Rev. Dr. Ronald E. Braxton, Senior Pastor
Metropolitan AME Church, Washington, DC
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Scripture Lesson:Ezekiel 33: 7-11: You are the Watchman: 7-9 “You, son of man, are the watchman. I’ve made you a watchman for Israel. The minute you hear a message from me, warn them. If I say to the wicked, ‘Wicked man, wicked woman, you’re on the fast track to death!’ and you don’t speak up and warn the wicked to change their ways, the wicked will die unwarned in their sins and I’ll hold you responsible for their bloodshed. But if you warn the wicked to change their ways and they don’t do it, they’ll die in their sins well-warned and at least you will have saved your own life. 10 “Son of man, speak to Israel. Tell them, ‘You’ve said, “Our rebellions and sins are weighing us down. We’re wasting away. How can we go on living?”‘ 11 “Tell them, ‘As sure as I am the living God, I take no pleasure from the death of the wicked. I want the wicked to change their ways and live. Turn your life around! Reverse your evil ways! Why die, Israel?’
Years ago, I read about a preacher who went down due to his sinful lifestyle. He had a mega-church, he was at the top of his game; but he engaged in immoral, adulterous activities that became public (as they always do), and his world fell apart. Later he wrote a book about rebuilding his life out of the brokenness.
In the early 21st century, we are experiencing amazing breakthroughs in science and technology, while at the same time we are experiencing catastrophes like earthquakes, terrorism, hurricanes, tsunamis, raging fires, homelessness, sickness, and disease. Three common responses to catastrophes are: 1) to live in denial; 2) to live paralyzed in despair; and 3) the rare breed who try to quickly rise above the catastrophe and rebuild.
In the scripture text, verse 1, Ezekiel is called upon by God to warn the rebellious people of God; people who were living in a broken, adulterous, blasphemous, world that caused them to lose everything. When he warns them, most of them are living in denial and despair. They are questioning: How could this happen to me? I pay my tithes; I go to church; How could this happen to me? It happened because they had turned their backs on God.
I know how hard, how dark, how despairing your life may seem right now, but “before you give up” – before you give up on that lost child; before you give up on the President and Congress; before you give up on that man in his hospital bed – turn it over to Jesus.
There are three things the scripture teaches us to do before we give up:
1. Abandon Defeatism. Verse 10 of the scripture speaks to defeatism: “our sins weigh us down.” Our young people are going back to school and they cannot even see for themselves why they are going. But before you give up on those children, before you give up on that family member, before you give up on that job that is stressing you out, before you give up on our President or on Congress, abandon the monster of defeatism. If you can’t do anything else, you can whisper a prayer: “only believe…that all things are possible…if you only believe.”
2. Trust and believe that God wants you to have a life of love, good will, and abundance. God wants you to live well. Verse 11 says: “I am the living God, and I take no pleasure in your destruction; I want you to change your wicked ways and live.” Sometimes we don’t trust God; but God is the enemy of anything that would destroy us. Jesus spoke LIFE, not DEATH. We must stop speaking death to our spouse, our children – we must speak life. Before you give up, know that God intended for you to have the gift of life.
3. Reclaim and reaffirm your life in the Lord. Verses 10-11 say: “Why doubt Him? Why walk around with your head hung down. Draw closer to God; reclaim God as the center of your life.” Nothing can cut you off from the power and the spirit of God. Before you give up, know that if you just call on Him, He will come. He may not come when YOU want Him to come, but He will get there right on time. Amen
Rev. Dr. Ronald E. Braxton, Senior Pastor
Metropolitan AME Church at the Madison Hotel
Sunday, December 26, 2010, 9 a.m. www.metropolitanamec.org
Scripture Lesson, Matthew 2:13-23:13After the scholars were gone, God’s angel showed up again in Joseph’s dream and commanded, “Get up. Take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt. Stay until further notice. Herod is on the hunt for this child, and wants to kill him.” 14-15Joseph obeyed. He got up, took the child and his mother under cover of darkness. They were out of town and well on their way by daylight. They lived in Egypt until Herod’s death. This Egyptian exile fulfilled what Hosea had preached: “I called my son out of Egypt.” 16-18Herod, when he realized that the scholars had tricked him, flew into a rage. He commanded the murder of every little boy two years old and under who lived in Bethlehem and its surrounding hills. (He determined that age from information he’d gotten from the scholars.) That’s when Jeremiah’s sermon was fulfilled: A sound was heard in Ramah, weeping and much lament. Rachel weeping for her children, Rachel refusing all solace, Her children gone, dead and buried. 19-20Later, when Herod died, God’s angel appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt: “Up, take the child and his mother and return to Israel. All those out to murder the child are dead.” 21-23Joseph obeyed. He got up, took the child and his mother, and reentered Israel. When he heard, though, that Archelaus had succeeded his father, Herod, as king in Judea, he was afraid to go there. But then Joseph was directed in a dream to go to the hills of Galilee. On arrival, he settled in the village of Nazareth. This move was a fulfillment of the prophetic words, “He shall be called a Nazarene.” The Message Bible Translation
Joseph is a missing link in all the stories of Jesus’ birth. In Sunday School, children are confused by the question: “Who was Jesus’ father?” and don’t know how to answer. Some scholars refer to Joseph as Jesus’ “earthly father”. On one occasion in the bible, Jesus is referred to as “the carpenter’s son”. When Jesus reappears in the bible at age 30, some scholars suggest that there was no mention of Joseph because Joseph was dead by that time. Though there are not many biblical references to Joseph in the bible, one thing is clear: he lived his life close to God; and he faithfully surrendered to God’s plan for Jesus.
In the scripture text, Joseph is given specific instructions by the messenger of God. And Joseph obeys. There are lessons from Joseph and the scripture about living your life close to God:
1. When you live your life close to God, OBEDIENCE is the byproduct of complete trust in the power of God to direct your life. A spirit of obedience is developed over time. Joseph obeyed, because Joseph had gone through some “stuff”. He understood that you have to trust and obey, and God will direct your path. But you don’t just get up and obey without going through the give and take of life’s experiences. If we look back over our lives, we see that God will sho-nuff direct our paths. At every step, when we trust and obey God, He will show us his purpose and his will for our lives. Because God majors in the two “P’s”: Protection, and Provision.
2. If you live your life close to God, God will PROTECT your life. Joseph lived in uncertain times. In the scripture, the messenger of God came to Joseph and said: “You gotta get up and go”. Most of us are living in an uncertain era. Most of us in this place today can witness that, all year long, God has been our protector. We’ve lost jobs, we’ve fallen on hard times; but even so, God has been our shield and our protector. Every morning, some wake up depressed, some are downtrodden, some wake up crying, not knowing what is going to happen that day. Yet every morning, God has been our protection.
3. When you live your life close to God, God will PROVIDE. In the scripture, Joseph had to leave home with his family. God provided. The accommodations were not like they are here at the Madison Hotel; it was just a stable and a manger. Then Joseph is told to move again, from Bethlehem to Egypt. He is assured that God will be with him on the journey; that God will provide on the journey; and that God will provide in the strange land. Then he is told to get up again; to go back to where he came from, and he is told that “God will provide for you when you get there.”
It all goes back to trusting and obeying. God will provide on the journey when you are going through your “stuff”; when you have hills to climb, when doors shut in your face. God will open the door for you and He will provide.
4. The theme of the whole bible is this: GOD WANTS US TO LIVE CLOSE TO HIM, AND HE WILL PROVIDE. Ask Moses and he will say: “I went to the top of the mountain; God said go back to where you came from.” Ask David and he will say: “I was just a little boy with a slingshot and 5 smooth stones. The king wanted me to put on his armor, but I knew that if I leaned on God, He would protect me.”
You still don’t believe me? Ask Daniel and he will say: “They put me in a den of lions; I slept there all night and made the lion my pillow.” Ask a sister named Esther and she will say: “They said we are about to be destroyed; go talk to the king. So I said I’m going to meet the king.” Paul and Silas were locked up in a jailhouse; they prayed all night, and sang songs of Zion because God provided.
I’ve got news for you: If you find your life on hard times, pray and sing and the doors will open; God will provide. Some say “Reverend, those are great stories of the days of old.” But I’ve got my own testimony. My mother was a domestic worker; but every morning we woke up, we had food on the table. I’ve got my own testimony that the Lord will provide, He will protect, He will make your enemies your footstool
I know you are going through some “stuff” – with your house, your job, your children – but put your trust in God and He will provide. Amen
Rev. Dr. Ronald E. Braxton, Senior Pastor
Metropolitan AME Church
Sunday, December 12 2010 www.metropolitanamec.org
Scripture Lesson, Psalm 146:5-10:3-9 Don’t put your life in the hands of experts who know nothing of life, of salvation life. Mere humans don’t have what it takes; when they die, their projects die with them. Instead, get help from the God of Jacob, put your hope in God and know real blessing! God made sky and soil, sea and all the fish in it. He always does what he says—he defends the wronged, he feeds the hungry. God frees prisoners—he gives sight to the blind, he lifts up the fallen. GOD loves good people, protects strangers, takes the side of orphans and widows, but makes short work of the wicked. 10 GOD’s in charge—always. Zion’s God is God for good! Hallelujah! The Message Bible
Last Tuesday, Elizabeth Edwards died after a six year battle with breast cancer. As the media played footage of the remarkable life of the estranged wife of former presidential candidate John Edwards, many aspects resonated for me. From outward appearances, Elizabeth Edwards was a woman who had EVERYTHING. Then strong winds blew her life off course. Her son was tragically killed in an automobile accident; her husband had a failed presidential bid; she developed breast cancer; she experienced the public humiliation of her husband’s confessed infidelity. In some of the footage, Mrs. Edwards reflected on how, from time to time, she had found her life blown off course. Her advice was that you must keep your eyes on the things that are important which, for her, were: Faith, Family, and Friends. I’d like to preach today from the theme: “When the Winds Blow Your Life Off Course.”
In this third Sunday of Advent, Psalm 146 offers unique lessons of “the great surprise of Christ”. The scripture says: “…he defends the wronged, he feeds the hungry. God frees prisoners—he gives sight to the blind, he lifts up the fallen. GOD loves good people, protects strangers, takes the side of orphans and widows…” Two lessons from the scripture:
1. If you find your life – for any reason – blown off course; if you’re in a hospital bed, out of work, unemployed, down and out, you will find an abundance of the grace of God. David Holmes, Professor of Religious Studies at William & Mary College, calls it “the great surprise of Christ” that is found in “hope, health and happiness”. When you find your life blown off course, keep your eyes on God. We live in a hurting and broken world. Right here in the capital of the free world, people are suffering out there – some are suffering right in here – lives blown off course, oppressed by injustice, violence, lack of decent medical care, unjust tax laws that allow the rich to get richer. Most of us would just give up. But God is in charge; and we can put our hope in Him. Trust not in the political leaders, Congressmen, the Supreme Court – even President Obama can only go so far, dealing with what he found, and can’t work his way through it on his own. Mortal humans cannot do what God can do. So when your life blows off course, put your trust in God, not humans.
2. God is a help in the times that you need him the most, not just when the winds blow you off course. God is a help when things are going well, and when things are downright crazy. There will be a time in your life when you’ve tried EVERY thing, when nothing works, when you’ve worked your fingers to the bone – on your job, with your children, in your community – seeing no fruit for your labors. God steps in with Jesus to say: “Help is on the Way!”
As we celebrate the birth of Jesus, God is our help. Someone in here is a witness – your life is off course. The swelling praise of God can overcome whatever you are going through. You may be in a dark, bleak, dim hopeless situation, but you can have a smile on your face, and joy in your heart. Because you know that the power of God can deliver a blessing and grace from out of nowhere. No matter what you are going through, God has a way.
Rev. Dr. Ronald E. Braxton, Senior Pastor
Metropolitan AME Church
Sunday, November 28, 2010 www.metropolitanamec.org
Scripture Lesson Romans 13:11-14, Be a Responsible Citizen. 11-14But make sure that you don’t get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God. The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing! God is putting the finishing touches on the salvation work he began when we first believed. We can’t afford to waste a minute, must not squander these precious daylight hours in frivolity and indulgence, in sleeping around and dissipation, in bickering and grabbing everything in sight. Get out of bed and get dressed! Don’t loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about! The Message Bible Translation
________________________________________
In “The Tyranny of Time”, Cynthia Campbell comments that North Americans are slaves to time. There is never enough time to do what we need to do. With the demands of the day, and the speed of communications, time can place a grip on your life. Because we communicate with anyone, anywhere, anytime, we feel we need to be connected 24/7; our electronic systems must be connected all the time. Some people go into panic mode if they leave behind the slave master of their mobile device or if their computer does not work.
This first Sunday in Advent makes the holiday season official. We are lathering up for the biggest day of the year. Similarly, in the scripture, the early Christians lived in expectation of Christ’s return. But they were so busy, so absorbed in their day to day activities that they lost sight of God and Christ. Paul warns the Christians in verse 11: “But make sure that you don’t get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God.” In these dire economic times, we can get caught up in the frenzy of Christmas. There is a great deal of pressure to buy buy buy, go go go, do do do; it is easy to lose sight of God. We have to learn to live our lives each day through bifocal lenses.
My bifocal lenses are divided into two parts; the top part enables me to see the broader, bigger view of the world. The bottom part helps me to zoom in on the particular significant details. I can’t see the scripture lesson through the top part of my glasses, but through the bottom, I can see the scripture very well.
1. Be up and awake to what God is doing! Verse 12 of the scripture says: Always be alert to what God is doing in your life. At any given moment, God is working, molding, shaping you in that moment. Setbacks are opportunities to refocus, renew, and strengthen us. Setbacks are opportunities for God to open us for us more opportunities. Instead of resisting, say: “Lord, just have thine own way!” Be alert to how God is moving in your life.
2. Don’t get stressed out in the distractions of the darkness. Jesus enjoyed the company of others. We see him attending wedding feasts, having dinner with Zaccheus, visiting the two sisters and their brother, celebrating the ancient feasts and festivals. God wants us to enjoy living and to be glad about every moment. Cookouts, family reunions – we need to enjoy ourselves – but don’t get so busy that we don’t allow time to see that God is working and moving in our lives. The scripture is telling us: When you put on your clothes, put on some spiritual garments, or the darker side of life will stress you out.“Put on the whole armor of God”. “Get out of the bed and dress yourself in Christ”. Get out of bed and put on the garments of prayer, meditation, reflection, scripture, to get you through another day.
You can’t just look through the big lens; you will become exhausted trying to take care of the day to day. You’ll get swallowed up. You’ve got to zoom in with your bifocal lens, make every day count. Get the most out of your life.
3. God will show you how to zoom in on what is important in life! In the scripture, Paul says: “God is putting the finishing touches on the salvation work he began in you when you first became a believer.” You have to get to the point where you get used to bifocal lenses. I had to get adjusted to them. I was trying to see through both lenses at the same time. I told the doctor: Something is wrong with these glasses; they make me dizzy, I keep stumbling and falling. The doctor said: You’ve got to get used to them. The more you wear them, the better you’ll be able to see. As my eyes got used to them, it became easier for me to see the big work and the significant details at the same time.
God is helping you to see the big picture and the small picture together. Through these trials, he polishes you to help you to see the world better. I find I spend more time looking through the small lens – zooming in on what’s important. God will be able to show you the big picture in a new way. Focus in on the small print, keep your eyes on him, and he will show you how you can see the world through his eyes.
Rev. Dr. Ronald E. Braxton, Senior Pastor, Metropolitan AME Church
Sunday, June 6, 2010 www.metropolitanamec.org
Scripture Lesson: Luke 7:11-17 11-15 Not long after that, Jesus went to the village Nain. His disciples were with him, along with quite a large crowd. As they approached the village gate, they met a funeral procession—a woman’s only son was being carried out for burial. And the mother was a widow. When Jesus saw her, his heart broke. He said to her, “Don’t cry.” Then he went over and touched the coffin. The pallbearers stopped. He said, “Young man, I tell you: Get up.” The dead son sat up and began talking. Jesus presented him to his mother. 16-17They all realized they were in a place of holy mystery, that God was at work among them. They were quietly worshipful—and then noisily grateful, calling out among themselves, “God is back, looking to the needs of his people!” The news of Jesus spread all through the country. The Message Bible translation
Most of us have lived through some desolate places in life. Illness, chronic pain, death of a loved one, financial disaster, loss of a home, loss of employment, break-up of a long term relationship, violence, child abuse – all are circumstances that shatter a private world. Over the last two weeks, all I have been able to think about is the status of the oil leaks in the gulf and the people who are most affected by it, praying that they fare better than the victims of Hurricane Katrina. I pray that they are not left in a desolate place.
In the scripture, Jesus ministers to a woman in a desolate place. In the village of Nain, he shows compassion for a woman whose son has died. She has no husband; and she is on the way to bury her only son. In those times, widows were in a tenuous status; their fate was left to the remaining male members of their family. If there were no male members of the family to take care of them, they were moved to the margins of society. The scripture provides three lessons for us when we are in desolate places in life.
1. Take comfort that there is no desolation that blinds you from the sight of God. You may not be able to see God, but He has his eyes on you. Jesus knows all about our troubles, he will guide us til the day is done. There’s no friend like the lowly Jesus; no, not one, no not one. You can look to the life of Jesus and see in him the goodness of God. In the text, God shows compassion for the outcast. He demonstrates his ability to reach into our suffering and hurt. The same power that resides in God resides in us. The woman is suffering a pain worse than death. Jesus instructs her: Stop your weeping! He commands the dead corpse to rise and he gives the boy back to his mother.
2. In your desolate place, you have more power and strength than you know. You have the same power that Jesus has. Use your power and command those mountains: Get outta my way! Stand firm; stand bold; stand defiant in your desolation. There is no secret what God can do; what He’s done for others He will do for you.
3. When God blesses you in your desolate place, let your voice of praise and thanksgiving be distinctive. When God enters your desolate place, he restores you, picks you up, and breathes new life into your dead situation. Don’t let anyone or anything drown out your praise and thanksgiving when Jesus opens doors for you. Don’t be afraid to say: Thank you God! Thank you for the food on my table! Thank you for moving the mountains out of my life! Thank you, Lord, in my desolate place!
Don’t wait til the Lord brings you out of your desolate place. Praise Him now. Don’t wait until you get a new job. Don’t wait until you get a new house after you’ve lost your old house. Don’t wait until he delivers your child off those drugs. In your rough places, raise your hand and shout: Hallelujah!
“Wow! Look at God!”
Rev. Dr. Ronald E. Braxton, Senior Pastor, Metropolitan AME Church
Sunday, May 23, 2010 www.metropolitanamec.org
Scripture Lesson, John 14:8-17, 25-27 and Acts 2: 1-4.8Philip said, “Master, show us the Father; then we’ll be content.” 9-10″You’ve been with me all this time, Philip, and you still don’t understand? To see me is to see the Father. So how can you ask, ‘Where is the Father?’ Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you aren’t mere words. I don’t just make them up on my own. The Father who resides in me crafts each word into a divine act. 11-14″Believe me: I am in my Father and my Father is in me. If you can’t believe that, believe what you see—these works. The person who trusts me will not only do what I’m doing but even greater things, because I, on my way to the Father, am giving you the same work to do that I’ve been doing. You can count on it. From now on, whatever you request along the lines of who I am and what I am doing, I’ll do it. That’s how the Father will be seen for who he is in the Son. I mean it. Whatever you request in this way, I’ll do. The Spirit of Truth1 5-17″If you love me, show it by doing what I’ve told you. I will talk to the Father, and he’ll provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you. This Friend is the Spirit of Truth. The godless world can’t take him in because it doesn’t have eyes to see him, doesn’t know what to look for. But you know him already because he has been staying with you, and will even be in you! ***25-27″I’m telling you these things while I’m still living with you. The Friend, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send at my request, will make everything plain to you. He will remind you of all the things I have told you. I’m leaving you well and whole. That’s my parting gift to you. Peace. I don’t leave you the way you’re used to being left—feeling abandoned, bereft. So don’t be upset. Don’t be distraught. *** Acts 2: 1-4, A Sound Like a Strong Wind 1-4 When the Feast of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Without warning there was a sound like a strong wind, gale force—no one could tell where it came from. It filled the whole building. Then, like a wildfire, the Holy Spirit spread through their ranks, and they started speaking in a number of different languages as the Spirit prompted them. The Message Bible translation
This is Pentecost Sunday. I was moved by the prospect of the subject “Wow! Look at God!” Have you ever had a moment in your life when God just broke through every obstacle in your way, then delivered even MORE than what you had expected, so you knew it had to be God? Like receiving a diagnosis of inoperable cancer, but when you went back to the doctor, the doctor noticed that the cancer had shrunk and he was being scheduled for surgery.
A “wow” event is an answer to a long-desired prayer. Such as the deliverance of a wayward child; a breakthrough at just the right time; an unexpected blessing you never dreamed of. You know it was nothing but God.
There is a lot of truth to the hymn: “God moves in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform.” I declare these “wonders” to be “wow” events.
In the scripture, it’s fifty days since Jesus’ resurrection; the disciples had come together in the place where they had last seen him. They were not expecting anything out of the ordinary to happen. There was a sound like a strong wind, the Holy Spirit spread through their ranks. The powerful manifestation of the spirit of God filled the room. Wow! Look at God!!
After the crucifixion, the resurrection, the ascension into heaven, the final concern of the disciples was, what would happen when Jesus was no longer physically present? John 14 tells us Jesus had already answered this question: “The ones who believe in me will do greater works than these. From now on, whatever you ask in my name – whatever you request along the lines of who I am and what I am doing – I will do it.”
1. Don’t ever be afraid to ask God for anything. Seek God first for everything in your life. There is nothing too big or too trivial. When stuff happens, we turn to every other resource. The Bible says seek first God, and all other things will be added unto you. God will step in. When does God answer? How does God answer? Why does God answer? You gotta ask God those questions, but when your request lines up with the perfect will of God for your life, God always answers “Yes!”
2. There ought to be a door in your life that you can open and personally experience God’s touch. God has an uncanny way of opening a door in our lives that we alone have personal access to. That’s a “wow” moment, when God decides to enter. You ought to have a “secret closet” – some refer to it as a “sacred closet” – a private space in your life and your house in which you can sit and meditate and reflect. Sometimes the door opens through a scripture, sometimes through a familiar line of a hymn, causing you to look back on how the Lord brought you from where you used to be.
3. God will show up in those “wow” moments. God has entered into the space where you are. Sometimes there is the miraculous “wow” – the “God blows your mind” wow. The “out of the ordinary” wow.
God can defy all your logic. It’s not always a “big bang”, yet it is still compelling, exhilarating, surprising, shocking, startling. It comes in different forms. Like the sheer joy when you discover that you made an error in your bank account that worked out in your favor. When the doctor’s diagnosis turns out to be not as bad as you thought it was. When you look at the graduation of that child you never thought would get through high school.
When you think about the goodness of God, sometimes all you can say is: Wow!
Entries