Zion Lutheran Church LCMC

Archive for the ‘Pastor's Corner’ Category

Pastor’s Corner February 2011

February 2nd, 2011 | Author: Pastor Ron

In our Christian life we as Lutherans, celebrate two sacraments—the sacrament of Holy Communion and of baptism.

There are a couple of things I’d like for us to consider about our initiation rite of baptism here The first is that while baptism is our initiation rite, it is much, much more; historically, because baptism was more than an initiation.

How in the world do you explain to people who have no concept of such things, i.e., the story of Jesus’ baptism? After all, Jesus is God incarnate, isn’t He? Literally, He’s God on earth, right?

By definition, godliness means perfection. And the early converts also learned that Jesus was born of Mary; therefore, completely human. They were also told by the author of the letter to the Hebrews, in no uncertain terms, that this HUMAN; Jesus of Nazareth was just like us in every way, “yet without sin.”

It is difficult enough for people to get their heads around the two natures of Jesus—human and divine—existing simultaneously. But after the early church converts got this point, they had to grapple with the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ baptism.

Jesus was fully man and yet without sin. So what was he doing down there in the river with this wild baptizer; the same John who, according to Matthew, was baptizing with water for repentance from sin? Matthew tells us that all of Jerusalem and the whole Judean countryside were coming to John for baptism and cleansing of their sins. If this crazy preacher was hollering for people to repent of their sins, seek forgiveness and be washed clean in the waters of baptism, what the heck was Jesus, the one without sin, doing there?

Jesus’ baptism is important; so important that it is in all four Gospel accounts. Even though the early Church fathers struggled mightily to explain it to the pagan challengers of their day, it really does make sense if we think about it. You see, Jesus was indeed the sinless human; however, he never tried to avoid being around sin.

In fact, he repeatedly got into trouble with the religious authorities of the day because he refused to shun the sinful of the community, as they did.

Jesus may not have sinned, but he lived where the sinners lived and spent his time where they spent their time. Therefore, it made sense that He would want to experience what they experienced in life.

Jesus, throughout his ministry, makes it a point to go out of his way to mix socially with outcasts, with notorious sinners, beggars, and the diseased to be “baptized” into their world so as to fully disclose God's love for them.

Stepping into the leftover bath water with the unclean shows us God’s willingness to go to any length to show, not just say, ‘I love you.’

When Jesus came up out of the water after being baptized, Matthew tells us, “Suddenly, the heavens were open to Him and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove on Him.” Jesus stepped into the waters of baptism so that God, the Father, might take that opportunity to send the Holy Spirit to seal Jesus and to mark Jesus as God’s own, forever. Baptismal water and the Holy Spirit are the elements through which Jesus shows that He is absolutely and irrevocably connected with the Father; the same connection Jesus wants for each one of us.

Everyone in this church this morning is someone's child. And if you’ve been alive very many years, I promise that there have been times in your life when you craved hearing those words from your own father.

Most of us have had times where we rebelled or, for some other reason, the relationship got strained with our parents. Perhaps the parent thought he made the words plain to you, but somehow you two were just not speaking the same language. “This is my son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

These words — spoken so seldom by most of us parents and longed for so often by all children— affirm not only that we are loved, which is a huge affirmation, but they also affirm that we are accepted and acceptable—just as we are, as many people used to say, “warts and all.”

The father’s affirmation of Jesus on the day of his baptism is not only incredibly important for Jesus, but it is just as important for us. While Jesus may have known who He was and what His relationship to the Father was, we often times do not.

We desperately need to hear whose we are and how unconditional that love is. Jesus shared in baptism with us, not because He needed baptizing, but because we did and do. Jesus led the way across the muddy bank, going down to death in the baptismal water and coming up on the other side, resurrected and made new again.

Last week, we baptized Zachary Loose, and I asked the parents and the Godparents, “Do you promise to faithfully bring them (the child baptized) to the services of God's house and teach them the Lord's Prayer, the Creed, and the Ten Commandments? As they grow in years, you should place in their hands the Holy Scriptures and provide for their instruction in the Christian faith (Sunday school, confirmation classes, church services), that living in the covenant of their baptism and in communion with the church, they may lead Godly lives until the day of Jesus Christ. Do you remember what you said? You answered, “I do, I do lord. I promise you.”

God loves you and so do I . . .

Pastor Ron

Posted in Pastor's Corner | No Comments »

Pastor’s Corner January 2011

January 2nd, 2011 | Author: Pastor Ron

The Season of Advent is now behind us and the Messiah, the savior of the world has arrived. We’ve been preparing, we’ve been watchful … and NOW HE'S HERE! And we cannot just toss out the season after the Christmas Service and begin getting ready for the New Year. Instead, we need to celebrate the arrival and consider what this SEASON means to us as Christians. Savor this time. We have twelve days from now until the EPIPHANY, during which we are called upon to think about what the BIRTH OF JESUS– the CHRIST—means to us. We’re called to think about the meaning all the time, but during this season in particular it’s vitally important to our faith.

Luke’s telling of the NATIVITY STORY is aimed at bringing us two very different but important messages. First, what happened that Christmas night, a little over two thousand years ago, was quite ordinary. A young man (Joseph, by name) took his even younger wife, Mary, and they travelled from their home in Nazareth to Bethlehem, the City of David, because their government told them to do so. There was a nationwide census in this country that, for some reason, required all people to go back to their ancestral home in order to be counted. There was a lot of travelling in and out of this country. After they arrived in Bethlehem, their child was born.

Any of you who are parents know just how extraordinary the birth of your child was, even when you looked at the very ordinary occurrence of childbirth in general. The birth of a child—especially a first child—because it is such a new experience, is an amazing thing to the parents. But to the rest of the world, it’s not such a big deal. In this country, there is a baby born every 7.8 seconds. It literally happens ALL the time. But this baby WAS different. Joseph and Mary knew that this would be NO ORDINARY BIRTH, even to PEOPLE other than THEMSELVES. They knew that this birth would fulfill BIBLICAL PROPHESY, particularly that of Isaiah, who said, “For a child has been BORN for us, a SON given to us; AUTHORITY rests upon his shoulders; and he is named WONDERFUL COUNCILOR, MIGHTY GOD, EVERLASTING FATHER, PRINCE OF PEACE.”

This most unassuming little baby boy, wrapped not in royal robes but in bands of unbleached linen; lying not in a royal bed chamber in a fine palace, but in a STABLE, surrounded by common farm animals; this little boy was the KING OF ALL CREATION.

In the Bible, it says that GOD became HUMAN and “lived as one of us, ….” Think about that for a minute; the same God who created the entire world took upon God's self our human nature and LIVED and DIED as one of us.

God became HUMAN. He and laughed and cried, and was hungry and full, happy and sad, cared for and lonely. God experienced what we experienced. Never before, and I dare say NEVER AGAIN, will a group of people be able to make such a claim.

Muslims have NO SUCH CLAIM. Mohammed was a PROPHET, NOT GOD INCARNATE. Rabbinic Jews have NO SUCH CLAIM. Abraham was OUR FATHER, just as he was THEIRS, and Abraham was a MAN, not God.

In the entire world, only Christians and Messianic Jews lay claim to the fact that God became HUMAN and lived among us. That is EXTRAORDINARY when you think about it.

After that long ago night, never again should we view God as some distant deity, removed from our problems and concerns, untouched by the reality of how we live. Our God is a LIVING GOD. As God’s FAVORITE CREATION, we have been given amazing blessings by our creator. We have this world in which we live, in all its grandeur and beauty.

We have people in our lives that delight us and sometimes make us laugh until we cry. We have comforts that people of past generations could not have dreamed of. All are GIFTS from the God of all. And everything in our lives should CAUSE US to give THANKS to the God who cares about us so deeply.

But what about those who have a horrible debilitating illness? And what about those who got laid off from their jobs a week before Christmas? What about WAR and all the other MESSES in this world?

That’s the other amazing thing about this story. God never promised to fix all of the things in the world that are broken, at least not within our lifetime. But God knows how we feel and what we are going through. God has experienced what we experience, and God has promised never to leave us alone in our despair.

“God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son to the end that all who believe in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” That’s the promise of the incarnate God.

This extraordinary little baby grew up, lived a life of doing good and bringing messages of peace and justice to the people, and then willingly laid down his life so that we might have life everlasting.

Don’t be in a great hurry today or through the next couple of weeks.

If you get in too much of a hurry when you’re cleaning up on Christmas Morning,

you can THROW AWAY something very important with the wrapping paper.

Don’t get in such a HURRY that you THROW OUT the GREATEST GIFT IN HISTORY—God becoming HUMAN and LIVING as ONE OF US; an extraordinary gift that we should CELEBRATE and CHERISH.

God loves you and so do I . . .

Pastor Ron

Posted in Pastor's Corner | No Comments »

Pastor’s Corner December 2010

December 1st, 2010 | Author: Pastor Ron

MERRY CHRISTMAS

As we ended the Church year with Christ the King Sunday (26th Sunday after Pentecost), we begin our journey to the beginning of a new Church year with Advent. The word ‘advent’ is Latin for ‘a coming or arrival.’ The idea behind it is that God came to an earthly life and lived among us. It’s something to celebrate, rejoice, because just by being in it, God was giving the supreme blessing to the created world. But this birth led to an execution of this same God, by us, on behalf of us, and then the greatest news that death will not end it all. So it’s not something you just go rushing into. We need to take stock of what that baby Jesus was here for. When we go all goo-goo over the baby and the birth, the adult Jesus and His execution are also in sight.

Advent has fallen on hard times. For most people, it’s become a time to get ready for whatever you’re doing with family and friends on Christmas, and not a time to get ready for the Christ child. The bigger Christmas became, the more it swallowed up Advent. In fact, whatever Christmassy thing we think of as being done before Christmas Day is actually done in Advent. In the USA, everything after Thanksgiving is now seen as a part of Christmas. The main problem is not that Christmas intrudes on Advent. The real problem is that people no longer keep their Christmas focus on Christ, and then the Christ-less Christmas zaps Christ from Advent. Practicing Advent as a religious season may help recover Christmas, but it can’t do it by itself. If you don’t look to Jesus every day in every season, you’ll lose Advent, Christmas, Lent, and even Easter. It’ll be a tiring rush, not a loving celebration, and it’ll be about family, or money, or image and not our loving Maker. There are even some who openly advocate letting the world have its Christmas, and then Christians can do their own separate thing on Epiphany. (That would bring them nearly in synch with the old-calendar Orthodox.) But that, of course, chucks Advent as well as Christmas. Christmas is a day of joy, and much of what the non-Christian culture brings to the mix is also full of joy and thus fits well into a Christian context. If you’ve been to RockefellerCenter in New York City, you know how great the decorations can be—the Christmas tree, the lights on the buildings, the large herald angels with their trumpets—all big enough to seem to an adult like the big world appears to a child.

But as you think on that, remember that each Christian has as much right as anyone else to put their stamp on the public culture; that’s an important matter of freedom, and it needs to be exercised or it, too, will be lost. So I challenge each and every one of you to PUT CHRIST BACK IN CHRISTMAS……ONE FAMILY AT A TIME.

God loves you and so do we,

Pastor Ron and Karen & Interns Floyd and Vicky

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Posted in Pastor's Corner | No Comments »

Pastor’s Corner September 2010

September 6th, 2010 | Author: Pastor Ron

I thought it would be wise to pass on this message from the WordAlone Newsletter to keep you up to date with the latest move made by this loyal organization.

WITH ALL DUE HASTE, LEAVE THE ELCA

by Tom Walker, Vice President, WordAlone Ministries

For more than a decade, WordAlone has assumed the role of the loyal opposition in relationship to the EvangelicalLutheranChurch in America. We clearly voiced opposition to prevailing trends, but always with the intention of getting the ELCA back on a faithful track with a future.

However, we see in the watershed events surrounding the August 2009 church-wide assembly the ELCA’s irrevocable change of direction. WordAlone spent a decade of concerted effort prayerfully and patiently birthing faithful ministries, actively witnessing in the wilderness while waiting on the Lord’s directive through the Word. We now have concluded as a movement that the theological decay of the ELCA cannot be stemmed or reformed.

WordAlone has a new role with two aspects to it. First, we are sounding the call for faithful Lutherans to leave the ELCA for new and better opportunities among orthodox, confessional Lutherans. Secondly, we will even more enthusiastically continue our work of birthing new ministries to serve the needs of those leaving the ELCA.

Individuals, groups and congregations who are leaving the ELCA should understand themselves as choosing to stay with Christian orthodoxy and remaining in unity with the majority of the world’s 2.1 billion Christians. The actions of the church council, the rejection of Biblical authority by the voting members, the weak-kneed response by the bishops and the increasingly strong-arm tactics of the church to repress critique make it clear that it is not a church body whose direction can be changed by a loyal opposition.

Therefore, the “loyal” in the equation is over. While our loyalty has always been to our one Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, our attempts to oppose gently and charitably have expired. Upholding the Bible and the Lutheran Confessions and shining their light of truth and rebuke onto actions, decisions and rhetoric of the ELCA will be our only means of opposing.

The entire doctrinal infrastructure of the ELCA is extremely damaged and the pervasive apathy of the membership assures that the current tragic direction will continue indefinitely. The vote in August 2009 was only the most recent and most flamboyant in a long series of evidence that the ELCA is no longer a thriving Christian denomination.

We urge confessional and biblical Lutherans to make plans to dissociate from the ELCA for the sake of their spiritual well being and particularly for the spiritual well being of their children and grandchildren.

The denomination’s clear departure from Christian orthodoxy during the past dozen years provides all the clarity you need for your decision. We look forward to the day that all of the sheep are safely OUT of the ELCA.

An amazing opportunity is available to those joining the developing Lutheran church bodies in the promise of options and teamwork among Lutherans in ways never seen before. Please keep your eyes on the various Websites and newsletters of organizations such as LutheranCongregations in Mission for Christ, Canadian Association of Lutheran Churches and the (yet to be constituted) North American ‘ LutheranChurch. Lutheran CORE seeks to gather together those who leave the ELCA as well as those who remain within the

ELCA, for whatever reasons.

In the next few weeks, you will be amazed at the growth and wonderful potential formission that will come as this new Lutheran landscape responds to Christ’s great commission. Second, in addition to sounding the call to leave, WordAlone’s other role is to continue producing the services and resources needed by former ELCA Lutherans- churches, agencies, groups, families and individuals-to preach, teach and confess Jesus, God’s Word alone.

We are now preparing to launch an Internet based, multimedia evangelism ministry called SALT (Salvation, Life and Truth) in order to reach out with the transforming Gospel of Jesus. We are working to start new worshipping communities through our partnership with Lutheran Evangelistic Movement, also known as LEM, in a Lutheran house church network called Life Together Churches.

We continue to bring new Christian education publications for children, youth and adults through Sola Publishing. We are spreading support for new mission starts, interim pastors and pastoral acts through the Chaplain Corps. We are upgrading our Clergy Connect service to help congregations and pastors find each other.

So, even as we carry forward our work of providing help for faithful transitions out of the ELCA, we are faithfully contributing to the new reality among confessional Lutherans.

Even though the loyal opposition to the ELCA has ended, please know that we have not forgotten our supporters and friends. We will speak out on your behalf; however, we will oppose the ELCA and other human, institutional church bodies preaching a FALSE GOSPEL. We will speak words encouraging departure from them. We invite you to take a careful look at our new “Leaving the ELCA” series on the Word|Alone Ministries Web site (www.wordalone.org) We think it will give you insight and hope as you consider your new future apart from the ELCA.

Posted in Pastor's Corner | No Comments »

Pastor’s Corner August 2010

August 4th, 2010 | Author: Pastor Ron

Matthew 5:43-48 Is About Love for Enemies

(Verse 43) “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ (Verse 44) But I tell you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you . . . (Verse 45) that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (Verse 46) If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? (Verse 47) And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? (Verse 48) Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Who is your enemy? Right now there are many people turning on US. Did you know that? Who do I mean when I say they are turning on US? I mean other LutheranChurch bodies believe “WE” are the ENEMY. Why? To start with, because we have chosen to break away from the ELCA; we have shaken up the troops and created some unrest.

ARE WE THE ENEMY? If we have to choose between what is Biblically sound or what is politically correct, I guess we are the enemy, then. WE CHOSE to stay with what is BIBLICALLY CORRECT. The confusion and conflict has been over whether to accept the authority of the WORD OF GOD or vote to follow the BLOWING WIND OF the CULTURE. The word of god was God-breathed and never changing. The CULTURE IS CONSTANTLY CHANGING.

NOW that you know that you are the ENEMY, I ask you to pray for your BROTHERS and SISTERS in Christ. Pray for your ENEMIES that they, too, will be lead by the SPIRIT OFGOD and hold firm to what is BIBLICALLY SOUND. Pray without ceasing.

God Loves You and so do I…..Pastor Ron.

Posted in Pastor's Corner | No Comments »

Pastor’s Corner July 2010

July 3rd, 2010 | Author: Pastor Ron

We could go to many places in the bible for an example of a GODLY FATHER. One example, without a doubt, is Joshua.

At the age of 110, he summoned the leaders of Israel to Shechem for a farewell address. He charged them to OBEY the LORD who had fought for them and given them an INHERITANCE. He warned them of the danger of losing their beliefs saying, “Choose YOU this day WHOM you will serve….” He reinforced his appeal with the power of a good example. “AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD.”

There are a lot of things we could say about Joshua but, for the sake of space, I want to mention JUST TWO—two QUALITIES that he possessed that ALL FATHERS would do well to COPY.

The first quality was that he was the Priest of the home. He ACCEPTED his RESPONSIBILITY for the SPIRITUAL LIFE of his family. He SPOKE for his family; he DECLARED their intent.

(1) A priest cannot function unless he is in CLOSE CONTACT with God.

(2) According to the Bible, the family was designed to be the BASIC EDUCATIONAL UNIT. It is the FATHER’S DUTY, then, to MAKE SURE his children know how to be saved and how to walk in the ways of the Lord.

(3) The greatest thing a FATHER can PASS ON to his CHILDREN is the love of God. We all know that LOVE BEGETS LOVE. In chapter 3, verse 11, Joshua urges Israel to make the love of God THEIR SPECIAL AIM.

(4) Joshua, the warrior, has become a man of peace.

The family will usually follow the parent, especially the FATHER. Someone has said, “A boy loves his MOTHER, but will follow his FATHER.” As PRIEST of the HOME, the godly father is also a MAN OF PRAYER. He goes to God OFTEN on behalf of his FAMILY, asking for WISDOM and COURAGE for HIMSELF, and PROTECTION for his WIFE and CHILDREN.

The SECOND QUALITY that Joshua possessed is that he had a plan for the family; being PRIEST of the FAMILY is NOT ENOUGH. The godly father must also have a PLAN for the SPIRITUAL LIFE of his loved ones. Joshua said, “…we will serve the Lord.” We must strive with God’s help for FAMILY UNITY. When Joshua spoke, his voice rang with the sound of UNITY—“me and my house.” There was TOGETHERNESS. I believe that the reason that UNITY was there was due to his GODLY CHARACTER as his example. His FAITH was GENUINE, AUTHENTIC and, as a result, his family said, in essence, “Whatever you say, dad, we will agree.”

When MARRIAGE VOWS are kept and the COUPLE is DEVOTED both to the Lord and to EACH OTHER, there is no more powerful statement of FAMILY UNITY.

When the family is UNITED, it will ENDURE the trials that come its way. Joshua pressed a godly determination to PERSEVERE with his family. He was prepared to stand alone with his family, if necessary.

This wouldn’t be the first time he stood apart. 65 years earlier, at Kadesh-Barnea, he and Caleb had given the minority report to Moses on the Promised Land. This godly determination must extend into the devotional life of the family. Joshua was determined at least to establish a SPIRITUAL OASIS with his family.

Dads, may you be blessed and favored by Father God in all you do for your family. Christ is counting on you.

Pastor Ron

Happy Fourth of July!

Posted in Pastor's Corner | No Comments »

Pastor’s Corner June 2010

June 5th, 2010 | Author: Pastor Ron

The Lords First Gift To The Church

Have you ever received a gift you were not sure you knew what to do with? I suspect we all have. Flowery ties that you would not be caught dead in . . . rank perfumes or colognes that you would not wear for fear of dropping everyone in the room into a faint…horrible pictures from some relative that are suitable only for the attic. There are some gifts we do not know how to handle.

Now, let me change the subject for a moment. Let's talk about fire. Fire is fascinating. Little children say they want to grow up to be firefighters. If you hear that there is a fire in the neighborhood, chances are you will go out to watch it.—which, of course, creates a big problem for those kids who did grow up to be firefighters. On a winter's evening, we like building a fire; not just for the warmth, but for the chance to watch it do its work. On a summer's evening in the woods, we enjoy gathering around a campfire; not for the warmth, but for the sheer pleasure of being near it. Fire fascinates us.

Now, combine those two thoughts: gifts and fire. I wonder what would happen if someone gave you a gift of fire. I'm sure you would be fascinated by it. But what in the world would it mean? Perhaps the early Christians wondered also. After all, that was the Lord's first gift to the church on that momentous and earth-shaking Pentecost—he gave us fire. Do you remember?

The faithful had gathered there in that upper room near the temple in Jerusalem—120 of them. They had been there for the better part of ten days, spending their time in prayer, choosing another apostle to replace Judas who had recently committed suicide, talking among themselves of the ministry of their Lord Jesus who had been taken up from them into heaven just a week-and-a-half before. Just prior to his ascension, Jesus had told them to go into Jerusalem and not to leave the city until they had received the gift of which he had spoken to them earlier, the gift of the Holy Spirit. So they did. They were gathered there to wait, not quite sure what this gift was all about. Suddenly, the group there heard a noise. It sounded like a windstorm, a hurricane, a tornado—the sound of some tremendous force. But nothing was moved; no buildings were destroyed, no doors slammed shut, not even a leaf rustled. As they looked around to see what was happening, they noticed that above each head was what appeared to be a flame—fire that simply sat there; the fire that would be Christ's first gift to his church—the fire that was the Holy Spirit—a gift of fire. I wonder if the disciples had any more idea what to do with a gift like that than we do. I doubt it. But to their credit, and to our undying benefit, they did not think of possessing the gift; they let that gift possess them.

The fire was exactly what Jesus foretold. It proved to be a comforter, an encourager, an exhorter or challenger. Look what happened to Peter. To say the least, this big fisherman had always been a brash fellow. He had been brash enough to leave his fishing business, to drop his livelihood when Jesus had said to him and his brother, "Come follow me and I will make you fishers of people." He had been brash enough to try things that were beyond human comprehension like—healing sick people and walking on water. He had

The fire took him (Martin Luther) and led him to begin a reformation that has continued to this day. It's still here today. It is still the Lord's birthday gift to the church. Unfortunately, we treat it as if it were one of the horrible ties or smelly perfumes or ugly pictures. We do not know what to do with it and, quite honestly, we seem to live as if we would just as soon not have it.

We think, "Wow, what great things could happen in us and through us if we would open ourselves up to the Spirit like Peter and the rest did been brash enough to take a sword to the servant of the High Priest in Gethsemane, despite being tremendously outnumbered. But brashness has its limitations. Peter was also cowardly; just cowardly enough to deny that he had ever known Jesus when confronted by a little servant girl. Yes, that fisherman was brash, but not brash enough in himself to do what he did on Pentecost. It has worked the same through the centuries since Pentecost.

There was another young man—a priest in an Augustinian monastery in the sixteenth century. He had become concerned about the direction his church was taking. He was concerned that the church had its priorities all wrong. The fire took him. It brought him comfort in the face of the hostilities of his superiors, encouraged him to share what he felt with his people, and challenged him to press on with the task of stopping the abuses.

What a witness we would have! What a church we would have!" And it is true, we would be given such power that things would never be the same again. Do we want that kind of power here? Or are we too afraid of it? Do we want the fire of Pentecost to burn at Zion? Or are we worried that it might call from us more than we want to give and disrupt our comfortable lives? If we want it, we can have it, too. The Holy Spirit is a gift who brings comfort, encouragement, challenge, guidance and, most of all, power.

Will we simply be fascinated by the Spirit as we watch others set on fire? Or will we pray, "Lord, give us that fire." That is my prayer for Zion, "Lord, give us that fire." And I pray, I pray that it is yours.

God loves you and

so do I,

Pastor Ron

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!

Posted in Pastor's Corner | No Comments »

Pastor’s Corner May 2010

April 30th, 2010 | Author: Pastor Ron

Do You Love Me?

Simon Peter was one of Jesus’ most LOVED
DISCIPLES but, when the CHIPS WERE DOWN, HE STUMBLED. On the night that
Jesus was ARRESTED, Peter DENIED Jesus THREE times . He had GOOD
REASON, of course. He had SEEN the POWER of Jesus’ ENEMIES. He had
SEEN Jesus TAKEN AWAY by the SOLDIERS. Jesus had NOT EVEN RESISTED.
Everyone had EXPECTED Jesus to DRIVE OUT the hated ROMANS but, when push
came to shove, Jesus had not even PUT UP A FIGHT. As one of Jesus’
DISCIPLES, Peter was at RISK. What happened to Jesus could happen to
Peter too. And so Peter said, "NOT ME! I am not Jesus’ disciple!
Never heard of the man!"

But then the story took a TURN that Peter could NEVER have IMAGINED.

There had been a CROSS, of course, but there was also an OPEN
TOMB. Peter had seen the RISEN CHRIST! God had turned the DEFEAT into
VICTORY! Jesus had WON, but Peter had LOST! Peter was glad for Jesus,
of course,– but he could not FORGET his night of SHAME.

AFTER the RESURECTION, Jesus gave Peter a CHANCE to REDEEM HIMSELF.
During his night of SHAME, Peter had DENIED Jesus THREE TIMES. Each
time,– someone had thought that Peter was one of Jesus’ DISCIPLES, and
each time Peter had said, "I am not."

But then JESUS came asking THREE TIMES if Peter LOVED HIM. He looked
at Peter and said, "Peter, do you love me more than these?" It must
have been EXCRUCIATING for Peter to be put in the SPOTLIGHT like that
EVERYONE knew his SHAME.
But Peter answered, "Yes, Lord; you know
that I love you."

Jesus REPEATED the question THREE TIMES, and Peter ANSWERED THREE
TIMES.
For Peter, EACH ANSWER must have been a little more
FRUSTRATING than the LAST. But with each answer HEALING was TAKING
PLACE. Peter said AGAIN and AGAIN, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love
you." With each answer, a bit of Peter’s GUILT MELTED AWAY and a bit of
HIS RELATIONSHIP with Jesus was RESTORED.

Christ WORKS THAT WAY. He DOES NOT come to EMBRASS US, but he won’t
let us OFF THE HOOK either. He won’t MINIMIZE OUR SINS,– and he WON’T
ENCOURAGE US to do so. He won’t say, "It makes no difference." He
won’t say, "Forget it."
o Instead, Jesus asks us, "Do you love me
MORE THAN THESE?"
o He asks, "Do you love me enough to really
COMMIT YOURSELF TO ME?"
o He asks, "Do you love me enough to be
FAITHFUL to your HUSBAND or your WIFE?"
o He asks, "Do you love me
enough to set a NEW STANDARD of HONESTY at WORK?"
o He asks, "Do
you love me enough to TALK ABOUT ME with your NEIGHBORS?"

Each time that Peter said that HE LOVED JESUS, Jesus responded, "FEED
my lambs."
He was saying, "If you love me, Peter, TEND my sheep."
He was saying, "If you want a chance to fully REDEEM YOURSELF, FEED my
sheep."

Christ COMES TO US, TOO, saying, "Do you LOVE ME?" "Do you love me
MORE THAN THESE?" "Do you REALLY love me?" Each time that we TELL HIM
that WE LOVE HIM,– he says, "FEED my sheep."

In every important RELATIONSHIP, we start with WORDS.
We PROMISE
that WE WILL. But those WORDS are NOT THE END OF IT.
Our WORDS
are ONLY THE BEGINNING. With those WORDS, we BEGIN A JOURNEY of
PROMISE-KEEPING that goes on YEAR after YEAR. We BEGIN with WORDS. We
FINISH with DEEDS.

Christ says to us, "Do you love me?" We say, "Lord, you know that I
love you."
Christ responds, "Feed my sheep." WHAT DOES THAT MEAN
TO US 2000 YEARS LATER? It means DIFFERENT THINGS for EACH OF US,– but
it means the SAME THING for ALL OF US. It means that we START with
WORDS, but FINISH with DEEDS.

"FEED MY SHEEP!" At the very least,– it means that we TEACH our
CHILDREN to LOVE CHRIST. It means that we give Christ a CENTRAL PLACE in
our FAMILY. It means that we BRING our children to SUNDAY SCHOOL and
CHURCH REGULARLY. It means that we take their SPIRITUAL FEEDING as
SERIOUSLY as we take their DINNER MENU. It means that we SET THE
EXAMPLE that we show them by OUR LIVES what it MEANS to be a CHRISTIAN.

"FEED MY SHEEP!" It means that we SHARE OUR FAITH with our
NEIGHBORS. Again, it means that we SET THE EXAMPLE — that we show them
by OUR LIVES what it MEANS to be a CHRISTIAN. It means that WE CARE
ABOUT THEM that we INVITE THEM to CHURCH that we SHARE our FAITH.

"FEED MY SHEEP!" It means that we CARE for THOSE IN NEED. It means
that we FEED the HUNGRY. It means that we GIVE the THIRSTY something to
DRINK. It means that we WELCOME the STRANGER — and CLOTH the NAKED
and TAKE CARE of the SICK and VISIT those in PRISON. It means we give
money for MISSIONS and help PREGNANT teenagers in our own TOWN. .

When Jesus asks today, "Do YOU love me?" That is the question. You
can answer with a RESOUNDING YES! And If you do…… THEN FEED HIS
SHEEP!

God Loves You And So Do I……Happy Mother’s Day!

Posted in Pastor's Corner | No Comments »

Pastor’s Corner April 2010

April 17th, 2010 | Author: Pastor Ron

Pastor’s Corner April 2010

Come Home, You Are Forgiven: Luke 15: 1-3 11b-32
This reading seems to have really struck home with a lot of you. We also could identify with it as well.
There is probably NO PARABLE MORE IMPORTANT than the one we JUST READ, the story of two sons and their father. The story invites us to ACCEPT FORGIVENESS. It also INVITES US to EXTEND FORGIVENESS.
A man with two sons is REJECTED by each of them in turn, and HE FORGIVES each son in turn. The younger son asks his father for HIS SHARE of the INHERITANCE. Now an INHERITANCE normally comes AFTER somebody has DIED. Strangely enough,the father goes ahead and gives the son HIS PROPER SHARE..
The younger son takes his MONEY and FLEES. He puts countless MILES between HIMSELF and his FAMILY. In a DISTANT LAND, he goes through his MONEY QUICKLY, living a DISGRACEFUL LIFE. He runs OUT OF MONEY, then a FAMINE STRIKES the countryside, and this one-time SPOILED RICH KID finds himself WORKING as the LOWEST of FARM HANDS, he is SLOPPING THE HOGS. Carob pods are what these PIGS EAT, and the BOY is HUNGRY but has no food for himself.
Finally a LIGHT goes on in this young man’s MIND. He’s figured a way out of the PIGPEN. He’ll go BACK to the FAMILY FARM. It won’t be HOME any more, but he’ll get a JOB THERE, and he won’t be CLOSE to STARVING as HE IS NOW. The workers EAT WELL THERE.So off the boy goes, crafting a smooth SPEECH as he walks along his way HOME. He MANIPULATED his father ONCE; perhaps he can do so AGAIN.
Meanwhile, back at the farm, the FATHER has been keeping an EYE on the HORIZON. He has been doing SO since the day the BOY LEFT. But now he SEES a tiny FIGURE that looks familiar. It’s his SON! What matters to the old man is THAT THE BOY IS BACK. Why he’s back, what HIS MOTIVES may be simply DOESN’T enter the father’s MIND. And so HE DOES SOMETHING that an old man in HIS SOCIETY––or OURS, for that matter––is UNLIKELY to do. HE RUNS down the driveway in the direction of his son. The old man is CLOSE to TEARS. He grabs the boy in a BEAR HUG and PLANTS a sloppy wet KISS on his CHEEK. The son doesn’t get a chance to COMPLETE his smooth SPEECH.
The father yells to one servant for the best ROBE in the CLOSET, A PAIR of NEW SANDALS and a RING. He tells another servant to SLAUGHTER and PREPARE the CALF they’ve been FATTENING.
Other than HIS CROSS and RESURRECTION, Jesus has no OTHER way than this to tell us we are FORGIVEN when we play the part of the YOUNGER SON. When our BEHAVIOR is scandalous and our REPENTANCE less than perfect, there still is this mighty welcome home. Our sin is never greater than divine love.
But sometimes our POISONESS BEHAVIOR does not resemble what the younger son does.
We look RIGHTEOUS, act RIGHTEOUS, feel RIGHTEOUS. But inside, our heart is a CESSPOOL of RESENTMENT. We HATE anybody who seems to get away with anything. We HATE the FATHER who shows CONCERN and COMPASSION for them.
So this story INVITES US to accept FORGIVENESS when we tend toward INDULGENCE, ARROGANCE, or BOTH. But as I said at the start, this story also INVITES US to extend FORGIVENESS. Not only does the FATHER SET US FREE from our entrapment in sin, but he offers us an example we can follow of WHAT IT MEANS TO FORGIVE, and thus he reveals a deep dimension of how to be CHRISTIAN, how to be HUMAN.
Lent IS a time to ACCEPT FORGIVENESS, but EXTEND IT to others ALSO. DO WE find ourselves in the YOUNGER SON or the OLDER ONE or BOTH of them together. We can also find our role to be that of the FATHER. BROTHERS and SISTERS we are called to the exercise of this ministry. It belongs to US AS CHRISTIANS. May God help you to Forgive and come home.
Happy Easter…He is Risen Indeed…Alleluia….God loves you and so do I.

Posted in Pastor's Corner | No Comments »

Pastor’s Corner March 2010

April 16th, 2010 | Author: Pastor Ron

Pastor’s Corner March 2010

Lent is a forty day season with two primary themes: Baptism and Penitence… both are a time of preparation of our Lord’s passion. What are you doing to become more focused on the Lenten season? Sometimes people gave up something. Karen and I have decided not to have any sweets and I’m doing additional devotional readings. We are encouraged to read our bibles during the Lenten season. It’s a great way to get started to read the bible. Jesus Knew His Bible Too. Jesus defends himself from the evil one in the wilderness.
Jesus fasted FORTY DAYS, a very long time. Luke says that Jesus was FAMISHED. Of course he was FAMISHED! Who wouldn’t be FAMISHED after FORTY DAYS without FOOD! Then the devil came to Jesus. The devil DIDN’T ATTACK Jesus when he was STRONG, but when he was WEAK from HUNGER. That’s the way the devil WORKS. He looks for our WEAK SPOTS our VULNERABILITIES. He tries to SNEAK in through the CRACKS in our ARMOR. So the devil came to Jesus when he was WEAK from HUNGER, and said: "IF YOU ARE THE SON OF GOD, command this STONE to become a loaf of BREAD."
LET’S LOOK AT THAT. At Jesus’ BAPTISM, a voice from heaven said, "YOU ARE MY SON." Now the DEVIL begins the first temptation by saying, "IF you are the Son of God." That’s a great line, isn’t it especially for TEMPTING MAN! Just think about it.
So the DEVIL starts by saying to Jesus, "IF YOU ARE THE SON OF GOD, command this STONE to become a loaf of BREAD." Jesus said, "IT IS WRITTEN!" Written WHERE? Written in the BIBLE, of course Deuteronomy 8:3 to be precise! But for now, just remember that Jesus, who was FIGHTING for HIS SPIRITUAL LIFE, deflected the devil by QUOTING SCRIPTURE.
Then the DEVIL SHOWS Jesus all the KINGDOMS of the WORLD and says, "If you will worship me, it will all be yours."THAT’S A LIE, but it’s the kind of LIE that people LIKE TO BELIEVE. "Just give me your MONEY, and I’ll make you RICH!" Wow! That sounds WONDERFUL! Or "Just buy a BOTTLE of this WINE, and women will FALL at your FEET!" Or, "Party at our CASINO, and you will have FUN, FUN, FUN."What HAPPENS here……STAYS here. What a LIE!
The DEVIL said, "If you will worship me, it will all be yours." THAT’S A LIE.
So Jesus answered, "It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him."
Jesus said, "IT IS WRITTEN!" Written where? Written in the BIBLE!
Then the DEVIL took JESUS to the PINNACLE of the TEMPLE and told him to JUMP. The devil QUOTED A SCRIPTURE that seemed to promise that ANGELS would PROTECT Jesus. He was trying to TEMP JESUS to make a GRAND GESTURE and a MIRACULOUS RECOVERY, with the promise that people would FLOCK TO HIM. What a way for Jesus to JUMP-START his MINISTRY!
But Jesus answered, "It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the TEST."
Jesus began his answer by saying, "IT IS SAID!" Said where? In the BIBLE, of course!
So Jesus DEFLECTED all THREE TEMPTATIONS by quoting SCRIPTURE. How do you suppose he did that?
- Did he get his BIBLE and his CONCORDANCE from his BOOKSHELF and start looking for the answer? No!—– No time for that!
- Did he have a BIBLE PROGRAM on his COMPUTER so he could find the answer quickly? Afraid not!
- Did he go to GOOGLE, which promises to ANSWER every QUESTION? Hardly!
Jesus was able to SAVE HIMSELF,– because he had been LEARNING the BIBLE from his CHILDHOOD. He had been NURTURED from the beginning concerning the scriptures. Mary and Joseph had taught him well.
That suggests that we ought to LEARN THE SCRIPTURES TOO! When we have to make a quick life-or-death decision, knowing the BIBLE can SAVE US TOO! But don’t wait until you’re in TROUBLE. Start studying your Bible NOW.

There is a LESSON in that for US. When TEMPTATION COMES, it will SELDOM give us TIME TO THINK or PREPARE. When our life is on the LINE, how we have PREPARED during the QUIET TIMES will often determine whether we will WIN or LOSE in the troubled times. If you will begin STUDYING your BIBLE NOW, it will help you when the CHIPS ARE DOWN. If you will begin PRAYING NOW, you will be STRONG when TROUBLE COMES.
But it is hard to DISCIPLINE OURSELVES. It is hard to prepare ourselves SPIRITUALLY. So I would like to propose one more ingredient for the "Get Ready" formula. Get involved in a Bible STUDY group a small group of Christians who meet for the PURPOSE of STUDYING THE BIBLE and STRENGTHENING each other SPIRITUALLY. Then, when TROUBLE COMES, you will be STRONG. Then, when TEMPTATION COMES, you will be able to just say NO. …according to the Scriptures.

Happy Easter

Posted in Pastor's Corner | No Comments »

Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun

		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17	18	19
20	21	22	23	24	25	26
27	28	29