Sunday Scripture and Sermon for January 3, 2010

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday is from John 1: 10-18, in which we are given the good news of Jesus coming to earth to give us life. The sermon is titled 'The Word Became Flesh' and will focus on the blessings we have received through the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. I hope to see you all on Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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1 Corinthians 9: 1-27; The Rights of an Apostle

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Run in such a way as to get the prize." Running competitively is often a very difficult thing. You must run as fast and as hard as you can for as long as you can in order to win the race. By the time you get done with the race you are so exhausted you can barely stand. We should apply the same dedication and determination to our ministry and our faith. When we go out to make disciples we should push as hard as we can to bring people to Christ. When we go out to serve those in need we should do it for as long as possible can. When we get done we should have nothing left. We need to pour every ounce of our energy into serving Christ and our brothers and sisters. We should, as Paul tells us, 'run in such a way as to get the prize.' God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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1 Corinthians 8: 1-13; Food Sacrificed to Idols

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The idea is that we are not supposed to be a stumbling block to anyone else. In all things we are supposed to help others in their journey of faith, especially those who are new to the faith. If our eating of food sacrificed to idols is going to cause someone else to question their faith then we ought not to do that. This applies to other things as well with the idea, again, being that we are to do whatever we can do help others, not hinder them, in their journey of faith. Others watch us to see how we live our lives. In some cases those who watch us will imitate us, and in imitating us they may be led astray. We need to keep that in mind as we live our lives, remembering that our brothers and sisters in Christ will sometimes look to us for direction. We need to remember not to lead them in the wrong direction through what we say and do. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Christmas Eve Service

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

This evening we are having our Christmas Eve Service here at the church. The service will begin at 7:00 p.m. The choir will be singing a cantata for us, we will have readings from the Christmas story, as well as a Christmas Message. We will close out the service by having communion, which will be followed by the singing of Silent Night, Holy Night, as the sanctuary is lit by candlelight. I hope you will all be able to join us for this special Christmas Eve service. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Pastor Josh on Vacation

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

I will be on vacation from December 25 through the 29, 2009. If you need anything while I am away please contact one of the Elders. John McCarty will be preaching during the December 27 worship service. I will not be posting during my vacation. Posting will resume on December 30, 2009. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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1 Corinthians 7:1-40; Marriage

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Hidden beneath this treatise about marriage is a reminder to let nothing get in the way of serving God. Marriage is permissible, says Paul, but not if it is going to cause you problems in your faith or work. This is good to remember not just in terms of marriage, but also in reference to everything else in life. If there is something, anything, that gets in the way of your faith then a change needs to be made. If there is something that causes you to stumble that things needs to be gotten rid of. If there is something that keeps you from serving God in the right way then you are not in the place God wants you to be. In all things make sure God is put first in your life. Paul is reminding us here to let nothing get in the way of our worship of, and service to, God. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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1 Corinthians 6: 12-20; Holiness

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Therefore honor God with your body." As Christians we are called to a life of holiness. This holiness to which we aspire is not for the benefit of saving our souls, it is not the benefit for 'scoring points' with God. Holiness is a form of worship. They way we live our lives matters because if we live holy lives we are bringing glory and honor to God. We praise God with our lips, but we also praise God with our bodies, the bodies the Lord has seen fit to give us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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1 Corinthians 6: 1-11; Lawsuits Among Believers

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We should take everything to the Lord. He is the true ruler of the world, it is he who judges. Paul is saying we ought to not trust in human beings when it comes to matters of judgment. Rather, we should trust in God, as he is the only one who is holy and perfect in every way, and being holy and perfect only God can hand down a perfect judgment, one free from subjective thoughts. Through prayer we ought to ask for God's guidance and direction when it comes to things like this. We need to follow God, as his judgements are perfect. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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1 Corinthians 5: 1-13; Expel the Immoral Brother

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

As much as I do not like to, I am going to have to disagree with Paul here. Yes, there is a call to holiness for Christians. Jesus tells us, in the Sermon on the Mount, that we are to be perfect as our heavenly father is perfect. Being surrounded by those who not living a holy life certainly makes being holy a much more difficult task for us. However, in addition to being called to holiness we are also called to be a light, to help others, to bear with one another. In short, we are supposed to assist people in their journey of faith; we are supposed to help others become the children God wants us all to be. It is hard to do that if we kick people out of the church and our communities of faith. We should always remind people of our call to holiness, but we should help others as they struggle with sin and temptation. Expelling them will not do them any good, and our brothers and sisters in Christ are to be one of our main concerns. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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1 Corinthians 4: 1-21; Apostles of Christ

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Being an apostle is tough work. Paul covers a lot of miles in his missionary journeys. He also spends a lot of time in prison. The only thing that keeps him alive so long is that he is a Roman citizen. In any case, we get the image here that being an Apostle of Christ is no walk in the park. Neither is being a disciple of Christ. Jesus tells us, 'The world will hate you because of me.' Not only that, but at various times Jesus gives his disciples a 'doom and gloom' sermon in which he describes the specific ways in which they are going to suffer. The same is true for us. We are not given an easy road. Following Jesus is very hard. What we need to keep in mind, though, is our future peace. Yes, we suffer here, sometimes in the name of Jesus. But someday our suffering will be at an end. Someday we will enter the kingdom of heaven and be delivered from our suffering. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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1 Corinthians 3: 1-22; On Divisions in the Church

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Faith is a journey. Many of you have heard me use the phrase 'journey of faith' in every prayer and worship service. The reason for that is simple, faith is a journey. It is a journey on which we continue to grow and learn. We grow stronger in our faith as we gain a better understanding of who God is and what he has done for us. We do a better job of serving him, of being the children he wants us to be. We learn more about God: who he is and what he has done for us; we learn more about the type of person God wants us to be. Above all, though, we learn more and more about the amazing love God has for us. I pray you will be blessed on your journey of faith. May God work in you and through you; may your faith and knowledge of the Lord grow stronger each and every day. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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1 Corinthians 2: 6-16; Wisdom From the Spirit

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Outside Pentecost Sunday we just do not do very much with the Holy Spirit. This is too bad, as the third person the Trinity has a lot to offer us. More than anything the Holy Spirit is God's presence in our lives. When we feel alone or abandoned the Holy Spirit is there with us, to bring into our lives the strength, comfort, and peace we need to continue. It sometimes feels like God is not there, but in those times we need to remember that we have the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We are never alone. God never leaves us. Through the Holy Spirit He is always here with us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Open House

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

I want to remind everyone of the Open House at the Parsonage on December 20, 2009. We'll get started at 2:30 p.m. I would love for you to come by the house and spend some time with us and other folks from the church. Thanks and God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for Devember 20, 2009

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday is from Luke 1: 39-56, in which Mary visits Elizabeth and gives praise and honor to God. The sermon is titled 'Jesus Fulfills' and will focus on the ways in which Jesus fulfills the things Mary talks about in her Song to the Lord. I hope to see you all on Sunday morning. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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1 Corinthians 1: 18- 2: 5; Christ the Wisdom and Power of God

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

It begins and ends with Jesus. That is Paul's major point here, Jesus is the center. Against the 'wisdom' of the world we preach Christ crucified. Jesus is our guidance, we can go nowhere without him; Jesus is our salvation, we can have no life without him; Jesus is our light, without him we are in darkness. We get caught up in so many other things in our faith that sometimes we lose sight of what it's all about: Jesus. He is our center, our reason, our source of life and everything else we have. Remember Jesus, and remember all he is and all he has done for us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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1 Corinthians 1: 10-17; Divisions in the Church

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

'A house divided against itself cannot stand.' Jesus says these words in reaction to accusations that he is in league with Satan. However, I think Jesus is also giving a lesson when he says this, that are not to split amongst ourselves. Paul knows the importance of this as well. In part, this is a reminder that we are to love one another as Christ has loved us. We are to love each other enough to work together and worship together. There is, though, a hint of self-preservation as well. Paul and Jesus both know that division leads to non-existence. If the church is going to thrive and survive we need to come together. We need to not be split up so much. The journey to this destination begins with prayer. Our prayer should be that all of our hearts should be softened enough for us to come together as one body of Christ. As Paul says, 'I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another, so that there may be no divisions among you, and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.' God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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1 Corinthians 1: 1-9; Greetings and Thanksgiving

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

One of the things I really enjoy about Paul is how thankful he is. As I read the beginning of this letter I am once again in awe of Paul's gratitude. This gratitude, though, is not for the big fancy blessings in life: the new tunic, the nice house, the comfortable sandals. No, this gratitude is for the simple blessing of having brothers and sisters in Christ. Paul is grateful that he has people with whom he can share his journey of faith, and with whom he can worship. I can almost see the excitement on Paul's face as he writes this letter. I can almost feel the joy leaking out of him onto the page. What is our level of gratitude. Is church just another place we go during the week because that is the nice thing to do? Are our brothers and sisters in Christ siblings that we have to love because their siblings, not because we truly love them? Or, like Paul, are our hearts filled to the brim with joy for the blessings of church and family?Do we always thank God for each other and the blessing of being here in God's house? God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Judges 21: 1-25; Wives for the Benjamites

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Once again we find these words that 'everyone did as he saw fit.' What a sad time it must have been to not have had a king. Israel here is living without that guidance and direction and leadership they need. During this season of Christmas we celebrate our King, Jesus. Jesus is our guidance, he is our direction, he our leadership. Jesus is our strength, our peace, our salvation. We are not living without a king. We do not do as we see fit. Jesus is our king; we follow him and do as he sees fit. This is a blessing for us, and during this season of Advent we celebrate the birth of our King. Praise be to God for Jesus Christ, our Lord and King. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Judges 20: 1-48; Israelites Fight the Benjamites

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Advent is a season of peace. One of our candles on the Advent wreath is actually called the candle of peace. During these few weeks we ought to reflect on the peace Jesus wants us to have with one another. Jesus does not want us to fight amongst ourselves. Rather, Jesus wants us to love one another as he has loved us, he wants us to live together in peace. This is not easy, as many of us, directly or indirectly, have been harmed in some way, which does not create peace in our hearts. What we learn from that is that the path to peace lies in forgiveness. We need to forgive those who have wronged us. When we forgive them we are able to restore the relationship that has been broken. Through forgiveness we can find our way to peace. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Judges 19: 1-30; A Levite and His Concubine

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Have you noticed that the last couple chapter of Judah have begun with the phrase: 'In those days, Israel had no king.' And have you also noticed that in the last couple of chapters things have been happening in the lives of the Israelites that maybe are not according to God's will? I think there is a connection between the two. We may not get struck dead for living outside of God's will, but we just might have a different kind of life we would otherwise have: a life without peace and joy. For Israel, this is a tumultuous time because they were not looking to God, their true king. If we look to God, rely on him, and follow him, our lives will be blessed. It's that simple. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Judges 18: 1-31; Danites Settle in Laish

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is easy to convince yourself that what you've done is God's will. For example, the tribe of Dan goes to Micah's home, steals his idols and priest. Then they go to the land of Laish and violently take it over. And since they were not struck dead that must mean God is fine with what they did. The only problem is that they did not pray to God at all during this. God's will is revealed in several ways, but it all begins with prayer, asking God what his will is. There are a lot of things we could do that God will not smite us for, but that does not mean those things are God's will. We need to keep close to God, pray to him, that his perfect will might be revealed to us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Church Christmas Party

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We are having a Christmas Party here at the church on Sunday afternoon. The festivities will begin with a pot-luck dinner, which will begin at 5:00 p.m. Following dinner we will move to our Chapel where we will have a worship service. Please join us for this blessed event, and be sure to bring a friend or neighbor with you. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for December 13, 2009

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday comes from Zephaniah 3: 14-20, in which the prophet reminds us of the saving acts of God. The sermon is titled 'Mighty to Save' and will focus on the miraculous ways in which God has redeemed us. I hope to see you all on Sunday morning. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Judges 17: 1-13; Micah's Idols

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Micah is not following the Lord. Instead he has made for himself an idol, which he worships, and he has installed one of his sons as priest. We are told that Israel has no king during this time, that everyone does as Micah's sees fit. That is not quite what the Lord had in mind. The Lord wants to lead us and guide us. The Lord wants to be the cornerstone of our faith, that we may live to our full calling. Rather than listening to idols, or the world, we need to listen to God alone and ask for his guidance and direction. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Judges 16: 23-31; The Death of Samson

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

In his final day we see Samson being totally reliant on others. He is reliant on the servant to place his hands on the pillars; he is reliant on God to give him the strength he needs to bring those pillars down. Samson reflects the kind of attitude we all should have: one of dependence and reliance on God. We cannot make it through our journey of faith alone. We need a little help. If we ask God to help us we will receive that help, no matter what, but we need to ask. We need to confess to God that we need his help, that we need his strength in our lives. If we make that confession God will be there to help us. We need to know, to remember, that we are reliant on God for all things in life. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Judges 16: 1-22; Samson and Delilah

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved." I'm sure when he is first taken Samson feels he has been abandoned by the Lord. He knows the source of his strength is his hair, and when that goes away he feels like he is alone. However, we are told here that Samson's hair begins to grow back immediately, signifying the fact that the Lord has not abandoned Samson. His hair is still there, God is still with him. At times we may feel like God is not there. There are times when we, like Samson, feel abandoned by God. We need to remember, though, that God is always with us. No matter how we may feel; no matter what we may think is going on, God is always with us. Through prayer we are reminded of God's presence in our lives; our eyes and ears are open to how God is moving in our live and the rest of the world. Pray, that you will be reminded of God's continual presence in your life. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Judges 15: 1-20; Samson's Vengeance on the Philistines

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

A desire for vengeance and anger. Those emotions, and the actions that sometimes come from those emotions, are not consistent with the kind of life God wants us to live. Samson, while he feels justified himself, does not reflect the faith he has in his heart. He continually causes trouble for the Philistines because he feels wronged in some way. Instead of praying for the Philistines, though, Samson acts in vengeance and anger, rather than in mercy and love. Being a child of God is never an easy thing because we are faced with the same things with which everyone else is faced. However, in those times when we find ourselves in situations where we could get angry we need to remember Jesus and our call to act with love, and not vengeance. "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Judges 14: 1-20; Samson's Marriage

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

There is not a lot of compassion in this story. Samson is, for lack of a better word, mean to his guests in giving them a riddle they cannot explain. Samson's guests, in turn, are impatient and threaten to burn Samson's wife and her family if they were not given the answer. Samson's wife goes behind her husband's back and gives the answer of the riddle to the guests. Samson then responds by wreaking havoc on the folks from Ashkelon. Where is the forgiveness and the love? As we read this story of, almost, day-to-day life we can be reminded of our own day-to-day lives. When we look back on our day we should ask ourselves, 'when did I act in anger, resentment, vengeance, secrecy, etc. when I should have acted in compassion.' There is always an opportunity to act in compassion and love. We need to seize those opportunities. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Judges 13: 1-25; The Birth of Samson

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

God is not bound by anything. Here we find another birth miracle. Think of Abraham and Sarah. They were both 'getting along in years,' and believed that their time of being able to have a child had passed them by. Manoah's wife is sterile and is 'unable' to bear any children. And yet to her is born Samson who accomplishes great things in his life. No matter what the world tells us we need to remember that God can do anything. Stories like this are important because they remind us that God has power to perform miracles in the world. Never forget that our God is bound by nothing. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Judges 12: 8-15; Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

When I read passages like this I cannot help but wonder what these folks were like. We are not told anything beyond the fact that they 'led Israel.' In the end, though, I guess their service to God mattered more than anything else. I am sure they accomplished so much more than what we are told here, but the one thing their number one priority was serving the Lord. There is a lesson in there for us. We do so much. We all have jobs where we complete one project after another; we all have milestones and other accomplishments in our lives. But above all that is, or should be, our service to God. We are Christians, the children of God. As such, we are called into God's service. Amidst the craziness of this life we need to remember that our number one priority is to serve the Lord. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for December 6, 2009

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday is from Malachi 3: 1-4, in which the prophet gives us some words concerning the Messiah. The sermon is titled 'God's Plan,' and will focus on God's plan for our salvation becoming a reality in, through, and as Jesus Christ. I hope to see you all on Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Judges 12: 1-7; Jephthah and Ephraim

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Shibboleth" has often been referred to as a secret password. For those in this passage who were unable to pronounce it trouble ensued. The word has gone on to be used by many groups to separate themselves from others and establish exclusive clubs. We, as Christians, have a password. However, it is much easier to pronounce and remember. Our password is Jesus. Anyone who confesses Jesus as personal lord and savior is 'admitted' to the 'club.' One of the things we need to keep in mind, though, is that we do not get to decide who gets to become a part of this faith. That decision rests with God. Our part is to welcome with open arms anyone who accepts Jesus. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Judges 10: 6- 11: 40; Jephthah

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jephthah makes the ultimate offering. There is a considerable amount of Biblical scholarship to suggest that Jephthah does not actually kill his daughter. Rather, Jephthah dedicates his daughter to the worship of the Lord. For her entire life Jephthah's daughter is not allowed to marry, have children, etc. Jephthah offers his daughter to the Lord rather than allowing her to get married and have children. In a time when dowries meant a lot, and children were the way to carry on the way of life, this should be seen as a great offering Jephthah has made. What sacrifices are we willing to make? I am in no way suggesting we sacrifice our children, but there are many things we have that could be offered to the Lord's service. Are we going to keep those things close to us, or are we going to dedicate them to the Lord? God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Judges 10: 3-5; Jair

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We know very little about Jair, but one thing we do is that he is blessed. We are told here that he has 30 sons. Children are a great blessing from the Lord and the fact that Jair has been blessed (at least) 30 times highlights the fact that God blesses us as we go through life. It goes without saying that not everyone is blessed with children, but God blesses us all abundantly in one way or another. We recently celebrated Thanksgiving, a time when we are to give thanks for the many blessings God has given to us. Do not let that act of thanksgiving be a one-time event. We should always give thanks for the many blessings God has given us. God blesses Jair, God blesses us. We should be mindful of those blessings and remember to thank God for them. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Judges 10: 1-2; Tola

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

According to Judges, Tola did not do very much in his life. Yes, he ruled Israel for 23 years, but other than we are given no information. He is remembered as a ruler, that is all. Not a good ruler, not a bad ruler. His life seems to have little or no significance whatsoever. No one, it seems, had too much to say about Tola when he died. What will people say of us when we go to our Lord? Will they say we lived a life faith which reflected the life of Jesus? Or will they say we lived for so many years and nothing more? Obviously, our goal should be to God's glory, but there is a human concern of how we want to be remembered. Give yourselves more than 2 scripture verses' worth of remembrance by living the kind of life Jesus wants you to live. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Pastor Josh on Vacation

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

I will be on vacation next week, beginning after the worship service on Sunday November 22, 2009 through November 28. I will not be posting while I am on vacation. Posting will resume on November 29, 2009. If you need anything while I am away please contact one of the Elders. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Judges 9: 1-57; Abimelech

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Old Covenant had a 'clause' in it which made clear that God would punish, sometimes with death, sin. The Israelites had to continually make sure they were living well, making sacrifices, etc. in order that they would be spared from God's divine punishment. In some cases, even that was not enough, as many Israelites were punished for their sins. The New Covenant has the 'Jesus Clause.' And the Jesus Clause states that Jesus took the punishment that should have been ours. If we accept Jesus and live a life that reflects that acceptance, then we have no need to worry about punishment. Jesus took the punishment upon his own shoulders, he saved us from that fate. Now we are free from sin, punishment, and even death. We are blessed to be members of the New Covenant, a covenant in which we are perfectly saved. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Judges 8: 28-35; Gideon's Death

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Forty years of peace. I wonder what that would feel like. As Christians we are not only called to have peace, we are also called to make peace. Not all of us are in a position to make world peace, but we can peace in our own neighborhoods. There may not be a war being fought here in Mt. Lebanon, but we do not always get along with all those around us. We can, though, and we should. We can make forty years of peace for ourselves right here, in our little corner of God's creation. This begins with love. We should, as Jesus commands us, love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Forgiveness is also important. We should, as Jesus commands, forgive our neighbors for any sin they commit against us. We can make forty years of peace. And we can do that through love and mercy. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for November 22, 2009

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday is from Genesis 2: 1-3, in which God takes a rest from his labors. The sermon is titled 'The Seventh Day' and will focus on the blessings we have of the Sabbath day. I hope you are all able to join us for worship. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Judges 8: 22-27; Gideon's Ephod

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

What a great confession from Gideon: 'The Lord will rule over you.' Having a king is something that is going to cause Israel problems later on. They desire a king so they can be like 'other nations,' forgetting they are supposed to be a nation set apart. Once they do get a king they begin to follow the king rather than God. Once that happens Israel's troubles begin to grow exponentially. The Lord is our king, he is our ruler. Everything we do should be brought before him. God is not just our friend, he is our king. As such we should allow him to rule over us, to lead us and guide us, to help us. The Lord is our king, we should treat him like it. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Judges 8: 1-21; Zebah and Zalmunna

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus says, 'You have heard that it was said, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you if someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.' Gideon practices vengeance in this passage, the kind of vengeance Jesus forbids us, as Christians, to practice. Reading stories like this can sometimes be difficult, but this story does give us an idea of what our lives would be like without Jesus. Gideon does not have Jesus in his life, and so his life is a little more difficult. Sometimes his anger and other emotions get the better of him. We have Jesus, who makes our lives better, who enables us to live the kind of life he wants us to live, a life filled with love, not vengeance. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Judges 7: 1-25; Gideon Defeats the Midianites

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Trust is always an important factor. Imagine the look on Gideon's face as the Lord trims down his army from 24,000 men to 300. That is quite a drop in numbers. I imagine Gideon thinking, somewhere in his heart, that 300 men is not enough to win the fight. Most of us would think the same thing. However, in the end, Gideon trusts the Lord, and the Lord delivers him and his people. This is possible because Gideon trusts God. He trusts that God is going to provide everything he needs in order to win. Gideon is a living example of what it means to trust the Lord when it seems like everything is going to come crashing down. We may not find ourselves in the exact same situation, but there are many times in our lives when we may think the Lord is not strong enough, that there is too much going on. The numbers, statistics, power, etc. of the world overwhelm us to the point where we simply do not have enough trust in the Lord. In those times we can remember Gideon. We can remember that with only 300 men God delivers Gideon and his people. Gideon trust the Lord. We should show that same trust. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Judges 6: 1-40; Gideon

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

God can use anyone. Moses tells God he has a speech impediment. Jeremiah does not want to be used by God. Jonah runs away from God. Paul used to murder Christians. Gideon comes from the weakest clan. All of these people were used by God in one way or another. They think they do not have what it takes, but God finds a way to use them to bring about His will on earth. We may think we are too weak, too small, too quiet, too loud. But in the end we need to remember that God can, and will, use anyone for his service. No matter what we feel our limitations may be God can still use us. We just need to keep our eyes and ears open. God speaks, He calls us into his service. We need to listen and look that we will know what God wants from us, and we need to remember that no matter what we think our limitations are God can still use us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Judges 5: 1-31; The Song of Deborah

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Deborah praises and thanks God after God helped her deliver the Israelites. Deborah recognizes that God has blessed her and she thanks God for that. There is a lesson in that for us. God blesses us each and every day of our lives. Every single day God reaches into this world and does something for us. When that happens I think it would be a good idea to drop everything right then and thank God for that blessing, whatever it may be. We receive blessings every day. It would be fitting, then, to thank God every day. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Judges 4: 1-24; Deborah

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Faith is necessary for God's will to be done. Barak does not show much faith here. He is not willing to go it alone on this one and pretty much demands that Deborah go with him. In that we see that we must have faith in what God can do. If we need God's help but do not believe God can, or will, help us, then we will not receive the help we need. We must believe in our hearts that God has the power and the love to help us. If we do believe, God will give us what we need. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Judges 3: 31; Shamgar

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

One of the things that stands out to me as I read through this book is the fact that God uses so many people to save Israel at one time or another. Shamgar, though we are told almost nothing about him, is used by God to deliver Israel in some way. The message in all of this is that God works in a lot of different ways, through a lot of different people. We need to keep our eyes, ears, and hearts open to the ways God can and will work in the world. He may be trying to work in our lives in a certain way, but we are, for whatever reason, unable to recognize it. God works. We need to be able to recognize him when he is working in our lives. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Work Day

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We are having a Work Day sponsored by the Property Team this Saturday, November 14. We take these days to do a few projects around the church. There isn't anything too hard, but we do need as many hands as possible. If you are interested, and have some time, we would love for you to join us for this work day. We'll be getting started around 8:30 AM and going till about 12:30 PM. Feel free to stop by any time during those hours. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Cookout & Evening Worship

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We are having a Cookout this Sunday evening at the church. The cookout will begin around 6:00 p.m. and we will be having hamburgers, hot dogs, salad, and maybe even some treats. Following the cookout we will be having a worship service in the Chapel. Our evening services are a lot of fun and are another great opportunity to spend time with God and our friends from the church we know and love. I hope you are all able to make it. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for November 15, 2009

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday comes from Genesis 1: 26-31, during which time God creates human beings and gives them dominion over the earth. The sermon is titled 'The Sixth Day,' and will focus on the blessing of being made 'in God's image,' and what that means for us. I hope to see you all on Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Judges 3: 12-30; Ehud

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Holding on to hope is sometimes a difficult thing. Israel must have struggles to keep their hope alive as they watched their lands being taken over by someone else, as they had to suffer at the hands of others. In the end God delivered them, of course, but while they were waiting for that deliverance I can imagine them struggling to hold on to that hope. The truth is, though, there was hope. There was hope that God was going to come and deliver them from the hands of their oppressors. That hope was brought to fruition when God did deliver the Israelites. We have that same hope. Yes, sometimes things go wrong. Yes, there are times when darkness is all we see. But in those times we can cling to that hope that God is going to deliver us. We can cling to that hope that someday our suffering will be over. It is not always easy to feel that hope, but we truly do have it. We can know that God is going to come and deliver us from our pain and suffering. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Judges 3: 7-11; Othniel

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"But when they cried out to the LORD, he raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, who saved them." God never gives up on Israel. In the first verse of this passage we are told that Israel is not living in fear of the Lord. In other words, they are not living the kind of life God wants them to live. So God punishes them for this. However, when they call out, when they repent, God immediately saves them from the punishment he has delivered onto them. God loves Israel enough to deliver them no matter what kind of life they are living. God never gives up on us either. We may, at times, fall short and turn from the path God has laid out for us. In those times, though, God is still there to deliver us, to help us, to bless us. No matter what we do God will never give up on us. He will never leave us nor forsake us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Judges 2: 6- 3: 6; Disobedience and Defeat

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Joshua's generation failed one major thing: they did not tell the next generation about God and what he had done for Israel. We are told here that the next generation, the generation after Joshua, did not know the Lord. They did not know because they were not told. That knowledge was not passed on to the next generation, which ends up causing Israel come trouble, as they live their lives outside of God's will. Our children are the future. They are the future of the world, and they are the future of the church. If we want the name of the Lord known in the world after we are gone, then we need to tell our children that name. Of course, this is not limited to our children. We need to tell everyone about the Lord and all he has done for the world. In short, we are supposed to share the good news of the Lord with all those around us. The name of the Lord needs to be known throughout the world for all time. It is up to us to make that happen. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Judges 2: 1-5; The Angel of the Lord at Bokim

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Israelites know who they are supposed to be following. They know who it was who brought them out of the wilderness and into the Promised Land. They know the commandments they have been given by God. And yet they continue to disobey and do things God does not want them to do. And God asks them a very simple question. Why? Why to they persist in living this way when they know exactly what they are supposed to be doing. As with everything else we are supposed to see ourselves when we look at Israel. We know what God wants us to do, but we don't always do it. We know who blesses us and leads us through life, but we don't always follow Him. Why? God asks us that question. Why? We could all work a little harder at living the kind of life God wants us to live. God wants us to be holy, he wants us to serve him. We could all take a few more steps forward to being the kind of person God wants us to be. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Judges 1: 1-36; Israel Fights the Remaining Canaanites

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord helps Israel. That much is crystal clear as we read through the Old Testament. Israel faced some pretty tough odds as they were entering the Promised Land. Numerically, and power-wise, Israel should not have been able to defeat the Canaanites, or anyone else for that matter. However, through the power and the love of God the Israelites were able to defeat the Canaanites and enter the land God promised them. God offers help and guidance to those he loves and who love him back. The good news of the Old Testament is that God lends a hand were help is needed for his children. The same is true for us now. God continues to help us as we go through life. The Lord continues to act in our lives, making our lives better, doing for us what we need. Throughout the Old Testament we see example after example of the Lord helping Israel in some way. Throughout our lives we experience example after example of God helping us in some way. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 28: 16-20; The Great Commission

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

I cannot, and will not, say it any better than Jesus. This is what we are supposed to be doing with our lives: "Go forth and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 28: 11-15; The Guards' Report

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

This is where our faith is made. It is possible that the disciples stole the body of Jesus. Maybe they wanted his ministry to continue but felt inadequate to handle it themselves. Maybe they wanted people to think Jesus is still physically alive. Whatever the reason it is possible that something else happened. But our faith tells us something different. Our faith in the risen Lord tells us that his body was not stolen, that the disciples did not go to the wrong tomb, that Jesus really did rise from the grave. Jesus is alive and he continues his ministry to this day. Keep your faith. No matter what the world tells you our Lord is alive and well. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Announcement from the Personnel Team

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Personnel Team is very pleased to announce the hiring of Joshua O'Dell to be the church's new Director of Music. Josh brings to the church many talents and gifts and we look forward to the ministry he will share with us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for November 8, 2009

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this morning is from Genesis 1: 20-23, in which God creates the birds of the air and the fish of the sea. The sermon is titled 'The Fifth Day' and will focus on God's power and love, as well as how those characteristics of God are shown throughout the creation story. I hope to see you all on Sunday.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 28: 1-10; The Resurrection

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Because he lives, we also live. Jesus has given us life through his life. Jesus is raised from the grave on Easter morning and through that spectacular event we are given the same life. The grave has no power over us anymore. We are freed from the bonds of death through the resurrection of our Lord. We have life eternal. We will live forever in God's kingdom. This is not a temporary life. It is not a life that is going to wear out in a thousand years or so. We are going to live for all eternity. How amazing are our lives going to be: living for all time in the presence of the creator of the universe. Eternal life is ours. Through Jesus, and his resurrection, we are given the blessing of living forever. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 27: 62-66; The Guard at the Tomb

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The signs have been there, but still Pilate and the rest of the Romans do not believe in Jesus. Here they go so far as to attempt to prevent faith from taking hold. By placing a guard at the tomb they are trying to prevent people from believing in Jesus. It is not just that they do not have faith themselves, it is that they are also trying to keep others from having faith. As we read through this passage we need to remember to not be a stumbling block for others. We are supposed to help each other in our journey of faith, not hinder each other. As we see the Romans place a guard at the tomb to prevent faith we need to remember to not put guards at other people's tombs and so prevent or harm their faith in any way. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 27: 57-61; The Burial of Jesus

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus is dead for three days. For three days Jesus is in the grave, feeling that pain of separation from God. That is the punishment Jesus took for us. The punishment that awaited us was not being in the presence of the Lord. Jesus endured that punishment as he spent three days in the grave. And what pain and suffering he endured. Imagine, the Son of God being cast out from the presence of God. Imagine the pain Jesus felt during those three days, not being permitted to spend time with his Father in heaven, especially considering all the work he had done. We have been saved from such a fate. We do not have to know what it is like being outside of God's presence. Jesus has saved us from knowing what that feels like. Jesus endured the punishment that would have been ours, the punishment of not being in the Lord's presence. Thanks to Jesus, God is with us always. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 27: 45-56; The Death of Jesus

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

I have made reference to this before, but one of the great things about the life, ministry, and death of Jesus is the fact that he has been through what we go through. Here, we see Jesus feeling that solitude, feeling like he's been abandoned by God. We sometimes feel that. For many reasons some of us sometimes feel like God is not here with us. When we go through that we have Jesus with us to help us. Jesus knows what it is like to feel abandoned. Jesus can help us through that most difficult time in our lives. Through his experiences, especially through his experiences on the cross, Jesus is able to help us as we go through life, because he has been there, too. And that is just one of the many blessings we have through Jesus' death on the cross. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 27: 32-44; The Crucifixion

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus does not just physically suffer on the cross, he suffers emotionally as well. As Jesus is hanging there on the cross everyone who comes near him hurls insults at him. Jesus endures so much pain to save us. We should do our best to earn that salvation. Without Jesus we cannot have salvation, but we should live the kind of life, a perfect life, Jesus wants us to live in gratitude for what he has done for us. We see what Jesus has done for us as we read through the passion narrative. As we see that, as we witness what Jesus went through to save our lives, let us live with thanksgiving in our hearts. Let us live according to what Jesus has called us to do. Let us be holy, just as Jesus calls us, in gratitude for what Jesus has done for us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 27: 27-31; The Soldiers Mock Jesus

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

If only they knew. If only these men knew Jesus is actually the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Maybe they would have treated him differently. Maybe they would have come to accept him as Lord and Savior. We see, here, a glimpse of what our life would be like if we did not have Jesus. Would we all be killers? Perhaps not. But our lives would be filled with anger and hate, rather than peace and love. This passage makes me more grateful because when I see this unfold I see what we all may have become had Jesus not come into the world. Thank Jesus for our salvation, but thank him, too, for making us better people; people whose lives are filled with peace and love, and not anger and hate. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 27: 11-26; Jesus Before Pilate

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus could have taken this opportunity to get away, to escape the horrible fate that awaits him. Jesus, in his conversation with Pilate could have talked his way out of the charges. Before the Jews he could have recanted his ministry and apologized for everything. At any time Jesus could have gotten away. In the end, though, he does not do that. In the end, even though he has every opportunity to get away, Jesus goes to the cross. And he goes to the cross because he loves us. Jesus could not see anything except us on the outside of heaven looking in. Seeing that Jesus went to the cross that we might be able to enter those gates. It is Jesus' love that sends him to the cross: Jesus' love for us, that we may be with him where he is. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for November 1, 2009

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday is from Genesis 1: 14-19, in which God makes the sun, moon, and stars. The sermon is titled "The Fourth Day' and will focus on the blessings of the sun, moon, and stars. I hope to see you all on Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 27: 1-10; Judas Hangs Himelf

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

In Judas we see the opposite of Peter. Peter genuinely wanted to repent. Peter did repent and was accepted back into fellowship with Jesus. Judas, on the other hand, did not want to repent. Part of repentance means coming to the Lord. Judas did not go to the Lord. He went to the Jewish priests and elders. When that failed he killed himself. In times of struggle, or repentance, going to the Lord should always be our first step. The other steps we may take, in trying to make up for something we may have done, may lead us down the wrong path. I have no doubt that when Peter was weeping bitterly he was praying. His first step was to the Lord. Judas' was not. To whom are you going to take your first step? God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 26: 69-75; Peter Disowns Jesus

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Peter does one of the worst things he could possible do in this passage: he denies ever having been associated with Jesus. However, there is always an opportunity to repent and receive forgiveness. Peter, we are told, weeps bitterly when he realizes what he has done. That is his repentance. He recognizes the sin, feels guilt because of it, and wants to atone for that in some way. When Jesus is resurrected he restores Peter to his role as disciple. That is his forgiveness. Peter does a horrible thing, but there is still an opportunity for him to receive salvation. No matter how bad you think you have sinned there is still salvation. No matter what we do, if we truly repent and ask God to forgive us, we will be granted that salvation. So it was with Peter, so it is with us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 26: 57-68; Before The Sanhedrin

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

In the midst of this terrible ordeal it is hard for us to find any good news. As people lie against Jesus, as they strike him and spit on him, it is hard for us to read this passage and be filled with hope. But there is hope in this passage. Jesus gives us the promise, here, that he will someday return and take us to the place he has prepared for us. Someday we will look up and see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven. That will be a glorious day for us, for that is the day when we will be taken home. Even though Jesus is going through the unspeakable here, it is still possible for us to read this passage and be given a little bit of hope. Our hope is this: someday Jesus will return and take us to the place he has prepared for us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 26: 47-56; Jesus Arrested

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus practices what he preaches. Jesus tells his disciples that is someone strikes them they are to turn the other cheek. These are not just empty words from Jesus. He really means this when he tells us to do this. What's more, Jesus does this. As Judas comes to betray him, and his enemies come to arrest him, Jesus could act out of anger or fear. He could do something to Judas, or his captors. He could allow his disciples to do this for him. Instead, though, Jesus goes with those who have come to arrest him. He turns the other cheek. He does this, in part, to fulfill the scriptures. But Jesus also does this to show the importance of not acting violently. We should listen to Jesus when he tells us to turn the other cheek because Jesus does that himself. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 26: 36-46; Gethsemane

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus does not want to go to the cross. Jesus asks God here to deliver him from the horror that awaits him. Jesus has other plans, other desires for his life. In the end, Jesus does not want to be handed over, to be betrayed, to be tortured, to be crucified. In the end, though, Jesus does go through all of that. Jesus is handed over, he is betrayed, he is tortured, he is crucified. Jesus goes thorugh all of this because he knows we have no other options. Jesus knows this is the only way for us to be saved. And so he goes to the cross. He goes to the cross because he loves us and he wants us to have life. Even though he had other ideas, Jesus went to the cross to save us, to give us life, because he loves us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 26: 31-35; Jesus Predicts Peter's Denial

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus knows who we are. Jesus knows Peter well enough to know that when things are tight, Peter will disown Jesus. Obviously, Peter comes out of this looking rather foolish, but we still find some good news here. Jesus has taken the time to get to know Peter, to know what he thinks and how he feels. The same is true for us. We have a Lord who knows who we are, who knows every thought that passes through our minds. We do not follow a Lord who does not care about us, where we have been, where we are, or where we are going. Jesus loves us enough to know us, to know what we think and how we feel. Peter, I think, wishes Jesus doesn't know him so well. But for us this is good news. Jesus loves us, Jesus knows us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Evening Worship

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

This Sunday we will be having an Evening Worship Service. Our Autumn Praisefest will begin at 6:00 p.m. John McCarty will lead us in song as we praise God. There will be a brief message, as well as the official dedication of our Chapel chairs. Following worship we will spend time in fellowship in the church parking lot where we will be having hot apple cider. I hope you are all able to join us for this worship service. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for October 25, 2009

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday is from Genesis 1: 9-13, in which God creates land and vegetation. The sermon is titled 'The Third Day' and will focus on the blessings of the land God creates on the third day. I hope to see you all on Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 26: 17-30; The Lord's Supper

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Take and eat. This is my body." Jesus sacrificed himself that we might have life. When we take communion we are remembering Jesus and the sacrifice he made for us so that we may have life in us. On our communion table are inscribed the word, 'In Remembrance of Me.' We honor Jesus by remembering him; by remembering the sacrifice he made for us. When you eat the bread and drink the cup make sure you take those few precious moments to remember Jesus and his love for you. May we never forget the ultimate sacrifice: the body of Christ, broken; the blood of Christ, shed. "Do this in Remembrance of me." God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 26: 14-16; Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

When I read this passage I cannot help but think how much this passage does for us on our journey of faith. Jesus knows what we go through. That is one of the most amazing things about our Lord: he knows exactly how we feel at any given time because he has faced the same things we face. We see that here as we read about Judas, one of Jesus' closest friends, agreeing to betray Jesus. Jesus knows what is like to be abandoned and betrayed by someone he loves. Jesus, having gone through life as a human being, can help us as we go through life because he has lived the same life, he has experienced the same things. Jesus is our helper. No matter what kind of situation we find ourselves in, Jesus will be there to help us get through it. And he can do that because he has been through what we go through. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 26: 6-13; Jesus Anointed at Bethany

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We are called to go forth and make disciples of all nations; we are called to heal the sick, feed the hungry, visit people in prison, give drink to the thirsty, and clothe the naked. In the midst of all that, though, we must not forget to worship Jesus. This faithful woman, who blesses Jesus by anointing him, should be remembered because of her worship of the Lord. Jesus has done great things for her, and for others, and she is taking time to honor him for that. We must have the same spirit in us: the spirit that tells us how great Jesus is. We are supposed to be a busy people, but we are also supposed to be a worshipful people. Praise Jesus for all he has done. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 26: 1-5; The Plot Against Jesus

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus knows exactly what to expect as he travels to Jerusalem. He knows that he is going to be handed over; he knows he is going to be humiliated in a 'trial' by the Jewish court; he knows he is going to be tortured and crucified. Jesus knows all of this is going to happen. And yet, he goes to the cross anyway. He still travels down to Jerusalem. Why? Because we need him to. We need Jesus to go to the cross. We need Jesus to be handed over; we need Jesus to be put on trial; we need Jesus to be crucified. Jesus knows our needs, and he takes care of those needs. Jesus loves us enough to go through all of this that we may be saved. Jesus knows what to expect if he goes to Jerusalem, but he goes anyway. Why? Because he loves us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 25: 31-46; The Sheep and the Goats

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

When we stand before Jesus we will not be able to say we did not know what to do. When we stand before Jesus we will have no reason for not doing what he has called us to do. Jesus gives us a clear, concise list here of the things we need to be doing to continue his ministry in this world. In Jesus' absence we are responsible for doing what Jesus did throughout his ministry: caring for those who are in need. Jesus healed the blind, the lame, the deaf, the mute; he cast out demons; he offered comfort; in short, Jesus lent a hand where help was needed. We need to be doing the same thing. Jesus reminds us of that here and he tells us the specific things we are supposed to be doing. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 25: 14-30; The Parable of the Talents

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus has given us what we need to enhance his kingdom. We are called to make disciples of all nations, to bring more people to faith in Jesus Christ. In this parable we are given a reminder that Jesus has given us all we need to accomplish that mission. He has given us talents, something with which to work, that we may make disciples. Some take what Jesus has given and use it for its intended purpose, others horde it and keep the word of God to themselves. We all need to be like the first two servants who multiplied what had been given to them. Jesus has given us all we need. Our job is to take what has been given and make more. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 25: 1-13; The Parable of Ten Virgins

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Woe to those who are not ready for Jesus. We are told what we are supposed to be doing to prepare for the return of Jesus. This parable serves as a warning to those who are not following those instructions. Jesus is drawing a line in the sand here, letting us know that if we are not ready, if we are not faithful, we will not be welcome at the banquet. If we want to go with Jesus, if we want to enter the kingdom of heaven, we need to live follow him and do all he calls us to do. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 24: 36-51; The Day and Hour Unknown

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Even Jesus does not know when he is going to come back. Does that mean we should give up, thinking he will never come back? No. We are supposed to prepare ourselves. Jesus is going to come like a thief in the night, when we least expect it. With that in mind we need to make sure we are living every single second in a holy in righteous way, so that when Jesus does come back he will find us living the kind of life he wants us to live. Jesus is going to come back someday. Maybe today, maybe tomorrow, maybe years from now. Someday we will look up and see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven. We need to make sure we are ready for him when he gets here. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for October 18, 2009

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday is from Genesis 1: 6-8, in which God separates the heavenly waters from the earthly waters. The sermon is titled 'The Second Day,' and will focus on the firmament God created to separate these two parts of creation. I hope to see you all on Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 24: 1-35; Signs of the End of the Age

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

It may get bad before it gets better. Sadly, that is what Jesus is telling us here; that we can expect trials and tribulations as we go through life. The trials and tribulations will test our faith in a hard way and will make our lives incredible hard. In the midst of that, though, there is hope; hope that Jesus is going to come back. Jesus stands by his promises, so when he promises us he will return to deliver us from the difficulties we face we can believe him. Yes, things may get rough, but we can hold on to that hope. We can continue to believe that someday Jesus will return to deliver us from the hardships of this life. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 23: 1-39; Seven Woes

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

It goes without saying that Jesus does not get along with the Pharisees, and the number one reason is that the Pharisees are supposed to make the people's lives and journeys of faith easier but do not do so. The Pharisees, who have extensively studied the Law, are supposed to be there to help people better understand and live out the Law. Instead, they opt for corruption, to make the people's lives miserable. We are supposed to help people in their journey of faith. We who have learned much in our faith are supposed to share that knowledge with those around us. We are supposed to be there to assist people, and make their journey of faith easier. This assignment is not just for ministers. We are all supposed to look out for one another, helping each other in our faith, to make sure we are all believing, living, and worshiping in the right way. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 22: 41-46; Whose Son is the Christ

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Who do you say that I am?" "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God." Peter offers this confession in response to Jesus' question. Jesus asks, essentially, the same question of the Pharisees. Jesus asks us the question as well. How are we going to answer? Are we going to confess Jesus as the Christ; confess him as the Way, the Truth, and the Life; confess him as the one true Lord? The Pharisees have their answer, Peter has his. What is our answer going to be when we hear Jesus ask us, 'who do you say that I am?' God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 22: 34-40; The Greatest Commandment

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

All you need is love. Who knew John Lennon was such a prominent theologian? Love truly can make the world a better place. If we all were to a little better at loving one another then we would be closer to being the world God wants us to be. In terms of our human relationships I think that is what God really wants: for us to live together in peace and in love. Remember Jesus and the love he has for all those around him. Despite the fact that they are all different from one another Jesus loves them all just the same, with his whole heart. We should carry on that love. We need to love our neighbors, friends, family, and enemies all the same, remembering the love Jesus has for us, but also remembering the desire God has for us to live together in peace and love. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 22: 23-33; Marriage at the Resurrection

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Joyful and worshipful hearts is what we will have when we enter those gates. Our hearts will be filled with such joy and peace that all we will be able to do is worship God. That is what the angels do. In the Old Testament we are given a few glimpses of the heavens, and most of those glimpses include angels worshiping at the feet of the Lord. That is how we will be, too. When our eternal life and salvation are made complete by entering the kingdom of heaven, we will be overcome with joy and a desire for worship we will be moved to do nothing else. This is not to say we will not see, or enjoy seeing, those whom we have loved in this life. This is just to say that we find ourselves before God's throne we will find ourselves so overwhelmed we will be concerned with little more than the act of worshiping our God. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 22: 15-22; Paying Taxes to Caesar

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

This is not a saying about money. Jesus, here, is echoing the words we find in Genesis, that man is made in God's image. The coins that are brought before Jesus have Caesar's image on them, so they belong to Caesar. What belongs to God? Those things that have God's image on them belong to God. We belong to God. We are made in God's image. God's image is imprinted on us. We are his. Jesus is telling us here that we are supposed to give ourselves to God; we are to surrender our entire lives and love to him. We give ourselves into his service, into his hands of love and grace. We bear God's image. We belong to him. Let us give ourselves to him. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 22: 1-14; The Parable of the Wedding Banquet

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We have received an invitation. It has come in a bright shiny envelope with gold ink. It is addressed to us personally. Inside is a card written in the most beautiful handwriting. It is from God. It says, 'Come to me.' The question is, are we going to accept this invitation with our whole heart? Are we going to read the words, believe in God's promise, and accept the invitation to life and salvation we have been given from God? God has said to us, and he means it with his whole heart, 'Come to me.' Will you accept the invitation? God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for October 11, 2009

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday is from Genesis 1: 1-5, in which God begins the creation of the world. The sermon is titled 'The First Day' and will focus on the light God creates and the blessings we receive because of that light. I hope to see you all on Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 21: 33-46; The Parable of the Tenants

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

God has constantly tried, throughout the history of the world, to reach his children. In the Old Testament God calls the prophets to open the eyes of the Israelites. Time after time God calls people such Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, etc. to preach to the Israelites, to try and lead them back to the right path. In the New Testament God sends his one and only Son into the world. There is not anything God will not due to bring us back to him. He is even willing to give up his one and only son that we might have life in us. That is love. God has never given up on his children. He continues now to call people into his service in order that the world will know and love the name of Jesus. There is not anything God will not do to bring us back to him. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 21: 28-32; The Parable of the Two Sons

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

God does not ask very much of us. When you stops and thinks about all God has done for us, our service and devotion is a small price to pay in response to what God has done. God has given us the air we breathe, the food we eat, the homes in which we live. God has given us life, salvation, and the strength we need to continue on through our journey of faith. When we look at those things, and the many other things God has done, it is not too much for God to ask us to go and 'work in the vineyard.' With all God has done for us doing a little work for him is not too much to ask. Go today and work in the vineyard, remembering what God has done for you. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 21: 23-27; The Authority of Jesus Questioned

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We do not need to ask the question, for we know from where Jesus gets his authority. We do not have doubt in our hearts, and we need to keep it that way. Jesus is who he says he is. We should not question him on that subject. We need to keep our eyes open as to who Jesus is. Blind faith is needed in order to follow Jesus: an unconditional belief in Jesus as the Christ, the son of the Living God. The 'powers-that-be' do not believe in Jesus and because of that are unable to see who Jesus is and what he is going to do for the world. We need to keep our eyes open. We have seen what Jesus did for the world on the cross. We need to keep our eyes open that we would see what Jesus is still doing in the world. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 21: 18-22; The Fig Tree Withers

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is amazing what a little bit of faith can do. Jesus tells us we can make a tree wither away to nothing; that we can move mountains. If we only have faith, if we only truly believe in our hearts that wondrous things can happen, then wondrous things will happen. Too many time we read these words and think only of withering fig trees or moving mountains. Our faith can do so much more than that. If we believe in our hearts, if we have faith, that this church can grow, then this church will grow. If we have faith that God will do amazing things here in this place, God will do amazing things. We need to believe; we need to have faith that we can become the church God wants us to be. If we believe, truly believe, then that will surely happen. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 21: 12-17; Jesus at the Temple

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Matthew gives us a good picture of Jesus here. We can see, and hear, the anger of Jesus as we read this passage. And we can understand, we can sympathize with Jesus. The Temple, the House of God, is being violated by the money and corruption of the people. So Jesus throws them all out, because they are not using God's house in the proper way. We would do well to remember this passage. Even though there are no money changers or sacrificial animals in this church we still need to be reminded that this place is a house of worship, a house of prayer. This is a place for us to rest, to be renewed and refreshed for our journey of faith. This place is a house of worship; a place to come before the throne of grace to offer thanksgiving and praise. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 21: 1-11; The Triumphal Entry

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Hosanna! That word means, literally, save us. The people who are shouting mean for Jesus to same them from Rome. They want the army gone, the persecution gone, the suffering gone. They want Jesus to save them. What they do not realize is that Jesus does save them, just in a different way. Jesus has saved the world, but he has saved us from sin. He has delivered us from the one thing that was standing in the way of us having a deep relationship with God. We shout Hosanna as an act of praise, for we know what Jesus has done for us. Jesus has saved us; he has delivered us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 20: 29-34; Two Blind Men Recieve Sight

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus heals the blind. There are many stories in the gospels of Jesus laying his hands on blind people and restoring their sight. Jesus opens their eyes that they may see the world. Jesus heals our blindness as well. Before Jesus came into the world the world was in total darkness, unable to see the light and the love of God. After Jesus came into the world the light became visible, the love of God entered the heart of everyone. As we read through Jesus' ministry our eyes are opened to the love and grace of God. We can see the Lord and the love he has for us, for Jesus has laid his hands on us and cured the blindness that kept us in the dark. We can see. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Scripture and Sermon for October 4, 2009

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture for this Sunday is from 2 Thessalonians 3: 6-12, in which Paul gives the Thessalonians some final instructions. The sermon is titled 'Walk the Walk' and will focus on our need as Christians to live our faith. I hope to see you all on Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 20: 20-28; A Mother's Request

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

This flies in the face of the 'Rat Race.' We are taught, as a culture, to get ahead, worry about your self, etc. Jesus tells us something a little different. Jesus tells us to put others before us, to work hard to make sure others are doing better than we are. The world may ridicule us for such a mindset, but the Lord will smile on us. Jesus is our example here. Jesus, being the Son of God and all, could have had the entire world as his footstool. Jesus had the opportunity to rule the world, to be king over all we see. However, Jesus chose to save us. Instead of taking the power he took the shame and pain in order to save us from sin. We should be doing the same thing. The world tells us to get ahead, to seek power, to climb up the ladder. Jesus tells us to serve others and do for them whatever they need. I think we would do well to follow Jesus here. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 20: 17-19; Jesus Again Predicts His Death

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Imagine you are a disciple of Jesus and you are hearing these words come from the mouth of Jesus. Imagine the fear that you would have in your heart; imagine the sadness that would be there as well. Jesus, your friend and leader, is going to die. The one with whom you have spent so much of your time is going to be taken by the people who hate him, then will be handed over to those who will put him to death. As a disciple your world comes crashing down around you. Then that fear and sadness turn to hope and joy. Yes, Jesus is crucified, but he comes back to life. Yes, Jesus suffers, but through that you have salvation and eternal life. Yes, Jesus' earthly life and ministry are over, but your life is just beginning. Through Jesus, especially his death and resurrection, we have everything. We have life, salvation, peace, joy, hope, etc. That is reason to rejoice and be glad. Through Jesus we have everything. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 20: 1-16; The Parables of the Workers in the Vineyard

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

There is a lot of good news in this passage, but the best news is that we do not have to worry about who has worked harder or longer at their faith. There are those around us who, for lack of a better term, intimidate us because of their faith. Sometimes we think our faith does not matter, that it pales in comparison to the faith of others. The good news is, though, that our faith, no matter how small we think it is, does not pale. Our faith matters to God. We do not all have to be famous theologians who write big books; we do not all have to be martyrs. All that matters is that we believe in God and serve him to the best of our abilities. Nothing will please God more. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 19: 16-30; The Rich Young Man

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is not the young man's money that gets him in trouble, it is his attachment to it. We are supposed to live our lives for Jesus, nothing else. Yes, we have possessions. And that is OK. God is OK with us having a comfortable life with things we like to have. However, if we become slaves to those things; if those things stand in the way of us believing in God in the right way and doing his work, then a change does need to be made. God allows us to have money and other possessions, but even with that in mind we need to remember that we should let nothing, absolutely nothing, get in the way of our love for, and service to, God. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 19: 13-15; The Little Children and Jesus

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Children are a blessing from the Lord. We are blessed in our church to have little children who are truly excited about being here with us. It is our job to nurture them: to teach them the good news of Jesus, to teach them about the Bible, to be there for them as they begin their journey of faith. This is not a burden, it is a blessing. It is a blessing for us to have people who are excited about faith, and to be able to teach them and help them grow in their faith. Thank the Lord for the children he has given to us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 19: 1-12; Divorce

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"If this is the situation between a husband and a wife, it is better not to marry." There are those who, when they figure out that faith is not a bed of roses, walk away. Things are too hard to they decide to scrap the whole idea altogether. Jesus never promises us an easy road. Sometimes it is hard to follow Jesus, to do everything he has told us to do. Does that mean we give up and stop believing? I certainly hope not. No, when things get difficult, we ought to call on the name of the Lord and ask for his help. Jesus will help us bear our burdens, he will help us through the sometimes difficult journey of faith. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 18: 21-35; The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The first servant, the one with the larger debt, has his debt cancelled. He is not given more time, or more money. Instead, he is granted forgiveness, his debt is completely wiped off the books. Even with the grace he has received he still cannot find it in his heart to forgive someone who is indebted to him. Are we going to act like this servant? Are we going to come to God and beg him for forgiveness but refuse to give it to those who sin against us? Or, are we going to follow Jesus example and forgive those who harm us. "Forgive them father, for they do not know what they are doing." Jesus utters those words from the cross, on behalf of those who put him on the cross. Jesus forgives those who have sinnned against him, the unmerciful servant does not. Which one are we going to be? God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for September 27, 2009

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday is from 2 Thessalonians 2: 1-12, in which Paul tells us of the Man of Lawlessness. The sermon is titled 'Best Laid Plans,' and will focus on God's plans for us as a church and the world. I hope to see you Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 18: 15-20; A Brother Who Sins Against You

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We work on our journey of faith together. Jesus tells us here that when someone sins we are supposed to bring it to their attention. We do this not to make the person feel bad, our ourselves feel better. We do this so we can all live the kind of life God wants us to live. We are called to help each other in our journey of faith: to support each other, to love each other, to pray for each other, and, in some cases, to correct each other. On our journey of faith we have Jesus to guide us and direct us, but we also have each other. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 18: 10-14; The Parable of the Lost Sheep

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

One of the most amazing things about this parable is that sheep, in fact, do wander off from time to time. And when that happens it is the job of the shepherd to go and find them and bring them back to the flock. The shepherd's love for his sheep is so strong that he is willing to find the one sheep that is lost. We are like sheep. Sometimes, for one reason or another, we wander off. It may not be very far, and it may not be for very long, but at times we find ourselves away from God, from the rest of the flock. Our human instinct during that time tells us to panic. We're alone, we're lost, scared. The good news is, though, we do not have to be scared. Our shepherd will come and find us. No matter where we are Jesus will come to us. He will find us and bring us back to him, and the rest of the flock. Our great and loving shepherd will always seek out his sheep. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 18: 1-9; The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Children are a blessing from the Lord, and the best part of children is their faith. Children believe in God unquestioningly. If you were to say to a child, 'Jesus walked on the water,' the response you might get would be, 'Wow, that is totally awesome.' When some adults here that Jesus walked on the water the answer may be something like, 'Well, supposedly.' We all need to have faith like a child; a faith where we believe in who God is and what God can do with no doubts in our hearts whatsoever. Our response to things needs to be, 'Wow, that is totally awesome.' Jesus tells us here how good the faith of a child is and how we should, in a sense, imitate it. I think that is advice we need to follow. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 17: 24-27; The Temple Tax

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"But so we may not offend them..." Jesus' concern throughout his life and ministry is of others. In this case, Jesus is concerned for the feelings of the tax-collectors and the government officials. Jesus does not have a lot of money just sitting around to pay some of these large taxes, but he makes sure the money is paid so as to not offend anyone. Jesus continually does everything within his power to make sure that the people around him are happy. Jesus continues to do this for us as well. Jesus continues to reach out to us in our times of need and do everything in his power to make sure we have joy and peace in our lives. In all things Jesus puts our needs and desires first. What wonderful news. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 17: 14-23; The Healing of a Boy With a Demon

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Faith can move a mountain. Personally, I have never tried this, but part of that is because I know my faith is not strong enough. Science has told me that mountains run so deep there is no way for them to be picked up and moved somewhere else. God may be able to do anything, but I have never been so sure about me. That is why this passage is so important. We need to remember that through faith anything is possible No matter what the world tells about plate tectonics our faith has the ability to move mountains. Our faith is special, it is real, it is powerful. If we truly believe in our hearts that anything can happen, anything will happen. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 17: 1-13; The Transfiguration

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The meaning behind this story can be found in the presence of Elijah and Moses. Moses is the hero of the Old Testament. He is responsible for delivering the Israelites from the hands of the Egyptians. Elijah is one of the great prophets of the Old Testament. He is responsible for giving to the Israelites God's word. Their presence with Jesus highlights what Jesus has done for us. Jesus, like Moses, has delivered us. Jesus has delivered us from the sin that held us captive. Jesus, like Elijah, has given us the word of God. Jesus has given us the true Word, the only Word to which we should be listening. Jesus is our deliverer; Jesus is the one who has given us the Word of God. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Pastor Josh on Vacation

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

I will be on vacation from September 14-18, 2009, during which time there will be no postings. I will resume posting on Saturday, September 19, 2009. If you need anything while I am away please contact one of the Church Elders. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 16: 21-28; Jesus Predicts His Death

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

God's will is not always easy. In fact, it almost never is. Jesus' disciples do not want him to go to Jerusalem. They know, and not just because Jesus tells them, what will happen if Jesus goes there. They do not want him to go, and they certainly do not want to follow him. The disciples' will is not in line with Jesus' will, but they follow him. No matter the difficulty they follow Jesus to Jerusalem. We are in the same boat sometimes. We do not always want to follow where God leads, but we must. Yes, it is hard, but we need to remember that God's will is perfect. Even though it may not seem like a good idea, we know that all things work for good for those that love God. Following God's will may not always be easy, but if we do blessings will be rained down upon us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 16: 13-20; Peter's Confession of Christ

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Who is Jesus? That is a question we need to ask ourselves every day. Is Jesus just a nice guy, someone who managed to live a decent enough life but who is not worthy of imitation? Is Jesus just a random prophet, someone who had a few nice things to say but whose words are no lover relevant in the 21st century? Is Jesus just a historical figure, someone who lived thousands of years ago and is soon to be forgotten by the present generation? Or is Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God? Who is Jesus for you? Does your life reflect that belief? Are we going to be like the rest of the world and push Jesus off to the side, or are we going to confess him as personal Lord and Savior and live our lives accordingly? God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 16: 5-12; The Yeast of the Pharisees and Saducees

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Listen to Jesus. He speaks the truth; he brings a message of grace and love; he brings the good news of our salvation. For the disciples the enemies were the Pharisees and the Saducees. For us the enemy is anyone who tells us to ignore Jesus, to follow a different path; anyone who brings a message not consistent with who Jesus is and what his will for us is. There are those who would lead us astray. We need to be mindful of them and keep ourselves centered on Christ and the words he has spoken to us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for September 13, 2009

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday is from 1 Thessalonians 5: 1-11, in which Paul gives to the Thessalonians some final instructions. The sermon is entitled 'Stand Together' and will focus on our need and call as Christians to be one body.

Please note that this Sunday we return to our Fall Hours. Sunday School will beign at 9:45 a.m. for adults, and 10:00 for our Children and Youth. Worship begins at 11:00 a.m. I hope to see you all Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 16: 1-4; The Demand for a Sign

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus has done so much for us already. Why do we need more signs? When we read this passage we want to point our finger at those around Jesus, but we need to remember that we are just like them. We ask for signs, too. 'Just one little thing and I'll believe in you.' We want God to come and fix everything for us, and if he doesn't our faith is shaken. What we need to remember is that Jesus has fixed everything for us. Through his life and ministry; through his death on the cross; through the resurrection Jesus has given us all we need. We do not need any more signs. Jesus has revealed everything to us, he has shown us everything there is to see. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 15: 29-39; Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus takes care of all needs. After Jesus goes up on the mountainside he is besieged with people suffering from many ailments. Rather than send them away Jesus heals them all, bringing to them that comfort and peace they need in their lives. The crowd whom Jesus feeds has been with him, as Jesus says, for three days. This suggests that Jesus has been preaching and teaching during that time, giving this group of people the spiritual nourishment they need in their lives. And finally, Jesus gives the people some actual food to eat. Jesus knows they are hungry, he does not want them to go away hungry, so he feeds them. Jesus offers all of these things to us as well. When we are broken and in need of healing, Jesus touches us; when we are in need of a word from the Lord and some guidance, Jesus speaks to us; and when we are hungry and need sustenance for our faith, Jesus feeds us. Jesus takes care of all our needs. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 15: 1-28; Clean and Unclean

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Listen and understand. What goes into a person's mouth does not make them unclean, but what comes out of their mouths, that is what makes them unclean." This worth remembering. Our actions and our words determine who we are and how people will see us. Eating a hamburger does not matter as much as not swearing at the tv when your team loses a game. Yes, we should be healthy in our eating habits, but we should also be holy in our living habits. How we live our lives, what we do and say, is extremely important, for that is what determines whether or not we are living a life worthy of our calling. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 14: 22-36; Jesus Walks on the Water

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Keep your eyes on Jesus! Peter is doing fine until he looks down, until it enters his mind that people cannot, or should not be able to, walk on water. The doubts and fears, the words of the world creep into Peter's mind and heart, and he sinks. If he keeps his eyes on Jesus he will be fine, but he is unable to do so. If we keep our eyes on Jesus, trusting him, believing with our whole heart, that he will be there for us to guide us and protect us we will be fine. But if we, if only for a moment, take our eyes off Jesus then we, like Peter, will find ourselves sinking down. If we keep our eyes on Jesus we will walk on water. If we don't, we won't. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 14: 13-21; Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

When we read this story we are supposed to think, in part, of the act of Holy Communion. Jesus here takes bread, blesses it, and then breaks it. Those words are also found in the Words of Institution. Jesus, in this miracle story gives the five thousand all that they need and more. Matthew tells us, 'they all ate and were satisfied.' In Communion we are filled with the sustenance we need to continue on our journey of faith. Through the body and blood of Jesus we are given what we need to carry on, we are satisfied. For that blessing, give thanks. Thank God for the food he gives us, for the strength he gives us, through Jesus, to carry on in our journey of faith. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 14: 1-12; John the Baptist Beheaded

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

When we read this story there may be a part of us that is filled with fear. John was throne into prison and has now been killed. That certainly does not bode well for all of his followers or for Jesus' followers. However, we need to look at this story and admire John's faith and courage. He receives a word from the Lord, and he shares that with those around him. Regardless of the danger it may bring to his life John speaks out against the injustices and sin he sees in the world. We should speak with that kind of boldness. There are things going on in the world that we sometimes turn a blind eye to because we are afraid of what people will say of us. When you feel that fear creeping into your heart remember John: remember the courage and faith he had; remember how he fearlessly proclaimed the words God gave him. Speak without fear. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 13: 53-58; A Prophet Without Honor

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"And he could not do any miracles there because of their lack of faith." We have to believe in the power of Jesus before the power of Jesus can do anythig for us in our lives. When we ask God for something but do not truly believe in our hearts that it will happen it will not happen. This does not suggest that we have some kind of hidden power of the creator of the universe. It is simply to say that we must have faith. We must believe that God can and will work in our lives before He will do so. Our faith in God, and his power, can make amazing things happen in our lives. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Sunday, September 6, 2009

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Our guest preacher this Sunday will be The Reverend Ty Sybella. He will be bringing God's word to you during our morning worship service. Please come to the house of the Lord and here what God has given Ty to say. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 13: 47-52; The Parable of the Net

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

In many of his parables Jesus offers a warning, a reminder. He reminds us that what we do here in this world does have bearing on our life in the kingdom of Heaven. Yes, we are offered salvation from Jesus. However, we have to accept that salvation and then go on to live a life worthy of the love and mercy we have been shown. It is not enough to accept what Jesus offers and then continue to live a life of sin. When we accept Jesus' salvation we are also accepting Jesus' call on us to be a holy and righteous people. Our lives need to reflect what we have been offered and what we have accepted. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 13: 44-46; The Parable of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Imagine the excitement these two people have in their hearts when they find the treasure and the pearl. Now they are rich; now they will have everything they need and more; now they will have no more worries. How high is you excitement level knowing you have Jesus as personal Lord and savior? Through Jesus we have everything; the same as the two people who found the treasure and the pearl. We have security, salvation, riches, life, etc. All that we need, and so much more, can be found in Jesus. Does that make you leap for joy? It should. We should hold in our hearts indescribable joy because we know Jesus, the same joy our friends have when they find their treasure and pearl. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 13: 36-43; The Parable of the Weeds Explained

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We will shine like the sun in the kingdom of our Father. Though we do not want to get too much into what the rewards are for our journey of faith, there is, in fact, a reward for our us. We are going to be rewarded with a place in heaven, a place in God's kingdom. All of this is not for nothing. We have the comfort and peace of knowing that someday we will be blessed with the opportunity to enter the kingdom God has prepared. We are able to do that because of the person and work of Jesus Christ. Jesus has made it possible for us to enter the kingdom of Heaven. Through his birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension we have access to God's dwelling place. It will be a glorious day when we are all gathered there. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 13: 31-35; The Parable of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Musstard bushes are sturdy little things. They are not really very big, and living there in the Holy Land is not an easy thing for them because there is not always a high supply of water. And yet these bushes, from these tiny seeds are able to thrive and survive under some of the harshest conditions. Faith is the same way. We do not always have a good water supply. That is to say, it is not always easy for us to survive, but we do. We survive, we carry on, we are able to continue on our journey of faith because of the love and spirit of Jesus in our lives. The mustard bush is strong, able to withstand a lot of things. Our faith is the same way. Because of our faith, we can continue on through life and our journey of faith. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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