Sunday, January 24, 2016

Reflections From Sunday Evening

Faith is trusting God to inform the present and control the future. That was a definition used today in the message. As followers of Jesus Christ we trust God to inform our present. That means we think, act and live by faith in our present day. By faith we live today. We also believe that God controls the future. Will Willimon (and probably a zillion others) says only God truly has a future. As we move forward into life (and even into eternal life) we have faith that God will already be there. Faith is amazing. Faith does ask a great deal of us. We have faith in an unseen God. We have faith that in silence we hear God's voice. We have faith that God is in control. We have faith that life matters. We have faith that God directs our steps. We have faith that Jesus has overcome death. Faith. We have faith that we may live faithfully in the present. We have faith that God controls our future. ...And we have no iron-clad guarantees about any of this. But at the end of the day faith is greater than sights and sounds and what we touch. Have faith. It's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too. steve

Sunday, January 17, 2016

Reflections From Sunday Evening

This Thursday evening at 7:00 we will have a "Cornerstone Service". There is a steel beam that will become part of our new building waiting in the sanctuary. In our service this week we will invite everyone to write a verse or some wording on the beam. We are asking people to come and "leave your mark" on this project. We will have the beam (as well as one in the dining hall) out through next weekend. If you can't make it on Thursday take a moment after church this Saturday or between services next Sunday to write your message. I plan to write Jeremiah 29:11. (You can look it up if you do not already know what that verse says or come next week and I will preach on it). You may have a favorite verse to write down and pass on to the next generations. I hope everyone will choose to participate in this time to pray and anticipate God's next step. On another note... For the second weekend in a row it was extremely cold today. It seemed like a good idea to add a couple of inches of snow to be sure and discourage people from getting out today. Still we had a great day of worship. We celebrated a baptism. Blessings on Zach and Jennifer on Harper Grace's baptism. We sang and prayed. We heard the Word. Somebody was encouraged. Someone was blessed. Someone was challenged. Someone realized the love of the Lord. Somebody said "yes" to Jesus Christ and walked out into newness of life. That is what happens when the people of God gather. It's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too. steve

Sunday, January 10, 2016

Reflections From Sunday Evening

In Mark 10 Jesus asks three people the question: "What do you want me to do for you?" In the first case he is responding to James and John who come to him with a request. When the question was posed they replied that they wanted to each have a seat at Jesus right and left in the kingdom. Jesus' response: "You don't know what you are asking." The other occasion that comes later in the chapter is directed toward a blind man. When the question was posed the blind man replied "Rabbi, I want to see!" Then Jesus said, "Go. Your faith has healed you." The man was immediately healed. We could debate the merit of each request. We could analyze the request for power and how it was denied. But we could also talk about a request for personal help (healing) and how it was granted. Is the difference the matter of faith? Is the difference the object of the request? What do we not know about the stories? A bigger question might be what would we ask were Jesus to say to us; "What do you want me to do for you?" We might ask for some big spiritual thing like a spiritual "Great Awakening" that would change the face of the nation. Maybe we have a family request that God touch someone's heart. Would you be tempted to ask to win the lottery? Would there be a financial request? Is there a sin that seems to continually get the better of you that you would ask to be overcome? Would there be a justice issue that you would love to see resolved? I suppose this list could go on and on. Maybe the thing to do is have a conversation with Jesus and invite him to search your heart and change your heart. I have this feeling that when our heart is right and our desire is to honor God Jesus would love to look at you and ask, "What do you want me to do for you?" It's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too. steve

Sunday, January 3, 2016

Reflections From Sunday Evening

If you are a New Year's resolution person you may have made a resolution that is consistent with a Google survey indicating the resolutions people are making for 2016. If you are in the Millennial Generation the top priority for this year is spending more time with loved ones. They also have a high financial resolution; To spend less and save more. If you are a Generation X person (age 35-44 in the younger level) the focus is on living healthier. At the upper level of Generation X (age 45-54) the main interest is on paying down debt. If you are a Baby Boomer (age 55-64)the main resolution is to lose weight. Boomers are also interested in "enjoying life to the fullest" but not too interested in the financial issues. Seniors (65 and up) place "enjoy life to the fullest" at the top of their resolution list. Perhaps you find yourself in one of these categories. I would also like to offer a word of encouragement for a spiritual resolution. As a matter of fact were we to resolve to commit to "following Jesus" this year we would discover that many other issues to fall in place. Christ followers live in fellowship, not solitary lives. It would be logical to be spending more time with loved ones and friends in the fellowship of Christ. Following Jesus could easily lead to greater self discipline (a fruit of the Spirit) which would lead to a healthier life. Following Jesus may or may not impact "losing weight" but it would surely lead to enjoying life to the fullest. In addition to all the above following Jesus leads to love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Can you imagine a year like that? Here we go. Resolve to follow Jesus It's been a great day. I hope you've had a great day too. steve