From the Pastor’s desk...
“My help comes from the Lord the maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 121:2
Dear friends in Christ,
Like the ripples of a stone striking the waters surface sending ripples across the pond. The passing of 10 year old Andrew has touched many lives in our community. I was called to Valley West hospital to help bring spiritual comfort. I found a beautiful 10 year old boy and family. Many thoughts fill my mind.
One, treasure the people in your life and this moment we share. My work with the family and hospital staff now complete. I exited calling Joan and then texted the members of our family to tell them of this tragedy and express my love for each .
Two, Let us reaffirm the importance of building a spiritual foundation to survive the difficult challenges that life throws at us. Make plans to be in our Father’s house this weekend and the next and the next. Arrange time to read your Bible at home. Pray. Serve and help others. You never know when you will call upon this! Any one who builds a foundation - a brick layer/the placement of concrete forms - knows this cannot be done in a night. The bricks are laid one at a time. Each must be level and strong. We will trust in the solid rock Jesus Christ. When the storms of life come crashing, cancer, the sudden death of a loved one or friend or we encounter something we never expected. We will have something to hold on to and guide us through.
Three, God is into life, not death. Death is God’s enemy and Jesus came into our world to defeat it. On the cross he took our death upon himself and died and rose again so that all who believe in him may have eternal life. The family was angry. I told them that God was more angry because God is in to life. God despises death. It is God’s enemy for it takes away something precious that God has given to us - the beloved. Jesus was angry when his friend Lazarus died. That’s what the Greek word in the Scriptures means when it says that Jesus was “moved in spirit”. Then He raised Lazarus from the dead. God is into life. This day is God’s gift to you and me. Today is not a rehearsal for tomorrow so live, love, invest, forgive, help, serve, let go of stupid! Move on! John said we are to love God and love one another. Live connected to God and one another. Learn something new at worship and Sunday School each time you are here. Then we shall know the inner strength and direction and the skills of faith that come from abiding in Christ.
Last, God fights for us. We are not alone. To help us in this difficult time, Jesus told a parable of a worldly and uncaring judge who granted a widow’s request. He didn’t care about God or people. Yet he helped simply because she kept asking and pestering him. Jesus said if an uncaring judge will grant the woman’s request just to make her go away how much more will our Father in heaven hear the heart cries of his children and respond quickly to our needs. Do you think that the One who loves you will be slow to answer? Faith and pray are life lines. You remember the “Who wants to be a millionaire?” program. The contestant in the thick of the contest would reach out to a friend seeking help to find the answer. You are in the thick of the contest called life! Know that God is there for you. Pray! Let your requests by made known to God and let the peace and love of God keep your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. Place faith in God! Trust Him! Believe in Him! Follow Him! So much of life is knowing who to trust. We can place our trust in God. Faith is personal but it is not private. This is a shared adventure, a shared journey. We must call on God and never give up. The church is here to provide faith support for God’s children. Reach out! Attend! Participate! Serve and learn with us!
We know what to place first in our lives. We are to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul and mind and love our neighbor as our self. To this journey we are called by Christ. As we follow and obey, faith knows that we shall experience an abundant life both here and in eternity.
In His love, P. Dave.