Kendust, Will 8

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV) – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”

Message: I love building new things. Whether it’s a model, Legos, or a project that allows me to watch something take shape, there’s a joy in seeing it all come together. But what I probably love even more is repurposing or fixing up older things to make them feel brand new. There’s something so satisfying about taking what’s worn or broken and breathing new life into it – not throwing it out, but transforming it into something new and meaningful again.

That’s what I love about this Scripture. When Paul talks about being a new creation, it’s not about discarding who we were, but allowing Christ to take our lives – flaws, struggles, and all – and transform us. He breathes new life into us, giving us a fresh start while building on the journey we’ve already walked. It’s a chance to see how far we’ve come, in and through Him.

Whenever we see the word “therefore” in Scripture, it’s a reminder to ask: “Why is it there?”. In this passage, Paul is pointing back to the incredible truth he’s just outlined: Christ’s love for us, which led Him to the cross, changes everything. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we no longer live in fear of sin or death. His love is the most powerful force in the world, and it compels us to change.

As Methodists, we believe faith is both a gift and an action – a cooperative relationship with God. Christ’s grace transforms us, but we also choose, day by day, to embrace that transformation. We’re invited to participate in the process of becoming a new creation, allowing God to reshape our hearts and renew our lives for His purposes.

Challenge: Reflect on one “old” part of your life – a habit, mindset, or fear – that you’ve been holding onto. Ask God for the strength to let it go and for wisdom to see how He’s reshaping you. Then take one practical step to live out this transformation, today!

Prayer: Lord, thank You for Your love that transforms us. Help me to embrace being a new creation, to let go of fear and sin, and to walk daily in Your grace. Shape my life to reflect Your love, and bring new meaning to the world around me. Amen.

Pastor Will Kendust

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Scripture: James 1:2-4 (NLT) – “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

Message: Far too often, I find myself wishing things were easier. When things go wrong, I seem to think, “Will anything go my way?” The reality is that a lot of things have gone my way – like, a lot! The other reality is that whenever I think that, I’m just being dramatic.

Throughout the study of the Bible, James has climbed up the list as one of my favorites. I even recently heard that it’s considered the most “bossy” book in the Bible, but maybe that’s why I like it. I love how this verse offers a shift in perspective, suggesting that instead of seeing a situation that doesn’t go fully your way, see it as an opportunity for growth. Growth, as we all know, happens when we are met with resistance. This is true for physical health, our emotional health, and I believe it’s the same for our spiritual health. In those situations where we really lean on God, we grow. Our trust in God grows. We realize that He is someone we can depend on and rely on.

Lastly, I love the charge to keep going. Persevere! It’s our experiences that make us who we are. Those are the things that help shape us. Our faith is in God, and we trust His direction and guidance in our life. It is a wonderful opportunity to be molded so that when more trials come, which they will, we will be ready and able to help those around us as well!

Prayer: Loving God! All too often, I see small setbacks as reasons to complain; however, as Your Words instruct me, they are opportunities for growth. Growth in myself, yet also growth in You. Help me to keep my focus on You and to persevere, so that I may not lack in anything. In Your strong name, I pray. Amen!

Pastor Will Kendust

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Scriptures: Matthew 7:25 (NLT) – “Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock.”

Luke 8:22-24 (NLT) – “One day Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.’ So they got into a boat and started out. As they sailed across, Jesus settled down for a nap. But soon a fierce storm came down on the lake. The boat was filling with water, and they were in real danger. The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, ‘Master, Master, we’re going to drown!’ When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and the raging waves. Suddenly the storm stopped and all was calm. Then he asked them, ‘Where is your faith?’”

Message: I’m not much of a sailor, but I’ve always been fascinated by the sea. Growing up near the beach and surfing, I gained a bit of knowledge about sailing. One often overlooked a crucial part of a sailboat, the “fin keel” – a fin-like structure that provides stability through storms. To me, the fin keel is a lot like faith in Christ; it keeps us grounded and on course during life’s storms.

During my time in Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) at the University of North Carolina Hospital, I learned this firsthand. As a chaplain, I was called to support people through trauma and suffering. Even though I was there to care for others, I found myself deeply shaken at times, worrying about my own loved ones. Yet, as I leaned more into my faith, I discovered that my trust in God gave me the stability I needed – and Jesus knew a thing or two about storms on the Sea of Galilee (Luke 8:22-24).

In Matthew 7, Jesus speaks of two houses, representing our lives. One is built on solid rock, the other on sand. The key phrase is “Though the rain comes in torrents…” not “If the rain comes in torrents…” Life’s storms are inevitable. The difference lies in what foundation we build our lives on. May we all choose to build on the unshakable foundation of Christ.

Prayer: Loving God, as we look forward to the New Year, we know storms will come – both literally and figuratively. Help us to build our lives on the firm foundation of Christ, trusting in Your strength to carry us through. Amen.

Pastor Will Kendust

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Scripture: 1 Peter 3:8 (NLT) - "Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude".

Message: Getting along with others is tough stuff. There are so many things that come into play when interacting with others. What is your previous relationship with this person? Have you had positive experiences, or negative ones? Or maybe this is the first time meeting them, but they just rub you the wrong way. Do you have your own baggage or anxiety you are bringing into the situation? There is so much involved in relationships - whether it's friends, co-workers (I promise I love all my co-workers reading this!), or family (which adds a whole additional layer of awkwardness) - relationships require work.

In this text, Peter gives us the direction to be of one mind, similar to Paul's instruction in Philippians 2. In other words, keep the focus on the big picture which is Jesus, and "don't sweat the small stuff". While both were talking to the early churches, I think we could still heed these instructions, in and out of the church. I know I am guilty of not always having a humble attitude. Rather, I'm quick to think how I could've or would've done it better before giving a second thought to all they might be going through. It is at that point I really know I botched the whole humility part. But what I particularly love about this text is loving each other like sisters and brothers.

I don't know how your childhood played out, but for me and my siblings, we fought, and fought, and fought some more. Yet as soon as the disagreement was over, it was quickly forgiven and forgotten. Peter knew that there would be disagreements, but the encouragement is to remain humble despite the disagreements. We need to remember that even though we are family, forgiveness is always needed. I think that is where the real tenderheartedness takes place.

Prayer: Living Christ, how quickly our focus shifts from You to our own desires and ambitions. Too often we criticize others and stir up the conflict without taking time to account for all that others may be going through. Help us to be tenderhearted, and be of the same mind as we push on towards glory as sisters and brothers together in Your Holy Family. Amen!

Pastor Will Kendust

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Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT) – "For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline."

Message: Do you see yourself as confident or someone who lacks confidence? I often find myself lacking confidence. While I have my moments, uncertainty tends to hold me back, and I err on caution rather than risk being wrong. Unfortunately, this caution may mean missing out on opportunities that God has placed before me. Whether it's the fear of saying the wrong thing, or making a mistake, I often talk myself out of taking a step of faith. While it is wise to heed God's warning against overconfidence, living in constant fear stifles growth and limits the challenges that can help us thrive.

This mindset extends beyond everyday life to areas like working out. There is a saying that if your workout doesn't scare you a little, it's too easy. While the aim is not to injure or harm oneself, the idea is to embrace challenges because growth comes through overcoming them. The same principle can be applied to faith. When faced with unfamiliar situations prompted by God, which can be intimidating, I tend to pull back or hesitate. However, revisiting these situations is motivated by the wisdom of the text. This verse encourages us to embody qualities of power, love, and self-discipline – not dominating others, but confidently moving forward with restraint and in the best interests of everyone involved.

In this Advent season, may we trust God to lead us – maybe even into places of fear – so that we may grow. Maybe it’s reaching out to family members to reconcile differences, or simply trusting God in new areas of life. Let us do so in faith!

Prayer: Loving God, I give thanks for those in the great cloud of witnesses who approached life with this kind of confidence – those who took that step of faith and trusted God along the way. I am sure it was not easy, but nothing ever worthwhile rarely is. In this Advent season, may we not be fearful people, yet rather people powerfully moving through life with love and self-discipline, just as Jesus did. Amen.

Pastor Will Kendust

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Scripture: Psalm 121:1-4 (NLT) – “I look up to the mountains – does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth! He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps.”

Message: When I was younger, sleeping was always difficult for me. I tried everything in the book to help. I tried keeping the TV on, counting sheep, meditation, drinking warm milk, drinking cold milk – you name it, I tried it; but nothing seemed to work consistently. One thing that slightly helped was knowing that I was not the last one to fall asleep i.e., someone else was still awake. I would even rush my night-time routine so it gave me more time to get to sleep while other family members were still awake. I remember hearing Psalm 121 for the first time and that was a game changer for me. As I’ve gotten older and my sleep has (slightly) improved, I still take comfort in knowing that God is never sleeping and is always watching over me.

In this time of Lent, where we all experience feelings of lament and sadness, it is easy to feel like we need extra rest, some more so than others. Things seem overwhelming and our minds, bodies, and souls need extra rest. It’s okay to give ourselves that rest that we so desperately crave. Although this season can seem long and dark, we can take hope knowing that we are being watched over by the one who never sleeps, and never slumbers.

Prayer: God who never sleeps, we pray that as we rest, either with our eyes closed or open, we take hope knowing that Your eyes never close and never look away from us. Hold us in Your care through this season of Lent, and give us the rest that we so deeply need. For it is in Your perfect presence and perfect name we pray. Amen.

Pastor Will Kendust

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Scripture: Proverbs 19:20-21 (NLT) – “Get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will be wise the rest of your life. You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.”

Message: How do you approach big decisions? Are you someone who takes advice from other people, or are you someone who follows your own intuition? For me, whenever I have a situation where I feel unclear how to proceed, I like to seek counsel from some trusted individuals. Then, I mix it all together, process it for a few days, and then make my decision. However, what I usually find is that God shows up in the meantime.

All too often, I put way too much pressure on myself in making these big decisions. I play the questions out in my head, “What about this?” “What happens if I don’t” “Am I sure this is the right decision?” I do all this without thinking of first going to God with all of it. But what I really like about this verse is that it pulls in the blessing that we have each other to lean on.

As Pastor Chris spoke about when he preached on community he used the phrase, “We were born out of Community (the Holy Trinity), for Community.”

Maybe, the advice that we are receiving from another trusted individual or mentor is God speaking through that person, such as when Esther received advice from her cousin Mordecai regarding the Jewish people. In Esther we read that a decree is sent out to kill all the Jewish people in the region and Esther who is Queen, receives advice from Mordecai to use her position of power to save the Jewish people, and thank God, but it works out!

Therefore, while we should first seek counsel from God in a situation, it may be wise to also do so from our community around us. So, whenever a big decision comes your way (and don’t worry, I’m sure one will come soon), pray about it, but also ask those you trust, especially if they’ll join you in prayer as well!

Prayer: God, we know that You are so eager to speak into our lives. We pray in this Advent season that we would be open to Your guidance, even through those around us. So open our eyes, our ears, and hearts to You this day. Amen!

Pastor Will Kendust

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Scripture: 1 Peter 5:6-7 (NRSV) - "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you."

Message: Do you like asking for help? I, personally, hate being a bother. When I don't know how to do something, I usually go out of my way, take three times as long, and usually become more of a bother in the long run than just asking for help initially.

In a similar way, I sometimes get this mind set when there is something in my life that I could use prayer for; in two ways. Firstly, I don't like to ask others to pray for me, and secondly, I even feel like I'm bothering God with my little, unnecessary, even childish requests. However, a recent revelation has, thankfully, shifted my thinking.

I started to think about how excited I will be to hear my son tell me about his day, all of it. He can't talk just yet, but when he can, he'd better be ready because I'm going to ask every question in the book about his day. It hit me that this is no different for God. God wants to hear about our day. God wants to be in conversation with us even if it means asking for something that we might think is trivial, or not that important. As the text in 1 Peter 5 says, "we should humble ourselves and give our anxieties to God because he cares for us". And because He cares for us, He wants all of us, even the small parts. In Luke 12:7, we read that "the hairs of your head are all counted," clueing us in that God is interested in the details of our life.

God wants to be with us, in the big items, and the little items. There is no situation that is bothersome to God. Does it mean that every prayer we pray will be answered? No. But it does mean that God is always willing to listen, and always wants to be a part of our life. Thank You God!

Prayer: Father, help me to take time to share my day with You, both the fun exciting things and those I'm troubled about. You are not only my Lord, You are my best friend; help me to share my life with You! Amen.

Pastor Will Kendust

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