This sermon was preached at Mt. Gilead UMC in Georgetown, KY by my wife, Paige Christian.

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Jeremiah 17:5-10

• I love the imagery in this piece of Scripture. This tree must be so radiant and beautiful. In all seasons its leaves are still green. That’s impressive. You have to wonder, though what sets it apart from the other trees? I think it’s clear from Scripture that it’s all in the source. The human who trusts in God is like a tree planted by streams of water. It never lacks because it remains connected to the source. Did you know that your soul hungers and thirsts for God? It says man does not live on bread alone, but on the very words of God. If you are not connected to the right source, you will not be a healthy and fruitful tree prepared in every season. The tree has to be willing to receive from the source. This simple yes allows it to thrive. It’s neat to think that A tree is not just a tree, but is also a resource for others providing shelter, food, and oxygen for other animals and people. It serves a purpose outside of just simply being a tree.

• What I love about God and the stories that he shares in the Bible is that He can use anyone. In other words none of us are disqualified from the race. There are no conditions or prerequisites. He gives his Yes to us and He just wants our hearts and all of who we are. When we say yes and give ourselves to Him, He transforms us and calls us into good works. Can you think of any other place or system in the world that’s like that? I can think of 2 – The family and the church, which are supposed to be representations of – a foreshadowing – a glimpse of God’s Kingdom. God designed the family and the church to be a place of love and safety. Unfortunately not all families and churches are like that. Most of you know I work with teen moms in states care. I see them because they have been abused, abandoned, and neglected by the ones who were supposed to love and protect them the most. They were given the biggest no of their entire lives when their family abused and neglected them. In my field, we know based on the research of childhood development that all the yes’s, the thousands of consistent yes’s that we give to babies (feeding, holding, changing, and meeting all their needs)translates into love and safety. It communicates belonging and builds attachment and trust. The power of our weak yes is built into the very fabric of our being for our health and survival. I love the quote by Mother Theresa who said that If you want to bring happiness and healing to the world, go home and love your family. It starts there. How many people today are looking to our government to bring healing? Isn’t that what Israel did when they pleaded with God to give them a King to rule and govern them like every other nation? We all know how well that went. The point I’m making is simple: we are called to love God, and love our fellow man. It starts with our weak yes. He can take our weak love and make it stronger. He can’t use your no. Think about it. We have free will and He will never violate that freedom. You have to freely give your yes to Him. The choice is yours.

• I want to end with a short story about someone whom God used to greatly impact the world. It was a simple yes that God took and ran with. [The story of Billy Graham praying at John Wesley’s house]. He said “Do it again God and do it again in me.”

• For each of us, we have to say yes to Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Then all the other yeses big and small still matter. Obedience to God leads to fruitfulness. I once heard it said, that our very expression of love to God is our obedience. We have to say Yes before we follow Him. What are you holding back from Him and what are you saying no to Him about? We may not have all the answers or the how to’s for the next step, but we can trust that God does and will be the source of our strength to fulfill that yes. So my encouragement to us today is to be courageous and let God use our weak love to say yes to whatever it is He is calling us to.