Rev. Brent L. White

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Prayer for illumination: 

Blessed Lord, you have caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning—grant us that we may in such a way hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them; that by patience and comfort of your holy Word, we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. 

Book of Common Prayer (1552)

I want to describe something that happened to me and my family just before Christmas last year. My wife, Lisa, my son, Ian, and I were driving back from a restaurant in Lavonia. We had just celebrated the completion of Ian’s Christmas band concert. I was behind the wheel. It was dark. Highway 17 is a divided highway at that point. We were approaching a bend in the road up ahead, visibility wasn’t great… when suddenly I saw a fast approaching car, coming toward me, in my lane, on the wrong side of this divided highway! I looked in the lane to my left—and thought, “Can I get over?” Naturally, I couldn’t… there was a car right beside me… So I tapped the brakes and let that car pass, I swerved over into the left lane. And the fast approaching car passed us by without incident. 

Scripture: Psalm 27

The following paragraph comes from an article on the Encyclopaedia Britannica website:

It used to be a standard trope in action movies, although you don’t see it much these days: a patch of apparently solid ground in the jungle that, when stepped on, turns out to have the consistency of cold oatmeal. The unlucky victim starts sinking down into the muck; struggling only makes it worse. Unless there’s a vine to grab a hold of, he or she disappears without a trace (except maybe a hat floating sadly on the surface). It was a bad way to go. Quicksand was probably the number-one hazard faced by silver-screen adventurers, followed by decaying rope bridges and giant clams that could hold a diver underwater.¹

Scripture: Luke 4:1-13

If you are of my generation or older, you will no doubt remember a song that was all over the radio back in the spring of 1985. I’m talking about the song “We Are the World” by USA for Africa, a group of American pop and rock stars. This was a song recorded for charity. The proceeds from the sale of the record went to famine relief in Ethiopia. Not long ago, my boys were watching a “making of” video on YouTube about the song, and I was struck by a rather glaring error in the song, which I promise I had never noticed before… and maybe you haven’t either. It’s from the lines that Willie Nelson sings… He sings:

As God has shown us by turning stones to bread

And so we all must lend a helping hand

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10

Last Saturday, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was just getting under way, some allies in the European Union were offering to give Ukraine President Zelensky safe passage to Germany. There he could be “president in exile” while Russia did whatever they were going to do—and most of us probably assumed it wouldn’t take long for Putin and his vastly superior military to quickly overcome Ukrainian resistance. Regardless, if Zelensky took up the E.U.’s offer, he himself could remain safe. 

And Zelensky refused. He said, “Thank you, but the war isn’t in Germany; the war is here… in Ukraine.” In other words, “I’m called to be the president here. I’m called to be commander-in-chief here. I’m called to fulfill my purpose here. So it would be inconsistent with my calling to be anywhere other than right here, in Ukraine.” For all I know, he was signing his death warrant; I pray that he wasn’t. But to his credit, here is a man who seems perfectly willing to die—if that’s what his particular “calling” requires.

Scripture: Luke 9:27-43a

I don’t know about you, but last week, on three different occasions, I had the rare privilege of spotting a truck in town that represents a certain brand of hot dog… This truck is actually in the shape of a giant hot dog. I’m referring, of course, to the Oscar Mayer “Weinermobile.” It’s ridiculous and funny and I absolutely love it… And I promise each time I saw this truck, I laughed at loud. It brought a big smile to my face. I mean, how can you not laugh when you see that thing coming?

And it is a rare privilege to see the Weinermobile, especially in Toccoa, because there are only six of them in the entire U.S.!