Untitled Sermon (7)

Northside Christian Church 9/13/2020 Jamey Mills

What a crazy week…

Apologize for canceling the picnic, but it just felt out of place a bit… with everything going on.

It’s interesting that just last week we talked about contentment… the ability to have faith and joy that is largely untouched by circumstance… and then… the next blow in what has been a crazy year lands… Content… what does that look like right now?

It sort of reminds me of a line from a movie a while back… when Morgan Freeman… who was playing God said… God doesnt give people patience… but the opportunities to be patient… or to grow in patience. I believe God gives it… and provides opportunities to grow it… and contentment is like that too. Being at peace… firmly planted… despite circumstance.

Early last week, I was standing in the driveway with some neighbors when we looked across over to the park and literally watched the smoke roll in… It went from fairly normal… to the sun being red… to it being invisible in a matter of minutes. Here are a few pictures… I took all but one of these. Most of us saw it.

Early the next morning it was brought to my attention that one of our own… Sarah Daniels… is part of the team on the ground there. She has been great and helping us know what the needs are and how we can be helping.

Right away, Kylee and I jumped in the car and loaded it up with stuff you all purchased by giving to NS… When we took it in that day, the place was just overwhelmed… As donations were arriving, evacuees were arriving, and those on the ground were organizing as face as they could… while being overwhelmed by the stories those who were arriving were sharing… some had plenty of time… others had none. Some lost most of their stuff… some lost all of it. Some were coming from towns that no longer exist… I met families who were looking for other family members who were supposed to be there and weren’t. And we began to hear about people who were trapped… areas where people couldn’t get in or out… and the truth is… we still have no idea how many.

Albany was chosen as a site for refugees… for the evacuated. The mayor said on Thursday that it will also be the staging area for a state morgue… as 950,000 acres have burned in 3 days… the annual average over the past 10 years is 500,000.

Cities like Phoenix, Ashland, and Medford to the south were hit hard… my understanding is Phoenix is gone. PICTURES.

Mill City, Detroit… are gone… Gates I understand is gone.

We got the call… and when we went with the very first load of supplies… it literally looked like a war zone… people frantically running every which way… organizing… building stalls… trying to be with those that were first to arrive…

Kylee and I saw families in every sort of emotional state. Some who were happy to have a place, some who were overcome by fear, some who were angry, some who had literally just lost it all…

One family was pulling in right after we did… and as one of the front line people were doing intake the asked for his address… and he said… we dont have one anymore.

We also saw truck and trailer that had been out hunting, they had a HUGE bull elk… and when they went to go home, they were turned around. They were told they couldn’t.

We both left in tears… we got home… packed up… and had to go back to do what we could.

We spent about 8 hours there that day.

I met a homeless man that had to run for his life.

I met a young lady from scio… they basically had to get their entire farm out… and she was hurt… she couldn’t really do all she needed to… Kylee and I helped her get hay around.

I met a lady who had taken in the most malnourished horse I have ever seen…

I met a lady who was trying trying to take care of her horses with a broken arm…

I met Donna… who was there with 15 horses. I invited her here tonight… but with so many destressed animals… i didn't think she would make it… She was nearly in tears with the response of Albany… the mountain of supplies and army of helpers…

I met Jen… and her family and found out we had mutual friends…

And so many more…

The truth is… it was/is heartbreaking. It really is. It’s hard… right… this season of life…

As I stood with my neighbors watching the smoke roll in that day… I remember thinking… Lord what is going on. Covid, quarantine, social distancing, the economy, all the social and civil unrest, the moral and sexual collapse all round us, and now… literally… we are a world on fire.

And i stood there and thought… is this random? Just… really odd timing? I mean maybe? Is God trying to get the attention of His people? Maybe? Is God trying to get the attention of the world? Maybe? Is God fed up… I would understand it.

It feels too organized and to be random… but the truth is I really don’t know.

I have honestly wondered if we are seeing the beginning of the end… and again… the Bible is incredibly clear… no one knows… but it reminds me of this passage…

Matthew 25:31–46 (NLT)

31 “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

37 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’

41 “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. 42 For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. 43 I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’

44 “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’

45 “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’

46 “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”

Jesus himself is teaching…

And he reminds us there will be a day… it will all come to and end… that He is coming back… and then he says something uncomfortable…

And we need to realize that our discomfort… or our not agreeing… doesn’t make it untrue. God’s truth doesn’t require our approval or consent… just like our discomfort with what’s happening doesn’t make it go away…

Jesus says at that time… the sheep will be separated from the goats… and it’s not all willy nilly… its not based on race, gender, political, education, finance… or any other demographic…

Jesus said the difference… the separating factor… or at least part of it… was what? Caring… not in a get well soon kind of way… but in an inconvenienced and costly way…

Jesus Himself said… when we love people in need… when we take care of people in need… when we make room in our lives and homes… when we look them in the eye and care about and invest in their humanity and eternity… when we do that for what He calls the “least of these”... he says… you are doing it for Him. Caring for those who need it… it’s not as if you are caring for Christ… He says… YOU ARE caring for Him. It’s not like you are serving Him… YOU ARE.

Jesus says… serving Him… through serving others… is at least part of what separates the sheep from the goats… Not for anything in return… not for attention or our own glory…

Caring well… sacrafically. Being inconvenience for the sake of caring… for the sake of serving… for the sake of the Gospel is part of what separates the sheep from the goats… and that sort of care needs to be in the DNA of our brand new church…

In times like this… whether its random or not… it is revealing.

It reveals a lot… and we have a long way to go before we can say for certainty that serving and caring like that is the DNA of Northside… and the truth is, the only way it ever will be is if Northside is filled with people who are willing to care and sacrifice for the sake of others…

As soon as I heard the need, I threw it up on Northsides FB page… that with a lot of other updates have been seen and shared by thousands of people.

That first day I was there about 8 hours with Kylee. As we walked around and served in different areas… I heard and saw no less than 20-25 Northside families that jumped on the call for help right away… car load after car load… some I got to help upack…

No joke… thousands of pounds of food and supplies came from you all…

As well as many volunteers. when a Northsider showed up… THis amazing young woman didn't know what she could do… she just… came. I introduced her to Sarah… and I got to listen as she basically said… all we are and have is at your disposal… Tell me how to help.

She didnt know what to do… so… she just showed up. And… to me… that is so powerful. Often times… the difference is… showing up. And that doesn’t always mean physically… right… but showing up…

Because thats what the church is… and that's what the church does… that's what Jesus is saying. That part of what it means to follow Him… to care for Him… to serve Him… is… what? Caring for the least of these…

The bible talks about how we are refined by the fires of life… how the fire reveals impurities… and allows us to grow IF we are humble and willing.

So, in a world on fire… you can bet the refining is happening even now.

I said this on FB… but I want you to hear it straight from my mouth too. NORTHSIDE… I am so proud of you… we haven’t “arrived” but if serving and caring will be a part of our DNA… we took a big step. Caring for each other… is what God’s family does. Caring for others well is what God’s family does. It is costly… serving always is… it's supposed to be that way. Giving of yourself… is costly.

Serve… and care for others…

But also… know this… sometimes… It’s okay to not be okay. So few people aren’t willing to admit when life is not okay… I read a report the other day about domestic abuse and mental illness… that tells me… many of us even right here… are likely not okay. And I want you to know, that it’s hard to help… if we don’t know.

Today, we are not going to be taking communion as usual… instead… there will be a group of us in the back… that is ready to pray with you… for you… as Matt comes and leads us in a few songs..