Scripture for Dec 4th: Luke 1:59-66

Sermon Title: Christmas is For Giving

On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.” They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.” Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.

I like receiving Christmas presents. I especially like receiving presents from Nancy, my wife, because she seems to get me exactly what I need, though I don’t always realize it. For example, one year she got me a new extra large coffee mug because I was complaining how small our coffee cups were. Now that’s something I would have never thought about getting for myself, but Nancy knew that it was something I would use and appreciate.

God’s gifts are like that. We may not know exactly what we need from God, but He always gives to us we really need from Him. In fact, we often don’t even know what to pray for. Romans 8:26 tells us, “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” Our God knows us better than we know ourselves – He gives us what we need, when we need it.

Christmas reminds us of this. It tells us that God had a plan to save humanity and that plan worked through the affairs of humans through the centuries and eventually through the lives of Zechariah and Elizabeth. Christmas also reminds us that God not only knows us, but He also loved us so much that He gave His only Son to become human, so that through His perfect life and death we could have the forgiveness of our sins and a relationship with God the Father. This is the greatest gift we could be provided and offered. This coming Sunday we will talk about receiving this gift as we continue the sermon series, “Good Times.” Hope to see you then!

Nov. 23rd: What I Am Excited About!

Today the local Girard elementary school day ended at 11:15 a.m. In an effort to provide kids a hot lunch and something to do, we offered a free lunch and movie. 25 of them came! The food was great and the movie was very exciting (Cars 2). Many of the parents expressed great appreciation for this event. We hope to offer more of these lunches and movies on early school days as the resources and volunteers allow us to do it.

Scripture for Nov 27th: Luke 1:39-45

Sermon Title: Christmas Is A Time For Family

At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!”

So the Christmas season is once again upon us and I am sure that it will pass very quickly. With all the family activities, special parties, gatherings, and assorted "busyness," Christmas will be here and gone quicker than most of us realize. And with it are the opportunities to spend quality time with our loved ones. Notice that the text above tells us that Elizabeth and Mary spent time together and they blessed each other because of it. It was through being together that they were able to declare God's truth and worship God in a powerful way. They could have experienced God apart from each other, but by coming together God was met in such a manner that it blessed generations after them. God can also impact our families in such a way as we meet with them. And the truth is our families are more blessed by the time we can give them than the presents we buy them. Thus, Christmas is more than giving presents to our loved ones - it is the giving of our time. And through that gift, we can express the love of God that transforms lives.

This coming Sunday we will talk more about how our families are benefited by the time we spend with them as we begin a new sermon series for the Christmas season, "Good Times." I hope to see you then!

Week of Nov. 14th: What I Am Excited About!

Our children's ministry, TeamKID, collect supplies to fill 23 shoeboxes for the ministry, Operation Christmas Child. These shoeboxes filled with hygiene items and gifts will be going to needy children overseas. Over $100 was also raised to pay for shipping. The TeamKID ministry had lots of help from some super adults who gave of their resources and time to make this happen. Pray for the shoeboxes, that God will use each of them to bless each child who receives one, and that many will come to know Christ as Savior through this ministry of love.

Scripture for Nov. 20th: Psalm 100:4,5

Sermon Title: Appreciating God

1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. 2 Worship the LORD with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the LORD is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. 4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. 5 For the LORD is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.

There are some things that irritate me to no end – traffic; looking for a trash bag and realizing that there are no more; waiting for the NBA season to start and still waiting…(there should be a law that prevents millionaire basketball players from striking!). I also have a short fuse with people who commit to doing things and then don’t show up. I often wonder, why do people volunteer and then don’t follow through? Wouldn’t be better to NOT say that you are going to do something instead of having no follow-thru? I guess why this bothers me so much is because I have a bad habit of doing the same thing. I have the best of intentions when I volunteer, but often circumstances get in the way and then I don’t carry out my own commitments. As I get older, I’m breaking this habit, but I’m still not always faithful to carry out my commitments (or to remember them!).

God doesn’t have this problem. The psalmist reminds us of this, as he says, “His faithfulness continues to all generations.” God doesn’t forget us; He doesn’t work for us one day and then against us another day. There is no “falling out of love” with God; He is the same yesterday, today and forever. His grace and mercy continues to be extended to us every day of our lives. Of all the things that I am so very thankful for, I am most thankful for God’s faithfulness – He won’t leave me, He won’t so loving me and He won’t become “unfaithful.” Maybe that is what the writer of this hymn was thinking when he wrote this song:

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God, my Father; There is no shadow of turning with Thee. Thou changest no; Thy compassions, they fail not. As Thou has been Thou forever wilt be. Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see. All I have needed Thy hand hath provided. Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

This coming Sunday we will talk about what we see when we are in fellowship with God – we see His desire to give us joy, His love that never changes, and His great faithfulness. As we see God for Who He really is, we can be truly thankful – in spite of whatever our circumstance may be. Hope to see you Sunday!

His compassions never fail. They are new every morning.
Lamentations 3:22-23

Some Pastoral Thoughts...

This past Sunday my granddaughter celebrated her sixth birthday. Although I live over 1300 miles from her, she is often in my thoughts. At some point during almost every day I find myself wishing I could spend time with her playing games, hearing her stories and holding her. As I think of her, there is only one word that comes to mind: precious. So how can I best influence this precious little girl's faith who lives so far away from me? Here's what I've come up with:

1. Live for God. My walk with God impacts my granddaughter. I know that it is hard to believe, but what I do and don't do will ultimately affect her. The Bible says, "Do not be decived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap" (Galatians 6:8). How we live our lives will always influence our loved ones, no matter how far they live from us. If we decide to live for God and maintain a close walk with Him, our families and loved ones will be blessed because of it.

2. Pray. Nothing is more powerful than prayer. James 5:16 reminds us, "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." All the physical things that we can do for others cannot compare with what God can do when we pray. My prayers will impact my granddaughters life unlike anything I could ever do physically. Though my lack of faith may question that sometimes, the Bible reminds me of the constant power of prayer that never changes.

3. Have Others Pray for Her. The faith of others can move mountains. "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father" (John 14:12). Please remember to pray for her; her name is Madison.

What are some other ways that can impact your loved one's faith from a distance?

Scripture for Nov. 13th: Psalm 100:3

Sermon Title: Apprehending God

Know that the LORD is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.

Psalm 100 has been called the "Thanksgiving Psalm." It calls readers to give God complete and absolute praise. Why is God worthy of such adoration? Verse 3 gives us the reason.

Dr. Donald Williams wrote the following about this verse (edited): "Why does God deserve worship? First, because "know that the Lord is God." Since God is God, He is to be praised for Who He is, not simply for what He has done. He is God! That's enough. Second, He is the Creator: "It is He who made us..." We are not autonomous. We are not self-sufficient. We are the creation and therefore dependent upon Him for everything. Third, beyond creation stands redemption. Thus "...we are...the sheep of His pasture." The metaphor of sheep assumes that God is the Shepherd. Therefore, the prophet Isaiah promises, 'He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them hin His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young' (Isa. 40:11). This picture is now fulfilled in Jesus, Who presents Himself as the Good Shepherd Who lays down His life for the sheep (John 10:11). No wonder that we are to come to God. He is Our Creator! He is Our Redeemer! He has made His name known to us. Praise God!"

This coming Sunday we will explore how this verse tells us that God is in control, provides our strength and ultimately performs His will as we continue our sermon series, "Enter With Thanksgiving." Hope to see you then!

Great Devotional Thought!

Here's a devotion from the book, "Enter His Gates: A Daily Devotional" by Charles Stanley (enjoy!):

I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. Psalm 34:1

In her daily devotional book Edges of His Ways, Amy Carmichael noted, "I believe that if we are to be and to do for others what God means us to be and to do, we must not let adoration and worship slip into second place. For it is the central service asked by God of human souls; and its neglect is responsible for much lack of spiritual depth and power."

Perhaps we may find here the reason why we so often run dry. We do not give time enough to what makes the depth, and so we are shallow; a wind, quite a little wind, can ruffle our surface; a little hot sun, and all the moisture in us evaporates. It should not be so.…Today if we will hear His voice, today, this morning, if we will draw near to Him, He will draw near to us. In the hush of that nearness … we shall forget ourselves, lost in the wonder, love and praise to Him.… The morning never disappoints us by not coming, neither does our loving God. You may be hurting motionally and find the thought of praise awkward. That’s okay. God knows what you are up against. But if you will begin to praise Him, regardless of your circumstance, He will lift you up and give you strength to carry on.

Prayer: Truly, You are great, O Lord. Help me look beyond the problems and challenges of my circumstances to praise You today.

Some Pastoral Thoughts...

"God takes the ugly and creates something beautiful." I often think of this as I look into my own life. There is a brokenness in my life, something that will never be fully repaired. God doesn't fix our brokenness -as sinners, we will always be incomplete. And as a sinner, I will always have to live with the things that are broken in my life and the feelings that come from it. But He does bring healing and restoration to our lives. And it is through the healing that He is able to create something new, something so wonderful. As I look at my children, I see that they are what God has created out of my own brokenness - and I fully realize the truth in the verse, "beauty for ashes." I don't deserve healing or restoration, but through my children, God has done this in my own life. And as we approach Thanksgiving, this is one of the things that I am most thankful for.

How has God turned something that was "ashes" into "beauty" in your life? Be sure to thank Him for this today!

To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. Isaiah 61:3