Let Go, Let God Transcript

I'm so glad that I'm here, and I'm glad that you are, too. But I've got to admit this week. Leading up to today, I was like, it's been a good five, six weeks almost since I've been up here preaching in front of you between Father's Day breakfast, two weeks of vacation, and then two weeks of COVID. It's been a while since I have been in front of you, and I have missed you all dearly. But I know you have been in good hands. I appreciate Jim McNair, who came on those Sundays and preached for us. I appreciated Christine stepping in at the last moment. I'd like to be healthy enough and over the COVID. I was nervous about whether or not I would finally test clear and be able to come and join you. And then finally, I just had to say I don't know if I will be, and it's unfair to somebody to give them last minute and say, hi, can you preach for me? I'm not going to be, and so that explains. Last week, I was starting to feel better. We finally tested clear about the middle of the end of that week, and I was still exhausted. But that's how you ended up with five weeks without me. I hope you remember who I am, and I hope I can continue forward in what we're doing together because we have been working through that sermon series of bumper sticker theology, those sayings that sound good, those things that we mean well when we say them, or we think they're good when we say them. Still, diving deeper into them may say something different than what we think it will. 

Or when we say it, other people may hear something we don't intend. That's the case with this particular saying, "Let Go and Let God." Maybe you've heard that one before, maybe you haven't. It's been a while since I've heard that one used a lot. On the positive side, it sounds like a good thing and can be good. 

Letting Go, Letting God

Trust in God and take action to be part of His redemptive work.

This idea, if we're talking about anxiety and worry about the future, of what's going to happen and all of that, it's really a good idea to trust in God's providence, to trust that God is with us amid those difficulties, that God will be with us through those challenges. We can offer up to God and give up to God those anxieties and those worries and those things that occupy our mind and keep us from living out our calling as he calls us to himself and his mission. Those things that paralyze us, those thoughts, those worries, those concerns, everything that would keep us still and afraid rather than stepping out in faith. And if that's what we're talking about, letting go and let go and let God is perfect. The fact that we have a God who's with us amid those difficulties and trials is walking with us when we would rather not walk ourselves. That's walking with us when we are unsure of where we are going, unsure of what's going to meet us when we get there when we have no understanding of what's going to unfold because what we're facing is either so new to us or so much bigger than we can imagine. And when we get to that point, when we can't imagine a future outside of the one that we immediately see, then trust in God to show us a new way, to give us a new narrative, to give us new hope, to see something that we can't see for ourselves, that's really good. When we say let go and let God, if that's what we mean, wonderful. But not everybody will think of all those things. Maybe you have yet to until I just said all of those things. 

One way to hear this saying that can be really negative is if it moves us instead of into action because we can trust God. If it moves us into inaction, it does the opposite of what we want and what the saying should do. There's a way of reading this, and we've seen this come about in a few places and in a few people's minds and hearts, and maybe you've thought of this yourself, and that's okay if you have. Is this idea that if I can let go and let God, then I don't have to do anything. I can sit and rest and be inactive. This is something beyond me, something I don't need to touch. I'm just going to give it up to God, and I'm just going to keep doing what I was doing or not doing what I was already not doing. 

There's this understanding or this way of hearing this passage that can be a little insidious in that it moves us to sit, it moves us to inaction, it moves us away from the calling that God has placed on us, which is the partner with Him in the work that he's doing in the world, that he's doing in our church, that he's doing in our lives, in our communities. He is doing this redemptive work, calling all of creation to Himself, and the awesome part of being a Christian is that he invites us to be a part of that work. If you're looking for something fulfilling, if you're looking for something hopeful, if you're looking to see signs of transformation, then the best place to see it is by walking with God and working with God where he is changing lives. He is using our hands and feet in that work. When we do that, we can see it firsthand and then proclaim those stories to all the people we meet. Too many look at the world and don't see any difference between how Christians live in the world today. They don't see hope, they don't see transformation, they see things as stuck, and they're moved to inaction because, well, if I can't do anything about it, I'm just going to sit in it. If I work harder for change in transformation, and if that's the case, if things are the way they will ever be, then what's the point?

Some people need to hear stories of transformation. My fear is that we, as Christians, because we're sitting back and not partnering with God, we're not in those places where transformation is happening. We're not getting those firsthand accounts of God at work in our world. And so when we talk to people and share with them about who we are and what we believe and why we believe it, and about what God is doing, we don't have the testimony, the stories to share, because we're holding back, and so this let go, let God can imply this idea of just saying well, God will take care of it. I don't have anything to do; God will take care of it, and so I can wait when everything we've read in these passages today gives us that promise that God is doing a new thing, that God is calling back his people, that God is building bridges and building roads, preparing that time for his people to come back to him. But the people still need to walk along the journey. He's not magically picking them up from the north and the south and the east and west, then plopping them down in the middle of the promised land and saying go and live. God is preparing the way. And then he's inviting the people to take the journey, and he's with them in that journey, and when they get there, they get to that promised land. They get to that transformed and redeemed creation. They get to live out that hope and still walk with God along the journey. This is the best understanding of the Christian faith that I can come up with that God is preparing the way, and in Methodist, we call that Prevenient Grace. God's already at work in our lives, ready for us and preparing the way for us and making it so that we can even hear God calling us. And then he invites us to take those steps, and we have the choice of whether we step forward and follow him or stay still. And that's where we're saved and justified by his grace. We see that when we've heard God's call, and he's prepared the way. When we have faith, we're willing to step forward and say, Okay, god, I'm going to walk beside you. As the apostle Paul says, I will work out my salvation with fear and trembling. 

Our Role in God's Redemption

We join God in redeeming the world, trusting His providence, and inviting others to join us.

In this Colossians passage, we hear again this idea that we have a role to play in our salvation and the redemption of the world and all of creation. It's not this simple expectation that God will redeem everything, and we can wait around for it. It's God who is going to redeem everything. He's inviting us along for the ride, the excitement, the journey, however, you want to describe it, and whether or not we want to follow, whether or not we want to take those steps, whether or not we feel ready to move forward and partner with God, God is inviting us. He won't leave us to rest and sit. He's going to bug, poke, prod, and haul you, and we've gotten really good at ignoring it. Some more than others, they'll call us loudly, waiting for us to take those steps, and sometimes we take a few and say here's an excellent place to rest. God is still calling us to take a few more steps. 

There's nothing wrong with resting on the journey of catching our breath, but we can never get to the point where you say okay, god, go ahead and go forward. I'm good here. I know you're going to take care of it for me. It's not how God works in the scriptures or how we start working in our world today, and I can't think of a more boring life than that, Simply sitting and watching God. Never. God's going to, not when he invites us. 

And so there we have the conundrum of this particular saying. On the one hand, it can be really good. You're partnering with God. You're walking along the journey. He invites you, and you know he's doing something amazing, but you're sitting in a space where you need to figure out the future. You're still determining how things are going to turn out. He brought you to a place you may not be; you weren't sure that's where you would end up. More often than not, when you follow God, you will end up in a place you didn't expect. 

That's when you can say, "Okay, god, this is how I feel about this. I've walked with you; I want to keep walking with you. But to do that, I've got to give this up to you. I've got to trust you. I've got to trust your providence. I've got to trust that you will provide for me. I've got to trust that you are with me in these journeys and these difficulties, giving me strength and confidence to continue walking. 

So, as long as we see our faith and our desire to follow God, our desire to live out that salvation Christ has given us as that journey with Christ, that journey with God for the work of redemption, so that we too can be a part of His plan, but also call back to those behind us and say I've been there. I've been along the journey. This is where God has helped me. This is where I've seen God change the world. You can have it too. That journey is the mission that we are called to. 

We will always feel unfulfilled. If you sit in that mode, you will always feel that faith is lacking. I'm just going to stand here. God can do whatever he wants. Just don't ask it, not too much. I'll step to the left or a little bit to the right, but as long as I stay in this little square where I'm comfortable, thank you. 

Partnering With God in the World

Partnering with God, we give Him everything to witness His work redeeming the world.

I want to see what God is doing. I want to see where the world is happening: in individuals, in situations, in powers, in challenging powers, in principality. I want to see what God is doing. I want to be a part of what I want to celebrate with God as a way to do it. So go, where are you Follow? After Hearing his voice, call to you, Trusting Bill is not abandoned, that he's preparing the way for you. Is that the fire that seems to come? Suppose you have yet to notice our hymns today. In that case, I heard a couple of you humming along with the intro and struggling with the first hymn, maybe not realizing you needed to breathe, or maybe whoever recorded that forgot that people need to breathe. But the rest of our hymns all fit in this theme of partnering with God, traveling with God, being at work with God, trusting in Him, giving Him everything, not so that we can sit so that we can. And so our hymn of response for this morning.