Pastor Josh on Vacation

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

I will be on vacation from December 25-December 31. If you need anything while I am away please contact one of the church elders. There will be no posting while I am on vacation. Posting will resume on January 3, 2012. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Proverbs 3: 1-35; Wisdom Bestows Well-Being

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Do not envy the violent or choose any of their ways." Advent and Christmas are about peace. Jesus would have us love one another as we love ourselves. We would not kill ourselves. We would not hit ourselves. We would not hate ourselves. In faith there is no place for violence and hatred. There is room only for love. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Proverbs 2: 1-22; Moral Benefits of Wisdom

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men..." In Proverbs 'wisdom' and 'faith' can, in some ways, be used interchangeably. Faith can save us from the ways of wicked men. Faith is what keeps us grounded on what is right. Faith keeps us mindful of what God would have us do. We know what unfaithful people do, because they have no one holding them accountable, because they have no one to please but themselves. Our faith will keep us from falling into that kind of life because our faith keeps us grounded on Christ, who will lead us where we need to be. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Christmas Eve and Christmas Sunday

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

This Saturday we will be having a Christmas Eve worship service at 7:00 p.m. During this service we will hear from the bell and chancel choirs, we will read Scripture, and we will hear the good news of Christ's birth. At the close of the service we will light the church by candles as we sing 'Silent Night, Holy Night' and we will close the worship service by singing 'Joy to the World.' Refreshments will be served following the service. Please join us.

On Christmas Sunday we will once again gather at church to worship. We will worship at 10:00 a.m. The Scripture passage is Matthew 1: 18-25, which tells the story of Christ's birth. The sermon it titled 'Silent Night, Holy Night' and will focus on the good news of Jesus' coming.

I hope everyone is able to make it to both of these services. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Proverbs 1: 20-33; Wisdom's Rebuke

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

In the same way we should teach our children faithfully we also need to listen ourselves. One thing I know for sure is that we never reach a point when our faith is complete, meaning there is always something more to learn. God still speaks, Jesus still teaches. We, adults included, need to open our ears and listen to what is being said to us. In doing so we grow in our relationship with God, which will enable us to better instruct others. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Proverbs 1: 8-19; Warning Against the Invitation of Sinful Men

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching." This says as much about our responsibilities as parents as it does about our children's responsibility to listen. As parents we are to raise our children in faith, with love. We are to teach them what they need to know not just in faith, but in life that they may be intelligent and responsible. If we want the world to do well after we are gone we will do all that we can to make sure the children of this world know how to care for the world, and all that is in it. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Proverbs 1: 1-7; Purpose and Theme

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Proverbs is a book of 'one liners,' brief sayings that serve as instructions for us as we go through life and our journey of faith. It is the 'one liners' that we remember the easiest. They are short and catchy, which makes it easier for them to stick in our minds. As an example, we may not remember all the commandments Jesus gives, but we do remember the words of the Greatest Commandment. So it is with the book of Proverbs. In this book are brief words of wisdom, instruction, warning, etc. all of which are intended to help us in our relationship with God. As we begin this book I invite you to think about some of the things you have already learned: a one or two sentence phrase from a relative, friend, pastor, Jesus, etc. Search your mind and find those things you have been taught. Then use those sayings to increase your faith. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Esther 10: 1-3; The Greatness of Mordecai

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

This book end on a little bit of a sad note. Mordecai has been promoted to 'second to Xerxes,' but we are not told what he does with that position. We know that Moredecai told Esther to keep quiet about her faith, which means he may have done the same thing. Esther is one of only two books in the Bible that do have the word 'God' (Song of Solomon is the other), and I think that says something. Mordecai and Esther end up being figures who do not practice their faith fully. Why? Because they are both in position to share their faith with the world but choose not to do so. There is a time for self-preservation, but not necessarily within our relationship with God. Someday we may be in a place where we can influence other people, when we can share our faith with them. We need to seize that opportunity. We should not shy away from our faith. It is who we are: God's children. Let the whole world know, come what may. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Esther 9: 20-32; Purim Established

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

And so the Jews set aside these days to remember when they were delivered from the hands of the evil Haman. The Jews had other days of remembrance, most notable was Passover, when they remembered being delivered by God from the death of the firstborn and their flight from Egypt. As Christians we have the same types of days: Easter and Christmas. We claim these days as the foundation of our faith, our relationship with God. And on these days we celebrate like there is no tomorrow. But what do we do on the Monday after Easter, and on December 26? Do we continue to celebrate, or do we begin to return to our regularly scheduled programming? The idea behind these days of remembrance is that we are to remember the source of the day every day, not just on that one day on the calendar. As Christians we should celebrate, every day, the good news of Jesus' resurrection. As Christians we should celebrate, every day, the good news of Jesus' birth. Remember, and celebrate, every single day, the good news of Jesus Christ and the countless blessings we have through him. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Esther 8: 15- 9: 19; The Triumph of the Jews

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Forgiveness and mercy are the things that set us apart from other faiths. In this passage we see the Israelites taking their vengeance on their enemies, and we see them do it in a very gruesome way. We are called to forgive, unconditionally, and infinitely, those who sin against us. We are not to take vengeance. Rather, we are to turn the other cheek and show mercy. God has forgiven us for sinning against him. God has, if you will, turned the other cheek to us. Let us do the same. Let us follow our calling to not take vengeance. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Esther 8: 1-14; The King's Edict in Behalf of the Jews

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

All things work for good for those who love God. Words that are so simple, and yet teach us all we need to know about how God works. The Jews love the Lord, and because of that God looks after them. They are blessed because of their faith in God, and because of God's faith in them. The same is true of us. If we remain faithful to God; if we show our love for God at ever opportunity, then God will take care of us in the same way he takes care of the Israelites throughout the Old Testament. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Esther 7: 1-10; Haman Impaled

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

God's justice be done. Haman did nothing but sow deceit and try to bring harm to Mordecai and Esther. Haman plotted and schemed, but in the end all of that brought him to his own destruction. In that there is a lesson: for those who have sinned against us, let God deal with them as he may. It is not up to us to be judge, jury, or executioner. Instead, we are to trust in the power, love, and justice of God to prevail over our enemies. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Sunday, December 18, 2011

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

This Sunday the message will be brought to us by the choir. They will be performing a concert for us during the worship service. Please join us for this special worship service. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Esther 6: 1-14; Mordecai Honored

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Good deeds are often rewarded, and the same is true of faith. However, it is not our good deeds that are rewarded, but our faith. Good deeds will not move us closer to the front of the line in heaven. Rather, our faith, our belief in Jesus as personal Lord and savior is what saves us. So it is not our good deeds that are rewarded, but our faith in Jesus. And our reward for that faith is a place in God's kingdom. Just as Mordecai was rewarded for his deeds, we will be rewarded for our faith. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Esther 5: 9-14; Haman’s Rage Against Mordecai

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Haman provides lip service, meaning that he says all the right things, but his heart is in another place. He does not care about Esther, or Xerxes. He cares only for himself. Many Christians today are guilty of 'lip service.' They worship on Sunday mornings, and they claim to be a faithful person, but do very little to show their love for, or service to, God. We need to be very careful to avoid this kind of lifestyle. In some ways it is easy to get there. Salvation is a wonderful thing, but it can make us lazy. Why be good if we're saved, we might find ourselves saying. And laziness is one step away from lip service. We get to apathetic to faith and God that we stop living the kind of life God wants us to live. 'Be perfect, as your father in heaven is perfect.' Jesus gives us those words and expects us to follow them at all times. Work hard, then, on your faith. Show God your love and serve him, always, as best you can. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Esther 5: 1-8; Esther’s Request to the King

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Sometimes, when dealing with those who sin against us a more indirect approach is necessary. Simply confronting someone with an accusation is not always a good idea. It puts people on the defensive. One of the most important things to do is make sure the person knows they are still loved by you and by God. To get someone away from sin you must use grace; the same kind of grace God used with us to remove sin as a barrier to our relationship with him. Grace is just about the best way to do anything, and this is especially true of moving someone away from sin. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Esther 4: 1-17; Mordecai Persuades Esther to Help

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Esther does everything in her power to help her fellow Jews here, even though it is a great risk to herself. She embodies the command set forth in Scripture to place others first. Esther, then, is an example for all of us to follow, in that she put her own well-being at risk to help those who were in need. Our concerns are secondary. The needs of our neighbor supersede any that we might have ourselves. Jesus tells us 'the last shall be first, and the first shall be last.' Let us all strive to make that a reality by putting the concerns of others above our own. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Esther 3: 1-15; Haman's Plot to Destroy the Jews

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus tells us that we are to be reconciled to our brother before we come to God in prayer. Granted, Haman has not intentions of praying, but how much simpler would everything have been had he only gone to Mordecai to see what the problem was and what, if anything, could be done to work it out. Instead, though, the problem escalates into a near massacre, all because two people could not talk to each other. Being reconciled to each other is an important thing. If there is a problem we need to resolve it. If we an issue with someone then we need to talk about and find a solution. If we don't we might find ourselves in a situation like Haman and Mordecai, a situation that is out of control. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Esther 2: 19-23; Mordecai Uncovers a Conspiracy

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Like King Xerxes we all sometimes find ourselves on the receiving end of hatred and evil plans. We have enemies, as Christians. There are people who do not like us because of our faith, and there are people who do not like because they don't like anyone. Regardless of the circumstances the fact remains that there are people in the world who, for one reason or another, want to do us harm. The first thing we can do in that type of situation is turn it over to God and trust that he will take care of those who would wish to hurt us. This is not a guarantee, though. Then comes the second thing: to remember that there is nothing anyone can do to hurt our soul. That has been claimed by God. They may use words, they may even use weapons, but they cannot hurt the part of us that God has claimed for himself. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Annual Christmas Party

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

This Saturday, December 10, 2011 we will be having our annual church Christmas Party. We will get started with an Italian pot-luck dinner, which will begin at 5:00 in the Fellowship Hall. Following that we will move to the chapel where we will sing Christmas Carols, hear a message (through a humorous skit), and have a special visitor for the children. I hope you can join us for this event. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Esther 2: 1-18; Esther Made Queen

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Poor Esther. Yes, she gets to become a Queen, but at what cost. She is, essentially, a slave, forced to do a King's bidding no matter what it may mean to her. Can you imagine living that kind of life? It is too simple a thing to call that a difficult life. And yet, through all of that Esther perseveres. She does not publicly declare her faith, but she does move forward with her life. She does not let her hardships in life keep her from living life. On our journey of faith we find ourselves in difficult, sometimes seemingly impossible, situations. These make us question our faith, and our resolve. Jesus never promises an easy journey. What he does promise, though, is that he will be with us every step of the way. What he does promise us is that if we persevere and do not give up we will be blessed beyond all imagination. Keep moving forward, come what may. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for December 11, 2011

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Old Testament Lesson for Sunday is from Isaiah 61, in which Isaiah gives the good news in regards to the work of the Messiah. The New Testament lesson is from John 1 in which John the Baptist gives some testimony in regards to Jesus, the Messiah to whom Isaiah referred. The sermon is titled 'Joy' and will focus on the joy we have through Jesus. I hope you are all able to make it to worship. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Esther 1: 1-22; Queen Vashti Deposed

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Of course, we never get a reason from Queen Vashti as to why she does not come when Xerxes summons her. We are left to assume then that Xerxes said or did something Queen Vashti did not like. With that in mind we can look at Queen Vashti in a fairly positive light. She stood up for what she believed in, even though she knew the consequences would be most severe. So it is with our faith. These days wearing your faith on your sleeve is a way to attract a little bit of trouble. Does that mean we stop doing it? No. It means we do it more boldly. We should stand up for our faith, we should continually share the good news of Jesus with those around us. No matter what. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Hebrews 13: 20-25; Benediction and Final Greetings

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen." We have been equipped for all God has called us to do. By the blood of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit we have all the strength we need for our faith. What we need to continually do is pray and ask for God's guidance. We need direction to match the strength we already have. Pray, therefore, and God will point you in the right direction. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Hebrews 13: 1-19; Concluding Exhortations

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

I usually end up going with the first verse, or couple of lines, of the passage for the lesson, and I do it again here. 'Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters.' Think of how you love your siblings, if you have any. And think of how they love you. Now, take that feeling of love and transfer it to anyone else: your friend, your neighbor, your co-worker, your tennis partner, your enemy, etc. Take that feeling and love that person with all you have to give. In this way you live out the second greatest commandment, you honor and glorify God, and you make the world a better, more faithful, place. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Hebrews 12: 18-29; The Mountain of Fear and the Mountain of Joy

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

'See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks.' God is still speaking. Perhaps God does not speak through as many burning bushes as he used to, but he is still speaking to all of us none the less. Our call is to hear. We need to open our ears to hear what God is saying to us. This comes through prayer. Prayer is not just a time when we speak to God. Prayer is also a time when God speaks back to us. We simply need to quiet our voices and spirits and listen, then we will hear God's voice. And the words we will hear will be glorious. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Hebrews 12: 14-17; Warning and Encouragement

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

'See to it...' The idea behind this is that we are supposed to help each other in faith. Faith is not easy. Being obedient is not easy. Moving forward is not easy. That is why God has given us each other. We are supposed to give each other encouragement. We are to hold each other accountable for sin. God has called us all to a life of faith, and with that in mind we are to help each other in faith. 'See to it...we all remain faithful to God.' God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Hebrews 12: 4-13; God Disciples His Children

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

What this really means is that God is still very much active in the world, and in our lives. He has not left us, he has not abandoned us. Is it always pleasant when God teaches us something? No, but the good news we have a God who loves us enough to be involved in our lives. We follow a God who loves us enough to help us, sometimes by correction, as we go through life. Discipline is hard, but the good news is that God is here, in our lives, to discipline us in the first place. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Hebrews 11: 1- 12: 3; Faith in Action

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

This chapter (plus a little more) is like a 'who's who' of the Bible. We get glimpse after glimpse of hero after hero from the Bible. One of the greatest things about Scripture is the people inside it. They stand out even now, thousands of years later, as witnesses to the power and love of God. But they also stand out for their faith. We are to imitate Jesus, but there are some other folks in Scripture we could take a lesson from as well: Noah, Abraham, and Moses, just to name a few. Read about these people, and learn from them lessons in faith. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for December 4, 2011

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Old Testament lesson for this Sunday comes from Isaiah 40: 1-11, in which God promises to send someone to prepare the way of the Lord. The New Testament lesson is from Mark 1: 1-8 in which John the Baptist begins his ministry. The sermon is titled 'Peace' and will focus on the peace God brings to our lives. I hope to see you all on Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Hebrews 10: 19-39; A Call to Persevere in Faith

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The journey of faith is long and hard. We suffer as we go through life. Sometimes due to persecution. Sometimes due to the natural lives we live. And sometimes suffering comes because God asks us to do something very difficult. Whatever the source of the hardships there is no doubt there are many. They abound, truly. What we need, sometimes more than anything else, is perseverance. We need that strength and endurance to continue to move forward. How do we get it? By remaining close to God, spending time with him every day. In so doing we get the strength we need, which will help us to persevere. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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