Dec 31, 2015 | Uncategorized
“Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God (1 Samuel 17:26)?”
I love this line from David. He is the youngest of his brothers and likely the smallest. He is not supposed to be anywhere near the battle lines. Everyone is fearful that this little guy might get hurt or killed if he wanders too close to the action. Meanwhile Goliath, a ripply, muscle-hardened giant dares the Israelites to challenge him! That’s when David utters the great line above! “Who the heck does this guy think he is, challenging God like that?”
Many of us remember that David went out there without any armor, any special training, or any special weapons. He sunk a rock, flung from a slingshot, into Goliath’s forehead. David believed God would give him what he needed no matter how bad the odds of the circumstances might have looked, and God did.
As we look to 2016, I’m aware there are many giant issues in the world today, terrorism, evil governments, hunger, global warming. But we are people of faith in a God who is larger than all of these issues combined! What giant are you facing in 2016? A relationship that looks so tangled that you don’t see any way to bring peace to it…mountainous tasks at work that you aren’t sure you can handle…temptations you don’t have the strength to overcome…a hurt that threatens to drag you under?
This year, may God give us the faith of David to say, “Are any of these circumstances too big for my God?” And may God give us the courage to act on that faith by heading into the fight. Here is a prayer from the book Common Prayer:
“Lord, help us to be faithful, even when we face our own fears. Remind us that we are your children, even when we feel inadequate. We know that you have overcome giants and crosses and all things evil. Help our unbelief. Amen.”
May your new year be filled with the hope and power and love of God who is with us to bring us to salvation!
Happy New Year!
Pastor Cameron”
Dec 23, 2015 | Uncategorized
Is There Worship Sunday, December 27th? Of course!
What better way is there to continue to celebrate the Christmas season than by coming to worship the new born King! Sing your favorite Christmas carols, pray, listen to Scripture, see friends and church family, and commune with Christ on Sunday. It will be a special time of considering God’s call on our lives in the year to come as we remember God’s covenant love for us and “Re-Up” our love for God. Hope to see you there!
Time To Re-Up!
This Sunday will be a special time of worship. Yes, bask in the glow of Christmas celebration, singing more of our favorite carols and spending time in prayer and scripture. But more than that, we will remember how Christ’s coming fulfilled God’s covenant love for us, and we will re-up our covenant love for God. This will be a spectacular way to get your new year focused on the love of Christ as your starting point! It will require some preparation. So here are some big questions to pray about as you prepare to meet God in worship this week:
1. Are you willing to offer your whole life this year to doing whatever God asks of you, no matter how unpleasant the task, no matter how big or small the tasks of love?
2. What sins have you struggled with in thoughts, words, or deeds this past year? Ask Jesus for grace to replace them with his ways.
3. What things or people have you placed in front of God this year?
I look forward to a rich time of worship and an outpouring of God’s grace upon us Sunday! Merry Christmas!
Pastor Cameron
Dec 17, 2015 | Uncategorized
“And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn (Luke 2:7).”
“When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God (Leviticus 19: 33-34).”
As we ponder the meaning of Jesus’ coming to earth it is worth noting that hospitality is an essential part of our salvation story! Hospitality is woven into all of the Scriptures. Abraham and Sarah gave food, drink, and rest to three men who turned out to be God’s messengers coming to tell them the good news that Sarah would become pregnant with Isaac. The writer of Hebrews may have had this in mind when he wrote, “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it (Hebrews 13:2).” And Jesus gracefully welcomed us into God’s presence even while we were sinners and enemies of God (Colossians 1: 21-22). And then there is God himself, born a vulnerable infant into a hostile world with only a place among the animals!
During this moment in history people and governments are working to tell the difference between people who truly seeking asylum for their families and terrorists disguised as the weak and vulnerable, it is vital for those of us following Jesus to reclaim the value of hospitality. Jesus’ followers are not called to live our lives out of fear but out of love, especially love for the stranger.
According to the Bible, God wants us to remember that we have all been strangers at one time or another. Remember when you first moved into this area and knew no one? Remember how it felt to start at a new school or a new job? Who reached out to welcome you? Who offered to help you get to know others? Who showed you how things worked in your new environment? Who made you feel valued and welcomed? Jesus calls us to be those who welcome others into our lives.
So who is the stranger among us? Who is new to our area? Who do we not know in our neighborhood? Who can we welcome into “our world” this Christmas as we show Christian love and hospitality? According to Jesus, when we welcome and serve those people, we welcome and serve him.
Joy on the journey,
Pastor Cameron
