Monthly Archives: June 2015

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on June 30, 2015
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A Birth, A Life, and A Death — Rev. David J. Schreffler

June 30, 2015

“I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.” Psalm 138:2

“For Christians, God’s temple is one of two related things: either the Christian’s body (1 Cor. 6:19-20) or the group of people who make up his Church (1 Cor. 3:16). Because of the flaws of the people in our churches, many are hypercritical of them. But God’s Church is precious to him and should be to us. Anyone who destroys his church through division will be utterly destroyed. God’s faithfulness to his people is seen in his preservation of the Church through all the ravages and persecutions of history. But God is still the center of the Church and he alone is to be exalted and the Church is still to be governed by his word and not just their own will.” “Weekly Verses, A Weeks Worth of G*d’s Word”

With so many churches around Central Pennsylvania, I sometimes wonder how all of them can possibly remain viable and continue to do the mission of Christ. The short response to that statement is, of course, they all are not viable — many of them are just hanging on with the mission to keep their doors open — and that, my friends, is not the mission of Christ. The devotion above states “God’s faithfulness to his people is seen in his preservation of the Church through all the ravages”, but not “every” church should remain open once they have reached a critical point of “missionless activity”. Now that sounds heartless, but not every church started by Paul is still open — and many have closed due to a lack of attendance and a lack of usefulness. Every church has a birth, a growth, a life, a decline, and a death. Some will live long and fruitful lives, others will not be so lucky. But the church Universal does remain and will be preserved through the longevity of many, and the life of the new churches that are birthed every day.

Here is a prayer for you today….

Holy and matchless God, I praise you for your steadfast love and faithfulness revealed in the preservation of your Church through all of history. I promise to cherish your Church and do all I can to help it grow and mature to be more like Jesus, but I recognize that you and you alone are to be exalted above all other things and that my church must never be more important than your will revealed in your word. Give me the courage to be true to you even if my church may not be. Through Jesus I pray.

Amen.

Pastor Dave

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on June 29, 2015
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Humility — Rev. David J. Schreffler

June 29, 2015

“I fear that perhaps I may come and find you not what I wish, and that you may find me not what you wish; that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder. I fear that when I come again my G*d may humble me before you, and I may have to mourn over many of those who sinned before and have not repented…” 2 Corinthians 12:20-21

“Any show of ill-temper, partiality, or prejudice is to be scrupulously avoided… They must not be over ready to believe ill of anyone, nor too hasty with their censure; being well aware that we all of us owe the debt of sin. If we pray to the Lord to forgive us, we ourselves must be forgiving; we are all under the eyes of our Lord and G*d, and every one of us must stand before the judgment-seat of Christ, where each will have to give an account of himself.” Polycarp (69-155) Letter to the Philippians “For All The Saints” volume II (p. 161)

I was reading a newspaper article the other day — it was the announcement of an ordination service for a member of the Clergy. The article was three or four columns long describing everything this person has ever done in their ministerial educational process and in their work life. Being ordained in the church for Jesus Christ is a second or third career for this individual. What made me stop to read the article, beside the joy of having another clergy in the Church, no matter that I just recently celebrated my 10th year of ordination, what made me stop and read it was the length this person went to list everything they have ever done – every church they have served – every field-education requirement as part of their seminary experience, and every other kind of experience they have had in their lives.

Paul tells the people in Corinth that he hopes that G*d will “humble me before you” — he is hoping to come to them in a manner of humble service. As Polycarp says, it is in front of G*d that we will stand to make an accounting of our deeds. Until then, as pastors, we are called to humble service — we will have our time to tell G*d what we have done at the end of our lives — of course G*d will already know.

Pastor Dave