Monday, June 10, 2019

JOHN Good Morning! I’m John Branning the Lead Pastor of Central United Methodist Church. In the book of Judges, the 7th Chapter, God tasks Gideon to lead Israel against their enemies, He wanted to show that a small army empowered by God was more effective than the largest armies. But notice how they fought – without weapons that an army would normally use. They fought with trumpets and lamps! They fought with weapons that the world would consider ineffective, yet triumphed mightily over their enemies. They shouted as loud as they could, sounded the trumpets, and broke the vessels that held the fire so that their lamps burst through with brightness. This breaking of the lamps of clay holds a powerful metaphor for us. If we too are "earthen vessels" holding the fire of God – the Spirit of God within us, then a "breaking" of the outer man is necessary for His inner light to burst through. Victory can come out of brokenness. Our light shines brightest when we live who really are with others