The LINK: 11/23
Just as the changing seasons signal a time of transition, Congregational Presbyterian Church is entering a new season. September brought the ending of a longer term ministry and the beginning of a shorter term interim ministry. November brings the ending of an interim ministry and the beginning of a called ministry.
The LINK: 8/23
My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.” My heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.”
Our desires impact our lives, and our strongest desires shape our lives.
The LINK: 7/23
The Bible declares: “God is love” and “God is holy.” So, we look to the Bible to teach us about godly love and holiness. We are to love God and others because God first loved us, and we are to be holy for God is holy.
The LINK: 6/23
This summer we will enjoy a Sermon Series and Bible Reading Plan highlighting People of God in the Old Testament as well as some of the Psalms. It is my hope that we as a congregation will benefit from these Old Testament texts, being guided in our own faith journeys as we learn about these men and women of God.
The LINK: 5/23
These past several months we have tried something new as congregation on Sunday mornings. On the first Sunday of each month, beginning in January, we have offered one Combined Service at 10:00am which has, on those mornings, replaced our regular 9:00am Contemporary Service and 11:00am Traditional Service.
The LINK: 4/23
At the heart of our Christian faith is the story of a man who dies on a cross and on the third day is raised again to life.
The LINK: 1/23
“One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountain-side and sat down. His disciples gathered around him, and he began to teach them” (Matthew 5:1-2).
With these words, Matthew opens a three-chapter section of his gospel commonly referred to as The Sermon on the Mount. Beginning January 8 and going through the month of May, our Sunday sermon series will explore this teaching of Jesus.
The LINK: 11/22
November is the month of Thanksgiving, so I thought it appropriate to use this pastor's letter to talk about gratitude. Thomas Merton, one of the great Christian spiritual thinkers of the last century, said: "Gratitude takes nothing for granted. It is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder, and to praise of the goodness of God."
The LINK: 9/22
This fall I look forward to preaching a series on the parables of Jesus which were stories he told using everyday things to illustrate spiritual truth. A farmer and his seeds, a father and his sons, a shephered and his sheep - these were things people knew about from their everyday lives.
The LINK: 8/22
Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us that “for everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” As I read this scripture, I find myself speculating on the experience of its author. What kind of life did he live? Were his days neatly organized around a few tasks that defined his “normal”? Were there interruptions to the ebb and flow of his everyday routine? Did he struggle to establish an ordering of time that gave structure to his world?
The LINK: 7/22
I have enjoyed the opportunity of preaching from the life of Abraham. Spending time in these stories of one man’s walk with God renews my spiritual life. As I have studied and thought about the ways of God as expressed in his relationship with Abraham, I am once again amazed at how true these ancient writings are to everyday Christian living.
The LINK: 6/22
Is it summer already? Spring, as wet and cold as it was, poured over us in a deluge of activities that confirmed a long-awaited hope: something new is springing up! The past few months have been a breath of fresh air and a shining of new light following the stuffy and dark two years of COVID-19. It has been such a blessing to see our church family spring back to life in ways that were impossible six months ago. God is faithful!
The LINK: 5/22
A long time ago, when I was in college, I went to a concert that featured the Steve Miller Band. I still remember one of their song lyrics: “Time keeps on slippin’, slippin’, slippin’, into the future.”
The LINK: 4/22
At the heart of our Christian faith is the story of a man who dies on a cross and on the third day is raised again to life. The story begins on the evening before the man’s death when he gathers with his followers. First, the man reaffirms his love for them. Then, he tells them that the bread and the cup of the meal they are sharing represent his body and blood which will be broken and shed for them, for the forgiveness of their sin.
The LINK: 3/22
The 40 day season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday on March 2 and continues through Saturday, April 16, the day before Easter Sunday. (The 40 day count excludes Sundays.) The Christian Church has celebrated Lent for many centuries as a way to encourage Christians to prepare for Easter by observing a period of spiritual discipline. The choice of 40 days echoes important 40-day and 40-year events in the Bible, including the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness.
The LINK: 1/22
Near the middle of the first century AD, Paul wrote a pair of letters to a recently established congregation of Christians in the town of Thessalonica. The people to whom he addressed the two letters we now call 1 and 2 Thessalonians were for the most part new converts to Christianity who had grown up in a Greek cultural environment. One of Paul’s major challenges was that of helping these believers to learn, understand, and live by the very different social and ethical teachings of Jesus.
The LINK: 11/21
In his letter to young Timothy, the Apostle Paul says: “Godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6). Contentment. What a wonderful word, one that I would like to experience more of in my life. To be content with who God has created me to be. To be content with what God has given me to do. To be content with what God has given me to use. To be content with what I have. How do I in-crease my level of contentment?
“God is the last link of the chain, but He is the first also.”
