What about all the people who have never heard about Jesus Christ? What happens to them? It seems simplistic and naive to believe that Christians possess sole access to God. It even seems arrogant. All these religions contradict each other, fight with one another and lead to more confusion than good. How can Christianity really lead me to God? Why should I believe that your way is better than anyone else's?"

"Christians place a lot of stock in the Bible. They study it, memorize it and try to teach it to others. They talk about it as a source of truth but how is it really different from the spiritual record of other faiths? Isn't it just a compilation of stories, folklore and myths that were created to communicate how one religion understood reality? How can you believe that miracles actually happened? The Bible contains some beautiful, poignant and helpful insights but it can't be more than just a collection of writings from one tradition. How can you trust it as a source of truth? Why should I read it? How could it possibly help me?"

Many people carry a burden of guilt or shame from their past actions. They don't know how to come out from the shadow of the shame in order to find forgiveness. As a result, the weight affects their relationships, their identity, and their perception of God. As Christians, we have been tasked with the privilege of helping them find the forgiveness and cleansing that Christ offers. We should look for the people who sinned and offer them the message of Grace that leads to freedom and life.

Christians have always been called to address the needs of people who are broken, grieving, suffering. They may struggle with physical illness, emotional distress, mental dissonance, grief or confusion. As a church, we are called to care for their needs. As Christians, we are called to connect in relationship, loving people to wholeness.

Rich Stearns, President of World Vision, addresses the church's responsibility to reach out and help people who live in a fragile nation. A fragile nation is an area of the world where people do not have clean water, sufficient food, physical safety, adequate education or employment. God clearly calls His church to be aware of the people in their communities and in the world who need help in meeting their basic needs for life.

To watch the video Pastor Mike references this week, go to: https://storycorps.org/animation/the-road-home/ The Bible consistently talks about the importance of welcoming people who are new to our community. They may have moved from another area of the country or they may have moved from another country. Either way, they are struggling to adapt to region. They lack the connection of relationships that provide acceptance and assistance. They may even struggle to speak our language, understand our customs, and know how to navigate their way through our society. Whether just new to our community or new to our country, the Bible has always touted hospitality as a virtue. It is an act of compassion and possibly a means of helping people connect to the family of God.

“When people ask, ‘How was your Sabbatical?’ I don’t know what to say. It was one of the greatest gifts I have ever received. It was a deeply moving, restorative journey with God. It was a blessing to my family. Through this series, I’ll be sharing insights I gained for my life and our church. One thing I hopes come through clearly: it was good to pull away – it is also good to come home. I love this church.” – Pastor Mike Laurence

God creates us to be in relationship with him. He then invites us and provides us with resources to start and grow that relationship. This invitation is never given just once, but stands as an open invitation to seek God every day.

For many of us, we spend the majority of our adult lives working. Sadly, for many, those hours feel wasted. Work is something we do so that we can get money to enjoy the rest of our lives. But God sees work as valuable and important. One of the first things he did in creation was give his newly created people work. We can find enjoyment and satisfaction in work if we discover the way God sees work, and how he sees our work specifically. Knowing how God thinks about work guides our thinking, which will guide our actions. We can experience God's transformative power in our work lives too and find vocational health.

Very little is possible in our world without money. Money interacts with almost every area of our lives. Viewing money with a biblical mindset and dealing with money according to biblical principles will help us experience transformation and financial health. This includes dealing with issues like giving, saving, debt, budgets, and spending. Beyond that, we touch on a key biblical virtue regarding money - contentment. Knowing what God says about these areas and thinking correctly about them will help us develop healthy financial habits that will allow transformation to happen in us.