Mount Sterling First United Methodist Church
Hope of the Horizon: Light Dawns

  • 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.
  • O Come O Come Emmanuel

      • Isaiah 60:1–3NRSVUE

      • Isaiah 60:19–22NRSVUE

  • Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates

      • Matthew 24:36–44NRSVUE

  • Advent as Patient Hope
    Advent invites us into a sacred season of patient hope and spiritual readiness. It is a time when we are called to awaken from spiritual slumber and open our hearts to the radiant light of God increasingly breaking into our lives and world. The scriptures today offer us two complementary visions of this divine light, one from the prophetic poetry of Isaiah and one from the urgent teaching of Jesus in Matthew’s gospel. Both call us to notice and participate in a profound reality: God’s glory is not distant or abstract but very near, working quietly yet powerfully within and among us. As we journey through this Advent season, may we orient ourselves to this dawning hope, deepening our awareness that the light shines as we wait, inviting our active hope and faith.
    The Promise of Restoration: God’s Glory Upon Us
    Isaiah’s vision of restoration transcends personal comfort or future reward. It is a profoundly communal and cosmic divine promise that God’s glory will not only shine upon the faithful but will draw diverse peoples and nations into blessing, justice, and peace. Written as symbolic poetry, not historical prediction, Isaiah invites us to imagine a world transformed, where “the sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you by night; but the Lord will be your everlasting light”. This figurative language points to God’s intimate, illuminating presence dwelling within and among us, not as distant future but as present possibility.
    The imagery reminds us that God’s reign is not far off; rather, it is breaking into our present reality whenever communities practice reconciliation, justice replaces violence, and estranged peoples find common ground. It offers us strength to rise above weariness and finally see the promises unfolding. This vision nurtures hope rooted in God’s faithful character and challenges us to live as participants in this unfolding restoration, embodying God’s glory in our relationships, communities, and world.
    The Light That Dispels Darkness: Living in God’s Present Kingdom
    Jesus, in Matthew’s gospel, employs vivid apocalyptic symbolism to urge his followers toward spiritual wakefulness. “About that day and hour no one knows,” he says, emphasizing that God’s kingdom doesn’t arrive according to human calculations or predictions. This illuminates a key aspect of Advent spirituality: patient vigilance for what is already unfolding around us.
    Jesus invokes the symbolic story of Noah, people continuing their daily routines, oblivious to the spiritual crisis in their midst. This isn’t about historical judgment but about the human tendency toward spiritual sleepwalking, missing the transformative presence of God breaking into ordinary life. The message isn’t “be afraid of what’s coming” but “wake up to what’s already here”.
    God’s kingdom has already come, first in Christ’s incarnation, then through the Spirit’s indwelling presence after the ascension. We cannot predict some future moment when God’s kingdom “fully arrives” because it is perpetually arriving, perpetually inviting our participation. What we cultivate is alertness to divine activity woven through the fabric of daily life, in acts of justice, moments of reconciliation, expressions of love that heal and restore.
    Jesus is the Light of the World, whose presence continues to heal division and conquer despair. Our readiness becomes an open-hearted attentiveness to that transformative light already shining through us, already at work in our communities, already renewing creation from within.
    Living as People of Light Now: Embodying Hope and Justice
    Now, Advent demands more than hopeful waiting; it invites us to live as conduits of God’s light here and now. To “arise and shine” is an active calling. A calling that draws us into compassionate justice, radical inclusion, and peace making. In our relationships and communal life, we become beacons in dark places; we become lighthouses Christ establishes on the shoreline. This vision closely aligns with the Open and Relational theological perspective, emphasizing that God invites human cooperation within divine renewal. 
    Our actions, whether they are small or large, participate in making God’s kingdom present. We see that the kingdom of God has arrived when activities like feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, advocating for justice, and embodying reconciliation are occurring more frequently throughout the community, nation, and world. This transformative way of living reflects a gentle yet powerful resistance to despair, inviting people to glimpse the light of hope even in trying times.
    Preparing Our Hearts in Watchfulness: A Sacred Discipline
    “Keep awake!” Jesus encourages, urging believers into a posture of spiritual attentiveness. This watchfulness is not passive waiting; it is active nurturing of the soul’s preparedness through prayer, reflection, and community engagement. It invites us to notice God’s subtle movements during ordinary moments and to respond as co-creators of renewal and peace, knowing that God’s movements are always and everlastingly creative.
    To watch, experience, and participate in this co-creativeness with God is to stay awakened to possibility and grace, embodying patience and kindness even when waiting feels challenging. Many of you are, or have been, caregivers for your loved ones. You understand what it entails to embody patience and kindness as you seek to create comfort and peace within your household. Being a caregiver requires an always active, expectant, and watchful eye, alert to subtle changes, ready to respond with love, sustained by hope even in exhaustion.
    This same attentiveness is what spiritual watchfulness requires. Just as our physical bodies need vigilant care, our spiritual life demands deepened awareness of God’s subtle movements in both visible and invisible dimensions. By cultivating these spiritual habits of prayer, reflection, and compassionate action, individuals and congregations sustain hope, deepen their faith, and bear witness to the light in every trial and tribulation. This personal watchfulness connects to a much grander hope that encompasses all creation.
    The Radical Hope of New Creation: Beyond Human Limitations
    Isaiah’s hopeful vision includes an abundant renewal of all creation. We have the desert and wilderness rejoicing and cities flourishing as sanctuaries of peace and prosperity. This eschatological hope proclaims that God’s redemption transcends individuals, encompassing community and the entire created order. Such hope challenges us to live responsibly as stewards of the earth, advocates for justice, and nurturers of peace. It calls forth trust in a God who binds wounds, restores harmony, and calls all creation to abundant life. This hope is radical because it confronts despair directly, proclaiming that no matter how broken the world seems, God is making all things new.
    Living as Co-Creators in Divine Renewal
    This Advent season, we are invited into this divine partnership. Open and Relational theology holds that God actively invites creation to join in the renewal work. Our missions, prayers, and faithfulness, my friends, are vital threads woven into the fabric of God’s transformative plan in which God needs our participation. As we enter Advent with hearts open to change, our lives can mirror that eternal light by standing against injustice, offering compassion, and revealing God’s boundless love. Together, we embody a community that awaits with hope and acts with courage, patiently shaping a world more open to the promised new heaven and earth.
    Light Dawned, Light Dawning, Light Yet to Come
    The tension of Advent is living between what God has already co-created with you and what God desires to accomplish with you in the present and future. This balance invites patient hope and active engagement. Isaiah’s poetic vision and Jesus’ teachings call us toward daily faithful living enabling lives that are marked by readiness, love,  justice, and illuminated by God’s ever present light. As we continue this Advent journey, may the light that has dawned deepen within us, inspiring our witness, strengthening our hope, and transforming our communities all in the name of Christ Jesus. Amen.
Mount Sterling First United Methodist Church
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(740) 869-3577
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