Every Knee Shall Bow

Romans 14:11; Philippians 2:1-11; KJV; Every knee shall bow before the Lord!

Talk About Jesus!

Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,

Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,

For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.

For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.

And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;

That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ.

Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

                                                                          (Phil 1:2-11 KJV)

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about the many faithful men and women who have been in my life.  One particular Finnish lady was such a joy to visit. I miss her and thank God often for having had her in my life. Sylvia was a shut-in. I visited as often as I could. When I entered her home we would greet each other with a blessing of God's peace and then moved quickly to confession and absolution followed by the sacrament of Holy Communion. After a prayer of thanksgiving for God's gifts she would always ask. "Ok, now what she would talk about Jesus?" And, that's exactly what we did. We rarely did any idle chit chat other than to ask about how each other's families were doing and include any needs or thanksgivings for them in our prayers together. Instead, we talked about our awesome Lord and Savior.

Oh, how she loved Jesus! What a delight it was to spend time with her remembering what God has done and continues to do for us in Christ Jesus! What a pleasure it was to fellowship in the gospel with her! It is a good thing to share the gospel with one another; with brothers and sisters in Christ and with strangers as well.

May God fill us with love, with joy, with peace, with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God. 

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Do Not Be Deceived

Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.

Be not ye therefore partakers with them.

For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)

Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. 

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.

But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.

Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

                                                                                 (Eph 5:6-14 KJV)

These are troubling times. It can be difficult to discern the truth. So much of what we hear is coming from political or personal agendas and bias'. It is true in the world at large; but, it is also true in way too much of the church. People promote themselves. They make money from distorting or exaggerating the truth; sometimes from outright lies. Those who live as though these lies are truth find themselves confused as they live in the darkness.  It is difficult to find your way when the darkness surrounds you. 

But, a light has come into the world. The light who is Jesus the Christ sheds light onto a dark world. His light shines into our lives. If you really want to be "woke" you will need to step into the marvelous light of Christ.  Wake up and live life in Christ! 

The light of Christ; the truth in Christ unite us. It will bring us together in loving fellowship. Leave off; stay away from those who would deceive others to their own advantage with their vain words. Step out of the darkness of deceit and walk in the light of Christ that you might know the truth and live an abundant life.

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Bow Your Knee With Joy

"For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God." 

                          (Rom 14:11-12 KJV)

It is either now or later. We can acknowledge our sins and repent now or we can do it later when every knee shall bow before the Lord. We can, if we so desire, wait until the day of judgement and miss out on the joy of living in the presence of God; in communion with him today.

The question is will you be bowing in joyful worship as you come before the one who loves you and has given you his life and light or will you kneel before him uncertain of the outcome as you face him on the day of judgement? 

It is a wise person who would confess and repent of their sins and live in the light of the Christ today. Don't wait for tomorrow. Live life in his light today and rejoice.

"And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."

                                                                                      (1 John 1:4-10)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Live In The Light Of Christ

And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 

                                                                                     (1 John 1:4-10 KJV)

The light reveals all things. Yet, so many prefer that those secrets; those sins, that are committed against God and one another stay hidden. After all, if we allow those sins to come into the light it just might require us to make some changes to our lives. So in hiding our sins we choose to live in darkness and stay far from the light where we would find real joy in the presence of God.

God is light. Hiding out in the darkness will keep us from fellowship with God as we be spending more time attempting to hide our secrets rather than living in the love of God and focusing ourselves on loving Him and the people around us.  

The light shines brightly. Open your eyes and walk in the light of Christ that your sins might be forgiven and that you might be reconciled to God and to another. Live in the light that your joy might be full!

God's Peace - Pr. J. 

Not I, But Christ Who Lives In Me

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Gal 2:20 KJV)

I have not listened to much music over the last few years. I am not big on noise. I thoroughly enjoy quiet. Recently, though, I have come across a couple of different groups that I do enjoy listening to. I woke up this morning to my Youtube channel on Casting Crowns singing "Nobody."

The lyrics include:

"Cause I'm just a nobody

Trying to tell everybody

All about Somebody

Who saved my soul

Ever since You rescued me

You gave my heart a song to sing

I'm living for the world to see

Nobody but Jesus"

This song is a good reminder to me during this Lenten season that we are nothing without Christ. We can accomplish nothing good without Jesus for it is not we but Christ who abides in us who can and does all things. It is Christ alone who strengthens us to do our Father's will.

One of the greatest congregation killers that I've witnessed is ego. When one or a handful of people begin to credit themselves for church growth or keeping the budget intact; when the focus of committees and councils is all about numbers whether its counting people or money, you can expect at least a few members to start church hunting. They will fall away because most people (not all) actually attend worship to hear about the one who rescued them. They want to hear about the one who can and has saved us. They are there to hear about Jesus. They are there to celebrate what the Lord has done for us.

I remember one particular congregation I was a member of. I was a pretty young Christian at the time. The pastor preached the word faithfully. My heart was stirred when I heard his sermons. Yes, there were times I felt convicted; but, it was always filled with joy for the love that Jesus Christ has for us when I heard what he had done for us. At fellowship afterwards I would want to hear more and talk about what I had heard. But, the conversations never really went there. They seemed to be a lot of talk about football or fishing. I often wondered why nobody was talking about Jesus. If he is our first love why aren't we telling everybody about him?

I was nourished with those sermons. But, I heard no words about anyone's love for Jesus or his love for us once we left the sanctuary and gathered together in fellowship. 

As he abides in us he will speak through us. He reaches out to the world through those who love him. He is the one we proclaim. He is the one we praise. So why are our voices so often silent? Is the world; are our own egos and our agendas crowding out Jesus?

We have a song to sing. Let us sing to the world that Jesus the Christ is Lord!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Evil For Good; Darkness For Light

 

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! (Isa 5:20 KJV)

Why one might ask would anyone call evil good!

I have seen evil called good in so many seemingly innocuous places and ways that it boggles the mind. Humankind excuses evil for many reasons. Evil becomes acceptable when we ignore it because we have been told to live and let live; do not judge others. Yet, the word of the Lord clearly tells us that we are to discern between what is good and what is not and we are to refrain from what is not good. We are to steer clear of the evil; not engage in it nor condone it with our silence just to be polite; in order to be liked. 

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. (Eph 5:11-12)

Evil is not good no matter what false idol claims it to be. Evil does not become good no matter how many times we are told that it is. Those who call evil for good would have you think that they are enlightened. But, they do not live in the light. They dwell in the darkness. Yet, even in the darkness God sees their evil intents and deeds. They may be able to fool some of the people around them; but, they cannot fool God.

The darkness of evil would threaten to engulf us. But, it cannot. We stand on the word of God and no matter what might happen in the world around us we will continue to live in the light of Christ. 

For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Cor 4:6)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

In Fellowship; In Christ

 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.

                                                                                  (Acts 2:42-43 KJV)

They continued in fellowship... I suppose fellowship of sorts can be done via social media. But, that is not the fellowship that was enjoyed by those first followers. The coming together to break bread and to pray; being together is what communing is all about. Yes, social media is good to keep in touch with one another when we cannot be together. It is great that we have the opportunity to share the Gospel by means of the world wide web!

But; when it is all over, Christians must gather together to hear the word; to pray; to sing praises; to worship the Lord; to break bread together; and to fellowship with one another. Being a Christian means being a member of the Body of Christ. The Body of Christ is one body and not many separate bodies. We cannot delude ourselves into thinking that we can be Christian yet never truly connect ourselves with other Christians. As members of a Body we much be connected in order to be fruitful. As St Paul wrote to the Corinthians: 

For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

For the body is not one member, but many.

If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?

But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

And if they were all one member, where were the body?

But now are they many members, yet but one body.

And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.

                                                                                     (1 Cor 12:12-21)

And, once I'm rambling this morning one more question: How are we going to know how to serve others if we cannot ever hear them or see them face to face to know what their needs are? 

I watch many Bible Studies and Worship services online. Many people are hearing the Gospel that have never heard it before because of social mediajust as many people heard the Good News because of St. Paul's letters to the various communities. This safe-distancing that we live with today, in one regard has enabled a great deal of evangelism. It has also put a bit of a hamper on "feeding the sheep" as there are many who do not have social media available to them and that would include many faithful members of the Church. 

I see many small congregations who are either worshiping with social distancing or in their vehicles. I am very grateful for those congregations who are affording those opportunities to hear the Good News and Worship if even at a distance. But, there are many who are not taking advantage of the opportunity. They have found no real alternative ways to continue as evangelists and I cannot help but wonder if they will ever be able to open their church doors back up again. 

I just pray that as we hear the Gospel online, we will not consider this the end all. As soon as it is possible the Body of Christ has a great need to come together in worship; in prayer; in praise; in thanksgiving; in receiving the Sacraments; in breaking of the bread; in fellowship with one another; in community. We cannot succumb to thinking that we can be Christ-like without being connected to the Body of Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Confession

If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 

                                                                                   (1 John 1:6-10 KJV)

I watched parts of the "Irishman" yesterday with my husband. I watched only parts because I have a hard time watching television. I am not able to focus well on stuff that I know is fiction; especially stuff where lives are getting snuffed out. But, since my husband is spending most of his time in the recliner as he heals from surgery, I have been trying to at least sit with him.

Frank Sheeran was an official in the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the president of Local 326, and an alleged Mafia member and hitman. Now, I am pretty sure that there is no priest who would reveal the contents of a confession so I count it as fiction; but, at the very end of the movie we see Frank Sheeran making his confession. He made his confession without any remorse. In the movie he did not appear to actually be able to fully recognize that he was a sinner. I hope that this was totally fictional for effect. I do not know. Only God knows the hearts of man.

Over the years, I have had way too many people confess their sins as they sought absolution. Not everyone showed any signs of real repentance or remorse for the damage they had caused. Those that did not were usually sorry because they got caught in their sins. If you are one of those who asks for forgiveness; but, has no remorse over hurting others or turning your back on God, maybe you ought to ask yourself if you truly repented.

We are all sinners and if we say that we are not; then we are lying to ourselves. But, we cannot lie to God because He knows everything that we say and think and do. As sinful human beings we continue to turn our backs on God and one another. But, as Christians we will strive not to. We will recognize our sinful natures and we will repent because the light shines on us and the truth of our sinful ways is revealed to us. 

And, so we give thanks to God for sending His Son to suffer the penalty for our sins so that all who believe in him will not perish; but, receive everlasting life in the presence of Almighty God.

Repent and step out of the darkness that the light of Christ may shine on you.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

The Light Shines In The Darkness

For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)

Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.

But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.

Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. 

                                                                                 (Eph 5:8-14 KJV) 

The sun has not yet begun to shine this morning. I rose a whole lot earlier than I would have liked as at 4 am I woke up to find that we had run out of propane. I curled up under an extra blanket; but, didn't stay there long. Although we live in Florida, it can get pretty chilly at night. So, I put on my robe and went and connected the other propane tank and got the heat going again. I was up so figured I may as well start moving and do something.

It may be dark outside; but, that does not mean we should hide in the darkness. Even in the dark a light always shines. There have been many times that we lived in the darkness of the world. But, it do not have to be. We do not have to cower in the darkness. The light of Christ shines at all times and in all places. The light of Christ is with us always to show us the way; to show us the way of fruitfulness to the glory of God our Father.

"Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light."

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Preaching and Teaching

Sing with joy about what God
in Christ Jesus has done for you.

And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him,

Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.

                                                   (Acts 28:30-31 KJV)

I have never been a huge fan of contemporary worship. I am not against it. I just lean more toward a liturgical style and hymns rather than praise music. That being said, yesterday I worshiped with Lakeside Covenant Fellowship Church, Baraga, MI, a small congregation that uses a contemporary style of worship and found it quite worshipful! I appreciated both the music and the sermon because the entire service focused on Jesus! Does it surprise you that I'm excited about that? Well, I am. I was fed with the Word and that always is relief because I have been in services where I want to scream out, "Please, say something about Jesus, already!" 

Much of the praise music I have heard in the past has tended to talk about what we do for God rather than what God has done for us. That was not what I heard yesterday. The praise music was all about what God has done and continues to do for us. 

The sermon was a unique and captivating blend of teaching and preaching.  I have heard a lot of preachers try to blend the two into a sermon; but, very few have managed it so that it kept my attention throughout the whole sermon.  But, Rachel's skills as an elementary school teacher (gifts of God endued by the Holy Spirit) were evident as she proclaimed the Lord Jesus Christ with heart-felt enthusiasm and love. 

I am in transition right now having recently retired from the ministry and taking full advantage of being able to worship with various congregations in the area  and to hear the preaching of the kingdom of God and the teaching of those things which concern the Lord, Jesus the Christ with all confidence and boldness. So, don't be too surprised if I show up to worship with you.

May God bless us and keep us all teaching and preaching what concerns the Kingdom of God and our Lord, Jesus the Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Plans for Future

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. (Jer 29:11-13 NIV)

It is a relief to know that someone has plans for me. It is particularly good to know that it is our Father in heaven who does! Because; as of this moment, I do not have much of a plan for myself. 

Today, I will finish writing this and then get ready and go to Sunday School, Worship, and fellowship. After, that the list of possibilities is way too long to decide where to start and what to do. It is tax season and mine are sitting on my desk half done. I may need to go looking for a lost sheep today unless I hear from or about her. I could go visit family. I've been working on a butterfly garden for a young girl that I should get to work on. There is a house to clean and get ready to put on the market. There are just way too many options just for today. What about tomorrow and the next day? Should I retire completely? Where shall we live? Do we really need another home?

There are just way too many possibilities and I must confess it is troubling trying to figure out what the plan is. The only comfort in it all is that although I haven't got a clue; God does. He has a plan for my future and for all of you. It is a good plan; a plan to give us hope and a future.

Seek Him. Listen to Him! He is our hope and our future.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Liturgical Blessing?

"May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." (2 Cor 13:13 NIV)

What a blessing to receive God's grace, love, and fellowship! This greeting is to be heard at most "traditional" (if I can use that word) Lutheran Worship Services. It is not used at the congregation I am currently serving. I am serving a congregation that has, over the years, removed most of the typical Lutheran liturgy from the worship service. I have been able to bring many parts of it back into the service. It is a slow process; though, as most of you are probably aware that mainline denominations are not too big into change. It took about ten years to get rid of the liturgy and it may take that long to get it back without ruffling too many feathers.

I have heard criticisms against using the various parts of the service that include things like the Kyrie, the hymn of praise, and the greeting. So rote, I am told. I have listened to the accusations that the liturgy is man-made. Yes, the order of service is man-made; but, so are the services without a liturgy. There is an order to even those services that claim they have no liturgy or order of service. Those services also follow a pattern at every worship service.

I have also heard that these formal liturgies make us sound pretentious. What I find pretentious is deciding that our words are more edifying than the word of God. Personally, I find ridding the service of things like the Lord's prayer to replace it with long winded prayers of our own to be very pretentious.

What many, including many Lutherans, fail to understand is that faith comes by hearing God's word (Rom 10:17) and the liturgical service; although it has been ordered by human beings is full of God breathed words. These liturgies that we use are not things people made up. They come from the Holy Scriptures. The Lutheran Worship Service is ordered (or has been in the past) in such a way that you will hear the word in the liturgies, in the prayers, in the readings, in the sermon, and in the hymns or songs that we sing. I thank God for this. According to Scripture "faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ." (Rom 10:17) Everything in worship is or should be focused on the word and the Word is Christ. It is not about us. It is about what God the Father has done for us through Jesus Christ, his dear Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

"May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Life In The Light; Confess

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.                                                                                                                                                     (1 John 1:6-10 NIV)

Have you ever had the experience of feeling that you had been terribly  wronged by someone and thought that the best thing to do was to talk about it with them? Maybe you thought it were best to bring everything to the light so that you might be reconciled to one another? Yet, it did not happen. The one whom you wanted to be reconciled to decided that they wanted to keep everything in the dark. They wanted to keep on telling everyone else about their problem with you and how they thought they could fix you. But, they refused to meet with you. They refused to talk about the issues that might be causing a break between them and you. They refuse because they may have to acknowledge that they may have sinned. 

As a pastor, I have run into too many people who prefer to hide in the dark than admit that they could have done anything wrong. People just refuse to admit that they may have done something most inappropriate and damaging to others. Adults in most "Christian" circles do not like their sins addressed. Many prefer to run away or hide in darkness from the issues that have brought hurt and division to themselves and the people around them. They do not like to be called on the carpet for things that they have said or done to cause rifts with their families, friends, neighbors, or churches. I confess that I have heard more confessions from people under the age of twenty then those that are over twenty. Is it because once we put a few years under our belts we do not sin? I think not.

St. John wrote that if we claim to be without sin, the truth is not in us. And; remember, Jesus is the truth! (John 14:6)   Our sins do not need to be made public; but, there are definitely times to heal wounds and to be reconciled to one another; one must confess so that they might be forgiven and be made whole.

Live in the truth! Live in the light! Live life abiding in Jesus the Christ, our Savior and Lord!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Fellowship And Growth

"They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." (Acts 2:42, 46-47 NIV)

The reading from the Acts of the Apostles today comes immediately following the extraordinary happenings on Pentecost and the baptizing of about 3000 people that day. We are reminded that once we are baptized and anointed by the Holy Spirit we will do more than just show up once in awhile on Sunday morning. The people were so excited that they gathered often together both in the temple for worship and for fellowship over meals as with glad and sincere hearts they praised God, giving Him glory. And, then we hear "the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."  The people in the early church were in a living relationship with God and with one another and the church grew. Being a member of the Church, the Body of Christ, means that we are in relationship with one another and to be in a living relationship with one another we need to communicate with one another. That generally means fellowship!

Last evening, many of us gathered together for a supper of soup following Worship. It was wonderful! It was the first such gathering that we've had at Christ Lutheran Church since I came here. My last congregation enjoyed many meals together throughout the years. They would have at least one or two meals a year for the whole community just so they could enjoy the fellowship of other brothers and sisters in Christ who attended other congregations as well as those who had no church affiliation at all.  

It was very good to be able to share a meal and conversation last night with those who have just recently begun worshipping with us. Won't you join us next Wednesday for Worship at 5 pm and for fellowship over a soup supper at about 5:30 pm? This Sunday (Mar 12, 2017), being in the midst of Bike Week (Motorcycles for those who don't live around here), we will have a special service at 9 a.m. to bless the Bikers followed by a coffee fellowship before our regular Sunday Worship at 10 a.m..

Let us take note: The people of the early church devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer and the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. May God help us to recognize and remember the lessons the early church provides us with. Our context may be different; but, the Word is not.

God's Peace - Pr. J