ENGAGE:
INVICTUS by William Ernest Henley
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears Looms, but the Horror of the Shade,
And yet, the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.
Opening Question and Statement:
This poem was written by Willam Ernest Henley, a man who had been through a lot of turmoil and suffering in his day. I know at times, you and we can relate to these words. This poem can be an inspiration for us. This poem tells us that we are enough. It tells us that we are sufficient enough to forgo our struggles and control our destinies. “But seriously, I am enough? On its face, that is not a message of freedom. It’s a message of bondage. “You are enough” is a message that enslaves people to the false idea that they are responsible for being the mastermind of their current circumstances and future realities - even when they feel overwhelmed.” (pg 37, Live Your Truth). Humans are indeed amazing creatures. We can figure out complex issues. We can operate in intellectual spaces that other mammals cannot. Our creator God is amazingly enough. Question. Are we enough in and on our own merit?
Opening Prayer:
Lord, Heavenly Father, let us live by the truth of Your word and not by the lies of the world. Grant unto us, O God, the fullness of your promises. Where we have been weak, grant us your strength; where we have been confused, grant us your guidance; where we have been distraught, grant us your comfort; where we have been dead, grant us your life. Apart from you, O Lord, we are nothing; in and with you, we can do everything. Lord, help us to learn and acknowledge that you are enough. Amen.
Introduction:
The church should care about people, their problems, and their needs. We, as Christians, are called to love everyone and help when needed. Jesus demonstrated this throughout His time on Earth. He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, raised people from the dead, and gave life to the dead in spirit. We are called to give testimony about God’s work in our lives. 1 Chronicles 16:8 - Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! I can keep us here for hours, making known God’s deeds toward my family.
By the power of the Holy Spirit, I will try power through my testimony of how I got to this place in knowing the Christ of the Cross. Listen closely as I point out five points throughout my testimony.
The Illusion Of Self-Sufficiency
Acknowledging Our Limitations
Embracing God’s Grace (The Hinge)
Finding Fulfillment in Christ
Living in Freedom and Abundance
Before we do that, let's dive into the scripture for today. We place the pressure on our own strength to get by. We learn that our way does not work when God is not sought for the strength needed to power through.
SCRIPTURE: Listen carefully as this is the word of the Lord:
2 Corinthians 12:8-10. (Page # ________ ) I will be reading from the ESV.
8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
The Word of the Lord thus far – Thanks be to God, Amen!
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HISTORY & TENSION:
This verse is perfect for what we are experiencing today. With all the media attention focused on race, the evil of politics at pimping out the American people to hate one another. When we break down verse eight, the “thorn” proved so tormenting to Paul that he begged the Lord (Jesus) to remove it on three separate occasions. We have thorns that torment us, yet we often don’t know how to manage them. In verses 9-10, we see that Paul’s prayer did not rid him of his thorns. God kept the thorns in place. I feel that God is keeping our thorns in place as well. Even if it hurts, we should still testify about the Goodness of the Lord. In our distress which is inflicted at various times in our lives, in this passage, God promises that we will never lack sufficient grace to come over whatever obstacle we may face. Who honestly wants to suffer? Who wants to be drugged through hardships, not know where your next meal will come from? Who wants to be teased and bullied for lacking material things? Who wants to have a parent or child on drugs and alcohol? Who wants all of these things?
TRUTH & TESTIMONY:
The truth to these answers is rooted in the sufficient Grace of God that carried my family through these years of struggle. The poem Invictus gave me hope that I knew I would never reach in my young and youthful years. From an early age, I remember my family's hardships. I remember our struggles like they were yesterday. I also remember on Sundays, my grandmother Eunice would play her many gospel tracks on her 8-track player. She would step up a generation and play a few on the cassette tape, then move up another generation and play a few CDs. I remember listening to songs from Mahalia Jackson, the Mighty Clouds of Joy, Lashaun Pace, Shirley Caesar, Yolanda Adams, and many others. I had never been to church to learn about this Jesus these people were singing about. But I had hope. I can see that God drew me to Himself at a young age. Born to a family of eleven siblings, to a family of alcohol and drug abuse, coupled with verbal abuse and sometimes a spanking or six if we did something wrong. I grew up in a single-parent home. (Single grandparent, to be exact). She did her best with us and wanted us to know Jesus Christ. She raised ten grandchildren and had one of her own children living with us. It was a struggle, but the food was somehow always provided, yet, scarce. Clothing was often hand-me-downs, or my grandmother would take out a loan and purchase new clothing and our school supplies for every grandchild to have a fresh start in school. We didn’t often have “high quality” clothing or name-brand shoe. That was not enough. We were not enough for cruel classmates who teased and tormented us because we lacked the resources to afford the nicer things. Who wants to be teased, right? Even at a young age, I never liked being teased or watching others be teased. But for some reason, I know that what God provided was enough. As I stated earlier, my grandmother wanted us to know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. This one time we went to a particular church, my grandmother put us in the best clothes. She was approached by several people at this church and told that she ought to be ashamed for bringing us around in “raggedy clothes.” I remember asking myself, is this what church is like? If so, I want nothing to do with it! The worst part of all the teasing and bullying is that I would get teased and bullied at school and come home and get it from my siblings. I would often try and fit in at school and at home. At home was a little easier, but not so much at school. The torment that started shifting my hope to doubt was being teased because of my mother’s drug addiction and living on the streets. Those comments were very tough to hear, and that moment in my life was very rough. People were so mean and hateful to us. Many outsiders told us that we would amount to nothing and would be just like our mothers. Those people were the masters of my fate. They were the captain of my soul, so I thought. So how did I fully submit to this Jesus I heard sung about in the songs? (I make up some names to protect the folks that played a massive part in my life, like the Magees). My oldest brother was volunteering with Habitat for Humanity when the pastor of this congregation at the time saw the holes in my brother’s shoes. The rest is history. My family started to attend this church. We became recipients of the Angel Tree program that Angie Hebert led. Mrs. Betsy would round us up in her large suburban and hall us off to church. Mrs. Eileen would often assist at times, and sometimes Mrs. Rhonda. As the years progressed and our Christmases got better, we became church members. But the most crucial part is that I learned about this Jesus I heard my grandmother talk about and what Mahalia Jackson and others sang about. I cannot recall a time I did not believe in God. I can tell you that God has shown up whenever I call upon him. In this church, I learned that God is a source of rest and peace. Matthew 11:28 - Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. I was still being teased for who I was becoming. I watched peer pressure pull my older siblings out of the church. They were told, “Y’all hang around them white folks too much.” The older siblings thought they would be enough for their peers by leaving the church. In our society, we are conditioned to believe that we must be self-reliant and self-sufficient in order to find happiness and success. We are constantly striving to prove our worth and competency to the world. However, this mindset is a deceptive illusion that leads to anxiety, burnout, and spiritual emptiness. The truth is that we are not enough on our own. If we try to be enough, we are futile in our endeavors. Years later, I was baptized in this church and continued learning about God. We got Pastor Bill as our new pastor. At that time, he taught me about God and His love for us, no matter our circumstances. My best friend Britton Frost and Mrs. Eileen approached me about joining Boy Scouts. I remember Mrs. Rhonda would come to school and do the boy scout events to recruit new scouts. I joined against my grandmother’s wishes. I will admit that was the first time I purposely disobeyed her. And I am glad I did! Don’t worry; she was glad I did too. During this season, I still struggled with a few things, but I had a better sense of who was in control of my fate and who was the captain of my soul. I was horrible in math. Who am I kidding? I am still horrible with math. I could not get certain people and a few of my family members to give me a chance and see me for me. They still saw a black kid “trying to act white.” They overlooked what God was doing in my life. They overlooked the fact that God was drawing me to himself. Why won’t they see me for who God was calling me to be? What’s wrong with these people? Somewhere along this journey, I began to acknowledge my limitations. As believers, we must humbly acknowledge our limitations and accept that we are imperfect. No matter how hard we try, we will always fall short in many ways. We may feel inadequate in our relationships, careers, or our spiritual lives. But it is precisely in these moments of weakness that we can experience God’s transforming power. At the age of sixteen, I finally decided that if I would remain at this church and remain a Presbyterian, I ought to learn more about my faith and why I believe what I believe. I actually started paying closer attention to Pastor Bill’s sermons. (I hope he never watches this!) My grandmother was happy that at least I still went to church with a few of my younger siblings. I still struggled, but Proverbs 22:6 played in the hallways of my mind. “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Time went on; my younger siblings eventually quit attending church. Now y’all are stuck with me! In all seriousness, I began to embrace what God was calling me to and who He was making me. I have a lot of people God put in my path for a reason, and I am forever grateful. I have a lot of mothers, and sometimes they will say what's on their minds because they love me. Mrs. Betsy, what I call Chief Momma or Momma B, has been an inspiration and a guiding light for me. To this day, I can call her for advice or to share an accomplishment. She can be rough sometimes (I hope she is not listening or watching), but she wants what is best for her kids. I have been adopted into her family, and her sons see me as “a brother from another mother.” In every achievement
I have had, Mrs. Betsy was somewhere in the midst of that accomplishment. Mrs. Rhonda was the other mother I had. She was way more strict than Mrs. Betsy. She taught me order and structure. Something Presbyterians should know. Mrs. Rhonda took me under her wing and showed me the ropes in Boy Scouts. I obtained Eagle. There you saw both of my mommas in the midst. Mrs. Juanita was that quiet mom who would tell you “Good job” when no one was looking or said it. She was that spark of energy when I was often down and out. Do you all see the pattern here? Do you see GOD’s grace at work? That is just a few mommas. I could name more, but again; we can’t be here all day! Now to the fathers. Dr. Wes is still a quiet soul. He does not say much, but when he does, it is usually worth listening. His actions showed me one way a man should love his wife and family. How to guide his children and train them in the ways of God. Mr. Gary, the one full of knowledge. He showed me how to navigate my finances and different things I could do to break the cycle of poverty. Look, I am still working on that! It is taking longer than expected! But by his guidance, I have a friend I can call just to chat with and run business ideas by! Pastor Bill, more like an older annoying brother at times, has been my spiritual rock. He has taught me so much over the last 23 years of my life. He has walked me through most of the difficult issues I have dealt with and always pointed me to the Scriptures. I know we don’t always give our pastors credit, but William Otis Crawford was indeed a God-send. God used that man to anchor me in my faith. Do you understand that we are not enough on our own? We find an invitation to surrender ourselves to God’s grace in our insufficiency. We can experience His love, mercy, and power by acknowledging our need for him. God’s grace is sufficient for us; His strength is made perfect in our weakness, as stated in 2 Corinthians 12:9. When we let go of our striving and rely on His sufficiency, we discover a deep sense of peace and contentment. I began to overcome many things when I turned to the Creator and not the created. When I gave up trying to be enough, I relied on God being enough. I relied on the work of his son Jesus Christ. It reminds me of one of the gospel songs I listened to growing up. “If it had not been for the Lord, who was on my side, I wanna know where I’d be. When I think about all the many times that I could have been cast away, and God’s love and grace, sold my destiny. And He kept me from all tragedy.” I am now older. I find my solace in Christ alone. I have been through some hardships along the way, loss of loved ones, family members have gone astray, loss of jobs, and others trying to rewrite my name. I find my fulfillment in Christ. When we realize that we are not enough, we tend to shift our focus from ourselves to the One who is more than enough. Our fulfillment is found in none other than Christ Alone. He is the source of our identity, purpose, and worth. It is through Him that we are made complete and find true satisfaction. Our weaknesses become opportunities for God to display His strength, and our insufficiencies become a platform for His glory.
THE CONNECTION:
We can live in freedom and abundance as we embrace our insufficiency and rely solely on God’s sufficiency. We no longer need to carry the burden of trying to become enough on our own for the sake of ourselves or others. We can rest in knowing that God’s love for us is not dependent on our performance or achievements. His love is unconditional and unwavering. 2 Corinthians 1:20 states, “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.”
INSPIRATION/REFLECTION:
Hermeneutical Bridge and Closing Thought:
Just as we are called to love on those who are loved less, we are called to testify of the goodness of God! Here are some direct quotes from “Live Your Truth.” “In other words, Jesus covered our not-enoughness with His enough-ness to make us enough before God.” Jesus is enough when we put our faith and trust in Him. It is there we find peace and freedom with God. JESUS IS ENOUGH, AND THAT IS ENOUGH FOR ME!
Closing Prayer:
Father, thank you for sending your Son to be enough for us. Thank You for giving strength in You when we are weak. Lord, give us the opportunity to testify your goodness in our lives. Lord may Your glory be shown when we testify to others. Lord be with us as we go forth this week. Teach us to pray as your son taught us to pray …….
Charge and Blessing:
Remember that we never walk alone. We are not enough, but we have a savior who is simply ENOUGH! The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Alleluia!Amen. Amen.
