Mount Sterling First United Methodist Church
Justice & Mercy: God's Reign Now

  • Hearing God: Listening in a Noisy World

    Last week I asked if you ever had a problem praying to God, knowing what to say, what to think, what or who to pray for. Prayer is our ultimate deep relationship with God, so it is the best way that we can individually and collectively mature and deepen our connection with God. This week we will discuss how to hear God in a very noisy world.
    Hearing God means we are actively listening and in-tune with God’s voice, God’s prompting, God’s encouragement, God’s motivation, and God’s Spirit. Listening is an intentional act of inviting an outside force into your mind that will offer new information, new data, that could possibly change who you are, confirm who you are, and encourage your present day walk.
    Think through your life and how so much has changed, yet one force that has change, and yet remained, is the noise of life. When you are younger, you have the noise of your ever developing body, your parents/guardians, grandparents, siblings, extended family, friends from the neighborhood, friends from school, rules of school, rules of home, rules of the community you live, and the list goes on and on.
    When you get older your noise changes into adult responsibilities. You have the noise of paying bills, the noise of fixing things that are broken, the noise of family, employment, government, neighborhood, other people’s opinions, and the list goes on and on.
    In your retirement the noise changes again but is still present. You now have noises much like when you were younger and your body is doing things that you’ve never experienced before and you may not like it. You also have the noise of hoping you will have enough money to live on, wanting to be available to have fun, desiring to be with family, more medical appointments than you desire, traveling to new places, and the noise of silence as you see more friends start to leave you one by one.

    God speaks in many ways

    In all of noise of life, in every stage of your life, God still speaks. When you’re younger God speaks in a way that is relevant to a youthful age, in your busy adult years God is speaking above, in between, and beneath the cracks of life, in your maturing years of retirement God is speaking in the silence, the mundane, the unwanted, the joy, and the freedom that this life stage provides. God is always speaking but does so in many different ways so that every age and every culture will be able to hear, and hopefully listen.
    So, in the noise of your life, in whatever stage you are in, how does God speak to you? As a United Methodist Christian how does God speak to you? Looking upon our United Methodist heritage, God is said to speak to us through Scripture, Tradition, Reason, and Experience.
    God’s voice is heard through scripture as it is a collection of 66+ books/letters/poems/songs that were constructed to evidence God engaging in relationship with humanity throughout many millennia. Scripture is one of our ultimate guides for reflection of religious interaction with a holy God and humanity on the onward and upward holiness progression of love. Mark Twain said,
    Most people are bothered by those passages in Scripture which they cannot understand; but as for me, I always noticed that the passages in Scripture which trouble me most are those which I do understand.
    Mark Twain
    For non-Christians scripture can still speak to their existence but other religious or humanistic writings may play a larger role, this is to be expected but for us United Methodist Christians, scripture is still essential in our overall understanding of how God can speak through the generations.
    Tradition is another way God can speak to us. Tradition in the USA in 2024 is going to be different than Tradition in Rome in 1200 or Babylon in 300BC. God will speak through the present day culture in a way that is significant, symbolic, while emphasizing God’s holiness and illuminating human understanding through the ever-present and moving Spirit. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said,
    We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves; otherwise we harden.
    Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
    Traditions can come and go depending on the nature of what is needed and necessary for the people, at the time. Some Traditions can also last too long where no one understands why we do this specific act anymore. Traditions can also be good and deepen a prayerful relationship with God. God definitely speaks through the ritualistic acts that we, as a people, choose to do.
    Reason proclaims the active and ongoing knowledge that humans gain over time. You may have heard the phrase before, “we don’t check our brains at the door of the church”, this should be true of every church that you enter. If something simply does not make sense and new knowledge or data on a certain topic proves otherwise, especially if it speaks against a traditional interpretation of scripture, then reason should be highly considered as more relevant. Francis Bacon said,
    A little philosophy inclines men’s minds to atheism, but depth in philosophy brings men’s minds about to religion.
    —Francis Bacon
    Francis Bacon (Philosopher)
    God speaks through education as we learn more about this world, we do learn more about God and can learn to hear God’s voice in new and exciting ways. Reason is good so don’t easily cast it away when you may not fully understand something new.
    Experience is not new but was an addition from Wesley to the people called Methodists. Wesley added experience to the 3-fold Scripture, Tradition, and Reason from the Church of England. Experience is the active voice of the Holy Spirit in the daily life events, activities, and ever evolving culture of humanity. Humanity must listen to God through experiencing life for the maintenance of old relationships and the establishment of new relationships all consists of new and maturing experiences of life. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin said,
    We are not human beings having a spiritual experience, we are spiritual beings having a human experience.
    Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
    God definitely speaks through experiences that are new, frightening, uncomfortable, and confirming.
    Tradition, Reason, and Experience all speak to Scripture, as Scripture also speaks to Tradition, Reason, and Experience. God throughout time has spoken when there was no Scripture, no Tradition, and very limited Reason and Experience.

    The Role of Discernment

    This bring us to discernment. We all have the ability to perceive or recognize differences to judge what is right and wrong, good and evil, the voice of God and the will of humanity. Unfortunately, we’ve all come across people who who have very little discernment. There is a quote from an unknown author that says:
    ​
    Little [people] with little minds and little imaginations go through life in little ruts, smugly resisting all changes which would jar their little worlds.
    Unknown
    In other words, there are some people who simply do not have any common sense to see life with another person’s vision or walk through this world in another person’s shoes. In our 1Kings scripture reading , we have the story of Elijah running for his life after the prophets of Baal were killed. Elijah proclaimed God’s word, held to his cultural traditions, reasoned with his real life circumstances, and experienced God anew in a relational conversation. The bookend of this experience was God questioning Elijah, “Why are you here?” God spoke with Elijah to confirm who he was, confirm his prophetic action, confirm that throughout all the noise around him that God is not in the noise of the world. God is ultimately received and heard in the thin, quiet moments of reflection, discernment, and interpretation while journeying in all the noise of this crazy world. Catherine of Siena said,
    The core of pride is impatience and its offshoot is the lack of any discernment.
    Saint Catherine of Siena
    Discerning God’s voice, while in the noisy moments of life, help us to do what the Psalmist invites the readers on multiple occasions-SELAH, to pause, to sit, to reflect, and then act. When one has a prayer life whose foundation is built upon divine discernment then you will have a pray-er who intentionally seeks God’s will as God’s ambassador not the world’s warrior. When we take time to discern we then will be able to hear the voice of God. John 10.27 says
    John 10:27 CEB
    My sheep listen to my voice. I know them and they follow me.
    In the stillness of life we are able to be attentive to the voice of our Savior, to hear, to listen, and then to follow.

    God desires genuine relationships

    The busyness of life can be so noisy that we, at times, choose to deny God the relationship of his desire. That relationship is to give and receive love with you. The God/human relationship is one of intimacy in prayer, intimacy in action, intimacy in private, and intimacy in public. God never stops pursuing you for there is not an end point to a relationship. In prayer we continue to communicate with God and time with God is needed especially when the world’s noise can be too distracting. Thomas Schreiner says,
    Love for God cannot be sustained without a relationship with him, and such a relationship is nurtured by prayer.
    Thomas Schreiner
    A deeply held prayer life does not have to be one that is outlandish where you are always the person asked to pray in public settings; don’ worry that is always reserved for the pastor, even if the pastor don’t want to do it. A deeply held prayer life can also be very subtle. A deeply held prayer life can be very private. A deeply held prayer life is true prayer. R.T. France says,
    True prayer is not a technique nor a performance, but a relationship.
    R. T. France
    A true relationship with God must have true prayer from the believer or the seeker of the divine. Prayer enters one into the presence of God. Prayer strengthens the relationship with God. Prayer emboldens the faith of the believer in a noisy world. When you are soaked in prayer then you are transformed into your prayers. Warren Wiersbe says,
    Prayer is not something that I do; prayer is something that I am.
    Warren W. Wiersbe
    As we continue to develop our prayerful skills, we develop our listening skills, which develop our divine loving skills. A prayerful heart that listens to and connects with God is an act of love. Saint Augustine said,
    What you love you worship; true prayer, real prayer, is nothing but loving: what you love, that you pray to.
    Saint Augustine of Hippo
    As we pray to that which we love, our words and our actions will unite together as one. Our relationship with God will grow, the deafening noise of the world will extinguish, the words from our tongue will be praise, and people will see a prayerful life of love in action. So whether we are asleep or awake a life of prayer will guide us and help us to hear God more. John Wesley said,
    The moment I awaked, ‘Jesus, Master,’ was in my heart and in my mouth; and I found all my strength lay in keeping my eye fixed upon Him, and my soul waiting on Him continually.
    John Wesley (Founder of the Methodist Movement)

    Silent Reflection and Mindfulness

    As we enter into a new week, I encourage you to take time in silent reflection and mindfully focus upon God in prayer. Last week I invited you to pray the open-hearted disciples prayer. This week I invite you to say a prayer that has been said for many generations, The Jesus Prayer.
    Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner
    Amen.
  • Rejoice, the Lord Is King

      • Isaiah 58:6–9NRSVUE

      • Isaiah 58:12–14NRSVUE

  • We Gather Together

      • Matthew 25:31–46NRSVUE

  • The day we call Christ the King invites us to a profound reflection. A reflection not merely about a distant or future kingdom but about a reign that breaks into our present reality. It’s an invitation to recognize that God is already reigning, that Christ the King rules with justice and mercy, and that this reign calls us to live differently here, now, and every day.
    In Isaiah 58 and Matthew 25, we find a powerful duet between prophetic challenge and gospel fulfillment. Isaiah accuses a community performing ritual without justice and calls people back to true fasting: acts that loosen injustice, care for the oppressed, and restore wholeness. Matthew’s gospel lays bare the criteria for the kingdom’s blessing: care for those on the margins, and embodied mercy that reveals love as the core of Christ’s reign.
    These texts form the heartbeat of Christian discipleship on Christ the King Sunday because they reveal what the reign of Christ looks like in concrete, life-changing terms. This is not abstract theology but theological practice, a call to participate in God’s saving work of restoration, justice, and mercy.
    Christ the King: A Reign of Justice and Compassion
    When we hear the title “Christ the King,” it might conjure images of grandeur, throne rooms, and distant sovereign power. Yet the biblical portrait of Christ’s kingship is much more radical. It is a cooperative sovereignty that embraces vulnerability, service, and sacrificial love; this is a kingship that suffers with people, not one that causes suffering.
    Isaiah’s vision, written centuries before Jesus, beautifully anticipates a reign where God’s justice and mercy define the community. The king’s power is displayed not in domination but in active liberation: the “loosening of the bonds of injustice,” the breaking of yokes that enslave, the feeding of the hungry, and the healing of the brokenhearted.
    Jesus embodied this reign perfectly. He did not seek earthly power or glory but chose humility, healing, and standing with the poor and oppressed. His kingly authority was shown on the cross representing a sign of paradoxical power that champions mercy over judgment, peace over violence, and inclusion over exclusion.
    For us today, proclaiming Jesus as Christ the King is not about awaiting some future coronation; it is about embracing a present reality of a reign inaugurated by Jesus that continues and grows through us as we live into justice and mercy.
    The Challenge of True Worship
    Now, Isaiah 58 confronts us with a hard truth: formal religious observance is no substitute for active justice. The fasting, prayers, and rituals of the community had become hollow, disconnected from care for the oppressed and justice for all.
    God’s question echoes powerfully: “Is not this the fast that I choose…to loose the chains of injustice, to set the oppressed free, to break every yoke?” This challenge goes beyond external piety to the transformation of how we live in relation to others.
    This is an urgent call to align our faith with concrete acts of kindness and justice. In the context of the church, it reminds us that our worship and liturgy must inspire and empower us toward action (feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, & caring for the vulnerable).
    Such living faith reflects the reign of Christ the King that breaks down walls and builds bridges. This reign grows when we move from ritual performance to radical participation in God’s restorative work.
    Living Kingdom Now: Embodied Compassion
    Matthew’s gospel reading from chapter 25 presents an unforgettable vision. We have the King separating “the sheep from the goats,” while praising those who feed, welcome, clothe, visit, and care for the “least of these.”
    This passage underscores that the reign of Christ is visible in compassionate deeds. It is not a kingdom defined by status or religious formality but by mercy that transforms lives.
    Our theology reminds us that Christ’s gracious presence dwells in the vulnerable and marginalized, making proximity to them equivalent to proximity to the King himself.
    This should shape our understanding of holiness and discipleship. To live under Christ the King means to embody mercy daily, to recognize every act of justice and care as a kingdom act, every gesture of welcome as sacred, and every advocacy for the oppressed as a royal service.
    Friends, in practical terms, this reign of Christ asks us to engage with the broken realities of hunger, homelessness, injustice, loneliness, and suffering. It also summons us beyond personal piety and into public love.
    Wesleyan Sanctification and Open & Relational Theology
    Wesleyan theology deeply values sanctification, you all should know this by now. It is our lifelong process of growing in love, freedom, and holiness. In the context of Christ the King Sunday, this growth is not just inward but outward. It is about becoming more loving and just agents of God’s reign.
    Open and Relational theology enhances this by emphasizing that God’s power is persuasive, not coercive; love does not dominate but invites. It means that our participation in God’s reign is a cooperative endeavor where our choices and actions have genuine impact. This cooperation must extend to one another, which means effective and continuous communication with everyone in the mix. In other words, don’t do something behind the scenes while expecting the people in public view to know what’s going on. Effective and proper communication is essential for perfecting our love walk with God and neighbor.
    As we cooperate with one another and God, this also means that the reign of Christ is not static or predetermined; it is relationally dynamic and open to our everyday decisions. We contribute to the flourishing or withering of justice and mercy in the world.
    Living faithfully in Christ’s kingdom is a joyful, challenging call to be agents of peace, advocates for justice, and bearers of mercy. We join God’s co-creative work of healing a fractured creation, living in hope and action.
    A Kingdom Manifested in Our Communities
    As members of a faith community, we embody this reign collectively. The church is a visible sign of God’s kingdom when it becomes a place of justice, mercy, and hospitality.
    So, how does our congregation reflect Isaiah’s true fast and Matthew’s judgment of mercy? Are our ministries oriented toward liberation and meeting the needs of the vulnerable? Is hospitality a hallmark of our welcome? Is this something we need to continue to work on daily as ministries reflect the salvific nature of Christ in a world that is lost, lonely, and seeks a stable future?
    This Christ the King Sunday invites us to recommit ourselves as a community of disciples living under God’s reign by doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly with our God. In doing so, we manifest the kingdom Jesus proclaimed, the kingdom of right relationships, abundant life, and everlasting peace.
    Invitation to Action and Reflection
    Friends, Christ the King Sunday is not a call to passive admiration but to active participation in God’s unfolding reign. The kingdom of Jesus breaks into our world whenever compassion triumphs over indifference, whenever mercy reshapes judgment, and whenever love mends what injustice has torn apart.
    This week, may we live as co-creators of that reign, feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, standing with the oppressed, and embodying the peace we proclaim. No act of love is wasted; every gesture of justice bears witness to the King who reigns in grace and calls us forward in hope. So let us go forth with boldness, humility, and an expectant mercy of Christ in all we do, until his reign of justice and peace fills the earth. Amen.
Mount Sterling First United Methodist Church
sterlingfirstumc@yahoo.com
(740) 869-3577
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