Seems like a person has to do is say 2020 and everyone gets the message and just sadly shakes their heads.  It has been quite a year...from fires to floods, hurricanes to murder hornets with a worldwide pandemic thrown in....oh yeah and an election in America that was and continues to be interesting to say the least.

But thankfully, 2020 is coming to an end as it is time for Christmas music, movies, decorations and preparations.  I also enjoyed the Holidays as a child and that has not changed as I have gotten older.  I am happy every year when Ralphie gets his bb gun and when the Grinch's small heart grows 3 sizes that day and even when Clark gets a better Christmas bonus than a subscription to the Jelly of the Month Club (even though it is the gift that keeps on giving!)

And I have always enjoyed Christmas music in all forms including the good old Christmas Carols that we sing every year during church services in December.  There was one song that we sang that simply did not used to move me.  It seemed kind of dreary and somber for the season of Jesus in the Manger not to mention gifts and snow and school vacation.

I am talking about O Come O Come Emmanuel.  Here is the first verse: (hopefully you can hum along)
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.

Captives mourning in lonely exile?  Not exactly uplifting stuff. and there are 6 more verses all in the same mood.  So what?

Well one year as I was Christmas shopping, the music was playing in the background and I tuned in just as the chorus to O Come O Come Emmanuel played...each verse ends with the words.  Rejoice, Rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to thee O Israel.  (Emmanuel which means "God with us" is one of the names used to describe the baby Jesus)

All of a sudden that little word "shall" struck me.  The song does not say, "Rejoice, Emmanuel has come, but Rejoice, Emmanuel SHALL come!" As I am sure you remember from a grammar class, "shall" is the future tense.  Not to be overly technical here, but it is talking about something that is going to happen but has not happened yet.  

So stop and think a second.  Israel is mourning in lonely exile, stuck in captivity...but told to do what?  REJOICE.  Why...because the savior, Emmanuel, God with us, will one day appear.   

In other words, God is faithful and trustworthy.  The great news is that when God makes a promise, we can rejoice in that promise even before we see it take effect.   When I understood that a bit better, I came to appreciate this song much more!

God has made many promises about a future with no tears, no sickness, no pain, no sorrow.  He has said that He will be with us forever taking care of our needs and our hurts.  2020 has been a reminder that we are not there yet, but the wonderful news is that we are still able to rejoice.

God has entered our world and a time will come when we SHALL see Him face to face and He SHALL set all things right.

Please find your hope in Him this season!

And by the way, the next one will be about another favorite song...The Little Drummer Boy!

Peace and blessing today!

 I have told the congregations at both churches I serve (that would be Honey Brook United Methodist and New Holland United Methodist Church) that I am trying to keep this up date by posting once a week or at least several times a month.  I realize that I am falling behind though in other things I may be getting ahead.  In the interest of staying healthy, I am now eating only 1 cookie per day....so far, I am up to May 8, 2021.

But something to think about....you may have heard about this already, but it seems that the number of covid-19 infections has risen sharply around the nation in the past few weeks.  Hospitalizations and deaths are now beginning to rise as well and many experts expect this trend to continue.  The good news (probably) is that several vaccines look promising and will be available in the not too distant future though of course it will take some time until they are widely distributed.

In response, I have heard from several folks or seen posts and tweets that are very skeptical of the severity of the virus and are critical of the vaccines...some compare it to the mark of the beast talked about in Revelation 13.  

Couple of thoughts about all of that....

-I did read somewhere that there may be something like a "medical passport" that would verify that a person has received the Covid-19 vaccination (along with other medical and personnel information and would have to be produced by an individual wishing to travel.  I do not think that is the "Mark of the beast" from that passage of Revelation (read the proceeding and following chapters and I think you will find that the situation simply does not fit) but it does make you stop and think.  Revelation talks of a time when you will need some type of "mark" in order to participate in the economy.  This idea seemed very far fetched just a generation or two ago but now, some type of microchip that allows for a cash free economy seems quite plausible.  Certainly, the events recorded in Revelation continue to get closer (duh!) so we are wise to be prepared...to accept the salvation Jesus offers and have our names written in the Lamb's Book of Life.

-And let's not stop with our own salvation but let's go out of our way to love and serve others.  I think part of that means doing what we can to keep people safe.  Thankfully, many who are infected with the virus have no symptoms or maybe just mild cases.  That's a good thing!  Seems like those most likely to become seriously ill or to die from Covid are those who already have underlying medical conditions...I have heard that we should not take it too seriously because a large percentage of deaths occur in nursing home residents.  Funny, I remember before my dad passed away....He could take care of himself but barely...he really belonged in a nursing home but fought against it fiercely.  I remember him saying, "people will no longer care about me if I am in a nursing home."  I tried change his mind but the comments I see and hear make me think that he was right (no surprise there...he was right about 93% of the time and it was impossible to convince him the 7% when he was wrong...much easier to just go along with him).  And sure enough, I always thought we, especially we who are brothers and sisters in Christ, cared about those who face physical and other difficulties....maybe not so much

-Back to the point though, I do not believe that taking steps to keep people safe (even those who live in nursing homes) is a sign of a lack of faith or blind allegiance to the government.

I trust God to keep me safely in His hands throughout this life and I am not afraid to die....I mean I know where I am going when that happens......but I stop at stop signs.......even though many times I could drive right through the intersection without any consequences. guess part of the reason I do that is to listen to the government and avoid a fine.....but the bigger reason is that I do not want to cause an accident that might bring harm to myself or others.

-Be safe! Be loving! Shine the Light of Christ

-And let's talk about Christmas!!!!!

next time

ELECTION TIME

 So...many citizens have already participated in early or mail in voting but Election Day is officially tomorrow, November 3.  I imagine everyone is aware that this election season has been particularly nasty as commentators call it the most important election of our time.  Whoever winds up finishing second will not be pleased.  In fact, authorities even now are making plans to deal with violent reactions in the coming days.

Now I am not going to tell you who to vote for (though you should vote if have not already done so) but I do want to share some thoughts on how we, as Disciples of Jesus Christ, should live in the next few days.  And they not all original thoughts.  We had a guest speaker the other week when Val and I were away.  Then we discovered as we listened to the service that he made some real good points. (full disclosure...the guest speaker was our son...that is one of the things about children...you teach them everything you know and then they often go off and learn some more on their own)

More full disclosure...I read somewhere that pastors often plagiarize in sermons and blogs too...ironically, I can not remember where I read that.  But at any rate, our son, Ben, gets most of the credit for these thoughts.  He talked about how we should love God and love others and then reminded everyone of the words of I Corinthians as Paul describes what real love looks like:

I Corinthians 13:4-7
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Our lives should always be characterized by these attributes but, if we are being honest, we know that some days it is simply easier to behave in a loving way...sometimes things simply go our way but not always.

Ben's question for the church congregations and my question for you focuses on a day that may be more difficult.  On November 4 (or whenever this election is officially over), will we, those who claim to follow Jesus, be known s those who are patient and kind?  Will we be noticed because we do not envy or boast?  Will people comment on how we do not dishonor others or seek our own way?  Will we be able to forgive and forgo anger, rejoicing in the truth?

It is the hope of Jesus that we are known by our love! (John 13:35) May this love be evident in us every day...even the days that follow elections!!

 

What difference does Jesus make?

What difference does Jesus make in a person's life?  Good question! One reason that many give for not being interested in the church is something along the lines of "it does not make any difference."  In other words, they look at those inside the church and determine that they are no better than anyone else.   The idea is that Christians are supposed to follow the rules and quite frankly often times they do not. 

That is a valid point.  Of course, part of the deal is that Jesus welcomes us into His family (the church) exactly as we are...with all of our imperfections.  It's not like we have to clean ourselves up first and then become His followers.  Therefore it is true that the church is full of imperfect sinners.

But on the other hand, that is not (or at least should not be) the end of story.  God offers grace and mercy and we come to Him in the middle of our filthiness but then after He cleans us up, we should make an attempt to stay as clean as possible.

What should that look like?  

 In Romans 12:9-21, we find what looks at first like a list of rules that Disciples of Jesus are expected to follow.  And frankly it is kind of daunting as it includes the following:
-Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them.
-Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 
-Love each other with genuine affection
-take delight in honoring each other. 
-Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. 
-Rejoice in our confident hope.
-Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. 
-When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them.
-Always be eager to practice hospitality. 
-Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. 
-Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 
-Live in harmony with each other.  Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
-Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people.
-don’t think you know it all! 
-Never pay back evil with more evil.
-Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable.   
-never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God.
-Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

God does not expect much does He?  It’s like the time the children asked their mom what she wanted for Mother’s Day.  She said, “Oh you don’t have to but me anything…all I want is for you to get along without fighting for the day…and do all your chores without complaining….and remember to be nice and cheerful around me…that’s all I asking for.”  They replied… “please Mom, let us but you something!”

We might feel that way after looking at that list…please God…can we buy You something instead? The thing is though that these are the things that God does. So think of it this way...it is not a list of rules we must follow in order to keep God happy with us.  Instead it is our privilege to live in this manner as God's representatives or ambassadors on earth. 

Still we can not do that on our own.  Just as we trust Him for our salvation, we must also rely on Him to give us the ability to live as He wishes.  (we move forward not by trying harder but by giving up control and allowing God to live through us)

Each of is moving forward and it is a process that takes a lifetime but it is worth it.

And in the end, He Does make a difference!

GPS!

My wife and I enjoy traveling.  Of course everything seems to be different these days, but, when we have the opportunity, we love to take a good old fashioned road trip.  There was a time when this would not have been possible without first finding the map, figuring out how to unfold it and then tracing the route with a finger making intelligent comments like..."Maybe we should have stayed on the blue road." The Good Old days!!

But now instead of squinting at a map we listen to the voice coming out of the dashboard or one of our phones as our gps or waze app always (almost!)takes us right where we want to go.  

Well, that is progress...And I will now take a bit of a detour but will get back to the gps shortly....

One question that often is asked by those who are curious about God or by those who may be interested in following Him is "what is God's will for my life?"  "what does God want me to do?"  You know that is a good questions.  There is nothing more important in this life than being connected to the God who created and loves you.  

But how do we know what He wants from us?  The good news is that God lets us know.

We find these words in the book of  Romans, "Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." (Romans 12:2 The New Living Bible).  

Think about what that is saying.  The world tells you to live a certain way...to adopt a certain set of values, priorities and morals.  God says in effect "I have a better way to live...do things My way instead."  Jesus once said that God's way of living can be summed up in this way..."love God and love people."  (Matthew 22:36-40).   In other words,honestly care for those who mistreat you, practice grace and forgiveness,  resist the urge to worship material goods, consider the welfare of others rather than yourself.  In these ways, we come to resemble Jesus Himself who came "not to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many."  (Mark 10:45)

That is a tall order and a lifelong process.  We take it one step at a time as God lives within us.  And that brings us back to the gps and God's will for our lives.  That verse tells us that we learn about God's will as we let Him transform us....as we do things His way.

Now God can do what He wants and it is a mistake to assume that He does things the same way all that time but I think God generally reveals his plan for our lives sort of like a gps giving one direction at a time.  "Turn left in 1.5 miles."  After we make that turn, we receive the next instruction.  (this involves a level of trust that we probably would not grant to a gps....I tell the gps where I want to go and then trust it to take me there....I strive to trust God to not only give directions but also decide where I am going...fortunately He can be trusted to know what is best).  

So the lesson for us....we will come to understand God's will for our lives and we will go where He wants us to go as we are obedient.  Listen to His directions, live His way, one step at a time.  Do the things we know He wants us to do even as we wait for the next direction. (fortunately He is willing to recalculate when needed).  He is a better guide than the best gps!   

It's Hard to Hear with all the Shouting

   So I am the Pastor at New Holland United Methodist Church and also at Honey Brook United Methodist Church.   While we are meeting again for Sunday worship at both services, quite a few of the members of our church families are reluctant to attend (understandably) so we are also attempting to have more of on online ministry. (our worship services and Vacation Bible School are all available at the church Facebook pages).  I hope and pray that somebody finds this humble blog to be helpful too as we wonder in the wilderness.

    I was watching the news the other day (I tend to go back and forth between CNN and Fox news...that way, I know what everyone does not like)...someone was saying that the problem is that the national news organizations are not reporting the "good news" regarding the Covid-19 situation in our country.  Now I am not trying to start an argument here...I imagine we all have our own ideas about how "good" the news actually is but that got me thinking...how do even know when something is "good news?"  

   Well the gist, the whole point, of the Bible...God's Word to us....is that it is "Good news."  God has real good news for us.  In fact, it is incredibly amazing good news.  Goes something like this......

-God knows you.  This might not sound like much but think about it.  How many people are alive today?  I do not know but in the billions right.  How many people have lived prior to today?  Again, plenty.  How many will live at some point in the future?  The number keeps increasing.  And God knows each of us by name!  In fact, God knows everything about us...all that we have ever done or said or thought.  All of our dreams and fears.  Our triumphs and failures.  Our secrets and our hiding places.

-Maybe that does not sound so good yet...sounds like God is some type of cosmic stalker.  Well there is more.  God knows you and He Loves You!  In fact, we could say in spite of the fact that He knows everything about you..God still loves you.  I watched a tv show...the guy is going on a first date and he is nervous about it and his friends are giving him advice on how he should act in order to convince the girl to like him.  Maybe he did like him but he was hoping she would like him like him.  He asks his friends, "should I just be myself?"  Of course they all say, "NO!!!  That is the worst thing you could do"  It was meant to be funny and it did make me laugh but back to the good news...with God, we already ARE ourselves even if we try not to be but guess what.  he still loves us. 

-In fact, God loves us so much, He reaches out to us so that we can have a relationship with Him, hoping that we will respond.  

Here's the thing though.  God generally does not shout.  Now and again, the Bible tells us about times when God "thundered" to get everyone's attention and we also read about a time that is coming when God will be impossible to ignore but generally He speaks softly.  He calls us but then waits for our response.  It is easy for the voice of God, or the call of God or even the love of God to be drowned out by all of the noise and distraction of our lives and the world around us.

I'll be posting again but for now the prayer is simple....listen for the One who knows you better and loves you more than any other.  Do not settle for less 

 

DO NOT FRET

                                                                                                       

One way that we have been maintaining our Fellowship as the Body of Christ is a weekly zoom prayer meeting.  The focus of our time together is prayer (which kind of makes sense since it is a prayer meeting) but we usually spend a few minutes looking at a prayer found in the Bible or another Bible passage.

 

One week we discussed the first 7 verses from Psalm 37..

Do not fret because of those who are evil
    or be envious of those who do wrong;
² for like the grass they will soon wither,
    like green plants they will soon die away.

³ Trust in the Lord and do good;
    dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
⁴ Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

⁵ Commit your way to the Lord;
    trust in him and he will do this:
⁶ He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
    your vindication like the noonday sun.

⁷ Be still before the Lord
    and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
    when they carry out their wicked schemes.

 

The introduction to some of the Psalms tell us what was happening when they were written.  While Psalm 37 does not do this, we do learn that it was written by David.  Now, David lived over 4000 years ago but it sounds like he experienced some of the same things that we see today (that is no surprise, while technology advances, the effects of sin pretty much stay the same).

I imagine many of us can still relate to these words.  It can certainly seem frustrating when we see those who are evil appearing to avoid any consequences and in fact even succeed and prosper when they carry out schemes and activities that are evil in the eyes of the Lord.

What is the correct way to respond?  Well, “trust in the Lord and do good!”  “Commit your way to the Lord!”  “Take delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart” (this might very well mean that He first CHANGES  the desires of your heart…but He will make sure you have what you need at any rate).  Remember that being a follower of Jesus means that we are in it for the long haul!

And while it sometimes appears that those who ignore God do so without suffering consequences, judgment is certainly coming…”like the grass they will soon wither”…we should “be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him”

The tricky thing there is that we are always to be shining His light, sharing the Good news of His love and grace in the hopes that folks will respond and accept His offer of salvation.  In other words, we look forward to a time when there will be no more sin or evil but we sure hope that folks will choose to join us to share that blessed time.

As we agreed at the zoom meeting that day, this is certainly something that we can not do on our own.  We need to pray about it.…that we may not lose heart even if it seems like ungodliness is making advances, that we keep our eyes and our faith on the Lord, that we will allow Him to control the desires of our hearts and that we reach and share His good news of redemption and new life even as we look forward to a time and place when there will be no evil and no suffering,

In the meantime, I hope everyone is able to stay safe as we go through our days.

Blessings to all,

Pastor Ray.