Going to Kansas City (4-1-2021)

Goin to Kansas City 4-11-21 I Peter 2:17 "Show respect for everyone. Love Christians everywhere. Fear God and honor the government." Last week I was reflecting on some of the messages of our Sunday School lesson for today. It emphasizes cleansing ourselves for spiritual growth, avoiding fleshly compromise, and submitting to God and government. And it occurred to me that people of the New Testament must not have a lot of fun, and I wondered if being a Christian means that we should always be serious and we can't have a really good time. I woke up one morning last week singing a song under my breath from the musical Oklahoma about a young man who goes to Kansas City and finds out all about the modern world and temptations like burlesque. On the other hand I've heard our pastor and others speak of Midwesterners and their sense of respectability, moderation, and stability. And Kansas City is known as a friendly place. On the other hand I found a long list of songs about Kansas City that comment on it as being a place of fun, excitement, and wild freedoms. Fats Domino's famous song Goin to Kansas City celebrates his Kansas City baby, his bottle of Kansas City wine, the crazy way of lovin and the crazy little women there. Sister Sheila, being a Kansas City girl, might be embarrassed by Fats' lines. So which is it? Can we Christians have fun and still be moral or are we just a boring serious bunch of people always talking about sin and temptation? Well, of course, like most things, it is not an "either/or" proposition. Brother Bennie is serious about his responsibilities as a deacon and Sunday School teacher, but we know he loves being out in his boat fishing. Our pastor is a dedicated man of God but he loves baseball and is looking forward to seeing the Kansas City Royals play the Rangers in June. Brother Robert is here sitting in the front listening carefully almost every Sunday, but he and I are also big LSU and Saints football fans, I could go on and on about how we Christians know how to have a good time and still be serious about our Christian walk and work to avoid temptation and sin. But let me refocus our attention on Peter's letter. He was writing to the people of northern Asia Minor who faced intense persecution. His letter encourages faithfulness and living a distinctive lifestyle. These new Christians were gentiles and had earlier been involved in idolatry (4:3), were ignorant (1:14) and "empty" (1:18) before they came to Christ. They were formerly "not a people" but now were "God's people" (2:9-10). But these believers were suffering greatly. Last week I talked about suffering a lot. For while we are on Earth we suffer, but Peter emphasizes we are only temporary residents of this world and we are headed for an eternal homeland where we will be freed from suffering and death. What I like about chapter two is Peter's emphasis on the importance of spiritual growth. It has been said if we aren't growing we are dying. "Growth is the nature of new life in Christ." Peter says that just as a new born infant craves milk, so too we naturally crave spiritual milk, especially since we've "tasted that the Lord is good." (2:3) I don't know about you, but having tasted spiritual food, having tasted a life in Christ, I am not satisfied by the "fun and excitement" of this world the way I used to be. Yes, I enjoy a good novel, a great movie, a moving symphony, and I look forward to eventually going to see the Rangers play in their new stadium. These moments of leisure are beneficial and give us a little rest from the serious matters of life. But there is nothing to match the joy of intimacy with God in meditation and prayer, singing a rousing Christian song, or having a lively conversation about spiritual or Scriptural things. Watching a good drama or comedy on television can give me a few moments of stimulation and can make me happy for a little while, but that does not hold a candle to the joy of being close to God or discovering new insights into his love, distinguishing the shape of his being in the Psalms and seeing the beauty and magnificence of his creation in the Grand Canyon and a Redwood forest. I am encouraged by Peter when he said we are living stones, that we are being built into a spiritual house for a holy priesthood. Priesthood is something to be desired and to be proud of. I am thrilled at Peter's words: "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people but now you are God's people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." (2:9-10) Don't tell me Christians don't enjoy life, or can't have a good time. How could you read these verses and not feel special, how could you read these verses and not feel joy. Talk about "enjoying," when I read these verses I am in joy. When I heard Sister Nettie tell me how last Sunday she had people over to her house to enjoy the ham and turkey she had smoked the day before, I giggled and my mouth watered and I envied her people for the feast they were about to have. When I heard Sister Sandy sing her special music last Sunday, tears came to my eyes at the beauty of her voice and expression, coming from a beautiful soul. When I saw the pride and anticipation on the face of Sister Bergina when she brought up the two boys to sing at the end of our service last Sunday, I too beamed with pride and joy. And I heard Brother Bennie talk about the fish he had caught and saw the big grin on his face and I remembered with joy the fish I had caught on Lake Whitney years ago and the excitement of that pull on my fishing line. Friends, Christians have a lot of fun. In the midst of our suffering, the normal everyday pains of sickness, aging, and anxiety over COVID, we know how and where to find light and life. "Taste and see the goodness of the Lord. Blessed is the one who takes refuge in him." (Psalm 34:8) "This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24) We may not be going to Kansas City, but don't tell me Christians don't have fun! Questions and Challenges * Discuss with someone how you feel joy from your experiences as a Christian person. * How do you feel when you hear that you are a chosen race and a royal priesthood? * Describe ways that you have tasted that the Lord is good. Prayer Father, thank you for your many blessings, thank you for allowing me to experience the benefits of discipline and submission to your will. Holy Spirit, comfort those of us who are in ill health or who have loved ones who are struggling with physical or psychological problems. Thank you, Lord, for giving us new life and light. Grant that we stay in that light or can find it when we are in the midst of darkness. We pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ, our precious Lord and Savior. Amen.