Three Thousand Years of Call

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Three Thousand Years of Call

January 18, 2026*

By Pastor John Partridge

Isaiah 49:1-7                          John 1:29-42              1 Corinthians 1:1-9

If you’ve looked at the title of today’s message, you will have noticed that I used the world “call.” We do that a lot in church. We talk about the “call” of God, or being “called” to ministry, or even being “called” to a secular vocation of one type or another. But what does that mean? Most of us who have been in the church for any length of time probably have a feel for what we mean by a call, or a calling, even if we might have trouble writing down a dictionary style definition. At least a part of our problem grows out of us being users of the English language, which is grammatically bizarre, and while it is sometimes scientifically precise, in other cases, like this one, it leaves us with more than a dozen different dictionary definitions, and common usages, for the same word.

I could say that I called someone, and it could mean that I dialed them, messaged them, or spoke loudly so that they could hear me. I could say that I called my dog, Natasha, and it could mean that I wanted her to come to me, or that I was telling you that Natasha was the name that she had been given. If I said that I had called on one of our shut-ins, I might have used the telephone, or it might mean that I had visited them. If we saw that the weather was terrible on Sunday morning, to say that we had called, or called off, the service means that we had cancelled it. To call for an investigation is to demand one, and to call in a card game communicates a similar sort of demand. To call a meeting is an invitation, calling a strike is more of an order, but to call the stock market is to make a prediction. If we say, “I would call it an even dollar,” describes an estimate, the quarterback’s call in a football huddle is a selection, and a military call to active duty is a summons. And if that isn’t enough, most of these have several variations as well.

Are you confused yet?

So, what do we mean when we say things like “the call of God”?

As we consider that, let us begin by reading a bit about God’s call of his prophet Isaiah and his prophecy of God concerning Israel’s coming messiah almost three thousand years ago in Isaiah 49:1-7, where it says:

49:1 Listen to me, you islands;
    hear this, you distant nations:
Before I was born the Lord called me;
    from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name.
2 He made my mouth like a sharpened sword,
    in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me into a polished arrow
    and concealed me in his quiver.
3 He said to me, “You are my servant,
    Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.”
4 But I said, “I have labored in vain;
    I have spent my strength for nothing at all.
Yet what is due me is in the Lord’s hand,
    and my reward is with my God.”

5 And now the Lord says—
    he who formed me in the womb to be his servant
to bring Jacob back to him
    and gather Israel to himself,
for I amhonored in the eyes of the Lord
    and my God has been my strength—
6 he says:
“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant
    to restore the tribes of Jacob
    and bring back those of Israel I have kept.
I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,
    that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”

7 This is what the Lord says—
    the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel—
to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation,
    to the servant of rulers:
“Kings will see you and stand up,
    princes will see and bow down,
because of the Lord, who is faithful,
    the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”

Isaiah says that God had called him, which we understand as having placed a call upon his life, even before he had been born. In calling Isaiah, God gave him the ability to speak powerfully and equipped him to represent God’s kingdom. But things didn’t always go well, and sometimes Isaiah felt as if his work and his labor was all for nothing, but he was content in knowing that the reward for his faithfulness was in God’s hands. But at the end of this passage, God says that having received the call from God, meant that God had chosen Isaiah. The call of God wasn’t and isn’t random. God knows everything that there is to know about his creation and so God’s call upon our lives is thoughtful, deliberate, and individually tailored to who we are and who we will become.

We get some additional insight into the call of God from the stories of John the Baptist, Jesus, and the Apostle Peter. We hear that story as John introduces his own followers to Jesus in John 1:29-42:

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”

32 Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”

35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”

37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”

They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”

39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”

So, they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.

40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus.

Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon, son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).

There are several things going on here as it relates to the call of God. First, because the mission to which John was called is ending, when he sees Jesus, he points to him and announces to his disciples, and anyone else nearby, that Jesus is the one that he had been sent to announce. Further, he goes beyond his calling and testifies that he had personally seen the Spirit of God come down from heaven and that it was Jesus who would baptize others with the Holy Spirit. This act connects John’s followers to Jesus and passes their calling from following John to following Jesus. Two of John’s disciples were the brothers, Andrew, and Simon, and when Jesus met Simon, he declared that Simon would be called Cephas, or in English, Peter. In this case, the phrase, “you will be called” is a naming, and not a call of God. However, anyone reading the story would know that God had already placed a call, or a summons, on Peter’s life and that call had just passed from following John to following Jesus, so, at least two dictionary meanings are in play.

Isn’t English great?

And so finally we hear from the Apostle Paul to speaks, not only of his own call, but of the call that God has upon every follower of Jesus, including you and me. We read these words in 1 Corinthians 1:1-9:

1:1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,

2 To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours:

3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

4 I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 5 For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge— 6 God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. 7 Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 8 He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Paul says that God called him to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and we know that Paul’s conversion story and subsequent call by God, also with a name change, on the road to Damascus was particularly dramatic. But Paul goes on to tell the people of the church in Corinth something about their own call. Paul says that the people of the church were called to be God’s holy people, together with those everywhere who follow Jesus. Paul goes on to say that because God has called them, that they have been enriched with all kinds of speech and knowledge as a means of confirming what they had been taught. Further, the people of the church have been, as a group, been given all the spiritual gifts as they wait for the second coming of Jesus so that they can stand firm in their faith. Paul then repeats his message that the people of the church in Corinth, and thus every follower of Jesus Christ, has been called into fellowship together with one another and with Jesus Christ.

So, let’s review what we have seen this morning about the call of God.

First, God had known everything about us since before we were born, and as such, God’s call is not generic or random but rather, thoughtful, deliberate, and individually tailored to who we are and who we will become. Second, being called by God means that God has specifically chosen you to be a part of his kingdom work in the world in which you live, and among the people that you know, encounter, and interact with every day and he has equipped you to do that work. Third, just a Simon Peter was called to follow John, and then Jesus, the calling that you have today may change. Just as the person you were ten years ago may not be the person you are today, and the skills with which you are equipped, the place that you live, and the people that you know might be different than they once were, what God calls you to do may be different as well. Fourth, you are not alone. Just as Isaiah, John the Baptist, and the Apostle Paul were called, so has everyone, everywhere, who has put their faith in Jesus Christ, though each call is as individual and unique as the life of the person involved. Fifth, because of God’s call, your life had been enriched in every way with all kinds of speech and knowledge, and that enrichment confirms the teaching that you have received from your parents, pastors, and Sunday school teachers. Sixth, along with your calling, God has given each of us spiritual gifts that he intends for us to use as we wait for the return of Jesus Christ. And finally, God has not called you to be alone. This is different from when I said that you are not alone in being called, but that God has not called you to work, or to live, or to live out your calling, alone. God is faithful and not only calls us to do his kingdom work, but he also calls us into community and into fellowship with one another and with Jesus Christ.

And so while our understanding of God’s call overlaps several dictionary definitions, and while the English language doesn’t do us any favors, I hope that our scriptures and our time together today will help us to better understand what we mean when we say that each of us are “called” by God.

And remember, every one of us has work to do, and the work to which we are called is as unique as we are, but none of us are ever called to do that work alone.

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*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page.  Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601.  These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org.  These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com .  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

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An Ending, and a New Beginning

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An Ending, and a New Beginning

(Baptism of Jesus)

January 11, 2026*

By Pastor John Partridge

Isaiah 42:1-9                          Matthew 3:13-17                   Acts 10:34-43

If you have ever read a book, watched a television episode, or a movie, that was a part of a series, you have likely found yourself at the end of the story that both concluded the story that you had been experiencing and also established the beginning of the next book, show, or movie. Television serials of an earlier era would often do this quite deliberately and end with a phrase like, “Tune in next week when…” or “How will our hero escape certain death?” or something similar. It is that sort of story that we find in our scriptures this morning, beginning with a story in the Old Testament and ending in the New Testament, and with an interesting transition that we find in the gospel of Matthew and the baptism of Jesus.

We begin this morning with yet another prophecy foretelling the coming of Israel’s messiah in Isaiah 42:1-9 where God says:

42:1 “Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
    my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
    and he will bring justice to the nations.
2 He will not shout or cry out,
    or raise his voice in the streets.
3 A bruised reed he will not break,
    and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
4     he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice on earth.
    In his teaching the islands will put their hope.”

5 This is what God the Lord says—
the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out,
    who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it,
    who gives breath to its people,
    and life to those who walk on it:
6 “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness;
    I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
    to be a covenant for the people
    and a light for the Gentiles,
7 to open eyes that are blind,
    to free captives from prison
    and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

8 “I am the Lord; that is my name!
    I will not yield my glory to another
    or my praise to idols.
9 See, the former things have taken place,
    and new things I declare;
before they spring into being
    I announce them to you.”

We know from other prophecies, that the messiah of Israel was to be a powerful king, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, and even here, several times, Isaiah’s words emphasize that the messiah would bring justice to the world. But Isaiah also says that the messiah will be filled with so much gentleness and tenderness that he would not break a bruised reed or snuff out a smoldering wick. Either of these could be destroyed by a breath, and so this establishes that the messiah would be strong and powerful, but also tender and gentle. Isaiah continues by saying that God will make the Messiah to be a new covenant for the people and the light in the darkness for the Gentiles. And then writes the words that Jesus would later send to John the Baptist to assure him that he really was the promised messiah, that the eyes of the blind would be opened, the captives set free, and light brought to those who sit in darkness.

And then, after anticipating the arrival of the Messiah for thousands of years, in Matthew 3:13-17 we find the end of one story and the beginning of another as Matthew says:

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

John, rightly, insists that there it doesn’t make sense to baptize the messiah but that the messiah should be baptizing John. And, as much sense at that makes, Jesus makes a different point, and that is that both of them have a mission to fulfill. God had called John to prepare the way for the Messiah, and by baptizing Jesus, John symbolically concludes his ministry and completes God’s call on his life. At the same time, the baptism of Jesus by John, symbolizes the beginning of Jesus’ ministry and, because of the participation of the Spirit of God, establishes the baptism of the Spirit that Jesus would later pass on to his disciples and other followers.

But what does all that mean to us thousands of years later?

Luke, the evangelist and gospel writer answered that question when he wrote to his patron, Theophilus, in Acts 10:34-43, and tells this story:

34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. 36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

39 “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, 40 but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41 He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Luke describes this watershed moment by saying that the story of the gospel began in Galilee in Judea, and began only after John’s preaching about baptism, and when God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and with power. The result, Luke says, is that because they were witnesses of what had happened, witnesses of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, they had been commanded to preach to the people and testify about Jesus. And, just so that we don’t miss the point, Jesus’ command to preach wasn’t just because Luke and the other disciples had witnessed the events described in the gospel accounts, but because they understood both the story of the gospels and the connection of that story to the messiah that Israel’s prophets had foretold. Luke says that the final reason that Jesus commanded them to preach to the people was because that they knew that by believing in Jesus, the people would receive forgiveness for their sins and be invited to become a part of God’s eternal family.

The reason that Luke and the disciples were commanded to preach to the people wasn’t just because they were eyewitnesses of the events that unfolded in Judea two thousand years ago, but also because they knew an important truth that people of the world desperately needed to know. And that is why Jesus’ command to Luke and to the disciples has been passed down from one generation to the next until it has, today, fallen upon us. Because we know the story, because we understand the ancient prophecies about Israel’s messiah, and because we know that by believing in Jesus the people around us can receive forgiveness for their sins and become a part of God’s family, we too are commanded by Jesus to share what we know with others.

Many people consider John the Baptist to be the last of God’s prophets and we witness the end of his calling and mission at the baptism of Jesus. At the same moment, however, we see the beginning of Jesus’ mission. The end of one story is the beginning of another. But like an episode of a television or movie serial, we witness that same handoff as we pass the good news of Jesus Christ from one generation to the next. Like the prophets of ancient Israel, like John the Baptist, Luke, the disciples, and other followers of Jesus, we have knowledge and understanding that the people around us do not have. And, like them, and like generations of others, we are called and commanded by God to share what we know so that others can come to faith in Jesus Christ and become a part of his eternal family.

The baptism of Jesus isn’t just the symbol of the end of John’s ministry.

It symbolizes the beginning…

…of yours.

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*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page.  Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601.  These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org.  These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com .  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

God’s Surprise Ending

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God’s Surprise Ending

(Epiphany)

January 04, 2026*

By Pastor John Partridge

Isaiah 60:1-6                          Matthew 2:1-12                     Ephesians 3:1-12

If you watch movies or read stories of adventure, mystery, intrigue, or detective novels, you are certainly familiar with a plot device in which there is a sudden twist near the end of the story. When the twist happens, we suddenly discover that one of the main characters has a secret motivation, or there was a secret treasure that no one knew about, or some other surprising thing happens that may have only been hinted at throughout the rest of the story. As an example, in the Fast and Furious movie, Fast Five, the team of thieves steals an entire bank vault and, after a lengthy and exciting chase, the police recover the vault as the thieves escape only to  discover that the vault is empty. The twist is surprising to the audience because the viewers never see that there was even a moment when the thieves could have emptied it. It is that sort of surprise ending that we find in the story of Epiphany and the coming of the wise men.

We begin this morning by reading once again from the words of the prophet Isaiah, recorded in Isaiah 60:1-6 where we hear yet another prophecy of the promised messiah:

60:1 “Arise, shine, for your light has come,
    and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
2 See, darkness covers the earth
    and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
    and his glory appears over you.
3 Nations will come to your light,
    and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

4 “Lift up your eyes and look about you:
    All assemble and come to you;
your sons come from afar,
    and your daughters are carried on the hip.
5 Then you will look and be radiant,
    your heart will throb and swell with joy;
the wealth on the seas will be brought to you,
    to you the riches of the nations will come.
6 Herds of camels will cover your land,
    young camels of Midian and Ephah.
And all from Sheba will come,
    bearing gold and incense
    and proclaiming the praise of the Lord.

Isaiah says that God’s light will dawn over a darkened world, nations would be drawn to that light, and worshipers would come from faraway lands to proclaim their praise to God. For hundreds of years, when this passage was read, Jewish readers would have assumed that it was about economic and political power of the same sort that the nation Israel had seen under the rule of King Solomon. The sort where people would travel from distant places to trade good or to seek out the wisdom or the influence of their king. But then, in the story of Jesus’ birth, we come to the story of the wise men, the Magi, men from a powerful nation from the east who would have been politically powerful advisors to their king, much like our nation’s cabinet members such as the Secretary of Defense or Secretary of the Treasury. We hear this story in Matthew 2:1-12:

2:1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magifrom the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people, Israel.’”

7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

In words that mirror the words of Isaiah, we find travelers of distant lands who bring gifts of gold and incense to Jesus. But Matthew says that these important scholars and political advisors did not just come to pay their respects to Jesus, nor does it say that they honored him, Matthew is specific and saying that they did more than be respectful or bow to show honor to a child that they viewed as important. Matthew says that they bowed down and worshiped him. And that, my friends, is a twist that begins in the story of Jesus’ birth and suggests that the story of the Messiah is now going in a direction that Isaiah never anticipated. When Paul writes to the church in Ephesus, he explains it this way in Ephesians 3:1-12:

3:1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—

2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. 8 Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

Paul says that the mystery of Jesus is the twist that was not made known to Isaiah or to previous generations. They had always known about God’s promised Messiah, but with the coming of Jesus, and the arrival of the Magi, it was made known to the world that the Gentiles, non-Jews, were to be included in God’s plan and adopted into God’s family as heirs together with Israel and who would, together, share in the promise of Jesus. Paul goes on to say that with the revelation of this twist, it was now known that God’s intent was for the church to spread God’s message to the entire world, to Jews and Gentiles alike, to governors, administrators, rulers, kings, and other authorities, that Jesus had come to rescue everyone and to invite the entire world to have faith in Jesus Christ, to be adopted into God’s family, so that we may approach God with freedom and confidence instead of with uncertainty through intermediaries.

The mystery of Israel’s messiah was hinted at in the words of Isaiah, but Isaiah did not realize their full meaning. When Isaiah said that nations would come from far way lands bringing gifts and praising God, he, and generations of others in Israel, understood that to mean that the messiah would have the kind of political and economic power that they had seen in King Solomon, and they still expected that God’s covenant with the Jews would remain the same as it had been since the time of Abraham. But, as we heard Paul explain, God had other plans. It was God’s intent all along to throw open the doors of his kingdom and invite the Gentiles, and the people of the entire world to come to faith in Israel’s messiah and join God’s family as brothers and sisters of Jesus, and joint heirs of God.

The unexpected twist in the story of the Messiah is the good news that invited us to be a part of God’s kingdom. But God’s intent is for us, the church, to spread God’s message to the entire world. We are happy and blessed that God has adopted us as his children, but we must also remember that God has commanded us to share the good news to all the people of the world.

We have work to do.

Let’s get busy doing it.

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*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page.  Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601.  These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org.  These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com .  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

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Suffering and Survival Cultivate Compassion

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Suffering and Survival Cultivates Compassion

(First Sunday after Christmas)

December 28, 2025*

By Pastor John Partridge

Isaiah 63:7-9              Matthew 2:13-23                   Hebrews 2:10-18

If I were to ask you what experience in your life that you would hope to never repeat and, for that matter, would pray that your children and grandchildren would never have to experience, what is the first thought that comes to your mind? I can almost guarantee that nearly all of us over forty took less than a second or two to think of one, and probably several different difficult, and even traumatic, life experiences. Life is like that. We don’t make it through life without struggles and we bear the scars of the things that we have survived. But, at the same time, once you have chosen one of those things, if I were to ask you what you learned from that experience, and how it changed you, I have little doubt that you would be able to tell me a story about how that experience, as terrible as it might have been, has shaped your life and, at least in part, made you who you are today.

I have a friend from seminary who, as a rule, will not attend church on Mothers’ Day because she has few, if any, positive memories of her mother and chooses not to be reminded of that part of her life. But, as I have watched her life for the last twenty-five years that we have been friends, it is clear that she has worked tirelessly to be the most loving wife, mother, and grandmother that she could be. I have no doubt that the trauma of her childhood and early adulthood has motivated her to give her children and grandchildren the experiences and memories that she never had herself.

And that is something that I want you to look for as we read our scriptures this morning and remember the prophecies of Israel’s messiah, the fulfillment of those prophecies in the story of the holy family in their flight to Egypt, and then as we consider what that means to our ongoing relationship with Jesus. We begin this morning once again by reading the words of the prophet Isaiah as he reminds the people of Israel of the things that God has done for them in Isaiah 63:7-9, saying:

7 I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord,
    the deeds for which he is to be praised,
    according to all the Lord has done for us—
yes, the many good things he has done for Israel,
    according to his compassion and many kindnesses.
8 He said, “Surely they are my people,
    children who will be true to me”;
    and so he became their Savior.
9 In all their distress he too was distressed,
    and the angel of his presence saved them.
In his love and mercy, he redeemed them;
    he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

Isaiah tells the people to just look at all the things that God has done for them and to judge God by his actions as well as by his words. Just look at the compassion and the kindness that God has shown us, and the many times that God has saved us in our times of distress. Look at the times that God has rescued us, carried us, shown mercy to us, and loved us. God’s actions, Isaiah says, reveal his feelings toward us.

And then, in Matthew 2:13-23, we witness God’s compassion and mercy toward Mary and Joseph and his own son, Jesus:

13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night, and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:

18 “A voice is heard in Ramah,
    weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
    and refusing to be comforted,
    because they are no more.”

19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.”

21 So he got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.

Because of God’s warning, Joseph and his family are able to escape and flee to Egypt before Herod’s soldiers arrive in Bethlehem and kill all the male children. Herod was widely known to be incredibly paranoid, and that paranoia was well fed by several genuine plots to overthrow him or to take his life. Herod allowed no one, even relatives, to live long enough to threaten his life or his power. But, because of God’s warning, Mary, Joseph, and Jesus leave the country, live as aliens for some years in Egypt, and then return home and, in the process, fulfill yet another prophecy that the Messiah would be known as a Nazarene.

But why does that matter to us and to our relationship with Jesus?

And the answer is, it matters a great deal, and we see this as we read the words of the writer of the letter to the Hebrews in Hebrews 2:10-18 when he says:

10 In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. 11 Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So, Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. 12 He says,

“I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters;
    in the assembly I will sing your praises.”

13 And again,

“I will put my trust in him.”

And again, he says,

“Here am I, and the children God has given me.”

14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. 17 For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

First, the writer makes it plain that, as we have put our faith in Jesus Christ, we have become not just followers, but family members. And, because we have been adopted into God’s family, God’s plan included a path for Jesus to share our humanity, to put on human flesh and become one of us, and to experience the suffering, grief, trauma, and daily survival that all of us have experienced. And, just as we have been, God allowed Jesus to be shaped by those experiences. Jesus’ life experience of trauma as an infant and young child, fleeing to Egypt, living there as a resident alien, and then returning home but settling in a new community away from his extended family, as well as his other experiences during his life, death, and resurrection, all came together to make him a merciful and faithful high priest that genuinely understands his people and their humanity. The writer of Hebrews says that because Jesus suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. And we can easily understand that, in the same way, because Jesus suffered, he understands our suffering. Because he experienced grief, loss, and fear, Jesus understands ours and he is able to walk beside us and comfort us.

In short, the message we need to hear is that Jesus is like us. And, because he is like us, he understands what it is, and what it means, to suffer and to survive. The gods that were known the ancient world, the gods of the Greeks, the gods of the Mesopotamians, the gods of Egypt, and the gods of Rome, were all known to be selfish, capricious, uncaring, and even cruel to their human worshipers. But the God of Israel, was known to be different. And, because Jesus put on human flesh and lived among us, as one of us, he understands us, cares about us, loves us, and has invited us to become his family and be adopted by God as his brothers and sisters. We are told that Jesus was fully human in every way so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest.

The message is that Jesus is like us.

He lived a human life. He experienced the same emotions, temptations, pain, suffering, and grief that we do.

And, like us, those experiences shaped him and helped to make him merciful, compassionate, and loving in ways that would never be understood by the worshipers of other gods.

As we celebrate, let us remember that Christmas isn’t just the announcement of the birth of the savior and rescuer of humanity, but also an invitation to become a member of his family.

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*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page.  Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601.  These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org.  These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com .  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Promise Fulfilled… and Expanded

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Promise Fulfilled… and Expanded

(Fourth Sunday of Advent)

December 21, 2025*

By Pastor John Partridge

Isaiah 7:10-16                        Romans 1:1-7             Matthew 1:18-25

Today we celebrate the fourth Sunday in Advent, the Sunday that we remember Love. In previous weeks we have often spoken of God’s message of hope and the faithfulness of God demonstrated to us by the way in which he keeps his promises. But as we read the scriptures for today, what we discover is that God has not only fulfilled his promises to his people, but that his love is so amazing that he expanded and extended that fulfillment in a way that his people, and the world, never expected. We begin this morning by reading the promise of God given through his prophet Isaiah both to the people of God in the time of King Ahaz, eight hundred years before the birth of Jesus, and to future generations and beyond. Reading from Isaiah 7:10-16, we hear this:

10 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, 11“Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.”

12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test.”

13 Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give youa sign: The virginwill conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. 15 He will be eating curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, 16 for before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.

God’s promise to King Ahaz wasn’t just a future promise of a messiah eight hundred years in his future, but may have been fulfilled in the normal pregnancy of Isaiah’s daughter. It was a short enough time that, although at least eight or nine months in the future, Ahaz could find comfort in knowing that it would not be long before the threat of the two kings he feared would end. But that promise was always understood to be something more than just a baby that would be born in a year or so. God’s people read this and had long understood that it was about something more, about a rescuer that would come long after the time of Isaiah and King Ahaz, but about a messiah that would rescue Israel and its people forever.

And it is this understanding that that anchors the words of the apostle Matthew as he tells the story of Jesus’ birth in Matthew 1:18-25:

18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband, was faithful to the law, and yetdid not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

By connecting his description of Mary’s pregnancy with the prophecy of Isaiah, Matthew declares to the world that the prophecy that had long been believed to be about Israel’s promised messiah had finally been fulfilled in a more permanent way than it had been in the time of King Ahaz. Matthew’s declaration is that the time had come for God to rescue Israel and his people forever. It is for that reason, Matthew declares, that the rest of his story, what we now know as the gospel message of the book of Matthew, is something that was of the utmost importance.

But even that doesn’t go far enough. As we read Paul’s letter to the church in Rome, we hear him point to the ancient messianic prophecies of the prophets and their fulfillment in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, but then we also hear him declare the great expansion of God’s grace. In Romans 1:1-7, we hear this:

1:1Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3 regarding his Son, who as to his earthly lifewas a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in powerby his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. 5 Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes fromfaith for his name’s sake. 6 And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

7 To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul begins by reminding everyone that the gospel, the story of the Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection, was a story that had been promised throughout the ages by God’s prophets. But Paul goes on to say that through Jesus, God has expanded on the message of the prophets and opened the doors of his grace and apostleship to all of the people that weren’t Jewish, to all of the Gentiles, so that all the people in all the world might come to obedience and faith in Jesus. Paul then reminds the people reading that letter, the people of the church in Rome, that they are among the Gentiles that are called to belong to Jesus, but then the big shoe drops. Paul then says that everyone in Rome is loved by God and is called to join his holy people.

And that’s a big deal.

In Christian circles, because of its power, its politics, its corruption, its polytheistic religions, its historic hostility towards Israel and the Jewish people, and the lingering cultural hatred ingrained Rome’s treatment of Jesus and the entirety of the Jewish people, Rome was often described as evil and cast as the bad guy. In Revelation 17:5, John goes as far as to describe Rome as “Babylon the great mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth.” But Paul flips the script and reminds the people of the church that despite the things that Rome and its people have done, God still loves every one of them and calls them to join his family.

For thousands of years, the prophets of Israel told the people about God’s promises of a coming messiah.

And, with the coming of Jesus, his birth, life, death, and resurrection, God gave flesh to the words of the prophets and fulfilled his promises to his people. But God’s love was bigger than what could be contained in the words of his prophets and the coming of Jesus expanded on God’s grace and mercy, and invited the entire world to become the people, and the apostles of Israel’s God. Even those who God’s people often had thought of as being the most evil and corrupt were told that God loved them and was calling them to become his holy people.

As we celebrate Christmas this week, we are reminded that, like the people of Rome, we are among the Gentiles that are being called to belong to Jesus. And, like the people of Rome, there is no one on the face of the earth, that is so evil, or so corrupt, or so wrong in their present religion or beliefs, that God doesn’t love them.

As he has since the time of Jesus, God is calling the people of the entire world, with no exclusions, to become beloved and holy members of his family… if they will only hear his call and come to obedience and faith in his son Jesus Christ.

There are people that you know that desperately need to hear this.

Let’s make every effort to tell them.

Because that is the mission to which God has called us.

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*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page.  Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601.  These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org.  These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com .  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Still They Endured

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Still They Endured

December 2025

by John Partridge

15:4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had,6 so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 15:4-6)

***********

Dear Friends,

As I was reading the scripture from our devotional guide today, I thought how important it was to our understanding of Christmas. In Romans 15:4-6, Paul says that every scripture that has been written was given to us to teach us that through the endurance taught by scripture, and the encouragement that we find there, we might find hope. Those are, honestly, not the words that we expected. We expect to hear that our hope comes from our faith in Jesus Christ, or from a future home in heaven, or from our confidence in an all-powerful, all-knowing God. But Paul teaches us that the entire purpose of the Old Testament (and we can include the New Testament as well) was to teach us that hope comes from the endurance that we witness in the people of the Bible and the encouragement that we find as we begin to understand it.

But why? How do we find hope in the stories of endurance that we find in scripture?

It’s simple when you think about it. I have often said that one thing that becomes obvious as we read history and scripture, is that human beings haven’t changed much. For as much as we pride ourselves on our enlightenment, knowledge, education, and technology, the things that motivate human beings, and the way that they behave, haven’t changed much, we are just as motivated by love, lust, money, greed, power, and pleasure as we were three thousand years ago. As much as we like to think that humanity has changed, it seems more like we’ve repainted the cover of the book and left the contents unchanged.

And that’s why we are encouraged by the endurance of the people that we find in the ancient writings of scripture. When we read the stories, we find people who are just like us. Sure, they lived in an entirely different culture but the desire for love and for children, the need for parents to provide for, and to protect their families, and many of the other emotion driven stories all resonate with us. It isn’t difficult at all for us to put ourselves in the place of the heroes and heroines that we find there. They seem familiar because in many ways they look just like us.

And that’s when we notice that the heroes of the Bible didn’t have perfect lives. Their entire world often was set against them. They weren’t perfect people. They had flaws. They struggled. They had everything they had taken away from them. And they waited, sometimes for times that must have seemed like forever.

And still they endured.

The greatest desire of Abraham and Sarah was to have children. And they waited for almost one hundred years to get one. Jacob fell in love with Leah and agreed to work for seven years to pay off her bride price. But he was tricked by his uncle and ended up working for fourteen years instead. David was anointed as the king of Israel when he was fifteen years old but didn’t actually become king until he was thirty. And much of that time, he was a fugitive that lived in the wastes of the desert as King Saul, and his entire army hunted him so that they could take his life. Over and over again we see the great heroes and heroines of scripture struggle, stumble, fall, wait, and endure.

And as we see their imperfections, their struggles, their endurance, and their faith, we are encouraged because we see that our struggles and failures aren’t new or unique. God’s people have been where we are before. They have felt what we feel. They have passed through the same trials in their lives that we face in our own.

And yet they endured.

Even in the Christmas story, the lives of Elizabeth, Zechariah, Mary, Joseph, and even Jesus, were far from perfect. They were poor, they were powerless, they struggled, and they endured. As Paul said, as we read these stories, we are encouraged by the endurance of the people that look just like us. And as we encouraged by their endurance…

…we find hope.

May we find hope, together, as we welcome the birth of the Prince of Peace this Christmas.

Blessings,

Pastor John

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What Does “Clothe Yourself” Mean?

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What Does “Clothe Yourself” Mean?

by John Partridge

In a recent worship service, we read a scripture in which Paul urged the church to “clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 13:14) And, as we concluded the service, I offered the following story to expand our understanding of that phrase.

Marie Chapian’s book Of Whom the World Was Not Worthy (Bethany House, 1980). The book follows the Yugoslavian Christian church’s suffering under a corrupt church hierarchy:

One day an evangelist by the name of Jakov arrived in a certain village. He commiserated with an elderly man named Cimmerman on the tragedies he had experienced and talked to him of the love of Christ. Cimmerman abruptly interrupted Jakov and told him that he wished to have nothing to do with Christianity. He reminded Jakov of the dreadful history of the church in his town, a history replete with plundering, exploiting, and indeed with killing innocent people.

“My own nephew was killed by them,” he said and angrily rebuffed any effort on Jakov’s part to talk about Christ. “They wear those elaborate coats and crosses,” he said, “signifying a heavenly commission, but their evil designs and lives I cannot ignore.”

Jakov, looking for an occasion to get Cimmerman to change his line of thinking, said, “Cimmerman, can I ask you a question? Suppose I were to steal your coat, put it on, and break into a bank. Suppose further that the police sighted me running in the distance but could not catch up with me. One clue, however, put them onto your track: they recognize your coat. What would you say to them if they came to your house and accused you of breaking into the bank?”

“I would deny it, ” said Cimmerman.

“‘Ah, but we saw your coat,’ they would say,” retorted Jakov. This analogy quite annoyed Cimmerman, who ordered Jakov to leave his home.

Jakov continued to return to the village periodically just to befriend Cimmerman, encourage him, and share the love of Christ with him. Finally, one day Cimmerman asked, “How does one become a Christian?” Jakov taught him the simple steps of repentance for sin and of trust in the work of Jesus Christ and gently pointed him to the Shepherd of his soul. Cimmerman bent his knee on the soil with his head bowed and surrendered his life to Christ. As he rose to his feet, wiping his tears, he embraced Jakov and said, “Thank you for being in my life.” And then he pointed to the heavens and whispered, “You wear His coat very well.”

We are called to be ambassadors for the kingdom of God and to “clothe ourselves” in Jesus Christ.

How well are you wearing his coat?

.

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Promise, Proof, Patience

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Promise, Proof, Patience

(Third Sunday of Advent)

December 14, 2025*

By Pastor John Partridge

Isaiah 35:1-10                        James 5:7-10              Matthew 11:2-11

At the end of last week’s service, we remembered that there is more to the meaning of peace than the absence of war. It is, instead, a place of comfort and an absence of stress and conflict such that we can have peace even in the midst of war. But this week, as we celebrate the third Sunday of Advent, we celebrate joy. But again, what is joy? We talk a lot about joy, especially during the Advent and Christmas seasons, and a great many works of art and music reference or speak openly of joy. Ludwig van Beethoven wrote the Ode to Joy in which he describes joy as a beautiful spark of divinity and a daughter of Elysium, the hymn, Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee, which is also known as the Hymn of Joy, says that all the works of God surround him with joy. All of these teach that joy comes from the power that God has demonstrated, the character of who God is, the love that God has shown to his creation, and the faithfulness that God has demonstrated in keeping his promises. Much of what we read and remember during the seasons of Advent and Christmas focus on that, on the fulfillment of God’s promises to his people. And that is what we see in our scriptures as we begin this morning by reading the promises of God given to his people through the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 35:1-10 where we hear these words:

35:1 The desert and the parched land will be glad;
    the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like the crocus, 2 it will burst into bloom;
    it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
    the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the Lord,
    the splendor of our God.

3 Strengthen the feeble hands,
    steady the knees that give way;
4 say to those with fearful hearts,
    “Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
    he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
    he will come to save you.”

5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
    and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
6 Then will the lame leap like a deer,
    and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
    and streams in the desert.
7 The burning sand will become a pool,
    the thirsty ground bubbling springs.
In the haunts where jackals once lay,
    grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.

8 And a highway will be there;
    it will be called the Way of Holiness;
    it will be for those who walk on that Way.
The unclean will not journey on it;
    wicked fools will not go about on it.
9 No lion will be there,
    nor any ravenous beast;
    they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed will walk there,
10     and those the Lord has rescued will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;
    everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
    and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

God says that the desert will bloom, Israel will become as green and as verdant as the nation of Lebanon which supplied much of the ancient world with the massive cedar timbers that were used to build temples and other important buildings. He says that the eyes of the blind would be opened, the deaf would hear, the lame would be healed, the mute would speak, and Israel would become a place of safety and holiness. And it is precisely those promises that we hear Jesus lift up when John the Baptist began to have doubts and sent his disciples to ask if Jesus is really the Messiah that God had promised. We find that story in the words of Matthew in Matthew 11:2-11 when he says:

2 When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples 3 to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”

4 Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosyare cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 6 Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”

7 As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 8 If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces. 9 Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is the one about whom it is written:

“‘I will send my messenger ahead of you,
    who will prepare your way before you.’

11 Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

When John asks if Jesus is the Messiah that God had promised, Jesus points back to the words of Isaiah and simply says, “Go back and report… what you hear and see.” The blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk, the incurable is cured, the dead are raised, and the good news of God even reaches the poor. After John’s disciples leave to give him the message, Jesus goes on to say that the mission of John the Baptist had been exactly what the prophet Malachi had foretold, to prepare the way for the arrival of the Messiah.

“‘I will send my messenger ahead of you,
    who will prepare your way before you.’ (Malachi 3:1)

Jesus says that if there is any doubt that he is the Messiah, then just look at the proof the everyone could see with their own eyes. Jesus was doing the things that God’s prophets had predicted hundreds of years earlier. But not all of them. Some of the things that God promised through Isaiah did not come to pass in the time of Jesus and have not yet happened in our own time. This was understood in the first century as much as it is today. Israel had not yet achieved the greatness that Isaiah described, the desert has not yet been transformed, and Jerusalem is not yet a place of safety and holiness. But as God’s people considered these things, the Apostle James encouraged them by saying that just because it had not happened yet, didn’t mean that it wasn’t going to happen. In James 5:7-10 he said:

7 Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. 8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. 9 Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!

10 Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

James, and the people of the first century understood that while Jesus had not fulfilled all of God’s promises during his time on earth, that he had fulfilled enough to prove that he was the Messiah and would fulfill the remaining promises upon his return. Until then, James said, be patient. Just as farmers must be patient as they wait for a crop that they have planted, we must have faith in the process and wait. We must be patient and stand firm in our faith and trust in God’s character. And as we wait, we must treat each other well and not grumble and complain about what other siblings in Christ are doing or how they do it. James understood the truth that many of those in the church in the first century, and in the twenty-first century, did not have a great life. Many of those who believed in Jesus Christ had endured suffering and few of us can escape suffering as we live our lives upon the earth. As such, James points to the prophets themselves, nearly all of whom suffered even after answering the call to speak for God. But even in their suffering, they were patient because they knew that God would be victorious over evil and they trusted their lives, their futures, their descendants, and their eternity in God’s hands.

The message of joy that we hear during the season of Advent is that our God is faithful and always keeps his promises. He has proven his faithfulness in the life, death, and resurrection of his son, Jesus, and we are called to be patient as we endure the suffering and struggle of our lives on earth until the return of Jesus Christ, and his final victory over sin and death.

In the stories of scripture, and in the stories of Christmas, we have seen the evidence of God’s faithfulness…

…and we are filled with joy.

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*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page.  Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601.  These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org.  These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com .  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Moving from Fear to Hope

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Moving from Fear to Hope

(First Sunday of Advent)

November 30, 2025*

By Pastor John Partridge

Isaiah 2:1-5                Matthew 24:36-44                 Romans 13:11-14

As we begin the season of Advent this week, we celebrate hope. Hope is both key, and central to, this season as we prepare for the arrival of the Messiah at Christmas. The subject, and the message of hope has arisen many times in our studies together throughout the year, but it is especially apparent as we read the stories of scripture to which the lectionary points during the seasons of Advent and Christmas. We begin this morning by reading the promises of God to the people of Judah given through his prophet Isaiah. In these words, Isaiah offers encouragement regarding Israel’s eventual return from their captivity in Babylon, but as we read, we will quickly realize that the promise that God gives them goes far beyond their return from Babylon in 538 BCE. Reading from Isaiah 2:1-5, we hear this:

2:1 This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:

2 In the last days

the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established
    as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,
    and all nations will stream to it.

3 Many peoples will come and say,

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
    to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
    so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law will go out from Zion,
    the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 He will judge between the nations
    and will settle disputes for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
    and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
    nor will they train for war anymore.

5 Come, descendants of Jacob,
    let us walk in the light of the Lord.

This begins simply by saying that God sent a vision to Isaiah and what follows is a description of what he saw regarding the last days of the earth before the judgement of God. And in those last days, Isaiah says that God’s temple would be built on the highest of mountains and Israel’s God will rule over all the nations and all the people of the earth. People will come to God’s city so that they can learn to walk in the ways of his teaching, and not only will they set aside their weapons, but their abandonment of war and their commitment to living in peace will be unending so that peace will prevail upon the earth for all time.

This is a message that is as relevant for us today as it was six centuries before Jesus. Like us, the people of Israel and Judah had watched centuries of wars and violence tear apart their families, villages, and their nation as well as the nations around them. Israel had been conquered by several nations, and would be conquered by several more, as well as the violence of a civil war before the coming of Jesus Christ. While we may be able to list many wars fought in the last century by memory, all the wars on Israel’s list had been fought over the land in which they lived. And so, then, as now, the promise of unending peace was an almost unbelievable message of hope.

And then, nearly six hundred years later, as Jesus speaks with his disciples about the end of the age and the coming of the Son of Man, they all understand that what Jesus is describing is the final fulfillment of the promises of God contained in the message of Isaiah. The disciples want to know when that is going to happen, when will the Romans be overthrown, when will Israel’s God be worshipped by the entire world, when will the violence end, and when would there finally be peace on earth? And in Matthew 24:36-44, Jesus says:

36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

42 “Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

Jesus is clear in telling his followers that none of us can ever know exactly when the end of this age is going to come, but just because we cannot know, doesn’t mean that we should be unprepared. If you live on the east coast of the United States, you cannot know when a hurricane is going to hit the town in which you live, but you can be certain that it will happen eventually. And because you know, you learn how to watch for the signs. You can read the clouds, you watch the weather on television, you keep an emergency weather radio charged up during hurricane season, and you have a list of preparations made in advance. You may have a supply of food, an escape route planned out of the city, a place to stay with friends inland, precut boards or hurricane shutters to cover your windows, and a host of other preparations. And Jesus says that like the residents of the east coast we, as the followers of God, should keep watch, look for the signs of the coming of the end of the age, and to be prepared so that when it comes, we will be ready.

But how?

As we live neither in the past of the old or new testaments, and not yet at the end of the age, how do we live in the now? This is the same question that the people of the first century were asking. While Jerusalem had not yet been destroyed, at the time that Paul wrote his letter to the church in Rome, there was already growing violence in Israel. Assassins had already murdered the high priest, many communities and people were in open revolt against an increasingly corrupt occupying Roman government, and the Roman army was fighting back with great violence. In less than ten years, there would be all out war between the Jews and Rome. And in this time of uneasiness and alarm, Paul gives this advice on how the followers of Jesus Christ should live their lives in Romans 13:11-14, saying:

11 And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.

While Paul admits that we do not know when the end will come, he explains that it is obvious that the end was closer now than it was when Isaiah wrote the promises of God, or when Jesus walked with his disciples. Even though we don’t know when Jesus will return, each day that passes after the resurrection is one day closer to his return and the day of judgement. And so, as we hold tightly to the hope that we have been given through the promises that we have heard in the words of Isaiah and the gospel writers, we must live in the now by setting aside the deeds of darkness and living lives that are filled with light. We must set aside drunkenness, sexual immorality, and internal church conflicts and live in ways that reflect the teaching and the model of Jesus Christ. It is the universal temptation of humanity to live lives in the selfish pursuit of pleasure and greed, to do what feels good, or what is the most profitable. But instead, Paul tells us that our calling is to set aside these desires of the flesh, and instead do our best to wear the clothes of Jesus Christ and to represent him well. Our goal should not be to do what feels good, but to live so much like Jesus that others can see him in us.

God has given us great promises that fill us with hope for the future. But, as we live our lives today, as we live in the “now,” we must watch for the signs of the last days, and live as if Jesus were coming tomorrow so that the world can see him in us, be drawn to him, and be rescued with us.

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*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page.  Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601.  These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org.  These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com .  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Peace and the Over-Shepherd

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Peace and the Over-Shepherd

(Christ the King Sunday)

November 23, 2025*

By Pastor John Partridge

Jeremiah 23:1-6                     Luke 23:33-43                        Colossians 1:11-20

C.S. Lewis once said that we simply cannot say that we accept Jesus as a great moral teacher but not accept that Jesus is God. Lewis explained it this way in his book, Mere Christianity:

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

Going in a different direction to explain Lewis’s point, if you haven’t yet done so, I strongly recommend reading the classic novel, Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan. This book was originally published in February 1678 and has been rewritten in modern languages many times since. It was in reading this book that I first encountered the term “under-shepherd” which refers to those people, such as pastors and lay leaders but also sometimes kings, who lead and guide the flocks of God’s followers and who therefore serve under the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ. And it was this word, and this understanding, that came to mind as I read our scriptures for today. We begin by reading from Jeremiah 23:1-6 as God condemns the spiritual and political leaders that have led Israel and Judah astray and caused them to come to harm. Jeremiah writes:

23:1 “Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!” declares the Lord. 2 Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: “Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done,” declares the Lord. 3 “I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. 4 I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing,” declares the Lord.

5 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
    “when I will raise up for Davida righteous Branch,
a King who will reign wisely
    and do what is just and right in the land.
6 In his days Judah will be saved
    and Israel will live in safety.
This is the name by which he will be called:
    The Lord Our Righteous Savior.

It doesn’t take a genius to understand that God is not at all happy with the failed shepherds that had been, and were still, leading his people. By their actions, and their inaction, they had caused God’s people to lose their faith, to be defeated and captured by their enemies, and to flee to wherever they could to find safety. God goes as far as to say that Israel’s leaders had driven God’s people away from him by their failure to adequately care for them and, for doing so, God intended to punish those leaders for their evil. But God wouldn’t stop there. God also announces his intention to gather those who remained faithful, from all of the nations to which they had been taken or to which they had fled, bring them back to his pasture, and enable and empower them to be fruitful and increase in number. God would then appoint replacement shepherds who would protect them and keep them safe. In addition, God then promises that there will be a day when he would send a new king, a new over-shepherd or chief shepherd, who would rule wisely, with justice and righteousness, and who would rule over both Judah and Israel, and who would be known as both Lord and Savior.

At this point, we all know who Jeremiah was describing, but we can hear Luke’s answer to the prophecy of Jeremiah as we hear the way that he describes the events of Jesus’ crucifixion in Luke 23:33-43 where he says:

33 When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”

36 The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37 and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”

38 There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the Jews.

39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

As we consider this conversation, we realize that the man described only as “the other criminal,” after only a few hours on the cross next to Jesus, has grasped something that even Jesus’ disciples struggled to understand. This man looks to Jesus and asks that he remember him when Jesus comes into his kingdom. (pause) In that moment, the man known as the “other criminal” understands that Jesus has power and authority far beyond an ordinary human being and beyond that of chief priests and kings. And having made this request, Jesus answers that before the day was over, they would meet again in paradise. Although it is unlikely that the “other criminal” made any connection between Jesus and the person described by Jeremiah, I think that Luke certainly made that connection and uses this story to tell the world that Jesus is the Chief Shepherd, King, and eternal savior of God’s people.

Paul obviously understands this, and goes one step further in his description of Jesus and of Jesus’ authority as he writes to the church in Colossae in Colossians 1:11-20, saying:

11 May you be strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified youto share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

Paul says that because of the work of Jesus Christ, God has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his people, rescued us from darkness, and brought us into the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Because of him, we have been forgiven of our sins and redeemed from sin and death. Further, Paul says that Jesus is in control of all that exists and is the force that keeps everything in the universe from coming apart. Jesus is the head and chief shepherd of the church, the first to rise from the dead, and through him God created a path for all people to restore their relationships with God. It was through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross that God is able to bring peace to our lives and to the world.

To summarize, God got angry that the under-shepherds that he had sent to oversee his people broke trust with both God and the people, and God promised that he was going to make things right first by sending replacement shepherds, but would also, eventually, send a new chief shepherd, king, and savior. Luke makes it clear that Jesus is the fulfillment of that promise, and Paul expands on this and explains that Jesus not only oversees God’s people but also oversees the entire universe and holds it all together. It is Jesus that has rescued us from sin and death, it is Jesus who has made it possible to receive a portion of the inheritance of God’s people, it is Jesus who has made it possible to repair our relationship with God, to make our home in God’s heavenly kingdom, and it is Jesus who has made peace possible, both in our lives as individuals, but also between the peoples of the world.

The message of scripture is clear. Jesus simply cannot be reduced to a description of “just a great moral teacher” because God’s promises, and Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, make it abundantly clear that he is much, much more than that. Jesus is the Chief-Shepherd, the king of the universe, the savior of the world, and the source of all peace.

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*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page.  Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601.  These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org.  These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com .  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™