I was sitting in a small group this past Sunday listening to a very interesting conversation. This group is composed of families with children from all walks of life and all ages. But the overarching topic of discussion was how one tries to navigate raising children today in a society that seems to be rapidly losing its way. One of my friends put it very succinctly, he said, “Everything today is backwards, what once was right now is wrong, and what once was unthinkably wrong is now declared as right. How do we navigate as parents and raise our children in a society where they will be rejected for their values as Christians.”
Wow, I have to say he really does capture a concern there, and one that many young families are feeling today. There is a Bible verse that speaks to this situation. The scripture 2nd Timothy 4:3 states, “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,” Sounds a great deal like what we are dealing with in our world today!
But I think there’s hope in this time of great polarization. In this world of upside down values and rapid disregard of Christ’s teachings there is a great light among us. We have a chance to build communities that do not shout-down or shut-down others because they disagree, but instead see one another as beloved children of God. We have a chance for a miracle.
I saw a miracle right here in Fairfield this past Sunday my friends! I even had a chance to participate in this miracle first hand and can attest to its validity. This past Sunday eight young people came forward in our church and professed their faith in Jesus Christ and joined the congregation. After the service all eight went outside and were baptized in the name of Jesus (by the way we Methodists dunk folks too, it’s not just a Baptist tradition). Our church celebrated and shouted with joy at this glorious occasion, and right there in the middle of the town of Fairfield Texas a miracle occurred. In today’s world it is a miracle that young people still come forward seeking Jesus, it is a miracle that churches still preach a Gospel of Repentance, Grace and Redemption, it is a miracle that people still reach out in support of others and come to the aid of those around them. It is a miracle that God is still among us doing a mighty work. Do you see the miracles around you?
If we seek to find community with the world we will be rejected and despised. Society will never accept true Christianity because Christ calls everyone to see each other as equal sinners in need of grace, and all equally beloved by God. That is the community we must seek to embrace, and look with pity upon those who seek satisfaction from the world around them. We must look with sympathy upon those who seek approval and acceptance from the world, where they will only find empty promises and false identities. With God’s help we can create the miraculous, we can create communities of faith that see only one thing, the love of God; and desire only one thing, the redemption of Jesus Christ.
I saw a Fairfield Miracle this past Sunday, and I can’t wait to see what God is going to do next. Keep the faith my friends, and above all, keep your hope in Christ Jesus.
Your Miracle Seeking Minister
Pastor Mike McVey
Minister – First United Methodist Church, Fairfield TX
ACS Chaplain – United State Coast Guard, Station Galveston TX
Chaplain – Texas Game Warden Service, Freestone County
Cell: 919-935-2513
Email: pastormike@fumcfairfield.org
