September 8, 2019 We Are Called to Care
Lydia and I have a dog named Sadie, a rat terrier. Sadie cares about a lot of things. She cares when it thunders. She cares when I'm eating something that smells good. She cares when Lydia and I have been gone on vacation and come back home. (Her shaking, wagging tail gives it away).
I love Sadie because she cares. She cares when I have a bee sting. Somehow she knows the sting is there and applies a few good healing licks. She cares when I sit down with her on the porch and scratch her behind the ear. She never makes an excuse about having to "get going."
She cares enough that every evening there comes a time when she jumps up on the sofa, puts her paws on my shoulders and looks me straight in the eye with the clear message "I want to play with you because you're my best friend." We wrestle a bit and I take her for a walk.
I know that no dog has ever taught a class or preached a sermon on caring. But every day Sadie reminds me that she cares for me with all her heart.
May we all remember that God has called us to be his caring, healing presence in this often broken world. He gave us dogs to teach us how.
In Christ, Pastor Bob
Luke 10:30-35
- Sep 8, 2019We Are Called To Care
We Are Called To Care
September 8, 2019 We Are Called to Care
Lydia and I have a dog named Sadie, a rat terrier. Sadie cares about a lot of things. She cares when it thunders. She cares when I'm eating something that smells good. She cares when Lydia and I have been gone on vacation and come back home. (Her shaking, wagging tail gives it away).
I love Sadie because she cares. She cares when I have a bee sting. Somehow she knows the sting is there and applies a few good healing licks. She cares when I sit down with her on the porch and scratch her behind the ear. She never makes an excuse about having to "get going."
She cares enough that every evening there comes a time when she jumps up on the sofa, puts her paws on my shoulders and looks me straight in the eye with the clear message "I want to play with you because you're my best friend." We wrestle a bit and I take her for a walk.
I know that no dog has ever taught a class or preached a sermon on caring. But every day Sadie reminds me that she cares for me with all her heart.
May we all remember that God has called us to be his caring, healing presence in this often broken world. He gave us dogs to teach us how.
In Christ, Pastor Bob
Luke 10:30-35
- Sep 1, 2019We Are Called to Share Good News
We Are Called to Share Good News
S
September 1, 2019 We Are Called to Share Good News
Romans 1 1:6, 16-17
eptember 1, 2019 We Are Called to Share Good News
Romans 1 1:6, 16-17
- Aug 25, 2019Evidence That Demands A Verdict
- Aug 18, 2019Solid Rock
Solid Rock
August 18, 2019 Solid Rock
Wow! The summer is coming to a close and the rush of autumn isn't far away.
In our newsletters we can only provide an outline for what is coming - only God can fill in the gaps. It is in those gaps that we find miracles and spiritual growth and the sacrificial love of God's people for friends and strangers alike. Thank you for asking God to use the gaps in your lives to be a blessing to others.
This Sunday we will look at Matthew 7:24-27 and the well-known story of a wise man and a foolish man who made very different choices on where to build a house. I hope to see you in worship and Sunday School... and don't forget to bring a friend!
In Christ, Pastor Bob
- Aug 11, 2019Jesus Defines “Great”
Jesus Defines “Great”
August 11, 2019 Jesus defines “Great”
Well, it's back-to-school week for our community! Looking back on my grade-school years, that's about a month less than the summer break we enjoyed (or endured once we ran out of things to do!).
We pray for and appreciate the teachers, staff, administrators, and yes, the parents who support their children's education in public, private, and home school settings. May God make this a year when young minds grow, faith blooms, and every child learns the meaning of Jesus' call for us to care for and cherish each other. May the light of Christ outshine the darkness that sometimes tragically invades our public places.
And may we all learn again that what makes a people great is not the power of the purse but the power of the love in our hearts that moves us to become the servants of even the least among us.
Please keep in your prayers the shut-ins, those facing surgery and recovering from surgery, and all those whose hearts have been broken by the loss of a loved one.
This Sunday we will look at Mark 9: 33-37 and hear Jesus define what makes a person great. I hope to see you in worship and Sunday School!
In Christ, Pastor Bob
- Aug 4, 2019Bittersweet
Bittersweet
August 4, 2019 Bittersweet
We all know that life is a mixture of the bitter and the sweet. The story of God and humanity in the Scriptures acknowledges this reality. The sweetness of the creation story is followed by the bitter experience of sin entering the world. The sweetness of Israel escaping the bonds of slavery in Egypt is followed by the bitterness of their rebellion against God. The sweetness of the birth of Jesus in Luke's Gospel is tempered by the prophecy of Simeon to Mary that her baby boy would
The sweet and bitter experiences of life are present throughout the ministry of Jesus. But there is no event that more powerfully represents their blending than Jesus' last supper with his disciples where fear and betrayal clash with the hope of redemption.
This Sunday we will look at Mark 14: 16-26 and contemplate how our God uses the sweetness and bitterness of life to bring forth our own redemption and salvation.
Come join us this Sunday as we gather around the table of our Lord and feel the power of God's redeeming love.
In Christ, Pastor Bob
- Jul 28, 2019Receiving God’s Truth
Receiving God’s Truth
- Jul 21, 2019Walking Away From Jesus
Walking Away From Jesus
July 21, 2019 Walking Away From Jesus
I hope to see you in worship and in ministry to our community,
Pastor Bob
Mark 10:17-31
- Jul 14, 2019Do it Again, Lord
Do it Again, Lord
July 14, 2019 Do it Again, Lord
It was the end of the first day of creation and the angels gathered to celebrate. All of a sudden the chant began, "Do it again, do it again, do it again!"
So God did it again. And again. And again....
It is a staggering thought. To think of how many days God has created since that first day. How many sunrises and sunsets, eclipses and claps of thunder, solar flares and cricket chirps.
There is no way to ponder the endless miracles of our God.
But this Sunday we will try to follow the hand of God in a miraculous story from Mark 8, where Jesus for the second time in the Gospels feeds a multitude of hungry followers. And we'll ask the question, "Will Jesus do it again through us?"
I hope to see you in worship and in ministry to our community,
Pastor Bob
Mark 8:1-10
- Jul 7, 2019What’s Your Life Compass?
What’s Your Life Compass?
July 7, 2019 What’s Your Life Compass
I read a lot of columns by a lot of pastors. Some are concise and to the point. Most are a bit long-winded (sorry, but it’s the truth). Pastors are preachers and being long-winded is a professional hazard.
So I’ll get right to the point (and then drone on for awhile because I just can’t help it). Following Jesus can’t be done with words alone (see James 1:22-25). The devil can convince us that if we “babble the Gospel” long enough we’re bound to wear someone down; that people will give their lives to Jesus just to stop us from preaching at them.
But for every word we preach there must be a boat-load of actions adding power to our words. People need to see us living out the Gospel. Living like Jesus. Walking in his steps, not just talking about something we really aren’t willing to live out. "Let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth (I John 3:18)."
So (and here’s where I’ll put a stop to the words), I want to thank everyone in our church who shares Jesus by walking in his steps. Every youth and adult on the summer mission trip. Everyone of our youth working up at Camp Overlook this summer. Every volunteer in the food pantry or the community center or in the kitchen cooking for a grieving family. Every teacher, every lay preacher, every one who crosses boundaries to be Jesus to their neighbor.
You are God’s will come alive and the Kingdom of God is in our midst because He lives in you.
I hope to see you in worship and in ministry to our community,
Pastor Bob
Mark 7:14-23
