Love is All You Need

Message Transcription

Well, good morning, church. And it is good to be with you this morning. I hate that that Karl is is not feeling well. Is is under the weather. Um, I wish he was here and that I was sitting here listening to him. Um, but, uh, I am I am very happy to, uh, be given this opportunity to come and to speak with you. I was surprised to get his text yesterday. Um, and I'm going to fight with this pulpit as the morning goes, but I think it'll all be okay. I've. I've a lot of memories sitting out in these chairs, uh, and listening to some of my favorite speakers from all time. Of course. Karl is is right at the top of that list. Uh, I love listening to Carl preach, uh, and kaileigh, uh, speaking from time to time. Just phenomenal to hear her insights. Um, Wes Crawford, uh, who some of you may remember. Josh Haynes, David Frase, uh, some of these that I love to just sit and listen to, uh, as they would share the word of God. Uh, and I'm thrilled to be given the opportunity to stand where they stood and to share something. This morning. I want to tell you about a phone call I got this past summer. I guess it was about the middle of June. Just enjoying summer break. Uh, Tambor. My wife teaches fifth grade reading. And sundown. Uh, Texas. The the booming metropolis of sundown, uh, with about 1300 people in it.

And she teaches fifth grade reading out there. So we were enjoying summer and in the cool of the day before it got really, really hot. It was probably about ten, ten, 30 or so. My cell phone rang and I looked down at it and I saw the caller ID said Miguel Salazar. Now, Miguel is the middle school principal in sundown. In a small town, it's really not that uncommon for everybody to know everybody, everybody to know everybody's business and everybody to have everybody's phone number. So it wasn't that out of the ordinary to get a phone call from Miguel Salazar. But we kind of have this relationship where we like to to make jabs at each other and kind of kind of kid each other. So I answered the phone and I said, hey, what's an educator doing up at 10:00 in the morning in the summer? And he said, ah, and he shot right back. I don't remember what he said, but he took a jab at me. And this went back and forth for a few seconds. Just kind of typical, uh, friendly banter between two friends. Then we talked about how the families were doing vacations that we were going to be taking. Just kind of catching up a little bit. It had been a few weeks since we'd seen each other, and then he got to the real reason for his conversation. For his phone call that morning. He said, you know, we've just about filled all of the vacancies in the Sundown Middle school, except for one.

He said we still need to find an eighth grade math teacher, and we need to find somebody who can also coach seventh grade girls basketball. I thought, man. That's a tough sell. I said, I can put out feelers at LCU and see what I can find out there. Maybe there's some some students that are looking for a teaching job. Maybe they just hadn't found something yet. He said that that'll work, so that'd be good. I said, I'll let you know if I hear something. He said, okay, so we took one more jab at each other, hung the phone, and I thought, that's the last of it. That's the end of the conversation. About three days later, my cell phone rings and I look down at it, and this time it says Brannon Rogers. Brannon is the athletic director in sundown. And now he's calling me again. Nothing out of the ordinary. He and I grew up in Petersburg, so, I mean, we've known each other for some 30 years. Hey, man. What's up? A couple of friendly jabs at each other and he says, you know, we're really needing to find a girls coach who can also teach eighth grade math. That dude I know, I know, man, I talked to Miguel the other day. I told him I would keep ears out at LCU and other places. If I hear somebody, I'll let you know. He said okay. I said, dude, I trust me.

You will be the first to know when I hear somebody. He said, okay, hung up the phone. Into the conversation. So I thought. A couple days later, my phone rings. Look down at the caller ID. Miguel Salazar. I thought, man, I guess this guy really has nothing better to do in the summer than make phone calls to me. I wish he'd get over that. And so I answered the phone and I made a jab at him, and he makes a jab back to me and he says, okay. He says we still need to find an eighth grade math teacher, and we need somebody who can also coach middle school basketball for the girls. I said, dude, I talked to you like a week ago and you told me the same thing. Nothing has changed since then. I said, I have not heard of anybody. Like I told you, this is going to be hard because everybody's either gone for summer or they've already got something lined up for next year. But rest assured, as soon as I hear something, I was very careful to phrase it that way. I said, as soon as I hear something, I will let you know. He said, no, no no no no no no. He said, I don't think you're hearing me. Would you be interested in coaching? Seventh grade girls basketball. Be assistant girls coach and teach eighth grade math. There was this awkward silence. I heard him go. Hello? I said I'm sorry.

It got staticky there for a minute or something, because I thought what you just asked was for me to teach math. And coach seventh grade girls basketball. I thought maybe we just had a bad connection or something. He said, no, no, I did. Are you crazy? Matt. You want me to teach math in the eighth grade? You want me to step into the the coaching arena? I said, you've got to be kidding me. You've got to be joking that you really. Let me tell you something, Miguel. I said it has been 20 years since I was in college, and I looked at any kind of math study. I said that was college algebra, and I pulled a d. Do you really? Is Miss Simms here this morning? Thanks, Miss Simms. There she is. I said, do you really want me educating the minds of tomorrow's adults? I said, do you really want me stepping in? You could do so much. And I started just going off ranting and raving. I can't believe you're asking me to do this. There is no way I need to step in there and teach math. Math is not my field. Said all the years of pursuing degrees and ministry working in ministry. I said math never was on my radar and he just sat silent. While I tried as hard as I could to convince him he needed to just keep looking for somebody else. But finally I thought, okay, well, I've made my argument, so I'm going to stop there.

And he said, Randall. He said, I know. I know math is not your area of study. He said, I know it's been a few years since you looked at it. He said, I know that has been a struggle and you're uncomfortable with it. He said, but I can teach you the math. I can teach you the curriculum. I can go over the material with you to get you to where you can teach our eighth graders eighth grade math. I can teach that to whoever steps into this role. What I can't teach is somebody to step into the classroom and care about the kids. I said okay. It's a good point. All right. We just finished up Christmas break six months. I've been trying as best I can to impart math to eighth grade students in sundown, Texas. Trying to walk alongside them in coaching. Trying to give them something that they can build off of and continue to grow. And I'm finding that that. Yeah, maybe Miguel was right. Maybe, maybe people can step into a world that is uncomfortable to them, and they can walk alongside people as they write their story. I mean, that's, that's that's ministry, right? And what I've learned from this experience in doing this is so much about ministry than the years of study and the years of experience and working in churches ever taught me. This has opened up my world to see ministry in a different light.

And so over the past half, half a year almost messed up the math on that. And that would have been embarrassing. Over the last half a year, I've learned ministry in a totally different way, and I've seen something with these eighth graders that I'm convinced goes far beyond just eighth grade math study, far beyond the education system. In fact, it's already been referred to this morning, and that is that people are seeking something. People are thirsty for something that will fill them up. For something that will give them purpose. They are. Craving a place to belong or a group to belong to. And I see this with eighth graders every day. They are looking for something that they can grab a hold of, that that is real, and that they can make theirs. But they are craving something that will give them a sense of purpose. It doesn't matter if that's little kids discovering what life is all about. It may be middle schoolers dealing with emotions and hygiene. It may even go up through high schoolers who are navigating various pressures, adults who are trying to build a home together, or retirees just sitting under a tree. I think people share these ideas. They want something to fill them up and they want some place that they can belong. Community. What they want is relationship. They're wanting a place that they can not just be tolerated, but that they can be accepted. I think people share an innate desire to be in relationship.

With God first and foremost. To be filled and to have purpose. But then also with one another. To belong. One of my favorite authors is a social scientist named Brene Brown. Maybe you've read some of Brene Brown's work. It's phenomenal the research that she does. What she has based her career on is outstanding. Talking about vulnerability or connection. And one thing that she says about connection is connection is why we're here. It's what gives purpose and meaning to our lives. It's neurobiologically how we're wired. It's why we are here. Nothing. Browns, right. And her research seems to confirm it. We need relationships. I think we saw that through Covid. And everything when we were forced to quarantine and isolate. It was a struggle because we are people who need relationships. We crave interaction with one another. I think that's why God said in Genesis chapter two, it's not good for man to be alone. That's not good. Have you ever noticed that the blend of the poetry in Genesis chapter one with the the narrative of Genesis chapter two, that creation is declared and we presume in Genesis two, it stays this way. It's good. It is good, with one exception. For man to be alone. Everything is harmonious. Except for man to be by man's self. God saw the importance of relationship and declared its absence breaks the harmony of creation. Now that's more than a marriage mandate. It's more than an advantage for a life partner. He's talking about relationship.

At least that's the way I interpret it. And this idea, I think, serves as a backdrop to Jesus answer when he's questioned about priorities. Which is the greatest command. And Jesus comes back in Matthew chapter 22 with love the Lord your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it love your neighbor as yourself. See, Jesus did not give in to the expectation of laying out the rules. Insisting on people keep the list. He didn't jump in to this tendency that that a lot of people seem to have. When asked about commandments and priorities, he didn't jump in there and say, oh well, if you really want to be righteous, then focus on this and then focus on this and lay out all the over 600 laws that they had. Instead, he takes everything that's been taught and he he he brings it down to the two basic ideas. Saying true righteousness comes from living in harmony with God and with other people. Love is the Avenue. Through which we are filled. With God who is love. And we discover belonging, which is a demonstration of love. I love the way the writer of First John said, when he says, God is love, whoever lives in love lives in God and God in them, they are filled with God and they have purpose. We love because God first loved us. Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister, which is belonging.

What people are craving is right there. To be filled with God and to have a place to belong. Church loving God and loving people go hand in hand. In fact, I would even go so far as to say we can't separate the two. It's not possible for us to love others if we cannot love God, and it's not possible for a person to love God if they refuse to love others. It's the harmony. Created by loving God and loving others that allows us to find connection. The connection that Brown writes about that many of my middle school students are searching for, as well as this innate desire that lies at the core of who we are as people, created in the image of God. It's the pillar of the overall Bible story, and it's the message behind the eighth century prophet Micah's words when he says, what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God. That sounds familiar, doesn't it? Seem. Several years ago, Broadway had had this as kind of their foundation piece. And as I read these words from the eighth century prophet Micah, and I start to think about the commands that Jesus is giving in this, there's a very, uh, just a very close connection between these love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, with all your strength. Walk humbly with your God.

Love your neighbor. As yourself. Act justly and love mercy. Church being filled by and having purpose doesn't have to be complicated. Finding a place or a group to belong doesn't have to be a challenge. And I think this is because Jesus story is not really that complicated. At least it wasn't intended to be. I think there's a simplicity to Jesus story. That many people have missed. And sometimes we get so caught up in other things that that we can't see it. And this is another lesson that I had to learn the hard way. Over the past six months, one of my eighth graders taught it to me. Taught me this lesson of Jesus simplicity and a very, very convicting way. We started the school year six months ago. I quickly came under the scrutiny of the eighth graders. The criticism from these teenagers who are notorious for sharing with you their thoughts. They don't hold back and they didn't hold back when it came to me. Now they weren't criticizing. My pictures are it'll be up there in just a second. They weren't criticizing my ability to teach or my lack of knowledge with, um, there's my classroom decoration, and I was very proud of this. By the way, you have no idea how long it took me to cut those letters out. I was just happy I knew what Pemdas was. This is what they were looking at. They came into my room and they looked around at it and they go, wow, this is boring.

I said, what are you talking about, Pemdas? They said, there's no color. I said, you've got those colors right there. You've got red, you've got orange, you've got green, you've got yellow, black and blue. What more do you need? They said, we need colors right there. And they kept going on and on about this. They were like, man, this just looks like a college classroom. I'm like, what's wrong with that? So we're not in college. I said, well, no, you're not now, but someday you might be. And so they just kept going on and on and on about this. I did not know that educators are judged by the quality of their room. But then they came up with this idea. And they said, we can bring sticky notes to your classroom, and we can write on the sticky notes and we can post them on your on your wall. I said, will that make you feel better about my classes decor? They were like, well yeah, yeah that'll help. I said, all right, by all means. As long as what you write on there is good. I said it has to be encouraging and it can't be vulgar or obscene. They said, okay, we can do that. And so they started at the beginning of the year, coming in, and they would ride on sticky notes and they would take those sticky notes and they would post them on the wall. And then they started doing it on note cards, three by five note cards.

And before I know it now, here's six months later. This room has sticky notes all around it, and some of it's really, really cool. They've gone in and they've taken verses of Scripture and they've written on it, and they take it out and they stick it on the wall. I'm like, that's awesome. Some of them. Kind of point to Jesus. I'm like, that's so cool. But this is one that was put on there, and I thought, I got to show that to people. Do you notice anything in this sticky note? One of my eighth graders brought this, and they stuck this on the wall, and I had to go back and tell them that I looked at it for three weeks before I realized there was a problem with it. Um, but but but when I finally saw it, I was like, how did I miss that? And so I called the girl up there one one day. Her name's Darby. I said, Darby, look at this. What do you notice about it? And she's like, I don't notice anything. I said, okay, I think we have a problem. I said, do you notice anything misspelled? She said, no. I said, all to him, I owe. Jesus paid it all. She said, oh, that's supposed to be Jesus. I said, well, I gathered that much. That's it. But you put juice. Well, by now, all the other eighth graders are hearing this.

And not only are they blunt with me, they're also blunt with her. Darby, how could you misspell. Jesus. That's only the foundation of everything. And she's like, well, that's how it was spelled on Pinterest. Like, okay, there's a bigger problem in society than this. But I start trying to explain this to her. I'm like, okay, you know, I can understand this, and I can even understand how I missed it for three weeks because the human brain is amazing, isn't it? The human brain is awesome. The way we read, we can take something that looks more like this. Maybe go ahead and flip ahead. It doesn't matter in what order the letters in a word are. The only important thing is that the first and last letter be in the right place. The rest can be a total mess, and you can still read it without problem. This is because the human mind does not read every letter by itself, but the word as a whole. That's fascinating. It's phenomenal. I showed this to one guy and he looked at it and said, I got to the very end of this before I realized anything was misspelled. But I'm trying to explain this to him. Like Darby, there's there's a reason for all of this stuff. Why I missed it, why you might have read this. And of course, the whole time the eighth graders are giving her a hard time with this, and she comes back with. But isn't Jesus really the only thing that does matter? Yeah.

Yeah it is. Jesus is the only thing that matters. Not the order. Not the wording. Not the the program, not the policy, not the the stuff that we so often shoot for in churches. Jesus is the only thing that matters, not the mistakes, not the things that people do that seem to to be the focus. But it's the idea that Jesus is the only thing that matters. Church. Loving God and loving people was never intended to be a complex web of mystery and explanation. Jesus takes all of the commands and all the explanations and all the misspelled words, and he narrows the focus to simply loving God with all our being. And loving people. The temptation we seem to struggle with as people is to take Jesus commands, to love God and love others, and broaden those to depend on if. If you vote for the right candidate, then you're worthy of the love of God or my love. If you attend the right church. Then you're worthy of my acceptance. If you cheer for the right team, if you adopt the right lifestyle, if you. If you have the right theology. Then you are worthy of being loved and you can find true belonging. And we may not ever say it that way. But that's kind of the idea that's presented. Loving God and loving others becomes very complicated when we have to decide if someone deserves to be loved. When we find ourselves more concerned about which is the greatest commandment, that we lose sight of the one who gave life and holds creation together.

I'm not convinced God made it that complicated. But I think God skipped over all the if questions to simply say. You are. You are. And God demonstrates God's own love for us in this, that while we were still sinners. Christ died for us. To say you are enough. You are worthy. In Christ we see the perfect love of God, a love that fills us and gives us purpose. And in Christ we are offered a place to belong. All to him I owe. Jesus paid it all. Let us remember the love of God that works through the cross, a love that fills and gives purpose. And let us celebrate the love of God, working through an empty tomb, a love that draws us into relationship and allows us to find a place to belong. Let's pray. Father, we come before you today thanking you for another day, another another time together to praise you and worship. To lift hands to you, lift hearts to you. We pray in all things that our lives are living. Sacrifices that bring glory and honor to your name. Help us as we live. May we be people. You seek to first and foremost love you and love others. May that be our motivation. May that be what guides us. We thank you for your son. We pray this through his name. Amen.