Category: Minister’s Blog

Disappointment with how we are treated by others is something all of us deal with in our lives.  When these disappointments result from someone who professes to be a Christian, they can have a significant impact upon our faith.  But even when these disappointments come from other sources, we can be derailed by the hurt it causes.  This Sunday we will take a closer look at the account of Samson and Delilah.  In his interactions with Delilah, Samson gave his strength away.  But when he needed it, that strength returned.  The same can happen for us when we refuse to allow something other than God to have control over our lives.  I hope you will join us this Sunday as we consider the importance of not giving our strength away.

When we are faced with something that we fear or something that is unfamiliar, our first response is often to flee.  Even when it is God who is leading us, our instinct is often to run from something that challenges us.  This Sunday, we will look at the quintessential story of someone who chose to flee from God.  Jonah sought to avoid God’s guidance to go to Nineveh seeking an easier path.  But what he found instead was far more challenging.  While we may think that running from challenges brings us greater safety, what we often find is that we are actually running from the wrong things.

One of the reasons my wife and I have been successful in our marriage is because we each bring something different to the relationship.  Together we are able to see things differently or accomplish things that we could not do individually.  For instance, Kathy tends to be a little more spontaneous while I always tend to be a planner.  Kathy always maintains an optimistic and hopeful attitude, while I can tend to see the glass half empty.  This Sunday, we will be considering how this idea works in our church.  God has put us together in the church because together we are able to accomplish things we could not do individually.  During Lent, we will be having a Sunday school class in which we seek to understand our spiritual gifts and how to use them in the church.  I hope you will join us this Sunday as we begin to explore this topic and draw upon the gifts present within our community which can go unrecognized.

In Mark 2 we read the story of Jesus healing the paralytic.  In this story, we find both a man who was willing to make himself vulnerable and a community which was willing to go to extremes to insure that the man could access Christ and be healed.  This Sunday we will consider this story in light of the covenant groups which we are forming.  Sometimes healing from past hurts, overcoming struggles in our faith, or growing closer to Christ requires not only our willingness to put ourselves out there, but also being part of a community which puts itself out there to carry one another when we are unable to walk for ourselves.

The second new ministry which we are beginning this year is our covenant groups. These groups are designed to create an atmosphere in which we learn to trust each other and encourage each other in our faith.  The importance of community is something that is stressed throughout Scripture.  Our concept of community is rooted in the nature of God.  We believe that God is a community of three persons – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Jesus exhibited the importance of community in forming a group of disciples around him to teach and love.  The church exists in part so that we can have community with each other.  Not community which exists only on Sunday mornings, but a shared life in which we support and encourage each other.  I hope you will join us this Sunday as we explore what it means to live in community and prepare for this important new ministry in our church.

This Sunday we will looking at the first miracle performed by Peter in the book of Acts.  Peter and John encounter a man with a disability begging for alms on their way to the temple.  But rather than walking by him, rather than averting their eyes, rather than tossing him a few coins and continuing on their way, we read that Peter and John looked at him intently.  And in engaging with him, these disciples brought healing to what appeared to be a hopeless situation.  This Sunday we will also be discussing what our new ministry, Caring Companions, will look like.  Like Peter and John, we can bring the light of Christ into situations where there appears to be only darkness.  But this requires a willingness on our part to not avert our eyes, but to look intently at those in need in our community.

With the New Year, we are beginning some new ministries at our church.  And during the month of January, we will be looking at the scriptural basis for this ministries.  We begin this Sunday with Jesus’ teaching of the sheep and the goats, a teaching in which Jesus emphasizes the need to serve those in need not only within our church but also within the greater community.  So essential is this work to our life as Christians that Jesus indicates these acts of service are how he will identify those who are his true followers.  As we seek to follow this teaching and be the hands and feet of Christ in our community, we will be beginning the Caring Companions ministry – a ministry in which members of our congregation will seek partner with members of our community who are in need.  I hope you will join us as we begin the New Year with a new mission as the church.

Tomorrow at 10 a.m. is our Service of Healing and Hope.  This is a special service designed for those who experience depression, loneliness or a sense of loss during the holiday season.  Our candlelight Christmas Eve service will be held at 7 p.m. on Saturday, and our Christmas morning service will begin at 10 a.m. on Sunday.  I hope you will join us for these special services as we take comfort and rejoice in the knowledge that God is with us.

This Sunday our choir will be performing their Christmas cantata, O Holy Night. Since I do not have a sermon to post about, I want to remind you of upcoming Advent events at our church. On Tuesday December 20 at 10 a.m., our church will be hosting a Service of Healing and Hope. This is a service designed for those who struggle during the holidays with loneliness, depression, or the loss of a loved one. Our annual candlelight Christmas Eve service will be held at 7 p.m. And we will have our normal Sunday service at 10 a.m. on Christmas Day. Thank you again to the Rainmakers for the wonderful music they provided yesterday. I hope you will join us this Sunday for another great day of Christmas music provided by our choir.