Life and death are a normal part of our existence. This tension between the living and the dying started at the very beginning of creation. The first recorded death is that of Abel, which was a murder perpetrated by a brother who was angry. The first idea of life eternal is when God sent Adam and Eve out of the Garden and said (Genesis 3:22),
“Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—”
As a result, they were thrust from the Garden never to return. Humanity since then has continually struggled with the problem of life and death residing in the same reality. We would like to put death apart from life; but we cannot and it is our own fault. Death is painful – not in the act but in the fact that the living experience pain at the loss of a loved one. We have to believe that Adam and Eve grieved the death of Abel even though the Bible does not tell us they did so in a direct way. We can perhaps construe grief from Eve’s statement when she gave birth to Seth: “God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.” (Genesis 4:25)
The Bible deals with the tension of life and death from beginning to end. It is in the New Testament that we begin to learn how to understand and respond to this tension. The most important statement is found in Romans 5:
because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
Adam represents death and Jesus represents life. But, here is the big difference and where we can reconcile the tension – death through Adam is now and need only affect this earthly existence. Life through Jesus is eternal and begins now in this earthly life but lasts for all eternity. The world would have us believe that we live and die and that is all there is. The Bible tells us that yes, we live and we die but we need not loose hope because there is the promise of life beyond this earthly existence in which we suffer many things.
We are in what is traditionally known in Christendom as Holy Week. It is the week between Palm Sunday and Easter. It is our time to remember the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem when it seemed he would be accepted as Messiah but wasn’t and when he suffered and died on the cross. The week culminates with the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. This is the foundation of all our faith and belief.
Adam and the presence of sin brought earthly death. Jesus and the gift of righteousness brought life eternal for all who believe and trust in this saving grace.
May our message this week and every week be the same: through the resurrection of Jesus we have this blessed hope of eternal life and we can rejoice knowing that death has no power over us any longer.
Yes, there will still be grief in death but this is only because of our ability to love, which is also a gift from our Creator. Isn’t God wonderful?
Pastor David
Recently, the parable of the Lost Sheep found in Luke 15 was read in worship. It highlights the belief that God is always looking for us because we are lost. And, when we are found there is rejoicing in heaven. Indeed, it is occasion to rejoice when we know someone has accepted forgiveness from God and become a part of the family of God. But, this parable presents us with a predicament. How can there be rejoicing with still so many who are lost?
Ironically, the rejoicing over just one person finding salvation is magnified by the reality of many being lost. We can put this into perspective by a reality facing us right here in the USA. The latest report from immigration services is that there are approximately 448 thousand unaccompanied minors who crossed the border over the last four years and they remain “lost” in our system. In other words, no one knows where they are. The sad reality is that no one is talking about this. There is little rejoicing because these “little ones” are not being searched out on a wide enough scale. Where is the outcry for these “lost” children?
Our church family recently made a commitment to organize for reaching out to children and young families with the Gospel message. While we want desperately to see new families coming to worship and bringing their children, we also must remember what we are talking about when we speak of being “lost.” There is both a spiritual side as well as an earthly side.
This should not surprise us in that our Lord Jesus was fully human and fully Divine simultaneously. (Philippians 2) Can this be explained to the satisfaction of all? No. It is a matter of faith and belief. That said, it points us to the reality for all believers that we are fully engaged in our world while simultaneously focused on the spiritual worship of God. Jesus reminds us that “God is spirit and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24) The “truth” here is that we are earth-bound where we find the “lost.” We are to have the “mind of Christ” as Paul speaks about; but, I would suggest we have the hands, feet and eyes of the human side of Jesus. This means we are to be engaged in the issues of this world for the sake of finding the “lost” because we are God’s ambassadors to a lost world.
I leave you with this question: Does God value these children who are “lost” in our system enough for us as a worshiping family to ask ourselves how we might engage in the search? I believe the answer is yes. And, remember, ‘we do the things we talk about.’ Let’s talk about this. It just might result in some rejoicing.
Pastor David
This week we will no doubt hear some of the same things we recently have been hearing in various news reports: there is a lot of hatred happening all around the world. Most of it can be explained as to why. Some may remain a mystery but very little, and, then only because not enough time was spent looking into the situation. Jesus told his disciples the night before he was arrested and subsequently crucified that the world is full of hatred. Gospel of John 15:18 If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.
Jesus also told his disciples many times that the Jewish leaders would orchestrate a plan to kill him. The disciples could not truly understand why; nor, did they believe it fully. That plan was carried out and Jesus was indeed crucified because of hatred. Ironically, it was part of God’s plan for our salvation. Jesus became the perfect sacrifice to pay the price for the sin of the world. All Jesus had done was bring healing and forgiveness into the world. He went about changing people’s lives by a simple touch. How can such activities be hated? Well, today we should be able to understand a part of that due to the hatred being espoused over positive things that are happening all around us.
As Jesus hung on the cross, he prayed to God the Father and simply said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34) That statement is in stark contrast to what we may identify as hatred today – especially in our own country. The people who are raising flags of terrorist organizations; the people who are calling for the annihilation of Israel and all Jews; the people who are burning Tesla agencies and setting Tesla cars on fire; the politicians who make fun of handicapped people – and the list goes on and on and on; all these examples are of people WHO KNOW exactly what they are doing. These are like the woman in Nairobi, Africa who knew what she was doing when poisoning her neighbors and her own daughter. The neighbors had taken the 18 year old daughter to a worship service. The mother, who is Muslim, obviously hated her neighbors for their desire to share their faith with this woman’s daughter.
Do we know what we are doing when we espouse hatred for another person? Let me be very clear of how I think about all this. Truly committed Christians will not respond with violence and murder to things with which they disagree. We may express our opinion; we may even raise our voice at times – but violence? – not in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus. He died and rose again so we may learn from him as recorded in Matthew 11:29 when Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
If you are feeling restless and heavy burdened with life, only Jesus Christ can bring peace and rest into your troubled soul.
Pastor David
During this Lenten Season we have been hearing messages related to Jesus and his journey toward Jerusalem ending in his crucifixion. In his journey toward Jerusalem Jesus taught his disciples many things about his mission in this life. He tried to warn them about the crucifixion but they were not able to process all that he taught them. It was not until later after his resurrection that they came to truly believe all that Jesus had taught. They needed the resurrection to see more clearly that Jesus was/is the Christ, the Chosen One sent by God the Father.
Today, we are far removed in time from Jesus’ earthly life and his crucifixion and resurrection. And, today there are many, just like the disciples who actually walked with Jesus, who are not able to process all that is taught in the Christian faith. For one thing, the teachings vary from one church to another and from one church denomination to another. No wonder there is confusion among believers today.
Can we simply the situation? Can we make it easier to help someone believe in Jesus as the Christ, the Chosen One? I believe there can be.
What united the early believers and in particular the disciples, with the exception of Judas Iscariot, was the resurrection and their belief and acceptance of that event. They had no doubt that Jesus actually rose from the grave. They witnessed his presence among them. Thomas was absent the first time Jesus appeared to his disciples; but he was there the second time; and, Thomas immediately believed what he saw.
Today, believers can get hung up on things like the proper way to be baptized, if it truly was a virgin birth, what is the proper day to set aside for worship, what is the ‘true’ Bible translation or whether or not the Bible is the Word of God and the list goes on.
Perhaps the only thing that truly matters is whether Jesus truly was raised from the dead or not. Do you believe he rose from the grave after being crucified, declared dead and buried?
The Apostle Paul made it clear in I Corinthians 15 that what he preached revolved around the belief in the resurrection of Jesus.
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures
What Paul was dealing with has persisted to this day. He wrote:
Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.
Everything we say we believe and desire to witness to starts and ends with the resurrection of Jesus. Some want to say ‘once saved, always saved’ others want to say ‘only the King James Bible is the true Bible’ and still others may say ‘you have to be baptized in a certain way.’ Given what Paul has written perhaps the best way to be united as believers is to realize that our journey of faith starts with the resurrection of Jesus and ends with the resurrection of Jesus. Without that, our faith is of no value no matter what we say our faith rests upon. Do you believe in the resurrection of Jesus?
My prayer is for that to be our primary focus in our journey of faith.
Pastor David
This week one of our church family members is celebrating a 100 year birthday. Helen Wright has become a centenarian. In today’s parlance that is always considered a remarkable achievement. Upon a quick internet search, it is found that the current population of the USA is approximately 342 million and approximately 0.027% of that make it to 100 years of life. That translates to approximately 92,000 people annually. That may sound like a lot but it is only a fraction of our total population. Because of the advances in medical science that figure is projected to be around 0.1% of the population in 2054. For comparison, in 1950 the USA population was approximately 151 million and only some 3,000 people made it to 100. And, worldwide out of 8.2 billion there is estimated to be only 573,000 centenarians. However you look at it, Helen is a rare bird in a manner of speaking.
So, what is all the kerfuffle about reaching 100 birthdays? First, not many do. Second, in ancient Biblical times we understand that people lived much longer prior to Noah’s flood and then it dropped but people still lived a long time. Moses lived to 120 years of age. However, King David only lived to 70 years of age. There are those who want to say that the reported long years of life in the bible that exceed 100 years and even reach to over 800 years of life prior to Noah is not using the same way of counting years. That is to be disputed. There is no evidence to suggest the counting of years is different from today.
It all comes down to trust. Can we trust what the Bible is telling us? Some have many doubts for different reasons. In our weekly Bible Study we often speak of seeming discrepancies found in Scripture. If we are willing to look, most of the time we find the reason. However, if one is expecting the Scriptures to provide exact chronology and exact historical records, then one will be disappointed. Even today when history is being written there are many discrepancies to be found. There is not enough room here to explain how this is dealt with by researchers. But, let us focus on that one word – ‘researcher’. If people who look into historical records are called researchers because they are looking for evidence to support ideas or to explain why something happened, then why would we as students of the Bible not see ourselves as ‘researchers’?
We are researching the historical record of how God has dealt with humanity down through the ages. We call that the Bible. That is exactly what it is – the record of God’s dealings with humanity. Can we trust it? If we believe how it came about then it is to be trusted.
Peter gives us two reasons to trust Scripture. First, he tells us that the record of Jesus’ life was from the disciples being “eyewitnesses to his majesty.” Second, he writes this about prophecy: no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Do you believe the Bible is God’s Word? Or, is it a book that either ‘contains’ God’s Word or a book of myths and stories produced to propagate religious belief? Your choice.
Pastor David
Today at the church building the alarm system was being re-calibrated and brought up to date. Needless to say, in the process the alarm was sounding several times and for long periods of time. It was annoying to say the least! But, after a while, the alarm sound became just part of the scene and it was less apparent than at first.
There is something ominous about saying that. Alarms are intended to get our attention and cause us to respond appropriately. The fire alarm goes off and we start looking for a fire or smoke at the least so as to avert a full blown fire. Unfortunately, when car alarms go off, hardly anyone pays attention because it almost always means nothing. Why are alarms even being installed on cars anymore? New mothers treat the cry of their newborn as an alarm system. They jump into action to discover what is going on. By the time that same mother has had her third or fourth child, the cry may not occasion such an ‘alarming’ response.
We are all familiar with the story of the shepherd boy who cried wolf! He was lonely and wanted company. His cry brought out many people. By the time he had called out ‘wolf’ for the fourth time, no one came. The problem, unfortunately, was that there really was a wolf and he needed help. Poor sheep!
Today, we have heard the same stories so many times and are aware that these same stories have been told down through the centuries about Jesus coming back to earth. Some people have just given up; some are annoyed by the retelling of the story; and, others just scoff saying, “you keep talking about this but it has been some 2000 years and we are still waiting.” The Apostle Peter spoke of this problem in 2 Peter chapter 3:
knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.”
This opened the dialogue for Peter to remind us that the day of judgment would accompany the Second Coming of Jesus. Peter’s way of dealing with these “scoffers” is to remind them of God’s patience with us humans. God indeed is patient and slow to anger; full of grace and mercy. May it be that during this time of Lent and our preparations for celebrating the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus, we too develop patience and then remember that God has actually given us more time to witness and to invite others to accept God’s forgiveness through Jesus, who is the Christ.
Please do not allow God’s patience to become an occasion for being complacent about the alarming messages that Jesus is coming again. The world still needs to hear that a day of judgment is coming. Spread the Word; tell everyone you know that Jesus is coming again and that we must be prepared.
Pastor David
Have you ever been lost? Some people have experienced this feeling whether in a forest or in a car traveling. When that happens decisions must be made. One who is lost will need to make a change in direction and/or seek help to find out where they are and get re-oriented as to where they are going. I realize that today many have access to a Global Positioning System (GPS); but even there we must take caution to insure it is working properly.
As I consider this common human situation I realize that this is exactly what the Bible speaks of when talking about repentance. That word simply means to ‘turn around’ and go in a different direction. When we are lost we must turn around or we will continue to be lost. We have all read stories of people who became lost while hiking in a wilderness and eventually died from exposure.
This is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent when Christians remember that God brought salvation to the world through Jesus. Lent has traditionally been a time for believers to consider their relationship with God and to work at improving that relationship. We are told clearly in Scripture that without God in our life we are “lost” and will surely die in our sin. For believers, there are times when we make decisions that can damage or direct us away from God. That is a time for repentance – a time to turn around and go in a different direction back to God who will renew us and restore us to a healthy and holy relationship through Jesus.
On Ash Wednesday we traditionally practice the imposition of ashes to remind us that we are mortal and that life is fleeting. This is clearly spoken of in Scripture, not to make us afraid or to portray a negative feeling about our faith. In contrast, it is meant to help us realize that God has made it possible for all believers to have hope. We need never feel lost knowing that God through Christ has made reconciliation with us and has re-oriented us toward salvation – also known as eternal life.
If you are feeling lost and not sure where you are in relation to God, I call you to repentance. I call you to make a decision to go in a different direction. Accepting Jesus and all he brings into our life will help you find your way out of a wilderness of sin and hopelessness.
Please know that I am always ready to talk with anyone who needs help in finding Jesus or who needs help to improve their relationship with God.
Pastor David
This week the witness is a bit late from its usual appearance. That is because there was a mission trip to Ecuador with four women who truly fit the biblical description of a “good and faithful servant” as found in Matthew 25 and the parable of the talents. These “good and faithful” women accompanied their pastor to Ecuador to see how God is working in that beautiful part of the world. We made our way to Cuenca and then to Saraguro. In Cuenca, a high mountain city in the Andes, we observed how God is working to provide for those who suffer from chronic and terminal illnesses. We participated in three days of training for professional healthcare workers. In addition, we spent time with some of the patients and got to know something about their life stories.
Later in the first week we visited a Christian Radio Station in a smaller town called Saraguro and heard about how God is using a very special family to spread the Word of God to over 10,000 listeners in the southern regions of the Andes Mountains. Missionary Tom Stiles guided us to this wonderful ministry that was started several years ago and has at times struggled to continue. But, God is faithful.
The healthcare program in Cuenca, which we would identify as a hospice and palliative care program, was started in 2011. Our church has heard several experiences about how this came to be when a former program of caring only for cancer patients was redirected to see the need for practicing the philosophy of medical care for the terminally ill. The primary objective is to alleviate suffering and pain and to elevate the quality of life for the remaining time the person has. It provides support for the family as well. This is now a solid program in Cuenca but needs our prayerful consideration to help support what God is doing there.
These “good and faithful” women from our church family made this journey with the purpose of learning and then returning and reporting. This will take time and we hope to have many opportunities to share our experiences. God is at work in the world and we have the privilege of sharing in what God is accomplishing through his people. As your pastor I was excited to see how God was opening the eyes of these faithful women who represented our church in Ecuador. I saw how they allowed God’s Spirit to speak to them in so many ways. It was my joy and privilege to share their excitement in experiencing God’s handy work in Ecuador. While it is true Ecuador is a beautiful country, it is even more important to point out the beautiful and loving spirit of Ecuadorians who are seeking to serve others. We found that in Cuenca in the hospice & palliative care program and in Saraguro in the Christian Radio Station.
Jesus reminds us in that same chapter of Matthew about the good and faithful servant that serving others is one of our highest callings as believers; for, when one has helped to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcomed the stranger, clothed the naked, visited the sick and the prisoner, Jesus says “as you did [these things] to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”
My prayer is that our church family will listen with open hearts when they hear these “good and faithful” servant women speak of their experiences and then ask God how we, as a church family, may be able to participate in God’s work in Ecuador.
Pastor David
Every day we wake up and focus on what we have for that day. I realize that some will say, ‘but I’m retired and don’t have to focus on anything.’ I would beg to differ. You will focus on some kind of activity – whether eating, cleaning house, making it to a doctor’s appointment, etc. We do focus on something.
When the Hebrew people came out of Egypt and were in the wilderness they woke up and focused on survival – where to find water and food. They grumbled when they couldn’t find it immediately and Moses prayed to God and it was supplied. Even though this happened continually it seems the people couldn’t get past their grumbling. And, when Moses went up on Mount Sinai for 40 days the people got focused on themselves completely. They didn’t have Moses to redirect them. As a result many were lost; and ultimately, because of their inability to focus on God and his awesome power and promise of presence, all who physically left Egypt died in the desert and only their children actually entered what they called the Promised Land. The only exceptions were Caleb and Joshua who remained faithful to God.
What did you focus on this morning when you woke up? Life can get in the way of our daily living with the presence of God in our life. For a small group from our church family, we woke up today focused on traveling to Ecuador. Needless to say, there can be a lot of details to distract us from what we are really meant to focus on each day. Our purpose is to see what wonderful things God is doing in that beautiful part of the world. My prayer is that we, as representatives of our church family, will maintain a focus on God’s holy presence and on what he is doing through many people there who are focused on serving others. Our ultimate goal, just like it was for the Hebrews, is to keep our focus on that Promised Land, which in our case is the life of Jesus who is the Christ. It is in him that we find the completion of all the promises of God. May it be that the “details” of life will not distract you from keeping focus on our Lord and Savior.
Pastor David
A few weeks back in our Wednesday evening Bible Study we looked at the subject of slavery in the Bible. The primary question was how does the Bible treat slavery and the general outcome is that the Bible does not outright condemn slavery. Needless to say, this does present a dilemma for some in the church when asked why. The other item of interest is that slavery in the Bible can be confusing because the word in both Hebrew and in Greek can be understood to mean both forced labor and volunteer labor. The primary definition for the word is that there is a master and there is a slave or servant, depending on the context in which it is used. In either, the idea is that one commands, i.e., master; and one obeys, i.e., slave/servant.
The Bible helps us to understand the reason for why slavery or servanthood is even discussed in the scriptures. It started with the story of the Exodus from Egypt by God’s chosen people. They had been there for over 400 years suffering as slaves (forced labor). Moses comes along with God’s direction and they are freed. The New Testament takes this event to remind us that we can think of our relationship with evil or good. Evil concerns sin in our life. Good concerns God in our life. The reality is that the Book of Romans speaks of either being a slave to sin or a slave to righteousness – that is God in our life. It is our choice. We are going to obey one or the other.
To better help us in this important subject of slavery, I want to direct our thoughts just to the servanthood aspect of the word that gets translated as either slave or servant. Jesus used that same word to tell his disciples that he did not come to be served but to serve. He further tells his disciples that they must seek to be servant to one another.
Matthew 20:25-28 speaks of this:
You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
My prayer is that our church family will cultivate a culture of servanthood among ourselves knowing that we are to serve one another. And then carry that same attitude out to where we live, work and play May we become servants to one another – believer and non-believer alike.
If we are looking for a way to attract more people to our worship and to be part of our church family, I would suggest we try to “out-serve” one another and see what happens.
Pastor David
From the 1800s there is an old, moderately well-known poem about a baseball team in Mudville – a fictional town. The poem ends with a famous line – “There is no joy in Mudville – mighty Casey as struck out.” The lament chronicles an over confident player who apparently did not take his situation serious enough.
I think of Pharaoh at the time of Moses. He did not take his situation serious enough. And, I think of Samson who also did not take his situation serious enough, saying, “I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.” He didn’t realize that the Lord had left him; and, the Philistines defeated and blinded him.
Poor Casey didn’t care what the score was at the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs. He just assumed he would hit a home run as always. Pharaoh simply did not believe in God’s power. And, poor Samson not only allowed himself to be deceived but also carelessly managed his spiritual relationship with God. Not knowing whether any of this resonates with you, I can say it does with many who have shared their testimonies of lament. We are to walk as children of light so says the scripture. The writer of Hebrews put it this way, Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? (Heb 2:1-3)
We don’t live in Mudville; but we do live somewhere and where ever that is we want there to be joy. Psalm 30 is a great Psalm that grapples with over confidence and with the reality that God can turn away from us when we are disobedient. Yet, it offers us the greatest of hope by saying, Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.
May you find joy every morning by continually trusting in God alone and not on your own understanding of how the world is supposed to work.
Pastor David