Lent
1 March
1, 2009 I Chronicles 12:10-13
GOD
HOLDS US
THEME: All thing
are in God’s hands… all things are under God’s care.
INTRODUCTION
A. During the season of Lent there are several
questions that Jennie and I want to explore with
you in our
sermons and in worship…
§ How do you experience the hand of God
upon you?
§ How do you see the hand of God at
work in the world?
§ How are we – you and me, the church –
God’s hands at work in the world today?
B. To help us focus upon these questions we are
going to use spirituals – “Negro Spirituals” – as well
as scripture as
the foundation for our preaching…
I – SPIRITUALS (primarily
from: NEGRO SPIRITUALS: SONGS OF SURVIVAL
by Tom Faigin)
A. A spiritual is a song that expresses faith in
God…
§ “Negro spirituals were the first
uniquely American music to come out of this country” and they have had a great
impact on American music…
§ “Spirituals were created over a
200-year period, but not until after the Civil War were
most Americans aware of their existence.” <Faigin>
§ The songs created and sung by the
slaves expressed their great desire for freedom and their hope for a better
future…
B. “The
slaves led very difficult lives. They were forbidden many things, but they were
allowed to go
to church and to play
music. Because they had so few things to enjoy, they put a great deal of
energy into their
music. Combining African rhythms and harmonies with messages of hope from
the Bible, they
created what are called ‘Negro spirituals.’”
<misterteacher.com>
C. “This
music, so rich and varied, so deeply emotional and expressive, is a testament
to the
strength and
tenacity of the African people who adapted to and enriched all of American
culture.”
<Faigin>
D. “Music,
especially in the fields during long hours of physical toil, was encouraged.
The slaves
worked harder
and longer when they sang and the music seemed to keep up their spirits. Not
much attention
was paid to the lyrics and as a result, a wide range of expressive lyrics gave
vent
to the slaves’
desires for a better life in this world and the next.” <Faigin>
E. “Slaves
used spirituals to affirm their humanity and to give them hope, faith, and
courage to go
on living when
life seemed to be nothing but endless physical toil, punishment, and
deprivation.”
<Faigin>
F. “The
slaves identified with Biblical figures who suffered and overcame severe
adversity. The Jews
were slaves in
David and Joshua were real people with
real problems. Might not history repeat itself? How long
would oppression
be allowed to triumph?” <Faigin>
II – TROUBLED TIMES
A. We are living in troubled times… many people
are struggling to get by… others are struggling to
survive…
§ Homelessness, joblessness, and hunger
are stripping some people of their humanity and forcing others to make
difficult choices…
§ The downturn in the economy has many
people worried about the future of the nation and their own future…
B. Wednesday night’s Patriot Ledger featured an article by Lane Lambert about what
pastors and
churches on the
meet the challenges
that they are facing…
§ The Rev. Kenneth Overbeck said that
his message during Lent will be: “No job does not mean you
have no dignity; no house does not mean you have no home; no money does
not mean you have no value.”
§ The Rev. Ann Suzedell said that she
will put these questions before her congregation during Lent: “What truly
anchors your life? Where do you find hope?
§ The Rev. Stan Cushing will tell his
congregation, “We are presented with the opportunity now to focus upon the ways
that we can really make a difference in the world.”
§ The message of churches across the
C. What should we be doing in these times
of trouble? We should persevere, trust God, and do what
we can to help
people get by. We should be the church – the people – that we have been called
to be.
D. Anxiety about the future is understandable,
but when we understand that we are in God’s hands
– in God’s care –
there is reason for hope!
§ I believe that God is still at work
in this world… still creating, still redeeming, and still transforming… God has
not abandoned us…
§ I believe that the whole world is
indeed in God’s hands… I believe that you are in God’s hands… I believe that
God is holding each one of us… and that belief gives me hope!
§ There is a promise in scripture that
we need to cling to when we struggle… The Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to
the struggling church in
§ God wants us to trust Him to live up
to his promises… and to live, and love, and to serve Him by serving others as
people of faith…
§ God is bigger than any struggle, any
suffering, any challenge that we may face, but God does need us to work with
him. God does need us to do what we can do to help others.
E. I don’t know what the future holds, but I
do know who holds the future! I believe that all things
are in God’s
hands. I believe that all things are under God’s care.
F. The Rev. Dr. Cynthia Campbell preached these
words to her congregation: “’In life and in death,
we belong to
God.’ That is God’s promise. I believe that it is a promise for everyone. Just
as the
gospel song says:
He’s got the whole world in his hands!
You and me, the little bitty baby, the
wind and the rain, everybody here: the whole of creation in God’s hands.
And that is as much of
the future as I
need to know.” <
III - HOPE
A. What truly anchors your life?
B. The slaves put their trust in God and placed
their hope for a better future in God and in God
alone… they
believed in the great faithfulness of God…
C. Where do you find hope?
D. Look back to the words of this morning’s
opening hymn… in the second verse are these words:
“With
unfailing grasp God holds us, every child of every race.”
E. God has the whole world in his hands. And
what incredibly strong and loving hands they are!
Sermon
Seeds
§
He’s Got The Whole
World In His Hands
– traditional
§
“Negro
Spirituals: Songs of Survival” – an essay by Tom Faigin (www.jsfmusic.com)
§
What’s Next ?” – a sermon by Rev.
Dr. Cynthia Campbell – Pasadena Presbyterian Church – July 28, 2002
§
The Patriot Ledger – “An Anchor In The
Storm” – article by Lane Lambert – February 25, 2009