Presence Weekly 6/03/2024

^"6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” ⁷ He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. ⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” ⁹ And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. ¹⁰ And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, ¹¹ and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” Acts 1:6–11 (ESV)

What’s next? That’s a question that often precedes an answer which brings insecurity. As we face another presidential election referred to as the “most important in our history,” we are all surrounded and immersed with opportunities for insecurity; and when we are, we can freeze or even run from the situation. But, as Christians, God calls us to something different and something better. 

Next week, the latest installment of “Inside Out” will hit theaters. In the new installment, anxiety enters the storyline through the life of a teenager. We all remember the insecurity that anxiety produced in our lives when we were that age. Thankfully, now that we are grown-up, we don’t have insecurity anymore, or at least have mastered the insecurity we do have. Right...?

In that case, what makes you feel insecure? If you are like the disciples, then your insecurity most likely arises from the same places as their insecurity. And it is in each of these places that we must learn to trust Christ. At this point, the core group of disciples had spent three years with direct instruction from Jesus. He had taught them everything he wanted them to know about himself, his mission, and their role in it. He gave them times of teaching and times of practice. But now, before their eyes, their leader was leaving. And here is where they share our experience. Followers of Jesus, living without Jesus’ presence, must learn to trust him in the midst of their insecurity - insecurity that comes from uncertainty, unease, and weakness. 

Trusting Christ in Our Uncertainty

As he is preparing to depart, the disciples ask the question, “‘Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?’ He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.’” In other words, they asked, What’s next? Are we there yet? And Jesus told them, I am not going to tell you. This was something that the disciples understood to be a promise of God, so this is a legitimate question. For some of us, uncertainty about what the future holds is a major cause of insecurity. As humans, we live in a world of not knowing how something will happen, or when something will happen. Jesus tells his followers that the Father not only knows when this will happen, but he has fixed the time by his own authority. But they are not going to be privy to this information.

Today, we live in an age where we look to science and politicians to answer and remove so much of our uncertainty because removing uncertainty increases our feeling of security. You can do a lot to fill in the cloudiness of situations, you can, and should do your research, and get all of the information possible in order to make an informed decision. But in the midst of uncertainty, we can also fall victim to “analysis paralysis”. Where we can’t do anything until we have all the information, and the result is that we end up doing nothing, or getting our lives to a place where there is never uncertainty. Despite what recent history would indicate, in Washington, the goal is to actually make decisions and then implement them. That can introduce a fair amount of anxiety to even the most mature Christian.

Part of the human experience is not always knowing when something will happen or how something will happen. What does it mean to trust Christ in the midst of uncertainty? It means that you have no way of knowing whether or not the policy decision that you make now will work out perfectly – but Christ is in control. It means that our lives are not governed by the “Magic Eight Ball” but by our loving Father. Keep in mind that the uncertainty that you are experiencing is only yours - it is not the Father’s. Your Father who loves you, has ordered your life in such a way that all things work together for good for the ones who love God.

Stepping out of the boat of your security, and into the sea of uncertainty, is an opportunity to come to trust Jesus, and learn that he is your redeemer of steadfast love and faithfulness.

Trusting Christ in Unease

We must also learn to trust Christ in the midst of our unease. Jesus tells his followers, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.” This was a world before Google Maps, Wikipedia, the National Geographic channel, and cars, so it is difficult for us to understand the amount of unease that these words might have generated. First, Jesus is telling them that he is sending them to strange and undesirable places. Sure, they knew, and probably loved, Jerusalem, and maybe even Judea. But he also said they were going to Samaria, a place where they had thought they were supposed to avoid. And then were the words, “to the ends of the earth”. They would have only had limited word-of-mouth information on any of those places. What if they didn’t like it there? What if they didn’t have the right kind of food? What if they had no baseball? 

Jesus is also sending them to strange and undesirable people. "To the Samaritans? Really, those are half-breed idol worshipers. Can’t you send someone else? Those are not our people! I don’t understand them. I don’t want to understand them. I just want to stay here in my favorite city, with my favorite people. Don’t make me go there. "

Most of us like homogeneity. But Jesus’ words to his followers are that they should be prepared to be sent to strange and even undesirable places, to strange and even undesirable people, but also to strange and even undesirable situations – like being his witnesses. Jesus has just added a new and higher calling to whatever they were doing before following him – being his witnesses! 

How often do we display the same attitude? Maybe we don’t want to live in a certain city. Maybe that city is Washington, but that is where God has sent you, and he has sent you here for a reason in addition to pursuing education or vocation. He has sent you here “to be my witnesses.” If you are hearing my words, Jesus has sent you to be his witness. That means getting to know people that you might be uncomfortable getting to know. You see, so often we find ourselves in the position of the child looking to hide behind whatever gives us security when we find ourselves in places, or with people, or in situations that make us uneasy. But we are actually called to be the ones who extend the hand of witness. When Jesus calls the disciples to be his witnesses, he is not ONLY indicating that they should use words – but he is also asking them to do it in their works. For those serving and leading in the public square, this means the way we interact in our office, with members of the other party, and with those who want something from us. 

What does it mean to trust in Christ in our unease? Instead of asking ourselves, “How can I get away from these people?” we should ask ourselves, What does Christ want me to do in the midst of this situation?" Instead of trying to figure out a way to get out of a place that we don’t like, we need to ask ourselves, “Why has Jesus placed me here? How can I serve him in this place and among these people?” We tend to think that the place that we are, is all about us! But the place that we are is always about Christ. 

There is one more aspect of insecurity we need to talk about; our weakness. But, because of the breadth of that issue, we will save it for next week.

• Monday: Morning: Micah 4:1-5:1, Matthew 9:1-17, Psalm 38, 39, 40 // Evening: Micah 5:2-15, Galatians 1, Psalm 38, 39, 40
• Tuesday: Morning: Micah 6, Matthew 9:18-34, Psalm 44, 45, 46 // Evening: Micah 7, Galatians 2, Psalm 44, 45, 46
• Wednesday: Morning: Hosea 1, Matthew 9:35-10:23, Psalm 50, 51, 52 // Evening: Hosea 2:1-13, Galatians 3, Psalm 50, 51, 52
• Thursday: Morning: Hosea 2:14-3:5, Matthew 10: 24-42, Psalm 56, 57, 58// Evening: Hosea 4:1-11, Galatians 4:1-5:1, Psalm 56, 57, 58
• Friday: Morning: Hosea 5:1-7, Matthew 11, Psalm 62, 63, 64// Evening: Hosea 7-8, Galatians 5:2-26, Psalm 62, 63, 64
• Saturday: Morning: Hosea 9, Matthew 12:1-21, Psalm 68 // Evening: Hosea 10, Galatians 6, Psalm 68
• Sunday: Morning: Amos 3, John 6:22-40, Psalm 71, 72 // Evening: Isaiah 44:6-23, Mark 1:35-45, Psalm 71, 72

• Cabinet Agency: The USDA's Economic Research Service which anticipates trends and emerging issues in agriculture, food, the environment, and rural America and conducts high-quality, objective economic research to inform and enhance public and private decision-making.
• Think Tank, Lobby group, NGO: The National Pork Producers Council which advocates “for the social, environmental, and economic sustainability of U.S. pork producers and their partners by fighting for reasonable public policy, defending our freedom to operate and expanding access to global markets.”
• • A word about ideologies. The selection of these organizations is not based on mutual affinity but on the belief that prayer is the most we can ever do to participate in Christ’s mission of making all things new.
• Congressional Delegation: For the Congressional delegation of Utah.
• News Events: The staff at the SEC working through the details and opportunities of their recently proposed cooperative venture with Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority (together, the UK regulators) for a digital securities sandbox (“DSS”) as the two nations try to work through the implications of growing digital currency markets. 
• Personal Requests: For a friend dealing with the emotional aftermath of a bachelorette party. For someone who just had to say goodbye to their dog. For someone exhausted from travel. For someone who just finished a major project and now awaits response and feedback. For a couple trying to conceive. For parents coming to terms with children leaving home. For summer vacations.
• • A word about anonymity: Washington is a small town. To protect each individual’s identity yet facilitate prayer, details are intentionally vague. However, each represents specific people we are currently engaged with. 

• The New York Times has a “first-of-its-kind” dualling opinion piece on whether or not someone convicted of 34 felonies should go jail.
• Mere Orthodoxy has reprinted and updated a stellar 2022 Jake Meador piece on Christianity against the Civilizational State.
• The Center for American Progress has a detailed essay calling on Congress to take more action on technology regulation
• The Pew Research Center just released an in-depth longitudinal report on the state of the American middle class.

The Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation has a great piece suggesting that “We Are All Late Bloomers.”

• Tuesday, June 4th, Baylor in Washington will host their annual Summer Social with alumni, friends, and students interning in D.C. this semester! Refreshments will be served informally at 6:30 pm. 
• Wednesday, June 5th, The Brookings Institution hosts its inaugural event for the newly launched Katzmann Initiative on Improving Interbranch Relations and Government with former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer.
• Friday, June 7, Faith & Law’s “Friday Lunch Series” hosts Baroness Philippa Stroud to identify the steps needed to renew culture, starting with healthy institutions. 
• Friday, June 7, The Trinity Forum invites you to join them for an Online Conversation with Amy Low at 1:30 p.m. ET to consider how we can live with hope in this in-between time we all inhabit.
• This weekend is the 73rd annual Potomac River Festival in Colonial Beach which means Grand Parade, Pet Parade, Boat Parade, Beauty Pageant, music, food and craft vendors, and fireworks - and it’s all free! 
• NEXT Monday, June 10, The American Enterprise Institute will host Bloomberg’s Francis S. Barry to discuss his new book Back Roads and Better Angels: A Journey into the Heart of American Democracy about how his journey across the Lincoln Highway led to a thought-provoking journey into the heart of our democracy and the soul of our country.

Just off Lee Highway, and halfway between Gainesville and Warrenton, is the ever-growing Buckland Farm Market. Long known by locals for their locally sourced and farm-fresh meats and produce, delicious bakery, and old-time sodas and candy, Buckland’s continues to evolve. A couple of years ago they added a very tasty ice cream shop with a wide variety of scoopable and soft-serve treats. But wait, there’s more! Recently, Bucklands unveiled its latest addition: a brewery and a winery (and, of course, food trucks). On top of that, this place is super family-friendly with an extensive outdoor farm-inspired playground. So, if you are looking for a great day trip idea and want to enjoy a bit of down-home Virginia country living then Buckland’s Farm Market has what you need.