Timothy J. Clarke - The Story of Jesus: The Beginning of Jesus

We will read the text for this week, John 1:1-5. When you’re ready, say, «I’m ready.» In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him, the Word was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it; or better, the darkness could not put it out. You may be seated in the presence of the Lord.

Beloved, a few days ago, or about a week ago, a colleague of mine mentioned something in a conversation we were having, that they had just read a statement in an article that struck them. It said that many of our churches are perfectly aligned, perfectly positioned to minister to a world that no longer exists. So many of our churches are impeccably structured, completely prepared to do awesome ministry in a world that no longer exists. This thing we now call the pandemic seems to be a gift that keeps on giving and doesn’t know when to leave. It’s almost like a song; it has another verse to it. It’s almost like a poem; it has another line to it. It’s almost like a saga; it has another chapter to it.

Since the introduction of the pandemic, here’s the reality: the world constructs that existed pre-2020 no longer exist today. So many of our churches, and let me say this—I surely pray it’s not true of our church—are perfectly positioned, aligned, and structured to do ministry for our pre-2020 world. Then we wonder why our churches struggle as we seek to do ministry in an ever-changing world. I hate to use the word «evolving» because, you know, we are not evolutionists. Okay, now y’all said pretty good; they didn’t say anything! Let me turn this way: We are not evolutionists; we are creationists. We do not believe in the Big Bang Theory; we do not believe in Darwin’s theory of evolution. We do not subscribe to that philosophical construct of the survival of the fittest. We believe that in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

I’m very careful because words matter; language matters; linguistics matter. So, I’m very cautious when I use the word «evolving,» but we are living in an ever-evolving world. And I’ll say this, and I’ll move on: it is evolving at rapid, breakneck speed, and my fear is that the church is not keeping up. Thus, we are perfectly aligned, perfectly postured, and perfectly structured to minister to a world that no longer exists. This morning, another colleague of mine—a friend who often sends me an email every week on Sunday morning, early—said in his message of encouragement: «The world does not believe the Bible, and the church does not practice it.» My God! What tension we live in!

We are in a world that does not believe the Bible. But would you believe there’s something worse than that? It’s not just a world that does not believe the Bible. The malaise, the malady, the sickness, the pathological disease that is afflicting and affecting us is that we have a church that doesn’t practice the Bible. I want to say this—if y’all run me out of my own pulpit—and maybe that’s why the world doesn’t believe it; because they don’t see the church practicing it. But that’s another sermon for another Sunday.

I thought about what my colleague said: the church is perfectly aligned. I want you to let that sink in—perfectly structured, perfectly positioned. I mean, we’ve got it down pat, y’all. We’ve got the ministries, the auxiliaries, and the organizations to minister in a world that no longer exists. I contemplated that because, part and parcel of this, if we’re not careful, we will also speak a language the world doesn’t understand.

Let me see, since it’s the Sunday after Thanksgiving; let me see if I can make this applicable to what you’ve just been through and what you may be feeling right now—the after-residual effects of eating too much of those comfort foods. Okay, online people, Denise, Gowdy, Kareem, listen. You remember Cliff’s? Michelle? The Karen Peaks? Y’all help me because these folks in here are not saying anything! Okay, okay, I’m bringing the commodity, they are comfort foods. Don’t look at me like that! You know macaroni and cheese, pound cake, fried chicken, apple pie à la mode—come on, Meatloaf, Haagen-Dazs! Those are comfort foods!

Now, I’m not saying they’re not good, but we normally tend to eat them when we are down in the dumps, and they perk us up. Can I put one more «P» on there? They also put pounds on us! So, while you’re getting perked up and picked up, just know that all that comfort food is piling up the pounds. We have comfort foods, and…