First Notes: Lowering the Temperature, Living By Faith
Dear First Baptist Family,
I recently ran across a fascinating, true story regarding the USS Titanic that I had never heard before.
On that fateful April night in 1912, the British SS Californian sat motionless just ten miles from the sinking Titanic. Her crew saw the distress rockets piercing the dark sky—eight white flares, the international signal for catastrophe.
Yet Captain Stanley Lord, sleeping in his cabin, dismissed them as mere "company signals." The radio operator had already gone to bed. For two hours, the Californian's watch officers debated what those lights meant while 1,500 souls drowned beneath the freezing Atlantic waves.
The SS Californian had everything needed to save them: a seaworthy ship, trained crew, and proximity to the disaster. What she lacked was discernment and then the will to act. When sunrise revealed the truth, it was too late. The SS Californian would forever be remembered not for what she did, but for what she failed to do when it mattered most.
A lot of people feel stuck right now. There are many hurting, hungry people in our country, and it seems like our efforts are never enough to lift people out of poverty — in fact, it seems like things are getting worse for families. We look from a distance on what is happening in Minneapolis and feel anger or resignation.
This Wednesday we will be talking about race, discrimination, and immigration in my Christian Politics class on Wednesday evenings from 6pm-7pm. This discussion has been part of our plan since early January, but it feels very appropriate given recent current events. We will have a civil, loving and honest conversation, and I will be sharing from my perspective what I believe the response of Jesus followers should be. I look forward to hearing from the perspectives of others.
In the meantime, what can we do to lower the temperature and live our faith in a time like this?
Don’t Look Away
Maybe the starting point just needs to be not ignoring what is happening. What happens in one part of our country, or indeed one part of the world, affects us all. Plus, we are part of a global family of believers.
There's a story that Jesus told that almost everyone knows. In the Parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus describes a situation where a man was going from Jerusalem to Jericho and was attacked by robbers. He was beaten, robbed, and left for dead on the side of the road.
Two religious leaders saw him, and for their own reasons passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, someone from a group of people who were hated by the Jews, took the time to notice what had happened.
“…when he saw him, he took pity on him” (Matthew 10:33, NIV, emphasis added).
Sometimes I wish I could just shut out the pain of this world, but that's not what we're called to do. Jesus didn’t turn away from the pain of this world. Instead, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36, NIV, emphasis added).
We can’t turn away, either. If you’re tempted to do that, you’re not alone. It also needs to be said that we need healthy habits on how much news we consume.
But looking away is not an option. Maybe we should start by looking around Knoxville first and seeing where there’s pain.
Do What You Can
We can't do everything, but we can do something. Edward Everett Hale said, “I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.”
The Good Samaritan did something. Having seen the need, he got off his donkey, bandaged the wounds of the man, took him to a place of shelter, and then paid for his care until he returned. He adjusted his schedule and emptied his pocket to help the helpless man.
Our challenge at this moment is probably less about having a caring heart than about knowing what to do. Some people may be called to activism, some to serving, some to simply seeking to understand and gathering information. All are called to listen. All are called to love.
It's important to make sure that whatever you're doing, you're having a positive effect on the people nearest to you. So do what you can. Give as you can. Encourage as you can. Listen as you can.
Search the Scriptures
What does the Bible say about our current moment? While it's a confusing time, we are not left without the wisdom of God's Word and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
My goal Wednesday is to share some thoughts from scripture and help us prayerfully discern together.
I'm praying that God will break into this crisis, renew the work of God's church, and help us to be faithful. I'm confident that God is already at work. I'm committed to helping us discern together and stick together. I hope that you'll pray for me and others in our congregation, as well as those who are working for good in our city and places like Minnesota.
I love you and I look forward to being with you in-person this Sunday, too! My sermon is called “Hope for the Hopeless” and centers on Romans 3:9-12, 21-26.
Stay warm and safe!
Blessings —
Pastor Brent
I recently ran across a fascinating, true story regarding the USS Titanic that I had never heard before.
On that fateful April night in 1912, the British SS Californian sat motionless just ten miles from the sinking Titanic. Her crew saw the distress rockets piercing the dark sky—eight white flares, the international signal for catastrophe.
Yet Captain Stanley Lord, sleeping in his cabin, dismissed them as mere "company signals." The radio operator had already gone to bed. For two hours, the Californian's watch officers debated what those lights meant while 1,500 souls drowned beneath the freezing Atlantic waves.
The SS Californian had everything needed to save them: a seaworthy ship, trained crew, and proximity to the disaster. What she lacked was discernment and then the will to act. When sunrise revealed the truth, it was too late. The SS Californian would forever be remembered not for what she did, but for what she failed to do when it mattered most.
A lot of people feel stuck right now. There are many hurting, hungry people in our country, and it seems like our efforts are never enough to lift people out of poverty — in fact, it seems like things are getting worse for families. We look from a distance on what is happening in Minneapolis and feel anger or resignation.
This Wednesday we will be talking about race, discrimination, and immigration in my Christian Politics class on Wednesday evenings from 6pm-7pm. This discussion has been part of our plan since early January, but it feels very appropriate given recent current events. We will have a civil, loving and honest conversation, and I will be sharing from my perspective what I believe the response of Jesus followers should be. I look forward to hearing from the perspectives of others.
In the meantime, what can we do to lower the temperature and live our faith in a time like this?
Don’t Look Away
Maybe the starting point just needs to be not ignoring what is happening. What happens in one part of our country, or indeed one part of the world, affects us all. Plus, we are part of a global family of believers.
There's a story that Jesus told that almost everyone knows. In the Parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus describes a situation where a man was going from Jerusalem to Jericho and was attacked by robbers. He was beaten, robbed, and left for dead on the side of the road.
Two religious leaders saw him, and for their own reasons passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, someone from a group of people who were hated by the Jews, took the time to notice what had happened.
“…when he saw him, he took pity on him” (Matthew 10:33, NIV, emphasis added).
Sometimes I wish I could just shut out the pain of this world, but that's not what we're called to do. Jesus didn’t turn away from the pain of this world. Instead, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36, NIV, emphasis added).
We can’t turn away, either. If you’re tempted to do that, you’re not alone. It also needs to be said that we need healthy habits on how much news we consume.
But looking away is not an option. Maybe we should start by looking around Knoxville first and seeing where there’s pain.
Do What You Can
We can't do everything, but we can do something. Edward Everett Hale said, “I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.”
The Good Samaritan did something. Having seen the need, he got off his donkey, bandaged the wounds of the man, took him to a place of shelter, and then paid for his care until he returned. He adjusted his schedule and emptied his pocket to help the helpless man.
Our challenge at this moment is probably less about having a caring heart than about knowing what to do. Some people may be called to activism, some to serving, some to simply seeking to understand and gathering information. All are called to listen. All are called to love.
It's important to make sure that whatever you're doing, you're having a positive effect on the people nearest to you. So do what you can. Give as you can. Encourage as you can. Listen as you can.
Search the Scriptures
What does the Bible say about our current moment? While it's a confusing time, we are not left without the wisdom of God's Word and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
My goal Wednesday is to share some thoughts from scripture and help us prayerfully discern together.
I'm praying that God will break into this crisis, renew the work of God's church, and help us to be faithful. I'm confident that God is already at work. I'm committed to helping us discern together and stick together. I hope that you'll pray for me and others in our congregation, as well as those who are working for good in our city and places like Minnesota.
I love you and I look forward to being with you in-person this Sunday, too! My sermon is called “Hope for the Hopeless” and centers on Romans 3:9-12, 21-26.
Stay warm and safe!
Blessings —
Pastor Brent
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