Pastor Mike’s Meditations

SEPTEMBER 2021

Have you ever noticed that when you want to make sure you hear something from someone else correctly or are particularly interested in what they are saying, that you tend to lean in?  Similarly, when we are speaking and someone leans in toward us, maintains an open posture and comfortable eye contact, we are encouraged to say more.   Leaning in as a listener lets the speaker know that we believe what they are saying is important and that we are wanting to pay attention.

            Well, a little over 2,000 years ago Jesus gave the greatest sermon ever told.  He appears to have preached roughly the same sermon at least twice.  Once recorded in the Gospel of Matthew commonly referred to as the Sermon on the Mount.  The other, in Luke’s Gospel, which has been referred to as the Sermon the Plain.  This fall, in a sermon series entitled Leaning In, we will hear a series of messages on Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain from Luke’s Gospel.

            We are entitling the series Leaning In because like an effective listener we want to lean in to what Jesus has to say.  This means understanding the message in its’ original context as well as how it is still incredibly applicable for today.  It also means that we want to express intentionality in our relationship with Jesus.  I often use the phrase coming towards or leaning in to describe people who want to have a growing relationship.  As followers of Jesus, we want to show in our actions and in our attitudes that what He has to say is important to us.  

            Here are three ways to do that…

Hearing the Word.  When we hear God’s Word read and preached, we are getting to hear the words of Jesus.  We are seeking to tune out other voices and be able to hear from him. Gathering for worship, in person or online, gives God the opportunity to speak to us through his word and through human messengers.

Processing the Word.  Going back through the study/discussion questions that coincide with each sermon personally or in a Growth Group gives us the opportunity for leaning in along with others.  We become attentive to God’s Word together, other people hear different nuances and have different responses that we can learn from, and it encourages our growth in our understanding and potential application.

Going With the Word.  Our leaning in in order to better grasp and understand the message of Jesus enables it to become a part of who we are.  It also prepares us to go out with the word in order to share it with the world.  Our witness to Christ is to be rooted and established by his Word.  That is where our authority as witnesses lies.  We don’t make up a message as Christian witnesses, we share a story (That is true) that has been passed down to us and which we seek to then pass on to others who are leaning in and interested in what God has to say.

Right now, in our world, there are some many competing messages.  Our world is divided and the Church can be too.  That is part of why in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) we like to say in Essential Unity, in Non-Essentials Liberty, and in All Things Charity.  By hearing, processing, and going with the words of Jesus we hope that Sierra Pres. will become further rooted in the essentials of Jesus’ teaching, connected together as a result, and able to share it in loving ways.  Our world needs to know the hope that we have in Christ.  As we lean in and are taught what our hope is based in/off of, we will be better able to navigate the chaotic/changing nature of our world with a sure foundation which we can then invite others into as well.