Proud Mary

Y’ know, every now and then
I think you might like to hear something from us
Nice and easy
But there’s just one thing
You see we never ever do nothing
Nice and easy
We always do it nice and rough
So I’m gonna take the beginning of this talk
And do it easy
Then we’re gonna do the finish rough
This is the way we are going to do church today

And I’m rollin’

It’s spring. The sun’s out off and on. There’s new life and hope in the air. Easter Sunday came and went, but something has remained. Your faith.

Your belief in Jesus Christ being your savior has remained. And when you think of Jesus maybe you think of Easter Sunday, maybe you think of that picture on the wall. But my hope is that you have a picture of a very alive Jesus. Not one who is dying, who is eternally dying. Up there on a cross, getting another nail driven into him every time you mess up. Jesus is risen. Conquered sin and death so that you may live.

So here he is, alive, and all Jesusy. Paling around with you. Saying I love you etc. (cause Jesus does love you)

If you’re new to Christianity, you might know what I’m talking about. If you have just started your faith journey, you probably feel a lot more, and God is much more vibrant to you then this statement of paling around. But if you’ve been in the Christian bath for some time the water tends to lose its temperature. Your life may work like this: “I love Jesus. Here I am at church… and there I go.” Rollin’ Rollin’ Rollin’ on the river of life.

And this nice life is nice. Because you know who Jesus is, what he’s about, and you continue to learn more about him just by living.

But in just livin’ you also have to work. You get a good job in the city, working for the man every night and day. You clean a lot of plates, and you pump a lot of ‘tane. And as you live your nice life… you find it’s not so easy. In fact you may consider it rough.

Things tend to happen when you’re rolling down the river of your nice life. Things begin to creep in. Because this world is immensely complex, full of curveballs and politics, and just by living your nice life, you are affected by the rough. That vibrancy of Christ that you once felt is possibly as cold as the water you’re in. And there you are. Working working working.

Working for your God saying “I’ll take on that cause, cause that’s what Christ would do” or Working for your church because its what’s needed, or simply working to live your life I need to do this or I need to do that. Or I need to be nicer. Better. Less rough.

Most of the time I've received the compliment of being a 'nice guy' I've found it is a very limited compliment… Not really stoked about being “nice.” It’s like telling a girl that that dress looks fine. Not FOYN, but just fine. The complement is lost in the complacency of the statement.

One of my friends who blogged about this, and he came to this conclusion: “I guess I'd rather be a good man. However, this indeed is a much more rare compliment.”

The thing is, all of us lose our edge at some point. And our desire to be “a good man or a good woman” becomes a practice of discipline, rather then an outward expression of our soul. And discipline is a good thing, cause it keeps you on track; but when you are doing, because you are “supposed to do” rather than doing “because you want to.” You continue workin’ for that man.

While you work for the man you find that there are some things that are just not important. We find ourselves letting things in that we never would before. Evil things. And we just let them stay, because it’s nice and easy. It’s nice to have your cake and eat it too. To have a nice forgiving Jesus and a little sin on the side. And as we let this and that come in, our water becomes a little cool. And sweeps us away from our goal.

Our goal: To be a good man or woman. Is not necessarily nice. And is definitely not easy when you’re workin’ for the man. To be “good” on your own two legs is to work yourself, You’re your own boss and you work yourself to the bone. To be a good man or woman is to step into the river and swim upstream. The river is far too big and swift for you to be doing it for a lifetime. So your tired body washes up on the shore.

But what do we do, how can we manage this burdon of our faith? How do we overcome the rolling river and the rough rough rough waters.

It’s time to step aboard the riverboat queen. Where you can start to see the good side of the city that you working so hard in.

Ephesians says this: “do not be drunk with wine, but be filled with the holy spirit.”Now before you say, thanks for the judgement Geoff. I thought you were just telling be that I can’t accomplish this on my own merits, and to be sober right now is not what I needed to here. But let me explain what the writer is saying. This passage isn’t about wine. Its about the nature of wine. Some of you may relate… I’m not sure. But what is the eventual outcome of being drunk. (you eventually get sober) Why? (because eventually you either pass out or you run out of money… or die if you stay drunk forever) But listen to this. Be filled with the Holy Spirit. The Writer is saying to Ephesus Like you would consider drinking to stay drunk. Consider “continuing to fill yourself with the holy spirit. This word fill is like how a wind would fill a sail to move it to where the boat needs to go. This passage is saying “maintain your buzz,” with the holy spirit. Hop aboard this riverboat. The Riverboat of the Holy Spirit. The steam pushes it along to turn the paddles of your nice and rough life so that you can become “a good man or a good woman.”

Apart for the Holy Spirit, you’re going to be workin’ for the man. But with the Holy spirit you will be Rollin down the river And you’ll never lose one minute of sleep
Worryin’ ’bout the way things might have been.

Your doing starts with a filling of steam. Your doing starts with the opening your sail. Your doing starts with this prayer. “Fill me up Holy Spirit.”

1tim5:4 “Religion begins at your own doorstep and you should pay it back with gratitude by what you have received.” Try this without the holy spirit and you are a nice guy. Try this with the holy spirit and your doorstep begins to bless the entire world.

1tim6:17 “…Go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage—18 to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. 19 If you do that, you’ll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life.” Again do this as yourself and be the nicest, tiredest guy on the block. With the Holy Spirit and let your life truly live

There is richness in the simplicity of being yourself before God. God doesn’t want anything else. But He does want you to let go of the evil things in your life. You yourself want to let them go anyway. But you can’t do it on your own steam. Climb aboard. And DO what you have always wanted to do.

Today… as you’re rollin’ on the river of life
Realize that God is asking you to do the things he’s asking you to do. God’s asking you to call upon him in prayer. God is asking you to learn about him by studying the Bible. And finally God is asking you to become good men and women, by climbing aboard his Holy Spirit, practicing doing good to others.