April 24, 2016 Sermon

When are we most likely to listen for God? Is it when everything is going great, or when everything is falling down around us? Someone in our church wisely said, “God DOES give us more than we can handle, so that we’ll rely on him and know that his strength pulled us through.” Yet, sometimes we cry out for help and it seems that God isn’t working at all. Help doesn’t always come with a bolt of lighting from the heavens, a talking burning bush, or a sea parting before our eyes. More likely, it will come from a helpful stranger, a kind neighbor, or a welcoming group of people that understand your hardship and offer encouragement and support.

Pastor Zedick spoke about two kinds of people this week. Those that knock others down, and those that lift others up. We Christians have a responsibility to be the type that lift others up. After Jesus’ death, the disciples went on spreading the news of Jesus, and at some point, widows in need of help were being overlooked. Acknowledging that their main direction from Jesus was to witness, they kept that their top priority. However, instead of turning the widows away, they appointed members of the church to care for them.

So it’s not just the Pastor that’s tasked with reaching out to the community – it’s all of us. God works through us to give help to those that need it. So when we see someone hurt, discouraged, or grieving – God most likely put them in our path specifically for us to help them so they can feel God’s grace.