Scripture for Sunday, January 9th: John 10:10

Sermon Title: Living the Dash

"I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of" (John 10:10).

On Sunday we will start a new 6-week sermon series entitled, "One Life to Live." This sermon series taken from a book written by Rev. Kerry Shook with the same title. In the book he writes:

"Looking at old tombstones, I can't help but recognize that entire lives are now reduced before me to two dates and one little dash. Some monuments include facts or sayings, Bible verses or poignant memorials, but each person's life really comes down to what transpired between those two dates. It comes down to what's in the dash. I look at the dash of a particular person's marker and wonder, What did he live for? Whom did she love? What were his passions and dreams?"

As we begin a new year, I hope that we can together as a congregation ask those same questions - what are we living for? Who do we love? What's our passions and dreams? How can we make the best use of our "dash"? My father who lives in TX is now 85 years old. He is near the end of his life and I often think of him - after all these years he is still my hero. He has lived his life for my mother and his family - no one could ever question his commitment to them. God has always played an important role in his life and though he never had a lot of words to describe his relationship with God, he has never hesitated to talk about it. He has modeled for me what I should use my "dash" for - on relationships with God and others, particular family.

During this sermon series, let's review our lives, ask the serious questions and ultimately answer, "If I had one month to live, what would be the most important persons and things to me? How would I live my life? What would I do differently?" Read Psalm 90:12; James 3:13-18; Psalm 39:4-5; Philippians 3:20; I Peter 2:11; I Peter 1:24-24; Psalm 119:105; II Timothy 3:16-17; and Hebrews 4:12 in preparation for Sunday's message. Hope to see you then!

Scripture for Sunday, Dec 26th: Luke 2:15-20

Sermon Title: Christmas Gifts That Won't Break - The Gift of Love

"When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it ware amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told."

There is a story that Dr. Ann Shorb tells about three sons who wanted to give their mother gifts for her 70th birthday. One son decided to give her a ring and the other a new car. The youngest son thought about how much she liked to read the Bible, so he bought her a parrot that could quote the entire Bible. It took 12 years for the parrot to be trained and it cost him more than what the other brothers spent on their gifts.

The mother received the gifts on her birthday via delivery and she quickly sent thank you notes to each of her sons. To the first son she wrote, "Son, thank you for the ring. It's beyond anything I have ever imagined." To the second son she wrote, "Thank you for the car. I couldn't imagine having that wonderful of a vehicle ever in my life." To the youngest son she wrote, "Thank you for the chicken. It was delicious."

Christmas can be like that for many people. Christmas comes with its gifts, songs, activities and food, and people can miss the most important message that Christmas is intended to deliver - that God loves us. We know this without a doubt because He sent His Son to take the form of a mere infant so that the infant could one day grow up and die as a sacrifice for our sins. God the Father spared nothing so that we could have a relationship with Him. I hope that you will not miss this message - it truly is what Christmas conveys to the world - that God loves us. And there is no greater message that we could ever hear or receive. This coming Sunday we will talk more about that message of God's love, and how it should impact the way we treat others. I hope to see you then!

Scripture for Sunday, Dec. 19th: Luke 2:8-14

Sermon Title: Christmas Gifts That Won't Break - The Gift of Peace

"An there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.' Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests.'"

Writer Julia Bettencourt makes this observation concerning the passage: "The first time I ever heard a choir sing Handel's Messiah in a live concert, it just amazed me. I was a senior in high school and the music just blew me away. I remember that, and the many performances of Handel's Messiah over the years, and then think if that is so amazing to hear, I wonder how a whole multitude of angels praising God could sound. When we think about those shepherds on the hillside in the Christmas story, we think about how the glory of God shown down on them, and the first angel appeared, and they were afraid, but what about what those shepherds heard that night? Wow! It must have been mind boggling to hear all of those angels praising God."

What are we hearing this Advent season? The noises of people demanding our time and attention, the worries in our hearts and minds or the constant tones of movement as we rush from place to place? I believe God wants us the hear from Him, and to receive the peace that comes from His presence, during this busy season. I encourage you to make time for Him today, to include Him in your activities, and truly remember that He is the Real Reason for the season. Include God in your life today and receive His peace as you do so.

I will speak more about this gift of peace that God gives to us as we celebrate the fourth Sunday of Advent this coming Sunday morning. I hope to see you then!

Scripture for Sunday, Dec. 12th: Matthew 1:21-25

Sermon Title - Christmas Gifts That Won't Break: The Gift of Joy

"'She will bear a son and you are to name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.' All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 'Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name Him Emmanuel' which means, 'God is with us.' When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son and he named Him Jesus."

I am struck by the fact that this passage says Joseph "did as the angel of the Lord commanded" (v. 24). He could have allowed fear to overwhelm him and then fail to take any action. Or he might have doubted the angel and decide to do what he had thought to be a better course of action. Or he could have simply willfully disobeyed. But instead he did exactly what the angel of the Lord told him to do. And because of his obedience, he was allowed to play a critical role in the birth of the Son of God and has been part of the greatest story that has ever been told ever since. Thus, the rewards for his obedience were so much greater than he could have ever imagined.

What about us? Do we excuse our disobedience to what God has called us to do and be because of our own fears, doubts or desires? Are we willfully disobeying God in our thoughts, actions and attitudes? May we decide during this Christmas season that the best gift we can give God and others in our lives is to obey God. May we follow the example of Joseph and live our lives as God has commanded, and as we do, we will find the impact our obedience will have on our lives and the lives of others is so much greater than we could ever imagine.

This coming Sunday I will be speaking on one of God's unbreakable gifts that He provides through His Son Jesus Christ: the Gift of Joy. This gift is based on new life, God's promises and faith that produces obedience. Hope to see you on Sunday!

Scripture for Sunday, Dec 5th: Matthew 1:18-21

Sermon Title: Christmas Gifts That Won't Break - the Gift of Hope

"This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the Name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins."

Dr David Jeremiah writes the following concerning this passage: "None of us are good all the time. We make mistakes, we say and do dumb things. We hurt others, ourselves. That fact points to the reality of sin in our lives. All of us have sinned and sinned repeatedly, against God, against others, against ourselves. God has said in the Bible that our sin is our greatest problem in life. It fills us with regret, guilt and shame. It robs us of hope, peace and joy. And it separates us from God; we're alienated from our Creator, Who made us to enjoy a love relationship with Him. But instead of love, there's now hatred between us - all because of our sin. You're familiar with the Christmas card that says, 'If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent an educator. If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent a scientist. If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent an economist. If our greatest need had been pleasure, He would have sent an entertainer. But our greatest need was to be saved from our sins, and so God sent us a Savior.' The name Jesus tells us the reason He came to earth. 'Jesus' is the Greek form of the Hebrew name 'Jeshua' or 'Joshua' and it literally means, 'Yahweh (or God) is salvation.' And so the angel's announcement to Joseph, 'You are to give Him the Name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins' (verse 21). Isn't it incredible? The Son of God comes into the world, and His point of first contact with His people is not what's best about us, it's what's worst about us. When Jesus comes to us He doesn't meet us in our goodness, but in our badness, not in our strength, but in our weakness, not in our beauty, but in our ugliness, not in our riches, but in our poverty and need. He connects with us first at the point of our sin, which the holy God hates. That's the mercy, the grace, the love of God. That's incredible!"

We will discuss this passage further Sunday, as we see how the angel's announcement brought hope to the world and to each of us individually. Hope to see you then!

Scripture for Sunday, Nov. 21st: Philippians 4:5-7

Sermon: When We Are Thankful

"Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

The word, "gentleness," is translated as "moderation" in other Bible versions. It means "reasonableness" or "yieldingness" when dealing with matters of personal rights. Thus, this verse says, "Let your willingness to be reasonable be part of your reputation." Or, as the Living Bible translates it: "Let everyone see that you are unselfish and considerate in all you do." The reason for such an attitude is found in the last part of the verse: "The Lord is near." As Christians, we don't need to make sure our "rights" are always respected - "the Lord is near" and because He is, there is a greater calling placed on our lives. That is a calling to bless others, sometimes at the expense of our own personal rights (see Matthew 5:43-48). "The Lord is near" and the time that we have before He comes we should use to the best of our ability to bless others in our lives.

During the Thanksgiving season, may you remember to be "reasonable" when dealing with your family and friends, and make blessing them a priority during this season. Love and care for others because "the Lord is near" and the time we have with them is truly short and fleeting.

This coming Sunday I will be speaking about what happens when we as Christians are thankful. I hope to see you then!

Scripture for Sunday, Nov. 14th: Luke 17:11-19

Sermon Title: Why We Should Be a Thankful People

"Now on His way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As He was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met Him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, 'Jesus, Master, have pity on us!' When He saw them, He said, 'Go, show yourselves to the priests.' And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when He saw He was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked Him and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, 'Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?' Then He said to him, ' Rise and go; your faith has made you well.'"

A Samaritan was what was often considered a half Hebrew. This was a person who was a descendant of a group of people who were not taken into captivity by the Assyrians and Babylonians. In fact, they helped to erect the temple when Zerubbabel led a group of captives back to Jerusalem to rebuild it (Ezra 4:2). By the time Jesus lived, the Samaritans were considered by other Israelites to be people to be shunned, and they attempted little to no association with them. This was primarily because the Samaritans did not accept the writings of the prophets and only believed the Torah (the Law) had spiritual authority. The Samaritans were also considered not to have "pure" Hebrew blood and thus their worship was thought to be contaminated.

So why would someone like this be the only one out of ten (the rest were probably Hebrews) to come back to thank Jesus for his healing? Perhaps it is because he felt he was even more undeserving of healing than the other nine. Though in truth none of the ten "deserved" to be healed and were healed by the grace of God, the Samaritan may have understood just how undeserving he was of this, and he was overflowing with gratitude (note verse 15, "he threw himself at Jesus' feet").

We, too, are much like the Samaritan - we are undeserving of God's grace and His work in our lives, and yet we receive it on a daily basis. And we, too, should respond with the same type of overflowing gratitude towards our Lord. This coming Sunday I will further discuss why we should be a thankful people as Christians. I hope to see you then!

Scripture for Sunday, Nov. 7th: Joshua 24:11-15

Sermon Title: What We Should Be Thankful For

"When you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho, the citizens of Jericho fought against you, and also the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I handed them over to you. I sent the hornet ahead of you, which drove out before you the two kings of the Amorites; it was not by your sword or by your bow. I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and towns that you had not built, and you live in them; you eat the fruit of vineyards and oliveyards that you did not plant. Now therefore revere the Lord, and serve Him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."

Many of the Israelites believed that they were at the Promise Land because of their superior abilities or knowledge. Joshua reminds them that it was because of God and only God alone that they were able to overthrow their enemies and possess the Promise Land. Who were the enemies of the Israelites? They were the principal tribes of the region who ruled various areas of the Promise Land (Mesopotamia), usually with brute force. The tribes represent those areas of our lives which remain unconquered for God and under the influence of sin. We, like the Israelites, must decide whether we are going to allow sin to dominate our lives, trust in our own abilities to conquer sin or "serve the Lord" (v. 15). Read Deuteronomy 8:1-20 and I Corinthians 10:1-13 for further study.

This coming Sunday I will remind us that we should be thankful for what God has done for us, for what God has given us and our ability to believe. Sunday is also our Re-Commitment Sunday and Annual Business Meeting. And we will have a pot-luck dinner after the worship service with more of Dan Walk's beans! Hope to see you at this special time in the life of our church.