Lent 2016

We have entered the holy Season of Lent.  I hope and pray that it is a holy season for you.  This year, our theme for Lent is "Growing Stronger in Lent."

I hope that you will feast on God's Word during this holy season.  I hope that you will observe spiritual practices and disciplines that draw you closer to God.

Most of all, I hope and pray that you will see Jesus during this wonderful time of drawing closer to Him  Make time to reflect on who Jesus is and what He has done for you.  Invite Christ into your heart, your mind, and your life.  Spend time with the One who gave everything for you, and be changed in His presence.

Observe a Holy Lent!

Advent

A new church year has begun and we have entered the Season of Advent.  This year, our theme for Advent is, "Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus."  Each Sunday morning in Advent, we will invite Jesus to come among us, as we worship our Lord and Savior.

Advent is a time for preparation.  Many of us are busy getting our homes ready for Christmas.  We are cleaning, decorating, baking, and sharing in many festivities.  We spend a lot of time preparing.

John the Baptizer came to prepare the way for Jesus.  The Greek words translated as "prepare" carry the meaning of building, constructing, furnishing, equipping, making ready, and getting everything done.  We certainly do a lot of that as Christmas approaches.  Yet, all of our external preparations are not nearly as important as how we prepare ourselves internally for the coming of Christ.

Is your heart ready to receive Jesus?  Is your mind open to the coming of the Christ Child?  Does the Messiah make a difference in your life?

John the Baptizer roars from the wilderness, "Prepare a pathway for the Lord's coming!  Make a straight road for him!  Fill in the valleys, and level the mountains and hills!  Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places!  And then all people will see the salvation sent from God." (Luke 3:4-6 NLT)

Are you preparing a path for the Lord?  Can you see the salvation sent from God?  During this Season of Advent, ask God to straighten the road to your heart.  Pray that your valleys will be filled, and your mountains and hills made level.  Ask God to straighten the curves and smooth out the rough places.  Prepare to receive the salvation sent from God.

We eagerly await the coming of Christmas.  We welcome the Baby of Bethlehem.  Yet, we are also called to await the Second Coming of Christ.  Jesus will return as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  Our calling is to make him our King and to live with Christ as Lord of our lives.

So, get ready!  Be prepared!  Jesus is coming!  Welcome the baby of Bethlehem and worship the King of Kings!

Come, thou long expected Jesus!  Come and rule in our hearts, our minds, and our lives!  Come, Jesus, come!

Pastor Linda  

Giving

This week we are focusing on the subject of giving and on being wise stewards of all that God has given us.  We are richly blessed; we are called to use these blessings for God's glory.

Our text is Mark 12:38-44.  Here, we find the story known as "The Widow's Mite."  A widow comes to the temple to  give her offering.  Out of her poverty, the widow puts in all that she has.  She serves as a model for us.

We, too, should be giving our all and doing our best to be responsible stewards of all that God has given us.  We must consider our devotion to God.  Do we give God our best, or does God only get what is leftover? 

I often consider this true story from the Butterball Turkey Hotline.  This phone service is dedicated to answering people's questions about how best to cook turkeys.  It offers many useful instructions for those who need a little help with turkey cooking information.  A concerned woman once called this number.  She had found a turkey in her freezer.  According to the date on the package, the turkey had been in the freezer for 22 years!  She wanted to know if it would be safe to eat.  The person on the hotline checked and determined that, indeed, the turkey would be safe to eat; but she told the inquiring woman that it wouldn't taste very good.  The woman replied, "That's ok.  I'm just going to give it to the church."

Sometimes, we are like that "turkey lady," and we, too, give God our leftovers.  Yet, God deserves our first and our best.  Like the widow in this week's lesson, we are to give God our all.

Let's take time and consider our giving.  Let's strive to give God our first and our best.  Let's work to be wise stewards of all that God has given us.

As you pray this week, ask God to help you to care for all of creation.  Ask God to help you to become a wise steward of all of God's blessings.  Ask for the Spirit's power to grow in your giving and to become wholly devoted to God.

And, please, don't give God any 22 year old frozen turkeys!

Blessings,

Pastor Linda

The Greatest Commandment

This week, we are considering Mark 12:28-34.  In this passage, Jesus answers a question regarding what is the most important commandment.  Christ summarizes all of the law and the prophets in one word - love.

We are to love God with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength.  We are also to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. 

Love should be our witness to the world.  As the song goes, "They'll know we are Christians by our love."  In this time and place, however, the world often fails to see love as an earmark of those who follow Jesus.  We need to consider what we think, what we say, and what we do and determine if love is the motivating force in our lives.  We must show the world the love of Christ.

Paul describes this love in 1 Corinthians 13.  In verses 4-7 we read:

Love is patient and kind. 

Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. 

Love does not demand its own way. 

Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. 

It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 

Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

If we truly are following Jesus Christ, we should embody such love.  These verses should describe us.  I challenge you to put your own name in place of love in the verses above.  For me, those verses would read like this:

Linda is patient and kind.

Linda is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.

Linda does not demand her own way.

Linda is not irritable, and keeps no record of when she has been wronged.

Linda is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.

Linda never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Doing this, I can quickly see how I fall short of the mark.  The only person who ever could perfectly fulfill this description of love is Jesus Christ.

Jesus is patient and kind.

Jesus is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.

Jesus does not demand his own way.

Jesus is not irritable, and keeps no record of when he has been wronged.

Jesus is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.

Jesus never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Let us cherish the love of Christ and strive to embody such love. 

Pray that God will fill you with divine love so that you can live in that love and give it to the world that so greatly needs such love.

"They'll know we are Christians by our love..."  Make it so.

Pastor Linda

Ambition

This week, we are considering the topic of ambition.  In Mark 10:35-45, we read of a time when James and John came to Jesus to ask him if they could sit on his right hand and left hand in the Kingdom of God.  What ambition they had!  Sadly, though, it was wrongly directed.

One definition of ambition, according to Webster's Dictionary, is "a desire to be successful, powerful, or famous."  In our lesson, the two disciples seem to be longing for such success, power, and fame. 

Jesus asks James and John if they can drink the cup that he drinks and share in his baptism.  They assure him that they are able to do so.  Jesus then tells them that it is not his place to grant them positions in the coming Kingdom.

As I ponder this passage, I think of Calvary.  There, Jesus suffered on the cross, hanging between two thieves.  As Christ was coming into the Kingdom, he hung in shame before the world.  I wonder if James and John would have wanted the positions on the right and left of Jesus on Calvary.  I doubt that, at the time, they would have wanted to be crucified alongside Christ.  Then, that just was not their ambition. 

The other disciples are angered by the requests of James and John.  Jesus redirects all of the disciples to consider that true greatness is achieved by servant hood, telling them that he has come not to be served but to serve and to give his life to liberate many people.

Jesus is turning things upside down again.  He shows us that we are not to be self-serving.  Our desire is to be one of service for others.  That fits well with another dictionary definition of ambition, "a desire to do things and be active."  We are to desire to be actively serving others.

How are you doing in terms of service?  Are you helping those around you?  Are you actively seeking ways that you might benefit others?  Service is the call of the Christian life.

As you pray this week, ask God to help you to be a good servant in the Kingdom.  Ask God for a servant's heart as you journey through this life.  Ask God to show you ways that you can serve others.

In His service,

Pastor Linda

World Communion Sunday

This Sunday, October 4, 2015, is World Communion Sunday.  On this day, Christians all over the world gather around the Lord's Table and share in Communion.  It is an awesome thought to consider that believers everywhere are made one through the body and blood of Jesus Christ.  As the old hymn tells us, "There is power in the blood."

The blood of Christ cleanses us from all of our sins and washes us so that we are whiter than snow.  Thinking of that brings to mind pictures of freshly fallen snow.  When sunlight hits that snow, the snow reflects the light and gives off a warm glow.  That is how we are to be as followers of Christ - reflecting the light of Jesus and glowing for God.  Each snowflake is unique and reflects light on its own; but the power of the snow is evidenced when the flakes are joined together.

As Christians, we experience the love of God both individually and corporately; however, we are stronger when we are joined together as the family of God.  It is important for us to remember that just as God exists in relationship:  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we are to be in relationship with others.

So many of those faith relationships are formed in the local church.  That is one reason why it is important to be a part of a fellowship of believers where we can learn and grow together in Christ.

I challenge you to join in worship this Sunday and to gather around the Lord's Table with believers all around the world.  Pause and reflect on being part of God's family.  Ponder how many become one in Christ.  Be filled and refreshed to go out to serve the Lord.

Amen!

Pastor Linda

Falling into the Father's Hands

As I write this post, September has officially arrived.  Summer is drawing to a close, even though the temperatures keep rising and it feels like summer.  We are starting our "normal" routines again and thinking about football and autumn leaves.

September is a wonderful time to get reconnected with the church.  Make Sunday morning worship a part of your weekly routine.  Join a Bible Study Group and dig deeper into God's Word.  Strengthen your commitment to Christ.  Grow closer in your relationship with him.

As I was preparing for the month of September, I came across a powerful prayer by Charles de Foucauld.  It is called,

"Prayer of Abandonment"

Father,

I abandon myself into your hands;

do with me what you will.

Whatever you may do, I thank you:

I am ready for all, I accept all.

Let only your will be done in me,

and in all your creatures -

I wish no more than this, O Lord.

Into your hands I commend my soul;

I offer it to you with all the love of my heart.

For I love you, Lord,

and so need to give myself,

to surrender myself into your hands,

without reserve,

and with boundless confidence.

For you are my Father.

I pray that this fall, you fall into the hands of our almighty and all-loving God.  Let God direct all of your steps.  Let God's will be done in you. 

This week in worship, we will get some guidance from a whale, as we focus on living a life that demonstrates Biblical respect for all people.  We would love to have you join us and we hope to see you on Sunday!

In His Love,
Pastor Linda