Christ Our Anchor is an Anglican mission in Nashville, Tennessee, focused on restoring relationships with God and neighbor through worship and work.

Join us Wednesday evenings in East Nashville at 530 for a time of fellowship, followed by evening prayer at 630.

Everyone is welcome.

You can learn more about providing paid work for the glory of God’s kingdom by visiting us at ChristOurAnchor.org.

Let us pray.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer.

Amen.

There is a cliched saying that goes, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

What we’re to take from that saying is that when life is unexpected, we’re to take what we’re given, what’s around us, pull ourselves up by our bootlaces, and find a way to turn unexpected setbacks into something lovely.

And that’s great and all, but I don’t think it’s a very useful motto to live by.

Sure, God gives us resources and talents, and yes, we absolutely should use them to create and build and protect and help those around us.

We are indeed created to work in this beautiful creation God has made for us.

But in my experience, life is often a lot more complex than having a lemon tree in your backyard when you would rather have apples.

Sometimes life is really hard, and sometimes we get into situations where a lemonade stand just isn’t going to do us any good.

The world around us sells us the lie that we are all on our own.

It sells the lie that our failures and successes are our own problem.

They say, you can do anything you set your mind to, and they say, think outside the box.

They say, grind, grind, work, work, and you’ll end up successful.

And these are all lies, lies, and more lies.

You see, true evil exists in the world.

There are powers and principalities, as the Bible says, that are at play outside of us and outside of our control.

When you’re captured and surrounded by the enemy and chained up in a deep dungeon, no amount of creative brainstorming or lemonade is going to change your situation.

In that situation, you’re going to have to wait on an outside force, an army, or a SWAT team to come and liberate you.

The good news I have to share today is that such an outside force exists.

God did not create man to be alone.

God desires for us to be in community.

God created us to need others.

We cannot always fix things for ourselves.

In the darkness and despair of the trials and troubles of this fallen world, we can look to Jesus and His church for freedom.

Jesus sends the ark of His church to us to save us from the rising waters of the flood.

Jesus breaks us free from the bonds of sin and death.

In our baptism, we are God’s beloved children forever.

No matter where we are, no matter how we got there, we are known and He will come to save us.

So next time you’re in a pickle, remember that you are not alone.

God’s holy ark, the church, is here.

In your baptism, you are His.

Look to the rainbow in the sky and remember the hard times will pass.

God has prepared our way of salvation from the foundation of the earth.

Our God saved Noah from the flood.

Our God freed Israel from Egypt.

Our God defeated death and rose the third day from the dead.

Our God has ordained a path of salvation, freedom, and peace for you through His grace and the graces He offers in His church.

Look up from the dark place when you get there and see Him.

Thou art my beloved.

He says these words to you and to us even now.

He is a God that doesn’t leave you to make your own lemonade.

He is a God that freely gives you living water, water that quenches thirst for all time.

In the name of God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, amen.