Category: Sermons

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Is Atheism really the problem? What does Psalm 14 say?

Title slide with photos of Bluemont and Mayberry Churches

Jeff Garrison
Mayberry and Bluemont Churches
September 14, 2025
Psalm 14

Sermon recorded at Mayberry on Friday, September 12, 2025…

At the beginning of worship: 

There are many times I wonder what to say on a Sunday and this morning is one of them. We gather with the assassination of Charlie Kirk fresh in our minds as well as another school shooting in Colorado. Such events are too common. Just in the past few months we’ve witnessed the assassination of a Democratic legislator and the attempted assassinated of another in Minnesota. And there was the burning of the Governor of Pennsylvania’s home while he and his family slept. And a host of school shootings occurred. Outrage on social media seems to be at an all-time high.  

At times like this, as Christ’s followers, we should concern ourselves with how we reflect the love and the grace of Jesus Christ. How can we not enflame the rhetoric and be the peacemakers we’re called to be? How can we love, even our enemies, as we’re called? 

Psalm 1, which I’ll refer to later in my sermon this morning, speaks of the two paths before us.[1] Do we follow the path of the sinners and scoffers, or the path of the righteous who delight in the law and ways of the Lord? As we’ll see today, carrying and not abusing others for our personal benefit is imperative if we want to be with the godly. 

Before reading the scripture: 

Two weeks ago, in our journey around the Psalms, we looked at Psalm 112. I mentioned my dislike of the Psalm, as it proclaims blessings for righteousness. At times, that seems far-fetched.[2]At least, in the present world. Today, we’ll look at the opposite. 

Psalm 14 curses those who live as if God has no control over their lives. Both Psalms are tricky to peach.

A couple of things about this Psalm. Most Psalms address God. Instead of speaking to God, this Psalm is a prophetic statement by the Psalmist, directed at those whose actions go against God’s Word. While God is mentioned, the Psalm addresses the fools who think God won’t be concerned over their actions. 

Next, this Psalm is repeated almost word-for-word in Psalm 53. However, scholars generally preferred the 14th Psalm as the original seems better preserved here. As much as I would like to ignore this Psalm, when it’s repeated, I should realize God values these words and not disregard them. Repetition biblically emphasizes importance. 

This Psalm can be divided into three parts. It starts with a lament against the wicked who don’t believe in God. But it’s not really about atheism, as I’ll explain. Next, the Psalm serves as a warning against the wicked, followed by a hopeful wish of God intervening and bringing relief to those who suffer at their hands. [3]

Read Psalm 14

I’m going out on a limb and at the risk of oversimplification, suggest there are two kinds of atheists. The philosophical atheist doesn’t believe in God. This doesn’t necessarily make him or her a bad person. You don’t have to believe in God to be a decent human being. And all of us should strive to be decent human beings. 

The second type of atheist may say they believe in God. In fact, they may insist they’re not an atheist. However, their lives don’t act like they believe in God. They live as if they control their own destiny. Such atheists may even be a member of a church. They may proudly proclaim a profession of faith, which makes the second type of atheism more dangerous. And, I suggest, this is the type of atheism referred to in the Psalm. 

Philosophical atheism wasn’t really known in the biblical world. Of course, the Greeks discussed it. Socrates was even condemned to death for atheism. But Socrates denied the charge. He had challenged the leadership of Athens, and the trumped-up charge of atheism allowed the city’s leaders a way to silence him. Plato, from whom we learn much of what we know about Socrates, considered atheism foolish. But that all occurred in Greece, far from Israel.

In the Biblical world, instead of worrying about atheists, Israel’s larger concern were people who went after the gods of their neighbors, especially Baal. A second concern would have been people who lived as if they were God. Such a temptation reaches back to Eden and the Serpent’s promise that eating of the forbidden fruit would make our first parents like God.[4]

So, this opening line isn’t really about atheism as we know it. After all, modern philosophical atheism became popular in the 19thCentury with philosophers like Nietzsche and Marx and brought back into popularity more recently by the likes of Richard Dawkins. But this is not what the Psalmist refers to when he says, “fools say in their hearts there is no God.”  

Notice this Psalm isn’t directed toward those who proclaim out loud that God doesn’t exist. Instead, the Psalm makes such a claim against those who say such things in their hearts. In other words, those who at their very being live as if God doesn’t exist. All of us probably find ourselves tempted in such a manner at some point. And the temptation to want to be our own god is as old as humanity, reaching back to Adam and Eve. 

Let’s face it, those who act as if they are God or above God, or as if for some reason God gives them the right to do what they would like, are all around us. It’s to such people this Psalm speaks. For the Psalmist, these may have been the religious and political elite in Jerusalem, as John Calvin seems to have understood the passage. In his handling of this Psalm, he directs his message toward the clergy during the Reformation who failed to care for their flocks.[5]

Furthermore, this Psalm concerns itself with moral issues more than with theological ones. It’s not that the one doesn’t believe in God, but that one doesn’t act like they don’t have to answer to anyone.[6] The villain in this Psalm doesn’t believe in divine retribution, or that he or she will sooner or later have to atone for his or her sin.[7]

Psalm 14 has a countertheme, this is still God’s world.[8]  And the Psalmist has a message for such villains who think the world belongs to them. God’s watching. The wise aren’t those who act as if they’re almighty, but those who seek after God. The villain, who doesn’t concern him or herself with God, have gone astray or adrift from the truth. In verse four, we learn such individuals think they can use other people for their own enrichment. “They eat up God’s people as if they’re bread,” the Psalmist says. 

This Psalm is attributed to David, who, if you remember, had a righteous streak within him. Do you remember Nathan telling David about a rich man who, instead of taking from his own flock a lamb to feed a traveler, stole the only lamb a poor man owned. David was incensed. He wanted the rich man’s head for his crime, only to hear Nathan’s condemning words, “You are the man.” David had stolen Uriah’s wife and had set up Uriah’s death.[9]

In a way, with this Psalm, David proclaims such a prophecy as he heard from Nathan. But he’s also convicted by it. And in that manner, he’s no different than most humans. We have our good moments and our less than good moments. Our bad moments include trying to use other people for our own benefits without concern for their wellbeing. This Psalm speaks to such situations. That’s abusing and disregarding the needs of others for personal profit, especially the poor who have no means to protect themselves. 

In verses 5 and 6, the Psalm speaks of the terror those who abuse others face. God stands with the poor, with those who are abused by others. God remains a refuge for the righteous. The villains will find themselves, in their quest for ill-gotten gain, in a battle against God. 

Our Psalm ends with a wish and hope.[10] The promised reward, as we learned from Psalm 112 two weeks ago, may be off in the future. The ending of Psalm 14 reminds us that the accounts have not all been settled. Those “fools” who live and act as if God doesn’t exist may seem as if they’re winning in the short run, but judgment awaits. 

What the Psalm encourages the reader to do is to live in a manner which honors all people, especially those who are unable to care for themselves. Then, we won’t have to worry about God seeing what we’re up to and our conscience can be clean. Furthermore, the Psalm wants the readers to know that just because someone seems to live high on the hog while mistreating others, they’ll sooner or later experience the terror of a righteous God.  

Like Psalm 1, this is a wisdom psalm. There are two ways to live, we learn from the first Psalm. We have the path of the sinners, the wicked, and the path of those who delight in God. And as Psalm 14 reminds us, this includes carrying for others. The choice is ours. Amen. 

[1] For a sermon I preached on Psalm 1, see https://fromarockyhillside.com/2023/01/08/psalm-1-two-roads/

[2] See https://fromarockyhillside.com/2025/08/31/psalm-112-the-blessing-of-the-righteous/

[3] Artur Weiser, The Psalms: A Commentary (1959, Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1962), 164. 

[4] Genesis 3:5.

[5] See Stan Mast’s commentary on this passage: https://cepreaching.org/commentary/2018-07-23/psalm-14/

[6] James L. Mays, Psalm: Interpretation, A Biblical Commentary for Teaching and Preaching (Louisville, KY: John Knox Press, 1994), 81.

[7] Robert Alter, The Book of Psalms: A Translation with Commentary (New York: Norton, 2007), 40. 

[8] Walter Brueggermann, The Message of the Psalms: A Theological Commentary (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1984), 44. 

[9] 2 Samuel 12:1-15. 

[10] Brueggemann, 45. 

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Psalm 112: The blessing of the righteous

Title slide with photos of the two churches where this sermon will be preached

Jeff Garrison
Mayberry & Bluemont Churches
August 31, 2025
Psalm 112

Sermon recorded at Bluemont on Friday, August 29, 2025

At the beginning of worship: 

Twenty years ago this month, I officiated Jodi’s funeral. An attractive and delightful woman, about my age, she moved back to Hastings where I was serving a church. She was in her late 40s. Her last year she lived with her elderly mother because of a terrible illness. I don’t remember the name, but the disease, which I think was hereditary, caused a stiffing of muscles. It eventually killed her because she could no longer breath, a terrible way to go. 

Jodi’s mother, Joan, was a saint. When Jodi moved back to town, it was all Joan could do help her move from the bed to a chair or go to the bathroom. Joan herself was frail, but she threw herself into the task at hand. Eventually, she had to have nursing help and Jodi remained mostly in bed. During this time, I visited her several times. Her mind was sharp, and she always expressed a joyful attitude despite being in pain. She was a lovely soul who never complained. I could only imagine how I would be if I was in her situation. 

I haven’t thought about Jodi for years, but as I started reading our morning’s Psalm in preparation for today’s sermon, she came to mind.

This morning I want you to ask yourself, “Why do we praise God?” Is it out of the hope to be rewarded? Or because of God’s nature? 

Before the reading of the Scripture: 

This week, as we explore the Psalms, we’re looking at Psalm 112. There are good reasons why I haven’t preached on this Psalm in my 36 years of preaching weekly. It sounds too simplistic. Obey God and you’ll be blessed. I expect most of us know godly people, like Jodi whom I introduced earlier, who in this life wasn’t blessed. At least not blessed in any recognizable fashion. 

There is a close connection between Psalm 111 and Psalm 112. Neither Psalm is attributed to a particular author, but most scholars think the same author wrote both. Nor do we have any hints as to the date or circumstance of either Psalm. Psalm 111 focuses on God’s praise and ends with a line from wisdom literature, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”[1]This is followed in Psalm 112 with the blessings offered to those who fear God. [2]

Furthermore, both Psalms 111 and 112 are acrostic poems. Each “measure” within the poem begins with the next letter within the Hebrew alphabet.[3] Of course, it’s impossible to faithfully translated such a poem. After all, the Hebrew language has only 22 letters verses our 26 letters. And it’s impossible to have a word starting with the same letter in both languages. 

Let’s listen to this Psalm. You might want to keep your Bibles open afterwards, as we work through this poem. 

Read Psalm 112

At our Men’s Breakfast and Bible Study on Tuesday, we read this passage. Before I say anything, I generally begin by asking for everyone’s first thoughts. One person pointed that this passage challenged the concept of the inerrancy of scripture. 

Certainly, there are things in scripture which go against these words. Job, the faithful servant, who lost everything. Jesus, the faithful Son, who dies a horrible death. And even in our own lives, we all know people who are basically good, but don’t reap the benefits spoken of here. My mind went to Jodi, whom I introduced earlier. So, let’s take a few minutes and explore this Psalm, asking ourselves what we might learn from it. 

Psalm 112, like Jesus’ opening lines in the Sermon of the Mount which we used as our call to worship this morning, is a beatitude.[4] The Psalm promises blessings to the righteous. And who are the righteous? The first verse identities them as those who fear God and delight in God’s commandments. The fourth and fifth verse tells us they’re a light in darkness. Graciousness, mercy, righteous and justice characterizes them. The seventh verse tells us of their lack of fear of evil and in the ninth verse show they care for the poor. 

In other words, the blessed righteous in this Psalm don’t just have faith or trust in God. They haven’t just prayed the sinner’s prayer and then gone about their lives. They live out their faith by helping others. Their conscious is clear, and they trust God enough to know everything will be okay.

We’re not provided with much insight about the makeup of the wicked in this Psalm, only that they become angry at the blessings experienced by the righteous. Just like the blessings of the righteous, this seems paradoxical. After all, it often seems as if the wicked prosper. People who cheat and win are often applauded, but such actions do not find approval in scripture.

The movie Wall Street, which was released in 1987, shows this. The movie also provides hope that things might turn out differently. In the movie, Bud, played by Charlies Sheen, struggles as a young stockbroker. Trying to get ahead, he develops a relationship with Gordon Gekko, a shady character played by Michael Douglas. Gekko has lots of money to invest and likes sure things, which he usually obtains from illegal insider trading. I remember reading a few years after the movie who Douglas was shocked by people’s reaction. He thought they should be repulsed by his character, but too many wanted to be Gekko. 

Bud becomes fabulously rich, but when he learns Gekko plans to destroy the airlines where his father (played by his real father, Martin Sheen) works as a mechanic, he has a change of heart. He begins to plot against Gekko. As this plays out, the Security and Exchange Commission, who has been investigating Bud’s activities, step in and arrest him. It’s obvious, he’s bound for jail. 

The next scene involves a meeting with Gekko in a park. Gekko beats up Bud for turning against him and causing him to lose money. Bud takes the beating, refusing to fight back. As he cleans himself up afterwards in a rest room, we learn he wore a wire, provided by investigators who hope they can also take down Gekko’s illegal dealings. Bud goes to court expecting to go to jail, but also knows he’ll get a lighter sentence. Furthermore, he’s promised an honest job once he pays his dues. 

While the movie’s final scene shows Bud walking up the steps to the courthouse, we have some sense Gekko himself will experience the long arm of the law. 

Sadly, things are often not as clear cut as we’d like. Sometimes justice takes time, as the movie shows. Neither justice nor blessings move as fast as we’d like or as this Psalm indicates. Rotten and corrupt people often end up on top, at least in the present. 

Because of the condition of this world, the Psalms of Lament, where we cry out because of the injustice we experience or see, seem much more appropriate than a Psalm of blessings. 

Which leads me to ask how are the righteous blessed? In the present, their blessing might just be one thing. They don’t lose sleep over their sins, their dishonesty, and their crimes. They can relax and sleep well, knowing they’ve strived to live honorable and noble lives. That’s why the Psalm says they’re not afraid. On the other hand, the wicked who live with skeletons in their closets must always stay on top of their lies. They know that at any time, their house of cards might topple down.[5] They are like Bud in the movie Wall Street, knowing a knock on the door could bring the Security and Exchange Commission with handcuffs. 

And, of course, if the wicked are not caught in this life, like all of us they will have to stand before the throne of judgment one day and give account of their lives.[6] So even if the wicked appear to win, they will lose where it matters most. 

The Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann classified Psalm 112 as a “Psalm of Orientation.”  This Psalm shows how we should adapt our lives to live within God’s favor. We’re to focus on God and do what God desires from us. The Psalm shows that our contentment comes from how we relate to others.[7] Do we give generously, practice justice, care for poor, and remain faithful to God? Goodness isn’t just a state of being. It comes from our actions as we work for the wellbeing of others. 

This Psalm teaches us that our happiness is created within social relationships.[8] When we let greed or our desire to be self-sufficient get in the way of our relationship with others, we have missed the boat. 

One thing this Psalm demonstrate is that riches are not proof of one’s relationship to God. The Psalm does not support the heretical Prosperity Gospel, which teaches blessings come to the faithful. That goes against much of Scripture. After all, God sends rain upon the just and unjust.[9] Money and possessions are not signs of a blessed life in this Psalm. The blessed in this life (and the next) are those who follow God’s teachings and strive to help others. 

Use this Psalm as a guide for your life. You might not become rich, but you’ll be living in a godly manner. Amen. 

[1] See Job 28:28, Proverbs 1:7, 9:10, 15:3.  In the Apocrypha book of Sirach, the opening chapter is a praise of wisdom (see Sirach 1:14, 16, 18, 20). See also Sirach 15:11, 19:20 and 12:11. 

[2] Artur Weiser, The Psalms: A Commentary, Herbert Hartwell translator (1959, Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1962), 703. 

[3] James L. Mays, Psalms: Interpretation, a Biblical Commentary for Teaching and Preaching (Louisville, KY: John Knox Press, 1994), 359. 

[4] See Matthew 5:3-12.

[5] Idea from a commentary on this passage by Scott Hoezee. See https://cepreaching.org/commentary/2019-08-26/psalm-112-2/

[6] While the concept of eternal judgment wasn’t fully developed as the Psalms were written, the Psalms are within a larger canon including the New Testament in which judgment exists. This doesn’t mean those who break such laws are unable to get into heaven, but for them to make it into heaven, they will have to be purified of their greed and injustice. 

[7] Walter Brueggemann, The Message of the Psalms (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1984), 47. 

[8] Brueggemann, 46. 

[9] Matthew 5:45.

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Psalm 103: Praising God

Title slide with photo of two rock churches along the Blue Ridge Parkway

Jeff Garrison
Mayberry & Bluemont Churches  
Psalm 103
August 24, 2025

Sermon recorded at Mayberry Church on Saturday, August 23, 2025

At the beginning of worship:

Johnny always wanted to take a ride in a balloon.  He’d heard about how quiet it was as you floated over the countryside. Finally, he had a chance. Johnny climbed into the basket with the balloon pilot. They dropped the weights as the pilot fired up the heater. In no time, the balloon rose above local buildings and barns. Then they were above trees. It kept going higher as the wind kicked up and whisked them away. Soon neither Johnny nor the pilot knew where they were at. The pilot dropped the balloon down in a safe area without trees and powerlines and Johnny called to a man walking along a sidewalk: ‘Excuse me, sir, can you tell me where I am?’

After looking Johnny up and down, the passer-by says: ‘You are in a red balloon, ten feet above ground.’ 

‘You must be a lawyer,’ Johnny mumbled.

‘How could you possible know that?’ asked the man. 

Because your answer is technically correct but useless. I am still lost’.

“You must be in management’, said the passer-by. 

‘That’s right” Johnny said.  “How did you know?’ 

‘You have such a good view from where you are,” the lawyer said, “and yet you don’t know where you are, and you don’t know where you are going. The fact is you are in the exact same position you were in before we met, but now your problem is somehow my fault!”[1]

One of the problems in life is that we often take credit for things when they go well and then blame someone or something else when they are not. Such an attitude is neither honest nor helpful.  

Before reading the Scripture:

Last week, we explored Psalm 80, a Psalm of Lament.[2] The author of that Psalm wondered if God had given up on the people of Israel. Honesty is a hallmark of the Psalms. These ancient hymns bring all kinds of emotions to the Lord. From the bitter feelings of abandonment, the fear of defeat, to the joy of praise, the Psalms have it all. The Psalms show it’s okay to be honest with God. We’re just not to give up on God. Consider your prayers. Are you honest about your feelings with God? 

Today, we’ll explore Psalm 103. Attributed to King David, instead of a lament full of complaints, David rejoices in God, acknowledging all God has done for himself and for his people. The Psalm begins by calling on himself to praise and ends by calling on all creation to praise God. 

Read Psalm 103

One of the delights of eating with my late friend and a theological mentor, Jack Stewart, was listening to him say grace.[3] At the table, once everyone sat down, he’d reach out and grab his wife’s hand and the hand of whoever sat to the other side of him.  Then he’d begin with a strong deep voice, “Bless the Lord, all my soul and all that is within in. Bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, all my soul, and do not forget all his benefits.” As soon as he began, everyone became quiet and listened.

Jack almost always said the same grace at meals, opening with the first two verses of this Psalm. Sometimes he’d add his own prayers after the opening, but not always. These two verses are sufficient. When in a restaurant, it’ll be the same prayer, only not quite as loud as at home. At home, the dishes might rattle from the booming sound of his voice as if even they joined in the praise of God. 

The opening verses of Psalm 103 is a fitting prayer. Like many of our prayers, it may be more for us than for God. These words remind us of our duty to praise God and to remember what God has done for us. God cares for us. God forgives us. The God who gave us the breath of life, heals us and offers us a second and third and forty-ninth opportunity to get it right.   

Part of what makes this Psalm so rich is how the Psalmist draws from his personal experiences and from the experiences of his people with God. Even though, like all of us, he has succumb to sin, which cut him off from God, he is able to, as one commentator writes, “enjoy the full sunlight of the grace of his God.”[4] Martin Luther called this Psalm the proper master and doctor of Scripture.”[5] He’s right as these words encapsulates much of our theology, which focuses on the praise of God.

Notice how the Psalm builds. In the opening verse, the Psalmist speaks to himself as he calls for his need to bless or praise the Lord. But then in verse seven, he brings in Israel, who experienced God’s mercy and grace. Then, in verse 15, he adds to the Hebrew voices all mortals, who live like grass and are frail. In verse twenty, he calls on the angels in the court of heaven. And then, at the end, he calls on all creation. All of God’s works and dominion joins in the song. 

Think about listening to a piece of music that begins with a single instrument, then the conductor calls in more instruments from a different section of the symphony, then brings in instruments from another section. Each time new instruments are added, the sound rises and becomes fuller. Finally, when all have joined in, the music reaches a crescendo. That’s what’s happening in this Psalm.

The Psalmist tells us why we should praise the Lord. God gives us abundant matter for praising him,” John Calvin wrote about this Psalm. If we could only remember God’s benefits, “we would be sufficiently inclined to perform our duty.”[6]

In verses 3 through 6, using a series of verbs, the Psalmists points out what God has done: forgives, heals, redeems, crowns, satisfies, renews, and works. There are two great themes of God’s work highlighted in this Psalm. First is forgiveness. The other combines the traits of the Almighty: love and compassion.[7]

From the vantage point of the present, looking back, the Psalmist sees where God intervened on his behalf. He knows the stories of how God has guided and protected Israel, going back to Moses and leading the people out of Egypt. He quotes from Exodus the line that God is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.[8] As we saw in Psalm 33, which we explored a few weeks ago, David understands God’s enthronement in the heavens. God, with an overview of all the world, remains intimately connected in our lives.[9]

God is compassionate, like a father. And as Creator, God knows our beginning. Our lives, when measured against history, are short, but God’s love is everlasting.

Yes, we should praise God for all that God has done for us. The Psalmist, in bringing in all the voices that have experienced God’s providence, calls on you and me to join in this song of praise. Bless the Lord, O my soul. Be thankful and grateful so that all might know of God’s goodness.  

The message of this Psalm is one that we need to take to heart. Too often, these days, people look askew at the Christian faith. They see the church as judgmental, even hateful.[10] We must change that perspective! We need to reflect a faith grounded in this Psalm instead of one that just condemns all that we see wrong in the world. As one individual who gave up on church said: “The church should be a place where people are loved collectively rather than judged individually.”[11] Certainly, there are lots of things wrong with the world, but love (not condemnation) is the only thing that will redeem it.  

God loves the world. John 3:16 tells us he sent his only Son to save us. As followers of Jesus, we strive to live Christ-like lives. This Psalm shows us what God is about, reminding us of God’s loving care. We should be thankful. As we worship and praise God, we should humble ourselves while bringing God glory. Amen.  

[1] Adapted from http://fuertenews.com/fun-stuff/jokes-mainmenu-135/2929-may-day-traditions-and-jokes.

[2] https://fromarockyhillside.com/2025/08/17/a-desparate-plea-to-god/

[3] I wrote about Jack after his death here: https://fromarockyhillside.com/2023/10/12/remembering-jack/

[4]Artur Weiser, The Psalms, translated by Herbert Hartwell, (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1962), 657.

[5][5] James L. Mays, Psalms: Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching (Louisville: John Knox Press,1994), 405.

[6] John Calvin, Commentary on the Psalms, viewed at https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/cal/psalms-103.html

[7] Stan Mast, “Notes on Psalm 103:1-8 for Proper 16C (August 15, 2016) for the Center of Excellence in Preaching at Calvin College.  See http://cep.calvinseminary.edu/sermon-starters/proper-16c/?type=the_lectionary_psalms

[8] Exodus 34:6

[9] https://fromarockyhillside.com/2025/08/10/psalm-33-trusting-in-a-merciful-god/

[10] There are a lot of books and articles that are making this case.  See Dan Kimball, They Like Jesus but Not the Church: insights from emerging generations (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007). 

[11] Josh Packard, Ph.D and Ashleigh Hope, Church Refugees: Sociologists reveal why people are DONE with church but not their faith. (Loveland, CO: Group Publishing, 2015), 32.

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A Desparate Plea to God

Title slide with photos of two rock churches where the sermon is to be preached

Jeff Garrison
Mayberry & Bluemont Churches
Psalm 80
August 17, 2025

Sermon recorded in the sanctuary of Bluemont Church on Friday, August 15, 2025

At the beginning of worship: 

Ernest Hemingway, when recovering from wounds received during World War I, noticed those who could patiently wait were strengthened during their recovery. Others, those who were impatient, struggled. From his experiences, Hemingway developed his basic story line. He placed good people into difficult situations and forced them to wait and then through the story enabled his readers to see his character’s true strength or weakness unfold. 

Hemingway’s characters often find themselves waiting. The Spanish republican lying in wait for his end in For Whom the Bells Toll. The matador anticipating the deadly bull in Death in the Afternoon. The old man spending all night fighting a giant fish, which in the end will only be eaten by a shark, in The Old Man and the Sea. And the threat of charging beast as big game hunters work the brush in his African short stories.[1]

When we are patient and willing to wait on God, we show character and resolve. But too often, we want to jump the gun. We want to get things started and prematurely set out to accomplish something, only to fail because we haven’t waited for the Lord to lead us. 

We have such great potential. The advances of science and technology continue to amaze us. And it makes us as members of humanity feel powerful. But in the end, we don’t have that much power. We’re weak and frail. We should bow before the power of a God who comes and willing dies for us. We should spend time in prayer and meditate upon the Scriptures in preparation for what is next. 

As in the Psalm we’ll explore today, we need to call upon and trust God to answer. We demonstrate our character by our willingness to trust in the Lord. Can we take our burdens to God? Can we rely on God to do something—accepting that God knows best—or do we try to go it alone and experience more disappointment and failures? 

Before the reading of Scripture:

We’ll explore Psalm 80 this morning. This is somewhat of a unique Psalm as it appears to have come from the Northern Kingdom of Israel. These are the ten “lost tribes” of Israel, who disappeared after Assyria conquered the Northern Kingdom in seven centuries before Christ. The writing of most of the Old Testament came through the eyes of the Southern Kingdom, who maintained a semblance of independence until the Babylonian exile. 

The Psalmist here expresses the desperation of his people. They are in danger and only God can help. Yet, it appears as if God has disappeared.[2] Let’s listen: 

Read Psalm 80

The Psalmist calls on God to save. Desperate, he cries out three times repeating the same phrase. “Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.” He’s so desperate he’ll risk looking at the face of the Almighty. We’re not supposed to do that. It’s dangerous; it can be fatal for God is so holy and we’re not. But the conditions are such the Psalmist sees no other way out of his situation. He hit bottom. He’ll will risk it! There’s no other hope. 

His willingness to call upon God to show his face demonstrates the intimate relationship possible between God and his children. To call upon God to show his face requires a relationship with the Almighty—one where the human party trusts God enough to risk it all.  

It’s also a plea for God to see our desperate condition. If you remember from last week, when we looked at Psalm 33, while God exists outside of creation, God remains concerned about what happens on earth.[3] Here, things are so desperate, the Psalmist fears God has turned away and calls God to again look at what’s happening. 

In his plea, the Psalmist uses two motifs to describe God.[4] “Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel.” God is seen as a shepherd who leads his sheep through the wilderness. This image arises from Exodus, when God took care of his people as a shepherd might care for his sheep. This is the image from David’s famous Psalm, “the Lord is my shepherd,” a God who leads his people by the still waters and to fields of green grass, the God who protects us in the shadow of death.[5] In times of peril, it’s comforting to know God as our shepherd.  

The second motif used to describe God is that of one who tends grapes, in other words a farmer. This description implies a more settled state. No longer are the Hebrew people wandering in the wilderness. They’re settled in the Promised Land. God has planted them as a vine. And as the vine grows, God nurtures the struggling plant with water and fertilizer, by pruning and building walls to protect his vineyard from wild animals and thieves. The Psalmist and the Hebrew people know God’s activity from how God cared for them, both in the wilderness and at their new home in the Promised Land.

But all that was in the past. For the Psalmist and those reciting this psalm in worship, God is absent. They know and recall all of God’s deeds of the past, of how God led their ancestors out of Egypt and settled them into Palestine. However, continuing with the view of the vine, they complain to God that the walls have been broken down and their fruit poached by those wandering by and ravaged by the animals of the forest. 

There struggles are kind of like my ongoing battle to keep the deer and beetles from eating my grapevines or the groundhog eating my cucumber vines. Only their struggle is worse. They call on God to once again look down from heaven and see their plight and save them from their enemies.

The Psalmist concludes with a vow: if God gives life, they promise to never turn their backs on God. We wonder if this is a type of a deathbed conversion promise, you know, the type we keep only during the dangerous hours. These types of prayers are more like bargaining with God— “God if you get me out of this mess, I’ll be good”. It’s the type of prayer I might have prayed while battling waves and wind in a kayak far offshore. I’ve called out for help this past June when a gale overtook me during my paddle around Drummond Island in Lake Huron.[6]

We’ve all been where the Psalmist is at. There are times God is distant. Mystics call it “the dark night of the soul.” In these situations, what do we do? We continue to pray.; we continue to bring our concerns to God. We continue to trust, for as Peter says to Jesus, “Lord, where can we go? Only you have the words that lead to life.”[7]

The request for God to fulfill these two motifs—the shepherd and farmer—is achieved in Jesus Christ. In the gospel of John, Jesus says: “I am the good shepherd.” The author of Hebrews calls Jesus the great shepherd of the sheep.[8] Jesus fulfills the call for God to be the shepherd of his people.

Likewise, Jesus is also likened to a farmer and is referred to in Luke’s gospel as the “Lord of the Harvest.” But this analogy is even more intimate than the Psalmist imaged, for Jesus tells us that he is the vine and we’re the branches.[9]  Baptism grafts us onto the vine of Jesus Christ, he is with us, and we are with him.

The Hebrew people probably gathered at the temple in times of peril and recited Psalm 80. Maybe they felt threatened by an enemy on their borders. Or it could be pestilence and disease spreading through the countryside, or drought and the fear of its corresponding hunger. Whatever the situation, they gather, hopeless, and seek God’s help. Asking God to show his face means they trust God to see their concerns and to provide relief. 

In time, God answers their prayers by coming in person, in the life of Jesus Christ.  They called upon God and God answers in a surprising way, coming to earth as an infant, growing up and living among his people, and then dying for their sins—and for our sins.

Of course, God didn’t answer their prayers right away. They had to wait. They waited for generations. Decades and centuries floated by. Unlike those of us who live in the 21st Century and expect immediate results, they had no concept of instant gratification. They prayed, they waited, they hoped, and they remained faithful to their God. Sometimes, we must do the same. Amen.

[1] Idea from M. Craig Barnes, Sacred Thirst: Meeting God in the Desert of our Longings (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001), 112.  Examples from Hemingway’s writing are from my readings. 

[2] For background on the Psalm, see Artur Weiser, The Psalms: A Commentary (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1962) 545-551; James L. Mays, Psalms: Interpretation, A Biblical Commentary for Teaching and Preaching (Louisville KY: John Knox Press, 1994), 262-265; and Robert Alter, The Book of Psalms: A Translation with Commentary (New York: W. W. Norton, 2007), 284-287. 

[3] See https://fromarockyhillside.com/2025/08/10/psalm-33-trusting-in-a-merciful-god/

[4] The idea of two motifs from Claus Westermann, The Living Psalms (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989), 34.

[5] Psalm 23.

[6] I did pray for help, but I didn’t get to the point of bargaining with God by promising such things. After all, I’m in God’s hands and if God so desires, I’ll be saved.  See: https://fromarockyhillside.com/2025/07/24/completing-my-trip-around-drummond-island/

[7] John 6:68.

[8] John 10:11, Hebrews 13:20.

[9] Luke 10:2 (also Matthew 9:38), John 15:5.

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Psalm 33: Trusting in a Merciful God

Title slide for sermon showing the two churches where the sermon is to be preached

Jeff Garrison
Mayberry & Bluemont Churches
Psalm 33
August 10, 2025

Sermon recorded at Mayberry on Friday, August 8, 2025

At the beginning of worship:

A burglar broken into a house when the occupants were away. As he started casing out the place, looking for silver and jewelry and other things of value which he could easily hock, he heard a voice. “Jesus is watching you.” The burglar decided his conscience was bothering him. He quickly put his fear aside. 

Then, he heard the distinctive voice again. “Jesus is watching you.” He looked around. He saw a parrot in a bird cage. Then the bird spoke again. “Jesus is watching you.” The burglar relaxed. “Just a stupid bird,” he thought. He went about his work, tossing valuables into his bag. 

Then he heard the bird change his tune, “Sic ‘em, Jesus.” He turns around just in time to see the exposed fangs of a charging rottweiler. 

Of course, Jesus watches. And I’m not talking about a dog named Jesus. We believe this truth: our God is all-knowing and all-seeing. God sees our actions. But more important and perhaps more damning, God knows what we think and what’s in our hearts. Thankfully, we also worship a God of grace. Otherwise, there would be no hope for any of us. 

Before the reading of Scripture:

For the next few weeks, I plan to spend time in the Psalms, ancient Israel’s hymnal. I’m going to draw on the lectionary for many of these, but not exclusively. I will mostly pick Psalms which I have not yet preached. This way I can dig deeper into this book. 

Think of the great hymns of our tradition and how they express our theology. Hymns are often constructed around the Trinity, such as “Holy, Holy, Holy.” Others express the truth of the incarnation, that God came to us in the flesh in the life of Jesus, as in “Joy to the World, the Lord is come.” Others remind us of how we can trust God, such as “Great is Thy Faithfulness.” “I Sing the Mighty Power of God,” expresses the power of the Almighty and “A Mighty Fortress is Our God,” expresses how we should take refuge in God’s power. 

Likewise, the Psalms express the theology of ancient Israel. Today, we’re looking at Psalm 33. This piece conveys the Almighty nature of God as well as God’s goodness. Because of God’s nature, we should praise him. Think of the hymn, “God of Grace and God of Glory,” which we sang this morning.  

A festival hymn, this Psalm was sung in worship; it may have been used during New Year celebrations as it looks back and forth.[1] Let’s listen to the Psalm.

Read Psalm 33:

“When you gathered with people who are righteous and upright, sing with them Psalm 33,” suggested Athanasius. He was the Bishop of Alexander in the 4th Century.[2] This Psalm was important for the early church. It provided them and us with reasons for and benefits of trusting God.

Let’s work through the Psalm. You might want to keep your Bibles open. Verse 1 through 3 serves as a call to worship. This is the first Psalm to mention musical instruments: the lyre, the harp, strings.[3] If you want to support the use of a guitar or banjo in worship, look no further than the opening of this Psalm. However, the Psalm excludes many of us for in verse three we’re told to “play skillfully on the strings.” Some of us can’t do that! At least not the skillful part. Including yours truly. 

Along with instrumental music, we’re called to sing and to use our voices to make “loud shouts.” That’s the joyful noise which Psalm 100 calls us to make.  

These opening verses center us in worship. Our focus, in worship, isn’t to be internal, on ourselves and our needs. Instead, worship centers on God. 

We’re then given two reasons why we should worship God. First, God is faithful and upright. God created the heavens and earth by his word and holds back the waters. Remember, to desert people like Israel, large bodies of water were scary. Holding back the waters was seen as grace.

The second reason has to do with God’s control. We’re to fear God for what God says will be. Our Lord stands above all nations and peoples. Next to God, we’re powerless, for God can thwart any of our plans. God is eternal, we’re not!

In verse 12, there’s a shift to how God’s power relates to the earth. It begins with “Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord.” This quote has been used on billboards and bumper stickers to promote a nationalistic agenda.[4] But that’s a misuse. It only makes sense by leaving off the second half of the verse, “the people whom God has chosen.”[5] This reminds us of a key concept in our theology. It’s not about us choosing God, it’s about God choosing us. If God doesn’t make the first move, which he does in Jesus Christ, we’d be lost. 

Of course, the nation referred to here is ancient Israel, through whom God worked to bring salvation to the world. 

But as the Psalm continues, we’re reminded repeatedly that this really isn’t about a nationalistic religion of a powerful nation. God watches over all the earth. While God stands apart from the world, God remains interested in what happens to his creation.[6]

Furthermore, in verse 16, we realize this can’t be a nation who takes comfort in its military prowess. The king cannot be saved by his great army, nor the warrior by his great strength. Even the strength of a war horse is vain. Instead, salvation can only be found in the God who watches over us all. Pacifism isn’t the intent of this Psalm. Nationally, there remains a need to protect oneself. But we shouldn’t trust just in the military. We must trust, first and foremost, in God, not in our own abilities.

Remember, Jesus watches us.  Idolatry exists when we place our trust in anything other than God, and that includes military might. Hedging our bets is a dangerous strategy, according to this Psalm, for God wants our total allegiance.  

We’re called to fear God but should remember this fear isn’t about being afraid. Because of God’s power, we want to be on God’s side. When we try to ignore God and do our own things, we may quickly find ourselves in trouble. 

So, the Psalm closes with the promise to wait on God, for we find in him help and protection. Our hearts should be glad because of our trust in God. Then, the Psalmist addresses the Almighty, asking for the Lord to be with us. 

What can we take away from this Psalm?  As the 130th Psalm proclaims, we’re to hope in the Lord.[7]

Another thing this Psalm reminds us of is the inability to separate our lives into the religious and the secular. Or the “church and everything else.” For God sees all, not just what happens in church. This is God’s world and we’re to live for the Lord.[8]

Augustine, writing in the 4th Century on this Psalm suggested: “Let the unjust dance for joy in this world, by all means; but when this world comes to an end, there will be an end to their dancing. Let the just dance for joy in the Lord, for the Lord abides forever, and so will the exultation of the just.[9]

We’re to dance for joy in the Lord! That’s good advice. Keep focused on God and worry less about the things of this world. Amen. 

[1]  Artur Weiser, The Psalms: A Commentary (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1962), 289.

[2] Athanasius, On the Interpretation of the Psalms, as quoted in Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: Old Testament VII, Psalms 1-50, edited by Craig A. Blaising and Carmen S. Hardin (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 2008), 244. 

[3] James L. Mays, Psalms: Interpretation, A Biblical Commentary for Teaching and Preaching (Louisville KY: John Knox Press, 1994), 149. This is based on the current canonical ordering of the Psalms as found in the Christian Bible. 

[4] It’s been a while, but I have seen this as a bumper sticker. For billboards, see Stan Masts Commentary on the Psalm at https://cepreaching.org/commentary/2016-07-31/psalm-3312-22/

[5]Scott Hoezee, Sermon Commentary for Sunday, August 7, 2022, Psalm 33:12-22,” in https://cepreaching.org/commentary/2022-08-01/psalm-3312-22-3/

[6] Walter Brueggemann, The Message of the Psalms: A Theological Commentary (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1984), 35. 

[7] Psalm 130:5

[8] May, 151.

[9] Augustine, Expositions of the Psalms, as quoted in Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: Old Testament VII, Psalms 1-50, edited by Craig A. Blaising and Carmen S. Hardin (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 2008), 246

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The Slain Yet Victorious Lamb

title slide with photos of the two churches were the sermon will be preached

Jeff Garrison
Mayberry & Bluemont Churches
Revelation 5
August 3, 2025

Sermon recorded on Friday, August 1, at Bluemont Presbyterian Church

Yale Divinity School’s famous Beecher lectures, given by Frederick Buechner, were published in a little book titled, Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy, & Fairy Tale. Some might take offense at the title, but it makes sense. As tragedy, the gospel begins with the crucifixion. As comedy, the reversal from death to life fits the classic understanding of the word. And as fairytale, we have the extraordinary things that happen to Jesus and his followers down to this day.[1]

In the text we’re looking at today, we see a bit of all three: tragedy, comedy and fairytale. We’ll see it in the resurrection lamb. As tragedy, the lamb was slain. As comedy and fairytale, the lamb lives and is all powerful. 

Lambs and Sheep play a key role in scripture. The Patriarchs herded sheep. The blood of lambs marked Israel safe during the night of Passover. David ruled as the shepherd king. The shepherds greeted the infant Jesus in Bethlehem. And Jesus, the good shepherd, becomes the sacrificial lamb. He died that we might live yet lives and offers us life eternal. Lambs and sheep are often seen as docile and meek. Perhaps this is why they were used in sacrifices. But the sacrificed lamb is victorious and in him we have hope. 

Before reading the Scriptures:  

We’ll finish our tour through the first five chapters of Revelation today. If enough people show interested, I’d be more than glad to run a Bible study on the rest of the book in the fall. So let me know. Next week, I’ll move on to other texts for my sermons. 

As I pointed out last week, the fourth and fifth chapters of Revelation envision heavenly worship. In the fourth chapter, the focused on the throne. John hears hymns around the throne praising the Almighty. In the fifth chapter, a scroll is introduced as well as the slain lamb who lives. Last week we learned the word “Throne” occurs 40 times in Revelation.[2] The “Lamb of God,” is another of the book’s favorite phrases. Introduced in the fifth chapter, the phrase occurs 28 times in the remaining 17 chapters of the Book of Revelation![3] Let’s look at what John witnessed. 

Read Revelation 5:

The scroll and the lamb are the focus of the fifth chapter. Frst century Christians would understand a scroll as scripture.[4]Sealed with seven seals, it contains God’s plan. But there’s no one worthy to open the seals. 

This brings tears to John’s eyes. For you see, without opening the scroll (without moving into God’s future) the powers of evil who have thrown themselves against the godly and have persecuted the church will prevail.

John’s vision comes at a perilous time for the continued existence of the church. Persecution threatens. John, himself, exiled to a deserted rocky island because of his faith in Jesus Christ, could have been killed.[5] But there, on those rocky shores with the sound of lapping waves, John’s vison fills the sky. He’s reminded of the truth. God will be victorious. 

It might not have looked that way when the Romans sent John into exile on this rocky island. Nor did it look that way at daybreak on the first Easter when the women make their way to the tomb to prepare Jesus’ body for the grave. It may not look that way for some of us today, who are troubled by what’s happening in our world. But God has a way of surprising us!

One of the elders standing near God’s throne points out there is, after all, one who can open the scroll. I should point out here that time in Revelation isn’t neat and chronological as we like. At the point there was no one worthy probably refers to the time before Jesus’ death. Seeing the condition of humanity, God rescues the world by entering the human sphere in the life of Jesus Christ. Now, moving back to after the resurrection, someone is worthy.  

Now notice the difference between the fifth and sixth verses. Do you catch the humor? In the fifth verse, John’s encouraged to look at the lion. But in the sixth, he sees a lamb. He expects to see a raging lion who has conquered evil by brute force. Instead, we see a sacrificed lamb.[6] God didn’t choose to conquered evil by physical strength; rather, God chose to submit to evil through Jesus’ death on the cross. This sacrificial act shows the limitation of evil’s power. Jesus’ resurrection conquers death and demonstrates evil impotence. “Victory through sacrifice” is the central theme of the New Testament revelation.[7]

It’s important for us to remember when John witnesses this vision, the church faced mortal danger. John’s vision isn’t to go and tell his fellow Christians that everything will be alright. They know good and well that things are grim. If something doesn’t happen, they may all be exterminated. What John’s vision does for his readers is to assure them of God’s control. In the end God, through Jesus Christ, will reign triumphantly over evil and death and destruction. There may be suffering and persecution here on earth, but in heaven, they’re already celebrating victory won over evil when Jesus rose from the grave.

The lamb envisioned in Revelation 5 is a little weird. Seven horns, seven eyes (just like the seven seals). This isn’t to be taken a literally as to how Jesus Christ looks. As we’ve seen in the first five chapters of Revelation, seven represents perfection and holiness. These are the attributes assigned to the lamb representing Jesus Christ. With seven eyes, the lamb sees all. With seven horns, lamb isn’t just a helpless lamb, but a powerful ram able to protect those within his flock.

So, Jesus Christ, the sacrificed lamb, takes the scroll. God’s plan moves forward. Having defeated death on the cross, Jesus Christ sets out to free the universe of all evil. This causes song upon songs to rise throughout heaven. Christ, the Lamb of God, is praised. He inaugurates a new era.

Think about this for a minute… Christ has in his possession the scroll containing the future. But we are only in the fifth chapter of the book of Revelation. There are 17 more chapters. There are stories of galactic battles and martyrs to come; at this point Christ who has mortally defeated evil has not yet fully conquered it.  

Evil is still present in the world. We know that. We’ve seen it this week when Russia attacked a maternity hospital and apartment complexes in Ukraine. And we see it in the Congo when Islamic Nation terrorists attack and kill students at a Christian school. We saw it last year in Israel, when Palestinians attacked a concert in Israel. And we continue to witness it in Gaza as Israel destroys hospitals, attacks relief distribution centers, and starves the residents. We see it in the face of dead children. Whichever of these situations you pick, there are dead children. It should break our hearts and cause us to cry out to God, “how long, O Lord, how long.” 

We don’t understand why God allows such evil to happen. The question of why, if God is all-powerful, God allows such evil, has been around for thousands of years. The rabbis debated this question in Jesus’ day. The book of Job, written to help us wrestle with this problem, leaves us with what many consider an unsatisfactory answer. 

In Job’s search, he encounters God and comes away only with a sense of God’s awe and power.[8] He learns it’s impossible for us to fully understand the Creator. Yet, we’re called to sing. We know the future. We know what happens, but also what will happen. So, we join the multitude singing praises and trusting in the goodness of a God who raised Jesus from the dead.

Think about the choir in Revelation 5. The singing begins with the four living creatures who guard the throne and the twenty-four harp strumming elders who represent the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles of the New Testament. Their music inspires a multitude of angels to join the chorus. And the angels inspire all creation to join in the song of praise. Doxology! “Praise God from whom all blessings flow!”

Now, was all of creation singing praises to God during John’s lifetime? Of course not. As I said earlier, time in this chapter is somewhat transitory. It moves quickly from before Christ’s victory over death to the complete fulfillment of God’s plan for creation at the end of history. We desire such a fulfillment, but its realization remains in the distance. But let’s not forget. We know the ending. We know who’s in charge and how history will end.

Friends, like those in this vision, our lives should be filled with the song of resurrection. May the song fill us with hope. Know that death is not the last word. Know that evil is not the last word. The risen Christ rules. A new world will come. Don’t despair. Rejoice! Amen. 

[1] Frederick Buechner, Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy & Fairy Tale (San Francisco: HarpersCollins, 1977), 7.  

[2] https://fromarockyhillside.com/2025/07/27/worship-its-not-about-us/

[3] Robert L. Reymond, The Lamb of God: The Bible’s Unfolding Revelation of Sacrifice (Mentor, 2006), 103.

[4] Eugene H. Peterson, Reversed Thunder: The Revelation of John and the Praying Imagination (HarpersSanFrancisco: 1988), 64.

[5] John 1:9.

[6] M. Eugene Boring, Revelation: Interpretation, A Biblical Commentary for Teaching and Preaching (Louisville: John Knox Press, 1989), 108. 

[7] Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, revised, (Grand Rapids: MI: Eerdmans, 1997), 132.

[8] Job 38-41.

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Worship: It’s Not About Us

Title slide for sermon for Mayberry & Bluemont Churches on Sunday, July 27, 2024. Text: Revelation 4. Slide shows photos of the churches.

Jeff Garrison
Mayberry & Bluemont Churches  
Revelation 4
July 28, 2025

At the beginning of worship:
In Barbara Brown Taylor’s, An Altar in the World, she writes about Francis of Assisi building a church on the ruins of an old one. Francis employed his labor from the people of the town. Quoting Taylor: 

to most of the people helping Francis in the construction: building the church became more important than finishing it. Building it together gave people who were formerly invisible to each other meaning, purpose, and worth. When completed, Francis’s church did not stand as a shelter from the world; it stood as a reminder that the whole world was God’s House.[1]

The focus of our scripture today is worship. And while we worship here on Sunday mornings and occasionally at other times, we shouldn’t forget that all the world stands as an altar to God. Paul reminds us to pray without ceasing.[2] Our lives should also be worshipping God without ceasing. 

Before reading the scripture:
We’ll spend the next two Sundays in the 4th and 5th chapters of Revelation. Both chapters go together and center on worship in heaven. In Chapter 4, the focus is on God’s throne. Chapter 5 focuses on the slain yet resurrected lamb who now rules, Jesus Christ. Much of the language here is poetic and metaphorical. It reminds the readers of similar visions of Isaiah and Ezekiel.[3]

These two chapters go with the previous two chapters where Jesus addressed the seven churches. One of the themes running through those chapters is the coming persecution. The reader of Revelation will hear more about the troubles on earth. But before going there, John gives a counter vision, one which reminds his readers of God’s control despite the troubles they face.

In Revelation, each new part of the book begins with a scene of heavenly glory.[4] Even during our troubles, we’re to keep God in focus. 

While we have a description of God’s throne, John doesn’t provide a vision of God. We know God through Jesus Christ, God’s revelation to us, not from any vision given to the Biblical witnesses. God, hidden since the curse in Genesis 3, remains hidden. Only at the end of Revelation, after the removable of the curse, does God again live intimately with his creation. Let’s hear what John saw there on the Isle of Patmos:

Read Revelation 4

A Rabbi on his deathbed, surrounded by his disciples, was asked to express his most profound wish. He said: “I hope that the day will come when people learn to fear God as much as they fear each other. This shocked his students. “How is it possible that people would fear each other more than God?”

The dying rabbi looked up at his students and said: “When someone does something wrong, they often say: ‘I hope no one sees.’ But they never say ‘I hope God does not see’ because they know God watches. Imagine a world where people lived with an awareness of the Almighty throughout their daily lives. Such awareness would affect their interactions with other people, their business dealings, and their public and private moments.”[5]

Our topic for today is worship.  We were made for worship. Everyone worships something. As Bob Dylan sang, “you gotta serve somebody.” It’s just that many people worship and serve the wrong things. It may be money, it may be intellect, it may be power, and it may be a philosophy or an idea or even another person. But nothing we worship, outside of God, can satisfy our deepest longings. As with the story of the rabbi, worship reminds us of God’s presence.

Worship is more than just music or a sermon or prayers or chanting or any of the other corporate stuff we might do together. Worship, in a Biblical sense, is our attitude before God. However, this doesn’t mean that corporate worship isn’t important, as we see in today’s text.  

John, on the Isle of Patmos, a rocky outcrop reserved for those deemed to be troublemakers within the Empire, is a prisoner for preaching the gospel.[6] Isolated from his family, his friends, and his church community, he’s given a vision of heaven.

When we think of Revelation, we often conjure up frightful visions of riders on horses and multi-headed beasts rising out of the sea. And all that is in this book.  One of the problems many people have with Revelation is they think they must (and can) understand it all. They look for keys to interpret. Certainly, the book is confusing and has its share of blood and guts. Yet, God’s faithfulness and victory at the end remains the overarching theme. Interestingly, before getting to the horrific visions, we have a vision of heaven and the worship which occur there. 

This implies that while the earth is in turmoil, in heaven the focus is on worshipping the Creator. God is in control. This reminder prepares John for what’s ahead by reminding him who’s in charge. We should choose worship over worry.[7] In John’s world, there is turmoil and in heaven there is worship. In our world, when we worship, we leave our worries behind because we realize God is in control.  

The fourth chapter of Revelation is where the apocalypse-proper begins. It follows the opening chapters which contain a series of letters to seven churches. The last letter, to the lukewarm church of Laodicea, includes a simple vision. “Listen, I am standing at the door knocking,” Jesus tells them, “If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come…”[8]

Interestingly, the fourth chapter begins with a vision of an open door, providing John with a glimpse of worship in heaven. Our doors may be shut, but God’s door is open. A voice from inside the door calls John to come on up and he’s immediately caught up in the spirit, or as another translation renders this passage, “caught up at once in deep worship.”[9] In this state, John sees the glory of God’s throne.

God’s throne is referred to 40 times in the Book of Revelation.[10]The constant appearance of the throne reminds us that even though chaos reigns on earth, all remains well in heaven. God is sovereign and in control and will in time (as you’ll see if you read to the end of this book) restore order and do away with sin and evil and death. Here, in this vision of worship, the throne gathers and unifies all creatures in worship.[11]

In the old New England Churches, which also served as a place for town meetings, the architecture was intentional. They raised the pulpit high, often requiring the pastor to navigate narrow steps to get into it. The proclamation of the word of God came from above the congregation. However, the churches would also have a lectern on the level of the people. From here, the business of the town was conducted. The architecture of the building reminded everyone—especially elected officials—that they stood under God’s word and God’s watchful eyes. 

The throne is what centers everyone in John’s vision. However, John doesn’t describe God. Seeing God would be fatal according to Jewish thought. The mortal, the sinful, cannot withstand looking directly at God. This is why the incarnation is necessary. Jesus needed to come in the flesh. Here, instead of seeing the Almighty, God’s glory is reflected in precious stones which radiate the brightness reflecting off the throne. Jasper, carnelian, and emeralds dominate the scene. Furthermore, lightning and fires protrude from the throne and thunder peals out from it. It’s an awesome and frightful sight.

Surrounding the throne are those who worship God, day and night. We’re told of the twenty-four elders in white robes with gold crowns. There is debate on how to interpret these elders, but one possibility is that they represent the old and the new: Israel’s twelve tribes and Jesus’ twelve apostles.[12] In addition are the four six-winged animals with eyes bursting out of their heads, who lead the 24 Elders and the multitude of people who have gathered around the throne. Certainly, there are symbolic meanings to these four beasts representing the noblest, strongest, wisest and swiftest in creation.[13]

Another thing we should understand looking around the throne is that our God shares his leadership and glory. The beast who leads worship and the elders who surround the throne are examples. God isn’t a power-hungry emperor like the dude in Rome, but one who wants us to participate with him in creation and recreation. But as we join in his endeavor, we’re not to claim glory for ourselves but attribute it to God. 

The beasts cry out: “Holy, Holy, Holy, the Lord God the Almighty, who was and is and is to come.” Responding, the elders fall flat on their faces, casting their crowns toward the throne. In other words, the elders are not taking any of the glory for themselves; it’s all given to God. And they sing: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” Through this continual reiteration, they act out what is eternally true. This is the heart of worship—reminding ourselves of God’s role and our roles in life.

In front of the throne is a glass sea, like crystal, the still waters that remind us of baptism, of our cleansing that allows us to come before the throne. The waters of the sea are perfectly still, reminding us of Jesus calming the storm. When water is calm, it’s like a mirror. In John’s case, the sea reflects the glory of God’s throne…

What can we learn from John’s vision? How can our attempts at worship reflect what’s going on at the throne? 

We’re to worship God in a way that helps us and others who worship get through life by knowing and affirming God’s sovereignty. Worship must focus on God and not us. It’s not about us, it’s about God. 

Worship is a duty in which we voluntarily engage because we are grateful for what God has done and is doing. Examine yourselves. What does our attitude in worship say about our trust and belief in God? 

The time you spend here on Sunday morning is very important. Throughout the week, we’re constantly bombarded with messages from advertisers saying it’s about you, that they can help you be fulfilled. But in this hour, we’re reminded once again, week after week, that those selling products lie. It’s not about us; it’s about God. In this hour, we re-center ourselves. We’re reminded once again of what’s truly important and eternal.  Amen.

[1] Barbara Brown Taylor, An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith (New York: HarperOne, 2009), 10.

[2] 1 Thessalonians 5:17.

[3] Isaiah 6 and Ezekiel 1.

[4] M. Eugene Boring, Revelation: Interpretation, A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching (Louisville, KY: John Knox Press, 1989), 101. 

[5] Michael Siegel, Reflections on Fear” as used by Rev. Eugenia Gamble in her message on “30 Good Minutes,” first broadcast February 2008.  

[6] Revelation 1:9

[7] Rick Warren, “Live your Calling: What On Earth Am I Hear For?” (Part 2), 2-15.  

[8] Revelation 3:20. See https://fromarockyhillside.com/2025/07/20/whats-wrong-with-being-lukewarm/

[9] Revelation 4:2, The Message 

[10] Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, (Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, revised 1997), 119.

[11] Eugene Peterson, Reversed Thunder: The Revelation of John and the Praying Imagination (HarperSanFrancisco, 1988), 59-60.

[12] Peterson, 61.  For a different view, see Mounce, 121-122.

[13] Peterson, 62, Mounce, 124.

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What’s wrong with being lukewarm?

Title slide for sermon with photos of Mayberry and Bluemont Churches

Jeff Garrison
Mayberry and Bluemont Churches 
July 20, 2025
Revelation 3:14-22

At the beginning of worship: 

Back in the 80s, during the dark days of apartheid in South Africa, a wealthy black South African joined the nonviolent movement against apartheid. There weren’t many such people in the country—wealthy blacks that is. One of his white friends asked him why he risked all he had—his wealth, jail time, his life—to fight against this system. 

This South African replied he had a greater fear. He feared judgment day, when he would stand in front of the Lord’s throne and be asked to show his scars. And if he had no scars to show, the great judge might ask him, WHY? “Why do you have scars? Is it because there was nothing down there worth fighting for?” He decided it was time to stop looking out for himself and to start serving his brothers and sisters.[1]

When we’re comfortable in life, we become risk adverse. We want to sit back and take it easy. But Christ calls to take a stand, to fight for what is right, good, and noble. Do we? 

Before reading the Scripture:

We’ll finish our tour through the seven churches of Revelation with a stop at Laodicea. The city was located about 40 miles southwest of Philadelphia. It’s 100 miles east of Ephesus, where we began our somewhat circular route a couple months ago. If you convert your hand to a map of Asia Minor, you’ll find Laodicea down around the knuckle of your ring finger. Before getting into the passage, let’s run through the seven churches and consider what the overwhelming message was for each church. 

We began in Ephesus, a doctrinally correct church who lost their love. Next, we have Smyrna, a city with a church which has a lot going for it but facing persecution. Next, we have the church in Pergamum, which compromised its doctrine. In Thyatira, we have a church that has compromised its morals. The Sardis church is spiritually dead. In Philadelphia, we have a poor church striving to hold on. And today, we’ll look at the lukewarm church, Laodicea.  

As we’ve seen in all these letters, knowing something about the city gives insight into Jesus’ words. 

Here’s a bit of background for Laodicea. It was a very wealthy city, a center of banking as well as an area with fertile soil and great grasslands for grazing sheep. In addition to banking and farming, textiles were also an important occupation. Founded at a crossroads, water had to be brought in by a series of stone pipes and aqueducts. This is an important clue as we’ll see. There’s a medical school and a pharmaceutical industry in Laodicea, the latter producing a salve for the eyes that was important across the empire.[2] Let’s listen to what Jesus has to say.  

Read Revelation 3:14-22.

This passage is an indictment, an accusation against the lifestyle of the Christians in Laodicea. It may well be an indictment of our lifestyle. Christ stands at the door knocking; will we let him in?

This message to the church in Laodicea is like the one to Sardis. Both churches think they are alive but are fooling themselves. Jesus, the faithful, true, and eternal one, knows their works. He knows what they’ve been up too and ain’t happy. “You’re lukewarm,” Jesus says, “neither hot nor cold.” 

This opening charge against the Laodiceans has been applied to many churches throughout the ages. But before we get too general with our interpretation, let’s consider some of the background here so we can understand the context for Jesus’ words. After all, why would Jesus say he’d rather have them cold rather than lukewarm? If we’re not careful, we may misinterpret Jesus’ intentions.

A series of hot springs sat across the valley from the Laodicea. Seen as a place of healing, the hot mineral waters provided a cleansing bath and an unpleasant drink. Many used these waters when ill. These springs left mineral deposits which could be seen from Laodicea. 

On the other hand, in Colossae, to the northeast, a cold spring poured out delicious water. It was treasured for its refreshing taste. Laodicea, however, had no such springs. Its water came from these distance sources. A series of stone pipes transport the water to the city. By the time it got to Laodicea, the water was warm. With its strong mineral content, the water was hardly fit to drink. 

Understanding this background, we can see that the church in Laodicea, as one commentator noted, provided neither “refreshments for the spiritually weary nor healing for the spiritually sick.” They were not doing what they were supposed to be doing and as a result they left a bad taste in Jesus’ mouth. Jesus wants to spit ‘em out, just as the Laodiceans wanted to spit out their local water.[3]   

It’s important we understand this. I want to make sure you don’t go away thinking that it’s better to be a “cold Christian” than a lukewarm one. That’s not Jesus’ message. Instead, he’s saying, “Do something worthy of the gifts you’ve received. Be refreshing cold or provide healing warmth. Don’t sit on the fence.”

As I said earlier, Laodicea was a wealthy city. They had so much money that when the city was destroyed by an earthquake in 60 AD, they rebuilt it and didn’t blink. Rome and other cities offered help. Remember, Rome helped Philadelphia rebuild. But Laodicea didn’t need or want help. They were proud of the fact that they could build a new city on their savings. “We’re wealthy,” they thought, “We don’t need any handouts.”

Though the city was wealthy, it was not being judged for its riches. The sin of Laodicea was pride. The city boasted that it was rich; “ah, look at us, we can rebuild without help from Rome.” In addition, they probably want to be indebted to Rome. 

The people of the city, and this must have included the Christians, proclaimed their own glory. They saw themselves as ones who’d pulled themselves up by their own sandal-straps. They had created their situation in life; they had built their own fortune and took pride in their accomplishments. This pride kept the city’s inhabitants from seeing their own spiritual poverty.  

The other cities in Revelation are condemned for tendencies toward idolatry and were warned to stay away from the idols and the “thrones of Satan.” But Laodicea’s censure is harsher than the others, perhaps because when a people believe they are so great and powerful, they create a god out of themselves. This idolatry can be more destructive than believing in a god of metal or stone or even worshiping Caesar. 

Christians in cities like Ephesus and Sardis had a problem with their neighbors enticing them to worship a false god. In Laodicea, there is no evidence of the people believing in anything other than themselves. John instructs the congregation of Laodicea to spend some of their riches, to invest their treasure by buying from Christ pure gold, white linen and ointment for their eyes.  

Laodicea indictment shows the real poverty of the city. True wealth comes only from Christ. With him, we can store our wealth in heaven, where it won’t rust, be eaten by moths, or be stolen.[4]Only Christ, who is standing outside their door, can restore their sight.

Does this sound like us?  Do we take pride in our own accomplishments? You bet. Do we think we’re self-sufficient? Yep. And you know what; God may have a surprise for us. 

I remember talking to a guy once, who was dying. He complained that all this money made no difference. Having been the boss all his life, starting as a young officer during World War 2, he had remained in control of others. He told other people what to do, but in his final couple years he learned the idea of being in control is a myth. When it comes down to our end, our only true security is with God.  

We should understand Jesus calls the Laodiceans to do more than nod respectfully at him. After all, that’s all Caesar required; Jesus, however, requires commitment.  He wants them, and us, to be either the hot healing waters or the cool refreshing waters. He wants the church not to think too highly of itself, instead to love and minister to others. 

Too often we Christians seem to think that just because we’ve been saved, we receive a get into heaven-free card and don’t have to worry about anything. That’s true to a certain extent, but it’s not the purpose behind God’s salvation. God isn’t trying to fill up empty rooms in heaven, God calls us through Jesus Christ because there is work to be done and as Christ’s body on earth, we’re his hands and feet and mouths.  

While the Christians in Laodicea will not have to spend any of their treasure to obtain these wondrous gifts from Jesus; it will cost them their fortune. The price Jesus demands is their pride, he demands for the city to stop boasting on how they made themselves rich, instead he demands their lives. They are to live for him; they are to put his concerns at the forefront of their lives; and they are to credit God for whatever successes they enjoy. 

As with the other churches, Jesus promises great things to those in Laodicea if they would just open the door and let him in. If they repent, if they change their ways, if they invite Jesus into their lives, he will come in and eat with them. This promise reflects the gracious hospitality of the culture—eating together was considered an honor. Furthermore, Jesus tells them they will have a place on his throne! That’s quite a promise. 

Unlike the churches in most of the other cities, Laodicea was financially well off. But they had become too cozy, nothing was worth fighting over. I hope that’s not the case for us. Jesus Christ calls us to do more than just to go to church; he calls us to be his disciples, to be his ambassadors in the world. Jesus calls us to take a stand; he calls us to strive to make the world a better place. Salvation is more than a one-time experience of being born again.[5] That’s just the beginning. 

Jesus stands at the door knocking, but the Laodiceans celebrate their glory. With the loudness of the celebration, will they hear the knock? Our Savior also stands metaphorically at our doors, knocking. Do we hear him, or are we too preoccupied? Will we receive him? Or will he have to go down the road and knock on another door?  Amen.  

[1] I used this story in a sermon in the 90s.  I think it came from Alan Boesak, The Finger of God: Sermons on Faith and Socio-Political Responsibility (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1984).  

[2] For background on Laodicea, see G. B. Caird, The Revelation of St. John the Divine (New York: Harper & Row, 1966), 56-57; and Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, NICNT revised (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), 106-108.

[3] Mounce, 109.

[4] Matthew 6:19-20.

[5] When I think about salvation as a journey, I think about Peter who was “converted” over and over again as Jesus expanded his vision of what it meant to be a disciple.  

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100 Years of Transitions

title slide for Mayberry Presbyterian Church's 100 anniversary featuring 4 pictures of the church in different seasons.

Jeff Garrison
Mayberry Presbyterian Church  
100th Anniversary ServiceJune 13, 2025
Joshua 5:8-12

NOTE: Because of the special celebration concluding Mayberry’s 100th year, I will only be preaching at Mayberry today. Elder Karen Motsinger will preach at Bluemont. Mayberry began its 100th year last September as we celebrated our 100th year as a congregation meeting in the Old Mayberry School House. We end the celebration today, recalling our 100th anniversary of moving into the church building in July 1925.

Sermon recorded at Mayberry Church on Friday, July 11, 2025.

At the beginning of worship:

100 years. That’s a long time ago. None of us were here in 1925 when the congregation moved into this building.100 might be the age some inspire to live, but only a few make it. I’m sure those who built this church building a 100 years ago couldn’t comprehend us celebrating their achievements today any more than we can comprehend such a gathering in 2125.

But in some ways, 100 years doesn’t seem that long ago. Our nation is nearly 250 years old. When our spiritual ancestors moved into this building, our nation’s centennial was a distant memory and probably few remembered it. And our Christian faith is 2000 years old, 8 times older than our nation and 20 times older than this building. In light of eternity, 100 years ain’t even a drop in the bucket. 

Time keeps marching on. Over the past year, with our Mayberry moments,[1] we have learned more about our congregation’s history. Our beginnings went back before this building, from a gathering under a brush arbor to a Sunday school meeting in the old schoolhouse which used to sit in what’s now the parking lot of our community building. We’re heard about the nearby farm boys running up to church early on winter mornings to light a fire in the potbelly stove. There were difficult years after the 2nd World War. Attendance declined and the building became a chapel under Slate Mountain Presbyterian. Then, in the 1970s, we regained momentum and became independent again. 

In 100 years, we’ve had ups and downs. A lot of good people have joined the church. We’ve had joyous weddings but also sad funerals. But through it all, God has been with us. We’re not to take credit for any success, but to give credit to the Almighty. 

Before reading the Scripture:

We’re going to go back into the Old Testament today. Our passage comes at the point when Israel enters the Promised Land. The Hebrew people recall who they are and to whom they belong. It’s a transition, an occasion for religious rituals and feasts. The fifth chapter of Joshua begins with the circumcision of the men, resuming a practice that had not happened during the wilderness. Then they celebrate Passover.

Interestingly, there are six major Passover celebrations recorded in the Hebrew Scriptures.  The first is in Egypt, right before they left. The second is a year later, at Sinai, with the giving of the law. This is the third celebration. The fourth and fifth celebrations come with King Hezekiah and Josiah as they try to reform Israel. The sixth celebration is at the rebuilding of the temple after the Babylonian exile. Each of these events marks a significant point in Israel’s history.[2]

If you want to play with numbers, the number seven in Scripture is holy. We’ve seen that recently in my sermons on Revelation. Jesus celebrated the Passover with the disciples and reinterpreted it. Jesus then becomes the sacrificial lamb, as God passes over our sins for which Jesus paid the price. Jesus’ Passover makes seven.

As I’ve said, our morning text comes at a time of transition, the ending of the Exodus and the entry into the Promised Land. There will be no turning back. God has led them this far, now they are having to do something for themselves. The manna from heaven has come to an end. God calls them into the future. Likewise, God calls us into the future, into our second hundred years. 

Read Joshua 5:8-12

All of us go through transitions—as individuals and as communities. One day we’re happy in school and the next we’re working 9 to 5 (or 11 to 7 in my case, for when I finished college I went straight onto the night shift). One day we’re enjoying our mom’s cooking and the next we’re eating burnt toast and running eggs prepared with our own hands. And one day we’re going to work and the next we’re retired. One day people walked or rode a horse to church and now everyone arrives in cars. Life is full of changes: always has been, always will be.

The Hebrew people went through a significant transition. After 400 years of slavery and 40 years of wandering in the desert, they finally enter the land promised to Abraham and his descendants. Now they’ve come to their new home, two things happen. They are weaned from God’s daily providence of substance and once again required, as we’re told in the third chapter of Genesis, to make a living from the sweat of their brow.[3]

Second, they’re finally able to freely institute religious rituals without being harassed by their masters’ or prohibited from doing due to their wandering in the desert. This transition is marked by the reinstitution of circumcision and the celebration of Passover.

Today, the church in America and the Western World faces changes. We must relearn what it means to be a follower of Jesus in a new and radically different world from which we’ve known. We must learn how to share Jesus in a new way which will reach a new generation who approaches life differently. Yes, we’re facing transitions. But the one thing that never changes is the love of God and the command to love others.

You remember, I’m sure, the story of how Israel got to where she’s at in our reading. After the freeing of the Hebrew people from slavery, they cross the sea, which closes in and drowns the pursing Egyptian army. But even after that, they remain in a precarious position. 

Yes, they’re free, but how do you feed a nation in a barren wilderness? In Egypt, they’d filled their stomach on grains and meat but in the desert, the pickings are slim. There aren’t that many mountain goats and fried cactus for dinner doesn’t go over very well. There’s this small problem of having toothpicks hidden in the entrée.  

But God isn’t going to lose his redeemed people, so he provides for their nourishment. A bread-like substance called manna falls from the heavens onto the ground. In the mornings they gather enough for that day, but if they try to hoard any extra, it spoils. It’s not a commodity to be saved and traded with others. The only day they can “collect” an extra measure is the day before the Sabbath, when they need enough for two days.[4]

Yet, they soon tire of eating this stuff. So, God provides quails for meat.[5] And so, for forty years, their diet consisted of manna and quail, provided through an ultra-efficient food delivery system, fresh right outside their tents every morning. Life isn’t hard and they get used to it.

But all things must come to an end and so it is with the manna and quail. Upon entering the Promised Land, the Hebrew people hold a Passover feast and from then on work for their daily bread. God’s ultimate welfare system is replaced, and everyone is required to follow a plow or chop weeds. God provides fertile soil and rain, but God also wants us to grow to where we can take responsibility and do our part in working within creation.  

Erich Fromm wrote a wonderful philosophical treatise titled, The Art of Loving. I assure you; the book isn’t as risqué as it sounds. Fromm draws from scripture as he writes about “motherly love.” God creates the world and humanity. Within the world God provides our basic needs, but God goes further and declares, “It is good.” This corresponds with “motherly love” by providing for our needs and helping us to experience the joy of life. With the Promised Land, flowing with milk and honey, we have additional signs of motherly love—milk to nourish and honey to remind us of the sweetness of life. God says to Israel through the Prophet Isaiah, “As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you.”[6]

Yet, motherly love is built on inequality. The infant child is totally dependent on the mother. Motherly love must grow and change as the child grows. If the child is to become a separate human being and able to express love to others, the mother can’t continue to provide for all his or her needs. In addition to motherly love, Fromm speaks of brotherly and erotic love which, unlike motherly love, exists in its finest form between equals.[7]

God provides for the Israelites in the wilderness in a very special way. But the free food wasn’t to continue. For once God provides them with a homeland, they’re required to participate with God as co-creators as they toil to raise their food. Of course, God doesn’t lead them into the land and abandon them, just as God doesn’t abandon us. God remains at their side. Having protected and provided for them during the wilderness, they can now fulfill the role which God had destined for them.  

God wants us to mature, to get to a point we can be responsible and take care of ourselves and fully participate with him in the role assigned to us.  When God carries us, as he did with the Hebrew children in the Exodus, we learn we are to depend on God. When God leads us to a new place where we can be productive, we shouldn’t forget that lesson but instead give God thanks for giving us the means to take care of ourselves.

Those of us here at Mayberry have seen evidence of God providing and being with us throughout the past century.

But God doesn’t call us to rest upon our laurels. So, this morning we should ask how we can use what God has given us to continue partner with God. We have been blessed and for that we should give God thanks as we serve as a blessing to others. As the church moves into our second century, let’s remember to work not just for our own wellbeing, but for the wellbeing of those within our community, near and far. God has provided what we need. It’s up to us to make a difference. Amen. 

[1] To read these moments, check out the Mayberry Presbyterian Church’s Facebook page. See https://www.facebook.com/littlechurchdoingbigthings

[2] E. John Hamlin, Joshua: Inheriting the Land (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1983), 36-37.  Text for the other five celebrations in the Old Testament:  Exodus 12:27-29, Numbers 9:5, 2 Chronicles 30, 2 Kings 23:21-23, Ezra 6:19-20

[3] Genesis 3:19.

[4] See Exodus 16 and Numbers 11.

[5] Exodus 16:13 and Numbers 11:31

[6] Isaiah 66:13

[7] Erich Fromm, The Art of Loving (1956, Harper&Row, Perennial Library, 1974), 41-44.

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Philadelphia: A Church who kept their eyes on Jesus

Title slide with photo of two churches

Jeff Garrison
Mayberry and Bluemont Churches
July 6, 2025
Revelation 3:7-13

Sermon recorded at Mayberry on Saturday, July 5, 2025.

At the beginning of worship:

From the beginning of the printing press through the Enlightenment, a popular devotional Christian literature flourished known as Ars moriendi or the “Art of Dying.” Death often happened suddenly and few understood diseases. Protestants and Catholics didn’t talk much to each other during those centuries. But both penned these tracks to help the faithful prepare for the time of death. 

Erasmus, the great satirist, who also collected the Greek New Testament used by Luther and Calvin, wrote one of these books titled Preparing for Death. In his book, Erasmus recalled a hypothetical dialogue between a dying man and Satan. Knowing he can’t attack the man’s faith directly, Satan attempts to undermine his hope, pointing out how he can’t possibly expect God to forgive him for his deeds. Repeatedly Satan question the man, but the man remains firm. He trusts in God, not because of what he’s done, but because of his Savior.[1] We should also be so faithful. Our hope in this life and the next is in Jesus Christ. As the Heidelberg Catechism reminds us, “our only comfort in life and in death is that we belong—body and soul, in life and in death—not to ourselves but to our faithful Savior…”[2]  

Before reading the Scriptures:

Today we stop at Philadelphia, our sixth city in our tour through the seven churches of Revelation. It’s appropriate we’re here on the weekend of Independence Day, for it was in our own Philadelphia the Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence. 

The name, Philadelphia, derives from the Greek word for “brotherly love.” Unlike our own Philadelphia, I doubt you’d find any cheese steak sandwiches there. You might have to be content with some hummus on pita bread. The ancient Philadelphia is approximately 28 miles southeast of Sardis. 

As a city, Philadelphia was known for the grapes grown in the rich volcanic soil. The dormant volcano still caused earthquakes. Early in the first century, before Jesus began his adult ministry, the city crumbled as the earth shook. Due to the generosity of the Roman emperors, the city was rebuilt. Philadelphia expressed it gratitude by even changing its name for a time to New Caesarea and Flavia to honor the Romans. 

The city was known for its many temples and religious festivals, the chief of their worship being the god Dionysus. A hundred and some years after this letter, the city built a temple for the imperial cult. They were given a Roman title meaning, “warden of the temple.” With so many ruined temples around, by the fifth century, the city picked up the nicknamed “little Athens,”[3]

Out of the seven messages, Philadelphia and Smyrna are the two cities whose churches receive only praise. Yet, the church in Philadelphia, much like the church in Smyrna, is poor and persecuted. Let’s listen to what Jesus has to say…  

Read Revelation 3:7-13.

From what we learn in this letter, the church in Philadelphia must have been struggling. Like most of the Christians of the first century, they are poor and powerless. Yet, they live in a wealthy city. It’s also a new city; it’s the youngest of all the cities in which letters are addressed. Besides being so young, the city has been recently rebuilt after an earthquake in the year 17. With all this new building and opulence in Philadelphia, one question we might ask of the church there is how they remained faithful when everything seems to be against them. They didn’t get a chance to enjoy the good life. 

As I’ve noted before, each of the letters begin with a description of Jesus that gives us indication of the message coming. In Philadelphia’s case, Jesus is seen as a gatekeeper. He holds the key of David and can open and lock doors at will.  We know from John’s gospel, Jesus controls access to God the Father.[4] Here, he’s setting before them an open door that no one can shut. Perhaps the Christians of Philadelphia have been excommunicated from the synagogue, referred to as a Synagogue of Satan. [5] Having been barred from the building for worship, Jesus reassures them that there is one door open that none of their peers or those in power on earth can close. They may be shut out of a place of worship here on earth, but those who deny them here will find themselves humbled in the end. Again, it’s a case of the last shall be first.  

Jesus makes several promises to the Christians in Philadelphia. First. because of their patience, Jesus will keep them safe in the upcoming persecutions. Some argued this means the church will be pulled out of the world before the great tribulation, but the thrust of the verse indicates this is not the case. Instead, the church is spiritually protected from the evil one.[6]

Yes, there’s going to be martyrs, as we see throughout Revelation, and although the evil one can take our lives, he cannot destroy us.[7] Jesus encourages them to hold on to their crowns while tested. Afterwards, when Christ comes, they will have God’s name written on them. They’ll also bear the mark of of the new city of Jerusalem, a city newer than Philadelphia, which they will inherit.  

In addition to becoming citizens of the new city, the Christians in Philadelphia are told God will make them a pillar in the temple of God. This metaphorical language recalls the number of pillars for temples which exist in Philadelphia. Of course, at the end of Revelation, we’re told there’s no need of a temple in New Jerusalem for God is always present.[8] Instead of thinking of a temple as a building, think of it as the collective church, holding fast to their Savior. 

Let me suggest a few things we might learn from the church in Philadelphia. First, the two churches doing the best in the eyes of Jesus are poor. They were maligned and under attack. I bet at the meeting of the West Asia Minor Presbytery, these two churches remained sidelined. Yet, according to Christ, they are the successful ones because they are the most faithful. Often, our priorities become mistaken when we try to evaluate our faith and our effectiveness of our churches.

Eugene Peterson, in his book on Revelation, notes that much of our anger and disappointment with the church arises from failed expectations.

We expect a disciplined army of committed men and women who courageously lay siege to the world powers; instead, we find some people who are more concerned with getting rid of crabgrass in their lawns. We expect a community of saints who are mature in the virtues of love and mercy, and find ourselves working on a church supper where there is more gossip than casseroles… At such times it’s more important to examine and change our expectations than to change the church, for the church is not what we organize but what God gives…It is God’s will that we have the church[9]

Being successful in the ways the world defines success is not what we’re called to be. We’re called to be faithful and to be trusting in God who is working all things out to his purposes. In whatever situation we find ourselves, it’s important we remained focused on the one who can bring the dead to life. Nothing else matters. Maybe that’s why the two poorest churches get such a pat on the back. They know they are not in charge; they know their success has nothing to do with their abilities; it’s all attributed to their Savior and Lord. 

Consider, however, the difficulty of remaining faithful when nothing seems to go your way. How did the Christians in Philadelphia continue when persecuted? How did they hold their heads up high, when they worked in occupations where, because they were Christians, they were passed over for promotions? 

You know, it’s easy to grow weary of being last! It’s hard to stand fast, waiting for the glory we hope to see in the next life. It’s hard to keep hoping when you’re constantly pushed down. We’d like a taste of glory; we’d like it now.  

So how do we keep our faith when nothing seems to go our way? What kind of courageous strength did the Philadelphians have which allowed them to continue to be faithful when faced with persecution I suggest their only strength, and our only strength, is in the righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ. The only thing they did was to focus on Jesus and to trust in his promises. Anything else would be to put the burden on their backs. 

As I reminded you early from the Heidelburg Catechism, “Our only comfort in life and in death, is in Jesus Christ.” If we follow and trust in him, things will work out. Amen.

This sermon was edited from one preached on May 20, 2007 at First Presbyterian Church of Hastings, Michigan. 

[1] Christopher P. Vogt, Patience, Compassion, Hope and the Christian Art of Dying Well (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2004), 21.

[2] Book of Confessions, 4.001 (my paraphrase to make it plural.)  

[3] Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, revised, NICNT  (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), 98-99.

[4] John 14:6

[5] See Mounce, 101.

[6] See Mounce, 103, G. B. Caird, The Revelation of St. John the Divine (NY: Harper & Row, 1966), 54.

[7] See Matthew 10:28, Luke 12:4

[8] Revelation 21:22

[9] Eugene Peterson, Reversed Thunder: The Revelation of John and the Praying Imagination (New York: Harper Collins, 1988), 55.