Rev. Dr. Christopher McKee, Jr.

The table is only a reflection of the community. When we get to the table, the diceyness of division exposes the truth. The table should never be a place where those who have more exclude those who have less. The table is a place where we are all reminded that the broken Body of Jesus and the Shed blood of Jesus are the main events.

Our labor, safety and future are not in our hands alone, but ultimately in the hands of the LORD who is forming us.

Choices are presented to the disciples upon hearing what they consider a hard saying; Yet Peter and the "12" make better choices.

The invitation of following Jesus requires that Peter, you, and I focus, wear what Jesus tells us to wear & take off, trust that our cross is our cross, and release ourselves from the expectations and judgements of others.

Going higher doesn't always equate to easily evident exaltation; Following Jesus is not always a journey of sweetness, sometimes it is a journey of frightening surrender; Even when the followers of Jesus are not clear, Jesus is clear.

She trusts what she hears; She challenges the most powerful man in Palestine and the most powerful man in her life; She speaks the truth; Her sheroic actions are not lauded, do nothing to stop what is wrong.

The Savior of all seems to make a distinction between those worthy of help and those who are not; and yet the pressure of the situation allows for great faith to shine through!

Anna is: Part of a prophetic pair; Carries a prolific background, but forges her own identity; Subverts a precarious plight; Engages a purposeful prayer discipline; and has no problem with protracted and powerful praise.

Reverence - our posture - we will place the LORD at the center? Service - our duty - we will make ministry our focus? Consecration - our loyalty - we will walk in discipleship even when it hurts?

Ezekiel prophesies what he is told by GOD, and as a result of obedience hears the sound of life in a dead and bone-filled valley; Ezekiel does “not see life” in what is lifeless until what is slain receives GOD’s breath. The valley of dry bones is real, but it does not have to be the conclusion!

Love like your life depends on it!

A woman, a person like Mary, has the audacity to say yes, even when saying no would be the easier, safer and perhaps more logical choice; Wisdom drives a person like Mary to connect her assignment to the proper human relationship(s); Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Ghost in order to let Mary know you will be blessed because you are allowing GOD to fulfill in you both the burden and the blessing, the blessing and the burden the world stands in need of!

Sometimes the sorrow of one season can turn into a song within the next; The faithfulness of GOD’s presence provides the people of GOD with the hope that even the worst of seasons can shift; As long as GOD is living among GOD’s people- GOD is with us

Advent = arrival - And thru the Advent of the Son of GOD in Jesus; It is in the crucible of pensive relief and passionate anguish we wait; Actively waiting on GOD to do what we cannot do on our own.

How about this Thanksgiving season we view the blessings of GOD as a catalyst to more service, ministry, usefulness and transformation, instead of isolated proof that GOD can provide what GOD has already secured. Jesus causing Simon to get the catch was the easy part. Now Jesus is calling Simon to leave the catch and do the greater thing! Serve.

Jesus' request involves sacrifice and maybe discomfort; requests of Jesus are centered on the other and not selfish. Jesus always gives us more than we had before he got on the Boat; let Jesus have your Boat!

Like the Psalmist I know in Whom I worship; I have learned that being blessed is far greater than simply seeking blessings; I have discovered that actively choosing to trust the LORD floods my life with grace, and favor.

All of my good days really do outweigh my bad days; As a pilgrim journeying on purpose, the faith I have in GOD not only confirms arrival to my destination, but I am also the recipient of stored blessings along the way.

There is no better place than the House of the Lord; The House of the Lord is not just a place, but it is an embodied way of thinking, behaving, and living; just being in the House and being in the Lord is all that matters; with a life of worship, I've placed a deposit on an eternal home, and I am already able to use the eternal equity.

The House of the Lord is an essential fueling station; a place where those who love the LORD are able to provide a drink for someone else; a location of of elevation.

In short, don’t judge Eutychus’s seat, fatigue or fall - because his seat, fatigue and fall did not result in his demise, but instead resulted in what appears to be a miracle.

Self-entitlement is when an individual perceives themselves as deserving of unearned privileges. These are the people who believe life owes them something; a reward, a measure of success, a particular standard of living.

Jesus practices humility in opposition to those who operate with a haughty attitude; Jesus persistently fulfills GOD's purpose regardless as the objections of a well-meaning John the Baptist; Jesus allows GOD's pleasure and commendation to be his goal.

Seasonal suffering has a powerful way of providing glimpses into the potency of eternal glory - glory matters more when you have suffered

You can be elected even while exiled; GOD Chooses saints in Christ; Wholly humans live into being wholly holy and greater sanctification

As our Savior, Christ rescues us! As our Reconciler, Christ reconnects us!

According to the writer of Colossians, Christ is: The image of the invisible GOD, The Blueprint and Agent of Creation as the Begotten, The Center of Creation, The Person of Preeminence in all things, The Location of GOD’s full indwelling, and The Reconciler and Redeemer.

Jesus is the Lifter, Provider of light and a Liberator who is the Word and the Way of liberation and freedom.

Traps are often tricks of the Enemy designed to distract you from both the grace and purposes of God at work in us; When trappers attack, Jesus does not retaliate, instead Jesus responds with grace; Traps Traffic in deception, and because of such cannot stand up against the truth.

Traps often appear in the midst of right-doing and ministerial focus; sadly treat the vulnerable as pawns and not as persons deserving respect; and are handled best by a steady focus of the ministerial foci of liberation, life, and light.

Supplied believers make themselves available to struggles and needs of others, strive to do what's right, are rewarded for their kindness, and are in relationship with a God who supplies.

Nourish our minds for the sake of peace, joy, contentment and accomplishment by: meditating, studying and rehearsing what is good; valuing the roles of godly mentors and thought leaders in our lives; inviting the peaceful presence of God into our lives through an ongoing and growing relationship with Christ.

Practice Rejoicing; rejoicing Must be rehersed and enacted repeatedly. Implement gentleness because the Lord is near. Manage anxiety through articulating what I need;

Ways in which we access the privileges of confirmation: Acceptance, Confession, Yielding, and Filling. The results of our lives as a church should be marked by Demonstration, Separation, Rejuvenation, and Sanctification

“I Got You because…” We should share core beliefs - not simply a litany of dogmatic assertions, but we should share a belief in GOD’s miraculous power (see Acts 4: 29-31) - we are collectively serving as witnesses to GOD’s power in Christ.

"Now Go! "‍Matthew 28:19-20 ESV

We have to trust the words of Jesus without proof of their immediate validity. We have to rest in the tension that worship and doubt (little faith) can be a reality for the believer. Both doubt and devotion are subject to both the approach and authority of Jesus.

Leave the graveyard because it was never meant to be a permanent place, but a temporary location for miraculous manifestation; Leave the graveyard even when your emotional, mental, and spiritual state is conflicted; Leave the graveyard realizing that Jesus’s presence will often meet us as we go, and not when we stay stuck.

A talk between Jesus and a woman is Biological, Sociological, Theological, and Christological

Are we in tune to the lack others might have? Do we believe Jesus can and will meet the needs of others? Are we willing to still speak in faith even when Jesus seems to be delaying action?

We Are The Lord's Romans 14:5-9 ESV

We have been called to one walk; a walk of humility, gentleness, patience, and love. The supernatural power of the universal Church makes us One Body. But even as we are called to unity and oneness, Christ has graced us individually according to expansive generosity of his gifts.

“We Are Still Here!” Because in the face of challenges we have dared to trust the Lord.

The humility of the Manger; The utility of the Manger; The accessibility of the Manger.

Growing is an essential component to living into our purpose and divine assignment, and the process of growth has no shortcuts.

The "why" praise is connected to the "whoness" of God. What makes praise authentic and not performance is an authentic understanding of who GOD is to you in light of your personal relationship and engagement with GOD.

How does this Psalm aid us in seeking gladness during tough times.

A grateful and faithful Christian ought to have a few things to say and some "stuff" they ought to want to get off of their chests.

We can make 3 assertions regarding our life in GOD. We will be attacked We must be prepared We cannot be shaken or annoyed by the inevitable, but we must remain, best we can, unfazed and unbothered.

How do I manage the music, the sound and the noisy unlikable groove of tough seasons? Understand as a person of faith, my exilic circumstances, my struggles and my challenges, cannot prohibit me from being prepared to stand when everyone else is ready to bow – some songs we must not only dislike but we must skip and oppose.

Holla if you hear me because like those receiving the prophetic words in the text, we live in a culture where we are full of GOD talk and not as much GOD Walk - The transgression of talking more than we walk It.

GOD is the Farmer and Christ the Vine - GOD is setting us up for spiritual productivity as long as we make the commitment to remain in the Vine. 

Blessings still come to those who GOD keeps in the wilderness. The barrenness of the season does not negate GOD's ordained blessings. The season might appear to be cursed, but that doesn't mean we are not blessed. 

Crisis/Crises often result in turning point moments for us. This is true of our own personal crises as well as societal crises. 

It is never too late to reset, refocus and restart. ‍We can begin again by: Confessing we have sinned by means of self-centered complacency, acknowledging that many of our loses and set-backs may have been caused by external forces, and Realizing GOD’s mercy and love transcend our shortcomings.

Why? Because all of creation and all of the resources of creation belong to GOD as the Creator. Being shook by GOD’s presence brings humanity into a place of holy wonder and awe of the central place GOD should have in our lives. GOD disrupts our priorities so that we can be re-centered in GOD. Shaking is not the end goal, peace, restoration and GOD’s glory are. 

Strength can be found through the following resources: The conviction stirred by prophetic proclamation, The anointing secured through aligning our priorities with GOD’s agenda, and The guarantee of GOD’s constant presence and covenanted promises

David is not done traveling the journey toward kingship, but the temporary hold of the cave is over. Let us always remember no matter the gloom of the cave, it is never permanent, only preparation.

Here's a few chewable nuggets for us to consider as we wrestle with what it means to operate with certainty in uncertain times: Receive the blessing GOD grants even the most frightening moments, Rest in the relief GOD gives even when we can't see our way, and Re-calibrate and move forward because the journey is not done. 

A crucible is a time of extreme testing and challenge. Diamonds are forged in the earth, but refined through the process of cutting. What will this season expose about us?

These are the ways I prepare for the floods of life: 1. I have to have a relationship with Jesus that surpasses flattery and is founded on a resilient faith - yes there are many of us who specialize in religious language but do not yield to a redemptive relationship with Jesus.

As disciples we have a personal responsibility to inspect what we produce.

There are 2 critical things we need to do to ensure we are caring for ourselves during this radically challenging season:1. Practice holistic self-care 2. Invest in and care for others

We are called to move from a premise of revenge to operating as agents of restoration which is difficult and counter to our natural inclinations of paying others back for the wrong they have done toward us.

Don't drown in the shallow-end of believing our own hype and press because your temporary resource supply appears to be limitless. 

In Christ, we are blessed by association because having a relationship with Christ is based on the authenticity of our faith. We have a shared identity with the Redeemer, and because of this we are blessed with both eternal provision. 

The blessing in the text is not regulated to the reality of the hearers' experiences but revealed through relationship with the Teacher; the blessing is in the Person, Jesus. In other words, Jesus is letting these hungry and weeping hearers know that their change is connected to accessing the words He is giving them.

Sermon 1 in this series will tackle the Lucan Beatitudes with the goal of bringing these words of blessing back to earth a bit. I do not know about anyone else, but I desire to know that the blessings of the Lord, the fulfillment of the Lord and the goodness of the Lord are not just regulated to the great by and by, but that as a citizen of the realm of GOD I can access the blessed life even while passing through this rocky world.

After Jesus calls the 12 Apostles (sent ones), Jesus engages them along with a diverse and large crowd of others. Specially, the ochlos (common crowd) and plethos (multitude). This language is important because Jesus's ministry is directed toward everybody; not just the elite. Not just the privileged. Not just those who think they are on the top of the heap, but everybody. 

"It's Time To Speak" | Acts 4:23-31 ESV

John 14:15-17 ESV If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you

The Raven Is restless , flying in and out of the ark? – bad translations suggest the raven kept flying over the earth, no the raven kept flying back and forth between the ark and a deluged earth instead of being patient, strategic and faithful. Pursues rest and when the dove can’t find rest, the dove does not have a problem going back to where it is safe – I was provided for in the ark, I ate seeds and vegetation in the ark, the ark kept almost a year, so why get restless because the ark is different; diverse seasons require diverse provision; Noah I believe points us a bit to GOD in the text, when the dove can’t perch, Noah reaches for the dove and brings the dove back in.

"Thriving in a Strange Land - Flourishing Beyond Our Setbacks" Exodus 2: 10-22, The Message

When GOD remembers Noah, GOD:1. Begins the process of readying Noah to exit the ark and reconstitutes his purpose as the agent of a new Divine Covenant; Noah is preserved for a purpose.2. Breathes a fresh wind on the earth signaling that GOD's Spirit does show up in dead and confusing places with the ordering power of GOD’s life. 

We shared on Sunday that edgy choices can be difficult. Decisions birthed in adversity are often the result of people daring to hold to hope, even when hopelessness is all around them. Jochebeb is an example of a person who makes a creative, innovative and life-giving choice all while contending with the potential for despair, devastation and death.

Innovative and creative people are able to make edgy choices when faced with adversity. Thinking outside of the box can preserve life and enable us to partner with GOD's creativity. Moses's mother Jochebed defied Pharaoh and became a freedom fighter for her people. ‍

"Trusting While We Wait" Lamentations 3:25-26 ESV, The MSG

"I'm Sticking With God" | Lamentations 3:21-24 NLT and MSG