Grace, Mercy, Peace

 

Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.

Greet one another with an holy kiss.

 All the saints salute you.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. 

                                                                                     (2 Cor 13:11-14 KJV)

About two thousand years ago St. Paul closed his second letter to the Corinthians with words of encouragement. He encouraged them to be of like minds and to live in peace. 

Today we need to hear and take heed of that same encouragement as we pray for the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and communion of the Holy Spirit to be with us all. 

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Let Us Go To The House Of The Lord

I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord. (Psalm 122 KJV)

It was a troubling time in my life. It was the early 70's. We were home on vacation and I had decided to go to the house of worship that I had been baptized and confirmed in to pray. To my dismay the doors of this little country church were locked!  They hadn't been locked on previous visits. But, were now locked for fear of intruders and possible damage to the church when no one in authority was there to oversee the building.

I have served at a couple of congregations that locked the doors during hours even when someone was in the building; again, to my dismay. They insisted that the door stay locked even when I was in the building. The councils were afraid that whoever might be working in the church might be attacked. There were doorbells on these church doors so that whoever might be in the building might answer the door. I have not been able to surmise why these congregations thought that I or the secretary would not open the door to anyone ringing the bell. How can one tell through a closed door if the person on the other side is a terrorist or someone who is in serious need. I do not believe that any of the secretaries that I have served with would ever turn away someone in need.

Today, churches around the country have been closed because of an invisible enemy. Many will not even be able to go into the house of the Lord to celebrate the resurrection on Easter Sunday. 

Fear of what might happen is a dangerous thing. It is good to be cautious. But, caution and fear are not the same thing. For the time being the church on earth is restructuring what the house of the Lord is by turning to social media and live-streaming or taping and posting worship services. I cannot say that this is a bad thing. We will hear the Word of the Lord which is essential to living life in Christ. But, there will be something missing. That something will be the fellowship within the Body of Christ. That something will be communing with other believers. 

"And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." (Heb 10:24-25) 

For the sake of others; it is prudent for many congregations to go to social media even while we have to accept that many of our seniors as well as others may not have social media. They may not even have the internet. But, pastors cannot neglect the needs of others no matter who they are or where they are. During the Bubonic Plague, Martin Luther continued to serve the people in spite of risk to his own health and life. He would not leave Wittenburg in order to keep himself safe. Mother Teresa of Calcutta and those who served lepers with her put their own health and safety at risk. But, they did it because they were called to serve those in need. That need may require social distancing for a time to keep others safe. It may also require that we meet them face to face; hand to hand.

It saddens me to know that fear has closed church doors. Each decade manages to close the doors a little more than the decade before. Where will it all end?

An evangelical pastor was arrested in Florida this past week for unlawful assembly and a violation of health emergency rules as he led worship for his large congregation in spite of government guidelines against it. Yes, some of our constitutional rights have been curtailed for fear that the COVID19 outbreak might become worse than it is. 

There are people all around the world where it is illegal to even be a Christian. But, the Church grows even, maybe especially, in these places. Families and small groups gather together to worship in homes; albeit, illegally. They are arrested when found out. They are sometimes tried. They are sometimes imprisoned. They are sometimes put to death.

In times like this, let us thank God for social media and for the opportunity that pastors have of staying in contact with their parishioners. Let us thank God that we can tape or live stream the word of God so that others might hear and believe; so that others might step out of the darkness into the glorious light of Jesus the Christ.

Let us pray for the day to come soon when we can all say: "I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord." (Psalm 122 KJV)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

To Know Him

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. Eph 1:17

That is the goal... that we might know Him better. Here is our Father in heaven. Here is the one who created us. Here is the one who saves us. Why would we not want to get to know Him better? The purpose of being reconciled to God our Father through the blood shed by our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ, is so that we can come before God's presence. It is so that we might walk with Him, not just in this world, but for all eternity. The gates to Paradise were closed. Humanity was exiled. But, now the gates to Paradise have been flung wide open. Your sins are forgiven. Enter into the Kingdom that has been prepared for you. Enter into His presence and get to know Him better. He is; after all, your Father in Heaven!

May God give to all the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that we might know Him and His good will for all people better.

God's Peace - Pr. J

The Spirit Goes Where It Goes

"You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again. The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” John 3:7-8 NIV

Well, it is raining. The wind is blowing. Who knows when the winds of "Hermine" will end? She's been tracked for a while now and no one has been sure where she would actually go until she went.

So, it is with those of us who have been born of the Spirit. Not even we know where the Spirit will take us from day to day or hour to hour. I had plans today. I was to teach a class on preaching. I'm thinking since we are in a tropical storm warning and all the state offices and schools are closed in the county; it's probably not a good idea to ask others to be driving today.

But, of this I am sure: It's all good! The Spirit will lead us wherever the Spirit of Christ wants us to go.

May God help us to follow.

God' Peace - Pr. J